Like Father, Like Son

by Diane Allen

  ‘But I hardly know her, and I’ve no clothes with me. I should go home and gather some things,’ said Polly.

  Tobias grasped the reins and looked at her. ‘You are not going back to that place until he is out of it. And we will get him out of it, one way or another. I am quite prepared to lay my life down on that statement. I know what that farm means to you.’

  ‘Go on – get on your way. Daisy will love to fuss over you, and Sam will fill your belly. He’s a bloody good cook, you know; you’ll not go hungry at Mill Race.’ Len smiled as he watched Tobias squeeze Polly’s hand. He would have struggled to have put together a better-looking couple, and they were so alike in their ways. He watched as the gig lunged out of the yard. Polly would be all right, Tobias would see to that. His job was to make sure the sheep were moved, until their rightful owner was restored; a job he was not looking forward to.

  Tobias left Polly in the gig and went to talk to his mother. Polly didn’t want just to impose herself on Daisy, by standing like a homeless orphan on her doorstep.

  ‘Polly, my dear, come on in. I will not have you sitting out here a minute longer in this cold January wind. Tobias, put some more coal on the fire and the kettle on to boil. I’ll place a warming bottle in the spare bed, just to air it.’ Daisy put her arm around Polly and walked her down the path and into the main room of Mill Race cottage.

  Tobias did as his mother told him. Polly was made to feel at home and given the chair nearest the fire; Daisy removed her shawl and hung it up on the cloak stand. Polly looked around the warm and cosy cottage. This was the home that Tobias had grown up in, after moving out of Grouse Hall with his mother. She smiled as he looked at the toy soldiers that his mother still kept on a whatnot, and which must have been Tobias’s when he was a boy. Len was right: Daisy Allen was a lovely woman, who had indeed welcomed her with open arms.

  ‘Sam won’t be long. He’s just gone into Hawes, to make sure everything’s all right at the shop. He’ll be back by four. Nobody will be out on a cold winter’s night like this. Now what are we going to do about you and your home? Your father sounds like a dreadful man. Tobias and I know all about dreadful men, don’t we, Tobias? Still, sometimes you can’t choose who your father is!’ Daisy sighed.

  Tobias smiled at his mother, before plucking up the courage to speak his true feelings.

  ‘Well, Mother, I know what I want to do, but I’ll need your permission and blessing.’ Tobias looked at Daisy. ‘Mother, I love you with all my heart, but I need a partner in my life, and I think I’ve found her in Polly.’ He reached out for Polly’s hand. ‘I know we’ve not known one another long, but, as you have virtually said, we are like peas in a pod and I love her.’ Tobias paused as he saw Polly gasp and tears spring to her eyes.

  Polly stared at him. She had no idea Tobias had been planning to spring this upon her; he’d not said a word, and they hadn’t talked about marriage once. And now, if she was hearing correctly, he was seeking his mother’s permission.

  ‘Polly, I want to marry you. And as an engagement present I want to buy you Paradise Farm, to do with as you wish. I would of course prefer you to live with me at Grouse Hall, in which case we would have to rent Paradise to a tenant.’ Tobias kissed Polly’s shaking hand and gazed into her eyes.

  ‘Tobias, are you sure about this? Should you and Polly not talk about it first? Can your bank account stand it? You have bought several properties over the last few months! I’m not trying to dampen the love you obviously feel for one another, but looking at Polly, she is as shocked as I am.’ Daisy looked at her son; sometimes he was so impulsive. It was a trait he got from his father.

  ‘I’m sure. Polly, will you be my wife?’ He waited and watched as she gasped for unutterable words.

  Her heart beat fast. She’d dreamed of this moment – the moment she owned Paradise, and the day she would marry Tobias Middleton. His mother smiled across at her, but at the same time she could sense doubt in Daisy’s smile. It would be a big step for his mother to lose Tobias to her, and for him to risk yet more money. She swallowed hard before she replied.

  ‘Tobias, I do love you. I’m honoured to be asked to be your wife, and that you would buy Paradise for me. But this has come out of the blue, to both your mother and me. Can you give me just a few days – at the most a week – to think it over, and for your mother to get used to the idea?’ Polly squeezed his hand tightly and smiled at her dark-haired lover. She did love Tobias; she just wanted time to adjust in her mind to the idea that she was going to be his wife.

  ‘I thought you’d embrace my offer, Polly. I thought that if I bought you your home, you couldn’t disown me – that you’d be mine forever.’ He stood up and looked at both his mother and Polly.

  ‘Tobias, I do love you. Just let me think about it; it’s a big decision to make.’ She pulled on his jacket sleeve.

  ‘Tobias, calm down. As Polly says, she just needs time to think. She hasn’t said no, has she?’ Daisy looked at her impatient son. He couldn’t handle the smallest rejection. The early years of being brought up by his father had taken their toll, despite all the love she’d shown him. ‘Give us both time – say, a week? And in the meantime, go to the solicitor’s and ask how much they expect to sell Paradise for. Winterskill will tell you, especially if you tell him the circumstances. Who knows: Danny Harper might even accept an offer before it goes to auction.’ Daisy stood by her son and put her arm around him. ‘Now come, sit down next to Polly. I’ll go and fill that stone bed-bottle and place it in the bed, while you two lovebirds talk. You’ve a lot of plans to make, between you.’ She urged her son to sit down next to Polly, who looked near to tears.

  Tobias shrugged his shoulders and gave in to his mother’s wishes, as he sat back down in his seat and watched as Daisy walked through to the kitchen.

  ‘I do love you, Tobias,’ Polly whispered. ‘It’s just that my life is moving so fast, and I need time to think. And no matter how much I love my home, it’s a huge price to pay, just for my hand in marriage.’ She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

  ‘It’s nothing – it means nothing to me, if I can’t have you. I’m not bothered about Paradise, if I don’t have you; but I know the two will never be separated. Marry me, Polly, please marry me. I’m lonely and I need you.’ Tobias squeezed her hand again and looked into her eyes.

  ‘Give me a little time, Tobias, that’s all I ask. A week at the most, I promise.’ She kissed him on the cheek again. Her dreams were about to come true, but she would have liked to have been courted just a little longer and not to feel that, along with the purchase of Paradise, she was just another deal.

  ‘Very well, I’ll wait. And, like Mother says, I’ll visit the solicitor in the morning, along with the bank. Oh, Polly, you’ll want for nothing, and we’ll be good for one another. I need a wife who knows about livestock and farming, and an empty-headed society beauty is not for me. I love your country-fresh looks, and the wild look that you give me as you tease me. Please say you’ll marry me – you’ll not regret it.’ Tobias got down on bended knee and begged Polly, as she smiled at him, not understanding why his need was so urgent.

  ‘Give me a week, Tobias. Let me see what goes on at Paradise, and how your mother and stepfather feel about me, because you must admit this has come completely out of the blue.’ She ran her hands through his long, dark hair and smiled. She did love him, but she loved Paradise just as much, and she wanted both.

  Len Brunskill took Jip, the farm-dog, off its chain and walked out of the farmyard at Paradise, whistling instructions to the dog as it herded the flock of pregnant ewes up the field and into the higher pasture. They took no persuading; the offer of better eating had been denied them for so long that they jostled for position through the open pasture gate.

  ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing with my bloody sheep?’ Danny Harper strode down the limestone-cobbled yard and swore at Len.

  ‘I’m shifting them, lad. Or have you been away that long that yo
u forgot sheep in lamb need something to eat?’ Len looked at Danny. He’d changed; he used to be a bonny, open-faced lad. The man who stood in front of him was hard and rugged, with not an inch of feeling in his body.

  ‘I didn’t tell you to move ’em. They are my bloody sheep, and it’s up to me whether they are fed or not.’ Danny looked at the old man that he now recognized as his father’s best friend.

  ‘Well, it’s up to thee, lad. But another day and they’d have been dying because of you, and I couldn’t have that. I owe it to your father; his stock was his pride and joy, just like Polly was.’ Len waited for a reaction, hoping that Danny had the decency not to tackle him, at his age.

  ‘Well, she’s buggered off, and you can, too. And take that bloody dog with you. I’ll not want it now. Take it or I’ll put a bullet through its head, like the horse.’ Danny stared at the old man he’d known all his life.

  ‘You are a hard bugger, Danny Harper. Your father and mother loved you, and you broke their hearts when you left. It’s a good job they can’t see you now, and see what you’ve done to your home. You don’t deserve any luck, lad, and you will never have it, the way you carry on.’ Len turned away from Danny’s angry face and just hoped that the lad wouldn’t stop him in his tracks.

  ‘Aye, bugger off! You’ve got nowt, living in a rented house with not a penny to your name. You always were an interfering old bastard,’ Danny shouted at him as Len walked down the field path.

  Len turned. ‘I tell you what, lad. I’ve got more than you’ll ever have. Because I can walk down the streets of Hawes and talk to anyone, whereas you’ll be shunned, like a leper. Life’s not all about money, lad.’ He strode out fast; he wasn’t going to waste any more time on a useless bugger like Danny Harper. He whistled for Jip and patted the dog’s head. ‘Looks like you’re coming to live with me, lad. You’ll be a bit of company for me and the old woman. But I’ll warn you now: she’ll have you in that tin bath, as sure as eggs are eggs, because she won’t be having you smelling in her house.’ He glanced back as he closed the field gate, sighing and shaking his head. What a mess. His old mate would have been heartbroken.

  23

  ‘Tobias, I don’t know if I dare lend you what you’re asking for.’ Simon Hodgkin leaned back in his chair and looked at the anxious young man. ‘You’ve already bought two properties in as many years. We need some revenue in now, not out. It will be autumn before we see some significant income coming in, with the sheep sales. But, as it stands, you will be struggling to keep your head above water this year.’

  ‘But I need to buy this property. My future depends upon it, and young Winterskill says that I can probably secure it at a reasonable price.’ Tobias banged his fist down on the table and swore under his breath. ‘For God’s sake, man. I’ve four farms, and I’m nearly the biggest landowner in the area.’ He sighed.

  ‘That’s the trouble – your money’s all tied up. Times are changing, Tobias, and money is hard to come by.’ Simon looked at the figures in front of him. ‘You say that you think the property will make no more than two thousand?’

  Tobias nodded, hoping that he had persuaded his cautious bank manager.

  ‘Well, with the money you have in your savings, and the money we are hoping to accrue this next year, I can perhaps be persuaded to lend you half the value of the property. You’ll have to curtail your spending, and perhaps ask your mother to lend you the rest.’ Simon dropped his pencil on the desk and looked across at the anxious farmer. He admired Tobias’s ambition, but the bank’s money was not to be played with.

  ‘That’s better than nothing. I’ll find the rest from somewhere; as you say, my mother might help me out.’ Tobias rose from his seat. He couldn’t argue any more. He’d just have to try and find the rest from somewhere. He held out his hand for Simon to shake.

  ‘I’ll draw up the paperwork, in readiness. Did you say the auction’s at the end of the month?’ Simon shook Tobias’s hand.

  ‘Yes. He won’t accept a private offer, thinks he’ll make more going to auction.’ Tobias stood and looked at the man who had just given him hope.

  ‘Silly man, there’s no money out there. He should be thankful for what he gets. It’s hard at the moment. Between you and me, Tobias, the dairy is struggling. I’ve had Bill Sunter in this morning and told him I can’t support him any more. He spends money like water, and he’s no business sense whatsoever!’ Simon shook his head.

  ‘Now that does surprise me. Not that I like the man, anyway.’ Tobias couldn’t curtail his interest.

  ‘No, he’s a bit too big for his boots. Better to keep your head down and know what you are doing, like us two, Tobias.’ Simon slapped him on the back and ushered him to the door. ‘Good luck with the auction. I’m sure your mother will support you.’

  Tobias nodded as he closed the door behind him. If only he didn’t have to ask his mother for money. She’d helped him often enough, and he doubted she would help again.

  Polly listened to the raised voices in the parlour of Mill Race. Tobias had asked her to leave the room and said he needed to talk to his mother in private. His face had been set firm, and she had guessed that it was over the matter of their coming wedding. She’d only been there two days, but already she felt like part of the family. Daisy made her feel so welcome, and Sam Allen kept the house running with surplus food from the family business. She’d never been so well fed and feared that her waistline was expanding by the day. She dried the lunch plates and then listened with her ear against the door.

  ‘Mother, please, five hundred pounds or even two-fifty. I might not even need it and, if I do, I can pay you back in the autumn.’ Tobias was nearly pleading with his mother.

  ‘No, Tobias. I promised Sam that I would not give you any more of my savings, at least not until after my day.’ Daisy’s voice was firm. ‘I know that farm means everything to the lass, but you’ll both have to make do with what you’ve got; you’ve got to learn you can’t have everything.’

  ‘I don’t think you want me to get wed. I promised Polly her family home, and I’m not going back on my promise. Even if I have to live on bread and cheese all year, it’ll be worth it. I love her, Mother.’

  ‘You might do, lad, and she is a grand lass – I’d be proud to be her mother-in-law – but there’s nothing worse than being without money. I should know, and you should remember what it was like when you were a boy. Do you want to start married life off like that? Nine months is a long time, until you get your farm rents back in, and money from the back-end lamb sales.’ Polly heard Daisy sigh. ‘I suppose I can give you two-fifty, but don’t tell Sam. He worries enough about takings in the shop at this time of year.’

  ‘Mother, I won’t let you down. We’ll rent Paradise out to someone, and I’ll pay you back with the first year’s rent. Polly just needs to keep it in her family. I knew you’d understand, because you always say you’ll have to be carried out of this place in a box. Well, Paradise has been in Polly’s family for years, and she feels just the same. You know I can’t thank you enough.’

  ‘Aye, I know. There’s always been Harpers at Paradise, just like there’s always been Frasers here. That’s why I’m soft enough to give you the money. Thinking about it: call it our wedding present to you, and then perhaps I don’t have to go behind Sam’s back. You shouldn’t have secrets when you’re married.’

  ‘Thank you, Mother. Polly and I couldn’t wish for anything better.’

  ‘Just think on, Tobias, to look after her, and not treat her like your father did us. I know you never would, because I hope that I’ve brought you up to be a gentleman. Now go and tell Polly what you’re up to. The poor lass will be worrying to death at the noise we are making.’

  Polly quickly moved away from the kitchen door and started putting the dried dishes into the kitchen cupboard. She’d play ignorant of hearing the conversation in the adjoining room.

  ‘Polly, I’ve been discussing purchasing your old home with my mother. Your father wi
ll not sell it privately; he’s adamant that it has to be sold at auction. I’ll be honest. I’m struggling to raise the money, but I think that, with the help of my mother’s wedding gift to us, I can buy it.’ Tobias looked at her, awaiting her response. He loved her so much he’d barter his soul for her, if she asked him to.

  ‘Tobias, you don’t have to buy Paradise, to marry me. Your family have welcomed me like one of their own, these last few days, and you know I love you. I just wanted some time to see how I fit in. I was frightened that things were moving so fast, and out of my control. So, my love, I’ll be sad if we can’t buy my home, but it won’t make any difference to my answer to your wedding proposal. Which I can now say “Yes” to, with all my heart.’ She put her arms around Tobias. The last day or two, and the earwigged conversation, had made her sure that Tobias loved her, and that their love was not about possessions. She had to make sure of that, for she wasn’t going to be used again. And now she knew just how far Tobias was prepared to go, to make her his.

  ‘Polly, I do love you, but I promised you your home and we will buy it, and we will have the grandest wedding this dale has seen.’ Tobias held her tight and kissed her, as he ran his fingers through her long, dark hair.

  ‘Only if we can afford it, Tobias. A simple wedding will be just fine. I’m not one for finery.’ Polly kissed him, feeling embarrassed that his mother was watching them.

  Daisy made herself scarce. The young ones of today had no control over their feelings. If she had done that in front of old Mrs Allen, she would have thought Daisy so common. Still, as long as her Tobias was happy, it didn’t matter. And Polly was just returning his love.

  24

  Polly stood outside the goldsmith’s window in the centre of Hawes. She fingered her grandmother’s engagement ring, which had never been off her finger since the day she’d opened her unexpected present, after her grandfather’s death. Her heart was aflutter and she breathed in deeply as she entered the shop. Inside, it was adorned with glass-topped cases of shining jewels, and ticking clocks. She looked across at the little bespectacled man behind the counter and picked up her courage as he looked at her.