by Dilly Court
He moved swiftly to her side. ‘What on earth brought you both to Hackney of all places? Why did you allow Josie to involve you in this harebrained scheme?’
‘It’s not up to me to explain, sir.’ Kate ascended the stairs as quickly as was possible when hampered by a heavy basket and long skirts.
He stopped, taking the basket from her. ‘Can’t you speak for yourself, Kate Coggins? Are you always going to run away from me?’
She raised her eyes to meet his. She could see that he was in deadly earnest and his sincerity both shocked and surprised her. She needed time to think, but he was barring her way and she realised that he would not give up until she had given him an answer.
‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘A gentleman like you only wants one thing from a girl in my position.’
She wished the words unsaid the moment they left her lips. She knew it was not true but she had wanted to lash out at him for the hurt and humiliation she had just suffered. His shocked expression might have been amusing to an onlooker but it only added to Kate’s embarrassment. She had obviously misunderstood his intentions and made a fool of herself. She hurried on ahead without giving him a chance to respond. Her cheeks felt as though they were on fire and her heart was hammering against her stays so that she could barely catch her breath, but somehow she managed to reach Miss Spalding’s door. She knocked and entered without waiting for permission. ‘You have a visitor, Miss Josephine,’ she said, standing aside to allow Harry to enter the room. She did not wait to see Josie’s reaction. She snatched the basket from him and ran.
Less than half an hour later Josie burst into the kitchen. She stopped short, her triumphant smile fading as she looked round the dingy room. ‘My God, how have you put up with this? I’d no idea the kitchen was like this. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. We’re going home, Kate.’
A groan from Boy was followed by a sound resembling a growl as he shuffled towards Josie, brandishing a knife. ‘Get out of me kitchen. You ain’t taking Kate nowhere.’
She stared at him in disgust. ‘What is this monstrosity, Kate? Have you stolen him from a freak show?’
‘That’s a cruel thing to say.’ Kate put her arm around Boy’s shoulders, gently relieving him of the knife. ‘This child has been preparing all the delicious meals that you and Miss Spalding have eaten. He’s a brilliant cook and he’s my friend.’
‘Well said.’
Kate had not seen Harry enter the room, and, judging by her reaction, neither had Josie. She turned to him, smiling. ‘I was joking, of course. The boy is a very good cook, I’ll give him that.’
Harry regarded Boy with a friendly smile. ‘A rare talent in one so young.’
Visibly unimpressed, Boy glared at him. ‘You ain’t taking Kate away from me. She’s me one and only friend in the whole world.’
‘I won’t leave you,’ Kate said, giving him a reassuring hug.
‘I’m going back to Dorset with Harry. You can do what you like, Kate.’ Josie made a move towards the door. ‘Are you coming or staying? Make up your mind because we’re leaving immediately.’
‘You told dreadful lies about me and Sam. Why, Josie?’
A momentary flicker of something akin to embarrassment flickered across Josie’s features and then she laughed. ‘It was a joke. I never meant Harry to take it seriously. Come on, Kate, where’s your sense of humour?’
‘It was a terrible thing to do.’
‘All right, it was. You know me, Kate. I say things without thinking. Forgive me, please, and let’s get away from here.’
Kate stood her ground. ‘But what about Nanny Barnes? You can’t abandon her now.’
‘I’ll send her some money or a food hamper as soon as I get home. She’ll be all right.’
‘Don’t go, Kate.’ Boy’s small features crumpled and tears ran down his cheeks. ‘Don’t leave me.’
Undecided, Kate looked from his stricken face to Josie’s set expression, and she knew she must choose. She longed to go home, but she knew that Honoria would not welcome her return, and Josie would forget her promises the moment she became engaged to Harry. As to Challenor himself, she shot a glance at him as he stood in the doorway and her heart felt like a lead weight inside her breast – he would marry Josie. She did not need the gypsy’s crystal ball to foretell the future.
‘I’m not leaving Boy or Nanny Barnes,’ she said slowly. ‘You don’t know what it’s been like down here, Josie. That brute Wharton will kill Boy one day and no one will lift a finger to stop him.’
‘In that case, he should accompany us to Dorset.’ Harry beckoned to Boy. ‘How would you like to work in the kitchens of a big house? You would have to start at the bottom, but my chef would teach you all he knows.’
Boy stared at him in amazement. ‘You ain’t serious.’
A muscle twitched at the corner of Harry’s mouth but he kept a straight face. ‘I meant every word I said.’
‘For goodness’ sake stop all this chitchat and let’s go.’ Josie caught Kate by the arm. ‘Are you satisfied now?’
‘I’m more than happy for Boy, but there’s still Nanny Barnes. She’s not capable of looking after herself and you know it.’
‘Then we’ll take her too.’ Harry consulted a half-hunter watch he had taken from his waistcoat pocket. ‘It’s getting late. Where does Miss Barnes live? If we’re to take her with us you need to make her ready for the train journey.’
‘Not far from here,’ Josie muttered. ‘But I don’t think that Hickson will be very pleased to have Nanny Barnes back in the servants’ hall.’
‘And who is Hickson?’ Harry raised his eyebrows.
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Josie said impatiently. ‘I’ll sort it out when we get home. Just get everything and everyone together, Kate. I’ll wait upstairs until Harry has organised our transport to the station.’ She flounced out of the kitchen.
Harry turned to Kate. ‘May I leave the arrangements to you?’ He smiled. ‘I’m not the libertine you take me for, and I’m sorry I allowed myself to be taken in by Josie’s silly games. Can we at least call a truce for the journey home?’
‘She’s got me to protect her,’ Boy said, taking Kate by the hand. ‘I won’t let no one take advantage of her.’
‘Then I am happy to leave her in your care.’ Harry hesitated, frowning. ‘What is your real name? I can’t keep calling you Boy.’
‘I dunno, sir. It’s what Wharton calls me.’
‘Well, Boy will have to do for now. Go with Kate and I’ll leave a note for Wharton. I don’t think he’ll bother you again.’ He held the door open for them. ‘Don’t worry, Kate. This disreputable fellow might prove to be a gentleman after all.’
The journey back to Dorset was uneventful. Harry had bought first class tickets for them all, and Nanny Barnes fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as the train pulled out of Waterloo. Boy sat on the edge of his seat, staring out of the window, seemingly in a trance. He hardly spoke two words throughout the whole journey, although Josie kept up a constant stream of mainly one-sided conversation, telling Harry in detail of the hardships she had suffered during their time in Hackney. Kate said little, simply nodding in agreement when Josie asked for confirmation of one trivial fact or another. She had mixed feelings about returning home. She longed to see her father, Sam and Molly, but she was painfully aware that life under Honoria’s rule would still be difficult. Then there was the hateful Tilda to contend with. Kate sat back in her seat and closed her eyes, in an attempt to pretend that Harry was not sitting opposite her, but she could not shut him out no matter how hard she tried. It was heaven and hell at the same time. The journey could not end soon enough for her.
It was almost a relief to say goodbye to the rest of the party when the cab that Harry had hired at Dorchester station dropped Kate off at the home farm. It was dark and the lighted windows sent a welcoming glow onto the muddy farmyard. She stood for a moment, watching the cab disappear down the lane with a sudden feeling of loss. Josie would no
longer need her and she might never see Harry again. She felt unaccountably nervous of returning home unannounced. Acting on impulse she made her way down the lane to the tiny cottage where Sam and Molly now lived. She knocked on the door.
Sam’s face was a picture when he saw her. ‘Kate. I don’t believe it.’ He stepped over the threshold and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug. ‘Come inside, maidy, and get warm.’ He closed the door. ‘Sit by the fire, and I’ll make a pot of tea, or are you too grand a lady now to drink tea with a farm labourer?’
She slipped off her cloak and laid it on a ladder-back chair. ‘I’d love a cup of tea, Sam. And I’ll never be a grand lady.’
‘So how was it?’ Sam took the steaming kettle from the trivet. ‘How did you fare amongst the gentry?’
‘It’s a long story.’
‘And did Josie get her rich gentleman to propose marriage?’
Kate studied Sam’s profile. His jaw was clenched in a hard line and her heart ached for him; she could feel his pain that was so similar to her own. ‘Not yet, Sam.’
‘But you think he will?’
‘I don’t know.’ Kate rose to her feet. ‘Don’t bother about the tea. I think I’d better hurry home or I might find myself locked out.’
‘You’ve got time for a cup of tea. I’ve got to go for Molly soon; we can walk together.’
Kate eyed him over the rim of the teacup. There was something in his manner that was disturbing. ‘What is it, Sam? What aren’t you telling me?’
Chapter Seventeen
SAM THREW A bundle of furze onto the fire. ‘You always could read me like a book, Kate.’
‘What is it? Is Pa ill? Has he had an accident?’
He had been staring into the blaze, but he turned his head to look at her and his lips twisted into a wry grin. ‘In a manner of speaking I suppose it was an accident of sorts.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You’ve got a baby brother, Kate. He come all of a sudden a few days ago.’
‘But that’s impossible. Honoria’s baby wasn’t due yet.’
‘She might act all goody-goody and high-nosed, but it’s obvious that she and the gaffer was at it like rabbits, if you’ll excuse the expression, long before they were wed. She ain’t the first and I daresay she won’t be the last woman to catch a man by fair means or foul.’
‘I thought she was getting large, but I put it down to the fact that she was eating for two. I suppose it’s all round the village by now?’
‘You know what they are for gossiping in Kingston Damerell, but there’ll be something else to talk about afore too long. And the gaffer’s as proud as Punch.’
‘He always wanted a son,’ Kate said, sighing. ‘Honoria will be even more unbearable now.’
‘Your pa loves you, Kate. Having a son won’t alter that.’
‘No,’ she said with an attempt at a smile. ‘Of course not.’
‘Then let’s get you home safe and sound. I want to make sure that the hens is all locked up safe for the night. What with the gaffer wrapped up in fatherhood and poor Molly being run ragged by Honoria, things has got a bit slack while you’ve been away.’
Kate rose to her feet. ‘Well, I’m back now. I won’t allow Molly to be bullied, I promise you that.’
‘I know you won’t.’ Sam picked up her cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders. He hesitated for a moment as if struggling with a knotty problem, and when he spoke the words came out in a rush. ‘Tell me truthfully, Kate. What went on between Josie and Challenor? Will she marry him?’
She patted his hand as it rested on her shoulder. ‘Forget her, Sam. She’s not for you and you know it.’
‘Aye, I know it. But it ain’t that easy.’ He moved away to shrug on his jacket, and he plucked his billycock hat from its peg, fingering the jay’s feather for a second before ramming the hat on his head. He turned to her, holding out his arm. ‘Shall we, my lady?’
She managed a smile, but she felt sick with apprehension. If Honoria had succeeded in making her feel like a stranger in her own home before the child was born, what was it going to be like now that she was the proud mother of a son?
As she entered the farmhouse kitchen, Kate’s nostrils were assailed by the familiar scent of burning apple wood and freshly baked bread. Her father was asleep in the rocking chair by the range with his chin resting on his chest and soft snoring sounds emanating from his lips. She tiptoed across the flagstone floor to drop a kiss on his forehead. He gave a startled snort and opened his eyes. He blinked hard and his mouth curved in a smile. ‘Kate, it really is you. I thought I was dreaming.’
She flung her arms around his neck and kissed his whiskery cheek. ‘You’re not dreaming. I’ve come home.’
Sam shuffled his feet. ‘I’ll just go and check on the hens, gaffer. And then I’ll come back for Molly.’
‘She can’t be far away,’ Robert said, rising stiffly to his feet. ‘I expect she’s upstairs with Honoria. Did he tell you, Kate? I’m a father for the first time.’
She stared at him, frowning. ‘For the second time, Pa.’
‘To be sure. I meant to say that it’s the first time I’ve been father to a son. He’s a fine boy, Kate. And he looks just like me.’
‘I’ll be back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Tell Molly to wrap up warm.’ Sam went outside, closing the door behind him.
‘What did you name him, Pa?’ Kate took off her cloak, gazing round the old familiar farmhouse kitchen with a mixture of relief and sadness. Suddenly this did not feel like home.
‘Robert, of course, after me. He’s got a fine pair of lungs on him, Kate. No doubt you’ll hear him when he wakes up for his feed. Do you want to go up now and see him?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t want to disturb Honoria. I expect she needs her rest. I’m really tired after the journey from London. If you don’t mind, Pa, I think I’ll go straight to bed.’
He cleared his throat, staring down at his socked feet. ‘Er, Kate, my dear. I’m afraid we had to move your things into the attic room.’
‘What?’ She stared at him in disbelief. ‘Why would you do a thing like that?’
‘Honoria thought that your bedroom would make a good nursery. It makes sense, maidy. Tilda’s room is too small to take a cradle as well as her bed, and your old room is closer to ours.’
‘You’ve taken my bedroom without asking me? And why the attic? If it was going to be done, then why wasn’t I put in Molly’s room, the one that Honoria gave to Tilda?’
‘Come now, maidy, you know that’s little more than a box room. There’s plenty of space for all your pretty things in the attic.’
‘Amongst the spiders and mice! No one has slept up there since Sam moved to the cottage. I’d rather be cramped and warm in the small room than freeze to death under the eaves.’
‘It’s out of the question, maidy. Honoria wanted a dressing room. She said that is what proper ladies have and who was I to deny it to her, especially in her delicate condition.’
Kate flung up her hands. ‘She’s changed everything. I simply can’t believe you’ve let her get away with it, Pa.’
‘Don’t start putting on airs and graces, Kate. Honoria warned me that it might be like this. She said that no good would come of your having spent time with the gentry, and now I can see that she was right.’
‘But, Pa …’
He held up his hand. ‘That’s enough of that, daughter. I don’t want to hear another word on the subject.’
‘This is all her doing,’ Kate said angrily. ‘She’s been trying to push me out ever since you married her.’
‘Now you’re talking nonsense. Honoria is my wife and naturally I have to put her wishes first. You’ll sleep in the attic room and you won’t mention a word of this to her. She needs rest and quiet, and I won’t have women spitting at each other like farm cats, so you bear that in mind, maidy.’ He stomped out of the room, narrowly missing Molly who had just come through the door.
She uttered a cry of delight.
‘Kate, you’ve come home. I was never so glad to see no one in my whole life.’ She ran to Kate, flinging her arms around her. ‘It’s been dreadful here since you went away.’
‘I’m home now, Molly,’ Kate said, holding her close. ‘Things will be better, I promise.’
Molly sniffed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. ‘I wish I could believe that. You can’t imagine what it’s been like. What with Honoria going on and on at me all the time, and that hateful Tilda creature behaving like she was the queen, there’s been times when I’ve felt like running away.’
‘I won’t let Tilda bully you, dear. And you can be sure that I’ll have a few words to say to Honoria in the morning.’
Molly pulled a face. ‘She’s a bitch and I don’t care who hears me say so. I spoke up for you when she told me to shift your things to the attic room, and I got a clout round the ear for me pains.’
‘It really doesn’t matter. I’m sure I’ll do very well under the eaves,’ Kate said with more confidence than she was feeling. ‘Best wrap up warm, Molly. Sam will be back for you in a moment or two.’
Molly eyed the dirty crockery in the stone sink. ‘I daren’t leave that lot till morning, Kate, or I’ll be in dire trouble.’
‘I’ll take care of it. Go home and get a good night’s rest. I’ll see you first thing and we’ll have a long chat. I’ll tell you all about my adventures in London.’
In the attic room, Kate put the candlestick down on the deal washstand and stood for a moment, gazing round with a tight knot of despair in her stomach. It was a large space under the eaves, with headroom in the apex only, and a small dormer window cut through the thick covering of thatch. A draught whistled through the cracks between the floorboards and she could hear the scrabbling sound of tiny feet in the rafters. She shuddered at the thought of rats and mice running around overhead. In her old room there would have been a fire blazing away in the grate, gaily patterned rugs on the polished floorboards and the comfortable bed in which she had slept when she was a child. Sleeping here was reminiscent of the bad old days in the mews, but perhaps a little better than lying on the dirt floor in Nanny Barnes’ house.
