by Dilly Court
Kate chose to ignore the term of endearment. They were safe now, and that was all that mattered. ‘Thank you, sir. It was lucky for us that you chanced to come along.’
‘It was no coincidence,’ Robert said with a vague attempt at a smile. ‘I’ve been searching for you all day. When I discovered that Farmer Cobb had turned you away, I was frantic with worry, especially when he mentioned all that nonsense about gypsy curses and the like. I’ve been scouring the countryside ever since, going from farm to farm and always just too late to catch you. Then I came upon the squire in the lane outside the cottage and he too had been out looking for you.’
Kate dabbed at her bleeding lip. ‘You shouldn’t have bothered. We’ll find work somewhere, I am certain of that.’
‘For the Lord’s sake, Kate,’ Robert said, giving her a beseeching look. ‘Have a heart, maidy. Let me help you. I was wrong to act as I did. Won’t you forgive me?’
She raised her eyes to his face and saw the man whom she had believed to be her father, but his recent harsh treatment had left a gaping wound in her heart. ‘I can’t – not yet. And it changes nothing. You have your wife and your new family. Knowing what we know now, there’s no place for me in your plans for the future.’
He bowed his head and began to walk away, slowly, like a very old man.
‘Wait, Coggins. Let me take you home in my carriage,’ Edmund called after him, but Robert did not stop.
‘Pa.’ Kate fought back the ready tears that sprang to her eyes. She was still shocked from the attack and on the point of exhaustion.
‘Let him go, my dear,’ Edmund said softly. ‘You must let me help you. I can’t allow two young females to wander the countryside alone and unprotected, especially at night. Where did you think you were going?’
‘We were going to take a room at the Antelope Inn. If you could lend me just enough money for a night’s lodging, I’ll repay you as soon as I find work.’ Kate held her breath. Even before he spoke, she knew what his answer would be.
‘You will do no such thing. I won’t hear of it. Tonight at least you and Molly will be my guests at Westwood Grange. Tomorrow we will discuss your future.’ He laid a finger gently on her bruised lips. ‘Don’t try to argue with me, Kate. My mind is made up.’ He turned to Molly with a kindly smile. ‘Get in the carriage, my dear. We’ll soon have you safely tucked up in a nice warm bed and my housekeeper will take care of you.’
* * *
The Grange was set back from the road and approached down a narrow lane. Kate had visited it once or twice with her father, but never as a guest. The stone-built Elizabethan house had been added to in the succeeding centuries, giving it a slightly eccentric but friendly appearance, as if its studded oak front door was always open to the weary traveller. Diamond-shaped beams of candlelight flickered from the lattice windowpanes, and the gravelled carriage sweep was illuminated by flambeaux outside the stable block. It seemed to Kate that the house was waiting for its master to arrive, lighting his way and welcoming him home.
Next morning, she awakened to find herself in a light airy room. Sunlight filtered in through the leaded lights, reflecting off the highly polished burr walnut furniture. The floral-patterned curtains had been drawn back and a maidservant was standing by the bedside holding a tray of tea. ‘Good morning, miss. Would you like me to bring a jug of hot water now?’ She placed the tray on a table close to the bed.
Kate raised herself on her elbow, yawning and stretching luxuriously. ‘Yes, please. I didn’t realise that I had slept so late.’
‘You haven’t, miss. I mean we don’t keep farm hours here at the Grange. The young ladies don’t normally rise until mid-morning now that their governess isn’t here to make them do their lessons. Will that be all, miss?’
‘Yes, thank you.’ Kate sat up and reached for the dainty bone-china cup and saucer. She sipped the hot, sweet tea. This was luxury indeed, but it would not last. If Squire Westwood intended to win her with pampering, he had almost succeeded. After the humiliation and disappointments of the previous day, it would be all too easy to be seduced by the promise of comfort and security. But there would inevitably be a price to pay, and the squire had made it clear that marriage was no longer an option. She might start off as paid companion to his daughters, but she suspected that it would not be long before he wanted more from her than she was prepared to give, and she would hardly be in a position to refuse.
When she had washed and dressed, she went to Molly’s room and found her still in bed. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes suspiciously bright.
‘I don’t feel too well,’ Molly said hoarsely. ‘I think I’ve caught a chill.’
Kate laid a hand on her forehead. ‘You are a bit feverish. You should stay in bed.’
‘But we must be on our way. You don’t want to be obliged to the squire, I understand that well enough.’
Kate smiled, tucking the coverlet up to Molly’s chin. ‘Don’t worry about anything. You just get well, and then we’ll talk about moving on.’ The smile died on her lips as she left the room. If Molly went down with inflammation of the lungs, they could be here for days, even weeks. The longer they stayed, the more difficult it would be to leave this comfortable home. She went downstairs and was wondering where she might find the squire when the maidservant emerged from a room on the far side of the entrance hall. She bobbed a curtsey. ‘The master is just finishing breakfast, miss. He asked if you would join him when you came downstairs.’ She ushered Kate into the room and left, closing the door behind her.
Edmund rose from his seat at the head of the table. ‘Good morning, my dear. I trust you slept well?’
‘Thank you, yes.’
‘You will have some breakfast, won’t you, Kate?’
‘Just some toast, please. I’m not very hungry.’
Frown lines deepened on his brow. ‘You are not ill, are you? Perhaps I should send for Dr Smith.’
Kate smiled in spite of her worries. ‘I’m in perfect health, apart from a bruised face and hurt pride. But I am a little concerned for Molly. She seems unwell this morning, and I told her to stay in bed. I hope you don’t mind. We didn’t intend to impose on your hospitality, but I’m afraid we might have to for a day or so.’
‘You know my thoughts on that subject, Kate.’ He pulled out a chair. ‘Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I want you to make your home here, and when young Molly is well again I am sure that my housekeeper can find work for her.’
She met his eager gaze with a straight look. ‘I am truly grateful to you for taking us in last night, but you know that I can’t accept your offer.’
His knuckles showed white as he gripped the back of the chair. ‘I know that I am many years your senior, but I want you more than I have ever wanted any woman. Despite what I said yesterday, I might even be prepared to put aside my scruples and marry you if that is the only way I can keep you with me.’
She dropped her gaze, but it was pity that surged through her veins. ‘I am truly sorry, but I don’t love you. I can’t marry you, sir.’
‘Is there someone else?’
‘Please don’t press me for an answer.’ She made a move towards the doorway. ‘I don’t want any breakfast. I’ve lost my appetite.’
‘I didn’t mean to distress you.’
‘If you don’t mind, I would like to walk to Damerell Manor. I need to see Josie and make certain that she’s all right.’
‘You don’t have to ask my permission, and if you wish to see your friend I’d be more than happy to drive you there.’
She was about to refuse, but he looked suddenly like a shy schoolboy and she had not the heart to dash his hopes yet again.
‘Allow me to do this for you, my dear,’ he added hastily. ‘I take pleasure in your company, even if you do not enjoy mine.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘Indulge me in this, just for today.’
It was impossible to refuse him, and Kate nodded her head. ‘Thank you, sir.’
They arrived at Damerell
Manor to find it in an uproar. Sir Joseph was standing in the main entrance issuing instructions to a party of estate workers, gardeners, gamekeepers and stable boys. He stopped speaking when he saw Kate and he pointed a finger at her. ‘You, come here, girl. Tell me where I might find Miss Damerell.’
Kate alighted from the dog cart and walked slowly towards him. ‘I came to see Josie. Isn’t she here?’
‘Don’t play the innocent with me, you little bitch. Did she come running to you last night?’
Edmund stepped between them. ‘That’s no way to talk to a lady, Damerell. Miss Coggins is a guest in my house and neither of us has seen Josie. She is the reason that Kate came here today.’
Sir Joseph raised his riding crop, shaking it at the men who were awaiting his instructions. ‘You know what you have to do. Go about your business.’
They hurried off, spreading out in different directions. Sir Joseph slapped the riding crop against his palm. ‘Well, Westwood. I see the little trollop has got you where she wants you. I hear these Romany girls are a good lay.’
‘No wonder Miss Damerell ran away from a foul-mouthed, evil-minded wretch like you,’ Edmund said icily.
Kate grasped his arm. ‘Don’t demean yourself by stooping to his level, Edmund.’
‘Edmund, is it?’ Sir Joseph thrust his face close to Kate’s. ‘I was right then. You are a wanton little thing. But she’s comely enough, Westwood. When you’ve finished with her you can send her to me. I hear that Challenor had her first. When I see him again, I’ll ask him how he rated her.’
Kate’s hands flew to cover her mouth, stifling a cry of protest.
‘You’ll apologise for that, Damerell,’ Edmund said through gritted teeth.
‘I don’t apologise for speaking the truth. I’ll wager she’s no better than she should be. You can break her in for me, Westwood. I like them tamed and submissive.’
Edmund’s fist landed squarely on Sir Joseph’s flabby jaw, felling him in a single blow. ‘You asked for that, Damerell. You are a disgrace to the family name. If I do discover Josie’s whereabouts, I’ll be damned if I’ll tell you.’ He placed his hands firmly around Kate’s waist, and with a surprising show of strength he threw her up onto the driver’s seat. ‘We’re going home, my dear.’
She turned her head to catch a glimpse of Sir Joseph being helped to his feet by one of the footmen. He was purple in the face and she could see his mouth working, but thankfully, she could not hear his words. No doubt he was screaming obscenities at them. She glanced up at Edmund’s craggy profile as he urged the horse to a trot. He seemed to sense that she was looking at him, and he smiled. ‘I’m not so aged that I can’t stand up for the woman I love, Kate.’
‘None of it was true,’ she murmured. ‘He was lying.’
‘But Challenor has your heart. Don’t deny it. I saw the look in your eyes when his name was mentioned.’
‘He is going to marry Josie,’ Kate said, turning her head away. ‘I expect she has gone to him. Where else would she go?’
‘You’re right. She would naturally go to her fiancé, and no one could blame her.’
She had nothing to say to this and they drove on in silence. The fields and hedgerows were bathed in warm sunlight, and the air was sweet with the scent of wild dog roses and honeysuckle, but Kate was oblivious to everything except the pain of knowing that Josie must have run to Harry, and that they were in all probability reunited now and planning their wedding. Both of them were lost to her and she was alone in the world, except for Molly, who must be cared for at least until such time as Sam returned to them.
She realised with a jolt that the dog cart had entered the gates of Westwood Grange. Before a groom had time to run from the stable yard to hold the horse, Edmund had alighted and come round to her side. He held his hands out to her. ‘My dear, I think I know how you must be feeling. Believe me, I do understand.’
His kindness was more upsetting than if he had ranted and raged at her. She could barely hold back the tears that threatened to engulf her. She nodded wordlessly.
He lifted her down from the vehicle but he did not release her immediately. ‘My feelings have not changed, Kate. I am a patient man, and if you are willing to stay on here, just to keep my daughters company, I won’t impose myself on you.’
She could not look at him. ‘Thank you, Squire.’
He placed his finger beneath her chin and tilted her head so that she had to meet his gaze. ‘I’m ashamed of the way I behaved yesterday. My head was ruling my heart, but last night, when I saw you beaten to the ground and bleeding, I knew that I had to look after you and care for you, if only you would permit me to do so.’
‘Please say no more, sir.’
He shook his head, but he was smiling gently. ‘My offer of marriage still stands and you can have as much time to think about it as you need. In the meantime, we will tell the world at large that you are working for me. I will protect your good name as if it were my own.’
She felt the fight draining from her. She was suddenly tired and dispirited. ‘And if I wish to leave?’
‘You may do so at any time, of course. But I would insist that you had somewhere to go. I won’t allow you to roam the countryside like an itinerant farm labourer.’ He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘There is just one condition.’
‘What is that, sir?’
‘That you continue to call me Edmund, as you did in front of that scoundrel Damerell.’
Even if Kate had wanted to leave Westwood Grange, it would have been made impossible by Molly’s condition worsening from a mere chill into pneumonia. Kate nursed her devotedly, sleeping on a truckle bed that the housekeeper had brought down from the old nursery and placed in Molly’s room. Dr Smith called daily, but there was little that anyone could do except watch and pray. For days Molly’s life hung in the balance, and at times Kate almost gave up hope, but Molly had youth on her side, and her condition slowly began to improve. Kate was awakened one morning by the sound of her voice asking for food. After that her recovery was surprisingly rapid and soon she was able to get up and sit in a chair by the window, where she had a view of the dovecot and the rose garden. By the middle of June, Molly was almost completely well again and able to go out for short walks in the grounds.
One afternoon they were returning from one of their excursions when they met Amy and Letitia, who were out riding. Amy reined her horse in so sharply that it caracoled, sending a shower of dried mud over Kate’s skirt.
‘Oh, dear,’ Amy giggled. ‘Now you’ll have to change your clothes, Miss Coggins. And you have so few.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ Kate said evenly. ‘Dirt will brush off.’
‘No,’ Letitia said, wheeling her horse round so that its flaring nostrils almost brushed Kate’s face. ‘Mud sticks, Miss Coggins. Or so I’ve always been told.’ She curled her lip. ‘But then, you aren’t really Miss Coggins, are you? You don’t know who you are.’
‘And Papa saw fit to take you into our home,’ Amy chortled. ‘You must have bewitched him, Miss Kate Nobody.’
‘Yes,’ Letitia added gleefully. ‘They say you are part gypsy and you can foretell the future.’
‘And put curses on people,’ Amy said, pulling a face. ‘Why don’t you go and join your gypsy folk, Miss Nobody? They’re camped near Maiden Castle. Papa says they should be moved on, so why don’t you go with them?’ She dug her heels into her horse’s flanks and rode off down the lane at a gallop.
Letitia leaned over in the saddle, eyeing Kate with contempt. ‘My sister is right. Why don’t you run away and join the travelling people? Now that your little playmate is recovered, there is no need for you to stay on at the Grange. Neither Amy nor I want you here, and if you choose to stay, I promise you that we will make your life utter hell. Do I make myself clear?’ She urged her horse forward and made use of her crop to encourage the animal into a trot and then a canter.
Molly stared at Kate in dismay. ‘Why are they being so horrib
le to you, Kate?’
‘They’re just jealous, although they have no need to be, Molly.’ Kate took her by the arm. ‘Let’s get you back to the house. You mustn’t overtire yourself.’
Molly fell into step beside her. ‘Are you going to marry the squire, then?’
‘Whatever gave you that idea?’
‘It’s what the servants are saying below stairs.’
‘No wonder Amy and Letitia resent me so much. I had no idea.’
‘It was cruel of them to say nasty things to you. They’re just hateful, spoilt girls.’
‘Yes, they are spoilt and spiteful, but I can’t altogether blame them for not wanting me to marry their father,’ Kate said, recalling her father’s wedding to Honoria. ‘It is not easy having a stepmother come into the home.’
‘Maybe not, but that doesn’t excuse their treatment of you, Kate.’
‘But they are right in one thing. I don’t know who I am. All I know is that my mother was a lady and my father a soldier, or so the Romany woman said. It is a very strange feeling to discover that you are not who you always thought you were.’
Molly stopped, holding her side. ‘It’s just a stitch. It will pass.’ She leaned on Kate’s arm, taking deep breaths. ‘That’s better.’
‘We’ve walked too far today,’ Kate said, feeling guilty at the sight of Molly’s pale cheeks.
‘I know the answer,’ Molly said, grinning. ‘You must pay a visit to the gypsies before they go away, or you may never have another chance to find the old woman and make her tell you what she knows about your mother and father.’
Kate thought hard. The squire had gone to Poole on business and was not expected home until late evening. Amy and Letitia were out riding and would be unlikely to notice that she was missing. This might be her one and only opportunity to discover her true identity. She hugged Molly. ‘I’ll do it.’
‘And I’ll cover for you. If anyone asks where you are, I’ll say you have gone into Dorchester to get me some more linctus.’
Chapter Twenty-three
