A Bloom in Winter (26 page)

“You ruined the sheets, too?”

She nodded, her cheek pressed against his chest. The tone of his voice sounded strangely strangled and she dared not risk looking up at him.
How could I have kissed Sebastian?
She only wanted to be a good wife to Andrew, but instead she ruined laundry, burnt meals, and kissed another man.
What kind of woman have I become?

Suddenly Andrew erupted in laughter and Prudence pulled back, her eyes wide. “What?”

“Why didn’t you tell me, you silly girl? Did you think I would be angry?”

Tears of both humiliation and relief spilled down her cheeks. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed in me.”

He drew her back in against her chest. “I could never be disappointed in you. Why do you think I married you, anyway? If I just wanted someone to keep house for me, there were plenty of maids at Summerset to choose from. But I didn’t, did I? I chose you.”

“But why?” she asked, her voice muffled against him.

He was silent for a moment. “Two reasons,” he finally said. “You know I come from a poor farm family. They didn’t put much value on book learning and I had to get my education after grammar school on the sly. I don’t want my children to
have to do that. I wanted something better. And then there you were—smart, well spoken, ladylike. The kind of woman I never thought to meet in a million years. The kind of woman I want rearing my children.”

The emotion in Prudence’s chest swelled. “What was your other reason? You said you had two.”

“Your eyes,” he said softly, his mouth against her hair. “They were so sad. I wanted to erase that sadness from your eyes and do everything I could to make sure it never came back.”

Prudence pressed against him as his arms encircled her and she wished fervently that Susie wasn’t just outside the door. Andrew chuckled as if sensing her wanton thoughts. “I love you,” she said, her voice fierce.

“I love you, too.”

For the next hour, Susie and Prudence stayed up, visiting and mending. Susie was teaching Prudence to darn socks and Andrew provided them with a never-ending supply.

This was the time when Susie’s presence was most welcome. Prudence had never spent much time alone and the days Andrew was gone and the evenings he went to bed early were the loneliest for her. She could only read and visit with Muriel and Katie so often.

The knock on the door startled both of them. Prudence glanced at the bedroom, but the door remained shut and nothing stirred.

They both went to the door and Susie grabbed a heavy candlestick from the table at the last moment. Prudence tried to project a confidence she didn’t feel and she eased the door open.

Her pulse skyrocketed the moment she saw Rowena’s face. She would have slammed the door had she been able to move, but shock kept her still, her mouth agape.

Rowena gave Prudence a small, sad smile and her beautiful green eyes brimmed with tears. “Hello, Prudence.”

Rowena’s beautiful face had changed, Prudence realized. Whereas she always had been lovely, the firmness of her jaw showed a certain maturity that hadn’t been there before, while a new softness in her features showed the telltale signs of a woman in love.

With Sebastian.

She tried to shut the door, but Rowena stuck her foot in the doorway. “Victoria is missing.”

Prudence stilled, her heart in her throat. “What do you mean she’s missing?”

“She got a note this morning and ran out of the house. She hasn’t been seen since.”

Prudence opened her mouth but Rowena forestalled her. “I’ve already been to Katie’s. That’s how I found you.”

More than anything in the world, Prudence did not want to let Rowena in the house. Just the sound of her voice reminded Prudence of two of the most painful moments in her life, but Prudence had never let Victoria down when she needed her; she wasn’t about to start now. She opened the door and stood to one side. “Come in,” she said. She turned to Susie, who had replaced the candlestick. “Could you please make a pot of tea?”

Prudence tried not to look at the naked relief on Rowena’s face. Her pain was still raw, and as far as she was concerned, this changed nothing between them.

Prudence lit a lamp and they sat at the table. Susie busied herself making tea and taking down cups, while the man Rowena was with stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

Rowena introduced them without ceremony. “Prudence, this is Victoria’s friend Kit. Kit, this is our sister, Prudence.”

Kit’s eyebrows rose. “I believe we’ve met, but it is nice to see you.”

Prudence blushed. They had met before, briefly, but she had only had eyes for Sebastian. “Yes, and you as well.”

The bedroom door opened and Andrew came out. To Prudence’s relief, he had heard voices and came in fully dressed. She introduced Kit and Rowena quickly, although too late she remembered that he already knew Rowena, having served as a footman at Summerset.

“What can I do?” Andrew asked after hearing about Victoria. He stood behind Prudence’s chair and she reached back and captured one of his hands. He was such a good man. Prudence didn’t intend to ever forget that again.

“I’m not sure any of us can do anything tonight,” Kit said. “Rowena and I are going to go to the Suffragettes for Female Equality in the morning and find out if they know anything.”

“You have no idea who she was going to see?” Prudence’s stomach clenched at the thought of Victoria out in the darkness, alone and hurt.
Where could she be?

Rowena shook her head. “You know what Victoria is like. She kept everything a secret. But despite her fondness for being mysterious, I’d have thought that even Victoria would want to boast about her position as a suffragette, and yet she said nothing to anyone about it. Did she ever talk about it with you?”

“She told me when she got the job, of course, but she gave me few details, only that she was to be a spokeswoman for the group, which I thought strange for someone completely new to the organization.”

Susie freshened their tea and Prudence took a sip. Making up her mind, she turned to Rowena. “I want to go with you in the morning.”

Rowena put her hands in front of her face and Prudence saw her shoulders shake. She wanted to remind Rowena that she was doing this for Victoria, not for her, but kept silent. It wasn’t the time.

Rowena and Kit left soon after, promising to let Prudence know if they heard any news. Andrew gathered Prudence in his arms after he shut the door.

“She’ll be fine, Prudence,” he said into her hair. “I’m sure she’ll turn up safe and sound before breakfast.”

But Prudence was watching Susie’s face as Andrew made his assurances, and Susie seemed far from assured.

T
he next time Victoria opened her eyes, the light was on. She blinked a couple of times and was startled when a woman with a thick East End accent said, “You’re awake now, so don’t you be playing possum, and don’t start your screaming or else the doctor will be sending you to the asylum, and trust me, darling, you would rather be here.”

Victoria froze. The scent of bleach and urine still assaulted her nose. The one small window above her head let in no light and she could see bars at the top. Her heart pounded a little faster. “Tell me where I am!”

“You can say please, you know. Just because I’m a nurse and you’re a suffragette doesn’t mean you needn’t use your manners.”

Victoria tried to move and realized that not only was her arm chained but her leg was as well.

The woman laughed. “You’ll not be kicking me again.”

“I’m sorry,” Victoria said earnestly. “Please. Where am I?”

The woman came closer. She wore a blue-and-white-striped shirt, a long skirt of cheap wincey, and a crisp white apron that covered her head to toe. A white linen cap covered her hair. She smelt strongly of lye soap, but it was infinitely better than the urine stench. Her eyes were a bright, saucy blue. “That’s more like it. You’re in Holloway Prison.”

Victoria whimpered, her heartbeat accelerating and her chest tightening. She closed her eyes and counted, taking little breaths until the vise squeezing her chest eased. Once she could breathe easily again, she asked, “Why am I here?”

“You don’t know?” The nurse sounded surprised. “That’s a new one. Most of you suffragettes are proud of your exploits! Don’t you remember?”

Victoria thought hard. She remembered being at the National Gallery with Mary and then Mary had . . . Memories came flooding back and Victoria groaned.

“I see you’re remembering.”

She struggled to sit again and then gave up, settling back against the mattress. The pillow under her neck scratched, and she prayed it was cheap linen rather than bugs. “Prison is different than I thought it would be.”

The woman snorted. “This isn’t prison, this is the clinic. You were almost dead when they brought you in. You have a breathing disorder?”

Victoria nodded. “Yes, I’m . . . ” Victoria choked a bit on the word but used it anyway. It was what she was, no matter how much she denied it. “I’m an asthmatic.”

The woman nodded and made a note on a chart. “That’s what the doctor thought. And don’t worry. You’ll be seeing the inside of a prison cell soon enough, though you suffragettes usually rate one to yourselves. Just don’t try to starve yourself. We
will
force-feed you, and it’s the most God-awful thing I’ve ever seen or done.” Her face wrinkled into a stern look as she took Victoria’s pulse.

“Why wouldn’t I eat?” Victoria asked. She’d heard of suffragettes going on hunger strikes, but she thought trying to kill oneself was a poor way to give to the cause.

“Why would any of them stop eating?” the nurse asked reasonably. “But I’m sure a young woman such as yourself, who has struggled for her very life’s breath, would look at death a great deal differently than most idealists. You’re very lucky to be alive, miss. I thought you were a goner. You were as blue as my shirt. Now, do you need to use the privy?” Victoria nodded and the woman indicated a bucket in the corner.

Victoria blanched.

“I know it’s not fancy, but then, I suspect the wardens don’t feel the need to roll out the fancy for those who break the law. Now, if you promise not to throw another fit, I’ll let you loose long enough to do your business. Give me a single moment’s worry and I’ll call in Ed and you’ll have to do whatever you need to do in front of him.”

Horrified, Victoria promised. After the nurse had gotten her back into the bed, she told Victoria to try to sleep. “I won’t cuff you, if you promise me no more trouble. If you do, it’s my arse on the line and I’ll have to truss you up like a Christmas goose.” The woman rattled the cuffs for emphasis.

The blood drained out of Victoria’s face. “I promise,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

The nurse got Victoria into bed and settled the covers over her. Victoria’s bones ached, and even the roughness of the gray woolen blankets and the hard mattress felt wonderful. When the woman moved to leave, Victoria caught her arm. “Wait,” she pleaded. It seemed as if this woman was the only person between Victoria and unknown terrors. “When will I see a judge? When can I see my family?”

The woman shook her head and flicked a switch off. The only light now came from the open door, and long shadows spilled over Victoria’s bed. “I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.”

“What’s your name?” Victoria pleaded. Anything to keep the door from shutting.

“Eleanor. I’ll check on you before my shift is up. Now try to get some sleep.”

The light slivered and then was gone. The darkness, once the door had closed, was absolute, and Victoria trembled. She’d never liked being alone at night, and for years she had slept with Prudence to keep the nightmares away.

There was no one to keep the nightmares away now. Of course, how could anything her mind conjured be worse than her current reality?

Tears rose and fell down her cheeks in the darkness. How did she get here? Why hadn’t she just ignored Mary’s note? The woman was mad. Victoria wondered where she was and then realized that Mary was no doubt locked in a cell in this very prison.

She wiped the tears with her hands. Her uncle would get her out if he could. He was an important man and a rich one to boot. Surely he could do something.

With a sinking heart, she remembered some of the newspaper articles she’d read over the preceding months. Public opinion might be mixed on the suffragettes, but the justice system was not. Most judges had no sympathy whatsoever, and they had been known to throw a suffragette in jail and toss the key at the same time. And if they really thought she had plotted to destroy the painting . . . Victoria shuddered.

Something dropped outside the door and she stilled. She could hear muffled voices for a bit as the nurses and orderlies worked their way from room to room, checking on patients, and she listened intently. At least she knew there were people out there and she wasn’t all alone. But the noises grew fainter and
fainter and soon there was only the sound of her own ragged breathing. Then a soft moaning began and her heart leapt jaggedly in her chest. She screwed her eyes up tight against the darkness and began to recite: