DEATH BEFORE WICKET - Poisoned Pen Press (UK)

Death Before Wicket 1 1
story before, we all have a story, but she believed Joanie because
she was telling the truth. Tillie hardly ever gets people wrong.
That’s one reason why I stay with her.’
Phryne thought about Joan Williams, so destitute that she
serviced strangers in alleys. That was by any measure desperation
indeed, and she could also imagine how disgusted the fastidious,
refined girl whom Dot described would have been at being
reduced to such an extremity. Tillie’s establishments, however
dire, would have to be an improvement.
‘So Tillie heard Joan’s voice and looked at her clothes and
asked her if she could dance, and did she know all about table
manners and that, and Joanie said she did, and proved it—you’d
never think that anyone could dance with Sharkbait there, would
you? But Joanie managed it.’
‘She’s a bonzer dancer,’ commented Sharkbait. ‘Only tart I’ve
ever known who’d dance with me.’ He grinned into the rearview
mirror. Phryne examined her imagination. It boggled. Mrs. Hart
continued, speaking quickly.
‘So Tillie said she was far too soft-hearted to be a tart and
she’d better take a job teaching all the girls to dress and how to
act like ladies, and Joan accepted it. Tillie’s right. Joanie wouldn’t
make a good tart. She hated it, really hated it, and men can tell.
Well, some men can tell. And some of them care. They’re buying
a girl who can seem to want them. Joan’s been really nice to have
around. The girls like her too, only the roughest ones complain
about too much washing and not laughing too loud and they
never last too long, anyway. Get on the gin and that’s the end of
them. But Joanie don’t drink. And she can dance like a dream.
Until she came I hadn’t danced for years. Tillie’s even planning
to have dance parties.’
This was much better news than Phryne had been expecting.
Leaving aside the unfortunate beginning to the story, which
Phryne was intending to suppress completely, Joan had not
actually committed any discoverable sins for which her family
might have to forgive her. Dot would be very relieved.