Chapter 21 - The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher

*.*.*.

Janey had been lost in a book when she finally heard the knock on the door.

"Yes," she called, bookmarking her page.

Dot's head peeked round, looking extremely apprehensive. "Miss, you've got a visitor."

"A visitor?" Since coming back to Melbourne, Janey hadn't exactly made many friends. With the exception of Dot the only other person she'd met who'd likely call on her was Rosie Sanderson and she'd usually make an appointment rather than just appear unasked. "Who is it?"

"It's your sister."

With a deep sigh, Janey put her book down and stood up, stretching her legs as she did so.

"Miss?" Dot seemed deeply confused by her reaction to the news. Janey expected Dot had envisioned her jumping up and running down to see Phryne, shouting with glee at the news that she'd finally returned.

"Oh, Dot, trust me. When a wealthy family has a missing member they get lots of visitors claiming to be their long-lost relative. I've lost count of the times I've got my hopes up over a prospective Phryne."

"But the police did find her. She is in Melbourne somewhere and knows you're looking for her," Dot insisted.

"But why turn up now, Dot? Why not when Inspector Robinson spoke to her? Why not when she saw Guy's engagement in the paper? Besides, we don't know for certain that the woman the police found was Phryne. She could have been another imposter."

Dot gave a small smile. "Wouldn't an imposter have come to you straight away?"

"That is true," Janey agreed with an acknowledging nod as she left the room and joined her companion.

"So how will you know that she's really who she says she is?" Dot asked her as they walked downstairs to the parlour where the woman was waiting for them.

"She's my sister, Dot. However many countless years it's been, however much she's changed, she'll still be Phryne at the core." She thought she sounded certain as she spoke but inside, Janey wondered that too. Would she really ever know if it was Phryne? "What does she look like?"

"Oh, I haven't seen her," Dot insisted. "The butler asked me to fetch you."

They'd reached the doorway and for a second both women just stood there. The door was closed, so Janey took the time to straighten her hair and outfit. She at the very least didn't want to look like a woman who was easily fooled.

Dot stayed standing in the doorway as Janey opened the door and walked into the parlour. The woman waiting there slowly rose to her feet as Janey entered, looking as apprehensive as Janey felt. The fake Phrynes who had turned up before, both in Melbourne and also miraculously in England, usually either looked completely bedraggled, as if they'd spent all those years living in a ditch, or strangely well-dressed as if they'd also been living in wealth all this time. The woman before Janey was neither of these. She was well dressed and clearly had an eye for fashion but nothing she wore was particularly expensive looking. She was clean and well-kept. Her dark brown hair was cut into a bob, which was definitely a style the Phryne Janey had known would have adopted. Her blue-green eyes looked worried as she took in Janey, as if likewise trying to work out if she really was who she said she was.

The checking of the fake Phrynes had always fallen to her parents and luckily for Janey, her father had spent so much of his life conning others he was always quick to spot a fake. Janey only had her own wiles to fall back on, so she beckoned Dot, who she had managed to coax out of constantly wearing a maid's outfit, into the room as a foil.

A slight smile appeared on the woman's face as Janey realised she worked out this was a test to see if she'd recognise which one was Miss Fisher. "Oh, sweet Janey, you can't fool me like that, you haven't changed a jot!"

The woman came over and pulled Janey into a deep hug. Seconds later Janey felt tears well up in her eyes as she hugged her back. "Phryne."

To Janey's slight annoyance it appeared that Phryne was still taller than her as she was crushed into her sister's arms. "I'm so sorry, dear Janey, for everything I put you through."

"I don't care, I'm just so glad you're here and you're well," Janey replied into her sister's shoulder.

Eventually their embrace stopped and Phryne pushed her away and took a proper look at her. "Well, haven't you grown into a beautiful lady? So pretty and elegant, and well-spoken too."

"You don't seem to have fared too badly yourself," Janey replied. Somehow all the bedraggled imposters had seemed more realistic. She knew Phryne was too smart to not have landed on her feet but somehow the tangible evidence that her sister had been fine all this time without her and their family smarted.

"I got used to taking care of myself," Phryne replied enigmatically. "Oh, Janey! I'm so sorry I left you with Father. I meant to come back and get you, you know, but I never found myself in a position that I could look after the both of us, well, not until we were both well grown at least. Seems that probably worked out well for you, though."

"You know I would have always chosen you over Father," Janey replied, annoyed now that she'd heard her sister's explanation.

Phryne smiled. "Glad to hear it. So, who is this young lady with you?"

Janey recollected Dot, still standing uncomfortably near the door. "This is my companion, Miss Dorothy Williams."

Phryne held out a hand to Dot but Janey felt she picked up some tension between the two of them, which was odd. Janey was well aware that Phryne could be almost evil to people she didn't like but she always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt until they crossed her and Dot liked everyone so there was no reason for them to be at odds simply at their first introduction. Still, they shook hands.

"It's good to finally meet you, Miss Fisher," Dot said shortly, averting her eyes from Phryne.

"Please, call me Phryne, Miss Williams. I'm, er, I'm glad my sister has had your companionship. I'm sure you've been a great comfort to her."

"I've tried, Miss," was Dot's hesitant response.

"Janey?"

Any more awkward conversation between them was interrupted by Aunt Prudence barrelling into the room. Clearly the message that a woman had arrived at the house claiming to be Phryne had reached their aunt. Janey hoped that Aunt Prudence was likewise convinced that this was Phryne, otherwise things would get very bad.

She watched Aunt Prudence's eyes widen as she took Phryne in. "Phryne?"

Janey grinned as she watched Phryne roll her eyes. She'd always considered their aunt very interfering as she was the adult who had been most likely to stop any schemes she'd been up to, being the only one who really paid either of the sisters any attention. "Hello, Aunt P."

"My God, Phryne, it is you!"

Janey stood back as Phryne was the one caught in a tight embrace. Phryne towered over their aunt even more than she did Janey and yet she was the one overpowered in this instance. Phryne had always got annoyed by their pushy aunt but to Janey's surprise and delight, once she got over the shock of the hug, Phryne returned all of their aunt's affection.

"Where the hell have you been!" Aunt Prudence yelled once they pulled apart, scolding her as if she'd only been missing a few hours rather than half a lifetime.

Phryne laughed. "I didn't go far, Aunt P. I never left Melbourne."

"All this time? Why the hell didn't you come to me?"

Phryne actually looked ashamed at this accusation. "You would have sent me back to Father and he would have beaten me black and blue for running away."

"Well, I…" Aunt Prudence stumbled as she realised the truth in what Phryne was saying.

"Look," Phryne interrupted before she received either a lie or an apology from Prudence. "I know you both must have a million questions and I'd like to answer them all, I really would, but…"

"Now, don't worry about that," Aunt Prudence interrupted her in a motherly manner. "Whatever trouble you've got yourself into my girl, it's in the past and if it isn't, we'll sort it all out. I can get you money, lawyers, whatever you need."

Phryne's eyes darted over to Dot of all people. "I haven't lived a good and honest life, Aunt P. You'd be shocked."

"My dear, you've been shocking me since the day you were born. Don't think I don't know what you got up to when you came to play with Arthur. He always told me, in the end, that he sold you his missing trousers for treats."

"I'd forgotten that," Phryne mused nostalgically. "He got so paranoid in the end that I stole them from washing lines instead. I wish Mother would have just bought me my own."

"Your mother would never have done such a thing."

"And luckily I buy my own clothes now."

"You still wear trousers?" Janey giggled.

"At times," Phryne replied with a smile, "which sadly is one of the least shocking things about me."

Aunt Prudence's attention turned to Dot. "Miss Williams, go and ask for some tea and cake to be brought in here. Now, Phryne, sit down and tell us exactly what happened to you when you left us."

As Janey watched Dot leave, she noticed that the young woman seemed almost relieved to have been sent away. Odd. She sat down beside her sister while Aunt Prudence took the opposite sofa.

"Well," Phryne took in a deep breath, "where to start? Oh, I suppose with Foyle. I know you got the police to look into my disappearance, Janey, how much did they tell you about Murdoch Foyle?"

Janey seemed surprised to have been brought into the conversation so swiftly. "Not a lot really. They got me to look at a photograph, see if I recognised him, which I did. They said they thought he might have abducted you or at least tried to but they couldn't find either of you. Then Inspector Robinson came and told me that he'd found you and… that was an end to it."

Phryne nodded and a guarded look came onto her face. "Well, Murdoch Foyle did try to abduct me that day, so I ran and ran and ran. When I stopped, I didn't know what to do. Father had already beaten me quite badly and I knew he would be angry at me for skipping school and then getting myself practically lost so I couldn't go home. I did think of coming to you instead, Aunt P, please believe that but…"

"You thought I'd send you back to your father," Aunt Prudence finished with a shake of her head. "And I would have. I never liked your father, girls, and I never hid it. I don't think I realised how badly he treated you. I should have taken you in and kept you safe from him. I'm so sorry."

"To tell you the truth Aunt Prudence," Janey found herself gripping Phryne's hand. She wasn't sure which of them was lending the support to the other. "It was just Phryne. I think, when she was there she made sure she was the one he took his anger out on and then, once she'd gone, he calmed down a little. I think he might have blamed himself for her vanishing."

"Good," Phryne replied maliciously. "He was entirely to blame. Anyway, I spent the rest of my childhood on the streets. Stealing to survive mostly, but I don't think you need to worry about lawyers over that, Aunt P. Then, when I was a little older, I, um, I managed to find other work that came with a room and I've stayed there all this time."

"No husband, no children?" Aunt Prudence asked.

Phryne shook her head. "No. Being a wife and mother never appealed to me."

"I never got married, either," Janey added.

Phryne looked surprised. "Can't be for lack of suitors, Janey. Although I can't say I'm surprised that you've grown up to be such a beauty, you always were the pretty one."

"No," Janey replied, blushing and thinking that Phryne had grown up to be much more beautiful than she was, "Mother's always managed to find me lots of suitors I just never met someone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with."

"I'll find someone for both of you yet, never fear," Aunt Prudence promised. Phryne seemed almost pained at the idea. Janey knew there were definitely things she was keeping from them, something involving Dot somehow and possibly from this reaction, some man who had broken her sister's heart.

"So what is this job?" Janey asked.

Phryne dropped Janey's hand. "It's… it's not important."

"No, it isn't," Aunt Prudence agreed wholeheartedly. "You don't need to work, Phryne. You have money."

"Actually," Janey corrected her aunt hesitantly, "she doesn't. You see, Phryne, when Father inherited the estate and title, there was some money there for us but, well, Mother and Father were convinced you were dead so it all came to me…"

Phryne smiled fondly at her. "Oh, don't feel bad about it, Janey. I don't want the money."

"No, I don't want it either," Janey insisted. "It's yours and you'll have it. I never believed you were dead so, when I finally was old enough to look after my own finances, I separated half of it and put it into a different account. That way if I ever found you I could let you have it and, if I didn't, it could just go to my children if I have some and if I ever needed it for any reason, I thought you wouldn't mind my borrowing it."

"Of course, not, Janey. It's your money after all, but," Phryne asked seriously, "I suppose I do need to know, am I officially dead?"

"Officially missing presumed dead," Aunt Prudence answered. "However, since the police found you a while ago I suspect that's been changed. We may need to speak to the police but isn't the officer looking after your case the one dismissed for lewd conduct?"

Janey shook her head in disbelief. "I find all that so hard to believe. He seemed so good and honest when I spoke to him. What do you think, Phryne, he said he spoke to you?"

Phryne looked almost embarrassed at this point. "Oh, I don't really know."

"Dot would know," Janey piped up as Dot returned with an array of food and drink for them all, clearly the cook was not certain if this was afternoon tea or feeding up a starving orphan. "Dot, was the stuff in the papers about Inspector Robinson true? Your Hugh works with him, doesn't he?"

Once again, Dot looked at Phryne before answering. "I don't know about that, Miss. Hugh has a lot of faith in the Inspector, he's never said a bad thing about him but I think he's a very private person. I don't think Hugh really knows what he does away from the office."

"Your Hugh sounds like a good man, Miss Williams," Phryne said with uncharacteristic seriousness.

"He is, Miss," Dot replied firmly.

A look of pain appeared on Phryne's face again but it vanished just as quickly as it came. "You hold on to him, Miss Williams. There aren't many good men out there."

Dot gave her an odd look and then walked away again.

"Do you know Dot," Janey asked Phryne, knowing that there had been more to that exchange that the words they had said.

"No," Phryne replied, seeming surprised at the question. "No, we've never met before. I suppose I should admit that I helped the police with an incident involving Murdoch Foyle and I have met Constable Collins. I suppose it's possible he may have said something to Dot, he's a very open and honest man from what I saw."

"Did you know he was courting my companion?" Janey asked, knowing that she still wasn't getting to the bottom of whatever Phryne and Dot were hiding.

Phryne helped herself to a sandwich. "It may have been mentioned. The police were very keen for me to make contact with you. These sandwiches are excellent, Aunt P."

Janey narrowed her eyes in annoyance. After all this time, Phryne was clearly being purposely evasive about something. Dot was somehow involved and all Janey could work out was that it must therefore include Hugh Collins.

She was foiled from probing any further as Arthur came into the room, calling Phryne's name.

"Arthur," Aunt Prudence scolded. "You should be in your room."

"Marigold said Phryne was here," Arthur pouted.

"That girl," Aunt Prudence tutted in frustration.

Janey and Aunt Prudence both looked at Phryne. Phryne had loved Arthur when they were children but they were adults now, Arthur's differences were a lot more pronounced and Phryne might be horrified that he hadn't been put away somewhere. It became obvious straight away that there was no need for worry there. Phryne's face lit up at the sight of her cousin and she ran straight over to give him a firm but gentle hug.

"Arthur! Look at you, you're so handsome," she gushed over him.

Arthur grinned happily. "Phryne. You're all grown up!"

"As are you and Janey."

"We missed you."

"And I missed you," Phryne told him firmly. "I'm sorry I don't have any sweets for you."

"Phryne," Aunt Prudence snapped. "Did you give Arthur sweets every time you played together?"

Phryne smiled, then leaned towards Arthur and whispered loudly into his ear so they could all hear, "Uh-oh, I think we've been found out."

"He never lagged, Phryne," Janey insisted.

"I'll make sure I bring sweets next time I visit," Phryne promised Arthur.

"Next time?" Aunt Prudence seemed more upset over this than anything else they'd discussed. "What do you mean, next time you visit? Phryne, you're to stay here with us."

"I couldn't," Phryne insisted. "I'm not… I'm not a respectable woman, Aunt P."

"Nonsense," Prudence replied. "You are the Honourable Phryne Fisher. Whatever this little job you have is you don't need to keep it you know. Your sister will let you have your share of your inheritance and you can stay here as long as you want."

"Until I get married, you mean," Phryne retorted.

"Phryne, I don't think you realise how rich you are. You don't need to get married. You could afford your own home and staff and live quite happily never having to work again."

That seemed to surprise Phryne. "That does sound quite nice. I could do with a break."

"Then it's decided," Aunt Prudence replied firmly. "I'll get you some money now to settle any accounts with and to collect any belongings you want to bring back here. Meanwhile, I'll get the maid to set up a room for you and you'll live here with us."

"Yes," Arthur cried in delight, "Phryne and Janey living here!"

Phryne looked completely blindsided. "Well, I can hardly say no to that, can I?"

TBC...