The Beggar Maid (38 page)

Charity squeezed his arm. ‘It wasn't your fault. Neither you nor Dan were to blame for your parents' actions.'

‘We'll be home soon, but I can face anything as long as I have you at my side.' He stopped and drew her into his arms.

Their homecoming at Bligh Park was met with tears of joy from Mrs Trevett and Mrs Diment and grim satisfaction from Parkin and Tapper. No doubt Jackson would react in a similar stoical manner when news filtered through to Nevill's Court. Daniel had not yet returned from London, but at least there was no indication that Wilmot had been alerted as to the existence of the bullion.

Charity went back to the cottage and found that Violet and Dorrie were coping very well without her, although they were delighted to see her and welcomed her with hugs and demands to hear all about her travels. Violet, who was very close to her time, had stopped going to the big house to help clean the ingots, but Dorrie had been happy to take her place. Charity accompanied her each morning, essentially to complete her task in Sir Hedley's library, but it did not take much persuasion from Harry for her to abandon the books and spend time with him. He had wanted to announce their engagement the moment they arrived home, but she had persuaded him to keep their relationship secret until Dan's return.

She suspected that it was already common knowledge in the village, but she also knew that if that particular piece of news were to reach Wilmot's ears he would double his efforts to prevent Harry from claiming his inheritance. Harry had told her that his claim to inherit his father's baronetcy could not be officially recognised until his name appeared on the Roll, which seemed unlikely while the shadow of bankruptcy and even prison loomed over him. They would have to wait for Dan to return with the money raised from the sale of the bullion before Harry could begin paying off his creditors.

In the days that followed he threw himself into matters concerning the estate. He spent most of the time riding round the various farms and smallholdings, reacquainting himself with the tenants whom he had known in his youth. Charity accompanied him on Nellie whenever possible and she saw yet another side of Harry's character. He had a natural gift for conversing with people no matter what their station in life. He was a good listener and she could see that he was deeply shocked by the rundown state of some of the smaller farmhouses and their outbuildings. He never made rash promises but he seemed to have the ability to instil confidence in his tenants, and they trusted him to make their lives more bearable. Each day she learned a little more about the man she loved and what she saw made her love him even more, but a sense of foreboding still lingered in the recesses of her mind. Sometimes she awakened in the middle of the night, snapping to a sitting position in her narrow bed as she escaped from a bad dream where she had been cold and frightened, begging once again for pennies on the streets of London. Gnarled fingers had reached out at her from the shadows, threatening to drag her down into a world inhabited by sewer rats and toshers; desperate people who sorted through the filth and excreta looking for valuables that had been lost down the drains. It took her several minutes to realise that the nightmare had passed and she was safe in her own bed, but the fear would not quite go away, even in broad daylight.

They had been home for almost two weeks and Charity was in the kitchen helping Mrs Diment to clean the last of the ingots, waiting for Harry to return from visiting one of his tenants who had suffered a fall while mending a barn roof and broken his leg. Mrs Trevett had sent a jar of calf's foot jelly and a dozen eggs to the family, and Harry had gone to see if there was any more practical help that could be given until the farmer was well enough to work again.

‘That's the last one,' Mrs Diment said with a satisfied sigh. ‘At least, as far as I know. They seem to keep popping up in unexpected places.'

Charity was about to answer when the door flew open and Daniel breezed into the kitchen with a triumphant grin on his face. He held out his arms. ‘Charity, you look blooming. The country air suits you.'

Mrs Diment and Mrs Trevett exchanged knowing looks that were not lost on Charity, but she chose to ignore them. She gave Daniel a welcoming smile. ‘It's good to see you. How did it go in London?'

He produced a heavy leather pouch from his coat pocket and thumped it down on the table. ‘Put it this way – we're no longer poor. The dealers will take all the bullion we can find and give us good prices.'

Charity picked up the pouch, weighing it in her hand. ‘That's wonderful. You've done well, Dan. You must be tired after the journey.'

‘Of course he is.' Mrs Trevett bustled over to the range and put the kettle on the hob. ‘Are you hungry, Master Daniel?'

He smiled, shaking his head. ‘I had breakfast at an inn, but a cup of tea would be very welcome.' He looked round at the sound of the door opening and his smile faded when he saw Harry. ‘I didn't expect to see you so soon,' he murmured, glancing nervously at Charity.

She had already sensed his unease and she was ready to intervene if necessary, but Harry crossed the floor and embraced his brother. ‘Welcome home, brother.'

‘I'm so glad to see you, Harry.' Daniel loosened the strings and opened the pouch. ‘There's enough there to pay off your debts and more. When I've recovered from the journey I'll take the rest of the ingots to the bullion dealer.'

‘You've done enough for now, Dan. I'll take them to London. I have legitimate business there.'

‘Are you sure?' Daniel asked anxiously. ‘I mean, is it wise to show your face in the city before you've had a chance to settle matters?'

‘My creditors will welcome me with open arms when they realise that I can settle my debts.'

‘Why don't you take your tea into the study?' Charity suggested hastily. ‘I'm sure you have a lot to talk about.'

‘I think this calls for something a little stronger.' Harry turned to Mrs Trevett. ‘Where's Parkin? I haven't seen him this morning.'

‘He's in the kitchen garden,' Mrs Trevett said, pursing her lips until her mouth resembled a wrinkled prune. ‘It's not right that a man of his age has to tend the vegetable beds.'

‘I agree entirely, and that will be rectified in the very near future.' Harry held out his hand. ‘We won't disturb Parkin. If you'll give me your keys I'll go down to the cellar myself.'

Mrs Trevett unclipped a large bunch of keys from the chatelaine she wore around her waist, and handed them to Harry with a look of disapproval. ‘It's Parkin's job,' she muttered.

‘Don't be such an old stick, Polly.' Mrs Diment moved to the range and picked up the teapot. ‘We'll have a cup of tea. It won't go to waste.'

Harry shot a casual glance in Charity's direction. ‘I have some papers I'd like you to sort, Miss Crosse.'

‘Yes, of course, sir.'

‘Come along, Dan.' Harry paused as he reached the doorway. ‘We'll discuss matters over a glass of Madeira, unless Wilmot has drunk the cellar dry.' He strode off in the direction of the study, giving Charity and Daniel little option other than to follow him.

‘How did you find him?' Daniel whispered. ‘I doubt if he came home of his own accord.'

Charity had to quicken her pace in order to keep up with his long stride. ‘He didn't need much persuading,' she said smiling. ‘Spend some time together, Dan. Get to know each other properly.' She hurried on and caught up with Harry just as he was about to enter the study. ‘Give me the keys and I'll go down to the cellar. I'm sure that you and Dan will have a lot to talk about.'

‘Have you ever been down to the cellars?'

‘No, but I'm sure I can find my way without too much difficulty.'

Reluctantly he handed her the keys. ‘All right, but be careful. It's pitch dark down there and the floor is uneven. If you can't find anything come straight back.'

‘What's going on?' Daniel demanded.

Charity snatched the keys and left Harry to talk things over with Dan. She was not keen on venturing into the cellars, but she wanted the two brothers to have time on their own. She stopped to light a candle before venturing down the stone steps that led to the cellar. A strong smell of damp and must assailed her nostrils and an involuntary shiver ran down her spine as she made her way between the wine racks, most of which were festooned with cobwebs but otherwise empty. She walked further and further into the depths of the vaulted caverns beneath the house, glancing round nervously at the odd sounds of scuffling that seemed to come from all corners. She knew that it was more than likely to be rats, but that was hardly a comforting thought and she had to force herself to continue her search.

The cobwebs grew thicker, hanging like lace curtains between the rows. She shuddered to think of the spiders that were lurking in them but she pressed on, focusing her thoughts on searching for something with which Harry and Dan could toast their future. She had reached the end of the extensive cellar complex and was about to give up when she found a couple of crusty bottles at the bottom of the last rack. She bent down to read the labels, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the glint of metal. A closer look revealed a pile of ingots reaching up to the ceiling. Stunned and hardly able to believe her eyes, she ran her fingers down the smooth and slippery surface of the blackened silver. The candle guttered and she held it steady, praying that it would not go out and leave her in Stygian darkness. She snatched up a bottle and headed back the way she had come.

She arrived at the cellar steps and almost dropped the crusty bottle of Madeira when a figure loomed up in front of her. ‘My God, you gave me a fright, Charity.' Harry wrapped his arms around her. ‘You've been gone for such a long time I thought something must have happened to you.'

She breathed a sigh of relief. ‘You scared me too.' She held up the bottle. ‘But I found what you wanted. It was at the very end of the cellars, and I discovered something else too. Come with me and I'll show you.'

‘What's going on?' Daniel demanded when they walked into the study. ‘I sensed it the moment I saw you two together.'

Harry slipped his arm around Charity's waist. ‘Is it that obvious?'

‘It is to me,' Daniel said, chuckling. ‘I'm sure that the two ladies in the kitchen have your measure too.'

‘I wanted to tell the world that I'd fallen in love with a wonderful woman, but Charity insisted that we kept it a secret.' Harry's smiled faded. ‘There was never anything between you two, was there, Dan?'

‘No.' Charity and Daniel spoke as one.

‘Of course not,' Charity added. ‘I love Dan as a brother.'

Daniel nodded in agreement. ‘That goes for me too, but Gideon is going to be doubly disappointed.'

‘Gideon?' Harry gave Charity a questioning look. ‘You told me that he'd helped you, but that was all.'

‘And so it was,' she said hastily. ‘I like Gideon and I think a lot of him, but that's all it was on my part.'

‘She turned him down, and he was pretty cut up about it. He talked of nothing else all the way to London.' Daniel took the bottle from Charity. ‘We need a corkscrew.'

Charity met Harry's troubled gaze with an apologetic smile. ‘I would have told you, Harry, but it didn't seem important. I was grateful to him for all his help, but I never knowingly gave him any encouragement. He's a good man and he deserves better than me, as do you.' She held her hand up as Harry was about to speak. ‘There, I've said it and it's out in the open. I've been allowing myself to think that we might have a future together, Harry, but it was wishful thinking.'

He seized her by the shoulders and twisted her round so that she was facing him. His dark eyes flashed with anger. ‘That's arrant nonsense. I love you and you love me. What more could anyone want?'

She drew away from him, shaking her head. ‘Ask your brother if he thinks that I would be well received as your wife.' She turned to Daniel. ‘Tell him, honestly.'

Daniel's cheeks burned with spots of colour. ‘It has nothing to do with me.'

‘This is ridiculous, darling,' Harry said angrily. ‘I don't give a damn what other people think. I love you and I want to marry you.'

‘Even if it were possible, that must be the most unflattering proposal any woman ever received.' Charity pushed past him. ‘I'm going to the cottage. Vi wasn't feeling very well this morning. I want to make sure she's all right.'

‘We need to talk this through.'

She spun round to face him. ‘I want some time on my own, Harry. We've been living in a make-believe world and now it's time to face reality.' She stormed out of the room, leaving the door to slam behind her.

She did not want Mrs Diment or Mrs Trevett to see her in such a state. They would only have to take one look at her to realise that something was wrong, and she would be overwhelmed with cups of hot sweet tea and bombarded with questions. After all this time she knew the house well enough to find her way out through the conservatory without getting lost, and she headed off across the fields towards the cottage.

Violet's screams of agony rang out even before Charity had reached the front door. She let herself in and raced up the stairs to find Violet lying on her bed, her face contorted with pain and Dorrie silently weeping as she held her hand.

‘Why didn't you send for me?' Charity demanded angrily.

‘I dunno what to do,' Dorrie murmured through her tears. ‘She won't let go of me hand.'

Charity moved swiftly to the bedside. ‘Let her go, Vi. I'm here now. Everything will be all right.'

‘The baby's coming,' Violet gasped. ‘It hurts something awful. I'm being punished for my wickedness.'

‘I'll stay with you while Dorrie runs to the house and fetches Mrs Diment. She'll know what to do.'