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‘It’s all right,’ I began. ‘I can-’
‘It’s simply not fair!’ Patsy continued, without paying particular attention to the fact that her best friend, i.e. me, had just tried to say something. ‘Men are allowed to earn money - why not we women? It’s all right if you’re rich, of course, but if you’re poor, like Lilly-’
‘Hey, girls,’ I tried once more. ‘It’s no problem, I-’
‘-then there’s simply nothing you can do! What do you think will happen when the bailiff comes knocking to collect the fine? Do you honestly think her uncle will pay? Oh no, it’s prison time for our friend! And all that just because of the tyrannical, thick-headed chauvinism of one small-minded London magistrate!’
I cleared my throat. ‘Patsy, I-’
‘You’re right,’ Flora agreed, her eyes darting to me with warmth and kindness. I could practically feel her heart going out to me. ‘How thoughtless of me! We have to do something! We can’t have Lilly go to prison, with all those thieves and murderers and rakes and lechers!’
‘Actually,’ Eve mused, ‘the last two don’t sound quite so bad. Don’t you think that, maybe-’
‘Eve!’
‘All right, all right!’ Sliding her hand into her handbag with a sigh, Eve held out a few coins. ‘Here’s my share.’
‘I have mine, too, here, somewhere,’ Flora murmured, searching her pockets. ‘Where did I put my money again…’
‘Girls! Girls, will you listen? Or no, don’t listen, just look!’ And with those words, I pulled a shiny golden sovereign[2] out of my pocket. My friends froze and stared. Patsy’s mouth actually fell open.
‘Where did you get that?’ she demanded.
‘From the same place I got this,’ I answered, pulling two more coins out to join the first. ‘Out of my pocket.’
The astonishment in Eve’s gaze slowly morphed into admiration. ‘Lilly - you didn’t rob a bank, did you?’
‘No! Of course not!’
‘Oh.’ Eve seemed slightly disappointed. But then she brightened again. ‘But you must have done something horrible to get your hands on that much money.’
A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. ‘You have no idea.’
‘How?’ Patsy demanded. ‘How did you get it? And…now that I think of it, how did you get the money for your bicycle? Eve, Flora and I could afford ours, but you? And don’t tell me your uncle has suddenly developed a generous and giving nature, because that I won’t believe!’
‘No, he’s still the same stingy old sock as ever.’
‘Then what?’
I winked. ‘Let’s just say…there’s another man in my life who slips me a bit of cash now and again.’
A round of scandalised gasps greeted my announcement.
‘Lilly, you…’ Flora began, her face terrified.
‘…you little vixen!’ Eve finished, a broad grin spreading over her features. ‘Tell us all! We want details, understood? Details! Who is he? Where is he? What is he? How rich is he? Is he ugly, pretty, tall, tiny, terrible, terrific, tolerable? Is he under sixty? Oh, please tell me he’s not some old geezer who - oh, of course he isn’t! This is you who we’re talking about! You wouldn’t give a nasty old bastard like that the time of day! Is he handsome? Please, tell me he’s handsome! And rich! And wonderful and kind and good and-’
‘Sorry, girls.’ Hopping down from the stairs, I swung myself onto my pride and joy: my new, gleaming, girlishly gorgeous velocipede. ‘I’ve got places to be!’
‘Stop!’ Patsy dashed forward, an indignant expression on her face. ‘You can’t leave us like this! We simply have to-’
The rest of her sentence was lost in the whirr of my bicycle wheels as I whizzed off towards Leadenhall Street. Empire House, 322 Leadenhall Street, to be exact.
I hadn’t lied to my friends. I did indeed have a man who gave me money at regular intervals. A gorgeous, powerful, disgustingly chauvinistic man who looked like someone was pulling a tooth from his brain every time he had no choice but to hand me a pay cheque.
I grinned.
It’s time to go to work.
