by Dilly Court
Caroline tried to think positive thoughts, focusing her mind on Max and Jimmy and willing them to survive, while Phineas steered the boat expertly through the busy river traffic. The steam-powered engine battled valiantly against the ebb tide and they had almost reached the newly built Albert Bridge when Rose called out, pointing frantically. Caroline turned her head and saw the unmistakable shape of an upturned rowing boat, stranded above the high-water mark on the south side of the river.
Sadie stood up, causing the craft to rock dangerously and Phineas ordered her to sit down. Caroline had expected an argument, but Sadie subsided onto the wooden seat, clamping her hands over her mouth. It was an agonising few minutes before they reached the rickety wooden jetty. Rose leaped ashore like a young gazelle and Caroline followed more cautiously with Sadie clutching her sleeve. Phineas made the boat safe before joining them on the muddy foreshore.
‘There’s no sign of them. Where could they be?’ Sadie looked round, pale faced and desperate.
Caroline bit her lip to prevent herself from crying. The hull of the boat was a stark reminder that the deceptively calm waters were deep and dangerous with hidden currents.
Phineas laid a hand on her shoulder. ‘I don’t know how this happened, but the structure isn’t damaged, so it doesn’t look as though they were involved in an accident.’ He turned to Rose. ‘Who reported seeing this?’
She shook her head. ‘I dunno who he was, guv. A boy come running into the office downriver and told my pa. He got tuppence for his trouble.’
‘Did he say he’d seen anyone near the boat?’ Phineas asked gently. ‘Can you remember anything else he said?’
‘No, sir. He were a bit of a simpleton, if you ask me. He had big sticking-out teeth and ears. My gran would have said that only a mother could love a face like that.’
Rose’s words brought a reluctant smile to Caroline’s face and she could see that Phineas was also amused, although he managed to keep a straight face. ‘Thank you, but if you think of anything, please tell one of us.’
Caroline turned away. ‘If they made it to the shore they can’t be too far away. Can they?’
Phineas shrugged. ‘It depends how long the boat was in the water and how far upstream it was when it capsized.’ He glanced over the hedge. ‘That’s Battersea Park. It might be worth making enquiries to see if anyone has seen them.’
‘They’re drowned,’ Sadie said dully. ‘Otherwise they’d be here, or making their way home.’
‘Or in the dead house,’ Rose added. ‘My gran told me about them. They stack the corpses on shelves like wet fish and wait for someone to claim the bodies.’
Sadie gave her a withering look. ‘Your gran has a lot to say for herself, young lady.’
‘I suggest we take a quick look in the park,’ Caroline said hastily. ‘We can’t search the whole river.’
‘I agree. We should split up and meet back here, but we can’t take too long or the fire will have gone out in the boiler and it takes a devil of a long time to get up steam.’ Phineas headed for a break in the hedge, leaving the others little option other than to follow him.
Caroline and Rose walked the twisting paths, stopping anyone they saw to make enquiries, but Sadie ran on ahead, shouting Laurence’s name at the top of her voice, and Phineas strode off in the opposite direction. All too soon Caroline realised that there were no witnesses and they were wasting time. Phineas gathered them together and, hot, tired and dispirited, they made their way back to the boat.
‘We can’t give up yet,’ Sadie said tearfully.
‘We could search all day and still be in the wrong place.’ Phineas untied the painter and climbed on board. ‘We’ll take Rose back to her father and I’ll make sure that the authorities are alerted. We can do no more than that.’
Caroline pressed Sadie down on the seat. ‘We’ll find them. Max and Jimmy are strong swimmers and I’m sure that Laurence will have made sure they were all safe.’
Sadie nodded dully. ‘Maybe they’ll be waiting at home.’
Caroline glanced at Phineas, hoping he might agree, but he was focused on getting the engine back to full throttle.
Rose had been reluctant to go ashore and Caroline suspected that she had enjoyed the adventure, but Phineas delivered her safely to her father and returned to the launch looking even more serious than before.
‘No news, I’m afraid, but Rose’s father has reported the matter to the Thames River Police.’
‘Is there nothing else we can do?’ Caroline asked anxiously.
‘If anyone comes forward with information we’ll be notified.’ Phineas resumed his position at the helm. ‘Who knows? They might be at home waiting for you.’
Despite his optimism, it was a largely silent journey back to Wapping. When they disembarked Phineas helped Caroline ashore, holding her hand in a firm clasp. ‘They will be found,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Don’t give up.’
She met his unsmiling gaze with a nod. ‘I won’t.’
‘We need to talk business, but this isn’t a good time.’
‘I agree.’ Caroline glanced at Sadie, who was standing on the wharf, staring into the water. ‘I’d better take her home. I’ll stay with her until we have news, but I don’t want my mother to hear about this, at least not yet. I won’t tell her what’s happened unless it’s absolutely necessary.’
He raised her hand to his lips. ‘The weather was good. There haven’t been any reports of an accident upriver, so there’s every reason to hope for the best.’
Caroline was about to withdraw her hand but he tightened his grasp. ‘I just wanted to say that you mustn’t worry about the company. As far as I’m concerned you are a Colville, whether you like it or not. That makes you one of us and entitled to your fair share of everything.’
She snatched her hand away, raising it to her cheek. ‘I can’t think about that now.’
‘I understand. What I’m saying is that you are assured of an income. A cargo will be found for your ship, but nothing will be done without your approval.’
‘Thank you.’ She hesitated, frowning as the memory of Grace’s confession came back to her. ‘I need to see Maria.’
‘Your sister is safe in Princes Square with Gilbert dancing attendance. He’s on leave until the Esther Manning is ready to sail, and another day isn’t going to make any difference. You need to rest.’
‘Why are you being so kind?’ Caroline demanded. ‘I don’t think I know this Phineas Colville.’
‘I’m not all bad, Caroline. Maybe if you get to know me better you might begin to like me.’
‘Sadie is waiting for me. I must go.’ Caroline hurried after Sadie, who had set off at a brisk pace, and was breaking into a run.
‘They might be at home,’ she muttered breathlessly when Caroline caught up with her. ‘I must start supper anyway. They’ll be hungry. Maybe I’ll have time to bake. Laurence and the boys love my gingerbread, or I might make a chocolate cake.’
Caroline could not resist the temptation to glance over her shoulder, and, as she had half hoped, Phineas was standing very still, staring after her.
The Captain’s House was filled with the aroma of baking. Sadie had thrown herself into a cooking frenzy as if, by doing so, she could tempt Laurence and the boys to return home. A large pan of beef stew simmered on the hob, the cake was in the oven and bread dough was set aside to prove. Caroline had given up her attempts to comfort Sadie and, as her offer to help had been rebuffed, she made her way up to the attic and stepped out onto the balcony. It was early evening, but the heat was still intense. It radiated out of the bricks and the cobblestones, and the breeze that followed the incoming tide fanned her cheeks with unusual warmth. She had visited the Thames River Police station and had left her name and address with the desk sergeant, but there was still no news of Laurence and the boys. She felt a presence in the room behind her, but a quick glance over her shoulder revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps the shadows were a little deeper, or
it might be that her imagination was playing tricks on her – or, maybe, the old captain was as anxious as she herself. The sun was low in the sky, and midsummer’s eve was a distant memory; summer was almost over and soon it would be autumn.
She felt a shiver run down her spine and she sighed. The events of the day had left her exhausted both mentally and physically. She had discovered a sister, but she might have lost her much-loved brothers. She closed her eyes and prayed silently for their safe return. Then, as if by a miracle, she heard Jimmy’s unmistakable voice calling her name, followed by a chorus of shouts. She opened her eyes and leaned over the railing. Down below, on the muddy foreshore, she saw a rowing boat crammed with people. Jimmy was waving frantically and then she spotted Rose, who leaped out first, followed by Jimmy and then Max – she did not wait to see more. Picking up her skirts she raced downstairs, calling out to Sadie as she wrenched the front door open. Jimmy arrived first, throwing himself into her arms, followed by Max. Two small boys followed, accompanied by Laurence, and Rose hovered at the foot of the steps, gazing up at them with a huge grin on her face.
‘Come in, everyone.’ Caroline had to shout to make herself heard. She beckoned frantically to Rose and the tall, thin man she had seen at the boatyard, who must be Rose’s father.
Sadie was hugging Laurence with tears running down her cheeks and the small entrance hall was crowded with people, large and small, hugging, crying and laughing.
‘Come inside, please.’ Caroline shooed the boys into the kitchen. She held out her hand to Rose’s father. ‘Thank you for bringing them home, Mr …? I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’
He shook her hand. ‘Ted Munday, miss.’
‘I’m Caroline Manning. Do come into the kitchen, Mr Munday. You must need a rest after rowing all the way from Chelsea.’
‘I’m used to it, Miss Manning.’
‘My pa is a champion rower, miss,’ Rose said proudly.
Sadie released Laurence, wiping her eyes on her pinafore. ‘I don’t know how you did it, sir, but you’ve brought my intended home. I thought I was widowed before I was a bride.’
Laurence patted her on the shoulder. ‘There, there, Sadie. It wasn’t as bad as that.’
‘Maybe not for you.’ Sadie slapped him on the arm. ‘We were worried sick, weren’t we, Carrie?’
‘Yes, we were. Anyway, why are we standing here? You must all be hungry and Sadie has made enough stew to feed an army. There’s chocolate cake to follow.’
‘I must have known it was going to be all right,’ Sadie said happily. She hurried off in the direction of the kitchen, dragging Laurence by the hand. ‘Don’t ever give me a fright like that again, Laurence Bromley.’
‘I really should be getting home.’ Ted Munday held his hand out to his daughter. ‘Come on, Rosie. We don’t want to keep these good folk from their supper.’ He grinned ruefully. ‘It does smell good.’
‘I’m hungry, Pa,’ Rose protested. ‘We only got bread and a heel of cheese for supper.’
‘Hush, Rosie. You don’t tell people things like that.’
‘Please join us,’ Caroline said, smiling. ‘We owe you that at least for bringing the boys home safely. I can’t thank you enough.’
‘Well, if you’re sure.’
‘She’s sure, Pa.’ Rose tugged at his hand. ‘Follow the pretty lady, Pa, or those boys will have scoffed the lot.’
Food came first. It was obvious that Laurence and the boys were famished, as were Ted and Rose. The stew vanished like summer lightning, mopped up with bread still warm from the oven. The cake disappeared almost as quickly, although it seemed that bellies large and small were stretched almost to capacity as the boys licked the last delicious crumbs from their sticky fingers.
‘That was the best cake I’ve ever tasted.’ Ted beamed at Sadie. ‘Thank you, Miss Dixon. I haven’t eaten a meal like that since my wife passed away four years ago.’
‘I’m glad you enjoyed it,’ Sadie said briskly. She turned to Laurence, who was pouring boiling water into the teapot. ‘Now that we’ve finished our meal, I want to know what happened and why we’ve been left to worry all day.’
He placed the teapot on the table and sat down. ‘I’m not quite sure how it happened, Sadie. One minute we were fishing happily …’
‘And then a paddle steamer came downriver,’ Max added without giving Laurence a chance to finish. ‘I don’t think the captain saw us because we were partly hidden by a weeping willow.’
‘That’s just about it,’ Laurence said, nodding. ‘We were caught in the wash and I was standing in the bows. I overbalanced and fell in and the boys tried to pull me on board, but our combined weight and the turbulence left by the paddle steamer, caused the boat to turn turtle.’
‘We had to swim for the bank.’ Jimmy wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. ‘Can I have another slice of cake, please?’
‘It’s “May I have another slice of cake, please?”’ Laurence said severely. ‘You know that, Jimmy.’
The two young boarders sniggered, but were quelled by a warning look from Sadie. She cut the last slice of cake into four, handing the boys a piece each. ‘That’s enough for tonight,’ she said severely.
Caroline smiled at the two small boys. ‘It’s Billy and David, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, miss,’ they chorused.
‘It’s lucky that both of you could swim.’
‘I can,’ Billy said proudly. ‘But David never learned. Mr Bromley helped us to the bank.’
‘The river currents can be dangerous in that stretch.’ Ted accepted a cup of tea. ‘You did well to get the lads ashore, sir.’
‘What happened then?’ Caroline asked eagerly. ‘Was there anyone around to help you?’
Laurence shook his head. ‘No, we were soaked to the skin and the tide took the boat downstream. We had to walk, which is why it took so long to get to Ted’s yard. I had to let him know what happened to his boat.’
‘The bailers will come in now, for sure,’ Rose said, sighing. ‘The bailers take everything you’ve got. Pa said so.’
Ted frowned at her, shaking his head. ‘You mean “the bailiffs”.’ He glanced round the table, his face flushing beneath his tan. ‘It’s not quite as bad as that, but business has been poor recently.’
‘Pa used to go to sea,’ Rose said proudly. ‘He sailed in big ships, like the ones out there on the river.’
Sadie took a sip of tea, eyeing Ted curiously. ‘Did you have a fancy for life ashore?’
‘My wife took sick and passed away.’ Ted stared down into his cup. ‘There was nobody to care for my little girl.’
‘I ain’t so little now, Pa,’ Rose said, puffing out her chest. ‘I can handle a boat better than them boys.’
Caroline could see that Jimmy was about to argue. ‘You’ve done a wonderful job of raising your daughter, Ted. She’s a credit to you.’
‘And it’s high time she was tucked up in bed. Thank you for the wonderful meal.’ Ted pushed his chair back and stood up. ‘We’re going home, Rosie.’
‘We must do something to pay for the loss of your boat,’ Laurence said hastily. ‘But I’m afraid you might have to wait while we raise the money.’
‘I’ll salvage it as best I can, sir. Anyway, it’s not the first time it’s happened. That’s the trouble when you let people take boats on the water who aren’t used to the river, present company excepted, of course,’ Ted added. ‘You were just unlucky.’
‘I’ll see you out, Ted.’ Caroline followed him to the door with Rose clutching her hand. She bent down and dropped a kiss on the child’s coppery curls. ‘You did well today, Rose. Thank you.’
‘Good night, miss.’ Ted held his hand out to his daughter. ‘Let’s get going, love.’
Caroline watched father and daughter as they made their way down the front steps and she had a sudden idea. She hurried after them. ‘I’m part owner of the Esther Manning. If you should decide to return to sea, I’m sure we could find room for a m
an of your experience.’
Ted’s lined features creased into a grin. ‘I worked for your rivals, miss. I started as a seaman on the Colville Star when I was little more than a boy – worked my way up to third mate. But I won’t leave my girl. She’s more important to me than money.’
‘If you change your mind you know where to come, Ted.’ Caroline shook his hand. ‘Good luck.’ She retraced her steps and found Sadie standing over Billy and David as they washed their hands and faces at the kitchen sink.
‘That’s the last time I let you take these children fishing, Laurence Bromley.’ Sadie shot a sideways glance at Laurence. ‘It’ll take me days to get their clothes washed and dried. They stink of river mud.’
Laurence smiled vaguely. ‘It was a lesson well learned. I’ll keep clear of willow trees if I take a boat upriver again.’
‘You’ll stay on land from now on.’ Sadie glared at him, arms akimbo. ‘You scared me half to death.’
‘I’m going outside to smoke my pipe, dear.’ Laurence stood up, stretched and strolled out of the kitchen.
Sadie shook her head. ‘Men! They’re all the same and we women get stuck with all the work.’ She scrubbed David’s face with a coarse towel. ‘That’ll do. Take your brother upstairs, Billy. I’ll come up and tuck you in later.’ She advanced on Jimmy, brandishing a flannel, but he snatched it from her.
‘I can wash myself, thank you, Sadie.’ He went to the sink and splashed about in the water.
‘I’ll bet they have a proper bathroom at Bearwood House,’ Max said, backing away. ‘Don’t come near me with that wet flannel. I’d rather go to the public bath house.’
‘You’re a spoiled boy. You wouldn’t last five minutes in the goldfields,’ Sadie said scornfully. ‘Your mama could tell you some stories of the privations we suffered in Ballarat.’
Max yawned. ‘I’ve heard it all before, Sadie. You can give the flannel to Jimmy, because I’m going outside to sit with Laurence. At least he treats me like a man.’
