Heirs and Graces (Victorian Vigilantes Book 2) Read online

  ‘He was thinking of himself, Mabel,’ Fergus said, ‘not you.’

  ‘Oh aye, he was that. I was not aware, you see, when we first began our friendship that the wife he supposedly didn’t like was in the same condition then as I am now. Mr Henry now has a son and is that proud of him, whereas this little mite…’

  She placed a protective hand, fingers spread, over her stomach. Jake expected more tears but instead Mabel looked furious. Jake was relieved. He would take anger over histrionics any day.

  ‘Anyway, there was still grumbling amongst the workers. Renewed talk of demanding higher wages. Pa had sided with the owners once before, even though he knew the workers were being underpaid and had just cause for complaint. Mr Armitage had told him they weren’t making enough money to increase wages, what with high taxes an’ all, and that he might have to close down if he was forced into paying more. Pa believed him, saved the day and hadn’t expected to be repaid by Mr Henry in such a fashion. He told Mr Armitage the exact same thing.’

  ‘Then how was the matter resolved?’ Jake asked. ‘Presumably it was a case of your word against that of the owner’s son.’

  ‘Not quite. A number of people had noticed me come and go from Mr Henry’s office and it had been talked about. None of them could decide what took me there in the first place, or kept me there for so long. When my condition started to show they said they had thought as much all along.’ She sighed. ‘Poor John Travis. It almost destroyed him. He had to be stopped from punching Mr Henry and now he doesn’t want anything to do with me.’ She shook her head. ‘I don’t expect him to understand that it was not my fault because…well, because it was, I suppose. I just didn’t stop to think that Mr Henry…’ She sniffed and straightened her shoulders. ‘I can see now that it was all an act on Mr Henry’s part until he…well, you know.’ Her cheeks flushed. ‘But I am the one paying the price for being taken in by him. Not only will I have a child out of wedlock but it’s cost me the affections of the man I loved and intended to marry.’ She spread her hands. ‘But still, I only have myself to blame and cannot expect John to treat Mr Henry’s bastard as his own.’

  ‘Give him time to get over his disappointment,’ Fergus advised. ‘When he does so perhaps, like your father, he will realise that you are guilty of nothing more than soft-heartedness. You trusted Henry Armitage and he took advantage of your innocence.’

  ‘Thank you, sir, but few others agree. It is always the woman’s fault. I can see now that I was a fool. I should have wondered why an important man like Mr Henry would take an interest in me. Now I can no longer work and most of our neighbours and friends have stopped talking to me.’

  ‘Your father told Armitage that you had been seen going into his son’s office for long periods of time,’ Jake said, attempting to get her back to her explanation. ‘There could be no reason for a person in your position to have any contact with the owner’s son, I would imagine. Presumably that persuaded Armitage that his son was responsible for your condition?’

  ‘Yes, sir. And Pa threatened to publicly name Mr Henry unless he agreed to support my child and signed a legal agreement to that effect.’

  ‘Good God!’ Jake probably looked as astounded as he felt. ‘Presumably such a document would not escape the notice of Armitage’s father-in-law, what with the arrangement being so unusual and him being a bastion of the legal profession.’ Cartwright probably would not bat an eyelid at Armitage having strayed, but to admit it and put his signature to such a document would be a public insult to his daughter. Cartwright was known to have a temper and would be furious about it. Even if the document was supposed to be confidential, Jake knew better than to imagine it could remain so. Such a juicy admission of impropriety was bound to leak out. ‘Surely Armitage did not agree to it? And more to the point, your father’s position must have been put at risk, given that he had confronted his employer in such a manner.’

  ‘He felt he had right on his side,’ Mabel said, ‘and when Pa decides there’s a wrong that needs righting, there’s no stopping him. Besides, he told me not to worry. Said he knew things and that Armitage would have no choice but to buy his silence.’

  ‘Did he indeed?’ Jake shot Fergus a probing look.

  ‘He demanded a pay-off of five hundred pounds in return for his silence.’ Jake and Fergus exchanged yet another look. That was a fortune. ‘Pa would sign an agreement with the Armitages that prevented him from ever revealing the true parentage of my child. And, naturally, the child would bear my name, not that of Armitage.’

  ‘The Armitages agreed?’ Jake asked, astounded.

  ‘Yes.’ Mabel lifted her shoulders. ‘Pa pointed out to them that I would no longer be able to work and had lost my reputation. And once I had a babe to care for, there would be more expense. Added to that, no man would ever want to marry a fallen woman. My life was ruined.’

  ‘Your father is a brave man, Mabel,’ Jake said, raising an eyebrow at Fergus as he spoke. ‘But what I fail to understand is how I can help. It seems your father has taken care of everything.’

  ‘But that’s just it, sir.’ Her eyes were luminous, not with apprehension he now realised, but straightforward worry. ‘The agreement is not yet signed and my father has disappeared off the face of the earth.’

  Chapter Two

  ‘The things I do for Jake.’ Olivia Grantley made herself as comfortable as possible on a chair that had not been designed with comfort in mind. She straightened her caped jacket until it sat in perfect alignment on her shoulders and glanced around the rapidly filling hall.

  ‘You cannot disagree that the formation of a Ladies Society for the Moral Guidance of the Working Classes is a good idea,’ Lady Eva Woodstock replied, reading from her invitation as she sat down beside Olivia.

  ‘A very catchy name,’ Olivia said, wrinkling her nose, ‘and typical of Mrs Mansell’s long-windedness. It trips so easily from the tongue.’

  Eva laughed. ‘Be that as it may, there are so many unfortunate girls in London, duped by unscrupulous men and then left to deal with the consequences. It is quite shocking. Those of us in positions of privilege ought to help in any way that we can.’

  ‘You are thinking of Rose, I imagine,’ Olivia said. She was referring to a former maid of Eva’s who had been abused by Eva’s late husband and his oaf of a henchman.

  ‘I suppose I was. At least we were able to help her.’

  ‘I agree that more help is needed for the poor girls who are blamed for succumbing to male lust, but I cannot persuade myself this is the best way to go about it.’ Olivia sniffed. ‘You mark my words, Mrs Mansell will enthuse about the project and bully the vicar into agreeing with her. She will then make sure she does as little of the work herself as she possibly can and take all the credit for any corrupted souls we do manage to save.’

  ‘Very likely.’ Eva chuckled as they glanced at the lady in question. She offered a perfumed hand to one of several ladies of higher social standing into whose company she had insinuated herself. Mrs Mansell’s chins quivered as she laughed at some unheard bon mot. The peacock feather on the top of her ornate hat danced in time when her mobile chins. The vicar stood beside her, shoulders hunched, looking terrified and probably wishing he was somewhere—anywhere—else. Mrs Mansell assumed her place at the centre of the dais and looked down on the assembled ladies in the body of the draughty church hall with a condescending smile.

  ‘I really must learn to say no to Jake,’ Olivia muttered.

  ‘Mrs Mansell does seem very pleased with herself,’ Eva conceded. ‘But I expect she means well. The girls whose souls she hopes to save and whose futures she hopes to secure won’t care what motivated her. Besides, you are only feeling out of sorts because you have been forced to mix in society.’

  ‘I keep telling you; I am a notorious woman of questionable morals.’ Olivia’s lips twitched. ‘Society does very well without my inclusion within its ranks.’

  ‘Nonsense! You were cleared of all involvement in your
husband’s murder.’

  Olivia shrugged. ‘Even so.’

  ‘You are only notorious because you enjoy being so.’ Eva wagged a finger at her friend. ‘Personally, I think you are a total fraud and just prefer being a recluse. Not that I blame you for that. The demands of society can become wearisome.’ She glanced at Mrs Mansell as she spoke. ‘However, if either of us can lay claim to notoriety, it is most assuredly me.’

  Eva had run away from her violent and overbearing husband the previous year. She had been coerced by her family, who were on the point of bankruptcy, to accept Woodstock—a wealthy, untitled merchant several tiers below her in the social order. Eva sacrificed herself for her family’s sake but was miserable in her marriage to a controlling and brutal man. It transpired that Woodstock had been involved in a daring plot to steal the Koh-i-noor diamond, the centrepiece of the Great Exhibition. Jake, Olivia and Jake’s friend Lord Isaac Arnold had foiled that plan and restored Eva’s young daughter to her at the same time. Eva’s husband had died in the final confrontation with Isaac and now Isaac and Eva were inseparable.

  Olivia knew that the moment Eva’s period of mourning ended the coupe would marry. Eva didn’t actually mourn her husband’s passing, but the proprieties had to be observed—and in the meantime, Eva was living with Olivia at Olivia’s house in Chelsea. Although Eva had inherited her husband’s house in Sloane Street, it bore too many unhappy memories for her to be able to reside there. The property had been sold.

  ‘Besides,’ Eva added, ‘you cannot fool me. I am well aware of your generosity when it comes to giving your time and wealth to deserving causes.’

  ‘Possibly, but I prefer to do so without making a public display of it. Mrs Mansell is in it purely for the acclaim.’

  ‘Well, let us hope that Miss Armitage feels the same way. That is why Jake asked you to have an invitation to this meeting sent to her.’

  ‘He wants me to befriend the woman but has not seen fit to explain why.’ Olivia huffed indignantly. ‘Sometimes I think he does not trust me.’

  Eva’s eyes sparkling mischievously. ‘Perhaps it is simply that he knows you will do anything he asks of you?’

  Olivia put up her chin. ‘He knows no such thing.’

  ‘Have it your way.’ Eva smiled complacently. ‘We are being looked at most peculiarly by some of the other ladies just arriving. Is my bonnet askew?’

  ‘No. It’s because of our notoriety, I expect.’ Olivia flapped a hand. ‘I get a lot of invitations to events such as this but seldom take them up. I dare say we shall be the talk of the capital this evening and Mrs Mansell will not hesitate to take the credit for your appearance.’ Olivia chuckled. ‘She will graciously overlook our questionable reputations for the sake of the fallen servant girls she hopes to assist; you just see if she does not. I mean,’ Olivia added with an impish smile, ‘everyone knows you are a widow with more money than you know what to do with. If there were any gentlemen other than the vicar in attendance, you would already have been overwhelmed by their attentions.’

  ‘Which is why I do not show myself in society.’ Eva’s smile took on a dreamlike quality. ‘Isaac’s attentions are more than sufficient for me.’

  Olivia chuckled. ‘You astonish me.’

  ‘I still maintain that your moral lassitude is nothing compared to mine. I ran away from my husband—’

  ‘Your violent husband.’

  ‘Husbands are permitted to discipline their wives in any way they see fit. They have the law on their side. However, we shall not argue the point. Suffice it to say that I started a relationship with Isaac whilst William was still alive.’ She placed a protective hand over her stomach. ‘More than a relationship, as will become obvious in the not too distant future.’

  ‘A reason to be grateful for hooped skirts.’ Olivia grinned. ‘And comfortably loosened stays.’

  Eva smiled. ‘Quite.’

  Olivia observed the arrival of a nervous-looking young woman whom she had not seen before. ‘I say, do you imagine that lady is Miss Armitage?’ Olivia watched the woman in question trip over the leg of a chair, only just managing to keep her footing. The lady sitting in the chair scowled, and the young woman muttered an apology. ‘She fits the description we were given of her. Pretty in an unexceptional way, of slightly above average height with light brown hair and a slender figure. Our Miss Armitage has grey eyes but I cannot see the colour of that lady’s from this distance.’

  ‘I think it must be her,’ Eva agreed. ‘She looks uncomfortably out of place.’

  ‘Don’t draw attention to us. We shall make her acquaintance when this dreary meeting comes to an end and tea is served. She mustn’t know that we are only here because of her.’

  ‘What do you know about her?’

  ‘Very little. Jake has not seen fit to enlighten me.’ There was a lot of noise in the hall, but Mrs Mansell’s voice rose above everyone’s like a foghorn on the Thames during a pea-souper as she dished out orders left and right. The likelihood of being overheard was remote, but Olivia still lowered her voice. ‘I can tell you that her father owns the Armitage Glassworks in Limehouse and Jake has taken an interest in the affairs of that establishment.’

  ‘I wonder what goes on there to make it so interesting for him.’

  ‘Well, I am the last person who could enlighten you.’ Olivia pouted. ‘Probably all sorts of distasteful activities. White-slaving, prostitution, smuggling…’

  ‘Olivia!’

  ‘Yes, you’re right.’ Olivia grimaced. ‘Those activities would not concern the government—well the smuggling might if the treasury was being short-changed, but I doubt whether that’s what this is about. Someone high up in government circles has involved Jake for more serious reasons; on that you can depend. Jake complains about being at their beck and call but never seems able to turn them down.’

  ‘He is very patriotic.’

  ‘That,’ Olivia replied with feeling, ‘is undeniable. Anyway, regarding Miss Armitage, I do know that her mother died several years ago and her father did not remarry. She has a brother who is being groomed to take over when the father retires. He is married to Cartwright’s daughter…’

  ‘The barrister? Isaac speaks highly of him but sometimes disapproves of his methods.’

  ‘He’s made quite a name for himself. Even I have heard of him. He likes to win at all costs, apparently, which is bad news for the wretched accused.’ Olivia nodded to an acquaintance who took the seat immediately in front of her. ‘The Armitages want to rise above their middle-class roots and be accepted by society. That’s why Jake had me arrange for Miss Armitage’s invitation here today. He assured me she would attend and it seems he was right about that. Infuriatingly, he is right about most things. Anyway, we are to befriend her, gain her trust and find out as much as we can about her family’s affairs.’ Olivia spread her hands. ‘And as always, I am completely at Jake’s service.’

  Eva grinned. ‘Of course you are!’

  A hint of colour touched Olivia’s cheeks. ‘You will insist on their being more to my relationship with Jake than meets the eye but I can assure you…have assured you repeatedly…that is not the case. He helped to clear my name when I was accused of my husband’s murder by uncovering the identity of the real murderer and then recruited me as one of his vigilantes.’ She grinned. ‘No one ever suspects a helpless female of being involved in what is considered to be men’s work.’

  ‘Perhaps, but it also provides Jake with a valid excuse to see you regularly. I have observed the way he looks at you.’ Eva smiled. ‘And that look, my dear, is most definitely not one of indifference.’

  Olivia lifted her shoulders in a negligent shrug. ‘He is a man. He cannot help looking. He might even enjoy the view. Be that as it may, looking is all I will permit him to do.’

  ‘If you say so.’

  ‘You are insufferable!’

  Mrs Mansell stood up, cleared her throat and called the meeting to order. A blanket of silence immedia
tely descended over the hall. Olivia watched as Miss Armitage took a vacant seat a few rows in front of them and then promptly dropped her stocking purse, scattering its contents all over the floor. Her face flooded with colour as every head in the room turned in her direction. She stuttered an apology and stooped to gather up her things. No one helped; no one took the vacant seats to either side of Miss Armitage. That didn’t surprise Olivia. All the ladies in the room were drawn from the top echelons of society; either cajoled or bullied by the influential Mrs Mansell into supporting her latest charitable project. If they dropped something, they did not pick it up themselves. They had servants for that sort of thing.

  Miss Armitage was well dressed, but it was obvious that she felt uncomfortable in such circumstances, which had probably accounted for her clumsiness. Olivia heard the two ladies in front of her asking one another whom she might be. She hoped Mrs Mansell would not wonder how she came to be in possession of an invitation.

  Mrs Mansell’s long monologue about the need to save London’s unfortunate fallen women was in danger of sending her audience to sleep.

  ‘We have a duty to consider the moral and spiritual wellbeing of these sinful girls,’ she droned. ‘We need to make them see the error of their ways. They must repent and seek God’s forgiveness by leading pure and Christian lives in which there is no place for loose morals...’

  ‘What about the loose behaviour of the men who compromised them in the first place?’ Olivia demanded of Eva, her voice drowned out by the babble of sycophantic agreement Mrs Mansell’s proclamation elicited.

  ‘They are men and cannot be expected to help themselves,’ Eva replied, biting her lip in a failed attempt to cover a smile. ‘It is never their fault.’