A Mother's Wish (13 page)

Effie was not so sure, but she managed a smile. ‘I hope they don’t have nightmares.’

‘Oh, no. They’re used to my tales, ain’t you, boys?’

The brothers nodded their heads vigorously. ‘Tell us what happened next, Jess,’ the elder of the two pleaded. ‘We’ll go to bed then and I won’t piss meself like I did the other night.’

‘I should hope not, young Mickey,’ Jessie said sternly. ‘I ain’t washing your blankets if you does. Now where was I?’

Effie peered into the van and saw the outline of Georgie’s head on the pillow. He was sound asleep despite the noise outside. She put her hand in her pocket and took out a penny which she handed to Jessie. ‘Will you stay and keep an eye on Georgie for a little while longer? I’ll give you another halfpenny when I come back.’

‘That’s all right,’ Jessie said calmly. ‘I ain’t got nothing to do but look after the nippers.’ She cocked her head, staring at Effie like a curious robin. ‘Are you meeting a bloke then?’

Effie felt the colour rise to her cheeks and was grateful for the gathering dusk to hide her blushes. ‘No, of course not. I just have some business to discuss. I won’t be long.’ She hurried off before Jessie could ask any further leading questions. Threading her way between the caravans, she headed for the patch of scrub where the horses were tethered and Charlie the capybara dozed in a pen made from hurdles. Her heart was thudding against her ribs as she looked for Frank, and when she saw a male figure emerge from between a group of grazing animals she hurried towards him.

‘Frank?’

He stopped, setting down the saddle he carried and pushing his cap to the back of his head. She could not see him clearly but she realised with a start that it was not Frank. She hesitated, poised ready to run. ‘I’m sorry, I made a mistake. I thought you were someone else.’

For a moment he remained motionless, and although she could not make out his features clearly in the gathering darkness she knew that he was staring at her and she was suddenly afraid. She glanced anxiously over her shoulder hoping to see Frank’s familiar figure striding to her rescue but there was no one in sight. She was alone, with the wide
expanse of the flats on two sides, the pond on the other and about a hundred yards or so of open ground to cover before she reached the safety of the encampment. She backed away as the man began to advance slowly towards her.

‘Who are you?’ she whispered. ‘What are you doing here? If you’re stealing horses I have only to call out and the men will come running.’

He quickened his pace and Effie panicked. She started to run but she could hear his footsteps pounding on the dry earth behind her, and she knew she was being outpaced. She did not see the tussock of grass that tripped her up and sent her sprawling headlong on the ground, knocking the breath from her body. She lay there, gasping for breath and unable to move as the man caught up with her and pulled her to her feet.

‘
EFFIE! I THOUGHT
it was you but you’re the last person I expected to run into on Wanstead Flats.’

‘Toby.’ Effie uttered his name on a sob but it was from relief that she was crying, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. ‘I’ve been hoping and praying that you would come.’

‘What a welcome,’ Toby said, taking her by the shoulders and peering into her face. ‘But what are you doing here? Have you run away to join the fair?’

She clutched his lapels, pulling his head down so that his face was close to hers. ‘Where is Tom? Please tell me that he found you.’

‘Effie, ducks, I haven’t seen young Tom since the last time we met at the Prince of Wales tavern.’ Gently disengaging her fingers, he hooked his arm around her shoulders. ‘You’re shivering, girl. What’s been going on? What brought you to this place?’

‘So you don’t know where Tom is then?’

He slipped off his jacket and wrapped it
around her shoulders. ‘I think you’d best start at the beginning and tell me everything. I can’t help you unless I know what’s troubling you.’

She tried to speak but her teeth were chattering uncontrollably and it was not the cool breeze from the marshes that chilled her to the bone. She had placed so much faith in Tom being safe in Toby’s care. The shock of discovering that he knew nothing of her brother’s whereabouts was almost too much to bear.

‘Come and sit down,’ Toby said gently. ‘Take it slow and start at the beginning.’

She opened her mouth to speak but was forestalled by a shout from Frank and the sound of footsteps pounding on the hard-baked ground. She turned her head, and saw him racing towards them.

‘Leave her alone.’ He gave Toby a shove that sent him staggering backwards.

‘No!’ Effie cried, finding her voice. ‘Stop this, right now.’

Frank peered anxiously into her face. ‘Are you all right? Did he hurt you?’

‘He’s my friend, Frank.’ Effie clutched his arm to prevent him taking another swing at Toby, who had regained his balance and had his hands fisted, preparing to fight back.

‘Try that again, mister, and see what you get,’ Toby said, squaring up.

‘Tapper!’ Frank almost spat the word, curling
his lip. ‘I might have guessed it was you. You never could keep your hands off a pretty woman, especially one who’s spoken for.’

Effie uttered a squeak of protest. ‘That’s not true, Frank. You shouldn’t say things like that.’

He cupped her face in his hands, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘It could be true, Effie, my sweet. If I can break the wretched pledge that binds me to a woman I barely know and do not love, then I will be free to court you properly, like the lady you are.’

‘Sounds like a rum do to me,’ Toby snorted. ‘I dunno what’s been going on here, but I wouldn’t trust a cove who spoke so easily of breaking his promise to someone simply because he’s met a better prospect.’

Effie turned on him, her pent-up emotions bubbling over like an unwatched pot left to simmer on the fire. ‘This has nothing to do with you, Toby. And you, Frank, you’re going too fast. We hardly know each other.’

He laid his hand on her shoulder. ‘I thought we came out here to discuss our future, girl. Are you denying your feelings for me?’

‘Yes. No. I don’t know,’ Effie cried passionately. ‘I can’t think about us at this moment, Frank. I have to talk to Toby about my brother. I have to find Tom.’

Frank dropped his arm to his side and his expression was lost in the deepening shadows.
‘It would seem that I was mistaken in you, Effie. I thought you had fallen in love with me as I have with you.’

‘Look, cully,’ Toby said pleasantly. ‘Can’t you see you’re upsetting her? This ain’t the time or place for romance, especially when you can see that Effie’s got other things on her mind.’

She felt Frank’s body tense and she laid her hand on his sleeve. ‘Please, Frank. This is very important to me. I need to speak to Toby. He’s the only person I know who might be able to find Tom.’

‘I suppose you’ve decided to join us so that you can get rid of your dodgy old nags. Well I’m not having it, Tapper. We don’t want the police sniffing round looking for stolen animals.’

‘I don’t indulge in that trade, mate.’

Toby spoke in an even tone but Effie knew him well enough to see that he was struggling to keep his temper. She glanced up at Frank. As the clouds parted a shaft of moonlight lit his face, revealing a martial gleam in his eyes.

‘Is that so?’ he said with a scornful curl of his lips. ‘Well, I recall a certain stallion with a white blaze blacked out with boot polish. The brute had won quite a few races and had been put out to stud. The owner was pleased to offer a fat reward, and the police were even
keener to get their hands on a certain horse trader by the name of Tapper.’

‘A misunderstanding,’ Toby said airily. ‘Could have happened to anyone, and it was all sorted out in no time at all. You’re just trying to paint a dark picture of me, Tinsley, but it won’t work with Effie because we know each other too well.’

Frank took a step towards him but Effie thrust herself between them. ‘Stop it, both of you. You’re behaving like schoolboys.’ She raised her hand to touch Frank’s cheek. ‘There’s no need to worry. Just give me some time to talk to Toby. After all, finding him was the reason for my joining up with the fair.’

‘All right,’ Frank said grudgingly. ‘I’ll leave you two to talk, but I’ll be keeping my eye on you, Tapper. If there’s any hint of trouble I’ll turn you over to the johndarms.’ With one last threatening glance in Toby’s direction, he turned on his heel and strode back towards the camp.

‘Well,’ Toby said, grinning. ‘Seems you’ve made a conquest there, Effie.’

‘And it’s obvious to me that there’s more between you two than trouble with the police,’ Effie said, angling her head. ‘He seems to hate you, Toby.’

‘He don’t like being crossed, that’s all. But more important now is for you to tell me what
happened to make Tom run away, and why you left the
Margaret
for this sort of life. It’s not for the likes of you, Effie.’

She linked her arm with his. ‘Come to my van and we’ll talk over a cup of tea. Young Jessie is looking after Georgie, but I can’t leave her for too long. She’s only a nipper and she must be in need of her bed.’

Later, sitting inside the caravan with Georgie sleeping soundly, Effie recounted everything that had happened since she parted with Tom on the fateful day when the Salters were hired to crew the
Margaret
. Toby listened attentively and when she finished speaking he ran his hand through his tumbled mass of dark curly hair. ‘Well, that’s some tale, girl. I’ve been out in the wilds of the Essex countryside doing a bit of dealing at horse fairs, and it’s unlikely that young Tom could have caught up with me since he was on foot. He could be anywhere, and that’s the truth of the matter.’

Effie’s breath hitched in her throat. ‘He might have been forced back into the workhouse, or he could have starved to death on the highway.’

‘Don’t get yourself into a state. He’s a bright boy, and I’m sure he’s got the sense to keep away from danger of all sorts.’

‘He’s only thirteen, Toby. He’s just a child.’

‘I was on the road at that age, and look at me now.’ Toby beat his breast with his fists and his dazzling blue eyes danced with merriment. ‘Well, maybe I ain’t the best of examples, but I’ll wager that young Tom is doing all right, and we’ll soon find him.’

‘You’ll help me then?’ Effie held her breath; she had known that he would but she wanted to hear it again from his own lips.

‘I’ll do my damnedest, ducks.’ The smile faded from his eyes and he leaned towards her. ‘Just tell me one thing, Effie. Are you serious about Frank Tinsley?’

It was such a direct question that it caught her off guard. It was one that she had been asking herself and she simply did not know the answer. She supposed that she was in love with Frank, but her reaction to his charms might simply have been the desire to belong and to feel beloved again. Looking into Toby’s eyes, she was even more uncertain of her feelings and she shook her head. ‘I don’t know, and that’s the honest truth. Anyway, what is it to you?’

‘Well,’ Toby said slowly, as if picking his words with care. ‘It might have some bearing on what we do next.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘I’m not suggesting that you leave the fair immediately, but it would be easier if there
were two of us looking for young Tom. Would you want to leave your new life and travel like a gypsy?’ He stood up and went to the open door, staring out into the darkness. ‘From what you’ve told me, you’ve found friends here and you can support yourself and young Georgie. Then there’s Frank, the bloke you might or might not have fallen in love with. Would you want to give all this up?’ He turned his head to give her a searching look. ‘I only ask because it’s something you will have to consider, should the need arise.’

‘Apart from my son, there’s nothing more important to me than Tom,’ Effie said, clasping her hands and holding them to her breast. ‘All I want is to make a home for us so that we can live together. We’ll never be separated again or be forced to return to the workhouse. I’ll do anything I can to keep us out of that fearful place.’

‘I have my answer,’ Toby said seriously. ‘Now I’d best leave and let you get a good night’s sleep.’

Effie jumped to her feet. ‘But what are you going to do?’

‘I dunno yet. I’ll sleep on it and tell you in the morning.’

He stepped outside and she watched him until his tall figure was enveloped by the darkness. She closed the door wondering if she
ought to have offered him a bed for the night, and a smile curved her lips as she imagined the inevitable gossip that would fly round the camp following such an action. But the thought of Frank’s reaction to such a titbit of news sent a chill down her spine. Frank was a complication that she could neither have foreseen nor imagined. She made herself ready for bed, putting him resolutely out of her mind. Tomorrow she must decide whether to leave the fair and accompany Toby in the hope of finding Tom, or to remain where she was and suffer the torment of loving a man who was promised to another.

The next day dawned warm and sunny with the promise of intense heat later on. The ground was baked hard beneath her feet as Effie made her way to Arnoldo’s van. Flies swarmed over scraps of food thrown out for the dogs that were kept to guard the caravans left unoccupied while their owners worked their stalls, and the valuable horses put out to graze on common land. There was no sign of Toby, but as she paused to pass the time of day with Leah, who was setting up her stall, Effie caught sight of Frank leaning against one of the painted horses on the merry-go-round. He spotted her and waved, his handsome features suffused with a smile
that made her heart do a somersault inside her breast.

‘Forget him,’ Leah said sternly. ‘He’ll break your heart.’

Effie dragged her gaze away from the man who looked to her like a sun god with his bare-chested masculinity and chestnut hair gleaming with golden tints. She avoided meeting Leah’s gaze as she shook her head. ‘It’s not like that.’

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Leah said, sounding unconvinced. ‘He’s not for you, ducks. And I don’t think this life is for you either.’