Copper Kingdom (22 page)

He crossed the road, not seeing the gulls that wheeled and called overhead, a sure sign so the fishermen said of an approaching storm. He made his way quickly into the public bar of the Cape Horner and saw at once that Glanmor Travers was in his usual position with his feet stretched out before the roaring fire.

‘Come and sit here, Rickie, I've kept a place for you,' Glanmor said glibly, though the fact that there was an empty seat beside him was due more to luck than judgment, Rickie thought sourly.

‘Glad to.' He spoke affably for Glanmor was inclined to turn nasty after a drink or two of porter. ‘Cold enough to freeze a brass monkey.' He sat near the fire and stared at the other man, wondering how much it was safe to confide in him. Should he tell Glanmor the truth about Sterling? Perhaps not, maybe for the moment he would keep that piece of information as his ace in the hole.

The door was pushed open and a group of smelters came into the bar, bringing with them a flurry of cold air. Rickie sniffed and made a wry face at the awful stench that emanated from the men's clothing, hoping none of them would come too close; but to his surprise Glanmor was gesturing to a dark-haired youth, inviting him to join them.

‘Will Owens, come and sit here, have a drink on me,' Glanmor said heartily.

‘What you up to mixing with the workers?' Rickie asked in a low voice and Travers shook his head knowingly.

‘Rickie, this is Will Owens, a man who shares our mutual dislike of Sterling Richardson.' He turned to the youth who was straddling a chair as though he owned the bar. ‘Anything been happening that I should know about?'

The youth gave a short laugh. ‘There's something that will make your mouth water, now,' he said triumphantly. ‘The boss man has only asked me to be his spy, hasn't he? Go round with my ears flapping listening to the men's grumbles and then tell them all to him so that he knows what's going on.'

Rickie looked at Will Owens and found it difficult to hide his disdain, this copper worker was above himself and might need a sharp short lesson one of these days, but in the meantime, it would be interesting to listen to what he had to say.

Travers was all but rubbing his hands. ‘If you pass on only the information I want you to give him then we should be in a very good position to throw a spanner in the works.'

‘What's going on then, Glanmor?' Rickie asked and Travers winked hugely.

‘We all know you and your brother are not the best of pals,' he said. ‘And there's a few more of us waiting in line to bring him to his knees.'

Will Owens looked sharply at Rickie. ‘Brother? Are you Mr Richardson's brother then?' he asked in disbelief. Rickie nodded.

‘Yes, but that need not bother you, I have my own scores to settle.' He pushed down his dislike of the cocky copperman and tried to appear friendly. ‘What do you think is going on then?'

‘Nothing as yet.' Will sounded reluctant to speak and yet Rickie sensed that the minute his back was turned the youth would spill his guts to Travers. Well, he must just bide his time, keep his eyes and ears open and trust to no one.

He listened for a time, gaining a certain satisfaction from the young copperman's grumblings, but soon the effects of the porter began to tell on him and he felt decidedly sleepy. He stretched his arms above his head before resting a hand on Travers' shoulder.

‘We must do this again and soon,' he said with a friendliness he was far from feeling. Smoothly, he rose to his feet managing to ignore Will Owens as he made his departure.

Outside in the street, the light was fading fast. Clouds floated overhead but the cobbled streets were dry. Rickie made for the tramway depot and was just in time to see the tail end of the vehicle, brightly lit in the darkness, vanishing from sight.

‘Blast it!' he said aloud while inwardly he seethed over the injustice that allowed Sterling to have everything including a brand new Ascot while he was forced to stand around street corners waiting for a tram. Well, he knew something that his brother – his half brother, he corrected himself – did not, and it hung around him like a talisman.

One day he would find a way to use the knowledge against Sterling, he thought angrily. This copperworker Will Owens might prove useful in that respect, there was no knowing what titbits of information he might come up with. In any case, Owens was another nail in Sterling's coffin and that in itself was enough to give Rickie a feeling of satisfaction.

As Mali made the tea for Mr Waddington she wondered how it was she could feel so miserable one moment and the next be gloriously excited because she had met Sterling in the street and he had asked – or rather told – her to meet him later that night. She swirled the tea round in the pot, allowing it to steep before pouring it hot and fragrant into the bone china cup.

Everything in her life seemed to have changed since that day at the fair and Mali's feelings had plunged between hope and despair. Even Katie had managed to make matters worse by being offhand because she'd been left alone at the recreation ground.

‘It was all right for you.' Her tone had revealed hurt feelings rather than anger. ‘You were gadding about the beach in the company of the great copper boss but I was on my own wanting to see Will and yet afraid lest if I did see him he'd ignore me.'

Mali had tried to explain. ‘It was so lovely, Katie, I was so happy, running on the beach as free as a bird. It was only when that old chapel woman froze me with her eyes that I realised how it must look to other people.'

‘Well, serves you right.' Katie's tone had been softly reproving. ‘You're falling in love, you poor soft babby.'

‘Of course I'm not!' Mali had denied it hotly. ‘It was only a bit of fun, that's all it was.' But Katie had only shaken her head sadly.

If that was not enough, she had Davie onto her about it, too. His green eyes had been fiery.

‘A daughter of mine making a public spectacle of herself,' he said hotly. ‘Like a flossy you was, girl, sitting up there with all them toffs. I'll tell Mr Richardson a thing or two when I see him, you may be sure of that.'

He had too, from the little Sterling had said that morning, and Mali burned with shame, wondering what had passed between the two men. She still warred within herself over whether she should meet Sterling or not and yet, deep down inside she knew she would go to the cemetery, she could not help herself.

Mr Waddington was rummaging among an assortment of papers on his desk, his grey hair tangled as though he had been running his hand through it, and he smiled in relief when he saw Mali.

‘Ah, a cup of tea, and never was it more welcome. Just have a look by there and see if you can find me a bill for fuel will you? My eyes aren't what they were nor my old brain either for I feel sure I'm being cheated by the coal merchants.'

He moved away from the desk and drank his tea gratefully and Mali, hesitant at first, began searching through the muddle of papers. She quickly found the missing bill and began to make calculations on the corner of the page, unaware that Mr Waddington was watching her carefully. She looked up at him at last.

‘Have you any other bills from Lewis Lewis & Sons?' she asked, forgetting her diffidence in her absorption in her task. ‘This one is added up wrongly and you are being asked to pay fifty shillings more than you owe.'

Mr Waddington put down his cup. ‘Just a minute, dear, I shall get them all out and you can go through them, that is if you're willing, of course.'

Mali's eyes were shining. ‘This is just the sort of work I enjoy, Mr Waddington,' she said. ‘My mam was the one for figures, though, she could run rings around me, jump over my head she would but for all that I love to add and subtract and write numbers down on the page.'

‘Well, there's a great deal of that for you to do here,' he said ruefully. ‘Since my daughter was taken by the lung fever there's been no one to help me and I would not bring in some clever miss from outside.' He shrugged. ‘But I see I've allowed it all to get into a muddle and I'd be most grateful to you if you could sort it out for me.'

It was only when Big Mary came searching for Mali that she realised how long she had been missing from the packing room.

‘
Duw
.' Big Mary's face was a picture of surprise as she saw Mali seated at the desk alongside Mr Waddington. ‘What's happening then, I thought you'd run off home Mali Llewelyn.'

Mr Waddington rose to his feet. ‘Blame me, my dear,' he said affably. ‘And you must find yourself another checker for Miss Llewelyn is now my own little helper. She is a find in a million, she can actually count and figure far more quickly than I ever could.'

Big Mary's mouth dropped open. ‘Mali Llewelyn, office helper is it?' she said and a slow, pleased smile spread over her face. ‘I always knew there was more in her than met the eye. Good for you Mali but you ask Mr Waddington for a bit more money, mind, office helpers get more than checkers.'

Mr Waddington laughed. ‘Done, it's a bargain and very pleased I am with it too. Now back to work, Mali, I know it's going to take you some time to sort out the mess I've got myself into but you can do it, I have every confidence in you.'

The time seemed to pass on wings and Mali felt by the end of the afternoon that she had made good progress and was well on the way to sorting out some at least of the paperwork. Her back was stiff from bending and her eyes ached and all she could see before her was pages full of figures. But already she had found at least ten discrepancies. It seemed that some of the local merchants had not been above taking advantage of Mr Waddington.

‘Well, Mali, I see you are going to save me money,' he said, ‘and, contrary to what the good folk of the town believe, I'm not a rich man.' He drew on his coat and his bright silk scarf. ‘Now off home with you and don't bother to come in until nine tomorrow, that's one advantage of promotion and well deserved it is too.' He looked down at her. ‘No aprons tomorrow but a neat dark skirt and coat will suffice.'

Outside in the yard, Mali waited for Katie and shivered as she looked up at the grey cloudy sky. It was going to be freezing down at the cemetery, such a difference to the wonderful sunny happy day she had spent with Sterling at the fair and yet there was a great bubbling joy inside her when she remembered the way he had approached her in the street and asked her to meet him.

She would tell him of her promotion, she mused, and he would understand, more than anyone, the satisfaction she had gained from working on the books for Mr Waddington.

‘Oh, so there's my hoity toity friend waiting for me.' Katie grinned from ear to ear. ‘Risen up to office girl sure enough and not long ago the same friend was a blackfaced boiler stoker.'

Katie caught Mali's arm and hugged it to her. ‘It's fine so it is and I'm that happy for you though there are others not so pleased.'

‘Hey, stuck up pig, not speaking to us now, is it?' Sally Benson came running along the yard, her face screwed up with anger, and Mali wondered what she had ever done to the girl to warrant such enmity.

‘How come you get to work in the office, hey?' she pushed at Mali's shoulder, her finger sharp and jabbing, and Mali felt anger begin to uncoil inside her.

‘Because I'm smarter than you for a start,' she said, keeping her voice level. ‘And perhaps I haven't got such a loud voice either, sound like a cockle woman you do not a laundry worker.'

Sally Benson fell back in surprise, her mouth dropping open. In the sudden silence, Katie dragged at Mali's arm, drawing her away from the laundry gates.

‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph I thought she was going to swipe you one then.' Katie's harsh whisper dispelled the mists of anger that were clouding Mali's mind.

‘Yes,' she said in surprise, ‘I thought it would come to blows myself, not very dignified for an office girl's first day, is it?' she laughed a little nervously and Katie looked at her with a pained expression on her face.

‘Dignified is the least of your worries, my girl,' she said. ‘For sure Sally Benson is the strongest girl in the Canal Street Laundry, 'cept for Big Mary of course. If Sally got a hold on you, sure you'd be singing and playin' the harp up in heaven.'

‘I know it,' Mali said. ‘I wouldn't like to have a fist fight with Sally but there's nothing stopping me giving her a bit of lip back is there? She can't get away with everything after all.'

‘Well you just keep your nose out of that Sally's way or you'll be getting it busted for sure and no man is going to look at you then, never mind Mr Richardson.' She looked slyly at Mali. ‘Sure an' can't I tell you're plannin' on seein' him again, it's in your eyes plain to see.'

‘Am I a fool, Katie?' Mali asked slowly. ‘It's just that I want to be with him so much that it hurts.'

‘Sure an' don't I know the feeling only too well?' Katie said softly. ‘William took me home on the day of the fair, kissed me as if he loved me so he did an' yet there's been no word at all from him since, he's a puzzle is that one, sure I don't know what to expect next.'

Mali sighed heavily. ‘I don't know anything about men, Katie, but I do want to be with Sterling Richardson more than I've ever wanted anything.' She looked away across the dull waters of the canal. ‘I know I can't be his wife, I'm not his sort, he will marry some fine lady. But I think I would take anything he offered me.'

Katie shook her arm. ‘Don't talk like that and don't look at me with those accusing eyes either,' she said hotly. ‘It's not the same thing with me and Will, he's my own sort but Mr Richardson, why he would set you up fine, give you everything you wanted until he grew tired of you, then you would be out on the streets an old worn out flossy, selling yourself for a few pennies. That's not the life for you, Mali.'