by Dilly Court
Harry had been standing quietly behind Kate, but now he stepped forward to shake Edmund’s hand. ‘I will see that no harm comes to her.’
‘You had better, or you’ll have me to answer to,’ Edmund replied gruffly. He shook Harry’s hand, but his eyes were on Kate. ‘Goodbye, my dear. Remember, if you ever change your mind …’
‘I think you know the answer to that. I am so sorry, Edmund. It just wasn’t meant to be.’
‘But, my dear …’ He lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘You cannot stay in the vicarage forever. What will you do when Josie returns to her people?’
‘I don’t know, but I’ll find work as a governess or a paid companion. You must understand that it would be impossible for me to return here. It wouldn’t be fair to you, or your daughters. I’ll always have warm memories of your kindness to me.’
‘Ahem.’ Harry cleared his throat, breaking the ensuing awkward silence. ‘We’d better make a move, Kate. Josie and Molly are waiting for us in the carriage.’
Kate took one last look around the wainscoted morning parlour of Westwood Grange with its solid oak furniture, glowing gold in the sunlight streaming through the open window. The scent of roses and lavender wafted in from the garden and the air smelt of newly cut grass. All this was a far cry from her early days spent in the squalid mews behind Bedford Square. She could have been mistress of the gracious old house and wife of the man who stood before her with sorrow in his eyes. She was leaping into the unknown, but she knew that this was the path she must take.
‘Goodbye, Edmund. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking me and Molly into your home. I wish it could have ended differently, but this is for the best.’ She turned on her heel and hurried from the room.
‘You did the right thing,’ Harry said as they left the house. ‘He’s a good man, but he’s not for you.’
‘I don’t want to discuss it. My concern is for Josie now and Molly too. Please don’t make this harder for me, Harry.’
He smiled. ‘You’ve forgiven me then. You called me Harry.’
‘There was nothing to forgive,’ she murmured as the coachman leapt from his box to open the carriage door. ‘We are friends.’
‘Yes, we are.’
As she climbed into the carriage she found that Josie was either asleep or pretending to be, but Molly moved up to make room for her. ‘Isn’t this exciting, Kate? I’ve never been further than Dorchester in my whole life.’
‘Yes, Molly. It’s very exciting.’
Harry climbed into the carriage and sat down next to Josie. ‘Drive on when you’re ready, Sweatman.’
‘Yes, sir.’ The coachman folded the steps and closed the carriage door. Moments later they were on their way.
Harry settled back, giving Kate a reassuring smile. ‘I’m certain that John will be delighted to have some feminine company other than the redoubtable Mrs Trevett. I sent Charlie on ahead to warn him of our coming.’
Kate nodded her head, unable to find words to express the emotions which raged in her breast. She cast an anxious glance at Josie, who had opened her eyes and was staring moodily out of the window.
Harry frowned. ‘Are you all right, Josie?’
‘Leave me alone,’ she muttered. ‘Perhaps I should have gone with my people after all.’
Kate reached out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Dena knows best, Josie. She was convinced that we would hear good news about Sam, and if you believe in the Romany power of foreseeing the future, then you must trust her.’
Josie turned her head away. ‘I think he’s dead, and I wish I was too.’
‘You mustn’t give way,’ Harry said gruffly. ‘I’ll do everything in my power to find out if he survived the shipwreck. I leave for Guernsey first thing in the morning.’
‘All hands were lost.’ Josie closed her eyes with a deep sigh. ‘But I suppose there might still be hope.’
‘Dena gave her something to calm her,’ Kate said, smiling. ‘She said it would give her ease for a while at least and that it would make her sleep.’
Harry tucked a travelling rug around Josie. ‘I was impressed with Dena. She seems like a very sensible woman, unlike her scatterbrain daughter. I think Josie has inherited some of her wildness from her father, although everyone will always blame her gypsy blood.’
Kate relaxed against the padded leather squabs. The luxurious interior of the carriage cocooned them against the outside world, and she found herself wishing that the journey would go on forever, but it seemed no time at all before they arrived at their destination. A velvety dusk was enveloping the countryside as they drew up outside the vicarage. The front door opened spilling a beam of friendly light onto the garden path as John Hardy came hurrying to greet them. ‘You made good time. Charlie and I thought you might be much later.’ He held out his hand to help Kate alight.
‘It’s good of you to put us up at such short notice, John.’
‘It’s a pleasure to see you again, Kate.’ He glanced over her shoulder at Josie’s prostrate figure. ‘Is she all right?’
Molly clambered stiffly from the carriage. ‘She’s been sleeping like a baby, your reverence. The gypsy queen gave her a potion.’
Kate could see that Mrs Trevett was less than impressed. She frowned at Molly, shaking her head. ‘The least said about that the better,’ she said in a low voice.
Harry lifted Josie from the carriage. ‘She’s drugged,’ he said, ignoring Mrs Trevett’s disapproving sniff. ‘Her mother, the Romany woman, concocted a sleeping draught to calm her. The poor girl has suffered a terrible loss and she needs rest and quiet. I knew that she would find it here with you.’
‘Gypsy spells and potions,’ Mrs Trevett said icily. ‘No good will come of this, your reverence. I always suspected there was something not quite right about that young person.’
John frowned. ‘We won’t have any of that talk, thank you, Mrs Trevett. Miss Damerell is a lady and a guest in my house. She will be treated with respect, or I will want to know the reason why.’
Mrs Trevett turned on her heel and marched back into the house.
‘It seems as though we’ve been here before,’ John said, smiling as he ushered Kate into the house.
‘Last time it was Josie’s ankle. This time I fear it is a broken heart, and that will take a lot longer to mend,’ Kate replied sadly.
Mrs Trevett sent Molly off with Hester and she addressed herself to Harry. ‘If you would follow me, please, sir? It would be best to take the young person straight to her room.’ She headed towards the staircase and Harry followed her, carrying Josie who was still heavily sedated.
John helped Kate off with her mantle. ‘Charlie told me as much as he knew of her story,’ he said softly. ‘It seems that the poor child has had much to bear.’
‘I’m sure she will tell you everything when she feels able. I’m most grateful to you for taking us in.’
‘It’s the least I could do in the circumstances. I am very fond of Josie and you too, of course. You are both most welcome to stay for as long as you please.’
‘I love this house,’ Kate said, smiling. ‘It feels like coming home.’ She looked up as Harry appeared at the top of the stairs, and her heart swelled with love at the mere sight of him.
‘Should I send for the doctor, Harry,’ John asked anxiously.
‘Perhaps you should wait and see how she is in the morning. She’s sleeping soundly at the moment. Whatever was in that potion was very potent.’
‘Then we’ll wait until tomorrow. Will you stay and have supper with us?’
‘Thank you, no. I must get back to Copperstone. I have paperwork to go through and I’ll have to leave early tomorrow morning. I promised Josie that I would initiate enquiries about Sam Loveday.’ He turned to Kate, taking her hand in his. ‘If he is alive, I’ll find him.’
Looking into his eyes, Kate felt something pass between them that sent her spirit soaring towards the heavens. She could scarcely breathe. As his fingers curle
d around her hand, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze, it seemed as though they were the only two people on the planet. She saw herself reflected in his eyes and it was as though their two souls met and united. She knew in that split second that her love for him was reciprocated and she wanted to cry out for joy. But it was a fleeting moment and when it had passed, she was not certain whether or not she had imagined it. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘I’ll return as soon as possible, and I hope I may have good news for you. Goodnight, my dear Kate.’
He was gone. The candle flames guttered in the draught from the open door, burning brightly again as soon as it closed, but it felt to Kate that darkness enveloped her soul, and she had to stop herself from running to the door and calling him back. John placed his hand beneath her elbow and she realised that he was speaking to her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured. ‘What did you say?’
‘I simply suggested that you come into the drawing room and rest until supper is ready, my dear.’
‘Thank you for being so understanding, but if you don’t mind I would rather go to my room.’
‘Of course,’ he said, nodding. ‘You must be exhausted. I’ll ask Mrs Trevett to send up some supper on a tray.’
‘You are a very kind man,’ Kate said with feeling. ‘I feel as if I’ve known you all my life.’
‘And I you, my dear Kate. Mrs Trevett has prepared your old room for you. Can you find your way?’
She smiled. ‘I’m sure I could find it blindfolded.’
‘Goodnight then, my dear. I’ll see you at breakfast.’
‘Goodnight, John.’ Kate made her way slowly up the gently curving staircase.
As she opened the door to her room she was welcomed by a waft of perfume. Moonlight poured in through the open window and she realised that the scent came from the sweet eglantine rose that clambered up the outside wall. She lit a candle but it guttered in the breeze and she set it down on the washstand, away from the draught. Its flame lengthened and seemed to grow brighter, illuminating the portrait of the young woman hanging from the picture rail. Tired and emotionally drained, Kate found herself staring at the youthful face with the large wistful blue eyes, but it was the left hand of the lady that caught her eye. In particular it was the emerald and diamond ring in the unusual heart shape that fixed her attention. She glanced down at her right hand, where she now wore her mother’s engagement ring, and gasped in amazement.
She stood for a moment in a state of shock and disbelief. Surely it must be a coincidence, and yet she had felt a strange affinity with the portrait from the first moment she had seen it. She reached out and traced the outline of the girl’s rounded cheek, and the tender lips that smiled gently at her as if acknowledging the inescapable truth. She took a step backwards, shaking her head. Could it be that the answer had been here all the time? Had some strange quirk of fate brought her to this house? There was only one person who might be able to answer those questions.
She left the quiet serenity of her room and ran downstairs. There was no sign of John in the drawing room or the morning parlour and she went next to his study. She knocked on the door, entering without waiting for a response. This was not the time to stand on ceremony. It was as though her whole life depended on what happened in the next few minutes.
He was seated at his desk poring over some papers, but he looked up as she burst into the room. ‘Kate, my dear. Is something wrong?’
She held out her right hand. ‘Take a good look at this ring. Have you ever seen it before?’
Chapter Twenty-five
JOHN ROSE SLOWLY to his feet. ‘It certainly looks familiar. How did this piece of jewellery come into your possession?’
The mere fact that he seemed to recognise the ring was enough to send her senses whirling. She was not certain what she had expected him to say, but now she felt dizzy with expectation. ‘I – it’s a long story,’ she murmured.
He guided her to a nearby chair. ‘Sit down, my dear. You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.’
‘Perhaps I have, John.’ She stared down at the emerald surrounded by tiny diamonds. ‘The portrait in my room.’ She held her hand towards him. ‘It’s the same ring.’
He perched on the edge of his desk, peering at her through the thick lenses of his spectacles. ‘It looks quite similar. But you haven’t answered my question. Where did you get it?’
‘Did Harry tell you about Josie and the Romany queen?’
He nodded. ‘Briefly, but Charlie had already told me as much of the story as he knew. My heart aches for the poor girl, and I can see that you are also very troubled.’
‘It was the Romany queen who gave me the ring.’ Kate hesitated, feeling suddenly faint. ‘May I have a glass of water?’
‘Of course.’ He reached across the desk to tug at the bell pull. ‘Take your time, Kate. Tell me everything.’
Once she had begun the words came flooding out. She told him everything she knew about herself and how her past and Josie’s had been intertwined from birth. He listened intently and when she had finished speaking he took both her hands in his. ‘I can’t be absolutely certain, but I would say that this ring is identical to the engagement ring that Alexander Carstairs gave to my sister Clara on her eighteenth birthday. It was a family heirloom, commissioned for his grandmother from Rundell and Bridge. There are unlikely to be two the same.’
‘The Romany queen told me that my father was named Alexander, and that he was killed in the Crimea. Surely that can’t be a coincidence?’
John stroked his chin, frowning. ‘And your name is Kate, presumably short for Katherine?’
‘My mother’s dying wish was that I be named after her mother.’
‘My mother was also called Katherine. But my poor Clara died in a sanatorium in Switzerland. She couldn’t have borne a child, and yet …’ His eyes searched Kate’s face. ‘I always felt a fondness for you, Kate, but I …’ He broke off, turning his head away.
Touched beyond measure, Kate was close to tears. ‘I want it to be true, but it would be impossible to prove one way or the other.’
He met her anxious gaze with a steady look. ‘I was a blind fool not to have seen it before, Kate. The resemblance between you and Clara is marked. The old saying that blood is thicker than water is certainly true in this case. My dear girl, I can’t tell you how happy you’ve just made me.’ He knelt beside her, raising her hand to his cheek and smiling.
‘I c-can’t believe it,’ Kate murmured. ‘I always thought I was Robert Coggins’ daughter, and when that woman turned him against me I was so deeply hurt, but now I understand him a little better. He loved me as much as he was able – his cuckoo in the nest.’
Just at that moment, Mrs Trevett marched into the room and stopped short when she saw them, clearing her throat loudly. ‘You rang, sir?’ Her voice vibrated with disapproval.
John rose somewhat unsteadily to his feet. ‘Yes, Mary. I was going to ask you to bring a glass of water for Miss Coggins, but perhaps I should change that to champagne.’
‘You’re pleased to make a joke of things, your reverence. But supper is served in the morning parlour. Will the young person be joining you after all?’
‘Yes, Mary. Thank you.’
‘Very good, sir. I’ll tell Hester to lay another place.’ Mrs Trevett sniffed and turned on her heel, every inch of her body quivering with affront as she left the room.
Kate stifled a giggle. ‘Oh, dear. Whatever will she think?’
‘The worst, I’m afraid, but it doesn’t matter, Kate. She’ll understand when we reveal the truth of the matter.’
‘Perhaps it would be better to keep it to ourselves, at least until Josie is more herself?’
‘I agree. Moreover, I want to take you to meet my elder brother, Sir Philip Hardy and his wife, Marjorie. They live on the family estate near Wareham. If anyone can shed a light on what happened to poor Clara, I have a feeling my brother will be that person.’
Kate glanced down at her shab
by, much-darned gown. ‘I can’t go anywhere like this.’ She frowned as the practicalities of their situation became clear to her. ‘Josie has only the clothes she is wearing. She left everything behind when she ran away to join the gypsies.’
‘Don’t worry, my dear. I may not have had the advantage of being a married man, but I realised last night that you travelled very light. Harry told me that he planned to visit Damerell Manor to tell the family that Josie was safe and well, and I suggested that he might ask the Dowager Lady Damerell to instruct a servant to pack a few things and send them here.’
‘You think of everything, John.’
‘It comes with the job, Kate. A country parson has to deal not only in the spiritual side of things but also in the practical.’
First thing next morning Smith, the coachman from Damerell Manor, arrived bringing with him a large brass-bound cabin trunk filled with Josie’s belongings. It took the combined efforts of Hester, Mrs Trevett and the stable boy to heave, push and pull it upstairs to Kate’s room. Since Josie declared no interest in what she would wear that day or any other until Sam returned from the dead, Kate unpacked the garments and put them away in the antique clothes press which stood in the corner of her own room. She set aside one of Josie’s less ornate gowns in a fresh cotton print, but when she asked if she might borrow it Josie turned her face away telling her she could have the whole lot if only she would leave her to mourn in peace. Kate’s patience was tested to the limit. She felt like shaking Josie and telling her to pull herself together but instead she walked away, leaving her to wallow in self pity.
John had sent for Dr Drage, and when he finally came, explaining that he had been attending an urgent case, he examined Josie, agreeing that a mild sedative was probably the most efficacious form of treatment for her at this particular time. He sniffed the bottle of elixir that Dena had made up and tasted it, nodding his head. ‘This herbal brew won’t harm her, and if it is doing her good I see no reason to prescribe laudanum, which can become quite addictive in this type of case.’
