by Val Wood
‘I don’t think that will be necessary.’ Marco had come into the kitchen and overheard some of their conversation.
‘I was going to bring your breakfast up.’ Harriet wiped her hands on her apron. ‘You didn’t have to get up so early.’
‘Ah, but I did, my dear. Today is a special day, which of course you know already, but I wished to help my grandson celebrate.’ He held out his hand to Daniel and shook his warmly and then kissed him on both cheeks. ‘Buona fortuna, as we say in Italy, and many congratulations.’
He sat down at the kitchen table, quite at home in his surroundings. Harriet gave him a cup of coffee; he hadn’t changed his preference to English tea. ‘Now,’ he said, ‘where is everyone? We must talk about this special day.’
‘Everyone will be here in a few minutes,’ Harriet said. ‘Fletcher and Lenny are feeding the animals and everyone else will be down as well.’
‘I need to see to ’hosses,’ Daniel said. ‘I should have been up earlier.’
‘Fletcher’s seeing to them,’ Harriet told him. ‘We decided that you should have a day off today.’
Leo came wandering down in a warm dressing gown. ‘Am I late?’ he said.
‘No. What’s going on?’ Daniel asked, as one by one his family started to appear, Maria in from milking, and then Dolly, who still hadn’t gone back to work, Rosie, and the last to appear, Joseph and Elizabeth, dressed ready for school.
‘We had to be up early,’ Elizabeth said. ‘Otherwise we’d miss—’
‘Ssh,’ Joseph said. ‘It’s a secret. I wish we could have a day off school, Ma.’
‘You can’t, but you break up at ’end of ’week,’ she said, and smiled at Calypso, who had also come down, looking sleepy and lovely; the morning was still very young, and still dark outside.
Fletcher came in and hugged Daniel and was followed by Tom, who shook hands with Daniel and gave him a thumbs up and said congratulations.
‘It’s like a meeting of the clans,’ Daniel said, as they all sat round the big table. ‘I thought this was going to be an ordinary day, with cake this afternoon.’
‘There will be cake this afternoon,’ Harriet said, pouring tea from a huge brown teapot and then putting a jug of coffee in the middle of the table for those who wanted it. Then she came and sat next to Daniel.
‘Can I say,’ Fletcher began, ‘that this is a special day for us all. Our son, Harriet’s and mine too, has reached his majority, and first of all I’d like to raise a toast to Noah, Daniel’s birth father, who made it possible by marrying Harriet and bringing her home.’ He glanced at Harriet and then at Rosie, who gave a winsome smile. He lifted his cup and everyone else followed suit. ‘And who, because of a tragic accident, allowed me to marry Harriet and become Daniel’s very proud stepfather.’ His voice suddenly broke and it was a second before he could continue to say, ‘… as proud of him as I am of all my sons and daughters.’
‘Well said,’ Leo murmured, and Marco nodded and blew his nose loudly.
‘And so to a second toast.’ He lifted his teacup again. ‘To Daniel, many congratulations and may you always have love in your life.’
Whilst everyone was shaking hands with Daniel or kissing him, Harriet reached into her apron pocket and brought out a small box, which she pushed towards him.
‘Daniel,’ she said. ‘Here is a small present from us all to show how much we love and care for you.’
‘Oh, you shouldn’t have,’ he said, feeling really choked as he opened the box. ‘I never expected— Oh, that’s so— Thank you!’ He put his hand to his face to stem his emotion, and then with a great intake of breath took out the gold signet ring with the three initials inscribed in italic script: DTO. Daniel Tuke Orsini.
He slipped it on to his finger, a perfect fit. He hadn’t expected a gift, but only a birthday tea with maybe a glass of home-made wine, but already it was becoming a special time, beginning with him declaring his love for Beatrice and the unthinkable prospect of her father agreeing that they might marry. Of Beatrice and Charles’s gift of the Haflinger, he wondered vaguely how he was going to afford to keep her, let alone how he would use her, for she wasn’t any ordinary pony, and now this gift from his parents and brothers and sisters. It was all too much.
Then Marco stood up and leaned with his fingertips touching the table. ‘I too must offer my congratulations publicly to my newly discovered grandson, of whom I knew nothing until a mere five or six months ago, and I must tell you, my friends, that the discovery has brought joy into my life, to know that my branch of the Orsini line will continue after I am gone. To this end I have made provision for Daniel in my Will and I must assure you that this is done with the approval of my daughters, who also send their good wishes, and of my dear son-in-law Leo and my granddaughter Calypso.
‘However,’ he continued, ‘I do not intend leaving this life for quite some time, especially now that I ’ave met Rosie again,’ here a little twinkle in his eyes, ‘so until then, Daniel, I ’ave for you made a bank deposit.’
He pushed a sheet of paper towards him, signed and countersigned, naming a sum of money that Daniel gaped at.
I can marry Beatrice, he thought, and maybe her father has a tenancy we could rent with a field and a stable for Flavia, although he couldn’t quite see Beatrice in a farm kitchen such as this one, no matter that she said she loved it; and I can still keep on working here with Fletcher and ’farm hosses.
They all left the table after a substantial breakfast and Daniel went to his room to change into his one and only suit of clothes for his visit to the manor.
‘How smart and handsome you look,’ his mother said when he reappeared. ‘My noble son!’
‘Oh, give over, Ma,’ he said bashfully. ‘It’s onny me.’
‘I think you’re handsome too, even if you are my brother,’ Dolly said, appearing from out of the larder. ‘I’m going to Italy to stay with Calypso next year to catch myself an Italian who looks like you.’ She looked him over and brushed away a stray dark hair from his shoulder. ‘Are you going to officially propose today?’
Daniel ran his fingers round his shirt collar and cleared his throat. ‘Is there no privacy in this house?’ he asked. ‘Nosy sisters wanting to know ’far end of everything!’
‘You’ll miss us when you’ve left,’ she countered.
‘You just said you were going to Italy!’
‘I am,’ she said smugly. ‘But I’ll come back for your wedding.’ Then she covered her face with her hands. ‘But I’ll miss you, Daniel,’ she wept, ‘when Beatrice steals you from us.’
He put his arms round her. This was so unlike the carefree Dolly. ‘I shan’t be going far,’ he murmured. ‘And you know there’ll allus be a special place in my heart for all of you.’
She nodded and blew her nose, but he could see she wasn’t convinced.
He hitched the mare to the trap to drive down to the manor. There had been more snow overnight and the road surface was thick and white, with animal tracks scattered over it and the hedges dusted with a fine lacy covering. He pondered about what he would say to Beatrice’s father if he should ask him about keeping her in the manner to which she was accustomed; well, I can’t, he thought. I have this gift of money from Marco and that will keep us comfortably for a year or two, but I think I’ll still have to ask Mr Hart for a tenancy. He sighed. Much as he loved the filly that Beatrice and Charles had given him, he was still unsure how he could afford her. Beatrice and Charles had never had to consider finances and wouldn’t know how much it cost to keep horses. He did, for he had worked with them from a young age. It was the only thing he really knew about, the training of them, the caring, feeding and cost of them.
He sighed. What will I do if he refuses? Will he ask us to wait a year or two until I have earned more money, although I know that Fletcher and Tom can’t really afford to pay me more; he always had to remember that it was Tom’s farm too.
He drew up at the front of the house, climbed down from t
he trap and was straightening his jacket when the door was flung open by Beatrice. ‘Oh, Daniel, I thought you were never coming.’ She ran down the steps to greet him. ‘Happy, happy birthday,’ she enthused. ‘Oh, Daniel, I do love you so, and I want to kiss you, but I can’t as everyone will be watching.’
‘Then allow me.’ He was so full of happiness he thought he would explode. He put his hand to his chest and in case anyone was watching from the window he made a formal bow, reaching for her hand and gently kissing it. ‘Oh dear, Beatrice,’ he said in mock dismay. ‘Is this how I must behave from now on?’
She tucked her arm into his. ‘No, silly. Of course not!’
He was ushered into the study, where Christopher Hart was sitting at his desk with a pen in his hand and a sheet of paper in front of him. He had apparently been making notes. Daniel, shaking with nerves, said, ‘Good morning, sir. I hope I’m not disturbing you,’ in a voice he thought sounded rather strained.
‘Come in, Daniel. Come in and take a seat.’ Christopher indicated a large leather wing-backed chair.
Daniel cleared his throat. ‘If you don’t mind, sir, I’d prefer to stand.’
‘Oh, would you? Very well.’ Christopher got up from his desk. ‘I don’t know about you, old chap,’ he said in a voice that sounded just like Charles, which made Daniel smile, ‘but I’m rather nervous. I know why you’ve come, of course, and Beatrice has coached me in what I have to say. That’s the thing with ladies, don’t you find: a fellow thinks he is in control and finds that he is not.’
‘I – I don’t know, sir, except – yes, mebbe so, especially with Beatrice.’ He thought then that he shouldn’t have said that about Beatrice. Christopher Hart probably thought the sun shone out of her; which of course it does, he thought happily. ‘So, what do you want to say? Best get it over with and then we can join my wife and Beatrice, and Charles too, I imagine, who are all waiting anxiously, no doubt.’
‘I’d like to marry Beatrice, sir,’ Daniel said at great speed. ‘I realize I’m not her equal, but I love her and always have.’
Christopher rubbed his chin and viewed him seriously. ‘Odd, that,’ he said. ‘That’s exactly what Beatrice said you would say – about not being her equal, I mean. But from what I gather your ancestry is medieval, and there have been some very notable characters along the way – popes, cardinals, counts and politicians, I believe – but in my opinion it’s the present generation that is important rather than what happened back in history, and having known you so long and now having met Signor Orsini I have no anxiety about that.’
He smiled and offered his hand to Daniel, which he shook with a great sense of relief, until Christopher said, ‘What I would like to say to you and Beatrice is, I would prefer it if we might wait until Christmas week for the official announcement. I have my reasons for doing so: I need to speak to my lawyer about Beatrice’s dowry and one or two other things. I’ve rather had the wind taken out of my sails, if you understand my meaning, so if you don’t mind …’
‘Oh, erm, no, sir.’ Daniel was flummoxed. ‘I rather feel ’same way and I don’t mind waiting, but I didn’t – don’t expect a dowry, sir. It didn’t cross my mind.’
‘Well, I dare say it didn’t, Daniel.’ Christopher gazed at him with a wry expression. ‘But that’s the way it is done.’
They came to the withdrawing room together, and there waiting for them was Beatrice dressed in blue muslin and in mid-pace between the window and the door; Charles was standing by the window with his arms folded, and their mother was sitting calmly by the fire.
Beatrice turned, her eyes and demeanour eager, gazing at Daniel. ‘Oh, what is it to be? Are we to be married? Papa, you did agree?’
She’s so lovely, Daniel thought, and impetuous. How can I be so lucky that she wants to spend the rest of her life with me?
‘Well?’ she demanded, her eyes suddenly anxious.
‘You’d better tell us, old chap,’ Charles bantered, ‘or our lives won’t be worth living.’
Daniel laughed. What a wonderful, exhilarating time they were going to have.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Beatrice, if you will have me, we are to be married.’
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Everyone had been invited to spend Christmas Day at Hart Holme Manor when the engagement of Beatrice and Daniel would be officially announced.
Harriet was pleased, for with extra guests at Dale Top Farm, although very pleasant, it was quite exhausting keeping everyone fed and entertained, and she was rather gratified to be invited to dine in such luxurious surroundings. She, Fletcher, Daniel, Lenny, Maria and Dolly were up early to organize their usual duties including milking, collecting eggs, and feeding the cattle and other livestock, and Joseph and Elizabeth were kept busy wrapping presents to take to the manor where they would spend the day at leisure, whilst Marco, Leo and Calypso held whispered conversations whenever they were alone.
Tom had come up on Christmas Eve to bring presents and announced rather bashfully that on Christmas Day he intended to ask the widow Betsy if she would do him the honour of being his wife. Her son Adam had come with him to help Lenny with the pigs and had asked Fletcher if he thought Maria might walk out with him. Fletcher said he thought that she might. He was a handsome and hard-working lad and an asset to the farm.
It had snowed overnight and the meadows were bright white, crisp and dazzling, and the sky blue with scarcely a cloud as they set off, some of them in the trap, others in a waggon and the Italian visitors in the Harts’ carriage.
They were all dressed in their best, Maria, Dolly and Elizabeth in fine wool dresses, warm capes and ribbons in their hair. Calypso wore exotic red with a frilled hem. Harriet had chosen a grey fitted gown with a pleated hem trimmed with white, Rosie was in black and grey with a white cap, and the menfolk were all in their smartest suits with cravats or stocks at their necks. Melissa, in dark red velvet with a ruched bustle, and Beatrice, in cream figured silk, were at the door to greet them.
They toasted each other a happy Christmas in their preferences of sherry, whisky or mulled wine, although Joseph and Elizabeth to their disappointment were given lemonade; after the exchange of simple presents, Beatrice’s father made the announcement of the betrothal which was celebrated with champagne; neither Harriet nor Melissa remained dry-eyed. They exchanged glances and smiled. The secret fears these mothers had shared were over; Ellen Tuke had not after all divided their families. All the long years of anxiety and apprehension they had suffered had blown away like gossamer on a breeze.
Before Christmas luncheon Christopher asked everyone to put on their top coats again as they must all venture down to the meadow adjoining the stables where there was something special to see. ‘But before we do,’ he said, ‘I must tell you that my wife and I were at a loss to think of a suitable wedding gift for the young couple, but now, having been informed by Beatrice of Daniel’s longed-for ambition, we think we have come up with a solution.’
Daniel’s forehead creased. Ambition? I’ve achieved mine, he thought; what more could I possibly want than to marry Beatrice and find my grandfather? He looked across at Marco and then his mother and Fletcher with a query in his eyes, but all any of them did was smile or nod in a meaningful manner.
‘What ambition, Beatrice?’ he whispered to her. ‘I now have everything I desire.’
‘This is for the future, Daniel,’ she murmured into his ear. ‘Our future.’
They trooped outside, Marco and Rosie arm in arm, with Stephen and Charles at either side of them to steady them, and Leo walking with Harriet.
‘Some of you have seen Flavia already,’ Charles announced as they arrived at the stables. ‘She’s young and very beautiful, rather like all the ladies here today,’ he said gallantly, ‘but we thought she seemed a little lonely and in need of companions, and so Signor Orsini, Leo and Calypso came up with a splendid idea.’ He smiled at Calypso, totally smitten as her dark eyes glimmered beneath the cream shawl she had draped over
her head.
‘Aaron,’ he called, and the stable lad looked out from the stable door. ‘Will you bring Flavia out?’
Aaron put up his thumb, disappearing inside again and bringing out the young pony on a leading rein. He opened the gate for her to trot into the field, where she kicked up her heels and cantered around, scattering snow. Then Aaron went back into the other stable, where they could hear him opening the stalls and talking to someone. Daniel and Beatrice walked across to the fence, leaning on it to watch Flavia.
‘Daniel, will you whistle?’ Beatrice said. ‘You know, the way you did to the ponies when we were travelling. Just to see if Flavia will respond.’
‘She doesn’t know me yet,’ he objected. ‘As soon as ’snow’s gone I’ll be here every day to see her – and you,’ he added tenderly.
But at further prompting from Beatrice he faced Flavia, put his fingers to his lips and whistled.
Flavia pricked up her ears and started to come towards him, but behind him came an excited nickering and snorting and a clattering of hooves on the cobbled yard as Aaron led out three ponies, Blaze, White Socks and Mama, and had great difficulty holding them in check. Charles and Stephen dashed to help him and together they ran beside the ponies, who were heading straight for Daniel.
He buried his head in their manes, stroked their necks and breathed into their nostrils and wondered what he’d done in his life to deserve so much.
‘They’re from Marco,’ Beatrice explained, seeing how overcome he was. ‘They’re his wedding present to us, and my parents are giving us a gift of land higher up the dale so that we can build our own farm and start a breeding programme with Flavia and White Socks. It is what you want, isn’t it, Daniel?’ she said anxiously.
‘I can’t believe how generous everyone has been,’ he said, and turning round to see them all watching from the shelter of the stable he raised his hand in a salute; then, taking a deep breath and putting his arm round Beatrice’s waist, he kissed her cheek. Murmuring, ‘I love you,’ he led her towards the field with the three ponies following and Flavia watching from a safe distance. ‘Come on,’ he said, in a choked voice. ‘Let’s introduce them. They’re going to be great friends.’