The Cockney Angel Read Online Free

bookie’s runner, risking arrest by taking illegal bets. She had been too young to know what she was doing, but she had been instructed to watch out for the copper on his beat, and to warn her father if she saw one so that he had time to pocket the cash and run. They would slip into the shadows and disappear down the very alleyways that she was searching now. It had been terrifying at times but there had also been an element of fun, like playing a game of hide and seek. Pa could make the dullest day turn into an adventure, especially when they were escaping the clutches of the law, which Pa said was designed for the benefit of the rich toffs and not for the likes of them. Irene had been indoctrinated at an early age to be wary of anyone wearing a uniform and above all to distrust the police. On the other hand, Ma had taught her the difference between right and wrong, and insisted that the cops were only doing their duty and should be respected. It had been very confusing.
    As her search progressed with no sign of her father, Irene was beginning to fear the worst. By late afternoon she was tired and hungry. Her feet were sore, her legs ached and she was just about to give up and go home when she heard a man’s voice raised in song. There was no mistaking the melodious notes of Pa’s pure baritone, and she had heard that particular ditty often enough to know that it was one of his favourites, only sung when he was well oiled. The sound was coming from the depths of a narrow alley in the shadow of Newgate prison. Without thinking of her own safety, Irene entered the twilight world between the grim buildings with soot-blackened windows peering blindly into the gloom. Men lounged in doorways smoking strange-smelling substances. She could tell by the other-worldly look on their faces that they were drugged with opium, but they paid her scant attention as she hurried towards a patch of light where the tenements and warehouses formed a square open to the sky. Sprawled on a pile of old sacks, she saw the familiar figure of her father who lay flat on his back singing loudly and interspersing the risqué words with loud guffaws of laughter. But he was not alone, and she skidded to a halt at the sight of a man dressed in black bending over her father. Her heart gave an uncomfortable thud against her ribcage. Was he robbing Pa? Or was he attempting to help him to his feet? She ran at the stranger and grabbed him by the arm. ‘Leave him be, mister. Don’t hurt my pa.’
    He straightened up, flicking free of her grasp as if she were a small and irritating insect. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I mean him no harm.’
    He was much taller than she had at first supposed, and this man was no common thief. His dark suit was well cut and his shirt collar and cuffs were starched and dazzling in their whiteness. From the crown of his black bowler hat to the tips of his shiny black leather shoes he had the appearance of a City gentleman, but the piercing gaze of his startlingly blue eyes set beneath straight dark eyebrows seemed to bore into her soul. She was unused to such scrutiny and she backed away, feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Unless she was very much mistaken, this bloke was a copper. She had been trained to spot one a mile off. ‘I’m sorry, mister. My mistake.’
    He inclined his head in a brief acknowledgement of her apology. ‘If this man is your father, I suggest you take him home before he gets into real trouble.’
    She bent down to tug at her father’s hand in a vain attempt to drag him to his feet. ‘Get up, Pa.’
    Billy opened his eyes, grinning foolishly. ‘Hello, Irene my duck.’
    ‘Please get up, Pa. I’ve come to take you home.’
    ‘I’m nice and comfy here, girl,’ Billy said, closing his eyes again and snuggling into the pile of dirty sacks as though it were a feather mattress. ‘I’ll just have forty winks …’ His voice trailed off into a loud snore.
    Irene knelt down on the filthy cobblestones. ‘Wake