by Deborah Carr
‘What do you mean? He didn’t have any problem packing his bags and booking his fare, as far as I can see. He must have been saving all his allowance for months to afford this.’
Florence wasn’t surprised by Jesse’s reaction, or that he was hurt by what John had done, but she also tried to picture how it would have panned out for John if he had done as Jesse said and spoken to either one of them before leaving. She knew full well that neither of them would have let him go and both of them would have done their best to persuade him to stay and think things over.
‘Jesse, both of us, you especially, are very strong-minded people. We both, yes, mostly you, know what we want and sometimes find it difficult to hear other people’s points of view. If you really think about it, you’ll know that poor John wouldn’t have stood a chance if he had spoken to you about his idea to go and stay in Canada. You have to admit that, don’t you?’
Jesse thought for a moment. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ he admitted eventually.
Florence poured their tea and handed Jesse’s to him. ‘This is probably lukewarm by now, so we’d better drink it while it’s still reasonably nice.’
They sat in silent contemplation as they ate their sponge and drank their tea. Florence was relieved to have shared the news with Jesse and that his initial reaction was now over with. She knew though that once he had spent time mulling over what had happened, he might still become much angrier with John. She hoped he wouldn’t. Florence didn’t want Jesse any more upset than he was already. He needed to focus on his health rather than being angry about things, although this was exactly the sort of thing he would be upset about. Not that she blamed him.
Florence would never admit how upset she was with John and, she realised, also rather angry at him. If only he had tried to work with his father before going to Canada, then she could argue in his defence over his departure. He hadn’t though, and that was the thing that troubled her the most. Apart from how he’d fare in Canada.
Jesse finished his sponge and wiped his mouth with his napkin. ‘What will we do if John refuses to come home?’ he asked quietly.
Florence didn’t want to think about that happening. It would break her heart. She decided that if John did make that choice, she would book a passage and travel to see him. John was less likely to be able to refuse her something when he was face to face with her. ‘I honestly don’t know. What I do know, though, is that you and I are going to find a way to get through this, together. It’s what we’ve always done.’
Chapter 32
Three weeks’ later, Dorothy ran into the dining room. The earlier rain had dried up and there were hints of blue sky appearing. It promised to be a beautiful sunny day. Florence was finishing her breakfast. ‘Look, Mother,’ she whispered, as if nervous someone might hear what she was about to say.
Jesse had left moments before and Florence was aiming to follow him to the store as soon as she had finished a few things she wanted to speak to the servants about. She looked over her cup as she took a sip of her tea, alarmed to see her oldest daughter’s anxious expression. ‘What’s the matter?’
Dorothy closed the door and walked over to Florence holding an envelope. ‘There’s other post in the hall, but this one has John’s handwriting on it and I thought you’d want to read it as soon as possible.’
Florence had been trying to keep from worrying as she waited each day to see if a letter had arrived from John. It was a huge relief to finally receive his reply to her. Florence placed her cup down on the saucer and took the envelope from Dorothy.
She picked up a clean butter knife from Jesse’s place setting and slid it into the envelope, slicing it open at the top. ‘I’m almost afraid to see what he’s said,’ she admitted quietly. She took a deep breath and withdrew the single page before taking a deep breath and reading.
Dearest Mother,
Thank you for your letter; it was wonderful to receive it. I’m grateful to you for not being as angry as I had expected you to be. I have to admit that I am missing you, Father, and my sisters. Please send them all my love.
It can’t have been easy to break my news to Father and I hope he wasn’t too disappointed in me. I expect that he was rather angry and I don’t blame him for one minute.
I will make this letter brief because I want to reply to your request for me to return home as soon as possible. I know you will be waiting each day to hear from me.
You make a lot of sense when you say that I should have at least spent some time working with Father at Boots, and I know it was utterly selfish of me to leave like I did. But I knew that if I didn’t go when I did, I might never have had the courage to do so. I wanted to go to Vancouver ever since meeting Frank and hearing how beautiful this place is, and it is, Mother. Vancouver is the most enchanting place I’ve ever been. I would love you to come and see everything that it has to offer. The clean air and beautiful scenery would probably benefit Father’s health, too.
However, that said, I must tell you that I don’t feel ready to return home to Nottingham yet.
Florence’s hand flew to the pearls around her neck. No. John was not going to refuse to come home. She wouldn’t allow it. She read on.
I am sorry that I feel this way and know that you will be upset by this reply, but I’ve come this far and I would like to continue with my stay here, for the time being at least. There is so much that I wish to explore here in Canada, and I worry that if I come home I might never again have the chance to visit here.
Frank’s family are as kind and welcoming as you would hope. They have made my stay exciting and a lot of fun, although I believe they were rather more surprised at my arrival than I had expected.
I will sign off now, Mother, and write again in a day, or two. Once again, I apologise for not giving you the answer that you will have hoped for.
With love,
Your son,
John
Florence swallowed the nausea rising in her throat. The thought of not seeing her beloved son again was not something she was going to accept. She took a sip from her glass of water and tried to calm down. He hadn’t said he wouldn’t ever return, she reminded herself, only that he did not intend returning yet.
She realised Dorothy was speaking to her. ‘Mother, may I read John’s letter?’
‘Pardon? Oh, yes, of course you may.’ Florence handed the letter to Dorothy, her hand shaking so much that she almost dropped it.
She waited for Dorothy to read John’s words, not wishing to give in to her tears in front of her daughter.
Dorothy finished reading and stared up at her. ‘John will come home, won’t he?’
‘Of course he will,’ Florence reassured her despite her own fears that he might change his mind and decide to stay in Vancouver. ‘Why don’t you run along and quietly tell Margery what he’s written to say? I know she’s been waiting to hear from him, too.’
Dorothy put the letter onto the polished table. She went behind Florence and putting her arms around her mother’s shoulders rested her head against Florence’s back. ‘I’m glad he likes it there though. I would hate to think of John as being unhappy.’
What a kind girl, Florence thought. ‘Yes, that’s very true, Dorothy. You’re right. We should be relieved that John is safe and happy.’
She waited for Dorothy to leave before rereading John’s letter. She needed to be positive. All was not lost and he would be returning. One day. Florence gave in to her tears. Moments later, she pulled her handkerchief from her skirt pocket and wiped her eyes and blew her nose. This wouldn’t do. She needed to be strong. Then she would take a hansom to Pelham Street and let Jesse know what John had said.
***
Jesse reacted as she had known he would. She let him have his say and vent to her for several minutes about how he had always worked hard and only took time out of the business once he had made a success of himself.
‘The youth today have no idea how it was for the rest of us.’
�
�Jesse,’ she said calmly when he took a breath from his ranting. ‘We’ve discussed this before. John needs to work this out of his system and then hopefully he’ll come home to Nottingham and begin working at the company. Nothing is final yet.’
‘He will work here if I say he can. The longer he’s away the less likely I am to agree to give him a job. I can’t wait for ever for my son to decide what he wants to do with his future.’
Florence groaned. ‘He’s young. Give him time to discover what he wants out of life.’
Jesse glared at her. ‘What? When did anyone wait for me to do such a thing? I was young when my father died and I had to help my mother keep her business, his legacy, going.’
‘I know, but times are different. John has been luckier than you, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t allowed to make decisions for himself.’
‘I beg to differ.’ Jesse pushed a file away from him, knocking other paperwork to the floor.
Florence looked at him for a few seconds, to let him know she was not amused by his behaviour, before bending to retrieve the papers. She tidied them and placed them back on his desk.
‘Losing your temper won’t change the situation. It won’t do your health any good either. Now, I suggest you calm down. We have more than enough to focus on with the business. We can’t force John to do anything from here anyway,’ she said not adding that if John didn’t return then she had every intention of going to Vancouver. It was something she would begin planning over the next few days.
The following afternoon, Florence and Jesse arrived home in the motorcar, just as a hansom cab was pulling out of the driveway.
‘Who that can be?’ Jesse frowned as their car slowly drew in once the carriage had cleared the entrance for them to pass.
‘I’ve no idea.’ Florence was exhausted and past caring. It had been an upsetting couple of days. She couldn’t admit to anyone how hurt she had been by John’s refusal to do as she had asked. Florence had thought herself closer to her son than she obviously was and the realisation stung. ‘Maybe we’ve had a delivery of some kind.’
Jesse’s car drew up outside the front door and Sam stepped out and opened the doors for them. Harriet pushed Jesse’s bath chair outside for him to use.
‘Why is Harriet coming out to fetch me?’ Jesse grumbled. ‘That’s Meadows’s job, not hers.’
‘He must be busy elsewhere.’ Florence stepped out of the car and walked around it to greet Harriet and help her move Jesse from the back seat of the vehicle and onto his bath chair. She glanced at her lady’s maid and couldn’t miss that she was looking a little flushed. Something had obviously happened here, but Florence didn’t want to set Jesse off on another rant by hearing any bad news.
Florence helped Harriet push Jesse’s chair inside. ‘I’ll take over from here,’ she said catching Violet’s eye as the maid almost ran from the baize door carrying a tray of tea things. ‘Are those for the girls?’
Violet glanced at Harriet and then blushing, nodded.
What was going on? Florence wondered. ‘Where can we find them?’
‘The living room, madam,’ Violet said, just as Meadows hurried down the stairs.
Jesse grumbled to himself. ‘Where on earth have you been hiding, Meadows? I expect to see you outside to greet me, not my wife’s lady’s maid.’
‘Sorry, sir.’ Meadows exchanged glances with Harriet and Violet. ‘I was caught up with something for a moment.’
Violet continued carrying her tray to the living room. Florence watched her and was beginning to feel uneasy. What were the servants keeping from her and Jesse? Jesse passed his hat to Meadows and Florence unbuttoned her coat and unpinned her hat and handed them to him to put away.
‘Come, Jesse,’ Florence said. If the servants didn’t feel able to share what was happening with her and Jesse, then she was sure her daughters would have no such qualms. ‘Let’s go and say hello to the girls.’ She smiled at Harriet. ‘Please arrange for more tea to be brought in for Mr Boot and me.’
Harriet nodded. ‘Right away, madam,’ she said, a secretive smile appearing on her lips before she left to do Florence’s bidding.
She pushed Jesse through to the living room. Dorothy and Margery’s shrieks of laughter cheered Florence and soothed her taut nerves. Her daughters always made her arrival back at the house feel much lighter. If only John were here, too, she thought miserably, her heart aching as she recalled the words in his letter to her.
Violet opened the living room door for them and waited for Florence and Jesse to enter, before closing the door behind them. Florence noticed the back of the head of a gentleman sitting on the sofa. It couldn’t be. Could it? The man rose and slowly turned to face her and Jesse.
‘John?’ she asked, her mind taking a moment to catch up with what her eyes were seeing. Florence opened her mouth to say something further, but the words wouldn’t form. It was John. She raised her hand to her mouth as his lips slowly drew back into a smile. Her boy was back.
‘Hello, Mother.’ He looked at Jesse, his expression more serious. ‘Father.’
Florence stared at him for a few more seconds before taking a deep breath. He had come back home to them, after all.
‘Oh, John,’ she said going to him, her arms opened. ‘You’re here. I can’t believe it.’
John stepped into her hug and held her tightly. ‘It’s good to see you.’
After a few moments, Florence lowered her arms and turned to Jesse. She took John’s arm and led him around the sofa to stand in front of Jesse’s bath chair. ‘Look, Jesse. Didn’t I tell you John would be back? Isn’t it wonderful?’
She hoped that Jesse would say the right thing now and not antagonise John into storming out. She wished Jesse would stop staring at John. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to think of the right thing to say, or if he was trying to show his disapproval by not immediately welcoming their son back home.
‘Jesse?’ Florence said, willing him to say something. Anything at all that would encourage John, since he had travelled half way around the world because she had asked him to.
Then she remembered that Jesse didn’t know exactly what she had said in her letter to John, so maybe he assumed John had come home because things had not turned out as well as he had imagined in Vancouver.
Jesse reached out his hand, and smiled. ‘It’s good to see you, son.’
John’s shoulders relaxed and he took his father’s hand. ‘Thank you, Father. I’m truly sorry for leaving the way I did. I felt guilty as soon as I was on the boat and had time to think clearly about what I’d done. I hope you’ll both forgive me. And, if you’re happy for me to, I’d like to come and work for Boots in whatever capacity you choose, Father.’
Florence mouthed a thank-you to John over Jesse’s head. She could imagine how much John had given up to do this for her and loved him all the more for it.
‘Let’s not talk about any of it now,’ Jesse said, letting go of John’s hand. He looked up at Florence, before turning his attention once again to John. ‘I’m happy for your mother that you’ve come back to us, and naturally for me, too.’ Jesse motioned towards Dorothy and Margery, who were still standing where they had been when Florence and Jesse had arrived. ‘I know your sisters have missed your presence in this house very much. They’ll be delighted to have you back, as I’m sure will Mrs Rudge. You eat more than the rest of us and I think she was starting to worry that she wouldn’t have enough cooking to keep her busy without you here.’
Florence laughed at Jesse’s teasing. She relaxed, realising that every muscle in her body had tensed while she waited for the two men in her life to react to each other. Now they had done so, and all seemed well. It was more than she had hoped for and her life could carry on once again.
It only occurred to her, now that John was back, how disheartened she had been while he was away in Canada. She supposed it was because, like Jesse, she had always hoped John would go on to work with his father for the company. She had imagined he
might choose to try other jobs first, but she had never expected him to leave like he had done.
Now he was back though, and he and Jesse seemed to have made some sort of pact to at least attempt to work together. She was grateful to both of them for doing so. She suspected they were probably putting their own feelings aside to please her, and if that’s what it took to bring her husband and son back together, then she was all for it.
John pushed Jesse’s chair closer to the fireplace, so that the rest of the family could sit down in time for Violet to enter the room with another tray of drinks for them.
Florence sat next to John on the sofa and poured everyone a cup of tea. This had turned out to be a much better day than she had dared imagine. What next, though? she wondered.
Chapter 33
Late July 1907
Jesse and Florence sat together eating with their children in the dining room. John had been as good as his word and begun working at Boots. Florence took him aside every so often to check how he felt things were going. She was nervous in case he found working closely with his father stifling. The last thing she needed was for him to pack up and leave again and was determined to make sure that didn’t happen.
Florence was proud of her son for the way he was conducting himself at work, especially on the days when Jesse was particularly grumpy due to the pains in his body. She suspected John’s new-found maturity must be as a result of his experience seeing first-hand how it was for a father and son to work alongside each other during his visit to the Hamiltons’ apple farm in Vancouver. She was grateful to him for trying to please his father and for fitting in with his working life as well as he had done. She hoped that by letting John know how proud of him she was it might encourage him to keep going if he were ever tempted to give up.
Today was another warm day, and Jesse had spent most of it closeted in his home study as he insisted it was the coolest room in the house. He disliked the heat more and more each year and especially when he was feeling unwell, or the pain in his joints was troubling him more than usual.