The Artful Dodger

Chapter 20

"Can I kiss yer?" he asked awkwardly.

She replied by leaning in and kissing him softly. He went bright red and froze- he wasn't used to this! When he unfroze he wrapped his arms loosely around her, pulling her closer to him. After 10 seconds or so of this, they broke apart, blushing fiercely.

"Best be getting back to the market, then Rose." said Dodger, with a discreet cough.

"Lead the way." she said and smiled as she followed him with a flushed face.

Davy and George stood against a stall with folded arms. Davy brandished a purse.

"Got a purse while you were gone, now what were you up to?" he asked, and by their guilty expressions, guessed it all. Georgina smirked and Davy hooted with laughter.

"Knew it!" Davy said, falling about at their embarrassed countenances.

Dodger jumped on Davy as if to fight with him, but before he could knock Davy down onto the ground, saw a woman approaching.

"Aha! Nancy!" said Dodger, changing the subject speedily as she came up to them. What you lookin' for?"

"Rose, I need to talk to you. Busy?" she said urgently.

"Not really. Where?"

Nancy grabbed Rose and took her a few metres away from the others. She leant down carefully.

"Y'know your apartment?" Nancy whispered.

"Oh, of course. Did Bill...?"

Nancy nodded and Rose's face fell.

"But I was there. I saved some bits."

Nancy pulled a small bag out of her bodice and opened it.

"There's a few bits in there," Nancy said, pulling out the ivory piano key, "but this is what I want to ask you about."

"They ruined my piano?"

"They did, filthy pigs, it were that Goole who did this. How did you get the piano?"

"It used to be my grandfather's then after he died of tuberculosis... he gave it to my father, then he gave it to me." Rose said, confused.

Nancy tried it from another angle.

"Did your father ever have a sister?"

Rose looked at Nancy in shock.

"How did you know about that? Yes, he did. She went on an errand one day and disappeared."

Nancy gasped.

"What was her name?" she asked Rose quietly. She knew the answer already.

"I think it was Jane. Why are you asking?" said Rose, who was confused.

"Rose... I'm your aunt."

"What?"

"I was Jane." replied Nancy, sure of it now.

"You're Jane? Why didn't you tell me before? How did you find this all out?"

Nancy shook her head and started to pace the alley.

"When they were... robbin', I smacked my head off the floor and started to remember... things. I used to play that piano, and I... remembered Mike bein' jealous of me, and my father... I had a father then, asking me to play more."

"My grandfather..." said Rose, finding this difficult to take in. But Nancy! We're related! You're family!"

They smiled, their remaining rivalry over the Dodger melting immediately, then embraced, laughing.

"So Peter was your nephew. Your father, brother and nephew are dead." said Rose, piecing it together in her mind.

"I figured as much. You're all I have now." Nancy said.

They looked at each other excitedly before hurrying up to Davy, Georgina and Jack.

"Everyone, we've got some news." said Nancy.

"Can't be bad!" said Davy, noticing their happy expressions.

"It's not! Nancy's my aunt. She's my father's sister." followed Rose, laughing at the look of surprise on their faces.

"What a surprise!" said Dodger, laughing.

George could not say a word for she was so shocked, and Davy simply yelled exclamations of disbelief.

The whole conversation that afternoon centred on this revelation, and by the time Rose, Dodger and Davy walked back to the den, they were thoroughly exhausted of the topic. Through the alleys, up the stairs and across the bridge- the journey passed in no time.

"Well, Rose, that's new then innit?" said the Dodger, as they walked towards the large table ready to be served. Charley as always, was clamouring for sausages, and the noise of Davy shouting to Fagin about the day's discoveries drowned out all the words they spoke.

Dodger leaned towards Rose when they sat down, and quietly uttered five words that made her break out into a sweat.

"Rose, we need to talk."