A Place to Call Home

by Evie Grace

  Rose gasped. She’d guessed he wouldn’t get off lightly, but not that he would receive two years in gaol. She looked towards Donald who gazed back at her, trying not to cry. She began to feel a little faint and then the room went dark and silent, until she woke to the flapping of a fan in her face and the acrid smell of salts in her nostrils.

  ‘Oh, what a to-do.’ Her grandmother was at her side, and the vicar’s wife in front of her.

  ‘Two years of hard bed, hard board and hard labour for a common thief,’ Mr Carter said, joining them.

  ‘This is too harsh a sentence,’ she heard her grandmother say. ‘He is a boy.’

  ‘He’s fifteen, old enough to be responsible for his actions,’ Mr Carter said.

  ‘I remember how my pa let Matty – your brother – off for filching onions when he was a boy, out of compassion for your family, Stephen. The situation is similar. It isn’t right to send Donald to prison where there will be hardened criminals to learn from, for a petty theft. He was hungry.’

  ‘What kind of excuse is that? We have done everything to make sure he and his sisters had food in their bellies. Listen, my dear, I can forgive a mistake, and find some compassion in my heart for a crime born of desperation. This is different. Donald is a wanton boy, lazy, irresponsible and weak-minded.

  ‘Every man is illuminated by the divine light, but it takes time for him to see the error of his ways.’ Mr Carter paused to clear his throat. ‘I look back at my brothers. If only someone had taken Jervis in hand and forced him to reflect on his actions, he might not have gone on to do what he did. He and Matty broke Ma’s heart.’

  ‘She was on her way out already,’ Mrs Carter said gently.

  ‘These people have brought shame and embarrassment to our door. I feel they have let us down, just like my brothers did. I’ve fought hard to build my reputation and my business, and I will not have my standing in Overshill damaged by the thoughtless actions of this young felon and his sisters.’

  Rose winced.

  ‘It’s Donald, not my granddaughters who have done wrong.’

  ‘They will all be tarred with the same brush.’

  ‘Oh Stephen, you are weary. Let us leave this conversation for now. You were awake all last night, worrying. You’ll feel better when you’ve had some rest.’

  ‘Let’s go home.’

  ‘After I have spoken to Rose, who looks like a rabbit caught by lamplight.’

  ‘I wish to speak with my brother,’ Rose said, starting to recover her wits.

  ‘He has forfeited all rights to his freedom,’ Mr Lunt said gloomily.

  ‘You may have five minutes with the prisoner,’ the vicar said. ‘In the meantime, we’ll arrange for the boy to be delivered to Canterbury at the earliest opportunity.’

  Rose slipped away to join Donald who was sitting slumped in his chair.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe they’ve done that – it isn’t right. How I wish I’d been stricter with you.’

  ‘I should have taken more notice. I never thought it would come to this. I’m scared, Rose. What will they do to me?’

  ‘You will serve your sentence – it is but two years and the time will fly by.’

  ‘I wish I’d never done it. I wish I’d never set eyes on them pies.’

  ‘We’ll visit. I promise.’

  He slumped down further. ‘I’ve done my sisters a terrible wrong – how will you manage to pay the rent without my wage? Oh my Lord, you will starve without me.’

  ‘We will cope,’ Rose said, relieved that he wasn’t so selfish as to forget any consideration for her and Minnie. ‘We have a little of Arthur’s money left.’

  ‘You will have your place as Mr Wild’s housekeeper as soon as he comes back from his travels. In the meantime …’

  She squeezed his shoulder. ‘We will get through this,’ she said before walking away, weighted down with care like a cat in a sack of stones, waiting to be drowned.

  She heard her grandmother calling after her, and Mr Carter telling his wife to let her go as she hurried back through the village to the cottage where Minnie was waiting.

  ‘How is he? Oh, you’ve been crying.’

  ‘So has Donald – it is terrible to see him like that. He’s being sent to Canterbury Gaol for two years.’

  ‘Two years!’ Minnie echoed miserably. ‘What will we do without him?’

  ‘What we have always done. We will manage.’

  Getting by wasn’t going to be easy, though. The following morning, Rose heard Minnie screaming in the garden and ran out to find her sister staring at the empty coop, a few feathers drifting across the ground in front of her.

  ‘Someone has taken the hens. I thought it was a fox, but no, I heard someone running and the hens squawking, and I couldn’t chase after them.’

  Rose’s heart sank. How could things get any worse?

  ‘We should go and warn our grandmother at the farm that there are thieves about.’

  ‘They have their geese to guard the yard, but yes, you’re right, we should let them know.’ Rose dressed quickly and they ran down the lane and into the yard, where the birds had been shut out in the orchard.

  Sam looked up from where he was hammering nails into the barn roof, and waved.

  She waved back.

  ‘What do you want?’ Mr Carter said, approaching them.

  ‘Someone has stolen our hens,’ Rose said.

  ‘You should have kept a closer watch on them,’ he said gruffly.

  ‘They took them while we were abed,’ Minnie said, looking hurt at his accusation that she would neglect them. They weren’t merely a source of eggs – they were fond of them.

  ‘Where is Grandma?’ Minnie went on, perhaps hoping to garner some sympathy from her.

  ‘She’s sick,’ Mr Carter said. ‘Your brother’s shenanigans have worn her nerves to shreds. Now, go away and leave us alone. I can’t stand to see your faces!’

  ‘Please let us see her,’ Rose begged. ‘Perhaps we can do something to help?’

  ‘Alice is taking care of her,’ he said, as the maid appeared on the back doorstep behind him.

  ‘We don’t want the likes of you around here.’ Alice threw a bucket of suds across the pathway, splashing Rose’s feet. ‘Sometimes we forget that my mistress is advancing in years. She doesn’t need all this worry at her time of life.’

  ‘That’s enough, Alice,’ Mr Carter said. ‘Rose and Minnie, just go away. The doctor’s said that my wife has a weakness in her heart, and has ordered her to rest. She is the love of my life. She is my life, and if I should lose her through this, I’ll never forgive you or that brother of yours. She put her faith in you …’ He dashed away a tear. ‘I wish we’d never set eyes on you.’

  Rose took Minnie’s hand and turned away, her heart pounding. She’d never had any intention of causing any harm.

  As they walked back to the cottage, she thought of Ma and how she’d died from a broken heart, and how she’d blame herself if the same should happen to dear Mrs Carter because of the strain of coping with the extra burden of her long-lost grandchildren. How could they stay in Overshill now?

  ‘We will take a few days to settle things here then pack up and go,’ she decided.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘It’s for the best. We are not liked here.’

  ‘What about Mr Wild? If we stayed in Overshill, you’d have work at Churt House.’

  ‘He’s gone away on business. Who knows how long he will be? We can’t afford to sit and wait for his return, and besides, when he hears of our fall from grace, he will make some excuse and change his mind.’

  ‘I don’t think Freddie would look at it in that way. He isn’t like the rest of them,’ Minnie said.

  ‘My brother is a common criminal. A housekeeper’s character has to be beyond reproach. What’s more, Mr Wild is recently established in the village – he won’t help his reputation by employing me. Look at how they all hate us.’

&nbs
p; ‘Our grandmother loves us still,’ Minnie said.

  ‘That’s true – she thinks the best of people. I don’t like to be the source of disagreement between her and Mr Carter. They deserve a quiet life.’

  ‘I shall miss her,’ Minnie went on. ‘Why don’t you write to Aunt Marjorie?’

  ‘You know why – she is old and unwell.’ And if she was being honest with herself, Rose felt deeply ashamed about what Donald had done. She couldn’t bear to tell their dear aunt of how he had let them all down.

  ‘What about Arthur? How will he know where we are?’ Minnie asked.

  ‘I don’t know.’ Where was Arthur when they needed him? It appeared that he didn’t want them to find him just yet.

  ‘We could go to London?’

  ‘Do you realise how big London is? We’d never find him, not in a month of Sundays.’

  ‘There might be work for us there.’

  ‘I don’t think London would suit us. Some people have said that there is work to be had in Faversham. We should go where we are more certain of making a living, and we wouldn’t be too far away from Donald. I should like to visit him soon.’

  ‘Will we say goodbye to Grandma?’ Minnie’s eyes glistened.

  ‘No, we’ll slip away quietly. I don’t think we’ll be missed, not fondly anyway.’ She would let Sam know that they were planning to move away from Overshill, and wondered about leaving word for Freddie. She felt bad about running away. He had treated her with respect, as an equal. They had both been outsiders and united by that – but why should he care what became of them?

  Chapter Twenty

  Like a Flea on a Dog

  Rose wasn’t sure if she was doing the right thing. Mixed emotions churned inside her as she approached Westgate Towers towing the barrow, with Minnie limping alongside her carrying a small posy of flowers that she’d picked from the hedgerows along the way. She’d sent a letter to the prison to arrange the visit in advance, but it was short notice and she suspected that the bureaucracy involved might mean that they couldn’t see Donald on this occasion.

  ‘Look out,’ she warned as a cart loaded with milk churns rattled past, rather too close for comfort. ‘I’d forgotten what Canterbury was like.’

  ‘It’s very smelly.’ Minnie wrinkled her nose, and just as Rose began to fear that she was going to start complaining about their lot, her eyes lit up at the sight of a sweet shop on the corner of the street.

  ‘Please, Rose.’ Minnie stopped in front of the window with its mouth-watering display of treats.

  ‘We should save our money,’ Rose murmured, hating to let her sister down.

  ‘We don’t have to buy many, only a quarter, or two ounces,’ Minnie begged.

  ‘Oh, go on.’ Rose gave her a threepenny bit. ‘Give me back the change.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Minnie rushed into the shop and emerged some time later with a paper bag in her hand, and grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘What took you so long?’ Rose smiled back.

  ‘There were too many to choose from …’ Minnie offered her a sweet. Rose took one then Minnie did the same before handing her the bag to look after. ‘I can’t trust myself not to eat them all at once.’

  Rose walked on to the prison, her breath fresh with mint. The austere façade of Canterbury Gaol was marked with a stone reading House of Correction, and the name of the architect George Byfield.

  ‘You must stay and guard the barrow,’ she told Minnie, parking it beside the iron railings made to look like wooden rods and axe heads.

  ‘I want to see Donald!’ Minnie’s eyes flashed mutinously. ‘Can’t we leave the barrow somewhere? What about Mrs Hamilton, or one of the men at the tannery?’

  ‘I don’t want to run into the Kingsleys.’

  ‘Mr Kingsley will be in his office.’

  ‘I’d really rather not go there.’

  ‘What about one of the street boys? Baxter would do it for a penny – if we can find him.’

  They went walking through the familiar places of their childhood, until they reached the Rookery and asked the gaggle of children who were playing hoops in the middle of the dirt if they knew where Baxter was, in return for sweets.

  ‘You’re in luck,’ one of the girls said. ‘’E’s got a job at the tannery.’

  Which meant they would have to risk confronting the Kingsleys after all, Rose thought to herself.

  ‘Thank you.’ She handed over a few mint drops then slipped the bag back in her pocket. ‘Come on, Minnie, we must keep going. Do you want to ride in the barrow?’

  ‘No, I’ll keep walking.’ She leaned on her stick and made off towards the tannery, limping along with her head down.

  When they turned up the street towards Willow Place, Rose felt her pulse beat a little faster. The gate was closed across the drive and there were ducks on the lawn, but their old home had been painted: the oak framework stained black and the walls freshly whitewashed. The leaded windows shone in the sunshine, the laurels had been cut and there was a pram in the shade of the crab-apple tree.

  ‘Oh dear, I hope our aunt hasn’t been allowed to adopt a baby,’ Rose said as she caught up with Minnie, but her sister’s attention was on the sign beside the gateway into the tan yard. It read: Milsom Bros. Tanners, purveyors of fine leather …

  ‘Look, Rose. What’s happened to the Kingsleys?’

  ‘They’ve gone?’ She couldn’t quite believe it. ‘Where? Why?’

  ‘This isn’t a place for two young ladies,’ a workman said, opening up the gate to allow a carter out of the yard. ‘Oh, Miss Cheevers? Is that you?’

  ‘Mr Jones,’ Rose said.

  He smiled. ‘I didn’t recognise you at first, my dears. I’m afraid you’ll find this place much altered. Your aunt and uncle sold up some three months ago. The business wasn’t doing too well with your father and Arthur gone, and Mr Milsom, a Canterbury man, and his brothers, made them an offer they felt they couldn’t refuse.’ Mr Jones shook his head. ‘Mr Kingsley weren’t a businessman, just a fly-by-night, and Mrs Kingsley encouraged it. Oh, I shouldn’t speak badly of them in front of you, but they brought the tannery to its knees. A couple of the men were laid off before the Milsoms took over.’

  He hooked the gate back against the wall, and pulled his pipe from his belt.

  ‘I’m very sorry about that,’ Rose said, knowing her father would never have let it happen.

  ‘I’m glad to see you. We’ve all been wondering how you were. It’s like you disappeared into thin air.’

  ‘I know. We had to leave Canterbury in a hurry.’ As a few of the other workmen stepped up to see what the stir was, Rose didn’t like to go on to explain that they were on the run again, thanks to Donald.

  ‘We’ve come to see—’ Minnie began.

  ‘To pay our respects to Mr and Mrs Cheevers,’ Rose interrupted quickly, not wanting everyone to know their business. When would Minnie ever learn?

  ‘It’s you, miss!’ came a cry of delight. ‘It’s me, Baxter.’ Hastening across to them, he whipped off his cap in greeting.

  She smiled. ‘You are well?’

  ‘I’m errand boy for Mr Milsom senior – I get to work on the yard and in the office, wherever I’m needed.’

  ‘And depending on the weather,’ Mr Jones remarked. ‘You are always in the office when it’s raining.’

  ‘Can you blame me, sir?’ Baxter said cheekily.

  ‘I suppose not. You’re a smart boy and you’ll do well for yourself, if you don’t keep talking back.’

  ‘Are you back in Canterbury for good?’ Baxter asked.

  ‘We’re paying a short visit, that’s all. I wondered if I might ask you to look after our barrow for a couple of hours while we attend to some personal matters – in return for a penny, of course.’

  ‘Isn’t that our old barrer …?’ Mr Jones stopped abruptly.

  ‘It belonged to the Kingsleys,’ Rose said, hoping that nobody was going to try to take it back. ‘Minnie struggles with her walking
– we keep it with us so she can rest when she needs to.’

  ‘Is that why you keep the kettle hanging from the side?’ Baxter said. ‘For making tea when you stop? You appear to have brought everything but the kitchen sink with you.’

  ‘We’re between lodgings,’ Rose said smoothly, surprising herself with her capacity for telling white lies.

  ‘I’ll keep an eye on it, but it must be worth more than a penny to watch all of that. How about thruppence?’

  Rose couldn’t help chuckling. ‘Tuppence and that’s my final offer.’

  ‘Tuppence, it is.’ Solemnly, Baxter reached out and shook her hand. ‘Have a lovely day, ladies.’

  ‘He’s just the same,’ Minnie said as they set off for the gaol.

  In spite of the authorities claiming they had not yet received Rose’s letter of application for a visit, they managed to sweet-talk the warder in charge and persuade him to let them see Donald. Another man with a bunch of keys jangling on his belt took them through to a small, windowless room with a table and chairs, where they sat and waited until he reappeared with their brother.

  ‘Donald?’ She hardly recognised him in his prison clothes at first – he looked worn out.

  ‘Sit!’ barked the warder.

  Donald shuffled forward and took a seat opposite his sisters. He reached across the table to take Minnie’s hand, but the warder’s truncheon came down hard against the back of his fingers, making him recoil.

  ‘How did you manage to come and see me?’ he asked. ‘Who’s looking after the hens?’

  ‘I’m afraid they’ve gone. It’s a long story and we don’t have much time. How are you anyway?’

  Minnie bit her lip, trying not to cry. ‘What are they doing to you?’

  ‘It isn’t that bad in here. We have gruel every day – oats, onions, lard and pepper and salt, and goodness knows what else. The water tastes like it’s come straight out of the river. Some of the prisoners have had belly-rot really bad, and the bread has stones in it that fair break your teeth.’ He showed them a chip out of his upper molar.

  ‘You look just as handsome as before, but you are very dirty,’ Rose said with a rueful smile.