BooksBarbecue
Back The Dazzle of the Light Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Praise for Georgina Clarke
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. Historical Note
  52. Acknowledgements
  53. Also by Georgina Clarke
  54. About the Author
  55. Copyright

She closes her eyes for a moment. He has not even tried to deny it. She shakes her head and says nothing.

‘I still want to marry you, Harriet,’ he says in subdued tones. ‘It will be for the best – for both of us.’

She opens her eyes. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know that I can bear it.’

‘I love you. You must know that.’

It is the first time he has said this to her. What he loves, has always loved, is the prospect of being Gerald Littlemore’s son-in-law.

‘I’m tired, Ralph. In the last twenty-four hours, I have lost my job and discovered that the world does not work in the way I had always assumed. I think I need to rest.’

‘Of course. You’re tired. I’ll return later, if you like.’ He reaches, instinctively, into his pocket for his watch, to suggest a time. He frowns. His watch is still missing. ‘Never mind. Perhaps I should go now, as you say. Leave you in peace.’ He ends this stuttering speech with a small bow. A kiss, even on the cheek, would be too much – he appears to recognise this.

Harriet turns away, unable to face him. ‘Very well. Perhaps you may visit later. Tomorrow.’

48

48

Saturday afternoon

They are waiting for her on Wigmore Street. She can see Maggs and Florrie. Edith is ahead, on her own, pretending to be separate. She won’t want to work with Ruby. She’s still sore that Billy was so friendly the other day, when everyone was singing her name in the Crown. She’s probably sore about that, too.

Ruby nods to Maggs.

‘I’m sending Florrie in with Edith,’ Maggs says. ‘I’m not coming in – not with my face like this.’ She is still sporting a shiner from her altercation with the doorman from Carrington’s, a bruise on her cheek turning from purple to yellow and sludge brown. ‘I’m going to wait outside.’

‘Alright. That means I’m on my own?’

‘Yeah. You’ll be good. We’re after gloves and scarves. Second floor. Best you can find and fur-lined, if you can. Straight in and out, no messing about.’

Ruby rolls her eyes. ‘I don’t mess about.’

‘No daydreaming, then.’

Ruby laughs. ‘I lifted several hundred pounds worth of diamonds the other day and you’re fretting about gloves. I know what I’m doing.’

‘I know. I always worry.’

‘Mother hen,’ Ruby laughs back.

‘I’ll take you out later, little chick. Let’s go to the pictures, eh?’

She is tempted. Tempted to leave Peter Lazenby waiting for her all night while she loses herself in the moving pictures for hours.