your mother says anything, Poppy,’ Buttercup said, stuffing strands of tobacco into his gum-bucket, ‘you should both know that work on the railway is being stopped. Some of the men am leaving right away to find other work. Them who’m stopping have on’y got till the end of October. Then we’ll all be on tramp.’
‘All the more reason for the men to have their money,’ Poppy said. ‘And for me to come with you.’
Buttercup reached down to the fire with a spill, ignited it and lit his pipe with it. ‘Nay, don’t worry about thy mother, young Poppy.’
‘What do you mean?’ Sheba asked.
‘I’ll look after thee, Sheba … And thy brood.’ He sucked on his pipe and blew out a cloud of sweet-smelling smoke. ‘No strings attached, if that’s the way thou wouldst rather have it. On the other hand, I’d be honoured to be husband to thee, and father to thy nippers.’
Sheba and Poppy looked at each other and laughed with joy.
‘How did you know that’s exactly what she’d want?’ Poppy said, looking at her mother with love in her eyes.
‘I didn’t.’
‘I did. She never said a word, but I knew.’
‘I should just hate to see her go to waste, put in the workhouse and separated from her children. Besides, Lightning Jack would’ve wanted me to look after thee, Sheba. It’s what I want to do … if you’ll have me …’
Tears trembled on Sheba’s eyelashes and she wiped them with the backs of her hands. ‘You are the most … surprising man, Buttercup,’ Sheba said quietly, sincerely. ‘Oh, I’ve always had this admiration for you, from that first day I set eyes on you. I’ll not deny it. But I never thought … Oh, I’d be privileged to be your woman … Just as long as you can forgive me my dallying with Tweedle Beak.’
‘Don’t give it a thought,’ Buttercup said kindly. ‘’Tis a certain fact as you had no choice. You have a choice this time, though. Go with Poppy and live comfortable on Tweedle’s ill-gotten money, or settle with me and let Poppy follow her heart.’
‘What do you want to do, our Poppy?’
‘I love Robert Crawford, Mother,’ she said without hesitation. ‘I have to follow the path that might bring him and me together. Before tonight, I thought he was lost to me forever.’
‘Then that’s settled … Buttercup, you’ve got yourself a family.’
Buttercup beamed. ‘Capital! Just hang on here while I go and have a word with Dog Meat. Poppy, pass me a sovereign so’s I can give the poor bugger his stake back. He even borrowed it off Tipton Ted Catchpole.’
Outside the hut they heard the sound of raucous singing and shouting. Poppy went to the door and opened it. A crowd of navvies had gathered in the centre of the encampment, and the women who had been earlier hanging around had evidently joined them. Among them was Minnie. Poppy could see the tall, muscular frame of Jericho, unmistakable in the gloaming. Just then he looked up and saw Poppy silhouetted in the door frame by the feeble light of the oil lamp. He strode over to her intently.
‘Poppy, I could’ve killed the swine.’ Jericho’s eyes were ablaze with the after-effects of his fight. ‘To think as he could pull a trick like that to get his dirty maulers on you.’
‘I suppose you mean Tweedle Beak.’
‘Aye, Tweedle Beak. You’ll not see him again. Nor would you want to, I fancy. I paid six quid for lottery tickets to win you and the bastard tried to fix it so as he’d win himself. If Buttercup hadn’t noticed the rogue ticket lying on the floor …’
‘We heard,’ she answered. ‘Buttercup told us.’
‘Aye, well, I got my money back. I knocked it out of him. He’ll not pull a trick like that again.’
‘Where is he? Tweedle, I mean.’
‘Gone. He skulked off with a black eye and a fat lip.’
‘Gone already? Good … I’m glad …’
‘Poppy …’ His look was intent, hungry, and typical of the way he always was after a fight.
‘What?’
‘Fancy coming a walk with me? There’s things I want to say to you. Things I thought I’d never have the chance to say after tonight’s episode.’
‘No, Jericho,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ve had enough excitement for one night. And I’ve decided, I’m leaving here in the morning.’
‘Leaving? Where will you go?’
She shrugged, aware that for such a big solid man he seemed emotionally tormented, childishly unstable. ‘I don’t know yet. I can read and write a bit now. I might try my luck applying for a position in service in Dudley somewhere. I’d make a good maid, I reckon.’
‘Aye, you would at that. But I want to look after you, Poppy.’ He scratched his head under his hat. ‘I had such grand plans for me and you, if I’d won you in that lottery.’
She smiled sympathetically. ‘It wouldn’t have worked, Jericho. I have my own dreams …’
‘Here …’ He felt in his pocket and pulled out a handful of sovereigns that glinted in the half-light. ‘Have this money. It’s what I took off Tweedle. Keep it … or give it your mother.’
Poppy shook her head. ‘No, give it back to the men who paid Tweedle. Give it to Dog Meat, if you like – you cheated him out of money, by all accounts …’
‘Dog Meat? You heard about that?’
‘Yes, I heard.’
‘Is that why you won’t come with me now? Because of me and Minnie?’
She giggled at the thought. ‘No. It’s got nothing to do with that. I’ve told you why.’
‘I should’ve known from the first time that I’d never do any good with you, Poppy. You only ever turn me down.’
‘I’m sorry.’
‘No more than I am.’ He took a step backwards. ‘I’ll leave you in peace then. I might never see you again. I wish you health and happiness.’
‘Thank you, Jericho. I wish you the same.’
He turned and went.
Jericho went straight to Minnie. She was gossiping with the women about what had happened that night and speculating over the likely consequences. He drew her aside, at which the other women flashed knowing glances at each other.
‘Come into the tunnel with me, Minnie,’ he said in a whisper.
‘You’ve got a cheek,’ Minnie responded acidly. ‘First you give money to Dog Meat for me, and I was daft enough to believe you took me ’cause you liked me. Then you cheat on him by not paying him what you agreed. You’m a rat, Jericho.’
