Kitty kissed the children one by one, and then each member of staff stepped forward and she kissed them too, with a large lump in her throat.
‘You look after yourself now,’ Cook said solemnly, wiping her eyes on her huge white apron and then she was gently nudging the girl towards the door, where Kitty paused to take one last peek at the familiar surroundings.
Tom and Ben were already outside waiting for her with her bags strapped securely to the rear of the car. Sunday was in the back waiting and so the men climbed into the front seats after Tom had settled her beside Sunday. And then they were off and everyone stood on the steps waving until the car turned out of the drive and they were lost from sight.
This was turning out to be far more difficult than Kitty had imagined it would be and she had no doubt it would be harder still when she had to say goodbye to Sunday, Tom and Ben. It was as they were driving along that Sunday slipped a thick envelope into her hand, telling her, ‘I want you to tuck this away in your bag, and when you get to your destination put it somewhere safe. There’s a large sum of money in there that we’ve been saving for you over the years – so that if ever you should need to, you will always be able to get home to us.’ It was the money that she and Tom had saved for Kitty each year from the money that had been left for her keep. She was also given a tiny gold locket on a slender gold chain and Kitty knew that she would treasure it forever.
Kitty rammed the envelope and the box containing the locket deep into her bag before giving Sunday a grateful smile. Just for a fleeting moment their eyes met and she knew that she should say thank you – but she was too full to speak now that the time for parting was drawing close. She knew how fortunate she had been to have Sunday and Tom as her guardians and she would never forget them … and so she merely clung to Sunday’s hand.
There was so much that Kitty wanted to say and yet the words lodged in her throat, and she was wise enough to know that the worst was still yet to come when they arrived at the station. She stared at the back of Ben’s head, noting the way his hair blew in the wind and his broad shoulders. And it was then it hit her like a bolt of lightning. She was starting to have feelings for him, and not those of a sister for a brother as they had used to be! Perhaps if she had stayed at Treetops they might have come together one day? She would never know now.
Emotions churning, she started to have second thoughts. Everything had happened so fast. Perhaps she should have waited, given herself time to be sure that this was what she wanted? But no, of course it was. As much as she loved Sunday and Tom, she was also aware that they were very protective of her, to the point that she felt stifled sometimes. Why, a young man only had to look at her and Tom would usher her away like a mother hen would usher her chicks away from a fox. At least in London she would have freedom. And if her mother was as famous in the music halls as Miss Fox had told her she was, then she was sure to know some very exciting people. Kitty could just see herself attending balls in fabulous gowns on the arms of dashing young gentlemen who would all be vying for her attention. She smiled to herself – but then as another thought occurred to her, it turned into a frown. What if Miss Fox’s visit had been nothing more than a cruel joke? What if they arrived at the station to find she wasn’t there? How foolish she would look then if she had to return to Treetops with her tail between her legs.
They were almost there now and Kitty leaned anxiously to one side so that she could see across Ben’s shoulder. The large hand on the big clock above the station entrance was ticking away the minutes. It was almost twenty past three. And then as Tom pulled up in front of the doors, Miss Fox suddenly emerged, glancing this way and that. She looked exactly as she had the day before and Kitty let out her breath on a sigh of relief.
Once the car was parked they piled out of it, and when Tom had untied Kitty’s luggage they all went to meet Miss Fox.
‘Good afternoon,’ she greeted them civilly, and then she said to Kitty, ‘I thought you might change your mind, my dear.’
When Kitty shook her head, she turned about and they followed her onto the platform. There were just seven minutes to go now until the train was due and Kitty’s hands began to shake.
Ben was the first to give her a self-conscious hug. ‘You take care now,’ he muttered thickly and Kitty beamed up at him with tears trembling on her lovely dark lashes.
It was Tom’s turn then and he simply held her close for a second before stepping away from her, blinking rapidly. And now there was only Sunday left and she began to cry, great tearing sobs that shook her whole body as she hugged Kitty to her.
‘Just remember, we will always be here for you, do you hear?’
Kitty nodded, her own cheeks wet as behind them the sound of the train chugging towards the station could be heard. It bore down on them like some great fire-breathing dragon and drew to a halt in a hiss of steam and smoke that surrounded them like fog.
The guard was rushing along opening doors and people were emerging as others climbed aboard, but still Kitty and Sunday clung together until Miss Fox said quietly, ‘We’d best be getting aboard now.’
One last kiss and then Miss Fox was edging Kitty towards the carriage door as Tom lifted their bags aboard. The guard was slamming the doors and once he had shut theirs Kitty let down the window and hung out, suddenly panicking.
‘I’ll write often,’ she shouted above the roar of the engine.
‘Just make sure you do, and forward us your address as soon as you’re settled in,’ Sunday called back. She still felt uneasy at allowing Kitty to go off into the great unknown, even though she had always known in her heart that this day would come. But then the guard blew his whistle and the train chugged into life again.
Kitty could see the three of them standing on the platform waving furiously and she waved back as the train picked up speed and bore her away from everything that was familiar. Soon her Treetops family were nothing but tiny specks in the distance. Luckily they had a carriage all to themselves so there was no one but Miss Fox to see Kitty’s tears.
‘Now then,’ the little woman said brightly, delving into her bag, ‘I had the lady at my lodging house make us a few sandwiches for the journey. Would you like one? They look quite tasty as it happens. Cheese and home-made chutney, I believe she said they were.’
‘No, thank you.’
Kitty dabbed at her cheeks with a handkerchief and soon her home town was far behind her. It was then that she began to feel more optimistic. After all, London wasn’t so very far away and she could always come back to visit them all. Better still, they could come and visit her. What fun she could have, showing them around London.
‘Is my mother’s house very big?’ she asked then and with a mouthful of sandwich, Miss Fox nodded.
‘Quite big, and it’s in one of the finest roads in Chelsea. She has a maid and a cook … and me, of course. Then there’s the laundry maid and the housekeeper. She used to have a groom who saw to the horses too, but she let him go a while back. Cabs are two a penny in London so we had no real need of our own carriage.’
‘And what do you do for my mother? Are you her lady’s maid?’ Kitty had so many questions that she wanted to ask.
Miss Fox swallowed the food in her mouth. ‘I’m not quite sure what I’d be classed as really,’ she replied vaguely. ‘I’ve been with your mother so long now, I dare say you’d call me her companion.’
‘And is she very beautiful?’
‘Oh, she’s still a fine-looking woman right enough, although she’s just turned forty so she’s not exactly in the first flush of youth any more. But once upon a time, you’d not mention her name anywhere in London without it being known. She was one of the darlings of the music halls. Every time she went on stage she’d arrive back at her dressing room to find bottles of champagne, jewels and huge bouquets from her many admirers waiting for her. And oh … she had the voice of an angel.’ Miss Fox smiled reminiscently.
‘I like singing too,’ Kitty informed her proudly. ‘I must get that from
her.’
‘No doubt you do,’ the woman agreed.
‘And my father? Was he well known too? I believe you said he was a politician.’
Miss Fox looked a little uncomfortable. ‘He was, and he worshipped the very ground that your mother walked on for years.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I’m sure he would have wanted to keep you, under other circumstances,’ she ended lamely.
‘I see – but then if he wanted me so much and cared so deeply for my mother, why didn’t he divorce his wife and marry her?’
Miss Fox sighed. ‘You ask a lot of questions, don’t you, young Kitty? But the answer to that is he didn’t dare. His widow is a very rich and powerful woman from a very good family and she would have seen him crawl in the gutter if he’d done that to her.’
Kitty nodded absently as she tried to get her head around everything. She was quiet for a time – much to Miss Fox’s relief – staring from the window at the towns and countryside they were passing through. And all the time she was acutely aware that every mile they travelled brought her closer to her mother … and her excitement began to mount again.
After what seemed like an eternity the train finally chugged into Euston and Kitty felt as if she’d been transported to another world as she stared at the platform from the carriage window. She had travelled to Southend-on-Sea and Skegness with Sunday and Tom and the other children for summer holidays, but neither of those places had been anything like this. Here everything was hustle and bustle, with people milling about everywhere. There were women in uniform, nannies and governesses shepherding children around, and maids, and other ladies in smart outfits and fashionable hats. The gentlemen, she noted, were rushing about as if they hadn’t a minute to live. She felt overwhelmed.
‘It’s very busy, isn’t it?’ she commented with a nervous smile and Miss Fox laughed.
‘If you think this is busy, you should see it when everyone finishes work,’ she said. ‘Why, the platforms are so packed sometimes with people trying to get their trains home that you can hardly put a pea between ’em. But pick up your bags now and we’ll hail a cab to take us the rest of the way. Been to London before, have you, dear?’
Kitty shook her head as they alighted from the train, and she made sure to keep close as Miss Fox marched along. It occurred to her then that she still hadn’t actually asked for her mother’s full address. Sunday and Tom hadn’t got it either: they had simply been told that Ruby Smith lived somewhere in Chelsea, so it was imperative that she didn’t lose Miss Fox now.
Kitty had thought the station was busy but when they emerged onto the main road, her mouth gaped open and she looked around with alarm. Everywhere was positively teeming with people and the road was full of traffic. There were motor cars, horse-drawn carriages, trams and omnibuses crammed with passengers.
Miss Fox took her life in her hands by stepping into the busy road and holding her hand up to hail a cab. Within seconds one had drawn into the kerb and after pushing Kitty and the bags inside it, Miss Fox had a hasty word with the driver, then joined her.
‘How far away is my mother’s house?’ Kitty asked as she settled back against the worn leather squabs. The sawdust on the floor was dirty and smelled quite strongly but she supposed it was better than walking.
‘A couple of miles, I should say.’ Miss Fox yawned then. It had been a long couple of days and she was beginning to tire now. She would be grateful to get home.
Kitty then began to stare from the window looking for the landmarks that she had only ever seen in books, and she became so engrossed that the journey was over in no time.
‘We’re in the King’s Road in Chelsea now, almost there,’ Miss Fox informed her and sure enough, soon afterwards they drew up in front of a very smart-looking townhouse. After climbing out of the cab, Miss Fox paid the driver while Kitty stared at what was to become her new home. The swirly writing above the front door read BRUNSWICK VILLA.
The house was one in a long terrace of dwellings that seemed to stretch up into the sky forever. White-painted railings with steps going down to what Kitty supposed must be the basement kitchen ran all along one side of it, and grander, marble steps led up to a door that was painted a bright cherry red. It all looked very grand, but at the moment the house was the last thing on Kitty’s mind. She was about to meet her birth mother – and that knowledge was quite daunting. But she had come this far and there was no going back now. So after taking a deep breath, she followed Miss Fox sedately up the steps with her young heart in her mouth.
Chapter Fourteen
‘Ah, Mabel. In the drawing room, is she?’ Miss Fox asked the neatly dressed little maid who opened the door to them as she handed over her hat and began to unbutton her coat.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Mabel replied politely, eyeing Kitty curiously. Kitty looked to be about sixteen or seventeen and was quite pretty with dark brown hair and brown eyes.
‘Well, don’t just stand there, my girl,’ Miss Fox told Kitty bossily. ‘Take your hat and coat off, and look as if you’re staying.’
Kitty immediately did as she was told, her hands shaking as she tried to undo her buttons. Suddenly she was all fingers and thumbs. At last she handed the coat and hat to Mabel, who hung them on a large, solid coat-stand to one side of the door. ‘Shall I fetch you both a tray of tea, Miss Fox, to keep you going until dinnertime?’
‘Yes, please.’ The woman smiled at her and when the maid had shot away she asked Kitty, ‘All ready to meet her then, are you?’
‘I … I think so.’
With a nod Miss Fox set off down the hallway and as she followed her, Kitty stared about her in wonder. This house was nowhere near as big as Treetops, but it was certainly much, much grander. The walls were lined with expensive wallpaper, and the black and white tiles on the floor had been polished to a mirror-like shine. Nothing like the ones back at home that were always covered in little footprints despite the staff’s best efforts to keep them clean, Kitty thought. Huge oil paintings and mirrors in heavy gilt frames hung on the walls, and an enormous vase of lilies placed on a spindly-legged table scented the air as she brushed past it. Then Miss Fox stopped abruptly and after giving Kitty an encouraging smile she opened a door and stepped into a room that was even more luxuriously furnished than the hallway. However, it wasn’t the furniture that Kitty’s eyes fastened on but the woman reclining on a chaise longue that stood to one side of an imposing marble fireplace.
We are so alike, that could be me in twenty years’ time, Kitty thought. The woman was just short of being plump – rounded was the word that occurred to Kitty – and her hair was almost exactly the same shade as hers, as were her eyes.
Kitty hadn’t quite known how to react but the woman rose immediately and held out a well-manicured hand that was as soft as swansdown. That hand had clearly never done a day’s hard work in the whole of its life and Kitty was a little disappointed. She had expected a cuddle at least.
‘So you are my little Katherine. All grown up now,’ the woman said as she took Kitty’s hand in her own.
‘She likes to be called Kitty,’ Miss Fox informed her and the woman nodded. Her hair hung loose about her shoulders in thick waves, and close up Kitty saw that there were a few grey streaks in it. There were fine lines about her eyes and mouth too, on closer inspection, but even so their likeness to each other was undeniable.
Ruby was dressed in a pink floaty peignoir trimmed with white feathers that wafted about her as she moved, and her feet were clad in dainty jewelled house slippers. The heavy scent of French perfume moved with her like a cloud, and Kitty noticed that her lips were painted red, showing off her straight white teeth to perfection, and there was rouge on her cheeks. But she had no more time to study her because her mother was drawing her towards the chaise longue to sit beside her. Kitty couldn’t help but compare her to Sunday, who was always rushing about doing something. And the house was completely different to the homely Treetops too. Kitty felt almost afraid of disturbing the silken cushio
ns here.
‘It must have been a shock when Foxy came for you as she did?’ Then, smiling, Ruby apologised. ‘Sorry, Foxy is my pet name for Miss Fox.’
‘Yes, it was a bit of a shock,’ Kitty admitted. Her mother’s voice had a musical quality to it and she was quite bemused by her.
‘A nice one, I hope?’ Ruby’s laughter tinkled about the room and Kitty found herself smiling. Miss Fox had told her that men had used to flock to her mother like bees to a honey pot and now she could understand why. She was totally enchanting and everything about her was so feminine. ‘And has Foxy told you why I couldn’t have you here before?’ If truth be told, she had only agreed to claim the girl after abandoning her so long ago because of Miss Fox’s constant nagging. But at least she was old enough to be sent out to work now should the need arise and she also saw Kitty as someone who might care for her in her old age when Miss Fox was gone. The fact that she was pretty was a bonus. There were many men who would be willing to pay to be seen out and about with such a presentable young woman on their arm.
Kitty nodded.
‘Well, at least you are here now and we have so much catching up to do. We shall go shopping for new clothes for you at the very earliest opportunity. And of course, you will want to see all the sights – Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey to name but a few. We’re going to have such fun, you and I, you just wait and see. There is only one thing …’ She pouted then, reminding Kitty of Maggie when they were tiny playmates. ‘I have a favour to ask of you. Do you think you could call me Ruby instead of Mother? It would make you so much easier to explain, you see? I can tell people you are my sister’s daughter and that you’ve recently become orphaned.’
Kitty felt a sharp stab of disappointment and hurt. She was finally reunited with her real mother and now here she was asking her to call her Ruby and pretend that she was her niece! But then grudgingly she could see that it would indeed make things much simpler for Ruby, so she nodded; she didn’t really feel that she had much choice.
The Little Angel Page 11
