‘Sorry, Father, but I already am involved. I have been from the start,’ Valbourg said, heading for the stairs. ‘I’ll see you when I get back. And then we will talk again. You can be sure of it.’
* * *
Catherine was getting into a hackney when Valbourg arrived.
‘You’re coming with me,’ he said. ‘In my carriage.’ He paid the driver and transferred her small valise into his carriage. She was deathly pale apart from two bright spots of colour that stood out in her cheeks.
‘You can’t get involved in this, Richard.’
‘I already am. You’ll need me there for moral support, if nothing else.’
‘What will I do if I can’t get him back?’ she said in a choked voice. ‘Hailey may refuse—’
‘Hailey will refuse, and when he does, we will threaten, intimidate and verbally browbeat if we have to. Anything short of violence if it means we will get Thomas back.’
‘I wish I could be as confident. Any man who would do something like that in broad daylight—’
‘I suspect he was counting on the element of surprise,’ Valbourg said. ‘Whoever’s been watching Thomas knows of his fondness for the ducks. He was probably just biding his time until the right moment came along.’
‘Unfortunately, it did so when your father was responsible for his safety,’ Catherine said, the bitterness evident in her voice. ‘I thought the idea of moving Thomas there was so that he would be safe.’
‘And he was...until Tippings turned his back. At least we have a description of the man who took Thomas.’
‘It doesn’t matter. We know who’s behind this,’ Catherine said. ‘Thomas will already be on his way back to the Haileys and getting him away will be even more difficult than it was the first time.’
‘You forget, Thomas knows you’re his mother now and will likely kick up a fuss when he realises he’s been taken from you.’
Catherine closed her eyes, biting her lip. ‘I can’t lose him, Richard. I can’t. It would tear me apart.’
‘I know and we are going to get him back.’ Valbourg placed his hands over hers. ‘Trust me, Catherine. We won’t let Hailey get away with this a second time. When we leave Grafton, Thomas will be coming with us. I give you my word on that.’
* * *
They reached Cheltenham in good time and went straight to Gwendolyn’s house. There, Catherine acquainted her friend with the details of the situation.
‘Lord Valbourg, it is good to see you again,’ Gwen said, in a polite yet friendly manner, ‘though I am truly sorry for the circumstances.’
‘As am I,’ Valbourg said. ‘But we anticipate a good outcome. For now, Catherine needs to rest.’
‘I have no intention of resting. We must go immediately to the Haileys,’ Catherine said. ‘I won’t give him any more time with Thomas than I have to.’
‘I understand your concern, my dear, but in this instance I think Lord Valbourg is right,’ Gwen said gently. ‘You have been travelling at a frantic pace, with thoughts of Thomas uppermost in your mind. You will do better to rest for the evening and start out fresh in the morning. I suspect you will be able to approach the situation more calmly and your conversation with Reverend Hailey will reflect that.’
‘But what if he uses the time to send Thomas away again?’ Catherine said. ‘How will I find him? Stubbs won’t be able to help me now.’
‘I don’t think Hailey will send Thomas away,’ Valbourg said. ‘Thomas knows you’re his mother and he’ll tell anyone he can. He might even put up a fight. My guess is Hailey will keep him close to home, where he can keep an eye on him.’
It was impossible to tell whether Valbourg’s hunch was right, but, knowing she needed sleep, Catherine agreed to set out first thing in the morning.
* * *
She fell into a heavy but restless sleep, finally getting up and dressing long before a servant arrived with her cup of morning chocolate.
They set off not long after, but when they arrived at the manse, there was no sign of Thomas.
‘The master told me to tell you he’s got nothing to say to you,’ Mrs Comstock said coldly. ‘Now take yourself off and don’t be calling here again.’
‘I beg your pardon,’ Valbourg said, stepping forward. ‘If you value your job, you will tell Reverend Hailey that Lord Valbourg wishes to see him and that it will be the better for him if he makes himself available at once.’
Catherine was quite sure the stern-faced housekeeper had never been spoken to in such a manner and one look at Valbourg’s face must have convinced her it would be wise to pass his message along. But she did not invite them in, instead closing the door in their faces.
‘Charming,’ Valbourg murmured. ‘A fire-breathing dragon sent to guard the door.’
‘I’m sure she succeeds with everyone else,’ Catherine said, finally managing a smile. ‘I would turn tail and run if you spoke to me like that, too.’
The hardness in his face vanished. ‘I never would speak to you like that.’
The door opened momentarily and the housekeeper reappeared. ‘Mrs Hailey has agreed to see you. The vicar is engaged with diocesan business.’
‘Yes, I’m sure he is,’ Valbourg said, letting Catherine precede him into the house.
The housekeeper led them to a different room this time, one in Mrs Hailey’s realm, judging from the feminine décor, and left without another word.
Eliza entered shortly thereafter. She looked as lovely as ever, but Catherine saw the gleam of anger in her eyes. ‘How dare you come here!’ she said, not wasting any time with pleasantries. ‘Have you not done that poor boy enough harm?’
‘I have done him harm?’ Catherine repeated incredulously. ‘You’re the one who’s keeping a child who doesn’t belong to you. You’re the one who arranged for him to be kidnapped in London and brought back here.’
‘Of course, after you took him from Glendale under false pretences,’ Eliza shot back. ‘I expect the authorities will take a dim view of that—’
‘There is no need to bring threats into this,’ Valbourg said coldly. ‘Miss Jones is the boy’s mother. She has a right to take him.’
‘She gave up that right when she left Thomas here as a baby.’
‘I did not leave him!’ Catherine said. ‘Your husband took him from me. You were there. You know exactly what happened.’
‘As I said, when you left him here and ran away to London to become an actress, we had no choice but to take poor Thomas in and raise him as our own.’
Catherine stared at the woman in disbelief. ‘Is that the story you intend to put about? That I abandoned my son?’
‘It is your word against ours, Miss Jones, and I guarantee, we will win. Who would take the word of an actress over that of a clergyman?’
‘Someone who is well acquainted with both,’ Valbourg said. ‘Miss Jones is head and shoulders above you when it comes to integrity and compassion, Mrs Hailey. But we are ignoring the central person in this drama. Why don’t you ask Thomas with whom he wishes to live?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. He is five years old,’ Eliza said angrily. ‘He cannot know what is best for him.’
‘Since he will be the one living with the outcome of the decision, I think he is eminently qualified to speak on his own behalf.’
‘Nonsense! I refuse to allow him to take part in this. And I resent you telling me what to do, Lord Valbourg, because this really is none of your business. I understand that you and Miss Jones have a relationship, but that does not entitle you to come into my house and—’
‘Madam,’ Valbourg cut in icily, ‘you will tell your husband that Miss Jones and I will return tomorrow morning at ten o’clock to pick up her son. Unless you wish to find yourself standing in a court of law, I suggest you have Thomas ready. Do I make mys
elf clear?’
Out of the corner of her eye, Catherine saw a movement near the door, then heard the creak of a floorboard. She turned to get a better look, but no one was there. Clearly, whoever had been eavesdropping on their conversation had decided not to linger. It seemed the staff went in fear of Elizabeth Hailey, too.
She turned back in time to hear Valbourg say, ‘Good day, Mrs Hailey. Come along, Miss Jones.’
They left without waiting for the housekeeper to show them the way. Catherine was silent until she reached the carriage. Then, ‘Why did you let her get away with that? She came right out and accused us of being in the wrong.’
‘And I’m not sure a court of law wouldn’t agree with her,’ Valbourg said. ‘Emotion doesn’t come into it when you’re dealing with barristers, Catherine. They base their legal pleadings on fact and the fact is we did remove Thomas from Glendale under false pretences. The court might well say the Haileys were within their rights to take him back by whatever means possible.’
‘But he is my son! I know you’re probably tired of hearing that, but it is the truth!’ Catherine said, on the brink of tears. ‘He belongs with me—and I believe that’s what he would say if he were asked.’
‘I agree, but it doesn’t solve our problem right now. I suggest we go back to Gwen’s house and sleep on it.’
* * *
They were halfway home when Catherine suddenly sat up straight. ‘Richard, would you mind taking me somewhere else before we go back to Gwen’s?’
‘Not at all. Where would you like to go?’
‘To a place I haven’t been in six years,’ she said quietly. ‘To see a man I miss very much and parted with badly.’
Valbourg ran his fingers along the reins. ‘Are you sure you want to do this today?’
‘I must. I may not have the courage to do it again.’
* * *
Her father hadn’t changed a great deal. He looked older and greyer than Catherine remembered, but other than that, he was the same. He was sitting in his garden, reading a book, and looked up at the sound of the carriage. When it slowed and came to a halt in front of his house, he put down his book and stood up.
Catherine watched her father approach the gate and felt the past six years slip away. It was as though she was a little girl again, rushing home to tell her father where she had been and what a good time she’d had. He would pick her up and tell her she must have eaten an entire pie because she was much heavier than when she had left. Then he would put her down and they would walk into the house together and all would be well with her world. But she wasn’t that little girl any more, and as she stepped down from the carriage, Catherine was very aware of how much had changed. ‘Hello, Papa,’ she said.
‘Catherine?’ His expression changed from uncertain to incredulous. ‘Is it really you?’
She offered him a tentative smile as she pushed open the gate. ‘I came back to see Reverend Hailey. But I wanted to come and see you as well.’
They stood staring at each other, six feet—and six years—separating them.
‘Well, I’ll leave the two of you alone,’ Valbourg said, glancing from one to the other. ‘I’ll come back in an hour, shall I?’
Catherine nodded, wondering if an hour would pass in the blink of an eye—or feel like an eternity. Valbourg squeezed her hand before leaving, and then she was alone again with her father.
‘I know we parted badly, Papa,’ she said, deciding to take the lead. ‘And I know how you felt about me when I left. But that was a long time ago and I have missed you so very much. I wanted to come back and see if there was any chance of reconciliation between us. It would mean the world to me to know I was forgiven.’
Catherine wasn’t sure how he would react. She was prepared for disdain, even for anger. She was not prepared for tears. ‘Oh, my dearest girl.’ He came forward and grasped both of her hands. ‘How I have longed to write to you, only to stop every time, overcome with shame for the way I treated you. You cannot know how grateful I am that you have finally come home.’
Chapter Eleven
In the quiet of the garden, father and daughter sat and talked over the events of the past six years. Tears flowed, laughter echoed, and for the first time in a long while, Catherine felt a sense of peace in a part of her heart that had been broken for so long.
‘I feel dreadful for the way I treated you, Katie,’ her father said, slipping back into his childhood name for her. ‘I was so concerned about what people would say and about the shame I thought you brought on our house—’
‘I did bring shame on us, Papa,’ Catherine interrupted gently. ‘I made a terrible mistake and I am so very sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you.’
‘I know. I think I knew it at the time, but I was too stubborn to admit it.’
‘You were also dealing with Mama’s death,’ Catherine said. ‘What I did... What happened between Will and myself couldn’t have happened at a worse time.’
‘No, but your mother was gone. You were still here and you needed me, and I wasn’t there,’ her father said. ‘However, with time comes wisdom and I have learned a great deal over the past six years. I am so grateful for having the chance to sit and talk with you again, Katie, and to hear about your life in London. I read the reports in the papers. You’ve done well for yourself and I am so very proud.’
His words brought tears to Catherine’s eyes. How many nights had she lain awake dreaming that one day her father might say something like this? ‘You don’t know how much it means to me to hear you say that, Papa.’
‘Do you think I will be able to see little Thomas?’ he asked, his voice tentative again. ‘I should very much like to meet my grandson.’
‘You haven’t met him?’ Catherine said. ‘I thought the Haileys would have taken him to church.’
‘They did, but he was never allowed away from Eliza,’ her father said. ‘And given that they were trying to pass him off as Eliza’s nephew, there was no reason for them to introduce him to me.’
‘But did no one comment on the resemblance between Thomas and myself? Lord Valbourg says we look very much alike.’
‘I doubt anyone thought to connect the two of you. You’ve been gone so long, and though a few people said they thought they had seen you, they couldn’t be sure.’
‘The Haileys insisted I arrive and leave at night,’ Catherine told him. ‘So as to lessen the chance of anyone seeing me.’
‘Ah, that would explain it, I suppose. Still, if anyone suspected you of being Thomas’s mother, no one said anything to me. But then, why would they? Most people knew we parted badly, though I explained it was because of your desire to perform on stage rather than as a result of...well, the other. It seemed easier.’
Yes, it likely would, Catherine thought sadly. Anything, even a career on the stage, would be better than having to admit your only daughter had borne a child out of wedlock.
‘What about Lord Valbourg?’ her father asked. ‘I was surprised to see you in the company of such an illustrious gentleman. Is there an understanding between you? It would be a very good match for you if you have earned his affections, Katie.’
Catherine smiled and shook her head. ‘Life in London has taught me nothing if not reality, Papa. Lord Valbourg has been kind to me, but that is all. He will be announcing his engagement before Christmas, though I would ask you to keep that to yourself, since he hasn’t asked the lady yet.’
Her father looked at her for a long time, then nodded. ‘Thank you for clearing that up. I did not wish to say anything out of place, but I did think there was something between you. I saw the way he looked at you before he left. But perhaps it was just hope in these old eyes. Still, I would be honoured if you and his lordship would consider having dinner with me this evening. I suspect you will be returning to London soon?’
‘I am not sure when we will be heading back,’ Catherine said, ‘but I would be delighted to have dinner with you and I shall ask Lord Valbourg when he returns if he is free to join us. I know he has friends in the area. He may have made arrangements to join them for the evening.’
Catherine knew Valbourg hadn’t made any plans, but if he preferred not to spend the evening with them, he would at least have a plausible excuse.
* * *
As it turned out, however, Valbourg was delighted to join them.
‘Splendid!’ her father said as the three of them stood by the gate. ‘I shall have Mrs Rowntree prepare a special dinner in honour of the occasion. She constantly complains that it is terribly boring having to cook for a widower. Now we shall see what culinary masterpiece she is able to put forward!’
They parted with great affection and Catherine climbed back into Valbourg’s carriage in a much better frame of mind than she had left it. ‘Perhaps my luck is changing,’ she said as the horses set off. ‘I had no idea my meeting with Papa would go so well, but I am happy and relieved that it has.’
‘It was good to see the two of you getting along,’ Valbourg said. ‘I wasn’t sure what I would find when I returned. Had you been sitting on the grass by the gate with your head in your hands, I wouldn’t have been surprised.’
Catherine laughed. ‘When you left, I had no idea what I would be doing. But Papa was as pleased by the opportunity to put the past behind us as I was.’ Her smile faded as she remembered one part of the conversation. ‘He asked if it would be possible to see Thomas. The Haileys haven’t brought him here to meet his grandfather.’
‘In their eyes, there would be no reason to. If Eliza was trying to pass Thomas off as her nephew, he would have no connection to your father.’
‘That’s what Papa said, but the Haileys know the truth and it was cruel of them to deny Papa the right to see his own grandson.’
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