‘Did you become friends?’
‘Aye,’ Susan said after a moment. ‘I liked her. People thought she was strange, because of. .’ She raised a hand to her lip and he nodded. ‘But she were nice. We used to hold each other to stay warm when we slept.’
He took a piece of mutton pie he’d saved from his dinner and passed it to her. Her eyes widened for a moment, then she reached out and snatched it.
‘Did she say why she came here?’
‘She’d told me she tried whoring but there were no one who wanted her. When she didn’t bring in any money, the man who’d been looking after her hit her and made her go out again the next day, even though she didn’t want to. So she didn’t go back. She just walked around Leeds until it got dark. Then she saw the fires and came down here.’
‘What did she do during the day when she was here?’
‘We’d walk and try to find things people had thrown away. Old food, all sorts. Lucy even found an old dress once, but it wa’nt much and it was too big for her.’
‘Did she talk much?’
‘Nay, mister, not a lot,’ Susan said, wiping awkwardly at her eyes. ‘It were her mouth, you see. It made the words funny so she didn’t really like to say a lot.’
‘When she did, what did she talk about?’
‘I don’t know,’ she answered with a small shrug of her shoulders.
‘Her family? A boy she liked?’
‘She said she used to be a maid in one of them big houses.’
‘She was,’ he told her.
‘But they said she had to go because she were going to have a baby.’
‘They did. But did she tell you why she didn’t go home? Her mother loved her, she’d have taken her in.’
Susan shook her head. ‘All she said was that she couldn’t go back there because he’d find her there.’
‘Did she say who’d find her?’
‘No, mister. She never did.’
‘Why did she leave here?’ Lister wondered. ‘Did she tell you she was going, or where?’
‘We went out like we always did when she was here,’ the girl began, ‘and she said she had summat she needed to do. Wandered off merry as you please and never came back. If I’d known. .’ Even in the dull light her could see the tears forming again and she lowered her head.
‘You don’t know where she might have gone?’
‘No.’ She shook her head adamantly. ‘She never said owt. I kept looking for her after but she never came back. People leave all the time here.’
He looked around. It was company, it was safety, but it was a hard, hard life out in the open.
‘How did you end up here?’ he asked and he looked at him, surprise in her eyes at his interest.
‘Me parents died, so me brother was looking after me. We’d been sleeping out past Town End until some men come and. .’ She let her words tail away for a moment. ‘Then we come down here when he heard about it. A few days later he said he was going to ’list for a sailor. Said at least he’d eat and he might make his fortune. Promised he’d come back then and look after me. He will, won’t he, mister?’
‘I’m sure he will,’ he assured her, although he knew the chances were slim. In this life you had to look out for yourself first. He stood, took some coins from the pocket of his breeches and handed them to her.
‘Thank you, mister.’
‘Thank you, Susan. How old are you?’
‘Fourteen,’ she said.
The night had ended but day hadn’t yet arrived; the sky was the flat colour of old pewter as he walked up Briggate. A thin layer of mist lay over the river like magic. Behind the high walls of the grand houses he could hear the first servants at work, drawing water and lighting fires.
At the jail, Lister was sitting at the desk, quill scratching on paper to write up his brief nightly report as the Constable arrived.
He looked tired, Nottingham thought, not just in his face and eyes but in his soul.
‘Did you see the girl last night?’ he asked.
‘Yes, boss.’
‘Anything worthwhile?’ Nottingham sat and Lister pushed a hand through his thick hair.
‘Not really. Lucy told her she couldn’t go home because he’d find her there, but still no mention of who he is. She was with the riverbank people for a week, then she just left. She was out with the girl I talked to, said she had something to do and never came back. Didn’t talk much, evidently.’ He paused. ‘One more thing, boss.’
‘What’s that?’
‘That pimp Lucy had claimed she’d been beaten by someone who didn’t pay, didn’t he?’
‘Yes. His sisters said the same. Why?’
‘The girl said Lucy told her the pimp had beaten her when she didn’t make any money. She’d have no reason to lie.’
‘True,’ Nottingham agreed.
‘And it would explain why she ran off.’
Nottingham sat and thought.
‘I think I’ll go and see Joshua Davidson again today.’ He gave a dark smile. ‘Let’s see if he remembers the truth this time.’
‘But it doesn’t help us find out what happened to Lucy.’
‘No.’ The Constable gave a deep sigh. ‘We’ll get there, don’t worry.’
Sedgwick arrived, his face creased in a smile.
‘You look happy,’ Nottingham said.
‘Isabell only woke twice, James has been behaving and I slept,’ he announced proudly.
‘Anything from any of the Cates men?’
‘They didn’t have her, I’ll wager on that. None of them liked her, I doubt they’d have touched her with someone else’s pizzle. You might be getting a complaint about me from the father, though,’ he warned. ‘He didn’t seem too happy at my questions.’
‘I’ll take care of it if it happens,’ the Constable told him. ‘We still need to know who she was scared of seeing if she went home. Any ideas?’
‘Her brother?’ Lister suggested.
‘I don’t see why she’d be scared of him,’ Nottingham answered. ‘He’s her family and her mother said he looked after her. You said he seemed insistent on finding her himself, John.’
‘He was,’ the deputy agreed slowly. ‘He’s an odd one, though. Might be worth talking to his girl when he’s not around.’
‘You’d better do that, then. I’m going to see our friend Davidson and then keep on the thief taker business. Anything from the men who’ve been watching him?’
‘Nothing unusual,’ Lister said.
‘Keep someone on him,’ he ordered. ‘And make sure he doesn’t know he’s being followed.’
They started to leave but the Constable said, ‘Rob, can you stay for a minute?’
Nottingham watched the others exchange glances then Lister sat down again as Sedgwick walked out.
‘Emily was upset last night, and she won’t say why,’ he said plainly, and stared at the younger man. ‘I was wondering what you knew about it.’
‘Boss. .’ Rob began, then the words wouldn’t come to his mouth. He pushed his head down to the desk and raised it again. ‘It’s my father.’
‘What about him?’
Nottingham could see the reluctance in the youngster’s face. He waited, giving him time to frame his thoughts.
‘He doesn’t want me to marry Emily.’
‘Oh?’ he asked, trying to keep the surprise from his voice. ‘I didn’t know you two had even talked about it. Emily hasn’t said anything.’
‘We haven’t. But we love each other.’
‘I think all of Leeds knows that by now, lad,’ Nottingham said kindly and watched Lister blush. ‘So why doesn’t he want you to marry her? Is she too young?’
Rob shook his head. ‘It’s not that.’ He paused, then blurted it out quickly. ‘He said. . he said your family wasn’t good enough. I’m sorry, boss.’
‘I see,’ the Constable said slowly.
‘I told Emily and I tried to explain that what he wants won’t stop me. But I don’t know how much of it she really heard.’
‘Now she’s angry at you?’
Lister nodded.
‘She’ll come around. Meet her after school,’ he advised. ‘Talk to her again. You know what she can be like. You need to make sure she understands.’
‘Yes, boss.’ He hesitated. ‘And I’m sorry about my father.’