‘Remain patient.’
‘That is like telling me to remain dry in the middle of a tempest. How can I be patient when Marwood is yapping at my heels like a terrier? Call him off.’
‘I will do my best.’
‘He is upsetting the whole company,’ said Firethorn irritably. ‘He should be more friendly towards us in view of the fact that Westfield’s Men contains his future son-in-law.’
‘I cannot guarantee that.’
‘You think he will disown the girl?’
‘Let us find the man first,’ said Nicholas cautiously. ‘I am distressed at our failure to do so. It can only mean that we have someone among us who adds lies to lechery.’
‘There is one sure way to expose him, Nick.’
‘Is there?’
‘Yes,’ said Firethorn cheerily. ‘Wait until the child is born. If it speaks in Welsh, then Owen Elias is our man. If it has aristocratic poise, Sylvester Pryde is unmasked. And if it has a face like a full moon and sighs like a furnace, then it is Edmund Hoode who has been a-leaping.’
‘I think you will find it is none of them.’
‘Whoever he is, he cannot hide for ever. I rely on you, Nick.’ He punched Nicholas playfully on the arm. ‘You will root him out in the end.’
‘Someone may do that office for me.’
‘Who is that?’
‘Our landlord’s wife,’ said Nicholas. ‘She will hound her daughter until she gets the name out of her. Rose Marwood is in desperate straits. Prisoners at the Tower endure a milder interrogation than the one the girl must weather.’
‘God’s lid!’ exclaimed Firethorn putting both hands to his face and shivering with horror. ‘I have just had a gruesome thought.’
‘What is it?’
‘Suppose that the child bears a resemblance to either of the girl’s parents? Suppose it has the same unsightly features as Marwood and his wife? It was better to drown the monster at birth in the Thames. No child should be forced to go through life with such a cruel handicap. Have you ever seen two such hideous human beings in one marriage?’
‘They are not well-favoured,’ said Nicholas tactfully.
‘Yet they are very well-matched. Duplicate ghouls.’ He gave a shudder. ‘You are right, Nick. Rose’s predicament is dire. How can she hold out against them? Her parents only have to leer at the girl and they will fright the name of her lover out of her.’
Sybil Marwood hovered over her daughter like a giant eagle, pecking away at her with painful questions and constant reproach.
‘For the last time, Rose,’ she said, ‘who is he?’
‘I cannot tell you, mother.’
‘Stop protecting the knave!’
‘I gave him my word,’ bleated the girl piteously. ‘I have to honour my promise.’
‘Honour!’ shouted Sybil. ‘You dare to talk of honour! Have you so soon forgot your Ten Commandments? Honour thy father and mother. The Bible enjoins us so. Yet you have dishonoured us in the most dreadful way. And now you make our suffering all the worse by lying to us.’
‘I have not lied, mother.’
‘Then what else have you done?’
‘Told you the truth.’
‘Half of it,’ said her mother angrily, ‘and the worse half at that. The half we do not know concerns the father. Now cease this prevarication and surrender his name.’
‘It is a secret that must remain locked away.’
‘Rose!’
‘I am sorry, mother.’
‘Stop torturing me like this.’
‘It is you who is torturing me.’
‘I have been sainted,’ blustered the other.
‘You and father have done nothing but revile and condemn me,’ whined the girl. ‘This was not intended to happen. It was a terrible accident. I am frightened to death by it. I hoped for some comfort from my mother, at least, but you have been a greater scourge than father. I can take no more of it. Leave me be. Please. Leave me be!’
Rose Marwood flung herself on the bed in a flood of tears. She was utterly distraught. They were in her bedchamber, an attic room with only meagre light permitted through the small window. Rose was still in her night attire, forbidden even to stir outside the door, lest her shame be seen and voiced abroad and lest her example somehow corrupted the maidservants. A girl who had been a dutiful and obedient daughter until now had brought scandal and disgrace to the Queen’s Head.
The initial shock had sent her mother into a frenzy of recrimination but that shock was slowly wearing off. As she saw the pathetic figure before her, sobbing convulsively, on the edge of despair, even Sybil’s flinty heart began to crack a little. Maternal instinct, which had hitherto produced nothing more than a long list of rules to govern her daughter’s conduct and safeguard her chastity, now prompted a softer and more caring approach. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, Sybil put a clumsy arm around Rose’s shoulder.
‘There, there!’ she soothed. ‘Do not cry so.’
‘I am terrified, mother.’
‘We are here to help you.’
‘But you have treated me so harshly.’
‘That was wrong of us,’ admitted Sybil, stifling the urge to remind Rose of the gravity of her offence. ‘These are grim tidings, to be sure, but you are still our daughter and you should be able to turn to us for some kindness.’
Rose lifted her head to look up with tentative gratitude, only half-believing what she had just heard. Her mother so rarely touched her that she felt like a stranger. Sybil took one more step towards true maternalism by enfolding her in a warm embrace and rocking her gently. Because it was such a novel situation for both of them, neither knew quite what to say but some of the damage in their relationship was gradually repaired during the long silence.
When she sensed it, Sybil tried to take advantage of it.
‘You were such a beautiful baby,’ she recalled fondly.
‘Was I?’
‘Yes, Rose. You were adorable. Your father and I did our best for you and brought you up to lead a Christian life. You were a credit to us.’ She heaved a sigh. ‘Until now.’
‘I’m sorry, mother. I’m so sorry. I would not hurt you or father for the world.’
‘I know, I know.’
‘It has been an ordeal,’ she continued. ‘A horrid nightmare that has kept me awake night after night. I had no idea what was happening to me. I thought I was sick or even dying. I feared that it was a punishment for my sins. It was only when I went to see the physician that he told me the truth. Do you know what I did, mother?’
‘What?’
‘Fell to the ground in a faint. He had to recover me.’
‘Poor child!’
‘I felt so alone. So completely alone.’
‘Not any more.’ Sybil held her more tightly and felt some of her daughter’s resistance fading. It was time to exploit the unusual moment of closeness. ‘We are here for you, Rose. Your father and I will always be here. You were so right to tell us when you did.’ She stroked Rose’s hair. ‘Does he know about the child yet?’
‘He?’
‘The father.’
‘No.’
‘Why not? He has responsibilities.’
‘He is not able to discharge them, mother.’
‘Nevertheless, he has a right to know.’
‘That is true,’ murmured Rose.
‘Is he so heartless that he would cast you off?’
‘No, no, he is the kindest man in the universe.’
‘Then why is he not here to help you through your time of trial?’ asked Sybil. ‘I see no hint of kindness in him.’
‘That is because you do not know him.’
‘Tell me his name and I will.’
‘No.’
‘I am your mother, Rose. Would you deny me this?’
‘I must.’
Sybil squeezed her even tighter. ‘You have never hidden anything from me before. Do not betray me now, child.’ She deposited a token kiss on Rose’s head. ‘I love you.’
The declaration fell so awkwardly and unconvincingly from her lips that it put Rose immediately on the defensive. She gritted her teeth and shrunk back slightly from the embrace. Abandoning the gentler strategy, Sybil reverted to a direct assault, taking her by the shoulders to shake her hard.