Gypsy

  Pearl’s genteel Federal-style house in Spruce Street showed no outward signs of what went on behind its shiny, black-painted door, yet close by in Camac Street and the many narrow alleys that ran off it, brothels, gambling dens and taverns abounded. Respectable people bemoaned the crime and brawling, but to Beth and the boys the whole area was an extraordinarily colourful and joyous conclave of free spirits, who were not bound by the rigid social mores that prevailed elsewhere in the city.

  The Bear was situated between Pearl’s and Camac Street. Although the majority of its clientele were hard-working artisans who lived in the area, the number of artists, musicians, dancers and actors who frequented it too attracted many middle- and upper-class people who liked being seen in a place deemed risque´.

  Beth had it pointed out to her that many of the men who slipped into Pearl’s or other brothels on a Friday night were professional men and captains of industry. She had heard too about ladies of quality who sent their servants off to get them opium from the dives along the wharves. Even Ma Connelly, the tiny Irishwoman who assisted with unwanted pregnancies, claimed to have more genteel customers than whores or domestic servants.

  Philadelphia meant ‘The City of Brotherly Love’, and it certainly was a more friendly place than New York, lacking the often menacing and dangerous edge she’d sensed there. There was perhaps just as much poverty, especially amongst the negro and Irish communities, but by and large immigrants appeared more settled here, and the different nationalities more integrated.

  It had been terribly cold. On her nineteenth birthday in February there had been a blizzard with drifts of snow feet thick. But Pearl’s kitchen was always warm, and the Bear was only a few streets away. When she got back late at night there was always a hot brick in her bed, and she’d wake in the morning to the smell of frying bacon or pancakes.

  On the nights she didn’t play her fiddle, she still worked at the saloon, serving drinks and collecting glasses, and she got to hear other musicians and singers. She’d made many friends too, with both the customers and the other staff.

  Frank Jasper had a reputation for being hard-headed and ruthless, but Beth had found him to be jovial and fair-minded. All the money customers put into the hat for the musicians was divided between them equally, and he didn’t take a percentage of it. But then, he was a real music lover, and he took pride in seeking out and nurturing new talent. Some nights he got Beth merely to accompany other musicians or singers, other nights she was the star turn, but whether she was playing, or just watching and listening from the floor, she was constantly learning, and she sensed that was Mr Jasper’s intention.

  He was a great enthusiast of the Italian Paganini, and the Spaniard Pablo Sarasate, both great violinists, and he’d been fortunate enough to hear Sarasate play at a concert in New York. Miss Clarkson had told Beth about these two men, and taken her to a concert where the orchestra played some of their music, so she could understand Mr Jasper’s enthusiasm. Theo had said he would take her to some concerts here in Philadelphia to broaden her knowledge of other musicians.

  Homesickness for England was a thing of the past. Beth wrote to the Langworthys just as regularly, and looked forward eagerly to their letters with news of Molly, but she no longer ached to go home.

  It was living at Pearl’s that had changed Beth’s outlook the most. It was hard to disapprove of what went on in the house when she heard so much laughter and gaiety from the rooms above. She’d got to know all the girls, and none of them were hapless creatures who had been forced into the profession. They had chosen it. Some just wanted easy money, some were adventurers, and Missy had admitted to Beth she loved sex and saw no reason why she shouldn’t be paid for having it too.

  Pearl’s entire house had a seductive atmosphere, with the girls’ scent, cigar smoke and the tinkling of the piano in the parlour. Even the laundry room down by Beth’s bedroom was always festooned with scanty silk and lace garments. Late at night, when she heard the sounds of bedsprings creaking, Beth found herself yearning to be in bed with Theo, to discover all that joy the girls alluded to.

  She loved him, and she was reasonably secure that he cared for her too, for why else would he turn up at the end of an evening to escort her home, take her out for luncheon or bring her little presents of chocolates, flowers or a decoration for her hair? Pearl had pointed out that red-blooded men needed sex, and if they didn’t get it from the one they loved, they went elsewhere. She said only a fool would believe otherwise. And Pearl should know: a constant stream of married and betrothed men came to her door every evening.

  It seemed to Beth that once this hurdle was cleared, Theo would give up his disappearing acts and be more open about every aspect of his life. Marriage wasn’t as important to her as it had once been. She just wanted him to say that she was his girl and make plans that included her.

  Beth sat down on the couch as Theo poured her a glass of wine. ‘Are you warm enough?’ he asked, handing it to her.

  ‘Yes, thank you,’ she replied, suddenly nervous. She loved his kisses and being held and caressed by him, but she had no real knowledge of what came next, whether Theo would undress her, or if she had to do that. Would it hurt her? And would he know how to make sure she didn’t end up with a baby?

  Beth had made it her business to find out from Pearl how women could protect themselves. There were douches and tiny sponges which she’d seen, and learned the theory of how they worked. But it was all theory. Pearl had said that rubber sheaths for men were what she advocated, but she had added that most men were reluctant to use them.

  Theo sat down beside her and watched as she took a gulp of her wine. ‘What’s going on in that pretty head?’ he asked.

  ‘Just that it is a big step coming here with you,’ she replied.

  He looked tenderly at her, then took her glass away and put his arms around her. ‘I’m not going to hurt you,’ he said softly. ‘I only want to show you the delights of lovemaking.’

  He kissed her then, the tip of his tongue flitting in and out of her lips in a way that always made her belly tighten and her nipples grow hard. In the past such kisses had either taken place late at night in the cold as they walked home, or standing in the corridor of the basement at Pearl’s, with Jack or Sam expected back at any minute, so Beth was always tense.

  But she was warm now, no one was going to interrupt, and she willingly succumbed to the bliss, moulding herself into his body and letting her anxieties flow away.

  ‘Ummm,’ he sighed, running one finger down her cheek, her throat and into the valley of her cleavage. ‘I’ve waited for this for so long.’

  With just one finger he gently pulled back the bodice of her dress and the lace-trimmed camisole beneath it to reveal her right breast while looking into her eyes, his face just a couple of inches from hers. His finger met her erect nipple and he smiled before putting his head down to take it in his lips.

  Beth involuntarily gasped, for she had never felt anything quite so wonderful as his sucking, licking and biting. She shamelessly held his head and arched her body towards him as a glorious tingle rushed all over her.

  He had both her breasts fully exposed now and went from one to the other, kissing, caressing and sucking, and the sight of his rapturous expression in the soft light from the lamp heightened her pleasure still further.

  ‘Too many clothes,’ he murmured. ‘I want to see your body and kiss it all over.’

  Her dress had tiny buttons right down the back. He moved her to sit up in front of him and with his left hand still playing with her nipples he unbuttoned it, all the while kissing her neck and shoulders as he peeled it down. Laces were untied, her stays dropping to the floor, and suddenly she was sitting there, her naked upper body incongruous with her dress and petticoats ballooning around her waist.

  He dropped to his knees in front of her, taking the pins and feathered ornament out of her hair and running his fingers through her curls, as he kissed her long and hard. Beth could feel her
private parts growing wet and hot and she was kissing him back feverishly, wanting still more.

  Theo got up from his knees, taking her with him, and as he kissed her he pushed her dress, petticoats and drawers down over her hips. Bending to take her nipple into his mouth again, his hand slipped in between her legs and slid one finger into her.

  Beth was beyond caring that she was allowing a man to take such liberties with her. Her heart was racing, her breath hot and fierce, and she was shamelessly moving against his finger and moaning out how much she liked it.

  Her clothes were kicked aside. She was naked apart from her stockings and boots, and he pushed her down on to the couch where he did the most appallingly rude yet thrilling things to her.

  He had shed his jacket and tie at some stage — she recalled pulling his shirt out of his trousers so she could feel his back and chest — but he made no attempt to unbutton his trousers. She could feel the hardness of him against her, yet it was as if he was holding back his own desires while he fulfilled all hers.

  It was much, much later before he moved her into the bedroom next door, and only then did he take off the rest of his clothes. The sheets felt very cold and stiff against her overheated skin, and he knelt up for a moment beside her and placed her hand on his rigid sex. It seemed huge, and the knowledge that soon he was going to put it inside her gave her a moment of fear.

  He must have sensed it for he lay down beside her and kissed her. ‘We don’t have to go any further if you aren’t ready for it,’ he whispered.

  But the heat of his body and the fingers that stroked and teased her banished the fear, and as he kissed her again she opened her legs willingly and arched her back to receive him.

  ∗

  Pearl had told Beth that if a man really cared for a woman he would withdraw before spending his seed. Theo did that. As Beth tentatively touched the sticky substance on her belly, she felt she’d been given all the reassurance she needed. It had hurt just a little, and she was a little sore now too, but that didn’t matter. Theo had transported her to heaven, and surely he couldn’t do that unless he loved her as much as she loved him.

  Beth turned to look at Theo asleep in bed as she buttoned up her boots and put on her coat. It was daybreak and there was just enough light to see the dark shadow coming on his chin and the softness of his mouth. She thought she ought to be ashamed of how abandoned she’d been, but she didn’t, she only felt joyful. Yet she still determined to leave and get home to Pearl’s before anyone knew she’d been out all night. She wasn’t brave enough to be blatant about her immorality.

  She went to kiss Theo’s cheek, breathing in the heady, musky smell of him, but he didn’t stir. Then she tiptoed out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

  It was raw out on the street, with ice on places where the snow had been cleared or trampled. She paused in the doorway to pull her rubber galoshes over her boots and put on her gloves, then walked quickly away with a spring in her step.

  ‘Wake up, Beth!’

  Beth opened one eye to see Sam with a lighted candle in his hand. ‘What time is it?’ she asked.

  ‘The middle of the night, but we’ve got to leave.’

  It was the tone of his voice that made her sit up, not his actual words. He sounded terrified.

  ‘Leave? Why?’

  ‘Something happened at tonight’s game,’ he said. ‘It will take too long to explain now, but I’m in deep trouble and we’ve got to get away right now.’

  It was September, they had been in Philadelphia for nine months, and it had been the happiest time Beth had ever known. She had felt so secure, with Theo, her success as a musician and living here at Pearl’s. She couldn’t believe that Sam could have done something to destroy it.

  ‘You’ll tell me what you’ve done,’ she demanded. ‘I’m not going anywhere until I know.’

  ‘A man is dead, that’s all you need to know for now,’ he said breathlessly.

  Her brother’s face was in shadow for he’d put the candle down, but she sensed his shame and anguish.

  ‘At the poker game tonight?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes. One of the men accused Theo of cheating and pulled a knife on him. I tried to get him off Theo and ended up with the knife. But as God is my witness, I didn’t mean to kill him.’ He broke off, covering his face with his hands.

  Beth understood enough and leapt out of bed. ‘Where’s Theo now?’

  ‘Gone to his place to pack. He’ll be round for us with a cab.’

  ‘Turn your back while I get dressed,’ Beth ordered him and flung off her nightdress. She felt sick with fear and wanted no part in this, but they were the two most important people in her life and she had to support them. ‘Theo asked that I come too?’ she demanded as she struggled into her petticoats.

  ‘We can’t leave you here to face the music,’ he said weakly. ‘Jack’s coming as well.’

  ‘Jack was involved too?’ Beth’s voice rose an octave.

  ‘He only helped us get away.’

  Beth’s eyes were prickling with tears and she could barely fasten her stays, her fingers were trembling so much. ‘What about Pearl and Frank?’

  ‘We weren’t at Frank’s place, we won’t be in trouble with him. I wish we could tell Pearl about it now and prepare her, but we can’t, Beth. We’ve got to get out now.’

  Jack appeared in the room just as Beth had finished dressing. He was carrying Sam’s and his own bag. Without saying a word, he put them down on the floor and began laying Beth’s dresses on the bed and rolling them up to put into her valise.

  ‘So we’ve got to slip out of here like thieves in the night?’ Beth said. ‘Not a word of thanks for all Pearl’s done for us?’

  ‘We’ll write and apologize,’ Sam said, hastily picking up more of Beth’s things and stuffing them into the valise. ‘I’m so sorry, sis.’

  Less than ten minutes later the three of them with their bags, and Beth carrying her fiddle case, were out in the dark street, hurrying away to meet the cab around the corner.

  It was already there. The horse made a shuffling sound with its hooves as they approached and Theo leapt out.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Beth,’ he said as he helped her in. ‘I’ll make it up to you somehow.’

  ‘Where are we going?’ Beth asked as the cab moved away.

  ‘Wherever the first train out takes us,’ Theo replied.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  ‘I’m freezing,’ Beth said, wrapping a muffler more firmly around her neck as she and the boys made their way out of Montreal station. ‘If it’s as cold as this when it’s only September, what will it be like in the middle of winter?’

  The first train out of Philadelphia station was bound for New York, but as Jack pointed out on the journey, it wouldn’t be wise to stay there for they’d soon be found.

  At Grand Central station they saw there was a train going to Canada just a couple of hours later. Theo thought that was the perfect destination for them to escape American justice.

  ‘We won’t be here that long. We’ll just wait for the hue and cry to die down, then we can go back,’ Theo said blithely.

  ‘We can’t go back to Philly or New York,’ Jack said. He was shivering for he wore only a thin jacket. He’d accidentally left his overcoat hanging on the door at Pearl’s. ‘But maybe the West Coast of America, somewhere miles away, and warm.’

  It was now thirty hours since they’d left Philadelphia. It had been a tedious, cold journey overnight, and none of them had been able to doze for more than a few minutes at a time. Beth felt as if her skin, hair and eyes were full of grit, and although Montreal looked as civilized as anywhere else she’d been, she hadn’t expected it to be so cold.

  ‘It isn’t that cold, you’re just feeling it because you’re tired,’ Theo said, taking Beth’s arm. ‘We’ll find a hotel. A hot bath, breakfast, then a sleep will put everything right.’

  ‘Nothing is going to make murder right,’ she said tersely.
r />   ‘It was self-defence,’ Theo retorted. ‘The man had a knife at my throat and he would have used it. To my mind Sam’s a hero — he saved my life.’

  Beth woke later to find Theo’s arms wrapped around her. For just a few moments she thought she was in his bed in Philadelphia, and lay there listening to his soft breathing and luxuriating in the warmth. Then she remembered where she was, and why, and all the anger she’d struggled to suppress on the journey here rose up.

  It was pitch dark, but she didn’t know if it was early evening or the middle of the night. She was tempted to thump Theo awake rudely and ask him; in fact she had a great deal more to ask other than the time. But after a moment or two’s reflection she thought it better to put her own mind in order before tackling him.

  She wriggled out of his arms and the bed, took the comforter from it and wrapped it around her, then went over to the window and lifted the edge of the curtain to see out.

  The street outside, which had been so busy with carts, cabs and people when they’d booked into the hotel, was silent now. All the shops and the saloon opposite were in darkness and there was not a soul in sight. But there were some lights in upstairs rooms across the street, and she reckoned it must be after eleven at night.

  Jack and Sam were sharing the room next door. Theo had registered Beth as his wife, and although just a couple of days ago she would have been pleased by him passing her off that way, it grated now.

  She knew Theo had been cheating at the card game even though he swore he hadn’t. He was too glib, overly sympathetic to her being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night, and he had used the crowded train as an excuse not to explain how it all came about.

  If it hadn’t been for Jack’s hasty explanation at New York’s Grand Central, when Theo went off to get tickets to Montreal, Beth wouldn’t have understood anything, for Sam was still in shock and had said little on the long journey.