Page 21

Chapter 20

Hunching their shoulders against the drizzle, Rory, Mr McGovern and Alfie hurried across to the front door of Number 5. As Alfie reached for the latch, Rory detected a dart of movement in his peripheral vision. Heart seizing, he looked towards the mouth of the alley where a shadowy figure loomed through the murk and seemed to be staring straight at them. In the next instant, he relaxed – tall and rail thin, the silhouette was nothing like Tommy’s stocky frame. The stranger turned away and continued past the alley, footsteps fading into the night. Letting out a quick breath, Rory followed Alfie and Mr McGovern over the threshold into the house.

When they entered the room, which was still as smoky as his last visit, he spotted Frankie and May first of all, their short forms standing at the table. Frankie was dabbing his finger across the wooden surface, scooping up stray crumbs and licking them off his fingertip, while at his side May was dragging a grimy cloth over a plate, leaving smears in its wake. Then Rory’s attention swung to the stairs, where Maud gripped the rickety banister as she climbed upwards, each step an evident struggle.

At their entrance, she twisted around and uttered a loud gasp. ‘Alfie!’

Shock and relief filled her wan face. She hastened to descend the stairs and, in her rush, stumbled on the second-to-last step. Mr McGovern was the quickest to react, lunging forwards to catch her before she could fall to the floor. He steadied her on her feet and she stared up at him, bewilderment clouding her features.

‘Who are you?’ Her gaze darted from him to Rory and then to Alfie. ‘You were gone for so long . God, I was scared out of my mind that he’d—’ The words died in her throat.

Rory’s chest tightened as understanding struck – Maud had feared that Tommy had done Alfie harm. In truth, her fear wasn’t unfounded; he had already taken one child from her. A gentle swell beneath her dress showed that her body had not yet forgotten.

‘I’m safe, Ma,’ Alfie said reassuringly.

He offered a smile to his younger siblings. Frankie hobbled forwards with a distinct limp in his right leg, but May hung back by the table.

‘I been looking after Ma and May just like you told me to,’ Frankie said stoutly. ‘And I been delivering the papers every morning. Takes me a bit longer ’cause of my leg, so I got to start earlier or else the printer fella will throw a fit.’

‘Good job,’ Alfie said, putting down the basket so he could clap his palm on Frankie’s upper arm. ‘I’m proud of you.’

Frankie beamed up at his older brother. In that moment, it seemed to Rory that Alfie transformed from the tentative boy who had come seeking help at Bewley Hall into the steadfast leader his family needed. He had leaned on Rory in their absence, but now they were relying on Alfie to step up as the head of their household. Tommy, of course, had never earned that role, and Maud, in her present state, could not fill it.

She extended a trembling hand towards Alfie and he moved closer to let her grip his sleeve, as though she were confirming he was real.

‘I’m so glad you’re home,’ she said tremulously. ‘Frankie and May told me where you went.’ She threw a wary glance in Rory’s direction. ‘You shouldn’t have gone.’

‘I was right to go,’ Alfie insisted. ‘Rory and Mr McGovern are here to help us.’

Her shoulders curved inwards. ‘There’s nothing to be done. You know that.’

Rory clenched his fists at her palpable despair. ‘That’s not true,’ he said. ‘You aren’t stuck, and you don’t deserve to suffer any longer under the boot of that thug.’

She went rigid and, for a second, she seemed to forget to breathe. Wide-eyed, she stared at Alfie, letting her hand drop from his sleeve.

‘You had no right to tell him,’ she whispered. ‘None at all. How could you—’

Her voice cracked, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Alfie looked devastated, his confidence of moments ago withering into dust. Rory shot a grimace at Mr McGovern, who responded with a brief nod of encouragement.

‘Maud,’ Rory began, but she cut him off with a deep, anguished sigh.

‘I’m Mrs Tommy Jones, and that’s what I’ll stay until they lay me in my grave.’ Her chin lifted, though shame burned high in her cheeks. ‘It doesn’t matter what I wish now—I made my choice, didn’t I? A poor one, I can see that plain enough…but there’s no undoing it.’

May let out a low whimper, and Maud swivelled towards her. Her expression splintered with sorrow, but she drew herself up as though gathering her strength before holding out her arms. May set the plate and cloth on the table and scuttled into her mother’s embrace. Maud pulled her close, one hand resting on the girl’s frizzy hair, and then peered back at Rory.

‘I’ve got to live with it,’ she said, ‘and it’s my fault these three have to live with it too. All I can do is try to shield them from the worst of Tommy’s ways.’

Rory shook his head. ‘We’re not going to stand idly by and let this situation continue.’

She blinked. ‘Why would you care? Your da turned his back on your ma to take up with me. Surely you can’t be all that bothered for my welfare.’

He shifted uncomfortably. ‘I’m the landlord here,’ he said, but his gaze drifted to the children – Alfie chewing his lip with anxiety, Frankie favouring his left leg, little May huddling against her mother like a small, frightened animal – and something tugged at him, something more than duty.

‘Landlord,’ Maud repeated. She studied his face. ‘And what’s a landlord able to do against a husband’s say-so?’

‘Nothing,’ he admitted. ‘Or nothing lawful, at any rate.’

Her nostrils flared and her focus swerved back to Mr McGovern with greater suspicion. ‘Who are you?’ she asked again, taking a conspicuous step away from him and drawing May with her.

‘I’m no one to fear, I promise you that,’ he said calmly. ‘My name is Cormac McGovern. I’m Rory’s father-in-law.’

She squinted in confusion. ‘Why on earth are you here?’

‘The law offers you no sanctuary, so I’m offering you one instead,’ he replied, letting his words hang in the smoky air.

Rory cleared his throat. ‘Mr McGovern owns the Bewley Estate in Bedfordshire. He’s willing to take you and the children as his tenants.’

Maud’s lips parted in sheer incomprehension.

‘We’ve considered the situation from every angle,’ Rory continued, watching her closely for her reaction. ‘As your husband, Tommy holds all the power. His name’s on the lease here and you’ve no legal way to refuse his presence in this house. I could evict him, true enough, but that wouldn’t solve the problem of getting him away from you. You’d be forced to follow him wherever he went.’ Rory swallowed. ‘The only way to ensure your safety is to put distance between ye—proper distance. Somewhere else in Liverpool wouldn’t be far enough. But Bedfordshire would be ideal. And if you and the children flee before Tommy comes back tonight, he won’t have a notion where ye went and won’t be able to pursue ye.’

She swayed on the spot. ‘Alfie,’ she said hoarsely, ‘is this what you had in mind when you ran away to get help?’

‘No,’ he replied. ‘This was their idea. I only hoped Rory might boot Tommy out of the house. But I see now—it wouldn’t work, would it? Tommy’d just come marching back in soon as Rory was gone, and you couldn’t do nothing to stop him. The peelers wouldn’t lift a finger—they’d never stand between a man and his wife. So there’s only one thing for it…we’ve got to be the ones to leave.’

She quailed. ‘But Liverpool is our home,’ she protested, her voice faint.

Rory’s mouth tightened. ‘Can you honestly say it’s felt like home since that brute came along?’

She faltered, chin trembling, but then she said, ‘I’m too weak to travel.’

‘We’ll travel by rail for the most part,’ said Mr McGovern. ‘It shouldn’t prove too taxing.’

‘Mr McGovern said he’ll get a doctor for you in Bedfordshire,’ Alfie added, reaching down to the basket. ‘He’ll see you right. For now, I’ve brought some parsnip soup to heat up. It’s a start—it’ll help put a bit of strength back into you.’ He withdrew the two soup jars, along with the pair of gloves and the scarf. Holding the latter items out to Frankie and May, he said, ‘Rory’s family also sent these.’

‘We don’t need charity,’ Maud said sharply.

‘They’re gifts,’ Mr McGovern corrected, his tone gentle. ‘From my children to yours.’

Frankie and May accepted the woollen garments uncertainly, and Alfie trotted over to the fireplace with the jars.

Maud wrung her hands. ‘You need to go before Tommy returns from the pub. With drink in him, he’ll beat you black and blue.’

‘We’ve time yet,’ Alfie assured her, setting a pot on the crane over the hearth and tipping the contents of the jars into it.

Rory frowned at the smoke curling through the room. ‘What happened with the flue? Was the chimney sweep not able to clear it?’

Maud lowered her eyes. ‘He never so much as touched it. When he showed up, Tommy talked him into telling your solicitor the job was done. Then, soon as the money came from you, Tommy split it with the sweep and spent his share on pints instead.’ She shrugged. ‘The sweep had a debt to clear with a pawnbroker, so he was happy enough to go along with the scheme.’

It was only further evidence of the scoundrel Tommy was, not that they needed any more.

‘Ma, feel how soft it is!’ May exclaimed, holding out the scarf.

While Maud admired the garments, and Frankie and May tried them on, Rory drew Mr McGovern aside.

‘The idea of her having to stay married to that louse makes me sick to my stomach,’ he muttered. ‘Is there some way to help her secure an actual divorce from him?’

Mr McGovern winced. ‘The expense would be prohibitive. Such a remedy is only a privilege within the purview of the upper classes.’

Rory deflated. Over Christmas, he and Emily had learned of Garrett’s vow to obtain a divorce from Lady Bridget, but the way the lady had spoken of it had made it plain that the endeavour was monumental. For a woman of Maud’s station, divorce was as unreachable as the stars.

‘The soup’s warming up,’ Alfie called from the hearth.

As the smell of parsnip began to fill the smoky room, May spun in a circle, making her new scarf twirl, while Frankie flexed his gloved fingers. They were both laughing with delight. Maud turned to Rory and Mr McGovern, stricken.

‘I don’t even remember the last time I saw them smile like this,’ she croaked.

‘Isn’t that sufficient incentive to leave?’ Mr McGovern said softly. ‘Think of the life they might have, away from that man’s cruelty.’

Maud’s expression wavered, fear warring with hope on her pale features.

The door crashed open.

Everyone whirled around and Rory’s heart plummeted when he distinguished Tommy’s short frame outlined in the doorway. A taller figure loomed behind him, skinny as a rail. Both of them were drenched from the rain that was now bucketing down in the alley beyond. Tommy marched inside, apoplectic with rage, his large, misshapen tooth prominent as his lips drew back in a snarl.

‘I swear I’m going to—’ he seethed, but halted when he spotted Rory. He blinked, confused. ‘What’re you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you.’ He glanced over his shoulder at his tall companion. ‘Ned just told me he saw two men entering the house.’

And there was no reward for guessing the paranoid conclusion Tommy had jumped to. Rory suppressed a groan, cursing their bad luck for crossing the alley just as Tommy’s friend had happened to pass by. He pictured Ned dashing to the pub to divulge what he had witnessed and Tommy storming out to confront his cheating wife. While they had been trying to convince Maud to leave, their time had been leaking away more rapidly than they had realised. Could they possibly still salvage the situation, and perhaps return tomorrow to complete the escape?

Keeping his stance as casual as he could manage, Rory said lightly, ‘I had to make a trip to Liverpool, so I just thought I’d call by to check in on the family.’

‘At this hour?’ Tommy said suspiciously. ‘And who’s this fella?’ he barked, jerking his chin at Mr McGovern. Then his attention pivoted to the hearth and landed upon Alfie. ‘What the—you goddamn brat!’ he snapped. ‘The nerve of you, coming back here! I’ll bloody skin you—’ He caught himself as his eyes darted towards Rory. ‘I mean, you had your mother at her wit’s end, you rascal. Where’ve you been all this time?’

Alfie froze. In the ensuing silence, the only sound was the rain hammering on the ground outside. Rory could sense waves of terror rolling off Maud. Frankie and May clustered close to her, their earlier laughter extinguished.

‘Well?’ Tommy demanded.

‘I-I didn’t mean to—I w-went to visit—’ Alfie’s words tumbled out in a panicked stutter.

‘He came to me ’cause he wants to learn a trade and he knows I used to be a carpenter,’ Rory interjected, invoking the Duke of Desmond to make his voice nonchalant. ‘I had a lot to show him, so ’tis my fault he was gone for so long. We should’ve sent word.’

Tommy’s distrustful expression darkened like a thundercloud. He rounded on Maud, who shrank away from him. ‘What the hell is going on?’ he growled, advancing towards her. ‘You think I’m stupid? You’ve been scheming behind my back, haven’t—’

‘That’s enough.’ Mr McGovern’s commanding tone cut through the room. He stepped forwards, placing himself between Tommy and Maud. ‘We’re not here for a social call, Mr Jones. Your wife and her children are leaving with us tonight.’

Tommy snorted out a laugh of utter disbelief.

‘This isn’t a bluff,’ Mr McGovern said, unmoved. ‘Nor is it a negotiation. I suggest you make your peace with it and step aside.’

Tommy’s mouth worked soundlessly for a moment. He half turned to Ned, who was still standing in the open doorway, as if seeking confirmation that he’d heard right. Ned took a couple of paces further into the room, his boots leaving wet, muddy prints on the floor.

‘No way you’re putting up with that kind of talk, Tommy,’ he said bracingly, before flicking his gaze to Mr McGovern and Rory. ‘Yous have some brass ones, coming in here thinking yous can just walk out with a fella’s family.’ He cracked his knuckles. ‘The only place yous are heading after this is the hospital.’

Rory registered the man’s Irish accent with surprise – he spoke with the same inflections as Tess and Orlaith. Mr McGovern, too, blinked at this unexpected detail about Tommy’s companion.

‘You’re Irish,’ he said. ‘A native of Dublin city, if I’m not mistaken?’

‘A Liberties man, born and bred,’ Ned said, puffing out his chest. ‘Fifteen years in Liverpool hasn’t changed that, mind you, but I’ll still stand by my English mate here if yous are going to cause trouble.’

Rory could practically see Mr McGovern’s mind calculating the situation. Should they come to blows, the men were evenly matched in terms of two against two, but there were also four vulnerable people for Rory and Mr McGovern to defend, while Tommy and Ned had no such concerns. Mr McGovern’s jaw tautened, and Rory hoped he could perceive a way out of this unforeseen predicament.

‘Are you aware of what your “mate” did to his wife?’ Mr McGovern asked coolly. ‘If you’ve met her at any stage over the past few months, then has it not occurred to you to wonder why she is no longer big with child?’

Ned faltered. ‘She lost the babe. Tommy told me so.’

‘Did he tell you how she lost it?’

‘Shut the hell up,’ Tommy snarled.

Mr McGovern didn’t flinch. ‘Brute force at the hands of your “mate” is the reason why Maud is not expecting anymore.’

Ned’s eyes widened and he glanced uncertainly at Tommy.

Tommy bared his teeth, his large tooth sticking out. ‘It doesn’t matter. The babe wasn’t mine anyway. She’s been having a fine time with the grocer for months. Thought she could pull the wool over my eyes, but I’m too smart for that.’

‘That’s not true,’ came Maud’s thin, quivering voice behind Mr McGovern’s back. ‘I was never unfaithful. You made all that up in your head.’

Tommy lunged for her, trying to duck around Mr McGovern, who grabbed him by both shoulders and shoved him backwards so violently that Tommy lost his balance and fell hard on his rear end. He stared up in shock and fury.

‘I’m going to pound you into a pulp,’ he spat.

He put out a hand to Ned, who helped him to his feet, despite looking a little repulsed. Tommy squared up to Rory and Mr McGovern, his face a mottled red.

‘What the devil makes you think you can take my wife away from me? She’s mine by law and I can do with her whatever I please.’

Mr McGovern’s gaze turned to steel. ‘That attitude is precisely why we are choosing to take matters into our own hands. The welfare of a woman and her children ranks far higher in our estimation than any man’s supposed rights.’

‘You haven’t got a leg to stand on,’ Tommy sneered. ‘You’ve trespassed on my private property and tried to kidnap my family. The peelers will have you both behind bars.’

‘It’s not your property,’ said Rory. ‘’Tis mine, and I won’t allow your abuse to continue under this roof. You can walk out that door of your own accord, or they’ll be the ones leaving—but either way, this ends tonight.’

Tommy crossed his arms. ‘I’m not budging from this spot.’

Rory mirrored the gesture. ‘Then make your farewells to them, ’cause you won’t be seeing them again.’

An incredulous guffaw burst out of Tommy. ‘And where are they going?’

‘That’s not your concern.’

Tommy’s eyes narrowed with a dangerous gleam. ‘I bet you’re planning to take them to that estate where you live in Bedfordshire. No other place makes sense, not when you’re being this goddamn protective of them. Though God knows why you’d want to add a weak woman and three runts to your responsibilities.’

‘Again, that’s not your concern.’

‘You get that there’s nothing to stop me from coming after them, right? I could drag Maud back here by her hair in front of a dozen peelers if I wanted. You wouldn’t be able to do a bloody thing about it.’

‘Why do you assume that our criminal activities end at trespassing and kidnapping?’ Mr McGovern asked, so mildly that he might as well have been commenting on nothing more remarkable than the bad weather visible through the doorway. ‘Do you not realise how easy it would be for us to hurt you?’

Tommy’s jaw slackened, and for once he offered no retort.

Rory seized on the thread of threat, prepared to tell any lie that would extract them from this quandary. ‘My father-in-law has connections in both influential and unsavoury quarters. Ruthless men will come after you if you try to come after Maud.’

The first genuine trace of apprehension crossed Tommy’s face. However, he quickly covered it up with an ugly smile. ‘You’re saying this fella’s hiding some level of clout behind his posh clothes and his posh words? I seriously doubt it. By the looks of him, he probably has someone to help him put on his breeches every day.’

Rory laughed grimly. ‘God, you’ve no idea who you’re talking about. This “posh” fella is capable of violence you wouldn’t believe.’

Maud cowered at that, and he felt sorry for adding to her fright, but there was no way to communicate that she herself had absolutely nothing to fear from Mr McGovern.

The man in question stood in silent contemplation for several moments. Then he turned his attention to Ned. ‘You say you lived in Dublin up until fifteen years ago? Did you ever hear of a money lender called Cunningham while you were there?’

Ned’s countenance darkened. ‘There wasn’t a soul in my part of the city who didn’t know that name. I was never stupid enough to borrow from him, but I knew others who had and who sorely regretted it after.’

‘I have some good news for you,’ Mr McGovern said. ‘Cunningham is dead.’

Ned brightened. ‘Well, now, that really is—’

‘I’m the one who killed him.’

Ned’s mouth dropped open comically. He took a step backwards, eyeing Mr McGovern as though expecting him to strike like a snake.

‘Jaysus, Tommy, be careful with this one,’ he said with an obvious shudder. ‘The fella who took down Cunningham has to be either crazy for trying or even more diabolical for managing to pull it off.’

Tommy scoffed. ‘There isn’t a speck of proof that he’s telling the truth. Don’t be so gullible.’

‘And you don’t be a fool,’ Ned flung back. ‘I’ve got no interest in being dragged into this business if it’s actually dangerous. We thought we were going to confront that grocer who’s been having his way with Maud, and figured the second person had to be some namby-pamby friend of his, if the rumours about him are anything to go by. Sure, a pair of sissies would be easy to thrash. I didn’t expect to come face to face with the fella who finished off that son of a bitch Cunningham. He could do us proper damage.’ Ned retreated another step towards the doorway.

‘I’m not afraid of him,’ Tommy insisted.

Rory clicked his tongue in exasperation at the man’s bullheadedness. ‘You say you’re not afraid, and yet you absolutely should be. You believe you’re a strong man, when in truth you’re just a coward bullying those weaker than you. You think you’re not stupid, but by God you really are.’

Tommy’s eyes flashed and he launched himself at Rory, seizing the front of his coat with one hand and boxing his ear with the other. Unprepared for the sudden attack, Rory couldn’t evade the blow and his head rang from the force of it. Mr McGovern strode forwards to intervene, but Ned uttered a frustrated curse and leapt at him, hauling him back. As their own tussle ensued, Rory fought to wrench himself free of Tommy’s iron grip on his coat, struggling to land a punch in return. Through the chaos, he heard Maud’s sharp cry of panic and glimpsed her pushing Frankie and May over to the stairs, hustling them upwards to safety before turning and planting herself on the bottom step with her thin arms spread wide to shield them behind her.

‘Run and hide, Alfie!’ she screeched.

Rory couldn’t see how Alfie reacted because Tommy filled his vision, his breath reeking of beer as he snarled into his face. Though Rory had height to his advantage, Tommy had muscle and he knew how to use it, his whole body radiating menace as he thrust his weight against Rory’s. He swung his free arm around for another strike, but Rory succeeded in blocking it with his forearm and brought his fist down on Tommy’s chest. Unfortunately, it was only a glancing hit as Tommy jumped swiftly back to avoid it. Then he bent forwards, ramming his shoulder hard into Rory’s midsection. Winded, Rory stumbled backwards, pulling Tommy with him, and his spine slammed into the wall behind him. They both grappled to regain their balance but Tommy was quicker and he wrapped his bulky arms around Rory’s torso, pinning him in place. The brute might have a predilection for picking on women and children, but he had evidently seen his fair share of brawls with tougher opponents too.

Beyond Tommy’s shoulder, Rory caught sight of Mr McGovern and Ned circling each other, the latter flailing about as he threw wild shots in an attempt to breach Mr McGovern’s steadfast defence. When Mr McGovern deflected yet another attack, Ned let out a bellow of aggravation and snatched up a stool by the table, hurling it at Mr McGovern, who neatly dodged it. The stool clattered away towards the open door, where rain gusted in from the dark night. Then Mr McGovern advanced with ominous intention and trepidation mounted on Ned’s face.

Meanwhile, Tommy’s arms continued to constrict until Rory’s ribs screamed in protest. As he strove to escape the prison of Tommy’s unyielding embrace, a scared-looking Alfie appeared beside them. He hooked his good left arm over Tommy’s elbow and heaved on it, trying to drag Tommy away from Rory.

‘You little blighter!’ Tommy growled, purple with wrath.

Releasing Rory, he grabbed hold of Alfie’s injured right arm in its sling and gave it a vicious twist. Alfie yelped in pain and Tommy cuffed him on the side of his head before swatting him away like a fly. He wasted no time in turning back to Rory, but it had been enough of a distraction for Rory to get in one decent punch to Tommy’s temple. The other man recoiled but retaliated almost at once, shoving Rory back against the wall for a second time and closing his meaty hands around his throat. He squeezed tightly and Rory choked as Tommy’s inexorable grip cut off the supply of air to his lungs. Dimly, he heard Maud shriek at Tommy to let go. Fear engulfed him as he felt the increasing pressure from Tommy’s fingers and the burning sensation in his throat, and he comprehended that he was about to lose this fight.

A loud crack sounded nearby, followed by a grunt. Through his swimming vision, he managed to piece together what had happened: Mr McGovern had grasped the plate May had been wiping earlier and smashed it over Ned’s head in a spray of ceramic shards. Ned now staggered and fell to his knees, swaying. One more blow would likely knock him out, which meant that Mr McGovern would very soon be free to rescue Rory. But he would be mere moments too late.

That was when a shrill yowl pierced the room. Tommy gave a yell and his hands dropped from Rory’s throat as he lurched downwards. Sucking in deep lungfuls of precious air, Rory glanced down to distinguish a ginger blur with claws latched onto Tommy’s trouser leg. Tommy scrabbled at the cat as it thrashed about, its tail trapped beneath his boot. Lifting his foot, he aimed a savage kick at the cat, but it shot away out of reach, its fur standing on end.

It had bought Rory vital seconds. Drawing back his elbow, he threw his weight behind his fist just as Tommy straightened, and the strike landed directly on his mouth. Tommy’s head snapped sideways and a spurt of blood sailed through the air. An instant later, Rory heard a tinkling sound like a pebble skittering across the floor. When Tommy’s head swivelled back to him, there was a bleeding gap where his large tooth used to be. He reached up to touch it and his eyes bulged.

Before he could say or do anything else, Mr McGovern strode over and wrenched both of Tommy’s arms behind his back in an action that looked far too practised to be his first time. Beyond them, Rory discerned Ned’s long, skinny form sprawled motionless on the floor, fragments of the broken plate scattered around him. Tommy bucked like a wild animal but Mr McGovern held firm, twisting harder and making Tommy wince.

‘Your companion is out cold,’ he said grimly. ‘And you’re next if you don’t yield this instant. We’re now two against one.’

Rory raised his fists in readiness, even as his throat blazed and his breaths came in ragged pants. The ferocity slowly drained from Tommy’s body and his shoulders slumped in defeat.

‘You win,’ he muttered, his speech slurred through his bloody lips.

His tongue probed the gap in his teeth and he let loose a string of colourful curses at Rory, who accepted them stoically. Tommy then turned his vitriol on the cat, which had padded nonchalantly over to the fireplace as though interested in nothing more than the simmering pot of parsnip soup, now almost certainly burned. Tail raised with aplomb, it completely ignored the accusations Tommy hurled at its back.

Rory’s hand throbbed and he looked down to realise that his knuckles had split open where they’d connected with Tommy’s teeth. As he lifted his other hand to massage his aching throat, he glanced out the doorway and across the rainy alley. Standing on the threshold of Number 4 was the wispy-haired figure of Elsie; she nodded once at him before retreating inside her house.

‘And as for you!’ Tommy transferred his attention to Maud, who flinched but didn’t abandon her protective position in front of Frankie and May on the stairs. Alfie joined her on the bottom step, his arm hanging awkwardly out of its sling, and glared at Tommy as the man spat, ‘You’re to blame for all of this, you miserable, pathetic bi—’

‘Quiet!’ Mr McGovern shook him forcefully and Tommy’s jaw clacked shut. ‘This is how it’s going to be, Mr Jones,’ Mr McGovern continued in a cold voice. ‘You will stand here and not move an inch while Maud and her children pack their things and leave with us. You will not attempt to follow us, now or at any stage in the future.’

Tommy’s expression smouldered with fury, but he grumbled, ‘Fine, you have my word.’

‘Strangely enough, I don’t trust your word,’ Mr McGovern replied. ‘I wouldn’t put it past you to concoct a dim-witted plan to force your wife to return to your side, even when faced with the blatant reality that she doesn’t wish it.’

Tommy shifted within Mr McGovern’s grip and said nothing.

‘To avoid the occurrence of such a futile scenario, Rory has a proposition for you,’ Mr McGovern said, nodding at Rory to proceed.

‘I do,’ Rory said, relieved to find that his voice still worked, although it came out in a noticeable croak. ‘Ideally, I’d take great pleasure in kicking you out of this house, but that wouldn’t be much of an incentive for you to toe the line. So instead, I’m offering you a deal—you may remain living under this roof at an extremely low rate of rent for as long as you keep your distance from Maud and her children. If you come after them, I’ll evict you and you can go find full-price accommodation elsewhere, and you still won’t get them back. You’ll lose more teeth too, if I can manage it.’

Tommy glowered at that last remark, but then he squinted at Rory in appraisal. ‘What kind of rent are we talking?’

‘How about a shilling per quarter? Does that sound like a good enough reason to stay well away from the whole family?’

Tommy’s eyes gleamed and his lips widened into a red smile. ‘It sure does.’

Rory knew he was practically giving away the tenancy for free, and it galled him to reward the brute for his actions instead of punishing him. However, he figured that bribery was a language Tommy would understand, and this arrangement offered the best prospect of keeping him in a comfortable situation that he’d be loath to ruin for himself. With minimal rent to pay, he could afford to hire a woman to cook and clean for him, and he’d have enough spare to pay other women to cater to his carnal needs whenever he felt so inclined. If he no longer required Maud to fulfil those wifely duties, surely he’d be satisfied to leave her be.

Rory suspected Emily would rap him sharply on the wrist if he didn’t give Maud the final say. He met her gaze straight on. ‘Are you willing to come with us?’

She looked from her three children to Tommy and squared her shoulders. ‘Yes. We just need a couple minutes to get our clothes and my sewing things, and say goodbye to Elsie.’

As the family hurried upstairs to fetch their few belongings, Rory turned and caught sight of Tommy’s misshapen tooth on the floor near the fireplace. The admiral had curled up beside it and was basking in the glow from the hearth, purring in contentment.