The Forgotten Children

by Anita Davison

  William had pushed the goggles onto his forehead, the sight of his handsome face making Flora wonder what he would think of her theory about Lily Maguire. If the two came face to face after all this time, would he recognize the girl he had once loved?

  ‘Stop imagining things, Flora,’ she murmured, her breath forming an opaque film on the window glass. Perhaps Bunny was right and her unresolved feelings were turning to an obsession. Or perhaps she had been reading too much of Bunny’s copy of Sigmund Freud’s The Psychopathology of Everyday Life. With this thought uppermost, she pushed away from the windowsill and headed for the nursery to cuddle the baby for a few minutes before joining William.

  Chapter 5

  Flora settled into the buttoned seat of the Spyker with its comforting smell of new leather and saddle soap. After several false starts with the starting handle, the engine purred and spluttered into life. William threw up a fist in triumph, dashed around the bonnet and leapt into the driving seat.

  ‘Where are we going?’ Flora snuggled into the blanket he had thoughtfully provided.

  ‘It’s a surprise.’ He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and grabbed the wheel in both hands. ‘All I will reveal is that we don’t have very far to go.’

  The motor car lurched forward into the centre of the road, took a sharp left turn into Lyall Street, narrowly missing the rear wheel of a horse-drawn hansom.

  ‘Manoeuvres well, doesn’t she?’ William shouted above the discordant honk of an irate driver he had overtaken.

  ‘Do you always drive this fast?’ Flora hoped the couple on a leisurely walk through Sloane Square would not choose that moment to cross the road. ‘We pass everything so quickly that I cannot focus. I sense a headache coming on.’

  ‘Don’t be so grumpy, Flora.’ William took one hand off the steering wheel and gave her shoulder a friendly shove. ‘Not like you to be so unadventurous. I thought you would love it.’

  ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be miserable, and I’m enjoying the ride. In a way.’ Her heartbeat raced as a green and gold Harrods delivery van made a last minute dash for a gap in the traffic. The thought of a resultant tangle of spindly equine legs mixed in with wheel spokes made her stomach knot. London horses led a hard life and were, without exception, lean and nervous looking. One advantage of Bunny’s prophesy about motor vehicles was that fewer animals would have to spend their days pounding hard roads for hours, never seeing a field or a hill, only to die from overwork far earlier than they should. ‘What prompted you to arrange this mysterious excursion?’ A gust of wind lifted Flora’s scarf and blew the end across her face.

  ‘It’s by way of an expression of my gratitude.’ His eyes sparkled from behind his round driving goggles. ‘I never imagined that I would become a grandfather. I’m so delighted, I wanted to spoil you a little.’

  His words scraped at her heart and an image of Riordan Maguire loomed into her head. She busied herself rearranging her scarf so he wouldn’t see the tears that had sprung to her eyes. Whenever she felt her baby’s soft cheek beside hers, she was struck again with fresh pain that Riordan would never see him. “He’s watching over you,” people told her, but the words meant little. Death was stark, inevitable and eternal. Riordan was gone. Just like poor Lizzie Prentice.

  ‘Did you hear me, Flora?’ William shouted above traffic noise as they idled at a crossroads.

  ‘What? Oh, of course I did.’ She forced her thoughts back to the present. ‘And it was hardly necessary. Your mother’s diamond necklace was thanks enough.’ At the time, Flora’s first thought had been what William’s late mother would have thought of his giving the precious Osborne diamonds to his illegitimate daughter. ‘And you do realize that Arthur is five months old?’

  ‘Indeed, but I needed time to arrange something different. Hedges Butler came up trumps in the end.’

  ‘Who is Hedges, and what has his butler got to do with anything?’ Flora called to him over the noise of the engine and multiple clops of hooves on all sides.

  ‘That’s his name. Frank Hedges Butler.’ William laughed as the motor car sprang away from the corner and took another stomach-lurching turn. ‘I’ve said enough already. Wait until we get there. It’s not far now.’

  ‘This is Chelsea Bridge Road.’ Flora gazed around at the street they had turned into. ‘Are you taking me to watch the polo at Ranelagh Gardens?’

  ‘No, I am not, but you are half right. Now be patient. You’ll see soon enough.’

  They rolled through a set of iron gates and negotiated a long gravel drive, where William brought the vehicle to a halt on an apron of gravel.

  ‘There! Wasn’t that a splendid run?’ He relaxed against the leather upholstery and removed his gloves. ‘What are you smiling at?’

  ‘You.’ Flora giggled. His boyish enthusiasm was infectious, making times like these easier. They might lack the shared memories that accompanied a lifetime’s parenting, but this occasion was already a special time she could store away to be relived in the future.

  ‘At least the weather hasn’t let us down.’ William cocked his chin at the sky but offered no explanation. ‘Not a cloud in sight and little wind.’

  ‘Which is relevant to what exactly?’ Flora began to feel warm in her heavy coat and unwound her scarf from her neck. ‘Have you brought me on a shooting expedition? ’

  ‘Stop being so impatient, and no one has shot a pigeon here for a long time.’ He shoved his goggles onto the peak of his cap, patting her knee through her coat. ‘You’ll see in a minute. Just watch.’

  ‘Watch what? There’s nothing here, apart from those people on the grass over there.’ She nodded to where a small group surrounded something laid between them. From a distance of thirty yards or so it resembled a misshapen sheet, large, flat and shapeless. Her idle glance turned instantly to fascination as the sheet billowed slowly from the ground and rippled along the entire length as if it were breathing.

  ‘Goodness, what is that?’ Her breath caught as the object bulged, filled and lifted off the ground into a massive teardrop shape as it billowed out. An oversized square basket was attached below it by a series of ropes; the entire contraption dragged across the ground for several yards before rising into the air before settling back onto the grass.

  William grinned, evidently pleased with himself. ‘The City of New York is Hedges Butler’s pride and joy. Welcome to the Aero Club.’

  ‘He gave his balloon a name?’ Entranced, Flora gawked at the massive inflatable that strained against a network of ropes slung over it like a giant fishing net. ‘How does it just hang there like that in mid-air?’

  ‘The envelope, that’s the technical term for the canvas part, is filled with coal gas. It’s lighter than air so, as long as it’s full, the balloon stays afloat,’ William said. ‘The view from sixty feet up is magnificent.’

  ‘You intend going up in that thing?’ Flora turned an incredulous look in his direction.

  ‘Of course.’ He opened his door and leapt onto the ground. ‘And you’re coming with me.’

  ‘Me?’ Flora froze in place, though excitement bubbled in her chest at the sight of the now fully inflated balloon that hovered ten feet off the ground, its elongated shadow spread across the grass. The crowd stood in a semicircle, necks craned as if the object were a divine deity to which they had come to pay homage.

  ‘It’s perfectly safe.’ William walked around to her side of the car and opened the door. ‘Besides, it’s tethered to the ground so only goes in one direction. Up.’

  ‘That’s precisely the direction I was afraid of,’ she murmured as he guided her across grass that squelched beneath her boots after the previous day’s rain.

  A startlingly handsome man occupied a folding wooden seat set on the grass, his knees splayed and several piles of coiled hemp ropes piled up beside him. He rose when he spotted them approach, and kept rising until he towered over them. Bunny was almost six feet tall, but this man must have been half a foot taller. His thick dark bro
wn hair matched his heavily fringed eyes, lightly tanned skin and a full moustache over a sensual mouth.

  ‘Flora, allow me to introduce you.’ William nudged her forward. ‘Charles, this is my daughter, Flora Harrington. Flora, the Honourable Charles Rolls.’

  ‘Ah, so this is the lady about whom I’ve heard so much?’ he grasped her hand firmly in his, her skin prickling through two layers of gloves. ‘Delighted to meet you at last.’

  Flora’s cheeks warmed beneath the soft look in his warm brown eyes. She inclined her head, but for some reason, her tongue wouldn’t work and she could only manage a garbled, unintelligible greeting.

  ‘Charles is a motor car fanatic, just like Bunny and me,’ William said. ‘He has a keen interest in balloons and aeroplanes too.’

  ‘Osborne here says you might like a trip up in The City of New York?’ He clapped his gloved hands together with a muffled thump.

  Flora was about to inform him that ‘like’ wasn’t a word she would have used, but he did not appear to expect a response, and instead took her elbow and guided her firmly towards the basket, where a row of sandbags hung at intervals from the top of the rail that almost reached her shoulders.

  ‘Not nervous are you?’ he extended a hand to indicate she should mount a short set of wooden steps.

  ‘What an idea.’ Her voice shook slightly but she was determined not to show fear in front of this impressive man, nor disappoint William when he had gone to all this trouble. Hitching her skirt, she swung one foot over the rounded edge of the basket and, with as much elegance as she could muster, climbed over and landed heavily on the other side. Now she knew what a cat in a basket felt like.

  ‘Mrs Harrington, meet Frank Hedges Butler,’ Mr Rolls indicated the solidly built middle-aged man in an overcoat who occupied a corner of the basket. ‘He’s the owner of this magnificent example of scientific engineering.’

  ‘Nice to see another young lady take to the sport.’ His fleshy face creased into a welcome smile, widening again when he caught sight of William climbing in behind her. ‘Osborne my dear man, glad you made it. And I take it this is the famous Miss Flora?’

  ‘It is indeed,’ William completed the introduction.

  ‘Do many ladies go up in your balloon, Mr Hedges Butler?’ Flora asked as Mr Rolls leapt in beside them with remarkable grace for such a tall man.

  ‘Indeed yes. My daughter Vera adores sky-sailing, and Charles’ sister, Lady Eleanor Shelley, is also a keen balloonist.’ He slapped the rail of the basket with something like affection. ‘There’ll be just the four of us today, my dear,’ he continued, and, as if sensing her unease, added, ‘don’t worry, we shan’t be going anywhere. The balloon is tethered.’

  Despite hearing this assertion twice since arriving, Flora was still not reassured.

  ‘The atmospherics are perfect, with no ambient wind, so you won’t be buffeted about too much.’ Mr Rolls’ smile revealed even teeth.

  ‘I was hoping not to be buffeted, as you put it, at all,’ Flora attempted a light laugh, though no one appeared to hear her.

  ‘Excuse me, my dear, my engineer wishes me to help him check the ropes.’ Hedges Butler nodded to a man in workman’s overalls and a flat cap who gestured from the other side of the basket. ‘Sometimes I think they don’t trust me with my own equipment.’ His wide shoulders shook with a baritone chuckle as he turned to Mr Rolls. ‘Charles, would you help me take a look at the envelope? It’s stretched a little on one side.’ With a final nod, the pair climbed back down the steps again.

  ‘Don’t look so panicked,’ William whispered in Flora’s ear. ‘They’re simply being cautious.’

  ‘I wasn’t aware I did,’ Flora replied, embarrassed that the anxiety she was doing her utmost to hide was so obvious. ‘Though I quite like your Mr Rolls.’ She indicated to where he stood with Mr Hedges Butler, his impressive frame bent towards the older man.

  ‘He’s a remarkable fellow, isn’t he? Did I mention he’s walking out with Vera Hedges Butler?’

  ‘Why would you feel the need? I’m hardly interested in Mr Rolls. I’m a married woman, remember?’

  ‘No interest eh?’ He raised a cynical eyebrow. ‘Then why did you blush when he held your hand?’

  ‘Nerves.’ Her cheeks warmed as the blush returned. ‘And what exactly have you told them about me?’

  ‘Not much, other than when you’re around, there’s usually a body somewhere close by.’

  Flora gasped in protest, but his wide grin told her he was joking, though he had rendered any mention of Nurse Prentice’s death out of the question.

  ‘Everyone ready?’ Mr Hedges Butler returned to the basket, this enthusiastic inquiry greeted with loud excited agreement from the men, together with a strangled groan from Flora. ‘Release the winch!’ he ordered the two workmen who guarded the ropes.

  Flora squeezed her eyes shut and clung to William’s arm with one hand, the fingers of the other hooked over the edge of the rail as the basket gave a sharp sideways jerk as it rose slowly into the air. Flora’s heart leapt in her chest and she inhaled sharply at a strange floating sensation and hoped the wicker floor was sturdy enough not to collapse under her feet and send them all plunging to the ground.

  ‘Isn’t it thrilling?’ William’s tone challenged her to contradict him.

  ‘I don’t know, I can’t bear to look!’ She wasn’t sure if she loved or hated him at that moment. How could he do this to her with no warning?

  William chuckled. ‘I haven’t spent four guineas on tickets for you not to see anything. Do take a look, it’s a wonderful view from up here.’ He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and drew her close into a rough hug, so close, she could smell the rich, spicy scent of his cologne.

  ‘So you keep saying.’ Bracing herself, she prised open her eyes. Instantly her breath caught at the sight of the wide expanse of green that lay beneath them. Gardens of houses resembled a green blanket crisscrossed with trees and hedges. A grey-brown ribbon wound around the perimeter where cars and horse-drawn vehicles raced along at speed like toys on a nursery floor.

  ‘Well?’ William whispered. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I cannot think.’ Flora’s fear dissolved and exhilaration filled her chest. ‘It’s amazing.’

  Flora’s stomach did another lurch but more in excitement than fear as the basket jolted, its upward movement halting sharply as the thick rope tether went taut, leaving the entire contraption suspended above the ground. The wicker creaked beneath their weight, and a cold breeze caressed her cheeks, making her nose run.

  Carefully, she craned her neck over the side of the basket and looked straight down to where the basket hovered above the tops of trees, their leaves beginning to change their summer colours to shades of gold, red and brown.

  ‘It’s so quiet up here.’ Flora peered over the edge of the basket at the ground far below them. ‘I’ve never seen a tree from this angle before, they are like coloured bushes, while everything looks like a toy model.’ She lifted her gaze to where barges and tugboats jostled for position on the river between the Chelsea Embankment and the Middlesex side.

  A light tap came on her shoulder, making her jump. She turned to see the handsome face of Charles Rolls beaming down at her, a full champagne glass in each hand. She released her grip on the rail and took the glass he held out towards her.

  ‘When I got up this morning, I never imagined I would be drinking champagne in a balloon.’

  ‘Can you think of a better way to spend an early autumn morning,’ he asked grinning as he handed the second glass to William.

  ‘I wish Bunny was here!’ she whispered once Charles had moved away. ‘He would love this.’

  ‘I invited him, actually.’ William tapped the rim of his glass gently against hers. ‘He said he wanted us to enjoy this first experience together. Perhaps he’ll accompany us next time?’

  Flora wasn’t sure there would be a next time, though to hide her nerves she took her first sip. Her eyes c
losed as the bubbles fizzed on her tongue and, once settled, the velvety, sweet apple and slightly floral taste followed.

  She would have a few strong words for her husband when she got home. Or maybe it was better he had kept William’s secret, or she might have found an excuse not to come.

  After two glasses of champagne, she no longer felt the sting of the cold wind on her cheeks, and found herself wishing they weren’t tethered to the ground and they could sail over the fields and see more of the vast city below them.

  A seagull appeared in line with her shoulder, its wings spread and head turned to stare at her in quizzical surprise as it glided by.

  ‘I don’t know what I’m doing up here either,’ Flora whispered, a giggle in her throat. The bird gave a shriek of protest, banked higher until it resembled no more than a silver ‘v’ in the distance.

  It was with a sense of disappointment when their allotted half-hour passed and the balloon was lowered to the ground.

  ‘I would love to do that again,’ she declared as William helped her climb out of the basket. She staggered slightly but blamed her light-headedness on the experience of the balloon rather than the champagne.

  ‘I knew you would.’ William hugged her shoulders before drawing her towards Mr Hedges Butler and Charles Rolls to make their farewells.

  The journey home struck her as decidedly less nerve-wracking than their outward trip. In fact, she even encouraged William to go faster and squealed with pleasure when he dodged through traffic, going round Hyde Park Corner as if they were in a race.

  ‘I liked your Mr Rolls,’ Flora observed again. ‘He’s quite an adventurous character. I hope Mr Hedges Butler’s daughter is of the same mind.’

  ‘Indeed she is, although I doubt they’ll take their friendship as far as marriage.’ William turned a corner so fast, he startled a horse pulling a cart on Chelsea Bridge Road.