by Dilly Court
‘You’re still a baby to me,’ Sadie called after him.
‘He’s nearly fifteen,’ Caroline said, chuckling. ‘He’s growing up fast.’
Sadie inspected Jimmy’s neck, checking behind his ears. ‘You’ll do,’ she said briskly. ‘Up to bed with you and no larking around.’ She gave him a brief hug and a gentle push towards the door. ‘You can go to the baths with your brother tomorrow, if you want to.’ She waited until he was out of earshot. ‘I’m going to take their smelly clothes to Mrs Spriggs, the laundress, despite the cost.’
Caroline picked up a pile of dirty crockery and placed it on the wooden draining board. ‘What happened today has made me think, Sadie. I wasn’t going to tell Mama, but she needs to know. It’s time she stopped moping about and thought of her children.’
Sadie was silent for a moment and then she nodded. ‘You’re right. It’s not like Essie to give in when things don’t go to plan. When I think back to our time in the goldfields, and how she was then, it’s as if I’m seeing a different person. She’s allowed you to shoulder everything to do with the business and she’s left me to look after the boys.’
‘You’re right, and it’s got to stop. I’ll go to Bearwood House tomorrow and see if I can talk sense into her. If I can’t, I think I know who can.’
Sadie met Caroline’s gaze with a knowing grin. ‘Raven.’
‘Exactly. I saw how she reacted when he took her by surprise, and I think he’s still in love with her. If anyone can bring her back to the real world, it will be Raven Dorincourt.’ Caroline turned her head to see Max standing in the doorway and for a moment she thought he might have overheard all or part of their conversation, but he was breathing heavily as though he had been running. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked anxiously.
‘What was the name of Raven’s ship? Was it the Bendigo Queen? I think it’s just arrived at the moorings.’
‘Yes, I think so.’ Caroline hurried to his side. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I took a look through the captain’s telescope in the front parlour. A lighter is on its way to her, so maybe I’ll meet our grandpa at last.’
Chapter Twenty-Three
The sky was livid with streaks of scarlet and purple, and clouds that were tinged a fiery orange by the setting sun. The river seemed to boil with reflected colours like a witch’s cauldron as the lighter picked up its passengers and returned to the wharf. Caroline and the boys waited eagerly at the top of the steps with Sadie and Laurence close behind them.
Caroline peered into the gathering dusk, and, as the boat drew near, she could see her grandfather and Falco. She pointed excitedly. ‘There you are, Max. Your wish is granted. The older man is our grandfather, and the one with the brass buttons on his jacket is Captain Falco.’
Max turned to her with a broad grin. ‘That’s what I want to do, Carrie. I want to go to sea like Grandpa and Uncle George, or maybe I’ll join the army. I haven’t quite decided.’
‘I like the water, but I don’t want to go to sea,’ Jimmy said thoughtfully. ‘Maybe I’ll be a lighterman so that I can come home every night and sleep in my own bed.’
Caroline ruffled his hair. ‘That sounds like a much better idea.’
They waited impatiently and minutes later the lighter came alongside and Jacob Chapman climbed ashore, followed by Falco.
‘Grandpa,’ Caroline held out her hand. ‘Welcome home.’
Jacob enveloped her in a hug. ‘I didn’t expect to find you waiting for me, duck.’ He released her, staring up at Max. ‘Am I to assume that this tall fellow is one of my grandsons?’
Max grabbed his grandfather’s hand and pumped his arm enthusiastically. ‘I’m Max, sir. I’m nearly fifteen.’
‘And tall for your age, I think,’ Falco said, smiling. ‘A handsome fellow, Jacob. You should be proud.’
‘Indeed I am.’ Jacob patted Max on the shoulder. ‘A good, firm handshake, my boy.’ He turned his attention to Jimmy, who was standing close to Caroline, apparently overcome by shyness. ‘And this must be young James. How d’you do, Jim?’
Jimmy eyed him warily. ‘How do you do, sir?’
‘Tolerably well, thank you, my boy. And, if I’m not mistaken, that’s young Sadie lurking in the background.’ He made his way across the cobblestones with a rolling gait, as if he were still on board ship. ‘Give an old man a big hug, Sadie, love.’
‘You never change, Jacob.’ Sadie obliged, but pulled away quickly. ‘I want you to meet my intended, Laurence Bromley.’ She gave Laurence a gentle shove. ‘He knows all about you, Jacob, and you, too, Falco. I’m sure he feels as if he’s known you all his life.’
‘She’s a good girl,’ Jacob said, glowering at Laurence. ‘I hope you’ll look after her as she deserves.’
‘I’ll do my very best, sir.’
Jacob glanced over his shoulder. ‘Where is Essie?’
‘Mama is staying with Lady Alice – for the time being, anyway.’ Caroline mounted the bottom step, holding out her hand. ‘Come inside. I’ll tell you everything that’s happened since I last saw you, and tomorrow we’ll go to Bearwood House.’
Caroline’s first mission next morning was to walk to Princes Square. It was still early and, if Mrs Morecroft was surprised to see her, she disguised her feelings with a welcoming smile.
‘It’s good to see you, miss. Come in, please.’
Caroline stepped over the threshold. ‘I know it’s early but I wanted to see Miss Maria.’
‘She is in the dining room, but the master has already left for the office.’ Mrs Morecroft shot her a calculating look. ‘You might catch him there should you wish to see him.’
‘My business is with Maria.’ Caroline could see that Mrs Morecroft was curious, but some things were best kept within the family circle. ‘I didn’t have time for breakfast,’ she added in an attempt to divert the housekeeper’s attention. ‘I would love a cup of your excellent coffee.’
Mrs Morecroft beamed at her. ‘Of course, miss. I’ll bring a fresh pot and some toast.’ She bustled off in the direction of the kitchen, leaving Caroline free to enter the dining room where she found Maria finishing off a slice of toast and marmalade.
‘Carrie. This is a nice surprise.’ Maria dabbed her lips on a napkin. ‘What brings you here so early in the morning?’
Caroline pulled up a chair, laid her shawl over the back and sat down. She had rushed here without giving a thought to how she would break the news to an unsuspecting Maria, but now they were face to face she was suddenly at a loss for words. ‘I have something to tell you,’ she said nervously.
‘Is it bad news? Has Elias done something dreadful?’
‘As far as I know your mother is safe at the Abbey with Freddie. Jenifry and Dickon have been sent packing and Elias was carted off by the police, but you know this already. Phineas will have told you.’
‘Yes, he did, and I was glad.’ Maria eyed her steadily. ‘But what else is there to say?’
‘Grace told us something important, and she wanted me to pass it on to you.’
‘She gave you a name?’
‘We share the same father.’
Mrs Morecroft chose that moment to breeze into the room with a pot of coffee and a silver rack filled with daintily sliced toast. She placed them on the table. ‘Is everything all right, Miss Maria? You’re very pale.’
Maria gazed at Caroline, her stunned expression replaced by a dazzling smile. ‘We’re sisters, Carrie. We really are sisters – I knew it from the start.’
Mrs Morecroft folded her arms, looking from one to the other. ‘Might I ask how this came about?’
Maria leaped to her feet and danced Mrs Morecroft around the table. ‘I’ve just found out that Caroline’s father is my father, too. Isn’t it wonderful?’
‘Stop, stop. You’re making me dizzy.’
Maria released her with a hug. ‘I’m going to Pier House to tell Grandmama that I have a proper family – people who truly care for me.’
�
��Phineas loves you,’ Caroline protested. ‘He has stood by you throughout, don’t forget that.’
‘Yes, of course, but now I can hold my head up. From this moment on, I refuse to allow my grandmother to make me feel inferior, or to mock me because I didn’t know who my father was. My parents might not have been married, but I’m certain they must have loved each other. Don’t you think so, Carrie?’
Caroline was torn between loyalty to her father’s good name, her mother’s tender feelings and the desire to make Maria happy. ‘Your mother loved my father, she said so.’
‘Are you feeling all right, Miss Maria?’ Mrs Morecroft asked anxiously. ‘Should I send for the doctor?’
‘I’ve never felt better.’ Maria sank down on a chair beside Caroline. ‘Will you come to Pier House with me, dear sister?’
Caroline was about to refuse on the grounds that she had promised to take her grandfather to visit Lady Alice’s mansion in Piccadilly, but Maria was so excited that she had not the heart to disappoint her. ‘Of course I will.’
‘But not until you’ve had breakfast,’ Mrs Morecroft said severely. ‘I can’t abide wasting good food, and you need some meat on your bones, Miss Caroline. You’ll forgive me for saying so, but now you’re part of the family I consider it my duty to take care of you, too.’
‘I’ll go upstairs and put on my best gown.’ Maria rushed to the door. ‘You must do as Moffie says, because we’re family.’
‘Family!’ Clarissa Colville’s voice rose to a shriek that made the crystal chandeliers tinkle like fairy bells. She rose to her feet. ‘You are the bastard daughter of a slut, Maria Colville.’ She turned her malefic gaze on Caroline. ‘And your father was a despoiler of an innocent young woman, and you should be ashamed of him.’
‘Have you no heart, Grandmama?’ Maria cried passionately. ‘Have you no feeling at all for the terrible price that my mother paid in order to prevent the family name from being sullied by her disgrace?’
‘I have a heart, but it was broken by my elder daughter – shattered into a million tiny shards. Clarice is a weakling and my beloved son Everard died young. Now Phineas spends so little time at home that I hardly see him. I am alone.’
Caroline had been sitting in silence, keeping her temper in check, but this was too much. She stood up, placing her arm around Maria’s shoulders. ‘You are an evil old woman, Mrs Colville. You are cruel and unfeeling, and, if you are lonely perhaps you should ask yourself why people shun you. Grace is a brave woman and Maria is a loving daughter. I’m proud to call her my sister.’
Mrs Colville’s thin lips curled into a snarl. ‘You are your father’s daughter, Miss Manning. I heard that you’ve wheedled your way into my grandson’s good books, and who could blame a fortune-hunting little trollop for trying to get her hooks into one of the wealthiest men in London?’
‘That is a lie,’ Caroline snapped. ‘Phineas and I have a business relationship and there it ends.’
‘I don’t believe a word you say.’ Mrs Colville leaned towards Caroline, eyes narrowed. ‘But your machinations are all in vain. My grandson is going to marry Agatha Booth, the daughter of a Liverpool shipping magnate. It was arranged a long time ago.’
Caroline turned to Maria. ‘Is this true?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘I see it matters to you, Miss Manning.’ Mrs Colville sat back in her throne-like chair, a smug smile on her thin features.
‘Not at all,’ Caroline said icily.
‘I don’t believe it,’ Maria protested. ‘She’s just saying that to upset you, Carrie.’
‘Phineas can do as he likes. It has nothing to do with me.’
‘You can tell him so, face to face.’ Mrs Colville chuckled, but it was a humourless sound as she pointed to the doorway.
Caroline spun round to see Phineas standing behind them. Maria ran to him and seized him by the hand. ‘Phin, come and speak to Grandmama. She’s been hateful to me and to Caroline.’
‘Mrs Morecroft told me that you’d come here, Maria. What did you hope to achieve by telling Grandmama?’
Maria’s bottom lip trembled. ‘I wanted her to know that I am someone, Phin. I’m not a nameless illegitimate embarrassment. I have a father and now I have a sister, too. I’m part Manning and I’m proud of it.’
‘Then I wash my hands of you. You are Maria Manning from now on because you’ve forfeited the right to use our family name.’ Mrs Colville waved her hand towards the door. ‘You may leave now and don’t bother to come back. I want nothing to do with you, or that trollop I used to call my daughter. Neither of you will get a penny from me.’ She turned to Caroline. ‘My grandson will tell you now that he is engaged to Miss Booth from Liverpool. Isn’t that so, Phineas?’
‘You are a bully, Mrs Colville,’ Caroline said angrily. ‘I don’t care if Phineas is engaged to a royal princess. It’s of no concern to me.’ She left the room without giving Phineas a chance to respond.
Gilroy was hovering outside the door. ‘You got your comeuppance, snooty bitch,’ she hissed.
‘Mind your own business.’ Caroline marched to the front door and opened it, hesitating at the sound of running feet.
‘I’m coming with you,’ Maria said breathlessly. ‘I’ve left Phin to sort Grandmama out. He’s always good with her.’
‘He’s welcome to her, and Miss Booth from Liverpool.’ Caroline stepped outside into the sunshine. Her hands and feet were as cold as if she had been standing on a frozen lake. ‘I’m going to find my grandfather and take him to Bearwood House.’ She turned to Maria with a sympathetic smile. ‘I’d take you, too, but I doubt if my mother will be any more forgiving than Mrs Colville. My papa has a lot to answer for.’
Maria nodded. ‘I understand.’ She glanced over Caroline’s shoulder at the ships making for the docks and a slow smile spread across her pretty face. ‘Phin told me that the Colville Star was diverted to Calais at the last minute and is due to arrive back in port any day now. Gilbert expects to take over as captain for the next trip.’
‘I thought that you were keen on Gilbert.’
‘He’s my cousin, Carrie. We get on splendidly, but there’s nothing romantic in our relationship.’
‘Do you still feel the same for Theo?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ve had time to think and I want to see him again. It was a coup de foudre, as the French say, and I was scared, but if we both feel the same perhaps we do belong together.’
Caroline leaned over to kiss Maria on the cheek. ‘Good luck. I’m entirely on your side.’
‘I’ll go to the office and wait for Phin. Why don’t you come with me?’
‘No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I must see my mother. There are so many things we need to discuss – the main one being where we’ll live. There isn’t room for us all at the Captain’s House, and Sadie’s getting married soon – she’ll want a bit of privacy. I’m hoping that Raven might help out until we get the business up and running again.’
‘Didn’t Phin offer you the house in Great Hermitage Street?’
‘He did, but Mama turned it down.’
‘You could suggest that she takes a look at the place. She might change her mind.’
Caroline laid her hand on Maria’s arm. ‘I have to go, but good luck with Theo. I’m sure it will all fall into place when you see him again.’
‘You’ll be the first to know, dear sister.’
Caroline sighed as she headed towards the wharf and she quickened her pace when she saw a lighter pull away from the Esther Manning. She was not looking forward to the interview with her mother, but they needed to have a serious talk about business matters. Everything had been left in limbo since her mother had been told about Maria’s parentage.
Jacob glanced around the elegantly furnished drawing room in Bearwood House, twisting his cap in his hands. ‘I don’t feel comfortable here, girl.’
Falco lounged on one of the damask-covered sofas. ‘It suits the gentleman in me, Jacob. I co
uld happily live like this, instead of in a cramped cabin on the Bendigo Queen.’
Caroline glanced at the French ormolu clock on the mantelshelf. ‘Where is Mama? We’ve been waiting a good half an hour.’
‘Ladies,’ Falco said, smiling. ‘They like to keep us gentlemen waiting.’
‘I’m getting nervous.’ Caroline paced the floor, clasping her hands so tightly that her knuckles whitened. ‘I’m hoping that Mama will have had second thoughts. She was very upset last time I saw her.’
‘Just keep her happy,’ Jacob said, sighing. ‘At least wait until I’ve left the country.’
Caroline came to a halt, staring at him. ‘Are you returning to Australia so soon?’
‘Don’t get me wrong, duck. I’m glad to see you and the boys, but my life is in Bendigo now.’
‘He has a lady friend,’ Falco said, grinning. ‘The widow of a prospector who struck it lucky, as they say.’
‘Grandpa! Really?’
‘Don’t look at me like that, Carrie. I ain’t too old for a bit of a cuddle every now and then, and Mrs O’Neill is a fine cook. Her steak and kidney pie is the best I’ve ever tasted.’
‘But she don’t know how to cook Italian.’ Falco pulled a face. ‘I’m thinking of giving up the sea and going back home to Italy.’
Caroline was about to question him when the door opened and Esther glided into the room followed by Cordelia and Raven.
‘It’s good to see you, dear girl,’ Jacob said, holding out his arms.
She gave him a peck on the cheek and stepped away, making a show of arranging her silk skirts as she sat down. ‘It’s been so many years since we last saw each other, Pa. I don’t suppose you’ve given me a thought in all that time.’
‘That’s not true, mia cara,’ Falco said hastily. ‘Jacob often speaks of you.’
‘Now that the fond greetings are out of the way, I suggest we get down to business,’ Raven said, chuckling. ‘I expect your grandpa has told you that this will be a short visit, Caroline?’
