Without Sin (44 page)

Then, slowly, he began to remember. He’d heard a noise outside in the yard – had heard the gate opening and had gone out to greet the new arrivals. The homeless could arrive at any
time of the day or night, so it was nothing unusual for Albert to be wakened. But there was a struggle going on and he was sure someone – a woman – shouted his name.

Then he remembered no more.

Albert dressed slowly and made himself a cup of tea. One of the young lasses would bring him a bowl of porridge later. He opened the door and peered out into the yard, but all was quiet. At
least, so he thought at first, but then he heard the faint sound of banging and shouting. He walked along the line of buildings, past the bath room, the coal store and the privies, even beyond the
dead room and through the gate at the far end. The noise was growing louder. Someone was locked in the punishment cell.

‘Help! Somebody help me. Please.’

Albert was outside the door now, but here he paused and bit his lip. If the master had put someone in there, he couldn’t let them out.

But then he remembered: the master wasn’t here. Nor matron. Then who . . . ?

Albert pressed his ear close to the door.

‘Who is it? Who’s in there?’ he called softly.

‘Albert? Oh, Albert, is that you? It’s Meg.’

‘Meg! Aw, lass, what on earth are you doin’ in there?’

‘I don’t know. Three men came in the night and brought me here. Oh, Albert, they’ve taken my little boy . . .’ She dissolved into heartbroken tears.

‘I can’t let you out, love. I daresn’t.’ He thought quickly. ‘But I’ll fetch help. I know someone who’ll help us.’

‘Albert – Albert . . .’

But now Meg’s cries were in vain for Albert was hurrying back to his lodge. He knew just the person he must fetch.

‘Jake! Jake! Wake up. There’s someone knocking at our door.’

Jake felt Betsy shaking him.

‘Wha . . .?’ Bleary eyed, he pulled himself up and out of the bed. He stumbled across the room and down the narrow staircase. ‘All right, all right. I’m coming.
Where’s the fire?’

His bare feet sticking out from beneath his nightshirt, his hair rumpled, and blinking in the early morning light, Jake was a comical sight as he opened the door. But Albert didn’t laugh,
didn’t even notice.

‘Jake, lad, thank God you’re here. You must come at once. There’s summat up at the workhouse. Summat not right. It’s Meg . . .’

‘Meg!’

Betsy, coming down the stairs behind Jake, heard the name and her heart sank. She craned her neck to see beyond Jake’s shoulder, expecting to see the young woman standing there. But there
was only Albert Conroy.

‘Don’t let him stand there on the doorstep,’ she said at once, more fully awake than Jake. ‘Bring him in. I’ll make us all some breakfast. Come in, Mr Conroy, come
in.’

‘Ah, yes, sorry, Albert,’ Jake mumbled opening the door wider. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up. ‘Go into the kitchen. I’ll just get dressed, then I’ll
be with you.’

Betsy, with a shawl over her nightgown, bustled into the kitchen. From upstairs came the first sounds of their little girl, Fleur, waking. Hearing her, old Albert frowned. A child. Yes, that was
what had been bothering him. Meg had a child – a boy, he thought – yet he’d heard no sound of it. Where was the little chap? What had happened? He frowned, trying to remember.
She’d said something about . . .

‘That’s a nasty bump you’ve got on your forehead, Mr Conroy. Let me put something on it for you.’

‘Nay, lass. I’m fine.’ He touched it gingerly. ‘Had worse than that in mi time.’ He glanced worriedly at the door leading to the staircase, willing Jake to hurry
back.

It was only a few minutes before Jake reappeared, fully dressed, yet it seemed an age to the anxious old man.

‘Now, what’s up, Albert?’ Jake asked.

‘It’s Meg.’ He noticed the swift look between husband and wife and then they both turned their gaze on him. ‘She’s suddenly appeared back in the workhouse and
she’s locked in the punishment room.’

‘Meg?’ Jake repeated stupidly. ‘But I thought she’d left the town. Gone away altogether.’ Again he and Betsy exchanged a glance.

Albert shrugged. ‘Well, I don’t know about that. All I know is that she’s locked in the punishment room and crying for help. She – she said something else.’ He
frowned, trying to remember. ‘I know,’ he said suddenly. ‘She said, “Albert, they’ve taken my little boy.” That’s it! That’s what she
said.’

‘Who’d taken him?’

Albert shook his head. ‘I dunno, but she was in a right state, Jake. You’ve got to come and sort it out.’

‘I don’t think there’s much I can do. If the master’s put her there . . .’

‘But he’s not there. Matron neither. They’re both away. At a family funeral or summat. Waters is in charge. Or at least she thinks she is.’

‘Waters!’ Jake pondered a moment. ‘Waters,’ he said again slowly as if jumbled thoughts were just beginning to straighten themselves out and make some kind of awful,
terrifying sense. ‘Come on, Albert,’ he said grimly. ‘We’d best get back there and be quick about it. If—’

‘But – but what about your breakfast?’ Betsy began.

‘No time.’ For a moment, Jake gripped her shoulders and looked into her eyes. ‘Don’t worry, love. I have to go. You do understand, don’t you?’

Oh yes, she understood all right. Miserably, Betsy watched him go, walking alongside Albert, matching his steps to the old man’s, even though she could see that he wanted to run ahead, to
get there as quickly as he could. To get to Meg.

Betsy gave a sob and pressed her hand to her mouth, the tears blurring her eyes so that she could no longer see him.

When they entered the workhouse yard there was pandemonium. The tall figure of Isaac Pendleton was standing in the middle of the women’s exercise yard with Letitia beside
him, both still dressed in travelling clothes. Surrounding them were several women and a few men, all talking at once. Jake’s heart sank. He’d have a hard time getting Meg out now, if
the master was back in charge.

He put his hand on Albert’s shoulder. ‘You go back into your lodge,’ he began, but the old man shook his head. ‘No, I’m coming with you, lad. We’ve got to get
this sorted out.’

With Albert close on his heels, Jake pushed his way through the throng towards Isaac, who was trying to placate the women and get them to speak one at a time.

‘Quiet, quiet!’ He bellowed and at last the tumult subsided.

At that moment, Jake reached his side. ‘Where is she?’

The master looked down at him – he was still a good foot taller than the stockier built Jake.

‘Where’s who?’

‘Meg. Meg Kirkland – sorry – Rodwell. Is she still here?’

Isaac shook his head. ‘I wasn’t aware that she was.’

Again, the women all began to talk at once. Isaac spread his hands in a calming motion. ‘Just explain, quietly, what has happened.’

‘She’s in the punishment cell, crying to be let out. She says they’ve taken her child.’

‘Meg? Here?’ Isaac was as surprised as anyone and Jake could see at once that it was genuine. Whatever had happened, the master had had nothing to do with it. Neither, by the
surprised look on her face, had the matron.

‘In the punishment room?’ It was Letitia who spoke up now. ‘But I don’t understand. What is she doing here? And who put her in there?’

‘Waters,’ came the immediate reply of several voices.

‘Waters!’ Isaac and Letitia spoke together and then the matron added anxiously, ‘She’s got a little boy now, hasn’t she? Where’s he?’

The women glanced at each other worriedly. ‘We don’t know.’

Within minutes Meg had been released from the tiny room to fall, weeping hysterically, into Jake’s arms.

‘I’m taking her home,’ he said in a tone that brooked no argument, not even from the master – the man who had ruled the whole of Jake’s young life.

Isaac nodded bleakly. ‘Take my pony and trap. It’s still outside the front entrance.’

‘Thank you, Master.’ Old habits died hard and Jake still called the man by the name he always had.

‘My baby! My Robbie! Where is he?’ Meg cried as Jake led her away.

‘We’ll find him. I’ll take you home. Betsy’ll look after you and I’ll come back here.’

She clutched at him. ‘What about poor Mrs Benedict? Those men. They pushed her over. She was on the floor. What’s happened to her?’

‘Mrs Benedict? Who’s Mrs Benedict?’

‘The woman I’ve been lodging with. Her house is in Laurel Street. Number fifteen. Maybe Robbie is back there with her.’

He helped her into the pony and trap and as he picked up the reins and turned the pony towards the road, he said, ‘Now, tell me what happened.’

Swiftly, Meg explained but Jake was still mystified. ‘Whoever would want to harm you in such a way?’

‘Oh, I’ve plenty of enemies,’ Meg said bitterly. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the master isn’t behind it all.’

Jake shook his head. ‘No,’ he said slowly. ‘I don’t think he knows anything about it. I was watching him when the women were telling him about you. He was really
surprised.’

‘The matron, then. Maybe she wants to kidnap my little boy. You know how she loves little boys.’

‘No, it’s not her. I’d bet my life it’s not her. ’ He was silent for a moment. Slowly, he said, ‘I think it’s Waters. I should have seen it before. Why,
why
didn’t I think of her?’

‘Waters?’

Jake nodded but for the moment he said no more. He didn’t want to tell her at this moment of the suspicions he’d always harboured about the death of Meg’s mother. Only he had
been suspecting the wrong person. It hadn’t been the master at all. It had been Waters, jealous, embittered, twisted Waters. He could see it all now. It had been Waters who’d told Meg
– and him – that her mother didn’t want to see her any more. When all the time poor Sarah had been desperate to be reunited with her daughter. He should have realized –
should have known that wasn’t true. Then he’d suspected the master, but now he could see that he had known nothing of Waters’s deception. Jake blamed himself for not realizing the
truth before. And now he was sure too that it had been Waters who’d had something to do with Sarah’s death. But he’d no proof – not yet – and to say any more now would
only throw Meg into an even greater panic over her son.

They arrived at the farm. Jake drew the pony and trap to the door leading into his part of the house. He climbed down and held out his hand to Meg. For a moment, she did not move.

‘Betsy won’t want me here. She hates me and so does Mrs Smallwood.’

‘They’ll do what I ask them. Come on,’ he said firmly.

As they moved towards the house, Betsy opened the door. When she saw Jake with his arm around Meg, her face paled, but he glanced up and smiled at her.

‘Betsy, love. Look after Meg for a while, will you? Her little boy’s missing. I have to go and look for him. I’ll see the mester before I leave and there’s something I
want Ron to do for me. You’ll be all right,’ he added, though whether he was reassuring Meg or his wife, even he could not have said. ‘Everything’ll be all right. I
promise.’

The child had not been found though the inmates – male and female – had searched everywhere they could think of. Waters had been found in the mangle room above the
wash house, calmly sorting out the washing into piles for the women to iron during the day.

‘Where is he?’ Letitia demanded, puffing after her climb up the stone steps. ‘Where’s Meg’s little boy?’

‘Where he belongs.’

Letitia bit her lip. She wanted to take hold of the thin woman and shake her like a rat, but she kept calm. ‘And where’s that, Ursula?’

‘He’s quite safe. Waiting for his mother to come for him.’

‘But – but she was here. Meg was here. He’s not with her.’

Ursula’s lip curled. ‘She’s not his mother. She’s not fit to be anyone’s mother.’

‘Then who—?’

Waters smirked. ‘Miss Finch. She’s his rightful mother. The child should have been hers. Hers and Percy Rodwell’s.’

Letitia gasped and stared, wide-eyed, at the woman calmly folding clothes. ‘Miss Finch? Clara? She – she’s behind all this?’

Ursula nodded. ‘I knew you and the master would agree. I mean, her brother’s the chairman of the board of guardians, isn’t he? I knew it must be all right to do whatever Miss
Finch wanted.’

‘Oh, Waters,’ Letitia moaned. ‘What have you done?’

‘I’ve reunited a little boy with his rightful mother.’

‘You mean, she has him? She has Meg’s boy?’

‘He’s not Meg’s boy. He belongs to Miss Finch.’ Ursula’s eyes were wild.

‘Yes, yes.’ Letitia placated her. ‘Whatever you say. Then – then the child is with Miss Finch?’

‘Not yet, but he will be. She’ll be here for him today.’ Suddenly Ursula seemed to realize that the matron should not be here. ‘What’re you doing back here?
You’re not supposed to be home until tomorrow.’

‘We came back early.’ Beneath her breath, Letitia muttered, ‘And it’s a good job we did.’ Louder, she said, ‘So where is he now?’

Ursula’s look was sly. ‘Where no one’ll find him. Not until she comes for him.’

Letitia forced a smile. ‘Well, that’s all right then. You carry on here . . .’ She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. She glanced down and was thankful to
see the key was in the lock. Quietly she turned it and then hurried down the stairs.

Out in the yard little groups of men and women were still standing about, talking anxiously.

‘Where’s the master?’ Letitia called.

One woman detached herself from a group and came towards her. ‘He’s gone to the clerk’s office. I think he’s going to send for the police.’

‘Yes, yes, but the little boy’s still here – somewhere. Waters is locked in the mangle room.’ Letitia pointed at one of the women. ‘Go and stand outside the door
and don’t allow anyone to let her out. Not till I say so.’

‘Right, Matron.’ The woman hurried away as Letitia raised her voice to the others. ‘The child’s still here somewhere. Get everyone looking.’

‘But we’ve looked everywhere . . .’

‘Well, look again. Keep looking. He’s here, I tell you.’ Then she added, ‘Where’s Jake? Has he come back?’