She still looked at him sceptically before letting her mouth curl into a slow smile.
‘Go on, I’ll buy it, John Sedgwick, but thousands wouldn’t.’ She stood up, smoothing down her old dress. ‘Well, since he told you to spend time with us, we can go out for the afternoon. Isn’t that right, James?’
The boy took her hand and nodded firmly. The deputy knew he didn’t have a chance against the pair of them.
‘Where do you want to go?’ he asked with a loud sigh and a smile.
‘Kirkstall Abbey,’ Lizzie answered quickly. ‘I haven’t been there in years.’
He agreed with just the slightest reluctance, the memory of Sarah Godlove’s body as it had looked at the jail flickering through his mind.
‘We’d better get going, then,’ he said, then wondered, ‘Are you sure it’s not too far in your state?’
She shook her head sadly at him.
‘John, I’m having a baby, I’m not dying or ill, you know. People have been doing it for centuries. Now stop mithering me. It’s lovely out, let’s enjoy it.’
They strolled along the riverbank, following the path out of the city. James kept running ahead, gathering an oddly shaped twig, a grub on a leaf, and bringing his finds for them to inspect.
The afternoon sun was warm, not too hot, perfect for a slow amble together. He held Lizzie’s hand, proud to be out with her, to have his small family around him. They passed others, exchanging polite greetings.
‘Have you asked the Constable about more money yet?’
‘No,’ Sedgwick admitted. ‘It’s been busy.’
‘The sooner you do it, the sooner we’ll know. And we’re going to need it, John.’ She rubbed her stomach lightly, a reminder he didn’t need.
‘I will,’ he promised. ‘Soon. I mean it.’
‘Has James ever been out here before?’
‘Once, not that he’d remember it. He was just a baby then, couldn’t even crawl.’
‘Do you ever miss her?’ Lizzie asked casually.
The question took him aback. ‘Miss who?’
‘Annie. The one you were married to.’
‘God, no,’ he answered fiercely. ‘Good riddance to her. You know, even her father warned me not to marry her, and he was right. James is the only worthwhile thing to come out of that.’
‘Well, he’s ours now.’ She squeezed his hand tightly. ‘And the new one will be, too.’
‘So what do you want to call this one?’
‘Not yet,’ she told him, the lightness and merriment suddenly gone from her voice. ‘It’s bad luck to think of that before they’re born.’
He nodded and kissed her cheek, then ran off after James, roaring like a beast to scare the lad and chase him until they fell in a tangle. They drew closer to the ruins of the old buildings, the tower rising tall and stark against the sky.
‘Is it very, very old?’ James asked. He looked up, his voice full of awe.
‘Aye, it is,’ Sedgwick told him. ‘It’s been here a long time.’
‘Was it a castle?’
‘No, it was like a very big church, I think. But I’ll take you to a castle one day, if you like.’
‘Yes, please,’ the boy said eagerly and his father laughed, tousling the lad’s thick hair. ‘You go and explore. We’ll be sitting over here.’
‘And don’t get into any trouble,’ Lizzie warned.
‘I won’t, mam,’ he said, and he ran off to climb the old staircases and delve into the cellars.
‘Mam,’ the deputy said with a grin.
‘The best word in the world.’
They sat on the remains of a low wall, watching the river swirl lazily by. After a while Lizzie stretched then lay down on the grass.
‘I’m just going to doze for a little while,’ she said. ‘Do you mind?’
‘Of course not.’
He took off his coat, folding it to give her a pillow. As he knelt she reached out and took his hand. In a soft, contented voice she said, ‘Why are you so nice to me, John Sedgwick?’
‘Because I love you, you daft thing,’ he told her. ‘Why do you think?’
As she drifted away, her face caught in the sunlight, he sat, watching over her, giving out a low whistle every few minutes to summon James. The lad was relishing the freedom to run and play unchallenged, his face and hands already mucky, his smile a mile wide. It looked as if he’d found some older boys to follow, and he was determined to show he wasn’t any kind of baby, fearlessly jumping off arches taller than himself and clambering along treacherous pieces of masonry.
Sedgwick saw himself at that age, full of the same indestructible spirit. He’d broken a few bones and knocked out one or two teeth, but it had never stopped him. It was better than caution; there was far too much of that around. Boys needed a bit of adventure. Soon enough they’d be grown and the world would close in around them.
But not for him. Sometimes he thought he had the best of everything. There was his family, and the job gave him enough rough and tumble, too much of it at times. He’d been beaten, he had scars, but it hadn’t put him off. The money kept them fed and paid for their room. Lizzie was right, though; with another bairn on the way they needed something a little larger. He’d talk to the boss on Monday. He was a good man, he’d understand.
They stayed out at the abbey until the shadows were lengthening. After the other boys had wandered off, Sedgwick and Lizzie entertained James, running hither and yon with him until he was exhausted.
They followed the road back to the city, stopping at an alehouse close to the Kirkstall Forge, an old, small cottage made over with benches and old, dry rushes on the earth floor. The ale was good, quenching the thirst that he’d built up during the long afternoon.
‘You look like you enjoyed that,’ Lizzie said wryly as he drained the mug in one long swallow. ‘The way that went down anyone would think you’d got no clack.’
‘I needed it,’ he told her, and started to signal for another.
‘We’d better get home,’ she told him, tilting her head towards James, his eyelids sagging. ‘He’s dead on his feet, poor lad. We’ve worn him out.’
‘I’ll carry him, don’t worry.’
The boy stayed nestled in his arms, soft sleeping breath on his neck as they neared Leeds, the air ripening with the smells of the city.
‘I might be called out tonight,’ the deputy told her.
‘It’s Saturday, you usually are.’
‘This is something different,’ he explained. ‘There’s someone thinks he can put Amos Worthy out of business.’
She sneered in disbelief. ‘What’s his name, Death?’
‘Just someone new who runs a few girls and has big ideas.’
‘Same as the rest, then. You think he’ll succeed?’ Lizzie asked.
Sedgwick shook his head. ‘Not a chance. He doesn’t have a clue what he’s going up against. I can’t stand that bastard Worthy, but at least he can use his brain.’
‘So why hasn’t Mr Nottingham put you in charge if there’s going to be trouble?’
‘He’s letting the new man handle it.’
‘Do you think he’s up to it?’
‘Only one way to find out. He’ll come if he needs me. He’s been good so far, though, I’ll give him that. I wasn’t sure about him, but I’m starting to think he’ll work out very well.’
Rob Lister had been waiting at the jail for half an hour before the night men arrived, loud and rowdy. He’d tried to rest during the afternoon but had spent the time shifting around in his bed, a mix of excitement and nerves coursing through him and chasing sleep away.
He’d dressed in his oldest suit, threadbare at the elbows, the knees worn, the seams resewn several times, and an old shirt that should probably have been torn for rags. At least if there was a fight, nothing good would end up ruined. Compared to the night men, though, he was wearing royal robes. Some had clothes held together with little more than faith, and the best of them wore ripped shirts and patched breeches.
They knew the routine, and he was happy to simply follow them. They split into three pairs, patrolling the streets and glancing in on the alehouses and inns. The noise in each place dropped whenever they walked in, rose again as the door closed behind them.