The Reluctant Heiress

by Dilly Court

  Kate followed him, not daring to look behind her. Harry was playing a dangerous game and she was eager to hear the full story, but she must carry on as if nothing had happened. She entered the church hall with a set smile on her face, but they were all so busy that no one appeared to notice her. She might as well have been invisible. It was tempting to leave now and follow Harry home, but Kate went back to her station at the refreshment table, curbing her impatience. She kept glancing at the large, white-faced clock on the wall, but it seemed as though the hands had ceased to move. However, eventually, when the tables were virtually bare of goods and all the cakes and jam tarts had been consumed, Elaine Courtney climbed onto the rostrum and thanked everyone for coming. She said the money had yet to be counted, but the local children were assured of a Christmas party to remember. She allowed her husband to hand her down amidst clapping and cheers from those who had not chosen to make a hasty retreat. Kate suspected that some items had been quietly pilfered, but as they had been donated free of charge it was not a great loss, and some of those attending looked more in need than the children for whom the money had been collected.

  When they were tidying away the garments that had not sold, mainly because the ladies who had given them had put too high a price on the items, Kate suggested that perhaps it would be a good thing to make them into bundles to be distributed to the families whose wants were well known; many of whom were too proud to ask for charity. Elaine agreed, leaving the task to Kate and Martha, who knew everyone in the village and for miles around. Kate had spotted a woollen muffler and a man’s cap, which she thought would be suitable for Morrison, and it would give her an excuse to visit his cottage on the way home.

  Lady Lyndon and Arabella were the first to leave. Kate was surprised when her mother did not raise any objection to riding in the carriage with Lady Lyndon, but they seemed to be on reasonably good terms, and they departed to a round of applause from those who were left to finish clearing the church hall. Kate, Ivy and the children had to wait for Goodfellow to return with the barouche. Kate climbed in last, having instructed Goodfellow to drop her just inside the gates of Warren House.

  ‘Why do you want to be set down so far from the house?’ Ivy asked, frowning.

  ‘I want to give the cap and muffler to Morrison. The mornings are getting colder and he’s an old man.’

  ‘I could send Frankie,’ Ivy suggested.

  ‘It’s a lovely afternoon,’ Kate said casually. ‘We won’t get too many days like this now, and I feel like a walk. Besides which, I had an idea for planting different vegetables in the greenhouse, so I want to talk to Morrison.’

  Ivy shrugged and smiled. ‘Anyone would think you was the lady of the manor, Kate. You fit into the part very well.’

  ‘I like to keep busy, and it’s nice to see everything getting back to how it must have been years ago. Anyway, I think the sale went well,’ Kate said, quickly changing the subject. ‘You worked very hard, Frankie, and so did you, girls.’

  Frankie blushed to the roots of his hair, while Nellie and May giggled and hid their faces as if unused to such praise.

  ‘They’re good nippers, most of the time,’ Ivy said with a tremulous smile. ‘Their dad would be proud of them.’

  ‘How much longer has he got to serve?’ Kate asked gently. Although Ivy said little about her husband’s prison sentence, it was obvious to anyone who knew her well that she had suffered greatly.

  ‘I’m not sure, but I don’t think we’ll see him before February. I don’t know if they get time off for good behaviour.’

  ‘Let’s hope so, Ivy. Anyway, it’s only a few months now and you’ll be reunited. Just think how happy Ted will be to see the children so healthy.’

  ‘And with book learning,’ Frankie added with a cheeky grin. ‘I can read if the words aren’t too long.’

  ‘I can read better than you,’ May added. ‘Mrs Courtney said I’m a clever girl.’

  ‘I’m sure you’re all doing well,’ Kate said hastily. ‘You’ll give your dad a lovely surprise.’

  Ivy took Jimmy onto her lap and gave him a cuddle. ‘What about Harry? Cousin Perry is his solicitor – does he know when Harry will be released?’

  Kate had not been expecting this turn in the conversation. ‘I don’t think Perry knows any more than we do.’

  ‘It’s a shame. Harry Trader might be a crook, but he ain’t no villain. He used to slip me the odd half-crown whenever he came to the soup kitchen. I’ve tried asking Perry about my Ted, but he’s always vague. You’d think, being cousins, he’d try a bit harder to get Ted’s sentence shortened. He only stole because we was desperate.’

  ‘I know, Ivy.’ Kate gave her a hug. ‘I’m sure that Perry is doing everything he can for Ted and for Harry.’ She sat back against the squabs with Nellie nestled against her, while May and Frankie grew bored and began to squabble, receiving a sharp rebuke from their mother.

  It was only a short ride to Warren House, but Kate was eager for it to end, and she alighted the moment the barouche came to a halt. She waited until the carriage passed her before walking off in the direction of the gardener’s cottage on the far side of the grounds.

  Morrison answered her knock on the door. ‘I was expecting you, miss. The master is in the front parlour.’

  ‘Thank you, Morrison.’ Kate handed him the bundle. ‘I thought these might help to keep you warm when it gets colder – I noticed that your muffler is a little threadbare.’

  His eyes filled with tears. ‘I ain’t had a present since me wife passed away ten year since. Thank you, miss. Much appreciated, I’m sure.’

  Kate smiled. ‘You’re a very important member of staff, Morrison. You’ve done wonders in the garden, especially now you have more help.’

  ‘I can’t thank you enough for hiring the extra men, miss. My old back ain’t what it used to be, but I’ve got a lifetime of gardening knowledge, I just haven’t got the strength I used to have.’

  ‘But your experience is invaluable, Morrison. I’m sure Sir Harry has told you that often enough.’

  ‘He was always a good lad, even when he was very young.’

  ‘His presence must be kept secret. No one must know, not even Lady Lyndon.’

  ‘Wild horses wouldn’t drag the truth out of me, miss.’

  Kate smiled as she entered the small front parlour. Its shabby furnishings and peeling wallpaper matched Harry’s scruffy appearance, although she could tell that he had attempted to wash some of the prison grime from his hands and face.

  ‘Well, you look a sorry sight, Sir Harry Lyndon,’ Kate said, laughing.

  ‘Thank you, Kate. That makes me feel very much better.’

  ‘I think you need a change of clothes. Do you keep any at the house?’

  ‘Yes, that’s one thing I was going to ask you to do for me. You’ll find a large clothes press in my dressing room, which is off the master bedroom. Who sleeps there now?’

  ‘I do, but I haven’t bothered to look closely at what’s in the smaller room. I’m usually so tired that I fall into bed at night and go straight to sleep.’

  ‘You’re sleeping in my bed, Kate,’ Harry said with a wry smile.

  She turned away, uncomfortably aware that she was blushing. ‘It’s very comfortable,’ she said in an attempt to sound casual. ‘But never mind that. What do you want me to bring you?’

  ‘A couple of changes of clothing will do. I’ll come round to the back of the house at midnight. I know the servants go to bed early and I doubt if anyone else will be up and about at that time. If you could fill a valise with my things I’d be your slave for ever.’

  She could hear the laughter in his voice and she turned back to face him. ‘You might think all this is funny, Harry, but I want to know what your being here might mean to the rest of the family. Do you think that Monks and his men might try to find you?’

  ‘It’s possible, but I don’t intend to remain here for very long.’

  Kate sank down on an armcha
ir, which sagged in the middle. One leg was slightly shorter than the others, so it rocked dangerously, but she was too interested in what Harry had to say to worry about a rickety seat. ‘Why? Where are you going? I’m not helping you until you tell me exactly how we stand and what you’re planning.’

  ‘If you’re afraid that the police will come looking for me – don’t worry. My escape from prison was done with their full knowledge, but it must be kept secret. Monks will have a false sense of security if he thinks I am still incarcerated. The net is closing in around him.’

  ‘Does he know that you own this estate?’

  ‘I haven’t lived here for years.’

  ‘I don’t know why, Harry. I love Warren House and it’s a wonderful family home.’

  ‘I was happy here as a child, but when my father gambled everything away, I set my sights on restoring the family fortunes. I do keep an eye on the old place and visit from time to time.’

  ‘Martha was keeping ready for your return with every room clean and aired. She’s a jewel of a housekeeper, and Arthur has done his best, too.’

  ‘I know I’m very lucky to have such loyal servants. One day, maybe, I might decide to come and live here and enjoy the quiet life, but not yet.’

  ‘You could hide out here, Harry. Morrison won’t say anything, and neither would I.’

  ‘It would be inviting trouble. Someone might see me and then it would be all round the village. Above all, I want to keep my family safe, and that includes you and Lady Martin.’

  ‘I understand. Where will you go?’

  Harry hesitated, meeting her anxious gaze in a way that made her fear the worst. ‘If I tell you, I want you to keep it a secret.’

  ‘Of course I will. You can trust me, Harry.’

  ‘Some of my clients were men with influence in high places, some of them in the military. I learned that Annie’s brother, Joseph Blythe, was badly wounded in the uprising. I intend to bring him home, but I don’t want Annie to be told. The poor girl had enough to contend with.’

  ‘You’re going to India?’

  ‘I’m travelling on a troop ship, which leaves tomorrow.’

  ‘I wish I could come with you.’

  Harry put his head on one side, giving her a searching look. ‘Is it that you desire my company, Kate? Or are you still hankering after that Indian soldier?’

  ‘I need to know if Ashok has survived. Is that so terrible? If it’s at all possible will you make enquiries for me?’

  ‘I’ll do what I can, but I can’t promise anything.’

  Chapter Seventeen

  At midnight Kate waited on the terrace with a valise packed with Harry’s clothes. It was a cold, clear night and the moon hung like a golden guinea in a translucent dark blue sky, pierced with pinpricks of starlight. After a while she heard a rustle of leaves in the shrubbery and Harry emerged.

  ‘Thank you, Kate. I won’t forget this,’ he said as he took the case from her hand. ‘I’ve decided to go now and not leave it until daybreak.’

  ‘But how will you travel?’

  ‘I left my horse in the paddock and the tack in Morrison’s cottage. I can’t promise anything, Kate, but I’ll make enquiries about Subedar-Major Patel. I know he means a lot to you.’

  ‘Thank you, Harry.’

  He took both her hands in his and for once his expression was serious without a hint of a smile. ‘There’s always a touch of sadness in your beautiful eyes. If I could banish that for ever I’d be a happy man.’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Kate said hastily.

  ‘You left your heart in Delhi – I know that. I can’t take you with me, but if I can find Ashok Patel I will.’

  ‘You’d do that for me?’

  The smile returned to his ocean-blue eyes. ‘I’d do a great deal more, but I know I have to lay his ghost to rest first.’ He took her in his arms and kissed her.

  She found herself kissing him with equal passion.

  ‘I will return, Kate.’ He turned on his heel and within seconds was lost in the darkness of the shrubbery.

  Kate stood very still, listening to his muffled footsteps on the soft mud and leaves, until she could only hear the sighing of the wind in the trees. Even now she could hardly believe what she had just heard. It was not an outright declaration of love, and yet it had felt as though Harry was laying his heart before her. She retreated to the privacy of her bedroom, but even then she could not escape from Harry Lyndon. The knowledge that she was sleeping in his bed, and that everything in it belonged to him was disturbing, and yet oddly exciting. When she climbed into the four-poster, with its matching tester and brocade curtains, it felt almost sinful. She cuddled down in the blissful softness of the feather mattress and pulled the coverlet up to her chin. Harry was well able to look after himself. He was heading into danger for the sake of another, and he was prepared to risk even more for her sake. She could still smell the masculine scent of him, despite the lingering prison odour, and the kiss, although brief, still burned on her lips. It felt as though she was being unfaithful to Ashok, although she knew in her heart that their love had been doomed from the start. Even so, she needed to know that he was safe and well, and, even more surprising, Harry knew that without her telling him. She closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

  Despite Kate’s worries for Harry’s safety during the long sea voyage to India, and what might happen to him when he arrived there, life went on as usual at Warren House. No one, apart from Morrison, knew that Harry had come home, albeit briefly, and Kate doubted if anyone other than his mother and Annie would have been very interested. As far as Kate’s mother was concerned, Harry was the cause of all their problems and she would be delighted to see him sail away into danger.

  Arabella was basking in the success of the fund raising for the children’s party while Martha and Ivy worked tirelessly to keep the house in order. Arthur, in his own phlegmatic way, kept an eye on the work outside and also the stables, as Goodfellow was now openly courting Widow Parker. Kate had never seen Goodfellow so cheerful or so neat and tidy, and he was now clean-shaven, where once he had sported a huge, drooping ginger moustache. Martha was very critical, pursing her lips and tut-tutting over the widow’s influence on a middle-aged man. Kate was on Marie Parker’s side, but she had the good sense not to argue with Martha. The only person who seemed unhappy with the match was Warrender, Lady Lyndon’s coachman, who normally kept himself to himself, but he had obviously a fancy for Mrs Parker too, and he strutted around the stable yard, puffing out his chest and flexing his muscles every time the widow was present. Kate imagined him like a cockerel in the farmyard, exhibiting his charms to a particularly attractive hen.

  Lady Lyndon had made friends with some of the well-to-do ladies who had contributed so much hard work to the event in the church hall. She received invitations to their grand houses at least three times a week, and she responded in kind. Kate was always wary of entering the drawing room in the afternoons in case she interrupted a group of Lady Lyndon’s friends with their heads together, most likely gossiping about the unfortunate person who was not present that day.

  Annie had taken a liking to Hedley Courtney and when she discovered that he knew her brother, Joseph, having met him in Bombay, she was ecstatic. Kate knew how fond Annie was of her brother and the knowledge that Joe was badly wounded weighed heavily on her mind. She was always very careful when talking to Annie, knowing that a slip of the tongue might plunge the poor blind girl into a state of panic. On the occasions when Annie visited the vicarage she was always accompanied by Kate, who sat quietly, paying little attention to Annie and Hedley’s conversation. Inevitably her thoughts strayed to her time in Delhi. She read accounts in the newspapers about the dreadful events in the uprising, and she knew she should be grateful for having escaped. She was desperate for news of Ashok and now she also had Harry to worry about. He had left her in a state of confusion as to her true feelings. Before she met Harry she had been clear in her min
d that there was only one man in her life. Now she was not so sure.

  In order to take her mind off the worries that haunted her dreams, Kate threw herself into preparations for Christmas. It would be the first time that she had had young children to think about and a large surrogate family to care for. She ordered the carriage and, taking Jenny with her, she set off for a day out in the West End, where there were exciting new shops opening up in Wigmore Street and Oxford Street. But after buying presents for everyone, Kate felt guilty for spending so much money on luxuries, and they visited a soup kitchen in Leicester Square to give a donation. It was an enjoyable day out, but both Kate and Jenny were glad to return to the peace and quiet of Walthamstow.

  Goodfellow was unusually cheerful during the drive and Kate was quick to notice the sprig of holly stuck in his hatband. When they arrived back at Warren House, Kate could not resist the temptation to quiz him on his good humour.

  Goodfellow handed her down from the carriage. ‘To tell the truth, Miss Kate, I’m to be married on Christmas Eve. The vicar has agreed to perform the ceremony in the morning. I’m the happiest man in the world.’

  ‘Congratulations, Goodfellow,’ Kate said, smiling. ‘Have you made any arrangements for the wedding breakfast?’

  ‘No, miss. Me and Marie were going to the village pub to celebrate with a few friends.’

  ‘Nonsense, Goodfellow. You must bring them here. We’ll do it in style. What do you say?’

  His cheeks reddened and it was not just from the cold east wind. ‘Thank you, miss. Marie will be so happy. Neither of us has got any family – at least none that live nearby, and the rest of them don’t speak to us – so we’d be honoured to have our wedding feast here.’

  Jenny climbed down to the ground and shook his hand. ‘Congratulations, Mr Goodfellow. I can’t wait to tell Ma and Mrs Boggis. Ivy will be pleased for you, I’m sure. A party at Warren House on Christmas Eve – who would have thought it?’