by T A Williams
‘Victoria told me she was only ten when that happened. So did she have a normal life before that?’
Mrs Milliner hesitated for a moment. ‘Well, maybe not normal like you and me, but much more normal than afterwards. Sir Algernon was a good bit older than his wife. In fact, for a long time it looked as though he would never marry and we were all so very happy for him when that happened. Her ladyship was a lovely girl.’ Spotting a mark on one of the oven doors, she picked up a cloth and set about it while she carried on.
‘Sir Algernon doted on Victoria from the day she was born. He always had a terror of something happening to her and he was oh so protective, but her ladyship mostly managed to get him to relax his hold. Before her mother’s death, Victoria led a fairly normal sort of life with friends, parties, gymkhanas and the like. Of course, once her mother was gone, that all stopped. And then, I’m sorry to say, as a result of the injuries he suffered in the accident, Sir Algeron just got worse and worse.’
‘What sort of thing was he afraid of? Accident, illness?’
Mrs Milliner lowered her voice. ‘All that, in fact just about everything. Maybe even kidnapping, or so I was told. You do know that this is one of the wealthiest families in Britain, don’t you? Back before the war, the Chalker-Pynes were hobnobbing with the Rothschilds, Rockefellers and the like. I believe Henry Ford himself came and stayed here on several occasions. You can imagine how tight security was around folk like that. Well, Sir Algernon grew up under that sort of regime and he got a real bee in his bonnet about it. That’s why he kept poor Miss Victoria locked up in here.’ Finally satisfied that the oven door was impeccable once more, she jettisoned the cloth and wiped her hands on her apron. ‘He loved her very dearly, but he couldn’t understand that the way he was treating her was so inhumane.’ She wiped some moisture from her eye. ‘He really thought he was doing his very best for her. Oh dear, oh dear, it’s so sad really. They had so very much and yet, they never were truly happy.’
‘And now Victoria is the last of the Chalker-Pynes?’
‘The last. But I’ll tell you this…Katie. She’s inherited one good thing from her father and that’s his strength of character. I often try to put myself into her position. I saw it, we all saw it as she grew up. Call it what you like, she was a prisoner here. For somebody weaker-willed, the results could have been disastrous. But not for Victoria. She’s come through her ordeal far, far better than I could ever have managed. She’s a remarkable girl and at least she’s had the common sense to try to break out of it and make a return to real life.’ She looked across at Katie with a gentle smile. ‘That’s where you come in. We were all a bit worried when she announced her plans, but now that we’ve got to know you, we are so very, very pleased you’ve come.’ She reached out and laid her hand on Katie’s arm. ‘What you’re doing is just what she needs. Do, please, do your best for her.’
Katie had assured her that she would do all she could. And she meant it.
Victoria ran into the lounge and stopped dead, her eyes fixed incredulously on the big television screen. Katie watched the rapt expression on her face. ‘How amazing! It’s so clear, the colours so real.’ She turned towards Katie, her eyes wide. ‘It’s almost like being there!’
Katie grinned at her. ‘Well, I’ve got a bit more good news for you. After a lot of pleading and a few simulated tears, I have managed to persuade British Telecom to fix us up with a broadband connection early next week. That way, I can get you playing with the computers properly.’
The previous evening, upon their return from Exeter, they had unpacked the laptops and the tablets. Victoria had casually passed one of each across to Katie.
‘Here, these are for you. They’re a little present from me, but it’s also self-interest. If we both have the same equipment it’ll be easier for you to show me how to work them.’ Katie hadn’t really known what to say. A casual gift worth over a thousand pounds might be nothing to Victoria, but to Katie it meant so much. Together, they had powered up the laptops and then spent the evening going through the basics of computing from zero. For Katie it had been a surreal experience, having to explain such familiar words as mouse, enter and shift to somebody who had no previous experience. Victoria had taken to it like a duck to water.
Just at that moment, the image on the screen changed to central London, with a commentator standing opposite the Houses of Parliament. Victoria was fascinated.
‘I’ve been to London, you know?’ She turned her head briefly towards Katie, before returning her gaze to the screen. ‘I was only little, but I still remember seeing Tower Bridge open. There were so many people everywhere, it was a bit scary. Looking at the traffic on the screen, and the mass of people walking to and fro, it seems things have not improved.’
‘Well, shall we add a visit to London to our to-do list?’
‘That would be awesome.’ They both smiled at that.
At that moment, Mrs Milliner appeared to inform them that lunch was served. Victoria looked disappointed to be separated from the television until Katie suggested they invest in another one and position it in the dining room. ‘I got the man to run a lead in there just in case.’ She showed Victoria how to turn the TV off using the remote control. This, too, was a novelty to her.
‘Should I carry it round with me, like you do with yours?’ Katie had to stop and think for a moment before she realised Victoria was confusing the remote with her mobile phone. The ensuing conversation about phones lasted almost all the way through lunch and concluded with Victoria’s determination to buy one. In response to Katie’s objection that there was no signal at Iddlescombe, Victoria sniffed and asked her to arrange it. Short of building a mast in the grounds, Katie couldn’t see how they would be able to do that, but she agreed to look into it.
‘You have a letter, Miss Victoria.’
Rosie held out a round silver salver upon which there was an envelope. Victoria’s eyes lit up. ‘I don’t get a lot of letters. I wonder who’s sent this one.’ She opened it and checked the contents. From the other side of the table, Katie could see that it was a card and it looked like an invitation. It was.
‘Somebody getting married?’
Victoria looked up. ‘No, I don’t think so. It’s our neighbours up the valley. They’ve invited me to a garden party.’ She sounded troubled. Katie was quick to pick up on her tone.
‘What’s wrong? Don’t you like them?’
Victoria let the invitation fall back onto the table top. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and fear. ‘I don’t know really. I haven’t seen them since I was a little girl. To be honest, I’ve hardly seen anybody since I was a little girl.’ She reached for the card again. ‘It’s signed Thomas Drake. Little Tommie Drake, I remember him from the pony club.’ She looked across at Katie. ‘I would have been nine or ten, just before my mother died.’ She dropped her eyes.
‘What’s the occasion?’
‘It doesn’t say.’
‘Do you often hear from them, from him?’
‘My father used to shoot with Colonel Drake, Tommie’s father, but I’m pretty sure he died a couple of years ago, at least as far as I can remember he did.’
‘Well, are you going to go?’ Katie realised that this was a good opportunity for Victoria to start flapping those butterfly wings of hers. ‘Why don’t you?’ She could see that Victoria was unnerved at the prospect of a social event after so many years of seclusion. It took a while before she made her mind up. She looked up at Katie.
‘All right, I’ll go. I know I’ve got to start getting out. It’s just that it’s contrary to everything I’ve got used to for so long. I’ll go as long as you come with me. It says Miss Victoria Chalker-Pyne and friend. We’ll go together.’
Katie nodded enthusiastically. ‘Good girl, of course I’ll come with you. When is it?’
‘Next weekend. Saturday at 3.00pm.’
Katie cursed inwardly as she remembered that this was the day she was supposed to be meeting Jenny
. Still, she wouldn’t be seeing her until the evening and it was only an hour by car to Exeter, so she could make it work. She looked across at Victoria with a grin. ‘Right, so what are you going to wear?’
A look of horror swept across Victoria’s face. ‘Oh, lord, I hadn’t thought of that. What would you suggest?’
Katie knew exactly what to suggest. ‘Another shopping trip should be able to provide the answer. That promises to be fun.’
Chapter Six
Katie pulled up outside the old Georgian farmhouse and pressed the button to close the car roof. She watched in fascination as the metal top slid up and over them, before clicking into place. They had only had the new car for three days and she still hadn’t tired of all the gismos and gadgets with which it was equipped. Beside her, Victoria was looking nervous, but they had been through it all before, several times. All she had to do was smile, chat about the weather and, if she got into difficulty, let Katie know and they could be out of there in a flash.
The sun was still shining out from a gap in the clouds, but the forecast was not good. Wet weather was predicted later that afternoon which didn’t bode well for the success of a garden party. They climbed out of the car, something Vicky was still learning to do without revealing too much of her legs. The BMW was very low and the seats felt as if they were only just above the tarmac.
‘Tell me again, Thomas is the name of your friend from pony club, isn’t it? And what about other members of his family?’
Victoria shook her head in frustration. ‘I really can’t remember, it was all so long ago. I’m pretty sure his mother’s still alive, but I have no idea really. We’ll just have to see how it goes.’ She turned towards Katie as she straightened up. Both of them had opted for slim-fitting summer dresses showing a modest amount of leg – apart from when climbing out of the car. Both tugged the hems of their skirts down as they walked to the door. For Victoria, in particular, it was a new experience to have her knees on display. Bravely, she stuck out her hand and rang the doorbell. It was opened almost immediately by a child of six or seven.
‘Hello.’ The little girl was all dressed up and had real flowers in her hair. ‘Who are you?’
Just at that moment, an adult arrived. She was a friendly-looking woman who appeared to be a few years older than Katie, maybe in her mid or late thirties. She gave Victoria a big smile.
‘Oh, hi, hello. It’s Victoria, isn’t it? I remember you from pony club. I’m Beatrice. I’m Tom’s big sister.’ Victoria’s face cleared.
‘Hello, Beatrice, I do remember you. This is my friend Katie. I was just telling her I was afraid I wouldn’t remember any of you. It’s been so very long since I saw you.’ She paused awkwardly. ‘Since I saw anybody, really.’
Katie and Victoria shook hands with Beatrice and then, very formally, repeated the process with the little girl, who was introduced as Emma, Beatrice’s daughter. They followed her through the house and out through the French windows into the garden. There were already several dozen people out there, clutching glasses and chatting volubly. Katie noticed that a number of the women were wearing hats and she caught Victoria’s eye. Neither of them had thought of a hat.
‘It’s all right,’ Katie hissed to her out of the corner of her mouth. ‘It’s mostly just the old ones who’ve got hats.’
‘Victoria. It is you, Victoria, isn’t it? I’d know you anywhere.’ The voice came from the other side of the garden. A tall, dark-haired man was making his way through the people towards them. He was smiling broadly. Katie glanced at Victoria. She was smiling too.
‘Tommie? Little Tommie Drake?’ Victoria couldn’t believe her eyes. Her erstwhile playmate was now a grown man, wearing the uniform of an army officer. She held out her hand and he grasped it with both of his, shaking it enthusiastically up and down. ‘Not so little now, are you, Tommie?’
‘Wow! I was hoping I’d recognise you, but, wow!’ Tommie Drake sounded genuinely amazed. Remembering his manners, he turned to Katie and gave her a formal bow of the head. ‘Hello, my name is Thomas Drake. Nowadays everybody calls me Tom. Welcome and thanks for coming.’
Katie took the proffered hand, noting the strength of his grip. He was a handsome man and she found herself making comparisons with Martin. Same sort of height, slightly less muscular build, but clearly very fit. His hair was thick and strong, his face suntanned, his expression cheerful. She cleared her throat. ‘Thank you for letting me come along. You have a lovely house.’
‘Tommie… Tom, is your mother around? I’d like to say hello.’ Victoria was staring at him and Katie began to get the feeling that she maybe rather liked the look of what she could see.
‘Of course, come along and I’ll get you both a drink and then I’ll take you over to mother.’
‘Is there a special reason for the party?’ Victoria asked the question they had both been wondering about. He gave them a broad smile.
‘It was mother’s idea. I’ve just come home from my last tour of duty in Afghanistan and she thought it was something that should be celebrated.’ He handed Victoria a glass of chilled champagne and offered one to Katie.
‘Maybe something non-alcoholic, if that’s possible. I’m afraid I’m driving.’
‘Freshly made lemonade? The lemons are from our own trees.’
‘Wonderful.’ Katie found herself wondering how they could have lemon trees in Devonshire.
They stood and chatted for a while, or at least, Victoria and Tom chatted about events and people from their past. It was clear to Katie, listening in, that Tom was well aware that Victoria had disappeared from public view for many long years. He was doing his best, very diplomatically, not to mention this absence when they were joined by his mother. She had no such scruples.
‘Victoria, Victoria, how very good to see you after all these years.’ She was a large lady half-submerged beneath a hat apparently made from discarded fruit. Katie’s eyes widened and she took a surreptitious step backwards in case the weight of the thing caused it to collapse on them. ‘You look absolutely marvellous. You have no idea how happy I am to see you out and about after all this time.’
She grabbed Victoria’s shoulders, kissed her on both cheeks and they started chatting, or at least she carried on talking while Victoria supplied occasional monosyllabic responses. The subject of her enforced isolation from the world was soon brought up by Mrs Drake.
‘Every time I saw your father I used to bully him about you, you know. I told him it wasn’t natural to keep a little girl shut up like that, but it was no good. He had got it into his head that something awful would happen to you if you stepped off his land and nothing would shake him out of it.’ She took Victoria by the arm. ‘Now come along with me. I’ve got so many people you simply have to meet.’
Victoria cast Katie a look that told her not to worry and let herself be led off into the crowd. Katie found herself all alone with the handsome army officer.
‘So, how do you know Victoria, then, Katie?’
Victoria and Katie had discussed this eventuality before setting off and had come up with a suitable answer. Katie gave him a smile and launched into it. ‘I’m a teacher and I’ve been giving her some private tuition.’
‘Oh, yes? And what’s your subject?’
‘French and Italian.’
‘Ah, si, davvero? L’italiano é una lingua che mi piace moltissimo.’ He was grinning. She felt obliged to reply in kind.
‘Certo che lo parla molto bene, signore.’
‘Soprattutto quando posso parlare con una signorina cosí bella.’
Katie registered the compliment and decided it was better to return to their native language. ‘You’ve got a very good accent. How did you manage that?’
‘We’ve got a place in Tuscany. We’ve been going there every summer for goodness knows how many years. As kids, Bee and I just picked it up from the local kids.’
‘Oh how wonderful. So that’s where the lemons come from? I spent a year in Florence as a stud
ent and I’d love to go back.’
‘Well you know Sir Algernon’s got a place over there, don’t you?’ This was news to Katie.
‘I didn’t know that. Whereabouts is it?’
‘Not that far from us. Just on the hills to the west of Florence. Does Monte a Signa ring any bells?’
‘Vaguely. I’m sure I’ve been through it on the train. It’s quite close to Florence then?’
‘Fifteen minutes on the train or an hour by car through the traffic. In fact, I’m off over there next week with Bee and Emma.’ He caught her eye. ‘I know, why don’t you suggest to Victoria that you and she go over there for a few weeks? I’d be delighted to show the two of you around.’
‘That sounds like a wonderful idea. I’ll be sure to suggest it.’
‘Excellent. Now, let me introduce you to a few people.’ They set off across the garden. She found she rather liked the sensation of being on the arm of a soldier.
Chapter Seven
As Victoria’s first foray into the big wide social world, it had been an indisputable success. Victoria had chatted to most of the other guests and, when they returned to the car at almost six o’clock that Saturday afternoon, she was looking and sounding happy and animated.
‘I don’t think I’ve done so much talking in the space of a few hours ever in my life. It was non-stop. I’ve even got a bit of a sore throat as a result. I’ve met people I’ve only ever heard of before, and people I last saw in short trousers. Like Tommie… Tom, for example. So grown up.’
‘And so good-looking.’ Katie couldn’t resist flashing a glance across to the passenger seat. She saw that Victoria was blushing and she couldn’t resist adding another comment. ‘There’s something about a man in uniform!’
There was silence for a while before Victoria replied, choosing her words carefully. ‘It’s very funny when you meet somebody again like that. I’ve carried a memory of him in my head for years and years, but it was just of him as a little boy. It’s silly, really. Logically, of course I must have known that he’d be a man in his twenties by now, but it came as a surprise all the same. And, yes, I suppose he is rather good-looking, isn’t he?’ She sounded unsure and embarrassed.