Silver (7 page)

“
Silver!” The bar was busy: the air was thick with the smell of ale and the sounds of conversations being held at every volume. He looked around for the source of the voice but the noise of the place seemed to fill the air like fog; the words from the private conversations of gents in corners skulked at ankle height whereas the animated chatter of old friends paraded at chest height, peppering the air with friendly tones. “Silver!” the bark of Bateman was cheery and soared above the fug, so when Avery caught it a second time, it invited him to turn and head towards the two men seated by a window.

“
We had almost given you up for good,” Goodwin stood and clamped his firm hand around Avery’s own, pumping his arm in a good natured welcome. Goodwin’s eyes twinkled in the gaslight, they were watering from the smoke in the room and they were wide with intoxication. Avery could see a good cluster of glasses before them on the table.

“
So much so that we have been unable to locate the drink we ordered for you,” Bateman picked up a few glasses as though searching for Avery’s.

“
So we ordered you another one,” Goodwin joined in, pushing the glasses aside and lifting his hat. “But we lost that one too.”

“
So we ordered another one,” Bateman eyed Silver with a mock sheepish grin before clapping him about the shoulders and calling across to the barmaid. “Three more beers over here Sally.”

       
Avery’s smile broadened as a woman from the bar delivered another round of flowing mugs of beer and he watched her expression change as she took him in. Appraising his height and his clothes, she evidently judged him worthy of a wink and a smile in return. Avery’s heart ballooned with satisfaction. He felt the promise of the evening spark an expectation inside him and he grinned to himself. The barmaid’s face was framed by blonde hair, that many years ago may have shone like a moonlit path, but now hung like a lank mane. Her mouth and eyes had a hard pinched look, which made her seem harsher than she probably was, and Avery was not in the least aroused by her presence. Unwittingly however, she had breathed some life and confidence into him and Avery relaxed back in to the settle. Beside him, Bateman was animatedly recanting an earlier dalliance that rendered Goodwin mute with embarrassment.

“
…and then she whipped his arse with a fire poker!” Bateman’s roar was matched only in strength by the burning of Goodwin’s ears. Avery, both astonished and thrilled by the coarseness, smirked into his beer before leaning across to clap Goodwin on the back in a good natured way.

“
Never mind Goodwin, maybe next time?”

       
Goodwin’s face softened and he allowed a smile to steal across his lips as he watched Avery. He downed his beer and called to Sally to bring another round. Avery felt his shoulders relax.

             
“Silver. I am afraid that last time we met, you managed to wriggle out of telling us what it is exactly you are in.” Goodwin tried to deflect some of the attention from himself. Avery noted with relief that the man looked less than bright but rather his eyes had begun to take on a slightly crossed glaze.

“
In?” Avery questioned.

He noted awkwardly that Bateman’s brow furrowed a little before he was able to recover himself.

“In! Oh Goodwin, my dear fellow! I am ‘In’ to everything!” he roared good humouredly and watched with some pleasure as his two companions slapped the table and threw back their drinks. Avery had not given much thought to his cover story and he was thrown slightly by the question. He knew that his carefully constructed camouflage could easily be dismantled by not answering this carefully. Thus far, he had not thought much about the implications of his ‘sojourns’ into town but he could only imagine how they would be received by his father. As he watched Goodwin’s amused face flush redder still, he was confident that he would not recall much of the detail of this evening’s conversation but Bateman was once again on the appeal for information.

“
Where did you school? Don’t say you are an Oxbridge man?”

       
Avery knew little of either institution but was suddenly caught by a moment’s inspiration.

“
Je suis tres desolee monsieur! I am afraid I was schooled
en Francais
,’’ he watched tentatively to see how this was received. Bateman’s eyes shot up. Goodwin leapt to his feet.

“
A frog! In our midst sirs!” Bateman howled with laughter and cuffed his friend lightly. All the same, the slight touch threw the man off balance and the three men were once more caught up in mutual glee.

“
Ah! I knew there was something odd about your accent and that explains it,” Bateman erupted. “A pseudo-Frenchman in our midst eh?”  Evidently, this epiphany explained any misgivings Bateman had over Silver and a palpable air of generosity swept Avery back into the centre of the evening. That simple phrase continued to grow legs and become a subterfuge on its own account with only the occasional need of Avery’s creativity.

“
So are you in trade of some sort,” Goodwin declared.

“Only the finest!”

              “Exporting Art eh? Typical!” Bateman declared. “Anything good in this country and the frogs want it. Well Silver, you can take it from me that some of the finest artists are Englishmen, envied by the French and not the other way around.”

       
And that was as easy as it was, Mr. Avery Silver was suddenly a fine arts exporter and no further questions were asked. His money was as good as theirs and they were not inclined to question him further. As the evening swept onwards, the conversations that merged in the air above them were deteriorating in tone and the suggestive words became more common in the thick air until Bateman was roused by them into action.

“
Gentlemen,” he swayed slightly in the heady cloud of words. “Shall we try our luck in St Giles? Bucknall Street?”

       
He winked suggestively at Avery as if the street name should mean something to him. Goodwin groaned loudly but, eager not to appear unknowledgeable, Avery returned Bateman’s look with a narrowed gaze, rubbing his hands together gleefully. As they rolled out of the pub on to the streets of Westminster, Avery was glad to see there was a full moon and, as a result, the streets of the City were brightly lit.

       
The air was still warm from the heat of the day and he was heady with the beer inside him. As he glanced across at his new friends, he thought for the first time that he was filled with a sense of belonging. They all caught a cab from Westminster and, with a knowing smile, the driver deposited the three men in the heart of St Giles.

       
In a strange part of the City, Avery began to feel a little anxious. The streets were narrower and the moonlight less able to penetrate the huddle of buildings that seemed to close in on them. As the cab drew off and the sound of the hooves and wheels became more distant, he could hear a new language coming from the street. There was a muttering of disapproval from a doorway and the heavy breath of an old man lying across the step. Something smashed some streets away and the sound of a dog barking in response came from closer by. Avery looked to his companions for support and was relieved to see their faces alight with glee instead of fear.

       
At first, the streets looked no different to the heart of the west end and Piccadilly but in truth they were much darker. The facades of the buildings more grey, the dark windows like teeth knocked from a gaping mouth. There were women milling with baskets selling snacks, exchanging turgid fruit for filthy coins, hastily concealed behind their grey shawls. Much to Avery’s surprise, the press of life swarming in the streets seemed to come from all walks of life. Men in toppers walked tall amongst the crowd and women, whom Avery took to be ladies, milled around on the arms of Gentlemen. Yet as Avery watched, he noticed the women’s clothes were shabbier than they first seemed. The men upon whose arm they tilted were leering, the gestures between them, obscene. The suggestive smile that Bateman had offered in the cab became clear. After only a few minutes, they were approached by two women.

“
By my word, Mr. Smith. If it aint a pleasure to see you tonight.”

       
The taller of the two had pressed her skirts against Bateman and was fingering the collars of his shirt. Evidently, Bateman was a regular here.

“
And your good friend Mr. Brown, a pleasure as always Gents. I was telling me friend here about the both of you only earlier, wasn’t I Sarah?”

       
The other girl was smiling at Avery and he tried to avoid her gaze by stepping into Bateman’s shadow.

“
Miss Connie!” Bateman effused, overplaying a sweep of his hat in greeting. “Your warm welcome has much improved my standing this evening. And a man in want of a standing may be warmed by one such as you.” He winked at Avery and pulled the woman closer to him, burying his face into her chest. The woman, Connie, shrieked with an attempt at amusement but Avery caught the tired, repetitious gesture and flinched in embarrassment. The other girl, Sarah, he noticed was hanging back. She was not nearly so eager as her friend and Avery could see immediately she was tired. Despite her best efforts to appear attentive, her eyes drooped and she stifled a yawn from escaping her drawn mouth. Most of her face was in shadow but there was something familiar about the girl.

“
We need another one,” Goodwin’s voice was loud behind Avery and he jumped a little at the proximity of the man. Connie, quick to spot a business opportunity, grabbed his arm suggestively.

“
I’m worth waiting for aint I Mr. Smith? I can do your friend for half price if he’ll wait,” she offered.

       
Bateman’s nose turned up at this suggestion and he was momentarily turned off by the very idea. Her eyes darted around as the possibility of her last customers of the evening dwindled.

“
Another man’s seconds? Not even Goodwin here would use another man’s oil to grease his spoon. Come on Avery. There’s a place off the Tottenham Court Road I hear has a good line in dark eyed girls. I saw the way you looked at Sally earlier.”

       
Connie was quick to try to recover the situation.

“
Alright! Don’t go wasting any shoe leather on my account. If it’s blondes you want, why don’t you see to this one, Sarah and…” she spun round desperately looking for someone she could call upon. Her eyes lit up, she had seen someone she could use.

“Ellen!”

        A fresh faced girl with a spiky nose and wide comfortable hips sauntered over, her black hair slick to her face.

             
“Alright Ellen? I reckon this could be your lucky night. This ‘ere is Mr. Smith, Mr. Brown and…” she raised her eyebrows expectantly at Avery.

             
“Mr. White,” Bateman interjected smoothly.

       
The new girl was wary at first but soon warmed as Goodwin jangled the coins in his pockets. He was taken with the fresh faced girl and, stepping past his companions, he took her by the shoulders and allowed himself to be led towards a darkened alley. As the intention of the evening’s entertainment became clearer and the location promised to be so uncompromising, Avery began to panic.

“
I am afraid I will have to pass…” he stammered, trying to clear his mind and regretting that last ale which now dulled his wits. “I don’t think…” he flapped his hands for some inspiration.

             
“Don’t worry Mr. White, we’ll soon have ‘
Him’
up!” and with that Connie had taken him by the hand and pulled him after Bateman and Goodwin. Although only a few moments behind, the two men were already pressed into doorways and Avery could no longer discern the flickering shadows as his companions.

“
Come on. This way.” Connie led him deeper down the alleyway until they drew level with the dark mass that was Bateman and Sarah. The dark was dense and it was only the stark white of flesh that leapt out from the gloom. Avery was shocked to see that the girl already had Batemans cock out and she was knelt down before him taking his flaccid member into her mouth. There was a look of Kate about the girl and the image at once both excited him but made him feel protective of her. Bateman’s own hands were large about her head and he pulled her by the neck to take more of his rising need inside her mouth. Before he could take any more of the scene in, Avery was pulled away by the woman holding his hand.

“
It’s more if you want to watch Sir.”

       
She pulled him further along the alley before stopping alongside a recessed window. She pressed against him and, before he knew it, she had grabbed his crotch and immediately her eyebrows knitted together into questioning disbelief.

“What..?”

        Avery pressed his hand across her mouth and dipped his head to her ear.

“
Say nothing and I will pay you double.”

       
He leaned back and watched her eyes dawn in recognition and he withdrew his hand from her mouth.