Ghost of the Thames by May McGoldrick Read Free Book Online Page B

Sophy didn’t miss their quick exchange of looks at
the mention of the visitors’ wishes.
    “Wash up and make yourself
presentable.” The matron looked down at the dirty hem of Sophy’s
dress. “Now how could you get so much dirt on a dress that you’ve
been wearing for only a day?”
    Luckily, the matron had more important
things to attend to than waiting for an answer.
    “Go upstairs and tell Maddie to loan
you her black Sunday dress. Hurry, girl. Mr. Dickens is an early
riser and they might already be on their way here.”
    The older woman turned away and Sophy
hurried upstairs.
    The girl Maddie was not in her room,
and Sophy looked into a couple of other rooms, asking for her. The
girls ignored her.
    By the time Sophy had brushed out and
pinned her hair up neatly, there was still no sign of Maddie. The
sound of voices downstairs told her that the esteemed guests had
arrived.
    “Downstairs. Now. Tibbs is calling for
you,” Julia, another resident, stuck her head into the bedroom,
conveying the message curtly before running back
downstairs.
    Sophy found the black woolen dress
among Maddie’s meager belongings and put it on. The dress was too
large in the waist and chest, and the length was too short. The
coarse neckline scratched her skin. She stole a hasty glance in the
mirror, and a stranger stared back.
    “Sophy,” Julia hissed from the stairs,
coming back up.
    “I’m on my way,” she said, hurrying
after the other woman.
    “Maddie will kill you for stealing her
dress,” Julia warned, looking sideways at her clothing.
    “I didn’t steal the dress. Mrs. Tibbs
said to borrow it.”
    When the two of them stepped into the
parlor, the conversation ceased and everyone’s gaze turned to her.
The awkward silence filled the room. Four of the girls, dressed in
their colorful—albeit identical—frocks, stood beside Mrs. Tibbs
against the bookcase. There were three guests. Two elegantly
dressed women were seated on the sofa by the window. A man of
medium height and build and wearing a fashionable gray suit was
holding court in the center of the room. Though standing at ease,
the gentleman conveyed a sense of barely constrained energy, like a
coiled spring or a hunting dog pulling at his leash.
    “Mr. Dickens, this is Sophy,” the
matron announced. “This is the young woman about whom I have been
writing to you.”
    Julia hurried away and joined the
other girls by the bookcase. Sophy curtsied and considered joining
the others, but there was no room.
    “You may all go now,” the man
addressed as Mr. Dickens said, dismissing the girls. His eyes never
left Sophy’s face, though, and she felt a power of observation in
those eyes that she had never encountered before. “We’d like to
have a few words with you, Sophy, if you please.”
    It was obvious that the rest took
offense at being asked to leave, but none dared voice it. The room
was too small for so many, and Sophy backed out to allow the others
to leave first. This put her out of the sight of the guests and
vulnerable to those leaving.
    “Ye’ll be paying for this,” one
whispered to her face.
    “Ye think ye are better than
us?”
    Julia tried to kick her in the shin.
Another came close, shouldering Sophia back into the hall. The
angry glares were enough to tell her she was already considered a
villain. Any other time and she would try at least to reason with
them, but right now she only wanted to make a good impression on
the guests. She’d seen enough behind that tavern at Hammersmith
Village last night to know how important it was to have a decent
roof over her head and a bed to sleep in.
    She stepped back into the room and
crossed over to stand next to Mrs. Tibbs. Everyone’s attention
remained riveted on her.
    “Sophy. Sophia,” Mr. Dickens repeated.
The man’s gaze was intense, but there was a hint of kindliness in
the face, as well. He studied her critically for moment. “Do you
have a last name?”
    “I am certain I do, sir. But, as