by Val Wood
Beatrice had long and ardent conversations with her mother, drew up plans and wrote to Marco thanking him for his hospitality and advising him of some of her proposals for Daniel’s forthcoming twenty-first birthday in December.
‘I don’t for one moment think that Daniel has even considered the event to be of any significance,’ she wrote. ‘But I do not wish it to pass unnoticed.’ She asked him to be discreet and not to mention anything of her ideas to Daniel.
She wrote too to Signor Rosso in Rome, who, although distant, was also a relative of Daniel’s and, she felt, should be informed of the special occasion about to be celebrated in this noble family.
By mid-November life was almost back to how it had been before they had gone abroad, with one or two exceptions. Stephen had secured a place as a first-year student at the Royal Agricultural College in Gloucestershire and had begun that term. George had gone back to school and informed his parents that he wished to study science and law, not farming.
‘Which means,’ Christopher said gloomily, ‘we have only one son prepared to take the reins.’
‘Which Stephen will do admirably,’ Melissa said, ‘especially if you get a good bailiff, and Fletcher has promised he will find someone suitable, has he not?’
Christopher agreed that he had and admitted that he didn’t know how he would have managed without Fletcher and would be sorry when he returned to his own farm duties. Fletcher in turn had realized whilst Daniel was away that he wouldn’t have been able to help out at the manor if it hadn’t been for Tom and Lenny taking on extra work, so when Tom had suggested they employ another lad, the son of one of their former school friends, he had agreed at once.
‘You remember Bob Taylor, don’t you?’ Tom said. ‘He was hopeless at reading and writing but could mek anything grow. He married Betsy, a lass from Brough, and took on a tenancy over at Ellerker; he died a few years back, and Betsy brought up both their lads on her own. ’Eldest, Adam, teks after his da for having green fingers.’
Fletcher remembered Bob Taylor, but there was something in Tom’s voice that made him take notice. ‘Hey!’ he said. ‘A widow woman?’
‘Aye,’ Tom said sheepishly. ‘I’ve met up wi’ her once or twice; she meks an apple pie nearly as good as your Harriet’s.’
Now that Daniel was back and resuming his work with the horse team life was a little easier, although they had decided to keep Adam on for the foreseeable future; neither Fletcher nor Tom wanted him to go off to the November Hirings, which were coming up in a few weeks’ time. He was a good all-rounder, handy with the nuts and bolts of machinery, and was teaching Joseph, who had also found an aptitude for all things mechanical.
Daniel, however, had seemed rather morose of late and Harriet put it down to the fact that he was missing the company of Charles and Beatrice.
‘He’ll have to get used to being without them,’ Fletcher said as he undressed, washed and slipped into bed beside her. ‘Charles will be off abroad soon. He’s starting at some university or other in Italy in January.’
‘It’s Beatrice that Daniel is missing,’ she murmured, then, ‘What have you been doing up at ’manor? I can smell brick dust in your hair!’
‘Mrs Hart – Melissa, I mean – I can’t get used to using her first name,’ he grumbled. ‘Her and Beatrice have got a building project on ’go, building on an extension to ’stable block. Beatrice is getting another hoss, seemingly.’ He yawned. ‘I just gave them ’benefit of my advice and suggested what they should do. I built this house, after all.’
‘So you did.’ She snuggled up to him. ‘I’ve been wondering if we should extend out at ’back. All our bairns are growing up; suppose Lenny meets somebody and gets married. He wouldn’t leave his precious pigs so he’d want to bring his wife here, and young people need their own place.’
‘Heavens,’ he said. ‘He’s onny fifteen! You women, thinking so far ahead! And what about Daniel? Won’t he want a place of his own as well? We’re likely to have a house as big as Hart Holme if we provide for them all!’
Harriet sighed. ‘No, not Daniel,’ she said. ‘And not Maria either. I believe their hearts are already broken.’
‘Mm,’ he said sleepily, ‘I don’t know owt about that, but I expect they’ll mend.’
‘Beatrice,’ her mother said. ‘It’s time you spoke to your father.’
‘I’m nervous,’ Beatrice said. ‘What if he refuses?’
‘He won’t,’ Melissa smiled. ‘But if he should, then you’d have to wait.’
‘I don’t want to upset him. He’s such a dear.’
‘Nevertheless,’ her mother insisted. ‘Time is of the essence.’
‘That’s true,’ Beatrice began, but broke off as the door opened and her father came in for his morning coffee.
‘What’s going on down at the stables?’ Christopher asked. ‘There’s a great pile of brick and stone and one of the men said they were working on Mrs Hart’s orders.’
‘Ah, yes,’ Melissa said, and looked at Beatrice.
‘It was me actually, Papa,’ Beatrice said. ‘I was going to ask you but the delivery came sooner than I expected.’
‘Delivery? What delivery?’
‘Of bricks,’ she said. ‘It’s – it’s temporary, but it will prove useful afterwards, I’m quite sure.’ She laughed nervously. ‘It’s extra storage space.’
‘It looks like an extension to the stable block to me. What are you up to, Beatrice, and you too Melissa?’ he said, in mock severity.
‘Do come and sit down, Papa,’ Beatrice pleaded. ‘I need to talk to you.’
He sat down and folded his arms, and Melissa thought how much he seemed like his old self again, his self-assurance restored.
‘When I was away in Italy, Papa, I resolved that when I returned home I would tell you of a secret I’ve been keeping for a long time; years, in fact,’ Beatrice started.
Christopher smiled. When Beatrice was a child she often whispered secrets into his ear, cupping her hand so that her mother or her brothers didn’t hear, but then telling them afterwards. ‘Did you, darling?’ he said, so pleased and proud that he was still her confidant. ‘And are you going to tell me now?’
‘Yes.’ She bent her head as she felt tears welling. ‘I’m in love, Papa. Well, no, not in love, but love somebody with my whole heart.’
Startled, Christopher looked at Melissa, who gave a grave and silent nod.
‘Do I know this somebody? Is he worthy of my daughter?’
‘Yes, Papa, he is. He’s of noble birth from an ancient line, much older than ours.’ She took a breath. ‘But you might think that he’s poor in comparison to us because he doesn’t own land and he isn’t rich, but I want to marry him and if you forbid it, then I shan’t ever marry anyone!’
Her father’s lips twitched and he raised his eyebrows. Here was the Beatrice of old, dramatic and determined. ‘So does that mean that if I don’t approve, then I should turn you out of my house and never see you again?’
Melissa hid a smile. Beatrice often sparred with Christopher when she wanted something, never realizing that her father would always indulge her.
‘Oh, Papa. You’d never do that, would you?’
Her father appeared to consider. ‘Mm! So you would be marrying this poor but noble man for love?’ he murmured. ‘Just as I did with your mama. And has he asked for you without coming to me first?’ He frowned.
‘I think that what Beatrice is trying to tell you,’ Melissa interjected, ‘is that Daniel won’t ask you for her hand in marriage because he doesn’t think he’s good enough for her, notwithstanding his newly discovered pedigree.’
‘Yes.’ Beatrice’s voice broke. ‘That is what I’m saying – Mama! I never mentioned Daniel! How—’
‘My dear Beatrice.’ Melissa glanced at her husband, who seemed rather perplexed. ‘It has been perfectly obvious, to me at least, for a long time, and your father and I were young once; we do know the signs.’
‘Oh, you
’re both so wonderful,’ Beatrice proclaimed. ‘But how are we going to convince Daniel?’
‘Am I missing something?’ Her father gazed at her in astonishment. ‘Do you mean to say we’re talking about Daniel Tuke? Fletcher Tuke’s son?’
‘Stepson, Papa,’ Beatrice said. ‘Not a blood relation. Daniel Tuke Orsini.’
Christopher put his hand to his forehead. ‘Forgive me. Of course.’ His face cleared. ‘I first met Daniel when he was only an infant, a babe in arms. Do you remember that fateful day, Melissa, just before that dreadful Christmas when his father drowned in the estuary?’
‘I do,’ she said softly. ‘We have all had much happier days since then.’
‘We have,’ Christopher agreed, and with a subtle shift of mood said, ‘So what indeed do we do to convince the noble Daniel that my daughter must have him for her own?’
Beatrice smiled. ‘I have a plan, Papa.’
There were letters from Leo to Harriet telling her that he and Calypso were hoping to come to England very soon. ‘The grape and olive harvest is over and the fruits of our labour have gone off for processing,’ he wrote, ‘and I can now begin to make arrangements for someone to stay with Marco and make plans for our journey. I hope it will be convenient for us to come. I’m ready for the cold weather and have bought Calypso warm clothing.’
Harriet broke off from reading the letter. ‘They’re coming!’ she said excitedly. ‘He doesn’t say when, just that they’re definitely coming.’
Daniel grinned. That’s what Leo had written to him too, except that he had given him a date. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I suppose you’ll want to scrub ’house from top to bottom?’
Harriet nodded. ‘I’ll get Maria to help me.’ She put her hand to her chin. ‘I wonder if I should bring Dolly home.’
They did indeed clean the house from the bedrooms down to the ground floor. Rugs were beaten, floorboards polished, curtains that had been washed in the summer taken down, shaken well and put back up again. Windows and mirrors were washed and polished and the house smelled of beeswax as chairs and tables were burnished.
‘I wonder if they’ll come for your birthday, Daniel?’ his mother said. ‘That would be really nice, wouldn’t it, as it’s a special one. Twenty-one!’ She came over and gave him a hug. ‘I can’t believe that it’s nearly twenty-one years since you were born.’
Her eyes grew misty and her throat tightened as she recalled her joy at his birth and the trauma of Noah’s death shortly afterwards.
‘I didn’t tell them about my birthday, Ma. I never thought to. But, well, it’s special to you and me, but not—’
‘And us,’ Maria interrupted.
‘And me!’ Fletcher came through the door. ‘What? What’s special?’
Daniel laughed. ‘Nowt much, Da. Just somebody’s birthday!’
‘Oh, yeh?’ Fletcher said blithely. ‘Who’s having a birthday?’
Daniel shook his head. ‘Nobody I know. Oh, of course,’ he added hastily, ‘Charles and Beatrice will be twenty very soon.’ To cover his disappointment that he hadn’t seen either of them for several weeks, he said, ‘Look at you, Da. What’ve you been doing? You’re covered in brick dust.’
‘Yeh, I’m going to have a swill under ’pump, but ’job at ’manor is finished, thank goodness; it’s bigger than I expected it to be, but I can now go back to being a farmer rather than a builder, because ’new bailiff has started. A bit later than expected, but he’s arrived and he seems promising!’
Daniel took Maria and Lenny into his confidence and told them when Leo and Calypso were expected. ‘You’ll have to shuffle ’bedrooms round, I expect, won’t you?’ he asked Maria.
‘That’s already organized,’ she said. ‘Me and Dolly are going to share and Calypso can have my room, and Uncle Leo can have ’spare bedroom. We’ve lit fires in there already and all ’bedding is aired.’
‘I’ll need you to come to ’station with me in ’trap, Lenny,’ Daniel said. ‘Or mebbe we should tek ’waggon for their luggage.’
They discussed various aspects of getting the family to the house without their mother knowing, and apart from Harriet baking a cake and other provisions Daniel’s birthday seemed to be rather overlooked, which was fine, he thought, for it was only a number and nothing special to celebrate; he’d had the best year he could ever expect to have and would never in his life forget, with Beatrice and Charles as his constant companions as they travelled across Europe, and meeting his grandfather for the first time.
On the twins’ birthday, Daniel went to the manor with small gifts and cards from everyone; the young maid who answered the door took them, saying that everyone was out and she would leave them on the hall table for when they returned.
He was extremely disappointed, and supposed that they had gone off on a family outing, but as he was driving the trap back down the drive Beatrice rushed round from the back of the house and called to him to stop.
‘Oh, Daniel, I’m so pleased to see you,’ she said breathlessly, and he felt somewhat mollified. ‘I wanted to tell you that Charles and I are not celebrating our birthday today, because it’s only a twentieth, isn’t it, and nothing has been arranged …’ Her words tailed away at his expression. ‘Oh, Daniel, you look sad. What is it?’
‘No. No, not sad at all,’ he blustered. ‘As a matter of fact I’m really quite happy. Can you keep a secret, from my mother, I mean?’
She nodded and glanced away. ‘Of course.’
‘It’s just that Leo and Calypso are coming to stay. They’ll be here in just a few days.’
‘Really?’ she said. ‘How wonderful! I’m so thrilled for you.’
But as he drove away, he thought she seemed rather preoccupied. Knowing her so well, he wondered what exactly she had on her mind – and why, he wondered, was she coming from the back of the house?
On the day the visitors were due, snow began to fall and Daniel whispered to Dolly to build up all the fires; she had arrived unexpectedly, cheerfully claiming that she had felt unwell and Mrs Topham had said she must come home immediately.
At midday they ate a meal of thick soup and fresh bread and then Maria insisted on cooking a ham and chicken pie and told her mother that she might as well make two seeing as there were two chickens in the larder and the oven was hot; and as the apples in the store room needed using up she would make an apple crumble as well. ‘We can eat one pie tonight and save ’other one for tomorrow,’ she said.
‘There’s enough here for an army,’ Harriet objected, and Fletcher, who was also in on the secret, said that he thought there were enough of them to make their own army anyway and that he for one was ravenous.
Tom popped his head round the door. ‘Shall I go and fetch Rosie?’ he said. ‘Snow’s coming down fast. Better today than tomorrow.’
‘Yes, all right,’ Harriet agreed. ‘Seeing as we’re going to have plenty of food. Maria’s preparing for a siege by ’look of it.’
‘Aye.’ Tom winked at Maria. ‘Best to be prepared. Winter’s setting in.’
Just after three o’clock, before the sky darkened, Daniel came in and slipped upstairs to his room. When he came down he’d brushed his hair and changed into a warm coat, not his working one. ‘Just popping out, Ma,’ he said. ‘Won’t be long.’
Harriet stood with her arms akimbo. ‘What’s going on?’ she said suspiciously, for as Daniel disappeared in one direction, Lenny dashed in, in the other and ran upstairs, he too reappearing in another coat and cap before going out in Daniel’s wake.
‘Don’t know,’ Maria said vaguely. ‘Why don’t you put your feet up, Ma, and I’ll mek you a cup of tea.’ She glanced at her mother. ‘You look nice,’ she said. ‘But your hair needs brushing.’
‘Let me do it.’ Dolly hurried to the drawer where her mother kept her hairbrush.
‘Now I know something’s going on,’ Harriet said, as she allowed herself to be gently pushed into a chair, while her hair was unpinned and brushed and then neatly coiled aga
in. Her apron was taken off and a cup of tea put into her hand. She drank it steadily, and as she handed it back looked questioningly at her daughters.
‘It’s a surprise,’ Maria said, smiling. ‘You’ll like it,’ Dolly added.
Shortly afterwards, Tom arrived back with Rosie, who said she hadn’t expected to come today, and then Joseph and Elizabeth came home from school.
Joseph gave an appreciative sniff. ‘Summat smells good, Ma. Is it ready?’
‘I don’t know, Joseph, it’s not my kitchen any more,’ his mother said. ‘It’s been tekken over. Where’s your da?’ she asked anyone who might have been listening. ‘Has he gone off somewhere as well?’
‘He’s outside in ’yard,’ Elizabeth told her. ‘He’s talking to Daniel and those people in our trap.’
‘What people?’ Harriet half rose from her chair and gazed at Maria and Dolly, who were both beaming, and then suddenly the room was full as Fletcher ushered in a man with dark greying hair and dressed in a warm overcoat, who seemed to be struck by a strong emotion as he looked at Harriet; a beautiful dark-eyed young woman dressed in furs, escorted by Lenny who had a great grin on his face, and, holding firmly on to Daniel’s arm, a white-haired elderly gentleman, who by his liquid dark brown eyes and long lashes could only be Marco, Daniel’s grandfather.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Harriet and her brother talked and talked. He told her about his visit home when he had not been able to find her, although he had been told that their mother had died. ‘I always intended to come back,’ Leo shrugged, ‘but you get caught up with life, and when my wife died I had my baby daughter to consider. It was a very difficult time.’
Harriet told him some, but not all, of her life since moving away from Hull. Much of it could be dripped into conversation for some time to come.
Marco and Rosie were reintroduced and she was shy, as he recalled she always had been, and he told her that he had decided he must make an effort to come to England with Leo. ‘For who knows what is in front of us, Rosie, or how much time we have left?’ He added softly, ‘I am so sorry about our child.’