A Place to Call Home

by Evie Grace

‘With you at my side, overseeing the works, I can do anything.’

  ‘You have too much faith in me,’ she said.

  ‘You don’t believe me? We’ll see, shall we?’ His voice was gentle. ‘You’re a strong woman to have survived the ordeal you’ve been through, Rose. I have great admiration for your strength of character.’

  She didn’t know how to respond. With a flush of embarrassment creeping up her neck, she turned at the sound of the maid’s voice as she walked up behind them.

  ‘Mr Wild, there’s a Mrs Carter to see the Miss Cheeverses. I’ve asked her to wait in the hall.’

  ‘Thank you, Mary,’ Freddie said. ‘Rose, you’d better go and find out what she wants.’

  Reluctant to leave Freddie’s company and apprehensive about what her grandmother was going to say, she went downstairs to face her. Mrs Carter was resting on a chair with her bonnet on her knees and a stick in one hand. When she saw Rose, she struggled to her feet.

  ‘When I heard from Mrs Greenleaf, who’d seen Mr Wild and the horses going by, that you were back and Minnie was ill, I had to come. How is she?’

  ‘She’s making a good recovery – I’ll show you.’ Rose reached out to take her grandmother’s arm and led her slowly up the stairs. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Much better for knowing you’re both safe. Why did you run away like that and without a word? It’s caused me much grief.’

  ‘I’m sorry. Mr Carter said that we were making you ill, what with Donald going to prison, and I couldn’t help remembering how Ma went so quickly. I never meant—’

  ‘I know. He’s a silly old fool for saying that to you when he knows better. To give him his due he did send two of the lads after you, but they only got as far as the outskirts of Canterbury before giving up. Oh, never mind that now.’ She patted Rose’s hand. ‘It’s in the past.’

  Rose walked her along the corridor to the bedroom and opened the door. Her grandmother rushed over to Minnie’s bedside and took both her hands.

  ‘My dear, you appear to be in better health than I expected.’

  Minnie sat up, beaming from ear to ear, her traumas on the brickfield apparently forgotten. ‘I’m glad to see you, Grandma. I’ve missed you.’

  Rose choked back a tear at the sight of her sister and grandmother together, talking about the farm, how the Carters had hatched more geese and reared more piglets, and how – in spite of his thieving – they missed Donald and his cheeky smile. Having spent an hour with them, Mrs Carter bade them farewell.

  ‘I won’t stop any longer – I’ve never liked this house. I came to Mrs Hadington’s wake and found it very dark, dirty and cold,’ she told Rose as they walked downstairs together. ‘It’s strange how life goes around and comes around. I can trust you to keep a secret?’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  ‘The previous owner of the house – I can hardly speak his name.’

  ‘Mr Hadington?’

  ‘He was my father by blood.’ Rose bit her lip as her grandmother continued, ‘My parents, the Rooks, were my grandparents. Ivy, their daughter, was a maid here when he had his way with her against her will. When they found out she was with child, the Rooks decided to pass me off as their own, but I found out the truth later – through Matty Carter, in fact. Promise you’ll say nothing.’

  ‘Cross my heart and hope to die,’ Rose said. What a tangled web, she thought.

  ‘Will you be staying for long?’

  ‘I’m not sure of our plans just yet. It’s too soon.’

  ‘If you want to come back to the cottage, it’s there waiting for you. All you have to do is ask. Oh, I almost forgot! I have a letter addressed to you. It arrived at the farm last Tuesday.’ She handed Rose an envelope from her pocket.

  As soon as her grandmother had gone, Rose opened the letter.

  Dear Rose, she read.

  I am frantic with worry, having not heard from you for the past few months. Please let me know you are safe.

  Yours truly,

  Aunt Marjorie

  She begged some paper, a pen and ink from Freddie, and wrote straight back.

  Dear Aunt Marjorie,

  First of all, let me say how sorry I am for not letting you know of our recent trials which caused us to leave Overshill. I thought it was for the best, but on hearing of your distress and worry, I realise I was remiss in not notifying you. There is so much to tell that I can’t possibly write it all down in a letter. Suffice to say for the present, Minnie and I are staying with a Mr Freddie Wild at Churt House in Overshill. I must allay any concern you might have for our reputations by saying that he is a gentleman. I don’t know how long we will be at this address, but I trust that any mail you send here will be redirected if necessary.

  Dear Minnie has been unwell, but she’s on the mend now.

  I hesitate to write to you of Donald, who is being held at Canterbury Gaol for stealing pies. He is not due for release until May 1881, a matter of great sorrow for his sisters, as you can imagine.

  I trust that you are well,

  Yours as ever,

  Rose

  In spite of Rose’s suggestion that she should go, Freddie sent Jack to post the letter.

  ‘Thank you,’ Rose said. ‘You’ve been incredibly kind to us, Freddie.’

  ‘It’s a pleasure,’ he said, his hands in his pockets and his dog at his side as they stood in the corridor leading to the servants’ hall.

  ‘I was wondering if you would mind me asking my grandmother to sit with Minnie while I go to Faversham one day soon,’ she said.

  ‘I thought that was the last place on earth you’d wish to return to, but I expect you want to visit your friend.’

  ‘I didn’t have time to say a proper goodbye and I’d like to find her before work stops on the brickfields for the winter.’

  ‘How are you thinking of getting there?’ Freddie asked.

  ‘By shank’s pony, of course. I like to walk.’

  ‘Oh, we can’t have that. No, I’ll take you there, if it’s acceptable to you …’

  ‘It’s very generous of you, but I don’t know.’ Was it right for her to travel without a chaperone? She trusted Freddie, but she could imagine what the neighbours and Aunt Marjorie would have to say about it.

  ‘You’ll be quite safe,’ he said, his lips quirking into a smile. ‘Mrs Causton will come with us – she has some errands to run in town.’

  ‘Then I accept, if it’s no trouble.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have suggested it if it was. There’s no need to bother Mrs Carter – one of the maids will look after Minnie. We’ll go tomorrow.’

  Rose wondered what she could take with her as a gift for Flo and her boys. In the end she begged Cook for some cake and plum jam, and put them in a basket.

  The next morning, she travelled in the carriage with Freddie and Mrs Causton, whom they dropped off at the market near the Guildhall before driving on to Kingsfield. Rose felt increasingly anxious as they grew closer to the place that held such unhappy memories for her.

  ‘Don’t worry about the Irishman,’ Freddie said as though reading her mind. ‘Let me deal with him.’ He passed her a small purse.

  ‘What’s this for?’ she asked, feeling its considerable weight in her hands.

  ‘For you to give to your friend. She’s a good woman.’

  ‘Are you sure? Don’t you want to give it to her yourself?’

  ‘I think she’ll be happier to accept it if we say it’s from you and Minnie, rather than me,’ he said. ‘It would hurt her pride to think I was offering her charity.’

  Rose didn’t argue any further, knowing that Flo and her boys were always short of money. It would be her friend who would be disadvantaged if she let her pride take over. The contents of the purse could be the difference between them staying out, or being forced to enter the poorhouse for the winter. She placed the purse in her basket along with the cake and jam as the carriage pulled up alongside the brickfield. Freddie opened the door and helped her out. />
  The stench of London’s refuse hit her nostrils, and the sound of the knock, knock, knock of leather against leather took her straight back to when Minnie had gone missing with the gaffer. Where was he?

  ‘Take my arm,’ Freddie said. ‘We’ll walk together.’

  She slipped her hand through the crook of his elbow and they walked across Kingsfield towards the wharf where the women were sifting dust.

  ‘What do you want?’ a man said, walking up to them.

  ‘We are here to speak with Flo,’ Rose said, refusing to be cowed.

  ‘Oh, ’er. She’s over there as usual.’ He pointed towards the figure in the centre of the semi-circle of workers.

  ‘Where is the gaffer? The Irishman?’ Freddie asked.

  ‘He got into a fight outside the Ship a couple of days ago. He suffered a heavy blow to the head which cracked his skull. Killed him outright, it did. It was a terrible shock to us all, but I can’t say he didn’t deserve it. He was a wily one, always looking out for himself.’ He shook his head. ‘I pity his poor wife back home. Anyway, I’m the gaffer now if anyone’s asking.’

  Leaving Freddie to continue talking, Rose ran down to the women and tapped Flo on the shoulder. She turned abruptly.

  ‘It’s you,’ she exclaimed, throwing down her sieve and struggling to her feet. ‘I didn’t think I’d see you again.’ Rose leaned towards her and kissed her dusty cheek.

  ‘I wanted to thank you for everything you did for us,’ Rose said, a tear in her eye. ‘I don’t know what Minnie and I would have done without you. Here,’ – she thrust the basket into Flo’s arms – ‘this is for you and the boys.’

  Flo looked into the basket.

  ‘Nobody’s ever given me anything before,’ she said, starting to cry.

  Rose gave her a clean handkerchief from her pocket. Flo wiped her eyes then tried to hand it back to her. ‘Keep it,’ she said, smiling gently. ‘You’d better get back to work. The new gaffer’s watching.’ They wished each other all the luck in the world, and Rose returned across the brickfield to the carriage with Freddie, happy that between them they had given Flo and her boys financial security through the lean months at least.

  Later the same evening, Rose sat with Minnie and pondered how the day had gone. She had already decided that she wouldn’t tell her sister of Abel’s passing, not wanting to upset her. She guessed that Flo’s future was mapped out – next summer and the one after that she would be back at Kingsfield, sifting dust. Rose was left wondering what she and Minnie would do, and where they would go when Minnie was fully restored to health. The questions plagued her mind for the rest of the day, and later when she was gazing out of the window at the sun sinking behind the horizon, she felt her heart sinking too, because she had no answers. She’d lost the place that would have been hers, if it hadn’t been for Donald. Had her decision to run away played a part as well? How could Freddie rely on someone who fled whenever trouble struck? She’d had her reasons – sound ones – for leaving Overshill, but now she felt rather a fool.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  A Full Sixpence

  Within a week, Rose had heard back from Aunt Marjorie.

  Dear Rose and Minnie too,

  I am very relieved to hear you’re safe. I have been worried sick since I heard back from your grandmother that you had left Overshill without leaving a forwarding address. I am most disappointed and distressed to hear of Donald’s transgressions. He was a naughty boy from the start, but I never thought he would stoop to thieving. Perhaps I am judging him unfairly. I shouldn’t dwell on my disappointment in him.

  I wish you had let me know of your trials. You know I would have done everything in my power to help you.

  I look forward to visiting you and your family as soon as I am released from my duties. Due to ill health and not being as young as I was, I am relinquishing my place with the Richardsons and looking to find a modest house where I might live out the rest of my days in peaceful occupation.

  Your ever loving aunt,

  Marjorie

  Rose wished she could help her, but what could she do? She was dependent on Freddie for everything, and occupied with looking after Minnie, whose health continued to improve over the next month. She and her sister dined in their room, and once or twice in the servants’ hall. It was an odd establishment, she thought, finding the distinction between master and servant much blurred, even compared with the way her parents had treated the servants at Willow Place.

  Freddie dropped by to see them now and again, passing the time of day and talking of his progress with improving the Churt estate. He gave Rose various tasks to keep her occupied and satisfy her desire to make herself useful, including supervising the team of painters and decorators he’d brought in to start on the main rooms in the house and gradually obliterate all trace of the wicked Mr Hadington.

  One day in October, Rose was looking out of the drawing-room window when she saw a carriage arriving at the house, bringing a flurry of helpers to unload what turned out to be a delivery of trunks, bags and boxes. Freddie directed them to carry everything into the house.

  ‘Look at this.’ She turned to Minnie, who was sitting perched on a chair that they’d covered with a linen cloth to protect it from the decorators’ paint. There were two men on ladders, preparing the ornate plaster ceiling for the first coat, and another one measuring up for new wallpaper.

  ‘I wonder what’s in those boxes,’ Minnie said, walking across to the window. ‘Our Mr Wild is very nice, but he’s a bit of a mystery, isn’t he?’

  ‘I suppose he is,’ Rose agreed. She still didn’t know much about him, and wondered if she ever would. ‘What are you going to do today, Minnie?’

  She shrugged. ‘I thought I might go for a walk to see Grandma.’

  ‘Oh, I’ll come with you.’

  ‘You’re needed here. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything silly. You have to trust me.’

  ‘I know, but it’s difficult after what happened.’

  ‘I’ll go straight to the farm, and straight back, I promise.’ Minnie gazed at her. ‘Cross my heart and hope to die. Please, Rose.’

  Was it safe? Rose wondered. Could she rely on her to keep her word?

  ‘Go on then, but don’t let me down.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Minnie flung her arms around her neck, half strangling her with joy. ‘I’ll be back by twelve.’

  Rose watched the carriage depart, and Minnie limping down the drive. She wished she could feel that light of heart, but she was beginning to wonder how much longer they could stay now that her sister was well again.

  ‘Could I have a word?’

  Detecting the scent of the outdoors and fresh soap, she turned to find Freddie standing behind her. He had a liveliness about the eyes, wide shoulders and a well-kept beard. He wore quality clothes, moleskin trousers and crisp white cotton shirts. If she could change a single thing about him – well, there was nothing that could be altered to make an ounce of improvement.

  ‘Is this about the order for the wallpaper?’ she asked. There had been a mix-up the day before when extra lengths of blue patterned paper had been delivered instead of the pale grey she had requested.

  ‘No, it has nothing to do with the house. I’d be grateful if you’d come along to the dining room. I’d like to speak with you in private.’

  She’d loved the time she and Minnie had spent at Churt House with Freddie. She’d always known that it was too good to last …

  ‘That sounds ominous,’ she said apprehensively.

  ‘Not at all,’ he smiled.

  She followed him along the landing to the dining room next door where the carpet had been rolled up and stood on its end in one corner, the furniture moved to one side in preparation for the refurbishment. There was a silver tray with a coffee set and plates, and a covered platter on the table.

  ‘Take a seat,’ he said, pulling one out for her. ‘Let me pour you some hot chocolate or coffee. I wasn’t sure which you preferred
so I ordered both, along with some pastries.’

  ‘Hot chocolate, please.’ She watched him pour it out. He handed her a plate so she could choose between the apricot and almond pastries, and she wondered if he’d arranged this occasion to soften the blow when he gave her and Minnie their marching orders.

  ‘I noticed that you had a delivery today,’ she said, trying to make conversation.

  ‘That was the rest of my belongings that I had shipped from abroad. Please humour me for a moment.’

  He took a purse from his jacket pocket and opened it up. He pulled out what looked like a coin and held it out. ‘Look at this.’

  Rose stared at it: a half a sixpence, much like the one she was wearing, but darker and more tarnished.

  ‘This is some kind of trick. You’ve seen the half a sixpence around my neck and you’ve gone out to have another one made.’

  ‘Why on earth would I do that?’

  ‘I honestly don’t know.’ A pulse throbbed at her throat. Whatever this was, it felt like a moment of great importance, a turning point.

  ‘It is a match. Put them together and you’ll see that they are two halves of the same coin.’

  ‘No! This can’t be. You are playing some kind of game.’

  ‘Really, this isn’t a game, and I can only prove that it isn’t by comparing these pieces side by side. Rose, will you remove the silver chain from your neck so we can do so?’

  She stared at him and he gazed back intently, without guile.

  ‘There is something I haven’t been telling you.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I believe that we have something in common.’

  She couldn’t see how she and Freddie could have any association, apart from the one they already had, but he seemed so genuine, almost desperate and a little sorrowful, that she gave in. She reached her hands to the back of her neck and unfastened the clasp, letting the chain slip into her palm before placing it on the table with the half a sixpence still attached. Freddie put his half a coin against it, touching it with his fingertip until the two halves were snugly side by side, perfectly matched.

  ‘I don’t believe it.’ Rose felt faint with surprise.