‘Still . . .’
‘You’re sweet on him, aren’t you?’
‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘You are – don’t you deny it!’
‘What? Sweet on a boy with ears like pitcher handles and hair full of lice? Give me more credit than that, Frank.’
‘You can’t fool me. You admire him – I can tell.’
‘I might admire him – just a little, mind, but that doesn’t mean I like him in that way.’
‘Rubbish – you do!’
‘Don’t!
‘Do!’
‘I don’t, you stubborn . . .’
‘What? Do my ears deceive me or is that the dulcet tone of my Catkin?
Frank and I spun round to see a tall, dark-haired man lounging against the doorpost.
‘Johnny!’ I shrieked and threw myself at him. He hugged me tight, rocking to and fro.
‘It’s so good to see you, Cat. Has Sheridan been treating you well, eh?’
I shrugged, grinning up at him. He hadn’t changed a bit: still the same handsome Lord Jonathan Fitzroy – sorry, plain Johnny now he had emigrated to America and Captain Sparkler to all lovers of radical cartoons.
‘And Frank. I’m so sorry to hear about your parents and . . .’ he gave a cough to clear the catch in his throat ‘. . . and Lizzie. I’m sure we can sort it all out.’
Frank got up to shake his hand. ‘Thank you, Johnny. I’m glad you’re here. Perhaps you can knock some sense into Cat for me.’
Johnny kept his arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. ‘I doubt that.’
‘She’s suggesting I hide among a gang of thieves we met this morning.’
‘They saved us from being lynched,’ I chipped in.
‘Only to rob us,’ Frank finished.
‘Sounds an excellent idea to me,’ said Johnny with a chuckle. ‘I trust Cat’s judgement about people. Don’t you?’
Frank opened his mouth to say something then shut it.
‘I can’t hide you,’ Johnny continued. ‘The authorities are aware that I know your family – I’ve hardly thought it necessary to hide the fact until today. If they are looking for you, they may well come knocking on my door. But I would bet my last dollar that they won’t look for an English lord among thieves. They’ll think you’re far too proud to mingle with the poor. You’re not, are you?’
Frank put his head in his hands, his shoulders hunched with worry. Then he let them drop, took a deep breath and looked up. ‘Sorry, everyone, I’m being a bit of an idiot, aren’t I? Of course I’m not too proud. I mingle with Cat, don’t I?’
I poked Frank in the ribs, very pleased to find Johnny still placed his confidence in me. ‘So, you’ll do as I suggest?’
Frank nodded.
‘In that case, Marie is waiting in the kitchen with Renard to escort you. You’ll need to change back into the clothes you had this morning. Leave the rest here: I’ll look after them.’
‘What are you going to do?’ he asked as he shooed me out into the corridor so he could undress.
I glanced at Johnny. ‘I guess we’re going prison visiting.’
Johnny hired a carriage to take us over to the Conciergerie Prison on the Ile de la Cité. It was twilight but the streets were still busy with people shopping and chatting. If I had been at home I would have said there was a holiday mood in the air, but perhaps I just didn’t understand them yet.
‘Corpus Christi tomorrow,’ Johnny commented, nodding to a church where some nuns were brushing the steps. ‘There’ll be a huge procession through the streets. I just hope there’s no trouble. I’m amazed it’s been this quiet so far.’
‘I wouldn’t call it quiet,’ I muttered, rubbing the rope burn on my neck. I proceeded to tell him what had happened that day, sparing no details.
‘Poor Catkin,’ said Johnny, pulling me to him. ‘You really do need looking after, don’t you?’
‘I thought I did quite well extricating us from J-F’s court with a full suit of clothes each.’
He laughed and tapped the end of my nose. ‘You know what I mean. You shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I’ll have words with Sheridan for sending you off to this den of thieves.’
I snuggled against him. Once I thought I loved Johnny like an older brother. Seeing him today, I realized I had developed a hopeless devotion to him – so hopeless that it hardly hurt to know that his feelings were all for Lizzie. When I was with him, I need not look over my shoulder wondering if I was safe and accepted – I just knew I was.
‘Mr Sheridan did me a favour giving me this job,’ I confided. ‘I made a terrible mess of looking after myself when the theatre closed.’
‘Do you want to tell me about it?’
I nodded. Then it all came tumbling out: sleeping rough, Mr Tweadle, my stories, even the stupid bargain with Billy Shepherd. Johnny was silent for a long time. I listened to the hooves clattering on the cobbles and the squeak of the carriage. Did he think badly of me for letting everyone down?
‘When this is all over, you could come back to America with me, you know,’ he said at last. ‘I’m not concerned about that Tweadle fellow – Sheridan will sort him out for you, I have no doubt – but Shepherd worries me.’
‘He’s always worried everyone. I expect even the midwife had second thoughts and wanted to put him back the moment he was born.’
‘I’m being serious, Cat. He won’t rest until he’s got you under his thumb.’
‘I rather thought he’d end up killing me,’ I said with a shrug.
Johnny sat up and took me by the shoulders. ‘Why are you treating this like a joke? Don’t you realize what you’re up against?’
Of course I knew: I’d watched him beat Johnny to a pulp and had felt his razor at my throat.
‘I’m not joking, Johnny,’ I said seriously. ‘I know he’s dangerous – I know what he wants and he’s not getting it.’ Johnny shook his head. I could tell he thought I was na?ve. ‘Look, he could’ve got rid of me any day over the last year but he hasn’t. I refuse to live in fear of a wart like him.’