A Stranger in Honeyfield

by Anna Jacobs

  Matron was still standing by the door. When the lawyer had finished speaking she waited a moment then made a shooing gesture towards Bella. ‘Go and explore the rest of the house now, Jones, while I chat to Mr Marley, then you can show us round.’

  Bella set off to explore the house which might become her new home. It was a double-fronted house, with a dining room on one side and a sitting room at the other. The kitchen and a bedroom that was presumably for a maid lay at the rear.

  She spent a lot of time studying the kitchen, which was a generous size, with a large scullery to one side and a big pantry on the rear wall. There was a large table for preparing food and a small table by the window, just big enough for two people to eat at.

  There was a door at one side and beyond it she found another large room, light and airy with windows on two sides. It had obviously been used as a studio and several pretty watercolours were displayed on the walls, wildflower studies and rural scenes. She was sad to see one painting standing on an easel, unfinished. They were very pretty and well executed.

  She returned to the kitchen, unlocked the back door and went into the garden. It needed weeding and tidying up, but it was big enough to support a few fruit trees and bushes, as well as a kitchen garden. The grass needed mowing and there were washing lines with pegs still on them strung across between two posts. To one side, placed to be seen from the studio, was a flower bed overflowing with blooms, with a few weeds poking out among them.

  There was a pretty wooden summer house at the rear and she couldn’t resist walking across to peep into it. It’d be lovely to sit out in the garden in summer. There was a door at the rear of the summer house, which led to a gate in the garden wall. She’d never have guessed there was a gate here. Where did it lead? She’d have opened it to peep out but there was no key and it was locked.

  She went inside the house again. She’d be able to see what lay behind the wall from the rear bedrooms.

  The stairs ran up from the hall. She could see Matron and Mr Marley standing out at the front in the sunshine chatting to Mr Perry, so she continued her exploration alone.

  There were four bedrooms, two large and two slightly smaller, plus – oh, joy! A bathroom! It had a huge bath and an old-fashioned washbasin and lavatory with a flower pattern on them. The water seemed to be heated by a gas burner. This would be such a welcome luxury, especially with a baby.

  Everything was neatly furnished, which would be a godsend, but there was too much furniture for her taste. Still, she had more than enough money and time to make a comfortable home for herself and her child and change things round to suit her.

  She went across to a rear bedroom window and found herself looking across what seemed to be a large commercial orchard, beyond which she could see a rambling farmhouse and outbuildings. To one side of it, further along she could see the corner of what looked like a large house. Why had they wanted a gate through into an orchard? She smiled. To steal apples and pears? Hardly.

  She jumped in shock as she heard Matron call, ‘Are you all right up there, Jones?’

  ‘Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll just be another couple of minutes.’

  She couldn’t resist trying a door in the bedroom, thinking to find a cupboard and surprised to see narrow stairs leading up to an attic. Of course she went up and found a few small pieces of furniture and several boxes stored there haphazardly on the wooden floor.

  Everything in the cottage was dusty but as she went slowly downstairs again, she felt as if she’d come home. She could be happy here, she was sure. It was strange how quickly you made your mind up about a house. She hadn’t liked the one in Malmesbury even before she’d seen the upstairs, but she did like this one. Very much.

  Fate had taken her beloved fiancé away from her and then given her all these worldly goods. She knew which she’d have preferred. Even after a few weeks of knowing one another, she and Philip had been so comfortable and happy together.

  ‘Oh, you fool! Stop thinking like that,’ she whispered to herself and wiped the tears away with her handkerchief. She leant over the bannister and called, ‘Do come up if you’d like. I’m sure you’re dying to see the rest of the house.’

  When the others had explored the upstairs, they all gathered in the front room, which was furnished with a sofa, two upholstered rocking chairs and an upright piano with brass candleholders on it. She pressed a couple of notes down, wishing she could play.

  Matron came across and played a short melody, grimacing. ‘Needs tuning.’

  ‘I didn’t know you could play the piano,’ Bella said in surprise.

  ‘There’s a lot you don’t know about me.’

  They all fell silent and Mr Perry smiled at Bella. ‘No need to ask if you like this house, Miss Jones. I can see it in your face.’

  ‘Do you like it?’

  ‘Yes. Very much.’

  ‘I’d like to move here quite quickly.’

  ‘It’ll take a couple of days to find people to get it ready for you to live in, but it won’t be a problem.’

  But Matron was still frowning.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ he asked.

  ‘I think you know about the attack on Miss Jones. I’m wondering how to make it safer for her to live here, perhaps by changing her name so that they can’t easily find her. She shouldn’t do anything till we’ve worked that out. She’ll have no one in the village to turn to for help till she gets to know people.’

  Some of the glow faded from the day at this reminder, but Bella tried not to let that show. If she lived here quietly, didn’t upset the Cotterells, surely they’d leave her in peace? What would they have to gain by annoying her?

  As Matron spoke, Nathan’s vision blurred for a moment and he got the strange feeling that meant his special ability to find both objects and solutions to problems was starting to work. He let ideas drift into his mind and settle, not questioning the rightness of what he was going to suggest, just knowing it would be the best thing to do. After all, that strange sense had never let him down or led him astray.

  The gift came from the Latimer side of her family, his mother had told him. Some family members were apparently fey, or whatever you wanted to call it. He wished he’d talked to her more about her side of his family before she grew forgetful and distant, but his father had been a bully and had forbidden her to mention them and in particular the ‘weakness’, which he called ‘jumping to conclusions’ to their son.

  She’d been so meek and quiet, so browbeaten by his father that you sometimes forgot she was even in the room. She’d died as quietly as she’d lived, poor woman.

  His own wife was a much more lively woman and thank goodness for Kathleen’s strength of mind and loving warmth. He loved his stepchildren too; they were as lively as their mother. No fear of them being bullied at school, or putting up with someone else bullying a weaker child when they were around.

  He took a deep breath and shared his thoughts: ‘You could tell people that Bella is a distant relative of Miss Thorburn, who’s inherited the cottage.’

  Mr Marley frowned. ‘What if Miss Thorburn told her neighbours she was leaving the cottage to her friend?’

  ‘You could tell them her friend died, so her great-niece inherited instead.’

  Matron was nodding approvingly and Mr Marley was looking thoughtful now.

  Bella didn’t say anything, looking towards Matron.

  ‘Even so, she’d be a woman on her own, even if we pretended she was a widow,’ the older woman said. ‘What if they go looking for her? They’ve only to ask in the towns and villages nearby to hear about all the newcomers. There’s always someone willing to gossip.’

  ‘Perhaps you could invent a husband for Miss Jones and give her another surname?’

  Silence as they all considered Nathan’s second suggestion.

  ‘But if he never appears, people will get suspicious,’ Bella protested, not liking the idea at all.

  It was Mr Marley who snapped his fingers as t
he solution came to him. ‘I think we could ask Captain Tesworth to visit from time to time. I know he’s concerned about his friend’s widow because he asked me to let him know if you needed any help. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind pretending to be your husband, Miss Jones.’

  She didn’t know what to say to that. She liked Tez, of course she did, but she wasn’t sure she could pretend to be married to him. And it didn’t seem fair, either. It’d stop him courting another woman.

  ‘He’s a very decent fellow and you’d be quite safe with him, even if he stayed the night,’ Mr Marley said.

  She couldn’t hide her shock. ‘Stayed the night! I don’t think it would be necessary to go so far.’

  Something told Nathan it would be necessary and he said so.

  Mr Marley looked from one to the other. ‘I would not normally advocate doing something like this, but as I’ve said before, I’m aware that Mr Cotterell – the son, not the father – can behave in a very, um, underhand way when he wants something or feels himself slighted. I would like you to be as well protected as possible, Miss Jones.’

  ‘Yes, but …’ She was lost for words.

  ‘And there’s another side to the matter: it will give that nice young man something to do. Mr Tesworth tries not to show it, but he’s upset about losing those fingers and being invalided out, and can’t yet see a new path to follow in life.’

  ‘Perhaps he already has a young woman he likes.’

  ‘I’ve not heard of any. I know his family slightly and they’d have said something if he’d been courting. He’s the youngest of three sons, so he won’t inherit the family business and therefore must make his way in the world now he’s back in civilian life. He joined the army before he could settle to a profession but I believe they were thinking about banking for him, or was it medicine? No, I’m sure I heard that he’d been working in a bank.’

  Bella looked round and saw how much the other two liked the idea of her inventing a husband. She tried desperately to think of a good reason for not doing such an embarrassing thing. ‘Not only is it an imposition on Mr Tesworth, but he’ll only be able to come here now and then, so how will that protect me?’

  ‘It’s the belief that you have a husband that will protect you,’ Mr Marley said. ‘If the Cotterells search for you, they won’t suspect a woman who is living quietly here and has been seen to have a husband, whereas if you said you were a widow, they might well become suspicious.’

  ‘Surely they wouldn’t go to such lengths?’ It was like a melodrama, the sort she’d seen at the cinema, with the pianist playing soft, sinister music in the background and a black-hearted villain creeping after the heroine, hands outstretched to grab her.

  The lawyer shook his head. ‘I regret to say that Spencer might pursue matters if he feels slighted. He isn’t involved in the fighting and his mother won’t let him run the family estate. He can’t ask his father to override her because Mr Cotterell doesn’t get involved in family life.’

  ‘But people will see that Tez isn’t involved in the fighting now, can’t be because of his hand. How would we explain the fact that he doesn’t live here all the time?’

  ‘We can say your husband has been given a job at the War Office in London. We don’t need to explain exactly what in these troubled times, just say “war work” and tell people you’re not allowed to reveal the details. His hand will bear witness to the reason why he’s no longer actually fighting.’

  She couldn’t think of any other arguments. ‘Well, if he doesn’t think it an imposition, I suppose we could think about it. I’m not as sure as you are that he’ll agree, though, Mr Marley.’

  ‘I feel quite certain he will and I’ll be happy to ask him for you.’

  ‘Yes, please.’ There was no way she was asking him, that was certain.

  But what about the child? she wondered and looked at Matron, who nodded and turned back to Mr Marley.

  ‘There is also a possibility that Bella is expecting Philip’s child.’

  ‘Good heavens!’ Then he smiled. ‘But isn’t that wonderful?’

  ‘I think so,’ Bella said. ‘But I don’t want to tell his family. They’re so hostile.’

  He sighed. ‘I think that’s wise.’

  Bella was now feeling utterly boneless with exhaustion. She seemed to tire so easily these days. It was a relief when they decided to set off back.

  Chapter Seven

  Mr Marley’s nephew drove them to the hospital and Matron invited both gentlemen in for afternoon tea, since they’d missed their midday meal.

  When the two men accepted, Bella stifled a sigh because all she wanted to do now was lie down. ‘I think I’ll go and rest, if you don’t mind. I didn’t sleep well last night.’

  ‘You’d better join us for a while, at least, Jones, because we still have the details to sort out, and I have a further suggestion to make.’

  When Matron spoke in that firm tone no one argued with her. Bella sat down and found to her surprise that she was hungry after all. She waited for the afternoon nausea to strike at the mere thought of food, but it didn’t. Perhaps it’d fade gradually after the first three months as morning sickness was supposed to do. Well, people said that was what happened and she was hoping they were right. She hadn’t had much experience of other women’s pregnancies because she came from such a small family.

  Which reminded her: she’d have to tell her mother about the inheritance and the child. Or would she? Her mother was an inveterate gossip and wouldn’t be able to keep to herself the news that her daughter had inherited money. Worst of all, her mother would want to come and live with her if she thought her daughter now owned a large, comfortable house, something Bella definitely didn’t want.

  And naturally her mother would insist on meeting the so-called husband and be very angry not to have been invited to the wedding. Her mother had never visited her here because she didn’t like travelling, so Bella had gone home for a quick visit whenever her mother’s letters got too full of hints about feeling neglected. But once there she had to face her mother saying how much she looked forward to the end of the war and being able to have her only child there to brighten her lonely widowhood and care for her in her old age.

  Perhaps letters would keep her mother at bay for a while so that Bella could keep her move secret. She’d ask her kind landlady to forward them and her replies. If she told Mrs Sibley that Philip’s family was causing trouble, it’d ensure that no one else was given her new address, not even her mother and—

  She realised Matron was giving her an are-you-listening look and tried to pay closer attention to what the others were saying.

  ‘I’ll have a quick check that my deputy is coping, then we’ll work out how best to keep you safe, Jones.’

  While Matron was away, Mr Marley asked, ‘Are you all right, Miss Jones? You look a little pale. No need to force conversation with me. I’m happy to sit quietly till Matron returns.’

  ‘Thank you.’ No need to ask his nephew to keep quiet, either. Walter had hardly said a word the whole time he’d been driving them around. She wondered what had happened to him during the war to leave such a quiet shadow of a man. Driving an ambulance had shown her some of the sad effects of war on those injured fighting for their country, but some of them were invisible effects on the mind that other civilians might not fully understand.

  Five minutes later Matron and the tea both arrived at the same time. When the maid had left and cups had been poured for everyone, Matron ignored hers and said abruptly, ‘As I said before, you could sell the Malmesbury house to the Cotterells – at a decent price, of course. You didn’t like it, after all, and that should make them feel they’ve frightened you into doing as they want. With a bit of luck, they’ll leave you alone after that. I’m sure Mr Marley will be happy to negotiate a better price?’

  He nodded vigorously. ‘Indeed I will. I think that’s an excellent idea.’

  ‘Mr Cotterell wanted to buy the car as well,’ Bella pointed out.<
br />
  ‘Do you want to sell it?’

  ‘No. I’d much rather keep it. A car will come in very useful and it’s small and not expensive to run. Just what I need.’

  ‘Then he can’t have it. I could tell them you’ve put it at the service of the government. Some people have done that with their cars as a patriotic gesture. Do you need time to think about the house?’

  ‘No. I think it’s a good idea to offer it to them. Will you do that for me, please, Mr Marley? It’ll be interesting to see what they offer this time.’

  ‘Oh, very little more at first than their original offer, I expect, my dear. But don’t worry! I shall push them up. I rather enjoy bargaining.’

  Later, as she walked back through the hospital grounds to her lodgings, Bella felt as if a load had been taken off her shoulders. Matron had excused her from any further duties at the hospital and would tell people she’d been transferred. They’d decided she should move to Honeyfield in a couple of days.

  She trusted Mr Marley to handle the sale of the other house. She trusted Matron to stop tongues wagging at the hospital.

  But she didn’t trust the Cotterells at all, except for Georgie of course. They’d written to each other a couple of times and she hoped to keep in touch with Philip’s sister. He’d have liked that.

  When Mr Marley phoned Nathan to ask him if he could get the house in Honeyfield cleaned as quickly as possible, ready for Miss Jones to move in, Nathan consulted his wife about who best to hire to do the job.

  Kathleen, who was aware of Bella’s plight, thought for a moment. ‘Actually I can’t think of anyone better than our Sal to do it. We’ve only got a couple of women staying at Honeyfield House at the moment and the matron there says there’s not enough work to keep Sal occupied. Or we can easily find someone else in the village to help her, if necessary.’