by Dilly Court
‘Come into my study. I need to speak to you.’ He discarded his hat and greatcoat and walked off in the direction of his study.
Angel hurried after him. ‘Did you see Mr Galloway, sir?’
‘I managed to track him down eventually.’ Sir Adolphus went to stand by the fire, holding his hands to the heat. ‘A despicable person. I disliked him on sight.’
‘Did he say anything about Aunt Cordelia, sir? Is she well?’
Sir Adolphus turned slowly to face her, his expression grim. ‘I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it appears that your aunt went out walking in the rain and caught a chill. She succumbed to lung fever several weeks ago.’
Angel sank down on a chair. ‘She’s dead?’
‘I’m afraid so, but if it’s any comfort, she believed to the last that you were living with a family in Essex and that you were happy and well cared for.’
Too stunned for tears, Angel stared at him, unable to put her feelings into words.
‘I’m no good at this sort of thing, child. But there is someone here who might be able to offer you comfort. Apparently she’s been camped outside Galloway’s office, refusing to move on until he told her where you were. The wretched fellow was glad to be rid of her.’
Angel’s breath hitched in her throat. ‘Lumpy Lil?’
‘An apt description. I’ve never seen a woman who so resembled a badly stuffed sofa in all my life. I sent her round to the kitchen to help Baines, although heaven knows what he’ll think of her. He has no liking for the female of the species since his wife left him for another man. You may go downstairs and see your friend, Angel, but keep her away from me at all costs.’
Angel rose to her feet. Her head was spinning and she was too shocked to think clearly, but one thing was foremost in her mind. ‘What will happen now, sir?’
‘Nothing has changed as far as I’m concerned. You have no legal guardian and I have a use for a girl like you. As soon as your friend is well enough to travel I’m taking all three of you to Grantley Park. You will be looked after, never fear.’
‘Why, sir? Why would you take us in?’
‘I have my reasons. Now go and find your friend. Make sure she isn’t upsetting Baines. He’ll only take so much from a woman.’
Dazed by the sudden turn of events, Angel left the study and went downstairs to the kitchen where she found Lil and Baines in the middle of a fierce argument.
‘Lil,’ Angel cried. ‘Lil, I can’t believe you’re here.’
‘She’s here, all right,’ Baines said grimly. ‘It ain’t my lucky day, that’s for certain.’
‘Darling girl.’ Lil held out her arms and Angel ran to her, cuddling into the familiar curves of Lil’s ample body.
‘Oh, Lil. I thought I’d never see you again.’ The tears that Angel had been holding back flowed freely down her cheeks and she rested her head against Lil’s shoulder. ‘Is it true that Aunt Cordelia died?’
Baines cleared his throat. ‘I’ll make a brew. Once you women start piping your eyes there’s no stopping you.’
‘Can we go anywhere quiet, away from that ignorant man?’ Lil demanded angrily. ‘He’s rude and coarse and I don’t want nothing to do with the likes of him.’
‘Come upstairs to my room,’ Angel said hurriedly. ‘There’s so much I want to ask you about poor Aunt Cordelia.’ She took Lil by the hand and led her from the kitchen before she had a chance to continue her verbal battle with Baines.
‘I don’t think much of this place,’ Lil muttered as she followed Angel upstairs to the first floor. ‘It needs a good spring clean and I’d have all those carpets out on the line and beat the dust from them. Haven’t these men ever heard of soap and water and elbow grease?’ She stared at Dolly’s sleeping figure. ‘Who is that? And who said that hound could get on the bed? It’s not right. You’ll get fleas and such.’
‘It’s all right, Lil,’ Angel said hastily. ‘Juno is a good dog and very clean, and she’s keeping Dolly warm.’
Arms akimbo, Lil pursed her lips. ‘I’m going to sit by the fire and you can tell me exactly what’s been going on.’
Lil’s mobile features registered every emotion from shock and horror to indignation and anger as Angel relived the events that had brought her to Sir Adolphus Grantley’s house.
‘What I don’t understand,’ Lil said frowning, ‘is why a toff like him would take in two children, and why would he show such an interest in your past?’
‘I don’t know. Maybe he’s just a kind man who likes to help people.’
‘Hmm.’ Lil’s eyebrows knotted together in a frown. ‘In my experience men don’t do anything for nothing. There’s something in it for him.’
‘I don’t know what you mean, Lil.’
‘Of course you don’t, my little innocent. I’m here to protect you now. I nursed you as if you was my own babe, and heaven help anyone who tries to lay a finger on you.’
‘Sir Adolphus is a good man, Lil. He was a colonel in the army and Baines was his sergeant. They’re brave soldiers.’
‘That lot are often the worst.’ Lil raised herself from the chair with a groan. ‘This weather affects my rheumatics something shocking.’ She hobbled across the room. ‘Where does this door lead?’
‘It’s a small room, like Aunt Cordelia’s dressing room.’ Angel’s eyes filled with tears and her throat constricted. ‘You haven’t told me what happened to her, Lil.’
Lil opened the door and peered inside. ‘This will do. I’ll sleep in here so that I’m close to you girls. I’ll need a bed and some linen.’ She paused, slanting a worried look in Angel’s direction. ‘Your aunt didn’t suffer, love. It was pneumonia, the doctor said, and she went very quick. She weren’t in pain, but the last thing she said was, “Find Angel, Lil. Make sure my baby girl is well and happy.”’ She cleared her throat noisily. ‘I’ll go downstairs now, and tell that windbag Baines what I need to make meself comfortable.’
Baines and Lil were never going to get along – that was clear from the start – and during the next few days Angel found herself acting as peacemaker. Sir Adolphus was rarely at home to witness the spats that occurred between his sergeant and Angel’s former nursemaid, but two days before Christmas he sent Baines to find Angel with instructions to send her to his study.
She hurried downstairs wondering what could be so urgent. Baines had been uncommunicative, but that could have been due to the fact that both Lil and Juno were growling at him like angry guard dogs.
‘You sent for me, sir?’ Angel stood with her hands clasped tightly behind her back.
Sir Adolphus was seated behind his desk. He stopped writing and put his pen down on the silver inkstand. ‘We’ll be leaving for Grantley Park tomorrow. I take it that your young friend is well enough to travel, and she’s welcome to come with us, but she’ll have to earn her keep. My housekeeper will find work for her and your aunt’s servant too, if she chooses to accompany us.’
‘I can’t speak for the others, sir.’
‘Then you must talk it over with them, Angel. I’m not a charity, but I feel somewhat responsible for the flower girl, and your servant has a mind of her own. Galloway would vouch for that, I’m certain. He did his best to poison my mind against Miss Heavitree, but I’m a man who likes to use his own judgement.’
‘Might we know where we’re going, sir?’
‘Grantley Park has been in my family for two hundred years. It’s a Tudor house in its own grounds, on the edge of Low Leyton marsh. There, does that satisfy your curiosity?’
‘A little,’ Angel said doubtfully. ‘Is it far from London, sir?’
‘About seven miles, which is far enough to be away from the stench and corruption of the city.’
She did not know whether to question him further, but he had picked up his pen and it was clear that she had lost his attention. She realised that she had been dismissed and went to find Dolly, who was now out of bed and dressed in garments they had discovered in the clothes press. Li
l had had to make some alterations in order to make them fit, but Dolly was thrilled with her acquisitions and even more delighted when they found a pair of boots that were too small for Angel but fitted Dolly to perfection.
She was in the middle of a twirl when Angel burst into the bedroom.
‘See how fine I look,’ Dolly said delightedly. ‘I ain’t never had nothing so grand in me whole life. I shall be a young lady like you, Angel.’
‘I think Sir Adolphus has other plans, Dolly. He said you would have to earn your keep when we go to his country house.’
‘I suppose it’s only to be expected,’ Dolly said philosophically. ‘I was just dreaming. I suppose I’d better take these clothes off then.’
‘No, certainly not. They were left to the moths so obviously they weren’t wanted. It’s a crime to leave them to rot. You look splendid, Dolly. I won’t let them turn you into a slavey. If it isn’t nice where we’re going, we’ll leave and set off on our own. We’ve earned our living before, and we can do it again. Now all I have to do is convince Lil that it is for the best.’
Starting out early on Christmas Eve, Angel, Dolly and Lil travelled in Sir Adolphus’ barouche, with Thor and Juno. Baines sat on the box next to the coachman and Sir Adolphus rode his chestnut stallion, Caesar. It had stopped snowing but the going was slow and difficult. At times it seemed that they would have to turn back, but Sir Adolphus was determined to reach Grantley Park. The bricks that Baines had heated on the kitchen range and placed on the floor to keep their feet warm had cooled, and despite their layers of clothing and woollen blankets the cold was insidious, creeping into their bones and chilling them to the marrow.
Angel peered out of the window at the vast white expanse of the marshes, with tufts of bleached grasses poking through the snow and steel-grey pools of frozen water reflecting the leaden sky. Dolly had fallen asleep with Juno resting against her, and Thor settled down at Angel’s feet, sharing her warmth. Lil sat with her arms folded and her head nodding, but each time she felt herself overcome by the desire to sleep she jerked herself back to consciousness.
Eventually, when the light was fading, they arrived at their destination. There had been moments during the journey when Angel thought the carriage was going to overturn, and others when they were stuck in a particularly deep snowdrift, and Baines had had to dig them out. But they had arrived safely and Baines leaped down to open the door. Sir Adolphus dismounted, handing the reins to a groom, who came slipping and sliding from the stable block.
The dogs jumped out first and danced across snow to be reunited with the master. Angel climbed to the ground more slowly. It was a relief to stretch her legs and feel firm ground beneath her feet after the rocking motion of the carriage. She paused, staring at the sprawling red-brick Tudor mansion, which was much larger than she had imagined. Even in the half-light she could see that the house and grounds were extensive, but she did not have time to dwell on the grandeur of her new surroundings as the front door opened, shedding a beam of light on the pristine whiteness of the snow. A manservant hurried out, followed by a maid and a girl with long dark ringlets who threw herself into Sir Adolphus’ arms with a shriek of delight.
‘Uncle Dolph, you’ve come home at last.’
‘Go indoors, Susannah. It’s freezing out here.’ Sir Adolphus gave her one of his rare smiles as he disengaged himself from her embrace.
‘Who are these people?’ Susannah demanded, staring over his shoulder. ‘Who have you brought with you, Uncle?’
‘All in good time, Susannah.’ Sir Adolphus strode into the house. ‘Come inside, everyone. Leave the servants to bring the baggage.’
Angel clutched Dolly’s hand and led her into the entrance hall. The warmth of the house was almost overpowering after the chill in the carriage, and the first thing Angel saw was a huge Christmas tree decorated with glass balls and tinsel. Swags of holly and ivy had been looped around the banisters, and the scent of the apple-wood logs burning in the huge stone fireplace mingled with the aroma of pine, with a friendly hint of beeswax and lavender furniture polish. She had only just stepped inside Grantley Park and somehow it felt like coming home. Angel was struggling to come to terms with the unfamiliar feeling when the maid stepped forward to take their outer garments, and a woman wearing a chatelaine hung with a weighty bunch of keys hurried to greet her master. She was dressed in black bombazine and her dark hair was scraped back so that it appeared to have been painted on her head, reminding Angel forcibly of the doll she had found in the toy cupboard.
‘Good afternoon, Sir Adolphus. Welcome home, sir.’
‘Thank you, Mrs Kerslake. We’re very glad to have arrived without mishap. The weather is truly atrocious.’ Sir Adolphus laid his hand on Angel’s shoulder. ‘This young lady is my ward, Angel Winter, and she is going to be part of the family from now on. I leave it to you to make a room ready for her.’
‘Of course, sir, but what about the others?’ Mrs Kerslake eyed Lil and Dolly with suspicion.
‘Miss Heavitree is my maid,’ Angel said quickly. ‘And Dolly is willing to work, but she’s been poorly and she needs to rest.’
Mrs Kerslake’s lips folded into a pencil-thin line. ‘I see.’ She shot an enquiring look at her master. ‘Is this so, sir?’
‘I should think there must be space for a small person in the servants’ quarters. The child is stronger than she looks, and I’m sure that Cook can always do with an extra pair of hands in the kitchen.’ Sir Adolphus handed his greatcoat and top hat to the maid who was hovering by his side. ‘Is my sister in the drawing room?’
Susannah grasped his arm. ‘Of course she is, Uncle. Where else would Mama be on Christmas Eve? Hector and Toby arrived home from school yesterday and we’ve been in uproar since then. They’ve been teasing poor Humpty until they made him cry.’
‘Have they,’ Sir Adolphus said grimly. ‘We’ll see about that.’ He turned and beckoned to Angel. ‘Come and meet your new family. Don’t worry about your little friend. Miss Heavitree will look after her.’
‘That I will,’ Lil muttered. ‘We’ll be fine, Angel.’
‘I’ll see you later,’ Angel whispered, eyeing Mrs Kerslake warily. She was not sure whether the stern-looking woman was friend or foe, but she was not going to question her authority, and she followed Susannah and her uncle to the drawing room with the dogs trotting along at her heels.
Angel hesitated in the doorway, taking in the scene. Illuminated by dozens of expensive wax candles, and warmed by a log fire roaring up the chimney, the room was large and furnished for comfort rather than the latest fashion. Another Christmas tree, slightly smaller than the one in the entrance hall, stood in the corner of the room, ablaze with tiny candles. Presents were piled beneath it and garlands of holly and ivy were draped from the ornately carved stone fireplace. Bowls of oranges studded with cloves scented the air and vases of jewel-bright chrysanthemums brought colour to dark corners.
An elegantly dressed woman was seated on the sofa, sandwiched between a boy of eight or nine and an older boy, whom Angel thought must be her own age or a little older. A youth stood with his back to the fire and it was his voice that had been the loudest, but he was silenced by the arrival of his uncle.
‘Eloise, my dear. Don’t get up.’ Sir Adolphus crossed the floor to embrace his sister. ‘I see your errant sons have returned from Rugby in time for Christmas.’ He slapped the tall, dark-haired youth on the shoulder. ‘So you’ve made it through your last term, Hector. Congratulations, my boy.’
‘Thank you, sir. It was a close-run thing at times, but I’m ready for Sandhurst now. I can’t wait to commence training.’
‘I wish you would reconsider, Hector.’ Eloise sighed heavily. ‘Your father died on the North-West Frontier, and now you want to follow in his footsteps and join the army.’
‘Your dear departed, as I recall, was run over by a brewer’s dray,’ Sir Adolphus said, winking at his nephew.
‘He was on his way to the barracks,’
Eloise protested, mopping her eyes with a cotton lawn hanky.
‘Don’t cry, Mama.’ The youngest boy gave his mother a hug. ‘Would you like a peppermint? I have some in my pocket.’
His elder brother reached out and cuffed him round the head. ‘Ignore him, Mama. If it’s been in his pocket it will be covered in fluff. Humpty is a grubby little beast.’
‘That’s enough, Toby.’ Eloise wrapped her arms around Humphrey, who was trying hard not to cry. ‘Leave him alone, both of you. He’s just a baby.’
‘The boy is eight years old, Eloise,’ Sir Adolphus said sharply. ‘Don’t turn him into a milksop.’
Susannah rolled her eyes. ‘I told you they were being beastly to poor Humpty, Uncle Dolph. Hector and Toby are bullies.’
Angel stood back, watching and listening to the family banter with a feeling of detachment. She had fallen in love with Grantley Park the moment she stepped inside the house, but she felt like an intruder. Sir Adolphus seemed to remember her presence and he drew her forward. ‘Angel, I’d like you to meet my sister, Mrs Devane, and my nephews, Hector, Toby and Humphrey. You’ve already met Susannah, and I hope she will look after you and make you feel like one of the family.’
Angel bobbed a curtsey, not knowing quite how to respond. Mrs Devane was staring at her with a shocked expression that might, in any other circumstances, have been comical.
‘Adolphus, I think you should explain yourself.’
‘Angel Winter is my ward, and as such is now part of the family.’ Sir Adolphus regarded his sister with a steady gaze. ‘I’ll explain further when we are on our own. Suffice it to say that Angel is one of us, and I expect her to be treated as such.’
