Chapter Thirty-Nine

I nspector Liam Ashton

After the streets were finally clear of chaos, the snow fell in soft waves. I turned on my heel to go to Moran’s publishing house. Before the arrest, everything seemed perfect on the surface. Still waters ran deep and he still had a lot to atone for. As for our relationship with Birdie, I wanted to continue with the affair. The ideal situation would be for the three of us to have a life together, but that was impractical and not possible, given our current falling out.

There was also the matter of Suzette, who still held my heart in her hands. It was all so frustrating and I wanted to wish my way back to a simpler time. Wishing was for fools and children. I was neither. Well, perhaps I was a fool but no one was perfect.

“Inspector Ashton, Inspector Ashton,” a girl called my name.

I turned to see Birdie’s sister Violet rushing across the street while holding hands with her sisters. Their cheeks were reddened from the cold and the younger ones looked like they had been crying. My smile fell, concern and deep dread replacing it. I prayed nothing had happened to Birdie. “Violet?”

Violet wiped away the moisture from her lashes, her sob catching on the wind. My stomach dropped. By the look on her face, I had a right to be afraid. She rushed to my side, grabbing my wrist before seeming to catch herself. “Inspector Ashton, I’m so glad to see you. Birdie is in trouble.”

“Tell me what happened.” My heart raced with anxiety, and I forced myself to remain calm. Trust and patience were key when gathering information from a witness.

“Two constables came to the house and asked to see her postcards from my father who is in Greece.” She stared down at her feet in a glaring sign of deception before raising her gaze to me. Tears hung on her lashes, her lower lip quivering.

“They came to see postcards?” I asked, unsure if she was funning with me or not. The child had a sharp sense of humor. One day she’d lead many men on a merry chase.

“Yes, you see, my father is in Greece taking the waters. And Birdie got a job so that she could take care of us while my father was in Greece taking the waters. The constable said that he was missing—my father not the constable—but he’s not missing. He is in Greece taking the waters,” Violet repeated in rapid fire succession, her explanation forced.

The younger girls nodded, Janice sucking on her bottom lip. Birdie had admitted to lying about her heritage but she seldom mentioned her father, other than saying he wasn’t a very attentive man. I had believed her claim because I saw the worst in the gentry, and she had played on that prejudice. Had she also lied about her father being dead? And if so, why was she covering it up unless there was more to the story? She had many secrets yet to be uncovered.

“Girls, there you are.” Another woman approached with a harried air. She looked like Birdie but much thinner, worry pinching her lips. This must be her other sister, Eloise, who worked at a hospital. I hadn’t met her yet. Eloise’s cautious gaze flicked from me to the girls and back again, terror in her eyes. “You shouldn’t have run from me. Come, we need to go.”

“I’m Inspector Ashton,” I cut in, needing to gain Eloise’s trust. She was skittish, which added to my suspicions that Birdie was in real trouble. Violet had said a pair of constables had come to their flat and I needed to know whom and why. “I am a friend of your sister Birdie.”

“I am familiar with your name. The girls are very fond of your stories.” Eloise wrung her hands, her heavy coat frayed at the sleeves. She shifted from foot to foot, impatience in every gesture. “I wish I could stay and talk but I need to take the girls to my friend’s flat while I go to work.”

“I will walk with you then.” I couldn’t let her leave without more answers. In a short time, Birdie had managed to burrow herself into my heart and I would do whatever I could to help her.

“I don’t wish to inconvenience you,” Eloise said, her voice taking on a high pitched note. There was a noticeable tremor in the hand she held out for Janice to take. “We will just be on our way.”

Violet shook her head, her curls bouncing under her plain bonnet. Determination rested in the upward tilt of her chin. “Inspector Ash can help us. I trust him and so does Birdie.”

I nodded in agreement, pleased to have Violet’s backing. Eloise was wavering and I would shamefully take advantage of her uncertainty. “We both know Birdie’s in trouble. You need to tell me everything so I can help her.”

She paled, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I can’t do that. The less you know, the better off you will be.”

“I care about Birdie. As a matter of fact, I love her. I don’t want to see anything happen to her or your sisters. I can help you.” It was hard for many people to trust a stranger and she didn’t know me from Adam. But she knew of my association with Birdie. I didn’t have much influence but I would use the little I had to help her. “To do so, I need to know all.”

“Please Eloise.” The younger girls crowded around as Violet draped her arm around her older sister and rested her head on her shoulder. “Let Ash help. Tell him everything.”

Eloise bit her bottom lip, looking much like Janice in her nervousness. “I think the story would be best coming from Birdie and me together so that Inspector Ash can get the entire picture. Birdie is still at the boarding house packing our belongings.”

“You said you’re going to your friend’s house? I assume she lives nearby?” I looked around the street, a sense of unease washing over me. My curiosity to learn the entire story warred with my need to make sure the girls were safely tucked away until I could speak with Birdie.

“She shares a room with three other girls, but my sisters can shelter there until we decide on our course of action,” Eloise said, the tears falling more readily now. The entire Namath family was distraught, adding to my sense of urgency.

“My parents’ house is across the street.” The business with Brown was getting deep, and Birdie was at the root. Moran escaped punishment because of his title, and though Birdie was a lady by birth, she wouldn’t be afforded the same liberties. “It will be safer for them than a flat shared with others.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask that of you.” Eloise worried her lip, indecision marking her forehead.

“Yes, we can.” Violet caught her free hand and began to tug her forward. “Our sisters are cold and it is snowing harder.”

With a roll of her eyes, Eloise complied. I fell into step beside them, pleased that she finally acquiesced. We dodged a carriage before crossing to the other side of the street. “My mother adores children, and I can assure you that your sisters will be well protected. I hope you brought your appetite. Mother bakes on Wednesdays.”

“Does she bake pies?” Janice asked, a gleam of eagerness in her eyes.

“Snaps are her specialty. Do you like ginger snaps?” While the girls were well cared for, sweets were a luxury many in the neighborhood couldn’t afford. Another way I was blessed. I climbed the four stairs to the front door and opened it. Stepping aside, I motioned them to enter.

Savory smells drifted through the familiar hallway. My childhood home was warm and inviting, with a formal parlor to the left and the more casual sitting room on the right where the family often gathered. The heart and soul of the house was the kitchen. Although I wanted to see them settled, I was anxious to seek out Birdie and make sure she was all right.

I guided them to the sitting room. “You girls wait in here. Eloise, let me introduce you to my mother, Connie, so you are assured the girls are in excellent hands.”

“Thank you, Inspector.” Eloise’s unease had faded somewhat, but tension still stiffened her shoulders. “I feel much better knowing they are protected. Birdie speaks highly of you and your mother.”

“She likes Birdie as well.” I entered the kitchen, Eloise following behind me. My mother was at the stove, her back to the room. “Mum, I have some people I would like you to meet.”

“Do you indeed?” She turned to look at me, her cheeks dotted with flour and pink from the heat. Eyes wide with curiosity, she wiped her hands on the apron she wore over her serviceable green dress. She glanced from me to Eloise, speculation in her regard. I shook my head at her silent query. She’d been after me for ages to find a wife. Suzette was the only woman I had wanted to marry but she had spurned me.

“This is Eloise, Birdie’s sister. The younger girls are in the sitting room. I am afraid they need a safe place to stay for a few days.”

“If it is not too much of an inconvenience,” Eloise said. Her stomach gurgled and she placed her hand on her mouth, rosiness enhancing her cheeks.

“You must be hungry.” Mum reached for one of the snaps and handed it to her, sympathy in her softened gaze. She had a giving heart and it wasn’t unusual for her to ask perfect strangers in for dinner if they looked down on their luck. “Did Birdie get caught up in the Moran mess?”

“I am afraid so.” I snatched up my own cookie. “Eloise has to go to work and I need to fetch Birdie. Can you watch the girls?”

Biting into the cookie, I savored the sweetness. I had a bad feeling that Birdie would need every bit of influence Moran and I had to extricate her from this debacle. I enjoyed Birdie and her sisters and I wanted to see them safe. I wasn’t lying to Violet and Eloise when I said I loved her. As a matter of fact, a part of me was in love with her. Except, my heart belonged to Suzette.

“Of course, you poor dears,” Mum said, compassion in her gaze but determination in her jaw. “You must see to Birdie. Moran will be lost without the girl. Eloise, will you introduce me? I find young ones can be shy with strangers.”

“I will be back. Hopefully with Birdie.” I went out the front door, moving with speed to the alley behind Moran’s. We needed to rescue Birdie and quickly. If what I suspected was true, she was in real trouble and neither me nor my family could get her out of that mess.

Perhaps Moran could.