Where Seagulls Soar (32 page)

‘Thank you,’ Irene said when her employer handed over the ring with a hard look. ‘Perhaps you’d care to deduct the money from what you owe us, Mrs Abernathy. We
haven’t yet decided whether we will return to work for you, have we, Lydia?’

Lydia shook her head. ‘A favourable decision may be considered, if an apology is forthcoming.’

‘But what about Harriet’s music lessons and my cleaning?’

‘We’ll let you know if we can accommodate you in due course. At the moment we’re offended by what has taken place here today. We’d be obliged if you’d now pay us
for our services, and may we remind you that last week’s is still owing.’

Irene gazed at the small amount of cash Mrs Abernathy pressed into her palm. The Saturday academy provided a much better return for their skills. But Joanna had said they must earn as much as
they could and be thrifty in their spending, and finding ways and means of saving money had been turned into a game.

Joanna was saving up for a pair of sheep. First to provide wool, then fertilizer for the garden. Afterwards, they would pay a shilling for the service of a ram to breed the next season’s
lambs. Cheese would be made from the milk, and finally the animals would provide mutton for their table. The sheep would cost several shillings apiece, but once they were purchased they’d
save them money. Sheep were truly remarkable.

It was quite interesting to learn how one thing depended on another. Irene hadn’t realized how complicated maintaining a kitchen garden was. Or, indeed, how essential such an animal was,
when one had to live off the land. It was much easier to buy commodities from the market, but now they’d learned how to produce these goods they had a much better understanding of how they
had got to the market in the first place.

Obviously being a business owner was better than working for an employer, though, Irene thought. She must discuss this with Lydia when Joanna was home and after little Toby had been restored to
them. Women like Mrs Abernathy had too much power over ordinary women who worked to eat.

She sniffed as she slid the money into her pocket. ‘Perhaps an increase in our hourly rate might convince us. Good day, Mrs Abernathy. Mr Abernathy.’ After mischievously offering Mr
Abernathy a dazzling smile apiece, they swept off.

They’d hardly closed the door when Harriet burst into copious tears and yelled at her mother. ‘You spoiled our concert, you beastly woman, and I didn’t even get to
sing.’

‘Whatever have those girls been teaching her? Fetch the cane, Mr Abernathy,’ her mother shrieked.

The twins felt sorry for Harriet, but at least they’d been spared her singing. They hurried home, their strides lengthening as they saw the
Joanna Rose
furling her sails, in case
there was news of Joanna.

Tilda was visiting with Grace, and Charlotte Scott had a pleased look to her.

‘James asked Henry Wetherall to telegraph the harbour master, who told Thaddeus and Oliver that the
Joanna Rose
is on its way. We understand that Joanna and Seth Adams are
aboard.’

Lydia and Irene exchanged a grin. ‘The ship is in the harbour now.’ They had high hopes regarding Joanna and Seth, and had discussed endlessly the likelihood of a match between
them.

Lydia nodded and Irene said, ‘We found Joanna’s ring. Mrs Abernathy was wearing it.’ She gazed apologetically at Tilda. ‘I suppose I should tell you, because we
wouldn’t want you to find out accidentally. Mrs Abernathy bought it on a market stall in Weymouth, and was told by the stallholder that your mother sold it to them.’

‘My mother? How on earth would she have got hold of it?’

‘Mrs Abernathy said she must have stolen it. We thought your mother was crippled.’

‘So did I,’ Tilda said bitterly, ‘but David found some crutches and an empty gin bottle in the churchyard, which could have been hers. And I could almost swear that someone was
watching me through the kitchen window the other night. Vegetables were pulled from the garden the next morning, and a piece of clothing was stolen from the line. One of Grace’s smocks. The
same night somebody broke into the church and stole the contents of the poor box.’

‘I doubt if your mother would have had the strength to do that.’

‘She’s not as feeble as she pretends, Mrs Scott, and is as crafty as a coot.’

‘Perhaps your mother was hungry, my dear. She might have been desperate.’

Tilda looked doubtful. ‘David has hired someone from Weymouth to look after my mother and she is provided with money for food. I do hope she’s not going to start wandering into
people’s houses to steal things. She would do anything to get her hands on some gin, though. I must ask David to go up there and talk to the woman who looks after her.’

‘Joanna could have lost the ring in your garden, and your mother might have found it,’ Charlotte said kindly. ‘And if she was looking through your window, I expect she just
wanted to catch a glimpse of her daughter. She must be very lonely in that isolated cottage.’

‘Perhaps.’ Biting her lip, Tilda stopped to fuss with Grace’s hair, regretting that she’d sounded so uncharitable towards her mother. Guilt attacked her. She should find
out how her mother had got hold of Joanna’s ring. If she left Grace with David she could be back before Leonard and his family arrived for dinner.

She was pleased Joanna was on the way back. She intended to visit her friend in the morning to find out the details of Toby’s abduction.

The two men were sitting on the top of the cliff.

‘Look at her, Oliver. Isn’t she a grand sight.’

Oliver had to clear the lump in his throat before he could answer. ‘She is that, Thaddeus.’

Thaddeus pointed the stem of his pipe at the clipper. ‘She’s light in the water.’

‘Aye. She can’t be carrying much cargo and she was only half rigged when she came over the horizon.’

Thaddeus handed Oliver his telescope. ‘Here, you’ve got better eyesight than me. What else do you see?’

‘There’s not much activity on board. She seems to have sailed short of crew.’

Edward won’t sail her to Melbourne like that. Can you see Joanna?’

‘I can’t see much going on at all.’ Oliver swung the telescope round. ‘There’s a bunch of men coming off a boat down at Chiswell. They’re after trouble by the
looks of them. They’ve gone into the inn.’

‘And Tilda Lind is coming up the hill.’ Oliver swung back to the
Joanna Rose.
‘A dinghy is going out to the ship.’ A seagull flew into his vision and Oliver
chuckled. ‘Duck, Thaddeus, my father’s flying overhead.’

Thaddeus’s face cracked into a smile as he punched Oliver on the shoulder. Then he said with some seriousness, ‘That young woman is more vulnerable than she seems. When she was
young, her pa provided her with Lucian. When her life began to fall apart and she needed someone to cling to, she turned to him. She knows Lucian was responsible for saving her life and I reckon
he’d be pleased to know she looks to him for guidance.’

Oliver nodded, then turned to gaze at him. ‘Alex wasn’t really the right man for Joanna, you know, although he loved her in his fashion.’

‘In case your thoughts are wandering in that direction, neither are you, Oliver.’

‘I know.’ His glance went back to the
Joanna Rose
. ‘I’ve had no thought of marrying again. All I want to do is to get back to sea, and it’s not through
want of trying.’

The afternoon light was beginning to dull, the air was drawing moisture into it and the sea was the colour of unpolished pewter. There was movement on the water.

‘Two men are going ashore in the dinghy. And the Dunn brothers’ fishing boat has just disappeared behind the
Joanna Rose.
It looks like things are moving.’

‘Let’s get on down then. I want to be at the house before they arrive. Seth Adams is a canny sod, I understand. He must’ve had it all worked out in advance.’

Oliver grinned. ‘I believe he’s got Joanna worked out in advance, too. I’m looking forward to meeting him.’

‘Aye . . . she could do worse, I reckon. She needs a man who can out-fox her.’

Seth went over the side first, followed by Joanna, who was less nimble footed and had her skirt to contend with. Seth helped her as she neared the bottom, his hands spanning
her waist to lift her down.

They exchanged a glance and an intimate smile with one other. Seth chuckled when she gave a faint blush, and planted a kiss against her hairline.

Having observed the exchange, Edward grinned and, sure footed, dropped down beside them. Immediately, Jack Dunn shipped the boat hook holding them to the side of the clipper and the fishing boat
turned about and headed for a different part of the shore from where the dinghy was at.

The Dunn brothers nodded pleasantly to them. ‘Captain . . . Joanna Rose . . . Mr Adams. It’s nice to see you again, that it is.’

‘I bet it is, you thieving varmints.’ Seth turned to Edward. ‘Never buy brandy from this pair, Captain Staines.’

‘Off the pirate vessel
Saggitario
, was it?’ Edward said with a grin. ‘These gentlemen have been selling it for years, I believe. They’re a legend.’

‘A pity someone didn’t warn me until after the event, then.’

‘The
Saggitario
brandy was a good brew, indeed. It fetches a good price.’ Dunn the elder said, nodding his head sagely. ‘It might interest you gentlemen to know
there’s a group of Weymouth men getting themselves all liquored up at the inn. There’s talk of revenge.’

‘Are they after Brian Rushmore?’ Joanna said directly.

‘This be men’s business, girlie.’

Joanna’s hands went to her hips. ‘He stole my son, so that makes it my business.’

The brothers exchanged a glance. ‘There’ll be no arguing with you, Mother. That’s a wicked thing, to steal a child from its mother’s arms. That Brian Rushmore’s a
bad bugger, and no mistake.’

The younger brother advised, ‘Now you let your man here handle it, dearie. He might be daft about some things, but he’s a thinkin’ man for all that. In some situations
that’s better than going in with a gut full of drink, blood in your eye and with fists flying willy-nilly all over the place. A woman could get hurt.’

‘Can we do anything about the Weymouth men?’ Edward asked them. ‘We need to find where the child is and get him out before they get there.’

‘Seems to me they’ve got right on their side for revenge, since the man wronged their sister, and she’s been touched in the head ever since,’ the older brother said.

To which the other answered, ‘Could be they can be delayed, so Joanna Rose’s lad can be found first. One thing’s for certain, he’s got grudges against him. Nay, if Brian
Rushmore is on this island, he won’t be gettin’ off it without takin’ punishment. The fishermen will see to that.’

They both nodded. ‘As for his whereabouts, he ain’t in the cottage he grew up in. That place has been as quiet as the grave since Peter Rushmore was shot by the revenue men. The
fisher folk would have noticed any comin’ and goin’. There be only one person who would take him in. His mother, Fanny Rushmore, sozzled auld crow that she be. Lives up Southwell beyond
the village.’

When they reached the shore, the group saw that Durrington and Bisley hadn’t made much progress.

‘Not very good at rowing, that Abe Watson, on account of him having two left hands. He tends to go round in circles,’ Dunn the younger remarked, as Seth helped Joanna on to the
beach. ‘I shouldn’t be at all surprised if you didn’t get to where you want to go faster than they do.’

‘I do hope so,’ Seth said as the three strode off across the beach. ‘Is Fanny Rushmore’s cottage hard to get to?’

Joanna told them how to get there as they neared her cottage, slightly surprised at how thoroughly he questioned her.

Edward said, ‘I’ve got the feeling that the islanders know more of what’s going on than we do.’

Joanna slid her hand into Seth’s. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.’

Tilda was annoyed that she’d been placed in the position of visiting her mother. The woman had not only abandoned her when she’d been small, but she’d never
made any attempt to prevent the abuse Tilda had been subjected to by her father and two of her brothers.

Tilda had never had wild, adventurous dreams for herself like her friend Joanna had. She’d never even possessed the courage to think like Joanna. If Tilda had imagined marriage,
she’d never thought past a humble quarry labourer, and life in a modest cottage.

She hadn’t expected anyone as nice as David Lind to come along and fall in love with her, nor imagined that her modest artistic endeavours would bring her an income. Indeed, she would
never have known she had any talent if Joanna hadn’t encouraged her to discover it.

Her hands covered the child growing in her womb and she quietly glowed with the contentment of the way her life had turned out. This child was her personal miracle. David said it was God’s
reward for bearing her past treatment so bravely.

He always said something sweet like that. But only Joanna and herself knew the truth. That she’d been as near death as anyone could come, and only hate had kept her hanging on to life
until Joanna had rescued her and nursed her back to health.

Despite David’s plea to her to turn the other cheek, she felt only disgust for her mother. There could be no true reconciliation between them. Not ever.

As for her father and his two younger sons, she still feared and despised them in a way that sometimes sickened her, even though two of them were dead. She often prayed that Brian would soon
follow them into hell, for she would not be free of her past until he was gone from this earth.

Tilda had looked forward to coming back to the island. Now she regretted it, for the bad memories too often crowded in on her. At this moment it seemed as though Fanny Rushmore was setting out
to destroy her happiness. And she was worried that her baby might inherit the bad streak that seemed to run through her family.

Hiram, who’d been talking non-stop all of the way, brought the donkey cart to a halt and broke into her black thoughts with a bit of a nudge from his elbow.