A Loving Family (21 page)

‘First we must settle Aunt Maud, and then I'm going to keep looking for Ma. I don't care how long it takes, but I'll find her one day and we'll be a family again.'

Tommy whistled through his teeth. ‘By Jove, I admire your tenacity, but then you always were a determined little thing.'

‘She's the bravest girl I've ever met,' Rosa said stoutly. ‘I think we ought to go back to Heron Park. There's seems to be a connection between the girl's death and the fact that Stella's mother appears to have disappeared without trace.'

‘The worst thing is that no one seems to have done anything about it, Tommy,' Stella said with a break in her voice.

‘My uncle doesn't seem to care,' Rosa added. ‘But he only thinks of himself. It will be different when Kit takes him to court.'

‘Kit is your brother who should have inherited the estate,' Tommy said, frowning. ‘Is that right?'

‘Yes, and he's been trying to find a way to contest our father's will, but with very limited funds it's not easy.'

‘Dashed awkward,' Tommy said agreeably. ‘Plucky, though.'

Stella glanced out of the window as the carriage slowed down. ‘We're here. There are the convent gates.' She shifted Maud's weight onto Rosa. ‘I'll speak to the nuns first. There's no point waking her if they won't take her in.'

Tommy made as if to follow her when the coachman opened the door and put the steps down, but she shook her head. ‘It might be better if I do this alone, but thank you all the same.' She stepped down from the carriage and went to the gate. She rang the bell and waited.

The nun who answered the summons listened politely but did not admit her into the grounds. She said she would make enquiries of the mother superior, leaving Stella to stand at the gate and wait until she returned several minutes later. The mother superior's decision was firm and final. They could not take care of Maud.

Stella retraced her steps and climbed back into the carriage. She put on a brave smile even though the nun's outright refusal had been a bitter disappointment. She was downhearted but even more determined to find a safe haven for Maud, who did not deserve a stepson like Ronald and must be kept away from him at all costs.

‘It's no then,' Rosa said softly. ‘I'm so sorry, Stella. What will we do now?'

‘Shall I have a word?' Tommy was already halfway out of his seat. ‘If I mention Papa's name it might help.'

Stella would have laughed if she had not been so worried. She shook her head. ‘Thanks, Tommy, but I don't think the mother superior would be impressed by a title.'

The coachman had been standing to attention by the open door. He cleared his throat. ‘Where to now, sir?'

Tommy turned to Stella with a questioning look. ‘What will you do now?'

Stella opened her mouth to reply but a shout from the gates made her lean forward to look out of the door. The nun who had admitted her was beckoning frantically. ‘Maybe they've changed their minds.' She allowed the coachman to hand her down to the ground and hurried to the gates. ‘You have something to tell me, Sister?'

‘Mother Superior would like to see you, miss.' The nun admitted her and she led the way to the main entrance.

Minutes later Stella was ushered into the mother superior's office. ‘You wanted to see me, Mother?'

‘I won't waste time with formalities, Miss Barry. This concerns your sister.'

‘Is she all right?'

‘She is well, but I'm afraid we have come to the mutual conclusion that the life of a postulant is not for her. I would have given her a little more time to pray for guidance, but as you are here perhaps it's God's will that you should take her home.'

‘You're throwing my sister out of the convent?'

Not even the slightest glimmer of emotion marred the nun's marble-like features. She met Stella's anxious gaze with studied calm. ‘I think she is unsuited to a life of piety, abstinence and prayer. Perhaps in a few years' time when she is more mature . . .' She allowed the sentence to hang in the air unanswered and irrefutable.

‘May I see her?'

‘She is waiting for you in the vestibule.'

Stella realised that she had been dismissed. Mother Superior bowed her head over a sheaf of papers on her desk. Stella left the room and found the young nun waiting to escort her to the entrance hall.

Belinda stood with her hands grasped tightly in front of her and her eyes downcast. Stella longed to wrap her in her arms and give her a sisterly hug, but she hesitated, knowing instinctively that such a show of affection would be instantly repulsed. She walked slowly towards Belinda. ‘Are you ready?'

‘I want to leave this place.'

‘Come along then.' Using a brisk, no-nonsense tone, Stella made her way towards the door which the nun hurried to open. ‘Thank you, Sister. We can find our own way out.'

‘I have to unlock the gate, and lock it after you, miss.' The nun folded her arms and glided outside into the sunshine.

Stella took Belinda by the hand. ‘Everything will be all right. I promise.'

‘That's what Ma said when she left Freddie and me at the workhouse.'

‘I'm sure she thought she could make things right, but I'm convinced that she has suffered too. I'm going to find her, Belle. I'm going to put an end to all this.'

Belinda shot her a sideways glance. ‘How?'

‘I don't know yet, but we're together now and that's a start.'

‘Where are you taking me?' Belinda came to a halt as Tommy emerged from the carriage. ‘Who's that? Are you going to sell me to the highest bidder?'

Shocked, Stella let go of her hand. ‘How can you even think such a thing? Tommy is an old friend. You might say we grew up together, although he was the master's son and I was just a scullery maid. We met purely by chance today, and if you'll just stop glowering at me for five minutes I'll tell you how we came to be here.'

Belinda folded her arms across her chest. ‘Go on then. I'm not getting in that rich man's carriage until I know what I'm letting myself in for. I had enough of that sort of thing at the farm. It was the farmer's son who made advances to me and when I wouldn't have anything to do with him he accused me of stealing. That's what got me the sack, and I won't let such a thing happen again.'

Stella sent a warning glance to Tommy as he started towards them. ‘Give us a moment or two, please.'

He hesitated and then nodded and climbed back into the carriage. She took Belinda by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. ‘Listen to me, you silly goose. Nothing bad is going to befall you and that is a definite promise.'

‘I'm not budging until you've told me everything, Stella. So there.'

Eventually, after a lengthy explanation, Belinda was persuaded to join them in Tommy's carriage. Maud had awakened, and burst into tears when she realised that Belinda was the child she had not seen for so many years, and Stella was relieved to see that her sister was similarly moved. Belinda recognised Maud and the memories that came flooding back seemed to be happy ones.

‘Well, I'm glad that's settled,' Tommy said at last. ‘But what the devil are we to do next, Stella?'

She had been trying desperately to think of a solution to their problem, but to take Belinda and Maud back to London would only exacerbate the situation. Rosa had been sitting back quietly but she laid her hand on Stella's arm. ‘What about the farm? Maybe your friends there would be glad of some female company. After all, Belinda has been working for such a family, and you did say that the Hendys were looking for someone to cook and keep house for them.'

‘I can't cook,' Belinda admitted reluctantly. ‘I was just a maid of all work.'

‘I'm a good cook,' Maud said suddenly. ‘My late husband used to say I made pastry as light as air.'

Stella stared at her in amazement. ‘Would you be able to work, Aunt Maud? You've been an invalid for some time, or so I believed.'

‘I could try, dear. I don't want to go back to London. Ronald would wring my poor neck as soon as look at me. I've lived in terror of him since my dear husband passed away.'

Tommy picked the cat basket up and dumped it on her lap. ‘Perhaps you'd like to stop this four-legged beast trying to scratch me through the bars of its cage, ma'am. Then if someone will make a decision, I'll be happy to give my coachman instructions.'

Rosa met Stella's gaze with a nod of her head. ‘I think the farm wins hands down. What do you say?'

Stella thought for a moment. ‘You're both right. We've no choice. I'll throw myself on Mr Hendy's mercy and see what happens.'

Stella received a rapturous welcome from the farm dogs as she made her way across the yard. She came to a halt when she saw Bob emerging from the barn and waved. His face lit up with a broad grin as he strode towards her. ‘You've come home.'

‘Not exactly.' She glanced over her shoulder and saw Tommy standing by the open coach door. She did not want them to meet until she had explained everything. ‘May we go inside, Bob? I've got a huge favour to ask of you.'

He followed her gaze and his smile faded. ‘Of course,' he said warily. ‘I'll do anything within my power, you know that.' He turned and led the way into the farmhouse, hesitating for a moment in the doorway. ‘I'm afraid it's a bit of a mess.' He stepped inside and swept a pile of soiled clothing off the nearest chair. ‘We've been busy in the fields and I haven't had a chance to make the place tidy.'

‘I understand, Bob. Of course I do, and I might just have a solution.'

‘Sit down and tell me what this is all about.' He perched on the edge of the kitchen table, which was buried beneath the detritus of more than one meal: cups, plates, cutlery and empty beer bottles littered the once pristine pine surface.

Stella flipped a dirty sock onto the floor and sat down. ‘I know I only seem to come to you when I'm in trouble, but for once this isn't about me.'

‘Who is that chap waiting by the carriage?' Bob's voice cracked with emotion. ‘What is he to you?'

‘It's Tommy Langhorne. I told you about him.'

His frowned deepened. ‘He was the one who made drunken advances to you. Why are you with him now?'

‘We met by chance on Romford station this morning. My friend Rosa and I were taking my aunt to the Ursuline convent and Tommy offered us a lift.'

She launched into an account of everything that had happened since she last saw him. It was only two days ago but so much had happened that it felt much longer. ‘So you see,' she ended breathlessly, ‘I am so close to finding Ma. I can't give up now.'

He stared at her thoughtfully, as if weighing up her words, and then he nodded. ‘I'll have to talk it over with Pa, but we are in desperate need of help in the house. Do you think the old lady could cope with feeding three hungry men and a couple of farm workers?'

‘I can't say for certain, but Belinda is young and strong and she's worked on a farm. It's not a permanent arrangement, but it would be a weight off my mind to know that they were safe with you.'

He leaned towards her. ‘And what about you and me, Stella? You know how I feel about you. Have I any chance at all?'

She rose to her feet, meeting his hard stare with a determined lift of her chin. ‘I care for you, but I don't think I know what love is. I told you how it was and nothing has changed.'

‘You are the most stubborn, single-minded woman I've ever met, Stella Barry.' His features relaxed into a tender smile. ‘Perhaps that's why I fell in love with you in the first place.'

She knew she had only to weaken just a little and he would take her in his arms and then all would be lost. She must not allow that to happen, but once again she needed his help. ‘I know it's asking a lot of you, Bob, but will you speak to your pa?'

He stood up. ‘I'll go now. You'd best wait in the carriage. This place isn't fit to be seen by the gentry.' He snagged his cap from a peg on the wall and jammed it on his head. ‘Are you sure this is the right thing to do, Stella? Your sister might take against us or the old lady could find the work too hard.'

She followed him out into the yard. ‘You and your father are the only people I would trust to care for my family. Does that answer your question?'

He nodded and strode off in the direction of the ten-acre field. Stella hesitated for a moment. She had been so certain that she was doing the right thing, but suddenly she was assailed by doubts. She had placed herself in debt to the Hendys once again, and she was uncomfortably aware of the reward that Bob expected to receive when she had achieved her goal. She had promised him nothing, but by simply coming here today she had allowed him to hope and that was unforgivable. Robert Hendy was a good man and would make a loving husband. She had warm feelings for him but he did not make her pulses race as happened every time Kit walked into the room. Life with Bob would be secure and predictable, but with Kit there was an element of excitement and a definite challenge. He was unattainable and unpredictable, which made him even more desirable. He had never spoken of his feelings towards her, but sometimes she had caught a look in his eyes that had made her pulses race.

She crossed the farmyard, shooing away the geese that advanced on her hissing and flapping their wings, and escaped through the gate, closing it behind her. She turned to see Tommy walking towards her. ‘So what's happening?'

She took him by the arm. ‘Tommy, I want you to keep out of this. I'm very grateful for your help today but this isn't the place for you.'

He threw back his head and laughed. ‘The farmer boy is jealous, is he?'

‘Yes, I suppose he is, although with no cause as you very well know.'

Tommy pinched her cheek. ‘Shall I kiss you and give him something to worry about?'