She was starting to sob again, this time more out of rage than sorrow.
‘The trouble is, Beth, he needs to work. He’s a man. It’s expected of him.’ Ella paused, her recent conversation with Grace fresh in her memory.
‘Well, times have changed,’ Beth declared. ‘Anyway, I don’t think his family even care for him. It’s all about status for his father. And his mother went away and left him when he was quite small. As for Grace, well she’s just cold…’
‘They behave differently to us. You can’t judge them by the same standards.’ Ella tried to soothe Beth. ‘And don’t judge Grace too harshly. She could be John’s saviour in all of this.’
Ella refused to be drawn any further on what she meant, other than telling Beth that Grace had a plan.
‘Well, I have a plan too,’ Beth declared stoutly. ‘I’m not going to stand by and let this happen. And you must help me.’
Ella could only nod, whilst wondering what scheme Beth was hatching and where this would all lead.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Mr Ward stayed home from the office the next day, following his wife’s entreaties to do something about the terrible situation they were in. By the end of the morning he had cause to question whether this had been a wise decision.
His day had begun with a visit from Grace who had followed him up to the library straight after breakfast. Had anyone been standing outside the panelled door, they would have heard Mr Ward’s voice rise in disbelief shortly after the interview began. Then Grace could be heard speaking again, her voice adopting a forceful tone, which cut right through any interventions that Mr Ward attempted to make. There were some moments of silence before a debate continued between the pair, conducted in more moderate tones. After twenty minutes Grace could be seen leaving the library, looking a little flushed but with what appeared to be a triumphant glint in her eye.
Mid-morning found Beth making her way up the stairs, bearing a tray containing a coffee pot and cup and saucer. A discreet observer would have noted the pallor of her complexion, the trembling hand that she raised to knock at the door and the way in which she took a deep breath and drew herself up to her full height on being instructed to enter.
The murmur of Mr Ward’s initial thanks was followed by the delivery of a speech by Beth, in low, impassioned tones. There was a lengthy silence when it came to an end, then a succession of apparent queries uttered by Mr Ward, which were answered in a firm voice by Beth. After twenty minutes, the door opened and Mr Ward ushered Beth out. He could be heard promising to think it over before he stood for a minute in the doorway, watching her gain the top of the stairs before he shook his head and withdrew into the room, closing the door firmly.
Beth managed to get halfway down the stairs before stopping and clutching the banister for support. After a minute or two she pulled herself together, took a handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose, looked hastily around and then continued down to the kitchen.
Shortly afterwards, a third visitor could be seen making her way to the library. Entering without knocking, Mrs Ward closed the door behind her and began to speak the moment she did so. Mr Ward heard her out for several minutes before interrupting her. He spoke at some length before it was her turn to interrupt him with what appeared to be a barrage of questions. They were both silent for some time and so it was that the doctor found them when he was shown to the library by Stevens, shortly before lunch and directly following a morning visit to check on his patient.
Mr Ward remained shut up in the library for the rest of the day, Stevens bringing his lunch up on a tray while Mrs Ward departed to take lunch with the doctor downstairs. Throughout the afternoon the library door remained firmly closed but the rumble of one-sided speech from the other side of it suggested that Mr Ward had spent much of the time on the telephone.
It was not until the evening that Ella came to realise what Beth had meant by her resolution of the previous day: that she would not stand by and let this happen. After Beth had begged to be allowed to take up Mr Ward’s morning coffee she had kept her head down and been uncharacteristically quiet. She had got on with her duties but asked to be excused serving lunch to Mrs Ward and the doctor.
‘I’ll help clear up afterwards,’ she promised, leaving it to Ella and Stevens to take care of the dining room.
Whenever Ella had tried to take her to one side to ask her what was happening she had professed an urgent errand or duty to attend to, promising, ‘Later,’ with an apologetic smile.
So Ella was unprepared when Stevens said that Mr Ward wished to see her in the library after dinner. She quickly removed her apron, smoothed her hair under her cap and, filled with a mixture of anticipation and dread, mounted the stairs.
She knocked, entered and found Mr Ward gazing pensively into the empty fireplace.
‘Please sit down, Ella,’ he said, gesturing to the empty chair opposite his. Ella, who would have been happier to stand, sat down on the edge of the seat as if poised for flight.
‘Where to begin…’ Mr Ward appeared to be musing out loud as he marshalled his thoughts.
‘Ella, it has been a day of surprising news. It seems that my son is engaged to be married.’ Mr Ward paused and lifted an eyebrow as Ella raised a hand to her mouth in a belated attempt to stifle a gasp of surprise.
‘Ah, I see you did not know. Or perhaps you knew and you are surprised that the news has come out? Hmmm?’
Once again, Mr Ward appeared at a loss.
‘Well, as I say, surprising news. Yes, your sister—’
‘Niece,’ Ella murmured.
‘Would have me believe that she and John are engaged. Did you know anything of this?’
‘Indeed, I didn’t, sir.’ Ella’s thoughts were racing. Was this true? If so, when had it happened?
‘I challenged her on this notion, thinking perhaps she intended to take advantage of John’s current incapacity to press some preposterous cause.’ As Mr Ward paused, Ella tried hard to swallow her indignation.
‘However, Beth produced a ring which she said served as their engagement ring. It was a signet ring, one we had presumed lost when John was in hospital in France.’
‘Beth tells me that in fact John never wore the ring to war. Instead, she has been wearing it on a chain around her neck for close to two years now, ever since she and John first became engaged. Of course, none of the family knew of this and it would appear that you didn’t, either.’
Ella shook her head, mute.
‘Well, in the normal course of things Beth could not expect this engagement to be honoured.’ Mr Ward looked positively pained. ‘I daresay some youthful infatuation developed between the pair of them. It’s inconceivable that they imagined they might have a future together.’
Mr Ward paused again. He was clearly finding the conversation, one-sided though it was, very difficult.
‘However, Beth is quite… determined in her plans for their future. She made it very plain to me that she felt the doctor’s advice with regard to John’s condition was wrong. Instead, she has proposed that they be married at once and return to your village.’
Mr Ward looked grim. ‘I must say, had I the least inkling of this very improper situation I would never have agreed to your staying there in the first place.’
Ella shut her eyes briefly. She had started to feel quite sick. She had no idea where this conversation was leading, but instant dismissal for herself and Beth looked like a very strong possibility.
‘Your sister – niece – is very persuasive,’ Mr Ward continued. ‘She pointed out to me how much John’s health had improved while he was away, and how quickly he has been unsettled by his return to York. She has convinced herself that a return to Northwaite is the best, if not only, solution to John’s ills.’
Mr Ward paused again. He seemed to be feeling his way through the situation as he spoke.
‘I have to confess that I have no liking for placing John in the asylum. It grieves me deeply to think of John
in such a place. The effect on the family will be immeasurable. My hope was that John would one day marry, live close by and take over the family business.’
There was a long pause during which Ella shifted uncomfortably. She wasn’t sure what was expected of her and, indeed, why Mr Ward had wished to speak to her.
‘I’ve had to very quickly learn that I must adjust my expectations. I must be content that John was spared by the war and we must adapt to the consequences. Grace has also surprised me today, with a plan that until a day or so ago I would have found equally preposterous. I will not speak further of it now but you know as well as I do how convincing Grace can be.’
Mr Ward gave Ella a wry glance.
‘So, having sought further opinion, I’m disposed to look favourably on some elements of this outlandish plan. Rather than move John to an asylum I am proposing that he should be transferred to the care of your mother, with Beth in attendance to provide additional nursing help. This is unorthodox and it has earned me the displeasure of John’s doctor, but Mrs Ward is in full agreement. If there is not significant improvement in John’s health within three months then we will need to reconsider. If there is, then I am resigned to the fact that John will need a quieter life than he can reasonably expect in York and I will be prepared to look favourably on a formal engagement taking place between my son and Beth.’
Mr Ward sat back, exhausted by the events of the day and by the radical change to his thinking that had been forced upon him.
Ella sat quite still, stunned. If she understood Mr Ward correctly, he was prepared to countenance a marriage between Beth and John, provided that she could work some sort of miracle in restoring him to health. An immediate cause of joy for Ella was that she could cease to worry about Sarah; Beth would be there with her, and John too, hopefully quickly on the mend. A cynic might have deduced that the shame of his only son marrying beneath him was as nothing to Mr Ward compared to having him incarcerated in a lunatic asylum, but if it suited Mr and Mrs Ward to have John hidden away in the countryside then it suited Ella very well, too.
‘You must be wondering why I called you here?’ Mr Ward summoned some more strength in order to draw their interview to a conclusion. ‘I have to confess that simply speaking to you has helped me to clarify my thoughts. However, in addition to ascertaining what you knew of the apparent engagement, I wanted to be sure that you wouldn’t consider this too great an imposition on your mother?’
As Ella emphatically shook her head he hastened to add, ‘We will of course settle on a regular sum to ensure she has everything that she needs to take care of John in her home. I also wanted to have your thoughts on the situation. In many ways, Ella, you have been more of a mother to John than his own kin.’ Mr Ward waved away her protests. ‘No, I know that to be true. And you know Beth better than probably any other person alive. If John were in –’ Mr Ward hesitated and Ella sensed that he had been about to say, ‘his right mind’ but checked himself ‘– in better health, would you consider this a good match? Is it one to which you would give your blessing?’
Ella’s eyes were brimming with tears and she could only nod, speechless, at first.
‘I would, sir. I can’t think of a couple better suited,’ she said simply.
For the first time in an hour Mr Ward’s face relaxed a little.
‘I had hoped to hear that. These are strange days indeed but we may yet come to see this as a blessing. Thank you, Ella. I feel somehow more hopeful than I did at this time yesterday evening.’
Mr Ward subsided into his chair and Ella made her way slowly up to her room. She couldn’t face the kitchen and the enquiring faces just yet. While she needed to think through the implications of what she had just heard, John lay in a darkened room on another floor of the house, sedated and unaware of the far-reaching decisions being made on his behalf.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Beth came upstairs a little later, to find Ella sitting in their room in the deepening dusk.
‘What did he say to you?’ she asked Ella, hesitantly.
Ella summarised.
‘You mean he’s going to agree?’ Beth was incredulous.
‘Yes, it looks like it.’
Beth was silent for a moment or two, absorbing the information.
‘You know we’re not really engaged. I made that bit up. Well, not entirely. Look.’ Beth undid her top button and pulled free the chain holding the signet ring.
‘John gave it to me on that visit home, when he asked me for a keepsake. But when we were in Northwaite, just before we came back to York, he did say to me how much he wished we could be married.’
‘Oh, Beth. And he probably said how impossible it was, too?’
‘Well…’ Beth looked uncomfortable.
‘So, unless I’m mistaken, John is going to wake up to discover that he is not only going to be sent back to Northwaite but that he is apparently engaged. What happens if he denies all knowledge of this?’ Ella was deeply troubled.
‘We’ll have to get word to him somehow.’ Beth, having got this far with her plan, wasn’t about to give up. ‘I’ll talk to Stevens. He’s able to visit John’s room. If I take him into my confidence, I’m sure he’ll help us.’
Beth got to her feet and Ella was quick to follow.
‘I’m going to come with you. You may need some help in persuading him.’
Ella was worried about how all this might appear, but they found a willing ally in Stevens. Like Mr Ward, he had no wish to see John incarcerated in an asylum, whether or not it was considered to be for his own good. After all, unlike anyone else in Grange House, he had first-hand knowledge of life in such a place.
‘It’s no place for a young man like John,’ he declared, when they explained the situation to him. ‘I saw how much better he was when he came back from Northwaite. Peace and quiet is the best medicine. And I’ve been aware for a long time of the feelings between the two of you.’ Here he smiled warmly at Beth, who blushed. ‘Leave it with me. I’ll make sure that when he comes round from sedation, the nurse calls me first before the family so I can apprise him of what’s going on. Mind you, I suspect the drugs will have made him so groggy that he won’t be making much sense anyway.’
And so it proved. John remained under light sedation for a few days, the time it took to make the arrangements and organise his transfer back to Northwaite. Mr Ward insisted on driving once more and when he returned to York that evening he looked less drawn than he had for several days.
Stevens reported that Mr Ward had said that John appeared calmer and happier the closer they drew to Northwaite. He’d left him sitting in the garden with Beth, and Sarah had promised to write regular bulletins on his health.
Within the month, John was adding his own missives to his father and, at the end of three months, during which time Mr and Mrs Ward had made monthly visits to their son, Mr Ward declared himself ready to consider John and Beth formally engaged. Moreover, he had taken a cottage for them in Church Lane, and was prepared to countenance a more-or-less immediate marriage, provided it was a quiet ceremony.
‘A cottage in Church Lane!’ Ella looked wistful when Stevens relayed what he had gleaned. ‘That’s the loveliest street in the village. They’re very lucky.’
Beth had written occasionally, describing John’s progress.
‘You’ll find him much changed,’ Beth wrote. ‘And changed for the better. He’s feeling so well that he’s talking about finding some employment locally. Perhaps tutoring or something similar that will not be too arduous.’
When word reached Ella that the marriage had been agreed and the date set, she felt quite bereft. Although she was delighted that everything had worked out so well, it felt as though she no longer had a role to play. She missed her family: Sarah and Beth and now John, who felt very much a part of them all. And, if she was honest with herself, she felt jealous of their closeness while they were all in Northwaite together. So when Mrs Ward told her she was to have a week’s leave, wit
h most of it to be taken in Northwaite in the week prior to the wedding, she couldn’t have been more delighted.
Yet when she arrived at home she was upset to find that she felt uncomfortable at first. Sarah, Beth and John were so at ease in each other’s company that she felt like an outsider – even an intruder at times. Beth was quick to disabuse her of the notion when she expressed it.
‘Oh, Ella, we’ve been so looking forward to your arrival. It’s true, we are all happy here. I don’t think I can believe how lucky I am. I have to pinch myself every morning! And it will do us all good to have you here. We are in danger of becoming very dull otherwise: abed by nine o’clock every evening.’ Then she looked solemn. ‘John still has a long way to go before he is fully well, you know. I hear him cry out often in the night. And although Ma has been wonderful, I think she may be glad when we have a place of our own.’
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Beth bent her head over Sarah’s sewing machine. She felt as though this was the most important dress she was ever likely to make and, although she wanted to take it slowly and get it right, she couldn’t help herself. She pressed the treadle and soon she was stitching as quickly and confidently as though she were stitching the seam on a sheet.
At the end of the seam she paused, sat back and looked at Ella. ‘So, tell me again. What did I do when you said you were coming back to York?’
Ella laughed and shook her head. She had told Beth the story many times over, yet she seemingly never tired of hearing it.
‘You cried and said you were coming too. That you didn’t see why I should leave you to look after this boy John and anyway, why couldn’t you look after both of us? And then on the day I left you were nowhere to be found. I searched high and low for you and it was only when we were about to set off in the cart for Nortonstall station that I heard a sneeze from the back. I turned around and lifted one of the empty flour sacks and there you were, hiding. You were all dusted over with the flour, which had got up your nose.’
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