by Dilly Court
The boardroom clock struck midday and Phineas rose from his seat at the head of the table. ‘It seems that we are largely in agreement on everything, apart from a few minor details, Mrs Manning.’
Esther stood up, shaking the creases from her voluminous skirts. ‘Your financial backing will allow me to reopen the office and employ a clerk. We will start off in a modest way, but I intend to rebuild the company.’
‘I admire your spirit, Mrs Manning.’ Phineas shot a sideways glance at Caroline. ‘I sincerely hope we can put the past behind us.’
Esther proffered her hand. ‘This is a business arrangement only, Mr Colville. I prefer to keep things formal and then there is no danger of misunderstandings, as happened before.’
He shook her hand. ‘My sentiments exactly.’
Caroline had risen unnoticed but she was not going to be ignored. ‘There is one more matter to discuss, Mr Colville. You poached two of my father’s employees, Mr Parkinson and Mr Masters.’
A faint smile lit his eyes. ‘I wouldn’t put it like that exactly.’
‘You can keep Parkinson,’ Caroline said shortly. ‘I caught him emptying the safe in my father’s office. However, I believe Mr Masters was a trusted clerk, and he would be an asset to our company.’
Esther turned to stare at her daughter, eyebrows raised. ‘You have been busy in my absence, Carrie.’
‘I only want what is best for us, Mama.’
‘I will arrange for Masters to be seconded to your office,’ Phineas said easily. ‘We’re working together now. Don’t forget that, Miss Manning.’
Esther made a move towards the door. ‘Thank you for your time, Mr Colville. I expect you to have the contract drawn up speedily as I’m eager to recommence trading as soon as the Esther Manning reaches port.’
He nodded and moved swiftly to open the door for her. ‘It will be sent to your office as soon as it’s ready, and the money will be paid into your bank on signature.’
Caroline held out her hand as she was about to walk past him. ‘Might I have a word in private?’
‘Of course.’ Phineas glanced at Esther. ‘If you have no objections, Mrs Manning?’
‘None at all. I’ll wait for you in the vestibule, Carrie.’ Esther left the room, her silk petticoats swishing as she moved.
‘What can I do for you?’ Phineas asked gravely. ‘Aren’t you satisfied with our agreement?’
‘It has nothing to do with that.’ Caroline met his curious gaze with a steady look. ‘I can’t continue to live under your roof, and the Captain’s House will be overcrowded when the new pupils take up residence.’
‘Yes, I see that. What are you suggesting?’
‘If you agree, my mother and I could rent the house in Great Hermitage Street. My uncle has always lived with us and he’ll be home soon. We need somewhere permanent to set up home.’
‘Maria will miss you.’
‘Maria has her mother now, and she is very taken with Captain Barnaby, as he is with her, or so I believe.’
A frown creased his brow. ‘I could wish a better match for my cousin, although Barnaby should have left port by now, and hopefully Maria will forget him and settle on someone more suitable than a mere seafarer.’
‘Maybe, she will,’ Caroline said doubtfully. ‘But the house, Mr Colville. What do you say?’
‘You may have it with pleasure. Anticipating your acceptance, I’ve had it cleaned from top to bottom, so it won’t take much to make it more liveable.’
‘We’ll take it, thank you.’
‘On one condition.’
‘And that is?’
‘Outside the boardroom I hope we can drop the formalities, as we agreed previously.’
Caroline hesitated. ‘I think I prefer to keep matters on a more formal level, for the time being at least. We’re business partners, and I think my mother would find it distasteful if you and I were to be too friendly.’ She opened the door, pausing on the threshold. ‘But thank you, anyway. I’ll go and give my mother the good news that we will have a roof over our heads.’ She turned on her heel and left the room without waiting for his response.
‘Why did you want to speak to him in private?’ Esther demanded as Caroline climbed into the cab and sat down beside her.
‘We have to be practical, Mama. I’ve arranged for us to rent a house in Great Hermitage Street. It belongs to the Colville Shipping Company and it’s not what you’re used to, but it’s close to the office and you’ll be near the boys, presuming you wish them to continue their schooling with Laurence.’
‘I grew up in the slums of Limehouse, Carrie. I doubt if it’s worse than the house where I was born and raised. As to the boys, they must continue their education and I have to be realistic – there is no money for school fees, although I will contribute to their board and keep as and when I am able.’
‘That should be fairly soon, Mama. When Uncle George returns we will begin all over again, and this time you’ll have me to help you.’
‘I just hope that the Esther Manning arrives soon, and I’ll have a few words to say to that brother of mine for failing to keep us notified as to their whereabouts.’
‘I’m sure there must be a good reason for the delay.’
‘You are a lot more charitable than I am.’ Esther leaned back against the squabs with a heavy sigh. ‘But I am not in a position to criticise my brother. I ran away, nursing my grief like a wounded animal, and I left you to shoulder the responsibilities that were mine.’
‘Don’t think about it, Mama.’
‘We must look to the future, Carrie. That’s what your father would have wanted.’
‘We’ll be all right, Mama,’ Caroline said firmly. ‘I’ll see you safely back to the Captain’s House and then I’ll go to Princes Square and break the news to Maria that I’m leaving. Poor girl, I’m afraid she’ll be very sad because her sea captain has sailed away.’
‘She’s probably better off without him,’ Esther said drily. ‘In my experience seafarers are an unreliable breed of men – the sea is in their veins and they never settle well to life ashore.’
Her mother’s words were still ringing in her ears when Caroline reached Princes Square.
Mrs Morecroft opened the door. ‘Oh, it’s you, miss. Come in, please. There’s been such a to-do this morning, I don’t know if I’m on my head or my heels.’
Caroline could hear Freddie’s unmistakable tones droning on in the front parlour and she opened the door to find Grace slumped on the sofa, weeping into a sodden hanky, while Freddie paced the floor.
‘Oh, it’s you, Carrie,’ he said, unconsciously repeated Mrs Morecroft’s greeting. ‘I thought it might have been that silly girl returned, having thought better of it.’
Caroline looked from one to the other, slowly taking off her bonnet and shawl. ‘What have I missed? Where is Maria?’
‘It’s history repeating itself,’ Grace sobbed. ‘Like mother, like daughter – that’s what they’ll all say.’
‘Pull yourself together, woman,’ Freddie said crossly. ‘It’s hardly your fault if the girl is infatuated with a bounder. What sort of fellow takes a young woman away from her loving mother to sail the seven seas without making an honest woman of her first?’
‘Don’t say things like that,’ Grace wailed, dabbing her eyes. ‘Maria has bad blood, which she inherited from me. I was a reckless little fool and I thought I was in love. I disgraced my family and spent twenty-one years of my life married to a brute, who punished me daily for my youthful mistake.’
‘Are you telling me that Maria has run away with Barnaby?’ Caroline gasped. ‘His ship sailed today. Phineas told me so this very morning.’
‘Don’t get too friendly with that man,’ Freddie said sternly. ‘Look at poor Grace, see how the Colvilles made her suffer all these years.’ He took a large silk hanky from his pocket and thrust it into Grace’s hand. ‘You can’t change what’s happened, my dear, but we can look to the future. You’re coming back to Star
cross Abbey with me – I have a portrait to finish.’
Grace threw the hanky back at him. ‘You’re just the same as all men. You make out you want to paint my picture and then next thing you know I’ll be warming your bed.’
‘How can you say such a thing?’ Freddie stared at her in horror.
‘I can because it’s true. You slept with your housekeeper and she bore you a son. You treat both of them like servants, and that’s how I’ll end up.’
‘That’s not how it will be. Jenifry is married to a seaman who sailed away years ago and has yet to return. I offered to do the right thing by her when she had Dickon, but she refused and believes her husband might yet return. I’m not a bad man.’ Freddie turned to Caroline, shaking his head. ‘You’ve known me since you were a child. Have I ever said or done anything to hurt anyone?’
‘No, Uncle Freddie, but Grace has a point. You can’t just take women into your home and treat them like chattels. Grace would be swapping one master for another, albeit a much nicer and kinder master,’ she added hastily. ‘What would people think of her?’
Freddie paled visibly. ‘I’ve lived so long in my own little world that I’ve never considered what others might think of me. I thought Jenifry was happy with the way things were.’
Grace rose shakily from the sofa. ‘Well, that’s all you know, you stupid man. And that son of hers is evil. You might be his father but it’s obvious that he hates you, and he hates me, too. If – and I say if – I were to come with you to the Abbey, young Dickon would do his best to get rid of me. He thinks he is going to inherit your estate when you die, and I wouldn’t put it past him to plot your sudden demise.’
Freddie sank down in an armchair by the fireplace. ‘That’s nonsense, Grace. You are a wonderful woman, and a beautiful one, too, but you are quite wrong. Jenifry is devoted to me, as was her mother before her, and Dickon is a dolt, but he’s harmless.’
‘Think that if you like, but you’re mistaken,’ Grace cried passionately. ‘I saw it all when I was there, and it was Dickon who betrayed me to my husband. Don’t forget that I’m still married to Elias Quick. If I return to Devonshire he’ll find out and come after me. I’d rather kill myself than go back to him.’
‘I wouldn’t allow that to happen.’ Freddie looked to Caroline as if for encouragement. ‘Tell her she’s wrong, Carrie. I need Grace – she’s my muse.’
‘I’m not sure what that is, Uncle. But I think she’s right, and all this isn’t helping Maria. Could we send a telegram to a port somewhere downriver? Perhaps the ship could be intercepted and Maria could be persuaded to return home?’
He shook his head. ‘I doubt if that’s possible, but I’ll speak to Colville. He should be informed anyway, because she’s his responsibility.’
‘Oh dear, this is all my fault,’ Caroline said sadly. ‘I knew she was infatuated with Captain Barnaby, but I didn’t realise that it had gone so far. How did it happen, Grace? You were with her.’
‘I am to blame.’ Fresh tears spurted from Grace’s eyes and she buried her face in her hands. ‘She said she wanted to purchase some ribbons for her bonnet, and I let her go out on her own.’
‘Are you sure she went with Barnaby?’ Caroline said urgently.
Grace pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Caroline. ‘This was delivered by a street urchin, who demanded a penny for his trouble.’
The note was brief and to the point.
Dearest Mama,
Please don’t worry. Theo and I plan to marry as soon as we reach our first port of call.
Your loving daughter,
Maria
‘That is all she said,’ Grace sobbed. ‘We’ve only just found each other and she’s left me for a man she barely knows.’
Freddie cleared his throat. ‘Sometimes it happens like that, Grace. In fact quite frequently in my case – but then,’ he added hastily, ‘I am not an impressionable young woman. That fellow should be horsewhipped.’
‘It was obvious that the attraction was mutual,’ Caroline said thoughtfully. ‘Maria knows nothing of life outside the walls of Pier House. It’s no wonder she’s seized a chance of happiness, even if it is against all odds.’
‘You encouraged her.’ Grace leaped to her feet. ‘This is your fault as much as mine.’
‘I admit my part and I’m sorry, but the baby you abandoned grew up in that unhappy house with an uncaring grandmother, so I’m not surprised that she fell in love with the first man who paid her any attention. I think all of you are to blame, including Phineas, who admitted that he devoted all his time to building the business. He knew how Maria was being treated and yet he did almost nothing to make her life easier.’
Freddie laid his hand on Grace’s shoulder. ‘The girl has gone. Face the fact, Grace, and come back to Starcross with me.’
She turned on him in a fury. ‘Don’t say things like that. I won’t leave her again.’
‘It seems to me that she’s left you this time, my dear.’ Freddie took the note from Caroline and studied it. ‘You’ll never catch up with them, Grace. You’d best get used to the idea that your daughter has made her choice.’
‘As if I haven’t suffered enough,’ Grace murmured, sinking back onto the sofa. ‘I might as well go back to Elias. There’s no point to anything now.’
Freddie sent a mute plea for help to Caroline and she sat down beside Grace.
‘I think you might consider returning to the Abbey,’ Caroline said gently. ‘There really isn’t much we can do now. Freddie’s right – Maria has chosen the life she wants.’
‘Phineas will have details of the next port of call. I’ll follow them and maybe I can prevent her from marrying this fellow and making a terrible mistake.’ Grace rose slowly to her feet. ‘Find me a cab, Freddie. I’m going to the office.’
‘All right, Grace, have it your own way, but I think it would be a grave mistake. Maybe your nephew can talk some sense into you.’ Freddie turned to Caroline. ‘Will you accompany us? You seem to be the only sensible person in this room, apart from myself, of course.’
Caroline nodded. ‘Yes, of course I will.’ She slipped her arm around Grace’s shoulders. ‘We’ll do everything we can, but Maria is a grown woman – she’s capable of making her own decisions.’
Freddie left the room, muttering beneath his breath.
Phineas listened to Grace’s outpourings, his rigidly controlled expression giving nothing away.
‘I need to follow them and persuade her to come home,’ Grace finished breathlessly. ‘You could arrange that, couldn’t you, Phineas?’
‘The Colville Star is en route to Australia, Aunt Grace. There’s no possibility of anyone making chase, and Barnaby is a good man. He’s sober and reliable and an excellent shipmaster.’
Caroline nodded in agreement. ‘I’m so sorry, Grace, but there really is nothing you can do. I think you have to trust Maria to know her own mind, hard though it seems.’
‘What will I do? Where will I go?’ Grace murmured dazedly. ‘I found my child, only to lose her again.’
‘You are welcome to stay with me for as long as you like,’ Phineas said calmly. ‘You might even try to make your peace with Grandmama. She’s mellowed over the years.’
‘I don’t believe that for a moment.’ Grace tossed her head. ‘My mother has a heart of granite, like Wolf Tor. She will never forgive me, and I will never forgive her. We are strangers and that’s how it will be for ever.’
‘My offer still stands,’ Freddie said solemnly. ‘Come back to Starcross Abbey and allow me to finish your portrait. If, after that, you wish to leave you may do so with my blessing, but I hope you might decide to stay on.’
Grace turned on him in a fury. ‘And what happens to your housekeeper and her bastard son? They’ll make my life unbearable and I’ll be regarded for ever as a kept woman. I’ve just escaped one man’s clutches; I won’t put myself in that position again.’
‘I agree with Grace,’ Phi
neas said angrily. ‘That’s a shoddy suggestion, Mr Dorincourt, and unworthy of you. Despite what ignorant people might say, my aunt is a respectable woman from a good family, and I won’t allow her to be subjected to humiliation at your hands.’
‘Hold on, old chap. I’ll marry Grace if she’ll divorce that blackguard she wed all those years ago. I’m perfectly serious.’
Caroline rose to her feet. ‘This is family business. I think I should leave now, Phineas. I’ve been away from the Captain’s House for too long anyway. My younger brother is just recovering from measles and I should be there to help look after him.’
‘You should have told me,’ Grace said humbly. ‘My problems are of my own making. I’m sorry to have involved you, Caroline.’
Freddie raised himself from his chair. ‘I’ll escort you home, Carrie. I need to speak to Esther, anyway.’ He turned to Grace. ‘I’ll leave you to think over my offer. I plan to return to Starcross in a day or two, so please let me know if you change your mind.’
Phineas was already at the door, holding it open. ‘I’ve sent Masters to open up your father’s premises, Caroline. He’ll carry out any instructions that you or your mother give him, but if you find that he’s unhelpful in any way just tell me, and I’ll deal with him.’
Caroline held her head high. ‘Thank you, but I’m sure that won’t be necessary.’ She treated him to a frosty smile.