Cinderella Sister (11 page)

‘So when is the young Frenchman leaving us?’ Grandpa demanded as Lily hefted the bucket of cinders from the grate. ‘I saw his pa come to the house yesterday but nobody thought to introduce us. I might as well be dead for all you lot care.’

‘That’s not true, Grandpa. We all love you.’

‘I’m shut up here and forgotten. It’s my house and the fellow ought to have paid his respects to me.’

‘Monsieur Labrosse was in a hurry, Grandpa. He sent his compliments to you and asked to be excused, but he will come and see you today.’ Lily eyed him warily to see if her improvisation had hit the right note. Unfortunately it was true that Grandpa did get overlooked occasionally, but it was hard to include him in their daily lives when he was so unpredictable. Sometimes he was completely rational, but if he was in one of his moods he might fly into a rage at the slightest provocation, and he had been known to order the odd unwary visitor out of the house. He had thrown a teapot at the vicar when he had chanced to call, and
that was the last time they had received the Reverend James Crisp. He had left the house with a large lump on his head and the beginnings of a black eye. It was no wonder that he had curtailed his visits, although Nell still attended church every Sunday without fail.

‘Go on then, girl,’ Grandpa said testily. ‘Why are you standing there gawping at me like a codfish? I want my morning tea, and a slice of cake wouldn’t go amiss.’

‘Yes, Grandpa. I’ll fetch it now.’ Lily hurried from the room, hoping that her brothers had not devoured the last of Aggie’s gingerbread. She was about to return to the kitchen when someone hammered on the front door. She put the bucket of cinders down and tugged at the door handle, but once again the wood had swollen with the damp and she had to exhort the visitor to give the door a push from the outside. It gave way suddenly, sending her staggering backwards as Monsieur Labrosse stumbled over the threshold.

He righted himself with a rueful smile. ‘Your door, he does not want to open, mademoiselle.’

Lily righted her mobcap, which had slipped over one eye, hoping that her sooty fingers had not left a smudge on her forehead. ‘Armand is expecting you, monsieur.’

‘Thank you, I know the way. You have no need to trouble yourself, as I see that you are busy.’ Taking off his top hat, Monsieur Labrosse crossed the hall in long strides, taking the stairs two at a time.

Lily was impressed. For an older man, who must be on the wrong side of forty-five, Monsieur Labrosse was quite sprightly. She would have liked to be
present when Armand put their case to his father, but she would just have to wait and hope for the best. She hurried to the kitchen and fed the range with the cinders, and having done that she went into the scullery to wash her hands and face at the sink. She was drying herself on a scrap of towelling when a footstep behind her made her spin round to see Monsieur Labrosse standing so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face.

‘Oh, sir, you made me jump. I didn’t hear you come into the kitchen.’

He smiled and raised his hand to wipe a drop of moisture from her cheek with the tip of his finger. ‘You are all alone?’

Lily took a step backwards and felt the cold stone sink press into her spine. ‘I – our cook will be back soon, but I can make you a cup of tea if you would like one.’

He threw back his head and laughed. ‘You English and your tea. No, I thank you, but I do not want tea.’

‘How did you find your son, monsieur?’ Lily asked breathlessly, hoping that the mention of Armand would make him remember his senior years. She did not like the way he was looking at her, and he was too close for comfort. She could feel the heat of his body through the thin cotton of her gown and he was pressing his knee between her legs in the most embarrassing and improper way.

‘Armand is grateful to you all but he is eager to return home.’ Monsieur Labrosse allowed his fingers to travel down her cheek, caressing the curve of her
neck and cupping her breast with his hand. ‘You are so young and fresh, and I have no doubt as pure and innocent as your name would suggest. Am I right?’

In desperation, Lily thought of calling out for her grandfather, but his room was too far away for him to hear now that he was getting a bit deaf. ‘Did Armand tell you about our problem, sir?’ she asked, forcing herself to sound calm when every instinct was urging her to cry for help.

‘My son has told me of your family difficulties,
ma chérie
. I might, under certain circumstances, be able to come to your aid.’

She felt panic rising. She was beginning to understand him only too well, but she was on alien territory. She had no experience of dealing with unwelcome advances from an older man, or any man if it came to that. Growing up in a family with three brothers she had been as carefully guarded as the Crown jewels, and although she was aware of the admiring glances they received from local men, Lily was well aware that her sisters’ would-be suitors had to run the gauntlet of Matt, Mark and even dreamy Luke, and most of them fell by the wayside. Molly had a string of admirers, but they stayed well away from Labour in Vain Street, and if they met Molly outside her place of work they only walked her part of the way home. Molly might be a rebel but she was mindful of her family obligations.

Lily wished with all her heart that Molly was here with her now. She would know what to do, but she herself was at a loss as to how to handle a practised
philanderer like Monsieur Labrosse. He was smiling and speaking to her in gentle, persuasive tones such as he might have used to a spirited mare.

‘You don’t need to be frightened of me, Mademoiselle Lily. I could be very, very kind and generous to an enchanting young creature like you, and I could help your family if you are prepared to be – how do you say – nice, I think. If you will be nice to me I will be very good to you.’ He slid his hand behind her head and drew her inexorably towards him.

‘No, sir. Please, I beg of you do not …’

His mouth clamped over hers and his tongue probed between her lips. Lily struggled in vain. His breath tasted shockingly of stale cigars and wine laced with a hint of garlic. She felt sick and faint and more frightened than she had ever been in her whole life.

‘Papa!’

Armand’s shocked tone brought about Lily’s sudden release. Monsieur Labrosse thrust her away from him, turning his back on her to face his son. ‘Armand, what are you doing? You should be resting.’

Lily slipped past Monsieur Labrosse with a stifled cry of sheer relief. She ran to Armand and was instantly more concerned for his wellbeing than for herself. ‘You must not put weight on that injured ankle, Armand. Please sit down.’

He shook his head. ‘I am all right, but what about you? Did he hurt you?’

Monsieur Labrosse muttered something beneath his breath as he pushed past his son. ‘You know me better than that, I think. She is no more than a foolish child.’

‘Where are you going, Papa?’ Armand demanded angrily. ‘I think Mademoiselle Lily deserves an apology.’

Monsieur Labrosse came to a halt in front of Lily,
glaring down at her. ‘If you think I will help your family after this debacle then you are very much mistaken.’ He turned to Armand. ‘As you are on your feet you can come with me to Bell Wharf Stairs where our vessel is unloading. You will wait on board until this evening when we sail for home.’

Armand leaned on a chair for support, his hands curled into fists as they gripped the wood. ‘Papa, I cannot leave these good people without a word of thanks.’

‘Write them a letter. Come, I have business to complete and I am not leaving you here with these peasants.’ Monsieur Labrosse made for the door, holding it open. ‘Come now, Armand. I will not ask you a second time.’

Lily held her breath; for a moment she thought that Armand was going to stand up to his father, but he seemed to crumble. ‘Very well. You win this time, Papa, but only because I am not in a position to argue.’ He turned to her with an apologetic smile. ‘I am so sorry, Lily. This is not how I wanted to leave you and your family.’

‘You will come back one day, won’t you, Armand?’

‘Yes, that is a promise.’ He took her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘You will say goodbye to Nell for me? And the rest of your excellent family.’

‘Of course.’

‘And you will not neglect your art.’

She shook her head, at a loss for words.

‘Very touching.’ Monsieur Labrosse’s caustic tone sliced through the air like a knife. ‘I wait no longer. Come.’

Armand leaned closer to Lily, lowering his voice to a whisper. ‘I will return.’

Lily spent the rest of the morning wondering how she was going to break the news to Nell. It was bad enough that her own heart was aching more painfully than a bad tooth, but she could not bear to think how Armand’s seemingly cowardly defection would affect her eldest sister. Lily had never allowed herself to hope that a man like Armand might choose her over Nell, and when it seemed that Nell reciprocated his feelings Lily had tried to be happy for them both. But now she was to be the bearer of tidings that would surely dash Nell’s hopes of a happy ending to her budding romance.

She had intended to wait until her sisters returned home from work, but Aggie had sensed that something was wrong when Lily did not take a tray of food to the sickroom at midday, and when she began preparing tea for her grandfather Aggie was downright suspicious.

‘Isn’t him upstairs having a cup of tea?’ she asked with raised eyebrows. ‘Has he taken a turn for the worse?’

‘No, he is much better today.’ Lily continued to cut slices from a loaf of bread, buttering them well to suit Grandpa’s taste.

‘So is he coming downstairs to join us for supper then? I’m curious to meet this chap.’

‘He’s gone, Aggie. Armand left with his father earlier today.’

Aggie almost dropped the bird she was plucking. ‘That was a bit sudden, wasn’t it?’

‘Not really. Their ship sails on the evening tide. Monsieur Labrosse wanted to be certain that Armand was there in time.’

‘Oh, well, that means there will be more of this nice fat capon for everyone else,’ Aggie said, shrugging her ample shoulders. She resumed plucking the bird with renewed vigour. ‘You’d best go upstairs and strip the bed, Lily. For all we know he might have brought bugs with him. You can’t trust them foreigners.’

Lily had been putting off the moment when she had to go into Armand’s room, but now she had no excuse. The fire had burned to ash hours ago and the room seemed cold and empty. She folded the counterpane and blankets, piling them neatly on the window seat, and then she stripped the sheets off the feather mattress. The indentation remained where Armand had lain, and the scent of him lingered in the sheets and pillowcases. Lily held them to her cheek, imagining her head resting on the pillow close to his. She lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and musing on what might have been, even though she knew in her heart that it was unlikely to become a reality. She lost track of time as she lay cocooned in the downy softness where Armand had so recently lain. She was neither asleep nor completely awake, but drifting in a dream-like state until the daylight faded into dusk and the street lamp outside flickered into life. She rose reluctantly and gathered up the soiled bedclothes, leaving them in the corner of the room ready for the washtub on Monday. It was
on washday that Armand’s ship had foundered and caught fire – from now on she would always associate Mondays with the young Frenchman who had visited them briefly but whose presence had made such an impact on their lives.

She took one last look around the room. She could remember when the house was filled with laughter. They must have been happy in love at first, she thought sadly, but then it ended in betrayal and bitterness. And now Armand had been taken from them and hearts would break yet again. She left the room, closing the door softly on the poignant memories.

In the kitchen Molly was taking off her bonnet and shawl with an aggrieved look on her face. ‘Is it true, Lily? Has Armand left without so much as a goodbye and thank you?’

‘No, it’s not true,’ Lily said wearily. ‘Yes, he’s gone but he was made to leave by his hateful father, and he asked me to make his apologies for his sudden departure, and to tell everyone how grateful he was for everything.’

Molly angled her head, a curious expression on her pert features. ‘What do you mean, his hateful father? I thought that Monsieur Labrosse was supposed to be quite charming.’

Aggie thumped the saucepan lid back on a bubbling pan of potatoes. ‘Don’t take no notice of Lily. She’s had her nose put out of joint and we all know who’s to blame.’

‘What are you talking about, Aggie?’ Nell’s voice from the doorway caused them all to turn their heads.
She looked from one face to another. ‘Well, isn’t anyone going to let me in on the secret?’

‘Armand has gone and it’s all her fault.’ Molly pointed an accusing finger at Lily.

‘But I thought his ship was sailing on the evening tide.’ Nell’s alabaster skin paled to ashen. ‘Why would he leave so suddenly? Something terrible must have happened.’

Lily was desperate to reassure her. ‘Armand had no choice, Nell. His father insisted that he went straight to the ship.’

‘You must have said something to upset them both, Lily,’ Molly said, tossing her bonnet and shawl onto the nearest chair. ‘You can be so tactless at times. I could kill you, I really could.’

‘I don’t know what all the fuss is about,’ Aggie muttered. ‘He’s paid for his keep and we’re having a decent meal for a change.’

‘All you think about is your stomach, Aggie.’ Molly choked on an angry sob. ‘Armand and I were just getting to know one another, and now he’s gone. My life is ruined.’

‘Don’t be so melodramatic,’ Nell said sharply. ‘Lily, I want to know what went on here today.’

She was cornered and the only way out was to tell them the truth. She related the facts as simply and plainly as she could, despite frequent interruptions from Molly who liked to dramatise everything and could turn a simple nursery rhyme into a three-act tragic opera.

‘It seems incredible that Monsieur Labrosse would
behave in such a way,’ Nell said, staring at Lily in disbelief.