‘What are you doing here?’ asked Amy when Lily returned to her bedside.
‘Where else would I be?’ asked Lily.
‘But shouldn’t you be at the club?’
Shaking her head Lily said, ‘No. Vittorio knows where I am. And I’ll be back tomorrow and every day until you’re better.’
With a wan smile Amy said, ‘God knows when that’ll be.’
‘Now listen to me, my girl. These things can’t be rushed, but in time you’ll be back to your old self.’
Amy shook her head. ‘I’ll never be my old self, Lily. I’ll never go back on the street after what Dutchy did to me. I’d be too scared.’ Her face paled and her bottom lip trembled. ‘I’ve never been so terrified in all my life.’ She began to cry softly.
Whilst she held her friend in her arms, Lily raged inside. So Tom was right – it
was
that Dutch bastard. Well, she’d fix him. She’d see to it that he could never do this to anyone else again.
The nurse finally gave Amy a sedative and settled her down for the night with Lily’s promise to return in the morning.
When she paid the taxi-driver outside the club, Lily raced up the stairs to Vittorio’s office and, opening the door, barged in.
He looked up in surprise as she strode angrily over to him. ‘I’m going to ask you a favour and please don’t say no!’
His eyes narrowed at the expression on her face. ‘I can’t possibly say yes or no until you tell me what you want. Sit down, Lily. You look as if you’re going to explode at any minute.’
That was exactly how she felt! Taking a cigarette from his case on the desk, she lit it, drew deeply on it and said, ‘Today I saw my friend who had been brutally raped by a foreign seaman off the
Rotterdam
. I want him seen to.’
The Maltese raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘What precisely do you mean, my dear?’
Lily’s face was white with anger. ‘I want him dealt with in such a way that he’ll never return to Southampton – or England, for that matter.’
His eyes glittered as he asked, ‘Are you saying you want him removed permanently?’
She met his gaze without flinching. ‘He can be wiped off the bloody face of the earth for all I care!’
‘Are you asking me to have a man killed?’
‘Yes!’
‘Do you realise what you’re asking of me?’
‘Well, it wouldn’t be the first time, would it?’
Vittorio gazed at her coolly. ‘Just supposing your request was granted and you were told this man no longer breathed,’ he said. ‘Could you live with yourself afterwards?’ He looked at her, trying hard to make her realise the consequence of her demands. ‘Conscience is a very strange thing. It can give you sleepless nights and years of remorse.’
‘As far as this bastard goes, I have no conscience. He doesn’t deserve one.’
A slow smile touched the corners of his mouth as he saw the anger burning in her eyes. ‘My, Lily. I’ve never seen you in this mood. Who exactly is this monster that has moved you to make such a request?’
‘He’s a big hulk of a man, known as Dutchy. Feared by all the prostitutes. He carries a knife and he’s the scum of the earth. If I was a man, I’d do it myself …’ She gulped, fighting back tears. ‘He once held a knife at my throat. The tip of it cut my skin. I thought I was going to die.’
Vittorio’s expression hardened. ‘When was this? You never told me about it.’
‘Before I came here. Amy and me were going home from the pub when he accosted us. Some bloke came along and saved us, otherwise I might be dead because of him.’
‘I see.’ The smile had disappeared. ‘Which ship did you say?’
‘The
Rotterdam
. It’s a cargo-boat – probably sailed by now. But he’ll be back.’
‘You look tired, my darling. How was your friend when you left her?’
‘Still shocked.’ The anger in Lily had seeped away and she looked harrowed. ‘I need to take care of her, Vittorio. You do understand, don’t you?’ she pleaded.
He nodded. ‘Of course. She must be very special to deserve such loyalty.’
‘And the other matter?’ Lily asked.
‘He will be dealt with.’
‘Thank you. I’m going to bed now. I feel shattered. Shall I wait for you?’
He shook his head. ‘No, Lily. Get some sleep. I’ll not disturb you tonight. You don’t look as if you have an ounce of energy left in you. That wouldn’t do for me.’
She walked around the desk and kissed him on his forehead. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
The following day, Lily arrived at the hospital, arms filled with flowers, and carrying a basket of fruit and a new peach-coloured nightdress with matching negligée.
Amy managed a smile when she saw her friend. When Lily unpacked the night attire, she even showed a trace of her old spirit. ‘Blimey! If I was fit, dressed in that lot, I could charge a fortune.’
‘You’re never going back to whoring, Amy,’ Lily declared. ‘I’ve had a brilliant idea. When you’re well enough, you can live in Fred’s house. Look after it for me, like a housekeeper. I’m earning good money – I’ll pay you to do it.’
There was a lump in Amy’s throat and she could hardly speak. ‘You can’t afford to do that.’
‘Rubbish! I’ve decided. It’s no good having an empty house.’ Catching hold of Amy’s hand she said, ‘You would do the same for me.’
As she spoke she saw in the distance a figure coming towards her. Her voice faltered as she said, ‘You have another visitor, Amy.’
Tom McCann had also brought flowers. He leaned over the bed and kissed Amy on the forehead. ‘How are you, love?’
‘Not so bad. It was you that brought me here, wasn’t it?’ she said weakly.
Tom nodded. ‘I called round to see if you were all right, but sadly I was too late to save you.’ He looked across the bed at Lily. ‘How are you?’
Putting on a bright smile, she answered, ‘Fine, Tom. Thanks for letting me know about Amy. I’m so grateful.’
They both sat with her until lunch-time, when the Matron suggested that Amy needed to rest. Lily looked anxiously at her friend.
‘Go home, Lily. Come back tomorrow,’ Amy said sleepily. ‘I’ll be fine. To be honest, I am a bit tired. Thanks for all the goodies.’
Tom and Lily walked out of the hospital together in an uneasy silence. Outside, she turned to walk away, but he caught hold of her hand. ‘We need to talk, Lily.’
She nodded. ‘Yes, I suppose we do.’
They went into a small cafe where Tom ordered a pot of tea for two. After the waitress served them, he said, ‘I need to know the truth. Why didn’t you want to marry me? The real reason, please. I can’t rest until I know.’
Lily stared into the face of the man who meant everything to her. After all, now she had nothing to lose. He knew about Vittorio. He might as well know the full story.
So she told him about her father, his abuse of her. ‘I couldn’t marry you, Tom, without you discovering all this. I was only seventeen – I would have needed a birth certificate. We also needed my parents’ permission, as I was under-age. It was a hopeless situation.’ The anguish she felt was etched on her face. She omitted the part that Manny had played. Compared to the rest of her story, it was insignificant.
‘Why didn’t you tell me? I don’t understand.’
She caught hold of his hand. ‘Would you have been able to make love to me, knowing what my father had done?’
‘Lily, Lily,’ he chided. ‘Don’t you know that nothing in this world would have made any difference? Why couldn’t you have trusted me?’
She gazed into his hazel eyes, studied the firm jaw, the full lips. There was not a feature she didn’t know and love. ‘I was afraid you’d be disgusted.’
His jaw tightened. ‘The only thing that disgusts me is that you are Vittorio Teglia’s mistress! I find that hard to stomach. Why? How could you?’
To her surprise, Lily found that she was defending Vittorio. ‘He’s given me a new start. I sing in his club, he pays me a good wage.’
‘And you pleasure his bed.’ Tom’s lips narrowed in anger.
‘As your wife does yours,’ Lily retorted.
Tom gave a derisive snort. ‘Not if she can help it. She’s a cold fish who thinks only of being one-up on the neighbours. To her, sex is dirty. She hates sharing my bed.’
At once Lily could see the unhappiness mirrored in his eyes.
‘Oh Tom, I’m so sorry. I thought you had a good marriage. When you told me at Fred’s funeral you were to be a father, it was as if a knife had plunged into my heart. But at least I thought you were happy, so it didn’t seem so bad. Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘How could I? It was the wrong time.’
She thought how sad this meeting was. Two people so in love, never to be together. She gave a deep sigh. ‘What a mess we’ve made of our lives. Do you blame me for it?’
He gripped her wrists. ‘Yes! Yes, I do. If you hadn’t run away, we could be together.’ There was still anger in his voice as he coldly added, ‘Of course you wouldn’t be dressed nearly so expensively. I can’t afford the same things as The Maltese.’
‘Don’t do this, Tom. I am what I am – I make no excuses. We lead different lives. We have no choice. Not any more.’
His tone softened. ‘I still love you, Lily. More than ever. I want to be with you, hold you, kiss you … love you. I want you in my bed. I can’t bear the thought of him touching you.’
She got up from the table. ‘Enough! This is dangerous and stupid talk. Vittorio would never let me go, and you’re about to become a father.’ Putting a hand on his shoulder she softly said, ‘We had one night together. That will have to do for the rest of our lives.’ She bent and kissed him on the lips. ‘Goodbye, Tom.’
He watched her walk away. She was the only woman he had ever wanted. He felt as if his whole world had collapsed.
It was two weeks before Amy was ready to leave hospital, and Lily once again needed Vittorio’s help. He was in the bedroom, changing before the evening business. Lily walked up to him and winding her arms around his neck, looked at him intently. ‘I need another favour, Vittorio.’
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Someone else has upset you?’
She shook her head. ‘Amy is due to be released from hospital. I would like to bring her here, just for a few days.’
He looked perplexed. ‘I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. No one enters my premises unless they are clients. Much of what goes on here is confidential – you know that.’
She did know what Vittorio meant. It wouldn’t do for Amy to see the Chief Constable making his way to the large room at the end of their corridor, his arms around two teenage boys, as she’d encountered them one evening.
‘I know,’ coaxed Lily, ‘but we must have a room on this floor that I can use for about three days. Amy won’t leave it, I promise. I just want to be sure she’s all right before she goes home on her own. Please, Vittorio.’
He hesitated. ‘I’m beginning to be concerned about your strong attachment to this friend. I wouldn’t like it to get in the way of our relationship. You know I wouldn’t put up with such a thing, Lily. My considerations come first.’
She ran her fingers through his hair. ‘You always come first, you know that. I’m yours, to do with as you wish. Whenever.’
The deep-brown eyes stared into hers. But there was a look of respect in them. ‘You are good at bargaining, I’d forgotten. You are a schemer, Lily. A devious schemer.’
‘Does that mean yes?’
‘Three days only. And she stays in her room. Bring her here before ten-thirty in the morning – and no visitors!’ he snapped.
She gave a cry of delight. ‘I promise.’
‘This is an exception, Lily. Don’t ask again.’
Amy looked apprehensive as the taxi pulled up at the door of the club. She smoothed down the new coat that Lily had bought for her. ‘Do I look all right?’
‘Of course you do. Now just follow me and don’t look at anyone.’
She paid the taxi-driver and walked Amy through the dining room and up the stairs to the room next to her own. She opened the door and ushered Amy in. ‘There, what do you think?’ she asked with more than a little pride.
The room had a feminine air about it. It contained a large double bed, covered with a chintz spread that matched the curtains. There was a bedside table with matching wardrobe. A small bathroom led off the room, which Amy much admired. On the bedside table was an ice-bucket with a half-bottle of champagne in it, two glasses and a plate of dainty sandwiches. ‘They’re in case you get hungry,’ Lily told her. ‘Come on, let’s open the bubbly now to celebrate. Apart from that, it’s a great pick-me-up.’
Amy sat on the bed and looked about her new surroundings. ‘Oh my, Lily. I can see how you like living here. You wouldn’t think it was a brothel, would you?’
Somehow these words drove home. Lily never ever considered she was living in a brothel. She saw the girls take their punters upstairs, of course, but she’d managed to shut her eyes to the reality. She’d been allowed behind the closed doors of the gambling room where there were roulette tables and card games, but she was never allowed to gamble. Not that she wanted to. She’d seen too many people lose too much money. But now, she’d been made to face up to it. Yes, this was a house of ill-repute, and she was part of it.
Picking up the half-bottle of champagne she forced a smile. ‘Hold the glasses whilst I open this.’
The two women sat on the bed, drinking and nibbling on their sandwiches. ‘This is lovely, Lily.’
She dismissed Amy’s words with a smile. ‘You can only stay here for three days,’ she said, ‘but by then I’ll have the house ready. I’ll get some food in.’ She looked at Amy with an anxious expression. ‘Will you be all right there on your own? I could ask Sandy to stay with you at night. He could sleep in the spare room.’
‘If he would just for a while, Lily.’ Amy’s brow furrowed as she asked, ‘Have you heard anything about Dutchy?’
‘I don’t think you need worry any more about him. He won’t be coming back – ever.’
Amy gave a knowing nod. She was sure from Lily’s tone that her problem had been solved one way or another, and she didn’t want to know the details.
Lily insisted that Amy get undressed and into bed early. She handed her some magazines she’d bought. ‘Matron said you have to take it easy. I’ll pop in just before I go down to the bar to work, OK?’