by Dilly Court
‘You are my mother and I won’t go until you tell me why you didn’t fight to keep me.’
Caroline’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of Maria clinging to the woman who had given birth to her and then denied her existence.
‘You know nothing of my life.’ Grace pushed Maria away and rose unsteadily to her feet. ‘You have had everything that I couldn’t give you. You’re a young lady and you’re a Colville – be happy with that and leave me alone.’
Maria kneeled on the flagstone floor, covering her face with her hands. ‘I don’t understand why you’re being like this.’
‘You must come with us, Grace,’ Caroline said hastily. ‘You can’t stay here and be treated worse than that animal in the corner. We saw how brutal your husband can be.’
‘He treated me like a servant from the first day he brought me here. I’m not the same person I was twenty years ago.’
‘Even more reason for you to leave him, Mama.’ Maria sprang to her feet. ‘I won’t go without you. If you stay, I stay.’
‘No, you can’t do that. You can’t begin to imagine what he’s like. He’d enjoy taking you like a common slut, and he’d humiliate and hurt you until you lost all respect for yourself.’
Maria covered her ears with her hands. ‘I won’t listen to this. I can’t bear to hear you talk about such things.’
‘Take her away from here, miss.’ Grace fixed Caroline with a pleading look. ‘She has no idea what she would face if she remained, and I would suffer more because of her.’
‘Then you must come with us,’ Caroline said firmly. ‘I haven’t known Maria long, and yet I feel as if I’ve known her all my life. I know that she won’t give up. Please reconsider.’
‘Where would I go? My mother would die rather than allow me back into the family home, and I would either end up on the street or working my fingers to the bone as a skivvy.’
Maria uncovered her ears. ‘I heard what you said, Mama. I’ll look after you. We’ll manage somehow.’
A tender smile curved Grace’s lips. ‘I wish with all my being that things could have been different, but I would drag you down. Go with my blessing and live a good life. Forget you ever met me.’
‘I can be as stubborn as you, Mama,’ Maria said gravely. ‘I refuse to leave you. Take your choice, but we are not going to be parted again.’
‘She’s right,’ Caroline added. ‘Maria would never have a moment’s peace if she walked away from you now, and neither would I. That man you married is a brute and he should be locked up in prison for ill-treating you.’
‘I’ve been shut away from the world for so long that I’ve almost forgotten how to speak to people,’ Grace said desperately. ‘I would only hold you back and, even if I did agree to your mad plan, my husband would be sure to follow. We’re legally wed and I belong to him, whether I like it or not.’
‘I won’t listen to this.’ Maria rose to her feet, her small frame rigid with determination. ‘Go upstairs and pack anything you want to save. We’re leaving in ten minutes.’
Caroline could see that Grace was wavering. ‘You’ll need a mount.’
‘Quick took the horse and cart. I’d have to walk and that would slow you down.’
‘We’ll manage somehow,’ Caroline said firmly. ‘Come on, Grace. This might be your only chance of escaping from this dreadful existence.’
‘You’re very free with your orders.’ Grace stared at Caroline, her eyes narrowed. ‘Who are you, anyway? I don’t recall you introducing yourself to me.’
‘I’m Caroline Manning, a friend.’
‘Manning!’ Grace’s eyes widened. ‘The Colvilles’ rivals?’
‘That was true once,’ Caroline said sadly. ‘But it isn’t the case now.’
‘You can reminisce about old times later.’ Maria turned to her mother, clasping her hands and dragged her to her feet. ‘Where is your room, Mama? I’ll help you to pack.’
‘We have to get away from here before your husband returns,’ Caroline said urgently.
‘He’ll come after me and he’ll kill me, as he’s always threatened to do if I tried to escape.’
‘He’ll have us to deal with,’ Maria said stoutly. ‘Don’t lose heart now, Mama.’
Caroline watched Maria guide her mother towards the narrow staircase, and, despite the gravity of the situation, she had to smile. Not so long ago it had been Maria who was scared of her own shadow, and now she was the strong one, leading her mother from the pit of despair to a better life. But now was the time for action and Caroline let herself out into the farmyard with a vague hope of finding a cart of some kind to which they could harness one of the ponies. She tried the barn, but the door swung crazily on a single hinge, shrieking in a rusty protest. Alarmed, she took a step backwards and collided with a solid male body …
Chapter Ten
Caroline spun round, coming face to face with Aiken. ‘You fool,’ she said angrily. ‘You scared the life out of me.’
‘Sorry, miss.’ He bent down and patted the dog. ‘I was outside having a smoke when this fellow must have heard you and he shot off like a bullet from a gun. So I come round to see what was up and I saw you struggling with that there door. ’Tis a ramshackle old place, to be sure.’
‘Well, I’m fine, as you can see, or I will be when my heart stops pounding. I thought you were Farmer Quick, returned early from market.’
Aiken threw back his head and guffawed, a harsh sound that echoed off the buildings and caused the chickens that had been peacefully scratching and pecking for food to flutter off, cackling loudly. ‘You’d know it if it was old Quick. He’d have you off your feet and in the hay as soon as look at you.’
‘Do you mean he has a reputation for seducing women?’
Aiken grinned. ‘That’s one way of putting it, miss.’
‘He is a thoroughly despicable man, and we’re taking Mrs Quick with us, Aiken. I’m looking for some means of transporting her back to the village.’
Aiken’s face paled beneath his tan. ‘That’ll raise a storm, miss. The master won’t have her staying at the inn, and I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes if Quick comes looking for his missis.’
‘Then the sooner we get her away from here, the better.’
‘I don’t want to be part of this.’ Aiken backed away, shaking his head. ‘I wouldn’t want Farmer Quick to find out I helped her to escape. Down in the village us all knows what he’s like.’
Caroline thought for a moment. ‘How far is it to the village, Aiken?’
‘Two mile or so, miss.’
‘And you could walk that far easily.’
‘I could.’
‘Then we’ll take the ponies and you’ll be able to say in all honesty that you were tricked. You wouldn’t mind walking back to the inn, would you?’
‘If it means being saved from a beating I’d walk twice that distance.’
‘Very well, then we’ll ride back to the inn, pay our bill and be on our way. You don’t need to know any more.’ Caroline put her hand in her pocket and took out a silver half-crown. ‘I’d give you more if I had it, Aiken, but you have my heartfelt thanks.’
He pocketed the coin with a nod and a smile. ‘Best get moving, miss. The sooner you leave Wolf Tor the better. I’ll set off when you’ve gone.’ He glanced at the dog seated at his side. ‘He seems to have attached hisself to me, miss. I think I found a friend.’
‘Take him and give him a good home,’ Caroline said firmly. ‘I wouldn’t leave a sewer rat in Mr Quick’s care.’
Grace was silent during the ride to the village, but it soon became obvious that her presence would not go unnoticed. People stopped to stare and they nudged each other, no doubt eager to pass on the news that Mrs Quick was seen out riding with the two strangers who were staying at the inn. Caroline could guess what they were saying even though she could not hear the actual words – their shocked and excited expressions said it all.
She left Maria to pack their bags, keeping
an eye on Grace, who was still wavering and terrified that her husband would find her and drag her back to the farm. Caroline took her purse and went to find the landlord.
‘You’ll discover soon enough that we have Mrs Quick with us, Mr Brewer. That poor woman has been abused by her husband and we are taking her back to her family in London. If Mr Quick tries to follow I’ll set the police on him.’ She counted out the coins to settle their bill and laid them on the bar counter. ‘Aiken is an innocent bystander, so please don’t blame him. We borrowed his pony and left him to walk home. I’m sorry for that, and I hope you don’t punish him because it wasn’t his choice.’
Brewer puffed out his ruddy cheeks and exhaled loudly. ‘Well, I’ll be …’ He shook his head. ‘There’s a to-do, miss. I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes when Quick finds out his missis has gone.’
‘We’re leaving right away, but we need transport to get to the railway station.’ Caroline placed a golden guinea on the counter. ‘It would be in your best interests to have us far away before Farmer Quick returns from market, don’t you think?’
‘I couldn’t agree more, miss. I’ll drive you to the station myself.’
Grace sat in the corner of the railway carriage, pale and silent, with a dazed look like a sleepwalker awakened suddenly.
‘Where are we going?’ Maria asked in a whisper. ‘I can’t take my mother home to Pier House.’
‘No, and I can hardly burden Sadie with the three of us,’ Caroline said in a low voice. ‘The only place I know we’ll be safe is with Lady Bearwood at Daumerle.’
‘Where is Daumerle?’
‘It’s on the coast near Dawlish. It’s her ancestral home and summer retreat. She married the richest man in England and they have several properties, but I think Daumerle is still her favourite, and my mama is there with her.’
‘Esther Manning is staying at the place you mention?’ Grace spoke for the first time since they boarded the train.
‘I suppose you must know my mother,’ Caroline said, smiling. ‘Were you friends, despite company rivalry?’
‘We weren’t friends. I knew of her, but I never met her.’
‘I’m sure that Mama will be very sympathetic.’
Grace shook her head. ‘You don’t understand.’
‘Are you worried because the Mannings and the Colvilles were rivals?’
‘Something of that nature.’ Grace turned her head away and stared out of the window. ‘It wouldn’t do for me to ask Mrs Manning for help.’
Maria put her head on one side. ‘Are you afraid that Farmer Quick will follow you and cause trouble, Mama?’
‘Don’t call me that,’ Grace said angrily. ‘I might have given birth to you, but I abandoned you. We are strangers, Maria. The gap between us is too wide to bridge easily.’
‘That’s not true. I understand why you had to give me up. I would have been forced into an arranged marriage if I hadn’t run away, so I can see how it must have been for you.’ Maria reached out to grasp Grace’s hands. ‘Can’t we start at the beginning and get to know one another?’
Grace withdrew her hands as if Maria’s touch had burned her skin. ‘It’s too late for that. I don’t think I’m capable of loving another person. Elias beat that out of me, and all that’s left is a shell.’
‘I’m afraid we will have to visit Daumerle,’ Caroline said gently. ‘My mother is a very generous woman and she won’t hold the fact that you’re a Colville against you. The very opposite, I should think, especially when she hears how you’ve suffered for all these years.’
‘No. I’m sorry, but you’re wrong. I have my reasons, but I cannot and will not throw myself on her mercy.’
‘You make it sound so dramatic.’ Caroline sat back in her seat, eyeing Grace curiously. ‘Is there something you haven’t told us?’
‘Leave her alone, Caroline,’ Maria said urgently. ‘Can’t you see that she’s exhausted and doesn’t know what she’s saying? We’ll have to find somewhere else to go.’
‘We’re running out of money.’ Caroline’s fingers curled around her reticule. Her purse was considerably lighter after she had paid their fares as far as Dawlish, and there was not enough to take them much further, let alone to pay for food and lodgings. ‘We have to be practical.’
Grace sat bolt upright. ‘I knew I shouldn’t have come with you. I am just a burden and an embarrassment.’
‘Don’t say things like that, Mama.’ Maria’s cheeks flooded with colour and she bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry, what should I call you if you don’t want to be my mother?’
‘I have grown accustomed to being called Grace, so you might as well use that name, but I don’t intend to burden you with my presence for any longer than necessary. I’ll find work and make my own way in the world.’
‘You are a very ungrateful woman,’ Caroline said angrily. ‘Maria needs you and she loves you, although you haven’t given her any reason for doing so. Whether you care to acknowledge it or not, she’s your daughter.’
Grace raised her hand as if to fend off a blow and turned her head away. ‘I failed at love and I failed as a mother. Leave me alone.’
They lapsed into silence, broken only by the clickety-clack of the wheels rumbling over the tracks, and the occasional hoot of the steam whistle as they approached a junction. Grace had closed her eyes and Caroline could not decide whether she was feigning sleep or if she was dozing, but Maria was alert and fidgety and obviously upset.
‘What will we do, Caroline?’ she asked in a whisper. ‘It’s obvious we can’t take her to meet your mama. She’s in such a state I think she would run away before we got there.’
‘There’s only one other place that comes to mind, although I haven’t been there since I was a child. Starcross Abbey is only a few miles from Daumerle.’
‘An abbey? Do monks live there?’
‘Not for centuries,’ Caroline said, laughing. ‘My uncle Freddie lives there with a few servants to keep the place going. He’s an artist and quite well thought of.’
‘Is he very rich?’
‘I don’t think so, and he’s not really my uncle, it’s just that I’ve always called him that. He’s Lady Bearwood’s cousin, and I believe the estate belongs to his brother, who lives in Australia. Mama often mentions him; I think she was rather sweet on Lord Dorincourt at one time, but then she met my father.’
Maria’s eyes shone with excitement. ‘I can’t wait to see the Abbey. It sounds so romantic and mysterious.’
‘I don’t know about that, but there is a secret passage down to a cave where smugglers used to hide their contraband. It’s the stuff of penny novelettes, but it’s true.’
‘Will we get there soon?’
‘We’ll have to change trains at least once, maybe twice, I’m not sure, and we’ll have to find transport to take us to the Abbey, but we should get there before dark.’
The sun was low in the sky when the farm cart dropped them off outside the gates of Starcross Abbey. After a long wait at the station it had been sheer luck that Caroline spotted a farmer unloading boxes of vegetables onto a porter’s wagon. He had not been very forthcoming at the start, but the sight of a handful of coins had brought forth the better side of his nature and he had, somewhat grudgingly, agreed to take them to Starcross.
Caroline stood outside the closed gates, breathing in the pine-scented air, laced with the salty tang from the sea. The sound of waves rhythmically pounding the shore and the cries of seagulls flying overhead reminded her of holidays spent in Devonshire when she was growing up. She had always loved the gothic Abbey, and had a special soft spot for Uncle Freddie, although her father had always said that Freddie Dorincourt was a useless sort of fellow and spent far too much time splashing oil paint onto canvas. Her mother had always taken Freddie’s side, and Caroline had loved to sit quietly in his studio, watching him concentrate on his latest work.
‘Well, are you going to open the gate?’ Maria said, chuckling. ‘Or are we going to stand
here all night admiring the scenery?’
‘I’m not sure I should be here.’ Grace dumped the small carpet bag containing all her worldly goods on the ground at her feet. ‘Maybe I should have stayed in the town.’
‘It appears that the gatehouse is empty.’ Caroline chose to ignore Grace’s self-pitying remark, just as she had done during most of their journey. She sympathised with the poor woman, but at times Caroline’s patience was wearing thin and she had felt like shaking her and telling her how lucky she was to have a daughter like Maria.
‘Do you think that your uncle is away from home?’ Maria peered through the ornate ironwork scrolls.
‘There’s only one way to find out.’ Caroline slipped her hand through the bars, and found to her relief that the padlock was hanging loose and the gates opened easily. They walked the last hundred yards to the carriage sweep at the front of the ancient mansion. With a tower at each corner of the building, Starcross Abbey had obviously seen many changes during its hundreds of years of existence, but it still retained a timeless, peaceful atmosphere.
Maria dropped her bag and clasped her hands together, her eyes shining. ‘It’s so beautiful.’
‘This part is fairly new.’ Caroline pointed to the left side of the building. ‘Mama said the original wing was burned down in a fire caused by a disgruntled servant, who died from the burns he received.’ She hammered on the door. ‘Let’s hope Uncle Freddie is at home. I’m not sure that the housekeeper will remember me.’
They did not have long to wait. Hurried footsteps pitter-pattered across the stone floor and the door was opened by a plump, middle-aged woman dressed in black bombazine.
‘Is that you, Jenifry?’ Caroline asked tentatively. ‘It is, isn’t it? I’d know that smile anywhere.’
‘Miss Caroline. This is a surprise. Come in, please.’
Jenifry Grimes had been employed at Starcross for as long as Caroline could remember.