‘The very best; it’s already arranged,’ she assured her. ‘But shall we get the financial bit out of the way now?’
‘Oh yes . . . yes of course.’ The girl fumbled in her bag, and placed what appeared to Susie to be quite a large sum of money on the table.
Mrs Dyer’s plump hand shot out to take it and she shoved it down the front of her dress.
‘There, that’s that bit out of the way,’ she said cheerfully. ‘How’s about you give her to me? There’s no sense in drawin’ out the goodbyes.’
The poor young woman was openly sobbing as she planted a tender kiss on the baby’s downy blonde curls. ‘Her name is Charlotte. Do you think the new family will let her keep it? And there’s a bag of clothes I bought for her here,’ she said with a catch in her voice. ‘I couldn’t bear to think of her going to her new family with nothing.’
‘Course not, dearie. I’ll see as they gets ’em.’ She took the baby from the young woman’s arms, and watched as she rose from her seat and staggered unsteadily towards the door. She was clearly greatly distressed at having to part with her baby, and Susie’s young heart went out to her – but the second the door had closed behind her Mrs Dyer threw the baby none too gently into one of the empty cribs and she began to cry lustily at such treatment. Fetching the small bottle from the table the woman tipped a few drops straight into the infant’s mouth making her choke and gurgle, but soon afterwards her eyelashes fluttered on to her cheeks and she was still.
‘There, that should keep her quiet for a while,’ the woman said. ‘Now, we’ll have us somethin’ to eat, shall we?’
With that, she began to carve some slices from the loaf on the table, as Susie looked silently on.
Over the next few weeks, there were many such unfortunate babies brought to Mrs Dyer’s door, but never once did Susie meet any of their new families. She would just wake one morning to find the cribs empty before a new baby arrived, and all she could do was hope they had gone to happy homes. Sometimes she would question Mrs Dyer and ask if she had heard anything from Opal yet, but the answer was always the same.
‘No. It could take a while to track her down, so just be patient.’
With that, Susie had to be content as she cooked and cleaned and cared for the babies as best she could. Thankfully she never grew too close to them, for none of them were there for more than two or three nights at the most. And all the time, her hope kept her going.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
At last spring arrived and cast her magic over the land. Daffodils and primroses pushed their way through the earth, tender green buds appeared on the trees and dog roses clambered across the bushes.
‘About time too,’ Mrs King grumbled one morning in late March as Opal dressed her hair. ‘My old bones can’t cope with all that cold weather. But now, get a move on, girl. Henry will be here soon to take us to church.’
Opal stifled a sigh of relief. For the last few weeks, the old lady hadn’t felt well enough to go, which had meant she had been forced to go alone with Henry, who was keen for an answer to his proposal. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to stall him for much longer, and wondered what the consequences would be when she turned him down. She doubted Mrs King would want to keep her on once she had spurned her son, and already she had been making tentative enquiries about other jobs – not that any of them had amounted to anything. With another sigh, Opal hurried away to fetch Mrs King’s bonnet and coat. Then, once she was ready, she rushed off to her room to get her own.
Henry was waiting in the hall for them when they descended the stairs, and Opal fancied she saw a look of annoyance flash in his eyes when he saw that his mother would be accompanying them. Even so, he was the perfect gentleman as he helped them into the carriage and soon they were on their way.
‘I suppose you’ll be staying for lunch when we get back?’ his mother questioned as they rattled along and he nodded.
‘If it wouldn’t be an imposition,’ he replied. Then, his face grave, he said, ‘I have something I need to speak to Opal about, as it happens.’
Opal’s stomach sank. Ah well, she had known it was coming sooner or later, so in a way she supposed it would be a relief to give him his answer and get it out of the way.
To Opal, the church service seemed to take twice as long as usual that morning, and by the time they returned to Mrs King’s, she was a bag of nerves and barely able to take a bite of the delicious roast Cook had made for them. At last the pots were cleared away, and Mrs King asked Opal to help her upstairs for her ritual afternoon nap.
‘I shall be back shortly,’ Opal informed Henry politely, as she led the old woman from the room, and he inclined his head.
When she returned, she sat down in the wing chair next to the fireplace, folded her hands primly in her lap and looked at him.
Henry rose from his seat and began to pace up and down the room with his hands clasped behind his back, until presently he came to a stop in front of her. ‘The thing is, my dear – and it pains me to have to tell you this – but I’m afraid I have some very bad news for you.’
Opal was surprised. She had been so sure he was about to speak of his proposal, but there was clearly something else on his mind and she had no idea what it might be . . . unless it was more news about Charlie!
Her heart began to thump painfully as he took a deep breath. ‘As you know, I have continued trying to trace your brother for you for some time now, and at last I have managed to find his whereabouts. He was actually in New South Wales, not in Tasmania as I had originally thought, and that’s why they could not find him. But the governor there informs me that, sadly, Charlie passed away with a fever that swept through the colony some time ago and this time there is no doubt about it. I’m so very sorry, my dear.’
Opal gasped as tears burned at the back of her eyes, and she tried to digest the news. Charlie, her wonderful brother, was dead! She would never see him again. Never be able to tell him how very much he had meant to her. As the tears spilled down her cheeks, Henry dropped to his knees beside her and, fumbling in his pocket, he pulled out a clean, crisp white handkerchief.
‘That’s it,’ he breathed, his eyes full of false sympathy. She had clearly believed every word he had said. ‘You let it all out now. There’s no sense in keeping grief locked inside.’
It seemed natural when his arms came around her to lay her head on his chest as she gave way to her grief, and Henry made the most of every second as he crooned comforting words in her ear. Eventually, with an enormous effort, Opal managed to pull herself together and gently disentangled herself.
‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered miserably. ‘It . . . it was just a shock.’
‘Of course, I quite understand.’ He patted her hand but made no effort to rise. ‘But please, don’t think this will stop me continuing my search for your little sister. Oh Opal,’ he groaned, grasping her hand. ‘This is so hard for me. If only you would agree to be my wife, I could look after you properly.’
She sniffed as she looked at him long and hard. All hope of her ever forming a life with her brother was gone now, and with each month that passed her hopes of finding Susie faded just a little bit more. So what lies ahead for me now? she asked herself.
At least with Henry she would have a home and stability, and perhaps even a family of her own one day.
Finally, she took a deep breath and said quietly, ‘I believe you would look after me, Henry . . . so, I accept your offer.’
‘What? You mean you’ll marry me?’ He looked both shocked and elated.
Opal wished with all her heart that she could have raised a glimmer of a smile, but she felt dead inside. ‘Yes, Henry, I will. And I promise I will do my very best to be a good wife.’
‘But this is excellent!’ He rose and began to pace again. ‘We must tell Mother the moment she gets up. Oh, and we’ll have to have an engagement party. And then we’ll need to set a date for the wedding.’
Seeing the look of distress on
her face he looked instantly repentant. ‘I’m so sorry, my dear. I’m rather rushing you into things, aren’t I? Of course you won’t feel like thinking of such things so soon after hearing about your brother’s death. Do forgive me. It’s just that I’m so thrilled you have accepted my proposal.’
She rose slowly, and offered him a weak smile. ‘I hope you will excuse me,’ she said quietly. ‘But I think I’d like a little time alone in my room now. Perhaps we could continue this conversation tomorrow?’
‘We certainly will,’ he agreed, taking her arm and leading her to the door; and then he suddenly drew her into his arms and before she could stop him, he kissed her firmly on the lips. ‘Just to seal our betrothal.’ He grinned and Opal found herself blushing. No one had ever kissed her like that before, and she wasn’t sure she liked it, although it hadn’t been unpleasant.
As she made her way up the stairs on legs that felt like lead, she could feel his eyes boring into her back and she felt vaguely uncomfortable. Once they were married, he would be entitled to see every inch of her, and just the thought of it made her hot with embarrassment. Opal had always thought that when she married it would be to someone who had swept her off her feet, but that was hardly the case with Henry.
Unbidden, she remembered the man she had danced with at the Christmas ball. She could remember the way his arms had felt about her and the way her heart had started to thud as she had gazed up into his eyes. She had felt as if they were the only two people in the room – in the whole world, if it came to that – but she was forced to admit she had never felt that way about Henry. But still, he was kind and thoughtful and generous to a fault, so she could only pray that in time love would grow. Meantime, she craved the time alone to grieve for her brother.
Opal refrained from telling her employer that she was about to become her daughter-in-law. Somehow she felt that it was Henry’s place to break the news to her and she didn’t have long to wait long for she and Mrs King had barely finished their breakfast the next morning when they saw Henry’s carriage rattling down the drive.
‘Henry’s early today,’ she commented as Opal squirmed and refilled her teacup. ‘I wonder what’s so important that it couldn’t have waited until this evening?’
Opal took a deep breath to prepare herself, as Mrs King raised an eyebrow. Opal had told her about her brother’s death, and the woman could see that she was grieving, so the last thing she would expect to hear was that her son was now engaged to be married again.
Seconds later, he burst into the room with a smile on his face that stretched from ear to ear.
‘Good morning, ladies,’ he boomed. ‘And what a fine morning it is!’ He kissed Opal’s cheek, making the old woman’s eyes bulge.
‘So . . . has she told you the wonderful news?’ he asked his mother as he gripped Opal’s hand in his own.
‘No . . . but I have a funny feeling I might have guessed what it is,’ she responded shortly.
‘Opal has done me the very great honour of agreeing to become my wife.’ He smiled at Opal and suddenly she had the urge to run from the room.
‘Hm, well I can’t say it comes as a surprise.’ Mrs King narrowed her eyes as she stared at Opal. ‘But are you quite sure about this? I know you are grieving for your brother. Perhaps Henry should have waited until you had had time to come to terms with your loss.’
‘I suppose I should have,’ Henry admitted, shamefaced. ‘But we can’t bring him back and life must go on. Surely you will be the first to congratulate us, Mother?’ Then before the woman could answer, he produced a small velvet box from his pocket and sprang the lid, holding it out for Opal’s inspection.
Opal stared down at a ring. It was a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds and looked like it must have cost an awful lot of money. Probably more than she could have earned in years.
‘Oh, I . . .’ She was quite at a loss as to what to say but Henry took it from the box and before she could protest, he had slid it on to her finger.
‘There,’ he said with a satisfied smile. ‘This was my late wife’s ring. I want you to have it.’
‘In that case, it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it?’ his mother said testily. She could see all too clearly that Opal wasn’t at all happy with accepting a dead woman’s ring, and wondered why he hadn’t thought to buy her a new one. But it was done now, so they would just have to make the best of it. Her thoughts then turned to more practical issues. ‘But we shall now have to rethink our staffing arrangements, because we will have to announce the betrothal in the newspaper and it would hardly do for you to have to introduce your future wife as my lady’s maid, would it?’
‘No, I don’t suppose it would.’ Henry frowned, but it seemed that his mother had everything worked out.
‘Opal must stay here from now on as my house guest until the wedding, and Belle will take over as my lady’s maid until I engage another. And when is the wedding to be? Or haven’t you had time to think of a date yet?’
‘N-no I hadn—’ Opal stuttered.
‘I think June is a good month for a wedding,’ Henry interrupted and Opal closed her mouth abruptly, wondering what she had let herself in for.
‘But that hardly gives us any time at all to make the arrangements,’ Mrs King objected. Then turning to Opal, she asked, ‘How do you feel about that date?’
‘Er, well, it does seem a little soon and I only want a small wedding,’ Opal said shakily. ‘It wouldn’t feel right having a big affair while I am still grieving for my brother. Perhaps we could wait until later in the year?’ she suggested hopefully.
Henry was clearly not happy with that suggestion. ‘I see no reason why we should have to,’ he said shortly. ‘You and your brother have been apart for a long time so we hardly need to observe an official mourning period. He was a convict!’ Then seeing the colour drain from Opal’s cheeks, he realised he had been thoughtless and added hastily, ‘Although I realise that you were very fond of him, my dear. I merely wish to give you something happy to focus on. And how about a party to mark our engagement?’
‘No . . . I really don’t think so.’ Opal stared at him solemnly, and his face dropped with disappointment.
Since meeting him, Henry had shown her nothing but kindness, but for the first time she had glimpsed a side of him that she hadn’t liked and she wondered if this was a sign of things to come. Already, she knew that she had accepted his proposal for all the wrong reasons. There was no hope of being reunited with Charlie now, and very little hope of ever finding Susie without his help. He could offer her a life of comfort and stability, but would that make her happy? She thought of her parents. They had never been rich, but they had been happy and clearly very much in love with each other. Her eyes fell to the glittering ring on her finger. It felt strangely out of place – but then, she told herself, she wasn’t used to wearing jewellery. No doubt she would grow accustomed to it, and it was too late to back out now.
‘Perhaps just a very small party?’ she suggested tentatively.
Henry smiled. ‘Excellent. I shall speak to the staff at my house about it immediately, and of course you must come with me to be introduced as my future wife. I’m sure Mrs Wood will arrange everything; she is very efficient. But now, Mother, should we not raise a glass to celebrate the occasion?’
Mrs King snorted. ‘What? At this time of the morning? I think not. Go about your business and leave us in peace.’
Henry maintained his smile with an effort and, after kissing Opal’s hand, and inclining his head towards his mother, he left without another word, leaving the two women to stare at each other.
‘Well!’ It was Mrs King who eventually broke the silence. ‘I must confess that I thought my son had his eye on you from the minute he brought you to me, but I had come to the conclusion that you had no romantic attachment to him. Would I be right in thinking that?’
Shamefaced, Opal bowed her head and nodded. She knew better than to lie to the woman who she somet
imes thought could see into her very soul.
‘I . . . I have to confess that I’m not in love with Henry,’ she said quietly. ‘But I have told him that and he is still happy to marry me. He says that love will come in time and while I don’t love him, I do trust him so I hope he will be right. Whatever happens, I promise that I shall try to be the best wife I can be for him.’
Mrs King nodded. She couldn’t fail to notice that Opal looked nothing like a newly engaged girl should look. In fact, she looked more as if she were preparing for a prison sentence than a marriage. Henry was her only son and she loved him, but she was also aware of his many failings and now that she had grown fond of Opal, she too wondered if the girl was doing the right thing in marrying him. She was painfully aware that his first marriage had not been a happy one for his late wife, once the initial novelty of having a younger woman at his beck and call had worn off, and now she could only pray that the same thing wouldn’t happen to Opal. But the girl had chosen her path, so there was not much she could do about it.
‘I have no doubt whatsoever that you will try, my dear,’ she said quietly. Then, leaning heavily on her stick, she rose and walked out of the room, leaving Opal to stare down at the sparkling ring on her finger, wondering what the previous owner had been like.
Chapter Thirty
The governor’s house was buzzing with activity as servants rushed in and out, bearing boxes full of the family’s possessions that were being loaded on to a large cart before being taken to the ship that stood in dock. Isabella was flying about frantically, trying to make sure that the girls had not forgotten to pack anything, and Charlie was in the office showing the deputy governor how the filing system he had devised worked. After shaking Charlie’s hand and thanking him again for saving his son’s life, the man left and Charlie set to putting the last-minute paperwork into the right place.
He had almost finished when the door opened and Francesca stepped into the room. Since the night they had kissed, Charlie had studiously avoided her whenever he could, although it had hurt him to do so. She haunted his dreams every single night and he wished things might have been different – but he knew that as much as the governor respected him, there could never be a future for them; they were from two different worlds.
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