The Shoemaker's Daughter (52 page)

‘I don’t believe you!’ Emily said, her cheeks suddenly red. ‘Why are you trying to blacken Sarah’s name, is it out of some sense of misguided loyalty to William?’

‘The child’s father is a man called Sam Payton,’ Hari repeated, ignoring Emily’s remarks. ‘He lives near Salthouse Passage and he is the one who with some other hooligans hurt Will so badly that he ended up in hospital.’

She paused, ‘Why do you think he beat Will up? Because of Sarah, of course.’

Emily had lost her colour and was now very pale. ‘I think I will have that cup of tea if you don’t mind,’ she said shakily.

Hari quickly pushed the kettle on to the flames. ‘Sit down, Emily,’ she said more gently. Hari put out the cups aware of the sudden silence and she watched in sympathy as Emily sat down as though her legs were refusing to hold her.

Hari swiftly poured boiling water into the teapot. ‘I’m sorry to break the bad news to you,’ she said, ‘but you had to find out sooner or later.’

Emily remained silent as Hari put out the cups. ‘Drink it up,’ Hari said pushing the cup forward, ‘it’ll make you feel better.’

Emily obediently sipped the tea. ‘How do you know about this man, Sam Payton?’ she asked and Hari sighed.

‘It was when I was still living in Salthouse Passage, Lewis and I were walking home and we heard Sarah rowing with this man. It all came out then about the baby and everything.’ Hari paused and stared down at her tea.

‘Lewis felt it only right that Will be told the truth, Will walked out and, since then, I haven’t seen him.’

‘Oh heavens, this is all much worse than I’d imagined,’ Emily said quietly. ‘You
are
absolutely sure aren’t you, Hari?’

‘All I’m sure about is that Sarah has been a silly girl,’ Hari said, ‘and I don’t think she should be judged too harshly for that.’

‘How am I going to explain this to John?’ Emily said almost to herself.

‘As I said, I would keep out of it and let Sarah do the explaining,’ Hari said drily.

‘What a mess.’ Emily rose to her feet. ‘Well, thank you for the tea.’ She sighed, ‘And I’m sorry for my aggressive attitude, Hari.’ She moved to the door and then paused.

‘I don’t know if this is the time to raise the issue but I’ve had a request for a pair of child’s boots,’ she began but Hari held up her hand at once.

‘I don’t need any handouts from you,’ she said quickly, ‘and I’m far too busy to take on anything extra.’

‘Too busy to make a crippled boy a pair of special boots?’ Emily asked quietly.

‘Oh, that’s different, I suppose.’ Hari spoke reluctantly. ‘What exactly is needed?’

‘I’m not sure, perhaps I can send the child’s mother to you?’ Emily replied.

‘I suppose that will be all right.’ Hari moved to open the door and Emily stared down at her and sighed.

‘I’m so sorry that we seem to have lost the close friendship we once shared,’ she said softly. ‘I realize now how I miss your sound common sense and I miss your honesty, I always knew where I was with you.’

Hari smiled ruefully. ‘Then you were lucky,’ she replied, ‘I never did know what was going through your mind, Emily.’

Emily looked away quickly and Hari wondered if she had been a little hard. But she had only spoken the truth and Emily had made no great effort to keep in touch these last months.

With people like Emily, it was much better to keep at a safe distance. Closeness with Emily’s kind only brought betrayal and disappointment.

As Hari closed the door, she saw Emily climbing into the cab that had obviously been waiting for her, it was clear that no expense was being spared, Emily was now a very rich woman.

Hari straightened her shoulders and returned to her work with fresh determination, she too would prosper, she owed it to her son to make a success of her life and to herself.

Emily sat back in the seat of the cab, satisfied that the driver knew of both Salthouse Passage and the man Sam Payton. What good it would do her to see him she wasn’t quite sure but speak with him she would, somehow she would learn the truth about Sarah’s baby.

The streets were mean and narrowing into nothing more than cobbled courts which provided just enough room for the cab to drive through. When the cab came to a halt, Emily stared around her for a moment wondering at the wisdom of being alone in such a place.

The driver coughed impatiently and Emily lifted her skirts and climbed down into the roadway.

‘I can’t wait here long, misses,’ the driver said holding out his hand for money, ‘I’ve got other things to do, mind.’

‘I will only be a few minutes,’ Emily said, ‘and I will make the wait worthwhile so don’t worry.’

The door of the house was open and Emily could see a long dark passageway leading into a kitchen. A woman with a shawl around her shoulders stood, arms akimbo, looking out at her.

‘What you gawping at?’ The woman’s voice carried the length of the passage. ‘This isn’t no peepshow, mind.’

‘I’m looking for Sam Payton,’ Emily called. ‘Does he live here?’

Startled, Emily felt a hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m Sam Payton and yes I live here. Who’s asking?’

She turned to see a handsome if surly man staring down at her.

‘I’m Emily Miller,’ she said quickly, ‘Sarah is my stepdaughter.’

‘Is she indeed?’ The man’s narrowed eyes appraised her good clothes and then he turned to the driver of the cab and jerked his head.

‘Clear off, we don’t need you nosing round here.’

‘I haven’t been paid yet,’ the man protested and drew back startled as Sam Payton lunged towards him.

‘Clear off right now if you don’t want to go home with your head in a basket,’ he snarled.

Without another word, the driver whipped the horse into a trot and disappeared around the corner.

‘You’d better come in.’ Sam Payton took Emily’s arm none too gently and almost pushed her into the kitchen.

‘Look, mam, a toff come to see us, now what do you make of that?’

He sat down and put his booted feet up on one of the chairs, looking Emily over with undisguised insolence. ‘Not a bad looker for a toff and a bit young to be Sarah’s stepmammy.’ He smiled unpleasantly, ‘Perhaps you’d better tell me what you’re here for.’

‘I just wanted to know one thing.’ Emily paused, the interview wasn’t going at all as. she’d planned, she had meant to be in complete charge of the situation.

‘I’ve been to see Hari Morris, she told me about you and I want to know the truth. Are you the father of Sarah’s child?’

‘So that bitch sent you, did she? She’s always been trouble that one but the answer is yes, I suppose I could be the father,’ Sam said, ‘it’s all according to what’s in it for me?’

Emily was taken aback, she’d expected a denial, anything but this sneering acceptance.

‘There’s nothing in it for you,’ Emily said with more strength than she felt, ‘why should there be?’

‘Well,’ Sam Payton paused, ‘I reckon if I make an honest woman of the slut I should be paid to take her off your hands, to save you the embarrassment of having a bastard in the family.’

Emily made a move towards the door, ‘I see I’ve made a mistake in coming here,’ she said coldly.

Sam Payton was on his feet in a minute and stood blocking her way. ‘It’s not polite to walk out, mind, not when mam is making you a cup of tea.’

Emily looked at the heavily rouged woman who stood near the fire, a cracked teapot in her hands and suppressed a shudder.

‘I don’t want any tea, thank you,’ she said. ‘I really must be going, my husband will be worried.’

‘Wait, you haven’t told me how dear Sarah is doing, keeping well, is she?’ Sam Payton was standing uncomfortably close and for the first time Emily felt threatened.

‘Yes, she’s well, now if you’ll excuse me, I’d better be getting home.’

Sam Payton didn’t move. ‘You know, mam,’ he said smiling at the heavily rouged woman, ‘I should marry into this family, I’ve heard all about them from Sarah. This lady is none other than one of them rich Grenfells,
you
know the Grenfells, at least one of them
very
well.’

He gave a mocking touch to his forelock, ‘And this lady who is kind enough to make you some nice, very expensive tea is my mother, Maria,’ he said. ‘So please to sit down and enjoy it, don’t let good tea go to waste.’ He touched her hair lightly with his fingertips and then his hand slipped down to her shoulder. ‘I’m sure you could afford to let me have just a little of all that wealth.’

Suddenly, Emily was very angry. ‘Let me pass!’ she said loudly, ‘or I’ll have the constable on you. Trying to get money by threats is against the law and I think Sarah has had a lucky break by not marrying you!’

‘Let her go, Sam,’ his mother warned, ‘it don’t do to pick on her kind.’

After a moment’s hesitation, Sam Payton stepped aside. ‘Lucky for you my mam is here,’ he said roughly. Emily hurried down the passageway hearing his voice behind her.

‘And you can tell Sarah to keep away from me,’ he called. ‘She’s nothing but a whore! And as for that meddling shoemaker’s daughter, she’d better stop trying to make trouble for me or she’ll learn what real trouble is!’

Once Emily was out of the mean court, she began to run. She wanted to put as much space between herself and the man’s threats as possible for Sam Payton was dangerous. He meant nothing but trouble and Emily shivered, wondering if she’d inadvertently stirred up a hornet’s nest.

At least now she knew the truth, Sarah’s troubles were not all the fault of William Davies but were more of her own making.

Emily sighed, how, she wondered, could she break the news to John that his daughter was not the wronged innocent he believed? It would not be easy but it was something that had to be done.

Hari had been right, it would have been better if Emily had minded her own business and kept right out of the affair altogether. But it was too late for that, far too late.

35

Meg stared up at the building in World’s End and saw that it was well kept and the windows sparkled with cleanliness and were draped with fresh curtains. She had come to see Hari, they hadn’t been together much since Meg’s marriage to Charles.

She knocked on the front door and it was opened by a tall handsome man who stared down at her with open curiosity.

‘Good-day,’ Meg said politely, ‘I’m looking for Hari, is she at home?’

‘She’s working, as usual.’ He spoke reasonably, as if she should have known that Hari wouldn’t be receiving visitors at this time of morning.

‘Oh, I see, how is the business doing? I’m afraid I’ve neglected Hari a little these last few weeks.’

‘Hari is managing quite well,’ the man replied, ‘building the business up little by little but she needs all the help she can get.’ He smiled. ‘I’m Lewis, I work for Hari, I’m just having a break, would you like to come in and I can call her from the workshop then?’

Meg stepped inside. ‘No, don’t call her, I’ll go round and see her myself now but only if I won’t be disturbing her.’

Lewis shrugged, ‘Hari works like a slave making and repairing boots and shoes but it’s tough enough to meet the monthly rent on this place so she lets out rooms as well, didn’t you know about it?’

Meg was speechless, she simply hadn’t stopped to think about how Hari was managing these days, so wrapped up had Meg become in her marriage to Charles that she supposed she’d not been all that much help to Hari in her latest venture.

‘You used to get work for Hari,’ Lewis stood at the kitchen table looking large and out of place as he put out the cups and saucers. ‘Those theatre people pay well for special footwear, don’t they? Can’t you get in some more orders, it would make a difference, see.’

Lewis glanced at the kettle, steam was beginning to issue from the spout. ‘Can you make a cup of tea,
merchi
?’ he said.

As though galvanized into action, Meg rose to her feet and picked up the china pot, staring at it as though she had never seen its like before.

‘Just tip in some water to warm the teapot and I’ll get the box of tea,’ Lewis said kindly.

Meg made the tea and then sank down into the chair and lifted the cup to her lips. She never had been domesticated, she’d always worked in the theatre and these days Charlie saw to it that she had servants to cater to her every whim.

‘Hari is a wonderful person,’ she said with a rush of emotion, realizing that tears were very near to the surface. Why had she been so selfishly engrossed in her own life when Hari was obviously finding life very difficult?

‘She is that.’ Lewis rose from his chair. ‘Well, I’ve got to get back to work, otherwise Hari will have my head on a plate. Shall I tell Hari you are here?’

‘No, there’s really no need to disturb her, I’ll see her another time.’

Slowly, Meg took up the cups she and Lewis had been using, it was about time she gave Hari a helping hand and she might as well start straight away.

Emily sat opposite John and, staring at his white face, felt pity for him wash over her.

‘You had to know the truth, my dear,’ she said softly, ‘we can’t go on blaming William when the baby probably isn’t his.’

‘I know.’ John rubbed his eyes wearily, ‘What am I to do with the girl, Emily, she has changed beyond all recognition from the sweet daughter I once knew.’

‘She has grown up,’ Emily said gently, ‘she has become a woman with all the problems that can bring.’

John smiled at her, warmth illuminating his tired face. ‘You are a good wife to me, Emily, I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve someone so wonderful.’

‘Nonsense!’ Emily protested but love for her husband overwhelmed her. ‘Anyone would do the same thing in my place.’

Emily rose to her feet. ‘We’ll go to see Sarah right away, shall we?’ She held out her hand to John and he rose and came towards her.

‘We’ll offer to help her in any way we can, set her up in a house on her own if that’s what she wants. One thing is clear, she can’t stay at the shop much longer, it’s not at all a suitable place for a girl who is expecting a baby to live, all those stairs to climb, it can’t be doing her any good.’