‘Nothing for me,’ I said quickly. ‘I’d rather drink Fleet ditch water than anything you have to offer. I just want to hear what you’ve got to say about Pedro.’
Shepherd appeared to be enjoying himself immensely despite, or maybe because of my rudeness. ‘All in good time, my dear.’ He poured Syd and himself a large glass of claret. ‘It’s a treat to ’ear our Cat, again, ain’t it, Syd? You must be missin’ ’er silver tongue. My girls are all too afraid of me – no one gives me cheek like she does.’ He raised his glass to me and drank deeply. Syd took a sip of his, wisely keeping quiet. Syd and I both knew that Shepherd would get to the point sooner or later.
Shepherd gestured to my cloak. ‘You cold or somethink, Cat?’
‘No.’ Indeed, it was warm in here thanks to the fire roaring in the grate.
‘Then let me take your cloak.’
‘N-no!’ I protested, but too late: he’d tugged on the hood and revealed my shaven head. The sight of it sent him into a peal of laughter.
‘Wot you done to yourself, Cat?’ He leaned closer so that I could smell his stale breath. ‘Still got the curls wot you cut off? If you ’ave, I’ll give you a shillin’ for ’em for the wig-maker.’
‘Go hang yourself, Boil,’ I spat back. Syd tensed, gripping the stem of his glass so hard that it was in imminent danger of snapping.
Shepherd sat at his ease and wiped his eyes. ‘No ’ard feelin’s, Cat, but you look so queer, wot with that crop and them there bruises. Not been usin’ ’er for a punchbag, ’ave you, Fletcher? I thought you were sweet on ’er. You’ve a strange way of showin’ your affection. You’d’ve been better off stickin’ with me, Kitten.’
The wine glass smashed and Syd got up abruptly.
‘Just jokin’, Fletcher, just jokin’,’ said Shepherd. ‘You won’t ’ear wot I’ve got to say about Blackie if you fly off the ’andle like that.’
Syd sat down, his face flushed. I too felt hot under the collar, but more because I didn’t like Shepherd’s teasing about Syd and me. Syd was like a big brother. I’d hate to think of him in any other light.
Shepherd grinned at us. ‘That’s better. Now, I asked you ’ere to tell you that your boy’s all right – kept close but still in the land of the livin’.’
‘Where is he?’ I asked.
‘Why are you tellin’ us this?’ said Syd at the same time. I realized at once that his was the more pertinent question.
Shepherd poured himself another glass. ‘Well, for a start, I know that you won’t be able to touch ’im where ’e is, so “why not?” I asked meself when I woke up this mornin’. Second, ’e’s asked to see Cat. ’E wants to say goodbye.’
‘What? I don’t believe you!’ I exclaimed.
‘Ain’t you the suspicious sort, Cat? Let me put it another way: I asked ‘im if there was anyone ’e’d like to see afore ’e went and ’e said you. I don’t s’pose ’e thought for one minute that I’d try and bring you to ’im – ’e ’as me down as an ’ard-’earted cove, but I’ve nothink against ’im personally and I don’t ’old with slavery, so I thought, why not give ’im wot ’e wants?’
I didn’t believe any of that. It was either a trap or he was merely amusing himself by playing us along. We couldn’t even be sure that he had seen Pedro as he claimed.
‘You’re thinkin’ that I’m spinnin’ you a load of moonshine, ain’t you, Cat?’ said Shepherd, tipping me a wink.
I didn’t reply.
‘Well, I’ve got somethink that’ll convince even you.’ He placed a pearl earring on the table. We all recognized it immediately as Pedro’s. ‘Perhaps you might like to give it back to ’im, Cat? Poor blighter won’t ’ave much where ’e’s goin’.’
‘You’ll take us to him,’ said Syd, more as a command than a question.
‘Very funny,’ said Shepherd with a bark of laughter. ‘Take you so that you can spring ’im from ’is hidin’ place? I don’t think so. Nah, I’ll take Cat and no one else.’
‘Out of the question,’ said Frank suddenly, stepping forward from the ranks and laying a hand on my shoulder.
Shepherd leant back in his chair and squinted up at Frank. ‘Eh, Cat, your lucky day, ain’t it? You’ve got yourself another protector. I remember ’im – dressed as a soot last time we met. I’d say you’ve gone up in the world too since then, my lord.’
Frank glowered at him and tightened his grip.
‘If I’d known then that you were a gent, I’d’ve finished you off there and then,’ said Shepherd affably. ‘But now we’re to be friends, ain’t we? I do you a good turn now, and maybe you’ll get me a seat in the ’Ouse in a few years, eh?’
Frank ignored this – it wasn’t worthy of a response.
‘Cat’s not goin’ on ’er own,’ said Syd.
‘Course not, she’ll be with me,’ said Shepherd with a smile so wide you could count his rotten teeth. ‘And I don’t expect you to take my good behaviour on trust, Fletcher. You’ve got the money – and I’ll throw in me gang too. You can cut the throats of the lot of ’em if she doesn’t return by two in the mornin’.’
This announcement was met by much alarmed muttering from Shepherd’s boys.
‘Shut it, you lot,’ he snarled. ‘Nothink will ’appen to any of you ’cos I’ll be back ’ere to finish my wine well before the deadline.’
I could tell he’d been planning this all along. That was the reason the meeting was on neutral ground, and that was why he’d asked Syd to bring all his men: he wanted to make sure we’d believe him. But what possible interest could he have in taking me to see Pedro? Then again, I asked myself, did his motives matter? If I could see Pedro, we’d surely be better off than we were at the moment?
‘I’ll go,’ I said firmly, shaking off Frank’s hand.
Syd was struggling with his desire to help Pedro and his instinct to protect me. ‘Shepherd, you promise not to let anyone else ’arm ’er – not the law, not no one?’
‘Promise.’ Shepherd’s eyes glittered mischievously.