Gardner Rose Campion and the Christmas Mystery

eBook
ISBN: 978-1-78800-032-1
Verlag: Nosy Crow Ltd
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, Band 3, 320 Seiten

Reihe: Rose Campion

It's pantomime season at Campions' Palace of Varieties and Wonders - but Rose Campion and her friends have more to worry about than who'll be filling the role of Cinderella. The Duchess - the deadly ruler of the London criminal underworld - has been released from prison, and she has her sights set not only on Rose, but also on a pricesless emerald necklace that has just arrived in the city. Meanwhile, Campions' is playing host to the mysterious hypnotist Madame de Valentina - but how is she able to communicate with the souls of departed loved ones . . . before they've died? The thrilling conclusion to the Rose Campion series! Also in the series: Rose Campion and the Stolen Secret Rose Campion and the Curse of the Doomstone

Lyn Gardner is the author of Olivia's First Term and the other Olivia books. She was born in London and now lives near Richmond Park with her partner and two daughters. A theatre critic for The Guardian, she goes to the theatre five or six nights a week, which should leave no time for writing books at all. Before she became a journalist, Lyn was a tea lady, a waitress and sold advertising space for a magazine called Sludge. Her ambitions are to learn to tap dance and walk the high wire, but it may have to be the low wire as she is a bit scared of heights!

Autoren/Hrsg.

Gardner, Lyn

Leseproben

With much laughter, Rose and Effie were regaling Aurora with what had happened at Campion’s the week before with the tiger cub.

“Oh, how I wish I’d been there,” said Rory, and there was such wistfulness in her voice that Rose stopped herself from saying that Rory could have been if she hadn’t run off to Silver Square. She knew she would regret such words as soon as they were out of her mouth. It wasn’t Aurora’s fault that she was so torn between her old life in the music hall and her new life as a lady.

Word had got around about what had happened with the tiger at Campion’s, and the place had been packed ever since. Any out-of-the-ordinary happening or notoriety was always good for business. After a famous diamond, known as the Doomstone, had been stolen during a performance at Campion’s, the hall had been packed for weeks afterwards.

Rose had already done her new act of witty ditties and limericks on the early bill of the night, and Thomas continued to be as delighted by its novelty as the Campion’s crowd.

“You’re a clever girl, Rose Campion,” he said, and Rory, who had come over from Silver Square especially to see it, despite the fact that snow was falling heavily, was in agreement.

“It’ll be such a hit you won’t ever want to do the new bicycle act with me,” she said.

“I’ll always want to do the new bicycle act with you, Rory,” said Rose quietly, and she saw the pleasure and relief in Rory’s features.

“Oh I don’t know,” said Rory lightly. “You’ll be knocking Desiree off the top of the bill soon, won’t she, Thomas?”

Thomas laughed. “There are certainly plenty trying. Yesterday those illusionists, Hopkin and Dent, made another enquiry about top billing, and I had an approach this morning from a woman called Madame de Valentina. Apparently, she’s doing a roaring trade at the Alhambra.”

Rose and Effie starred at each other. It was an odd coincidence. Thomas noticed their looks.

“Have you come across her? I thought she was fresh from New York.”

“We just happened to be at Euston when she was supposed to be arriving on the boat train. But Pony Snatchwitch was otherwise engaged and missed her. Clearly Miss Valentina found her way to the Alhambra. Strange she wants to move on so quickly if she’s doing so well there.”

“She’s a genuine hit,” said Thomas. “I checked with the gaffer, Sam Collins. He was narked she was looking to move to Campion’s. Of course, she may just be testing her worth and looking to get Sam to raise her wages. It’s of no concern to me – as long as Ivy is top of the bill, there’s no spot for Madame de Valentina here. She does seem very keen to perform here though, although I can’t see why. There’s more money in it for her at the Alhambra – it’s so much bigger.”

“That’s true, but it’s not as classy. The toffs and all their servants don’t go there so often, and everyone knows that Campion’s means quality,” said Rory proudly. “It’s good for any act to be associated with that. Anyway, how is our dear Ivy?”

“Dreadful!” said Rose and Thomas so completely in unison that they both burst out laughing.

“She’s taking the disappearance of her tiger cub badly,” said Rose. “Blames me and Effie and is demanding Thomas compensate her for her loss, even though Lottie and the other ballet girls says she hates cats because they make her eyes stream. Oh, and she was foul to Dolores, and she lost her temper with the stagehands again this afternoon. I heard several of them say they could happily kill her. She is such a cow you could boil her down and turn her into beef tea.”

“Rose!” said Aurora in shocked tones.

“You can’t deny it. Campion’s would be a happier place without her.”

“I know I should terminate her contract,” said Thomas ruefully. “But for all her unpleasantness, I can’t help wanting to give her as long as I can. When she’s in a good mood she has a nice wry sense of humour. I suspect she hasn’t had an easy life, and undoubtedly she will know hardship again. The crowd will eventually tire of her – her moment will be over, and then what will she do? I hear there are already copycat Salome acts all over town. Let her enjoy her little patch of sunlight before she ceases to be a crowd-puller and slips further and further down the bill.”

“Do we know who sent her the tiger cub?” asked Aurora.

“Ivy wouldn’t say when Lottie asked her,” said Effie, who had just joined them, her hands covered in grease after spending hours mending the flying rig.

“But I saw the label. Ivy must have thrown it away in the kitchen rubbish. It said,” Rose put on an exaggerated posh voice, “‘A little tiger for my own little tiger from her favourite tiger hunter.’”

Aurora snorted with derision.

“The rubbish was the right place for it,” said Thomas. He shook his head ruefully. “I fear the future might not be nearly as bright for Ivy as she likes to think it is – or, at least, pretends it is. She is all bluff and bluster.”

Rose suddenly felt chastened. Few of those working in the music halls had the kind of security that she had at Campion’s – a place she was lucky enough to call home. There would always be a spot for her here, even if she couldn’t work. She resolved to bite her tongue and try and be nicer to Ivy in the future.

“Thomas,” she asked, “are you quite settled on Cinderella for the Campion’s pantomime this year?”

Thomas nodded. “We’ll start rehearsals the Monday after next. Ivy will play Cinders, Pru will be back and can play Prince Charming, I want you, Effie, to do your magic act, which we’ll work in as the centrepiece entertainment at the ball, and,” he turned to Rose and Aurora, “I wondered whether you two might have fun playing the Ugly Sisters. We’ll have them doing a comedy turn on the bicycle at one point.”

“I’d love that,” said Rose, delight making her eyes dance and sparkle, before she caught sight of Aurora’s face.

Rory was biting her lip, and couldn’t – or wouldn’t – meet Rose’s eye. “I’d have loved that too, but I can’t, Thomas – not this year, not with the wedding and everything. I’m going to be a bridesmaid. It wouldn’t be fair on Grace if I was parading all over Campion’s stage just as she’s getting married. People would talk. I hope you understand, Thomas.”

“Of course,” he said a little too heartily. “We all understand.” He gave Rose a searching look, but she was too busy trying not to let the lump in her throat turn to tears to notice. Rose wanted to be generous towards Aurora, but she felt as if her friend was drifting further and further away from her, until a point would come when she was entirely out of reach.

“Excuse me,” she said rather stiffly. “I’d better go and collect some glasses and plates for the bar. Before they’re overwhelmed. If business keeps on as good as this, Thomas, we’re going to need some extra help in the kitchen. They’re barely coping.” She walked away, and had just picked up a pile of plates when Lottie grabbed her by the arm.

“A couple of them mudlark children are at the door. Says they got summut you might be interested in.”

Rose took a couple of hot mutton pies from the kitchen and walked briskly to the stage door. Two undersized children were waiting for her there, clutching a soaked leather portmanteau. She took the holdall from them and stuffed the pies into their hands, and the children couldn’t put them in their mouths fast enough. She wondered how long it was since they had last eaten properly.

“How are you, Jess, Ossy?”

“We’re fine, Rosie. But me dad’s really worried,” said Jess, a string bean of a ten-year-old. “This woman, a lady, she was hanging around asking him all sorts of questions. Says our dad’s name is on some list in St Olave’s for receiving charity. But he ain’t had a farthing. He applied for alms, but the committee turned ’im down. Always do. They’re as mean as dust. They sit there in their smart clothes and say they can’t ’elp us cos we don’t ’elp ourselves. As if being born poor is our fault.”

“Well, if this woman gives you any trouble, come and see us, and Thomas will sort it out,” said Rose. She looked at the portmanteau. The mudlark children often brought her items that they had dredged from the Thames or that had been washed up on the riverbank. She had come by the bicycle that she and Rory used in their double act that way, and she was always willing to part with a few shillings for things that might be useful to use as props.

The portmanteau was empty and ruined by its soaking, and Campion’s had plenty of such items in the prop cupboard, but she couldn’t bear to dash the gleam of hope in the children’s eyes. Someone at Campion’s would find some use for it, even if just for storage, once it had dried out.

“Have you showed it to the police? It may help them identify someone if a body has been pulled out of the Thames,” said Rose to the two children. Bodies were regularly found in the river, some...