A Place to Call Home

by Evie Grace

  On one of her expeditions, she went into the village shop to buy a box of pins for Minnie’s sewing. Her heart sank when she saw Mrs Greenleaf at the counter before her, talking to the shopkeeper. The old woman turned, gave her a glare of contempt and returned to her conversation.

  ‘We don’t want the likes of that around here. Why did Mr Wild bother to go and drag her and her sister back to Overshill? He is a strange man indeed.’

  ‘Because he has more kindness in the tip of his little finger than you have in your entire heart, Mrs Greenleaf,’ Rose said tersely, bringing her up short. ‘That’s all I will say on the matter.’

  She bought the pins and left, running into Sam who was working in the graveyard, cutting back the brambles.

  ‘I heard you were back,’ he said, looking a little sheepish when she stopped to speak to him. ‘You’re staying at the Hadingtons’ old place.’

  ‘I’m sorry I didn’t see you before Minnie and I left Overshill,’ she said, uncertain how to proceed. ‘I called on your mother.’

  ‘But I wasn’t there,’ he finished for her. ‘I’m sorry too – I should have told you that I was walking out with somebody else, a girl from Selling. I didn’t think you’d be all that upset though, considering you didn’t seem that keen on me …’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’ She realised she hadn’t had any feelings for him, not like the affection she felt for Freddie. Sam was a young lad, rather dull and predictable, while Freddie was a man, thoughtful and well travelled, never boring.

  Minnie was pleased. ‘You couldn’t have meant that much to him,’ she said on her return.

  Work continued on the refurbishment of the house, but in spite of the hustle and bustle, the time seemed to pass very slowly until Freddie returned from his business trip.

  Rose and Minnie were sewing in their room upstairs when he knocked on the door.

  ‘Are you in there?’

  ‘Come in,’ Rose called back, her heart missing a beat at the sound of his voice.

  ‘Am I interrupting anything?’ He pushed the door open.

  ‘Not at all,’ Rose said, getting up. Lightly tanned and with his hair longer, she thought he looked more handsome than ever.

  ‘I have something to show you two young ladies. Come down to the servants’ hall.’

  ‘Hurry, Minnie. What are you waiting for?’ Rose said impatiently as he rushed away again, his feet thundering off down the stairs.

  ‘Let me find my stick,’ she said. ‘I feel a little unsteady on my feet.’

  ‘That’s because you’ve spent too long indoors, staring at those tiny stitches of yours.’ She’d offered to go out walking with her that morning, but Minnie had declined because it had been raining. ‘Minnie, are you all right?’ Rose glanced from her sister’s delicate, almost translucent complexion to her breasts and belly, which had grown fuller since they’d left Faversham. She’d assumed that Minnie was merely acquiring the curves of womanhood, but now she wasn’t so sure.

  She waited for her to limp out on to the landing and close the door behind them, before making their way to the servants’ hall where everyone was standing around the table. Freddie was sitting at the head with a pineapple on a platter in front of him. Rose recognised it from the pictures in one of the books Ma had used to teach from, but the maids and the gardener’s boys were all agog at the sight of it.

  Freddie glanced up and caught her eye, giving her a secret smile.

  ‘I thought I’d canvass everyone’s opinion to see if we should try growing these at Churt House,’ he said, slicing the crown of spiky leaves from the top and cutting into the fruit. He carefully divided the yellow flesh into rings, cut them into segments and passed them round. ‘I have a fancy for eating our own pineapples.’

  ‘Really? It’s far too cold for them in winter,’ Jack said.

  ‘Others have grown them in this country with great success. I’m sure we can do it too, if we build a pinery and provide them with heat.’ Freddie looked towards the gardener. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘We’re busy putting the garden to bed for the winter,’ he said grumpily.

  ‘That’s all right. I’ll roll my sleeves up and help out. I’d never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.’

  ‘What is required for this project?’ the gardener asked.

  ‘Enough men to dig out three trenches four foot deep and forty foot long, then a carpenter to build a wooden frame over the top, and a glazier to cover it with glass panels. We’ll need horse manure and milled oak bark. Mixed with water, those ingredients will ferment slowly, releasing heat and providing the plants with constant warmth, mimicking a tropical climate.’

  The thought of the oak bark reminded Rose of the tannery and how Pa would have it stirred into the water in the pits to tan the hides.

  ‘What do you think, Rose?’ Freddie said, standing up and moving round to her. ‘Do you approve of this plan?’

  ‘Well, yes,’ she said shyly, the taste of pineapple, like sweetened rosewater and wine, still on her tongue.

  Minnie found it amusing.

  ‘He’s doing everything he can to impress you,’ she said when they returned to their room from dining with the servants that evening, Freddie having retired early to bed because he was weary from his travels.

  ‘Don’t say that,’ Rose said rather sharply, because she was feeling sore. Freddie wasn’t the kind of man who went around taking advantage of women. If he had wished to seduce her, she thought regretfully, he would have done so by now, and it was too late anyway because it appeared that Minnie had scuppered their chances of a peaceful and contented way of life.

  Rose lit the lamp and stoked the fire in the grate, then turned to her sister who had bounced on to her bed.

  ‘I’m going to have to get changed under the covers,’ Minnie said, her teeth chattering.

  ‘We need to have a little talk first,’ Rose said, sitting down alongside her. ‘I’m not going to beat around the bush. Is it at all possible that the gaffer did more than kiss you? Did he disrobe and …?’ She was afraid that her sister knew more about the topic of their conversation than she did.

  Minnie nodded. ‘He told me not to tell you what we did.’

  Rose swore out loud.

  ‘Rose!’ Minnie exclaimed.

  ‘I’m sorry, but he’s an evil, wicked, manipulative, nasty—’

  ‘I liked him,’ Minnie cut in angrily.

  ‘He made you like him. He is to blame for this, not you.’ Rose refrained from revealing how Flo had told her of Abel’s death. ‘Minnie, listen to me. Don’t be alarmed, but I think you’re with child.’

  ‘Oh dear.’ Minnie leaned back against her pillow, which was one shade paler than her complexion.

  Not having the heart to be cross with her, Rose reached out and tucked a lock of her sister’s hair back behind her ear. It was too late. In a few months’ time, Minnie would be a mother. How were they going to deal with that? At least they had money to support them this time. They could move on and settle in another county where nobody knew them, but that would mean leaving Overshill, and the Carters, and worst of all, Freddie. She would never confess it to him, but she had grown to love him, heart and soul.

  The following morning, Rose looked out of the window of the dining room where the decorators were positioning the new furniture according to her instructions. The mid-November sunshine had turned the moon into a pale skeleton of itself in the clear blue sky while Freddie was knee-deep in a trench which ran across the kitchen garden. Brandishing a spade, he wore his shirtsleeves rolled up and buttons undone in spite of the cold. Jack and one of the gardener’s boys were digging with him. Feeling guilty for spying, she stepped back when Freddie glanced up at the window.

  As soon as she could, she fled to find peace and time to think in the library, a place of calm since she and Freddie had had it redecorated and replaced Mr Hadington’s books with the titles that she’d remembered on the shelves at Willow Place, along with many
others. She sat down on the window seat with the sun streaming in through the glass, and a book in her hand. She found herself flicking through the pages without reading a word.

  ‘Rose?’ She looked up to find Freddie standing in front of her, fastening the buttons on his shirt. ‘I thought I might find you here. What do you think of our handiwork so far?’ He cleared his throat. ‘I saw you watching … Oh, I have embarrassed you, perhaps.’

  She smiled ruefully.

  ‘Now that you’re here, I can speak with you on a rather delicate matter,’ she began.

  ‘What is it? You can speak to me about anything.’

  ‘It’s Minnie.’

  ‘Is she sick?’

  She shook her head.

  He smiled. ‘She’s with child. I knew it.’

  ‘How did you know?’ she said, confused.

  ‘I can tell these things. When women are in the family way, they have this look about them. She is blooming.’

  ‘I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation, so I’ll look for somewhere she can go and have the baby in secret,’ Rose said.

  ‘What for, when she can stay here?’

  ‘There’s no way she can remain here at Churt House. My sister’s actions, intended or not, have brought shame on us, on me too because it was my fault. I didn’t protect her. I failed to keep her close.’

  Freddie took a seat right beside her and sat looking at her, his head slightly to one side, a small smile on his lips.

  ‘It isn’t a laughing matter,’ she said, annoyed that he didn’t seem to be taking her seriously. ‘My sister’s carrying the bastard child of a married man, a ruffian at that. It makes no difference that he’s dead. We’ll be ostracised in the village as we were when we first arrived in Overshill on the run from Canterbury, and you’ll be the subject of gossip and suspicion.’

  ‘For goodness’ sake, I’m not worried about that. They can say what they like. This is my home, my domain, and I choose who lives and works here. It’s none of their business.’ He waved a hand. ‘You worry too much about what other people think.’

  ‘This is England, not Tasmania. I think you must have lived in a very different society.’

  ‘You come across bigots wherever you go, but this country seems to be a particular haven for the petty-minded. I would never let a child suffer because of the circumstances in which he or she was conceived. If your grandfather – dear Matty – had judged my poor mother, I would not have ended up where I am today. A child is a gift, a blessing, but I understand there is some stigma attached to—’

  ‘It ruins lives, that of the mother and child,’ Rose interrupted.

  ‘Yes, and it’s a pity that the man doesn’t receive his fair portion of opprobrium.’

  ‘That’s true,’ she said bitterly. ‘You never hear of a man being forced into the poorhouse and having his infant torn from his arms.’

  ‘You have experience of this?’

  ‘My mother … and grandmother, Mrs Carter. Well, you know the rest.’

  ‘It was different. Matty loved your grandmother. He had no intention of abandoning his child.’

  ‘That’s all well and good, but—’

  ‘No buts. No doubts. I wish for you and Minnie to stay here as you are, and that’s my last word. You will speak to the other servants and remind them that there will be no whispering on the stairs or chattering in the scullery.’ His eyes flashed with humour. ‘I’ve heard you keeping them in order. You’re much more assertive than you seem.’ He grew serious again. ‘You will need to call the doctor for her?’

  ‘Not at the moment,’ she said. ‘She seems very well.’

  ‘If she ever has need of medical attention, you must send for one immediately … and send me the bill afterwards. Have you got that?’

  ‘Yes, thank you, but I’ll pay you back as soon as I receive my money.’ Before she had come into the room she’d thought she’d never smile again, but he’d reassured her, and now she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and hug him in return.

  ‘Will you sit with me for a while after dinner tonight? I have a fancy for some company. We can dress it up as a meeting about household matters, if you’re worried about being spoken of behind your back.’

  She hesitated, her neck flushing with heat.

  ‘Of course, I’ll understand if you decide you need to attend to Minnie, or you have other plans …’

  ‘No, I’d like to …’ she stammered, unsure what he was really asking for.

  ‘I’ll see you at dinner then.’

  ‘I look forward to it,’ she said softly.

  Having changed into her favourite new dress with its pale cream brocade bodice, flared sleeves and burgundy skirt, Rose went downstairs with Minnie to the dining room for six o’clock, finding Freddie waiting to greet them at the door.

  ‘A very good evening to my two favourite young ladies. You look beautiful tonight. Quite breathtaking, Rose,’ he added as her sister went straight to the table.

  Minnie was subdued at first, but she soon cheered up with Freddie telling them all about his adventures, while they told him about everything that had happened at Churt House while he’d been away: how the turkeys he’d ordered from Norfolk had settled into their new home; how one of the biggest chestnut trees in the park had had to be cut down when struck right through the middle by lightning; how Rice, the butler, had shouted at the footman when he’d spilled the gravy.

  ‘It’s time you thought about retiring to bed, Minnie,’ Rose said, when they had finished their meal.

  ‘Oh, I thought I’d stay down for a while longer,’ Minnie said.

  ‘What about the patchwork? You’ve almost completed the second one?’

  ‘Ah, I still have the lettering to add – the date and names, like we did for Arthur and Tabby.’ Minnie glanced from Rose to Freddie and back, her eyes sparkling with humour. Rose made to give her a nudge with her toe under the table. ‘Ouch!’ Minnie said deliberately, even though she had barely made contact. ‘What did you do that for?’

  ‘My foot slipped,’ Rose said, blushing. ‘I’m sorry, Freddie. We have forgotten our manners.’

  He chuckled. ‘I forgive you. Minnie, you’d better get on with that embroidery.’

  ‘I had,’ she said, and Rose couldn’t help wondering if they’d been plotting something together. ‘I’ll wish you goodnight.’ Minnie got up and kissed Rose, and then Freddie on the cheek, before leaving them alone together.

  ‘You wished to speak with me,’ Rose said to break the awkward silence between them.

  ‘Shall we go and sit in the parlour where it’s warmer and more comfortable?’ His smile made her heart somersault. ‘I picked up a few sweet chestnuts in the park today – do you like them roasted?’

  ‘I do. I used to buy them from a barrow as a treat when we lived in Canterbury.’

  They retreated to the parlour and Freddie offered her a chair in front of the fire. He pulled up a second chair and placed it beside her, then picked up a bowl of sweet chestnuts from the side table. Sitting down, he took a knife from his pocket and began to score their skins. Then he put them in a long-handled skillet drilled through with holes, placed a lid on top and held it over the fire, leaning forward in his chair.

  Rose watching him staring into the flickering flames.

  ‘I should have told you the truth about my guardian before,’ he began.

  ‘I know – you’ve already explained. There’s no need to speak of it again,’ she said gently.

  ‘I wanted to prove to myself that you weren’t a gold digger, a woman after my money, but then I realised I was being a cad for even thinking of testing your character. I didn’t need to. I saw how you cared for your sister, how you treated the servants and how you respected your grandmother. Rose, I feel quite ashamed of my behaviour. Matty would have given me a good telling-off over it.’

  He gave the chestnuts a good shake in the skillet as their sweet scent began to fill the room.

  ‘And no
w I may have to beg for your forgiveness a second time, if the subject I wish to touch on offends you.’

  ‘What is it?’ she asked.

  He cleared his throat and turned to face her. ‘I believe that you once had an association with one of the farmhands, Sam. He is closer to you in age than I am … Oh, it’s none of my business.’

  ‘But you wish to know if I have any romantic attachment to anyone?’ she said. Freddie was bold and fearless, not afraid to speak his mind on all matters, every single one except the one that really counted. He was shy that way. ‘No, I haven’t. Sam did pay me some attention, and I did agree to walk out with him, even though I knew we weren’t right for each other. He didn’t make my heart miss a beat like …’ her voice trailed off as she stopped herself adding, like you do. ‘He’s walking out with a different young lady now, and I wish him all the best for the future.’

  Her face grew warm as Freddie gazed into her eyes. ‘Do you think you will marry one day?’

  She tilted her head to one side. ‘If somebody – the right person – should ask me, I should certainly consider it,’ she said in challenge.

  He took a deep breath, his cheeks high with colour.

  ‘Sweet Rose, you have bewitched me with your beauty and good sense. I never intended to fall in love with you … In fact, I didn’t think I would fall in love again …’

  ‘You have been in love before?’ she said sadly.

  He nodded. ‘She didn’t love me back.’ His tone was harsh.

  ‘You still have feelings for her?’ She straightened. She would not be second best. She would only be with him for love, just as Ma and Pa had been together, albeit with their decision not to get married.

  ‘I felt no anger towards her, only at myself for letting her deceive me. She was a mistress of lies.’

  The smell of burning stung her eyes. ‘The chestnuts are on fire,’ she said, pointing to the skillet where smoke was emerging from around the lid.

  ‘Oh dear.’ Freddie gave them another good shake.