Chapter 13
Faithful listened intently to the men, scarcely able to conceal his glee. He had sometimes wondered whether Miles was the man he sought, but had not been able to discover, from his jealous observation of them together, whether they were conducting a liaison. He had instinctively taken a dislike to Miles on sight, for he distrusted anyone young and handsome, tall and well built as Miles was. This was largely because he could not prevent his thoughts turning to the licentious pleasures he imagined them to indulge in. He was tormented by his imaginings, and even his fierce denunciations of such activities gave no relief to his twisted soul.
When the men had finished, he congratulated them, and bade them keep close watch for the next few nights. When they had gone, he rubbed his hands in delighted anticipation. He would denounce Miles, and have him imprisoned. He then realized that in order to do this, he would need to denounce Cherry also, and this gave him pause. He considered his moves carefully. Could he implicate Miles alone? He came to the conclusion this would be impossible, and if he charged some other woman, it could easily be proved wrong. He was sitting anxiously scratching his head when there was a knock at the door.
Angrily he called on his servant to enter and demanded why he was to be disturbed.
'I beg pardon, Master, but you said you wanted to be told at once if we caught the woman.'
'Eh? What woman? What are you babbling about, man?'
'The woman Tapsell, Mr Denham. You remember, she was seen taking food from the kitchen, but we could not catch her.'
Faithful had managed to bring his attention to the man.
'Aye, I remember. One of those disreputable beggars, wasn't she, always hanging round the doors. Where is she?'
'She is locked in the stable, we saw her passing by in the alley behind the house, and chased her.'
Faithful pondered, and then, an idea striking him, smiled in satisfaction.
'Bring her here,' he ordered.
'Here?' asked the servant in surprise.
'Aye!' his master snapped. 'And hasten!'
The servant obeyed quickly, for Mr Denham was a bad man to cross. Within a very short time he was dragging into the parlor a skinny, frightened girl of little more than fourteen.
'Leave her, but wait outside the door.'
When they were alone, Faithful surveyed the girl. Under the grime and rags he detected a face that would be pretty if it were clean, and a figure just blossoming into maturity.
'I am going to give you over to the Justice for your thefts from me,' he said sternly.
The girl threw herself at his feet. 'No! Please, my lord, I ain't stole nought from you.'
'I have a ring, a gold ring missing. You stole it.'
'I did not! I swear it! Only a crust of bread, 'cause I was starving!'
'Then you admit it? If a crust of bread, why not the other?'
'What would I do with a gold ring?'
'Sell it, most like. I do not care. But you will be fortunate to escape with your life, and most like be sent to the colonies.'
She began to protest her innocence, and beg him to have pity on her, but he went on, remorselessly.
'Do you know what it is like there? Most people die of plague or fever, or are killed by the wild animals that roam freely all over the land.'
She was terrified by this, for she had seen bears and bulls being baited by dogs, and imagined these huge creatures surrounding her.
'Please, my lord, have pity!' she wailed.
'Mayhap, if you helped me, I could save you,' he went on, so quietly it was some time before his meaning sank into her bemused brain.
She looked up. 'I'd do whatever you said, I would,' she sobbed, and he smiled in satisfaction. These people were so easy to gull!
'It will mean a few weeks in prison, but I will give you some fine clothes and some money to make your stay as comfortable as possible,' he told her, and she scarcely hesitated. She had seen the inside of Newgate before, and it held few terrors for her.
'What must I do?' she whispered, almost eagerly.
'When you look more the part, after a bath and with decent clothes,' he began, but the mention of a bath had frightened the girl almost as much as the idea of deportation.
Faithful was impatient, and roughly told her to cease her noise, or he would simply hand her over now. She considered the alternatives, and, shuddering, decided she must undergo the unknown terrors of a bath. She nodded, and he continued.
'When you look the part, I need you to swear before a Magistrate that you have had carnal relations with a certain man. I will tell you more about him later. Do you understand?'
She nodded. This was not so bad as she thought.
'Where is the man? When do you want me to bitch him?'
Faithful frowned. 'You do not have to do that,' he said, wrinkling up his nose. 'Just to say you have.'
She shrugged. She did not understand, but what did it matter to her if she escaped the threat of deportation?
Faithful called to his servant, and told him to fetch Mistress Gadge, his housekeeper. When this redoubtable dame arrived, he handed the girl over to her, explaining he wanted her to be made to look respectable, and given some clean clothes.
Mistress Gadge nodded, uncaring enough to ask why she was given these odd commands, and seized the girl with cruel fingers biting into her thin arm.
Faithful waited impatiently, and then, when the girl was brought back to him, surveyed her carefully. She was indeed pretty, in a pert way, and he thought her story would be believed. He spent some time coaching her as to what she was to say, and then, satisfied, set off for the nearest Magistrate.
There, he explained the girl had come to him to confess her wickedness, and beg for help to escape the sinful demands of a Mr Miles Talbot. The Magistrate, who disliked Faithful, did not relish the task laid upon him, but there was little he could do for the girl maintained her story that this Mr Talbot had accosted her one night, and debauched her, and had often since forced his attentions on her when he had met her unprotected in the streets.
'The villain has on more than one occasion forced his way into her room at night,' Faithful interposed.
'I will send to arrest him,' the Magistrate said at length, and Faithful, satisfied, promised to look after the girl until she should be required.
The following day, Faithful called to see whether Miles had been arrested, only to be told by a satisfied looking Magistrate that Mr Talbot had left his lodgings early the previous morning, and his landlady did not know when he was expected to return, or where he had gone.
'What! He has flown! Did you give him warning?'
'Mr Denham, I resent that, indeed I do!'
Faithful was too agitated to care, and rushed out of the room, leaving the Magistrate to ponder on these strange events.
Livid with fury, Faithful almost ran to the house Miles had lodged in, and demanded to see the landlady.
She, resenting his tone, was unforthcoming about her lodger, and refused indignantly when Faithful demanded to be shown the room.
'Indeed no, for he has paid me to retain it!'
'When is he coming back?'
'I know not,' she answered shortly, and Faithful could learn nothing from her.
Eventually he left, but he had barely stepped out of the house when he heard a girl's voice call after him.
Turning, he beheld a young maidservant.
'You were asking about Mr Talbot?' she said, looking round cautiously.
'Why? Do you know aught?'
'I might,' she said consideringly, and Faithful, sighing, jingled some coins in his pocket. Encouraged, the girl smiled. 'He was a fine looking man,' she said.
'Is that all you have to tell me?'
'Oh, no.' She paused, and Faithful almost shook her in his anxiety.
'Where has he gone?'
'Oh, I know nought about that, but I can tell you why he has gone.'
'Then do so, girl!'
She smirked. 'He mentio
ned he was getting wed. I expect he has gone to his home in the country to prepare it for his bride.'
Startled by the horrid suspicion that flashed into his mind, Faithful turned abruptly, and walked off, ignoring the indignant protests of the girl, who received no coins for her information. After pursuing him for a few yards, she called some rude words after him which he did not hear, and then flounced back into the house, resolving to exact payment first the next time she had anything to sell.
Faithful walked slowly home, twisting his hands together in agony. Was it true? Was that man going to wed Cherry? Fierce jealousy welled up in him, and he could scarcely walk, he was shaking with a mixture of anger and frustration. He sat at home in his parlor for hours, considering the situation, but doing little more than torture himself with mental pictures of Miles and Cherry making love.
Much later, he roused himself on recalling Cherry had a party arranged for that night, and feverishly he made preparations, and went to her house.
He sat the whole evening in silence, but people were so accustomed to his sullen moods no one took any notice of him. He was able to twist the knife in his wound when he heard Cherry explaining she was soon visiting the country, setting off on the following Friday. This merely confirmed for Faithful what he had surmised was true, and he went home in deep agony of mind, and sat the whole night in his chair, tormenting himself.