by Dilly Court
‘Good gracious, Carrie. Why are you lugging that heavy bag, and who is this?’ He added, staring at Maria with undisguised admiration.
‘Maria, may I introduce my ill-mannered brother, Max,’ Caroline said, chuckling. ‘Max, this is Maria. She’s coming to stay with us for a day or so.’
Max seized Maria’s valise in one hand and took the portmanteau in the other. ‘Delighted to meet you, Miss Maria. Have you got another name?’
‘It’s Colville,’ Maria said shyly. ‘It’s not a popular name with your family.’
Max dropped the luggage on the ground. ‘I should say not. Why have you brought the enemy home with you, Carrie?’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Caroline said tiredly. ‘Maria is a friend. She can’t help being related to the Colvilles and they’ve treated her abominably, so be nice to her.’
Max retrieved the cases with a dissatisfied grunt. ‘I don’t know what the others will say.’
‘They’ll be on Maria’s side when I tell them everything. Can you hurry a bit, Max? We’re exhausted.’
Sadie and Laurence were seated round the kitchen table, drinking tea, while James stood at the sink with his shirtsleeves rolled up, washing the supper dishes.
Sadie put her cup down with a clatter. ‘Caroline, I didn’t expect to see you this evening.’
Max followed her into the room flexing his hands. ‘That woman must have packed bricks in her luggage.’
Caroline crossed the floor to give Sadie a hug. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything, but first I want you to meet Maria. I’ve said she could stay with us for a while, until she finds work.’
Laurence rose to his feet. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maria.’
‘You might not say that when you know who she is,’ Max said, grinning. ‘Is there any more tea in the pot, Sadie?’
James threw down the dishcloth and wiped his hands on the seat of his trousers. ‘How do you do, Maria? Do you have another name?’
‘It’s Colville.’ Caroline pulled up a chair and motioned Maria to sit down. ‘She’s suffered terribly at the hands of her family, and that’s why she’s here now.’
Maria hesitated, gazing at Sadie as if seeking reassurance. ‘I won’t be any trouble, miss.’
‘Sit down, my dear. You look exhausted.’ Sadie turned to James. ‘Pass me two teacups, please, Jimmy. We mustn’t forget our manners – Miss Colville is a guest in our home.’
‘Quite right.’ Laurence gave Maria an encouraging smile. ‘This is a family matter, so, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you to discuss things amongst yourselves. Besides which, I have letters to write.’
‘Don’t leave on our account,’ Caroline said hastily.
‘I’ve had two replies to my advertisement in The Times, both of which sound quite promising. We need paying students if we’re to make a go of things.’ Laurence left the room without giving anyone the chance to argue, and Max threw himself down on the empty seat.
‘I am the man of the house, as far as the Manning family are concerned.’
Caroline sat down next to him. ‘This is Sadie’s house, Max. She has the final say.’
‘Of course Maria must stay with us,’ Sadie said firmly. ‘There’s nothing to discuss as far as I’m concerned.’ She took the teacups from James and filled them from the Brown Betty teapot. ‘Here you are, Maria. Drink this and you’ll feel better.’
‘Why are you here?’ James eyed Maria curiously. ‘You don’t look like a poor person.’
‘Maybe not,’ Maria said seriously, ‘but I haven’t got a penny to my name.’
James sat down beside her. ‘Does that mean you’ll help with the washing up?’
‘Leave her alone, Jimmy,’ Caroline said, laughing. ‘Isn’t it time you were in bed?’
Sadie nodded. ‘Yes, it is. Upstairs, both of you. You have lessons in the morning and Laurence won’t be pleased if you’re too tired to concentrate.’
‘It was easier at Rugby,’ Max muttered as he shooed his brother towards the door. ‘Good night Carrie. I’m glad you’re home.’
‘Good night, Miss Maria.’ James came to a halt, turning to Maria with a wide smile. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
Caroline blew them a kiss. ‘I’ll come up and tuck you in.’
‘Oh, Carrie, we’re not babies,’ Max said, sighing. ‘Good night.’
‘I haven’t finished washing up.’ James eyed the sink hopefully as if it were his last chance to stay up a bit longer.
‘Go to bed. I’ll do it tonight.’ Caroline waited until the door closed on them before turning to Sadie. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind if we stay for a while? This is your house.’
‘And your father gave it to me. If it hadn’t been for his generosity I would be homeless, Carrie. This house is as much yours as it is mine.’ Sadie reached across the table to pat Maria’s hand. ‘And you are more than welcome, Miss Colville. If Carrie wants you to stay then it’s all right by me.’
‘Thank you.’ Maria sniffed and fumbled in her reticule for a handkerchief. ‘I’m sorry, I’m just tired and overwrought. It’s been a trying day.’
‘I expect you’re ready for bed, but I’m afraid you’ll have to share a room tonight. Why don’t you take Maria upstairs, Carrie? Your old room is ready for you.’ Sadie stood up and moved to the sink. ‘I’ll soon get this done.’
‘Come with me, Maria,’ Caroline said, rising to her feet. ‘Max will have taken our bags upstairs.’
The attic room, where Caroline had slept as a child, was large enough for two brass bedsteads and a washstand from the servants’ quarters in Finsbury Circus that the bailiffs had overlooked. Sadie had obviously been very busy and everything was spotless; the smell of carbolic soap mingled with the scent of lavender, beeswax polish and clean linen.
‘It’s not what you’re used to,’ Caroline said warily. ‘You still have time to change your mind and return home, Maria. No one will notice you’re missing until breakfast time tomorrow.’
Maria slumped down on the nearest bed. ‘This is heaven. Everyone is being so kind to me, even though I’m a Colville. I don’t deserve such special treatment, Caroline.’
‘That’s silly, of course you do. Anyway, you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep. That’s what Sadie always tells me, and it seems to work.’
Maria managed a tired smile. ‘I hope she’s right, but at the moment I feel a bit lost.’
‘Don’t worry. Tomorrow we’ll make plans for the future, and perhaps we can find time to visit Bow and look for Nanny Robbins. I think you need to find your mama, and I’ll do anything I can to help you.’
Maria’s eyes brightened. ‘Really? Would you do that for me, a complete stranger?’
‘Not so much a stranger now,’ Caroline said, chuckling. ‘The only thing that will hold us up is lack of funds.’
Maria bent down to open her valise and pulled out a shagreen-covered box, which she opened and held out for inspection.
‘Oh, my goodness.’ Caroline took it from her, gazing down at the diamond solitaire ring. ‘That is beautiful. Is it yours?’
‘It belonged to my great-grandmother. Phin gave it to me on my birthday. He said it was meant for my mother, but Grandmama had kept it from her. He thought that was unfair and I should have it. He’s not such a bad person, Caroline.’
‘It does sound as though he has a conscience,’ Caroline said reluctantly. ‘You could get a fortune for this if you sold it, or you could pawn it with the hope of being able to redeem it when you find your mother.’
‘Pawn? What does that mean?’
‘You have led a sheltered life. I can see that you have a lot to learn.’ Caroline snapped the box shut and gave it back to Maria. ‘Get ready for bed. I’m going downstairs to help Sadie finish washing the pots and pans that Jimmy left, and then I’ll be up. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow.’
Their first stop next day was a visit to the pawnbroker. Maria was delighted with the amount she
received, but Caroline knew that it was only a fraction of what the ring was worth. However, it was a considerable sum and Maria insisted on taking a cab to Bow station.
‘I remember the station,’ she said eagerly as the cab made its way through the narrow streets crowded with costermongers’ stalls and horse-drawn vehicles, with pedestrians risking life and limb as they ploughed their way from one side of the road to the other. ‘The street where Nanny Robbins lives is quite near there, and I can remember her little house. It had roses growing round the front door and a tiny garden at the front and a larger one at the back.’
‘But you don’t remember the name of the road?’
Maria closed her eyes, screwing up her face as if making a huge effort to recall a fact that had been long forgotten. ‘It began with a D, or was it a C? I think it was a C.’
‘Perhaps you’ll remember when you see the street.’
‘Yes, I hope so, Caroline. I really want to see Nanny Robbins again.’
The cab pulled up outside Bow railway station. Caroline alighted first, and, having paid the cabby, she waited for Maria to get her bearings.
‘This direction, I think. I know it wasn’t very far from here because we walked it in less than five minutes, or so it seemed.’ She started off, heading west along Bow Road. ‘This is definitely the right way,’ she cried triumphantly, ‘and I think this is the street.’ She stopped at the kerb on the edge of Coborn Road. ‘I’m certain of it, Caroline.’
‘Then let’s see if we can find the house.’ Caroline linked her hand through Maria’s arm and they set off along a road lined with two-storey terraced cottages, all of which looked identical to Caroline. But Maria was like a hound scenting a trail. They were almost at the end of the street when she stopped outside one of the dwellings. ‘Pink roses,’ she said excitedly. ‘I remember them because Nanny Robbins picked some for me and I took them home. They smelled so sweet and whenever I smell a similar rose it reminds me of her.’ She opened the gate and hurried up the path to rap on the door.
Caroline waited, hoping that it was the correct address and that Nanny Robbins had not moved away, but the door opened and a loud shriek from Maria was followed by hugs and tears as she embraced her former nanny.
‘Come inside, my dear girl.’ Nanny Robbins ushered Maria into the house. ‘You are welcome, too,’ she said, beckoning to Caroline. ‘Any friend of Maria’s must find favour with me. Do come in and close the door – the smell from the gasworks is rather pungent today. It’s always worse in the summer months.’
Minutes later Caroline and Maria were seated in the small front parlour with Nanny Robbins.
‘I’ll make a pot of tea, but first I want to hear all your news, Maria, my love.’ Nanny Robbins put her head on one side, eyeing her with a worried frown. ‘You’re very thin and pale, Maria. Are you eating properly?’
Maria nodded and smiled. ‘I am quite well, Nanny. But I’ve left home and I want to find my mother. I think you might be able to help me.’
‘Left home?’ Nanny Robbins tossed her head and a lock of snow-white hair escaped from her mobcap, falling over her lined forehead only to be ruthlessly pushed back into place. ‘If you can call it a home. That woman, your grandmother, has a lot to answer for. I didn’t want to leave you to her tender mercies, but I had no choice in the matter.’
‘It broke my heart when you left. I cried for days, but I knew you weren’t coming back. My life was so dreary until Caroline appeared, and then everything changed.’
Nanny Robbins turned to Caroline. ‘And who are you, my dear?’
‘My name is Caroline Manning …’
‘The Manning and Chapman Shipping Company? I might have guessed.’
‘I don’t understand,’ Caroline said impatiently. ‘There must be hundreds of Mannings in London alone.’
‘Of course, but I remember your papa when he was a young man. He was very good-looking and most charming. I can see a definite resemblance.’
‘He died,’ Caroline said with a break in her voice. ‘He lost a lot of money and the Colvilles put pressure on him to repay a loan. I think that hastened his end.’
Nanny Robbins fixed Caroline with a penetrating stare. ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but might I ask how you came to be involved with the family you say treated your father so harshly?’
‘My mother was broken-hearted when Papa died and she went to stay with a friend in the country. Then the bailiffs came in and took virtually everything we owned and I had to find work. I answered an advertisement for a paid companion, and that’s how I met Maria. I saw how she was being treated by her grandmother and her cousin and I was appalled.’
Nanny Robbins raised herself from her chair. ‘I’ll go and make some tea,’ she said abruptly. ‘This is all very upsetting.’
Maria jumped up. ‘Let me help you, Nanny.’
‘No, dear. Sit down and entertain your friend. The kettle was almost on the boil when you knocked on the door, so I’ll only be a few moments, and I need to think about what you’ve told me.’ She hurried from the room, leaving the door ajar.
‘I think she knows something,’ Maria said in a whisper. ‘I know when Nanny is being secretive, although I can’t think what she could be hiding from me.’
‘I’m sure we’ll soon find out.’
‘She won’t allow me to help her.’ Maria grasped Caroline’s hands and dragged her to her feet. ‘Please, go and talk to her. She’ll confide in you.’
Caroline could see that Maria was in earnest and she did not argue. She found Nanny Robbins in the small kitchen overlooking a sunlit garden. ‘Maria thinks you might need a hand.’
‘More likely she’s sent you to pick my brain.’ Nanny poured boiling water into the teapot and returned the kettle to the range.
‘Do you know where her mother is? She is determined to find her.’
‘It’s twenty years since Grace was married off to a man she had only just met. Finding her might prove a disappointment.’
‘Why would you say that? What is it you aren’t telling us?’
Nanny opened a cupboard and took a milk jug off a marble slab. ‘Everything goes off so quickly in this weather,’ she said, sniffing its contents. ‘But this is all right.’
‘Is there something about Maria’s mother that you don’t wish her to know?’
Nanny Robbins concentrated on pouring the tea. ‘What makes you think that?’
‘Because you’re evading the question. I think, whatever it is, Maria ought to know. She’s not a child.’
Nanny put the teapot down on the table. ‘Maria was told that her mother married a rich man, but that wasn’t the whole truth.’
‘Who did she marry?’
‘The late Mr Colville, Maria’s grandfather, had a property in the country. He arranged the match and days after Maria was born her mother was sent down to Devonshire to be married to a farmer.’
‘Did you go with her?’
‘I wanted to, of course, but I wasn’t permitted to do so. Grace left with her father one cold November morning, and I never saw her again.’
‘So you think he took her to Devonshire? That’s where my mother is staying at present.’
‘I’ve never been further than Brighton, myself.’ Nanny placed the cups and saucers on a tray together with a bowl of sugar. ‘Would you like to carry this for me, dear? My hands are a bit rheumaticky these days.’
Disappointed, but not wanting to press Nanny Robbins any further, Caroline took the tray into the front parlour and placed it on a highly polished walnut table.
‘I’m afraid I can’t offer you any cake or biscuits,’ Nanny said apologetically.
Maria greeted her with a tremulous smile. ‘I’m not hungry, thank you, Nanny. A cup of tea will do nicely, and then perhaps you can tell me all you know about my mother. I’m determined to find her.’
Nanny Robbins sank down on her chair. ‘Are you sure about that, dear? Maybe you should leave well alone.’
‘Why would
that be, Nanny? She’s my flesh and blood and I want to meet her.’
‘I think you ought to tell Maria what you know, Miss Robbins,’ Caroline said firmly. ‘She can make up her own mind what she does with the information.’
‘What do you know, Maria?’ Nanny Robbins took a sip of her tea, but her hand shook as she replaced the cup on its saucer.
‘Grandmama won’t speak her name, but Phin told me that Mama had married a wealthy landowner and she lives in a big country house somewhere in the North.’
Nanny Robbins shook her head. ‘That’s not what I heard, dear. Your grandfather owned an estate on the edge of Dartmoor, which he sold almost immediately after he took Grace to Devonshire to marry one of his tenants.’
‘She married a farmer?’ Maria said, frowning.
‘I think so.’ Nanny Robbins placed her cup and saucer on the tray. ‘I don’t know any more than that.’
Caroline suspected that Nanny knew more than she was saying. ‘Did he have a name?’
‘It was Elias or Elisha, I can’t remember which, and his surname was Quick.’
‘Elias Quick.’ Maria shuddered. ‘I don’t like the sound of him.’
‘It’s just a name,’ Caroline said hastily. ‘He might be kind and charming.’
‘Whereabouts in Devon?’ Maria demanded.
‘I don’t know exactly.’ Nanny Robbins’ face crinkled with concern. ‘You could go to Wolf Tor Hall – that’s the house your grandfather used to own – and make enquiries, but you might be heading for a terrible disappointment, Maria.’
‘I don’t understand. What aren’t you telling me, Nanny?’
Nanny Robbins turned to Caroline. ‘Sometimes the truth hurts and it’s better to remain in ignorance. If you want my advice – draw a line under the past and move on.’
Chapter Nine
The owner of Wolf Tor Hall was less than friendly and treated them with suspicion, as did many of the people in the surrounding cottages, but the landlord at the village inn was more helpful and told them how to get to Wolf Tor Farm. He provided them with sturdy ponies and Aiken, the young potboy, was assigned to them as their guide.