Homecoming Girls

by Val Wood

  Federico turned on his heel and headed off in another direction and Clara saw that Lorenzo’s lips were tightly clenched as he watched him turn down an alley. He said nothing to Clara, but took her elbow to guide her towards Pinyin, who was still talking to the stallholder.

  ‘Well?’ Lorenzo asked Pinyin, and Clara was confused by their manner towards each other. Pinyin was a servant, an employee of Lorenzo’s, and yet he was treated almost as an equal.

  ‘Nothing,’ Pinyin said. ‘It is very strange. My uncle, Soong Zedung, says Miss Newmarch has not passed this way, but he will ask others.’ He gave Clara a small bow. ‘Please do not worry. We shall find her. Everyone will look.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The journey to New York took just over a week. Georgiana and Dan travelled together by train to Liverpool and caught the evening tide. Georgiana was quite glad to have his company, for he was adept at finding porters and whistling for a cab to take them to the ship when they arrived at Liverpool railway station.

  Dan’s mother, Ruby, had sent him off with a parcel of home baking as if convinced that he would starve before they arrived at the western port, and Dan, embarrassed by this, was all for throwing it out of the window as soon as the train departed.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ Georgiana had said. ‘You’ll find when we reach Liverpool that there’ll be many poor folk who’ll be glad of your mother’s cooking.’

  They travelled in a first-class carriage; Georgiana had paid the extra for Dan’s ticket. ‘If we are to be travelling companions,’ she murmured, ‘you must travel at my standard, not I at yours.’ She smiled. ‘You can pay me back in kind by taking care of my luggage.’

  On board ship Georgiana had a first-class cabin, but here she considered that at Dan’s tender age he was not yet ready for such luxury, and a little discomfort would do him no harm at all.

  For Dan it was no hardship. He was sharing a four-bedded cabin on a lower deck with one other passenger, who was a frequent traveller and able to advise him on the behaviour that was expected on board. Dan stretched out on his bunk, put his hands behind his head and heaved a sigh of utter contentment. Freedom!

  He and his father had to some extent made up their differences, and he rather thought that was due to his mother’s influence. He felt sure that his mother would have warned his father that he was in danger of losing contact if he didn’t meet Dan halfway.

  Daniel had taken him on one side. ‘I can’t say I approve of ’motive for you going to America,’ he’d said gruffly, ‘but ’fact that you’ve made ’decision to spread your wings is summat I can understand. You’re a young man with ambition and I hope you’ll use your time wisely while you’re away and not go chasing moonbeams that you’ll never catch.’

  Dan had listened but made no comment. His father would take his time saying what he had to say, and although it was obvious that he didn’t approve of Jewel, for whatever reason, he was at least giving him tacit permission to travel.

  Daniel had put a thick envelope on the table and pushed it towards him. ‘Tek this,’ he’d muttered. ‘I’ll have no son o’ mine behodden to anybody. Spend it wisely. Money doesn’t come easy.’

  Dan had had a lump in his throat as he picked it up. ‘Thanks, Da.’ There was no need for any fancy speeches; his father would know that he was grateful.

  ‘And,’ his father had added, ‘you can tek my bowler!’

  Now as he lay on his bunk he was filled with excitement, and it wasn’t wholly due to the possibility of meeting up with Jewel. It was simply because he realized that he had been stifled by his commitment to working in the family business, which although profitable gave him little chance of achievement through his own endeavours.

  He heard the juddering of engines below him, the muffled shouts of seamen, and the movement of the ship which told him they had cast off and were on their way. He couldn’t help but grin and jump off the bunk to make his way on deck, to watch the departure from the shore into what for him was unknown territory.

  Georgiana Dreumel joined him, which surprised him, as he thought she might have preferred to stay in her cabin. But she leaned on the rail beside him and told him of the time when she too had made her first journey to America.

  ‘Kitty and I travelled from London,’ she said. ‘We took a packet boat from Hull and disembarked at London Bridge and boarded the ship, the Paragon, in the Thames.’ She smiled as she remembered. ‘I was about your age and it was so exciting,’ she said. ‘It was a great adventure!’

  He looked at her admiringly. He’d been concerned that Jewel and Clara were travelling alone, but he thought that for two women to do the same thing twenty or more years ago was very brave, and he told her so.

  She laughed. ‘If I told you some of the things that Kitty and I did when we were there, I doubt whether you’d believe me.’

  As the voyage went on he didn’t see much of her. He took his meals with his cabin mate and assumed that she was probably dining with the captain, until one morning he saw her in a deckchair, wrapped in shawls and blankets and looking very pale.

  ‘I’m not the best of sailors,’ she said, ‘and I have been unwell. The heavy swell is worse for me than a storm.’

  Dan was astonished to hear that, as he thought it had been a tranquil voyage. But the Atlantic swell had been deep as the ship ploughed through the vast waters, dipping and plunging into troughs so yawning and bottomless that only the greenness of massive waves could be seen above them. He had found it exhilarating; that, and the darkest of skies covered in a million sparkling stars.

  ‘Come and sit down,’ she said, ‘and we can talk of what you’d like to do when we arrive in New York.’

  He drew up a chair beside her and she motioned to a passing steward to bring coffee for Dan and a cup of mint tea for herself.

  ‘First I shall stay in the Marius,’ she said, ‘and hope there will be a letter waiting for me from Wilhelm; then I shall travel on to Dreumel’s Creek.’

  ‘And ’town that was burnt down – will you go there?’

  ‘Yeller. Yes,’ she said. ‘But it’s only through the mountains. They are what you might call sister towns. If the mountain didn’t divide them they would have become one large town. I’m pleased that they haven’t. They have quite separate identities and it will be interesting to hear what plans are being made for Yeller’s rebuilding.’

  ‘Interesting indeed,’ Dan agreed, and thought that to be in at the beginning of such a project might be very satisfying.

  ‘So what would you like to do, Dan?’ Georgiana sipped her mint tea. ‘Jewel won’t be at Dreumel’s Creek. She and Clara have already left for California. They might or might not return to Dreumel; I know nothing of their arrangements.’

  Dan considered. The original point of his journey had been to see Jewel. But what if she was displeased with him for following her? She had her own reasons for being in America. Perhaps if she had been able to solve her own questions, she might be happy to see him again.

  ‘I have already told you that I don’t think Jewel is ready to make promises or vows, Dan,’ Georgiana said softly. ‘She’s on the verge of making discoveries for herself. You will, I feel, have to exercise patience.’

  ‘I think you’re right, Mrs Dreumel,’ he confessed. ‘I’ve always been so obsessed by her that I haven’t been able to think of anything else but to be with her. Perhaps it might seem ridiculous, but it’s not infatuation. I really do care for her.’

  ‘It doesn’t seem ridiculous, Dan. I understand exactly how you feel, but if you really do care for Jewel, you will allow her the freedom to do whatever she wants without trying to influence her.’

  He nodded. She really was a most understanding woman. You’d almost think that she’d experienced such emotions herself. ‘I will,’ he said. ‘Thank you for your advice – I’ll tek it. If you’ve no objection, I’d like to travel with you to Dreumel’s Creek and to Yeller, and if I can be of any help in rebuilding ’town, then perhaps I could
stay there for a bit afore moving on.’

  They stayed two days in New York, and whilst Georgiana rested after the voyage, for she said that it had tired her, Dan explored the city. He was impressed by the wide roads, or boulevards as the locals called them, and the fact that not all streets were given names, so some had numbers instead. Tall buildings were going up, taller than he had ever seen. Towers, they were, soaring high into the sky, with elevators to take people to the top floors. He strolled in Central Park with its immense green areas, flower beds and lakes, and knew that there was nothing he could possibly compare it with; not the People’s Park or the Zoological Gardens in Hull, for neither was anything like this vast and landscaped space.

  Carriages and pony traps swept along the wide paths and he heard the sound of music as an afternoon concert began, but he realized that only the wealthy and those with leisure time were enjoying the pleasures of this oasis in the middle of the city; he was disheartened to discover later that many of the poorer residents of New York had been moved out of their homes so that this garden of delight could be created.

  When he returned to the Marius in the early evening Mrs Dreumel was seated in the hotel lounge. Her head rested on the back of the chair and her eyes were closed. A pianist was playing something soothing and Mrs Dreumel was nodding her head gently in time to the music.

  ‘Mrs Dreumel!’ Dan spoke softly so as not to startle her. ‘Are you sleeping?’

  She opened her eyes and smiled. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I was reminiscing.’

  ‘I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you,’ he said awkwardly.

  ‘Not a bit,’ she said. ‘Did you enjoy your excursion?’

  ‘I did,’ he said earnestly. ‘It’s so different from anything we’ve got at home.’

  ‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘And it’s changing and growing constantly. I can see a difference from when I was last here, even from the hotel doorway.’

  ‘Are you well rested?’

  She sighed. ‘Yes, I think so. I have never felt so exhausted after a voyage before. It’s so unlike me to be sapped of energy.’

  Dan nodded. Perhaps she wasn’t quite as intrepid or enterprising as he had thought, but then she was older, so perhaps it was to be expected that such a journey would now tire her. He would take care of her, he decided. After she had given him such a chance to travel, it was the least he could do to repay her.

  Over supper she told him that Wilhelm had sent a letter to the Marius from Yeller. There is much to do, he had written. So much planning. I will be pleased when you arrive. I know what an innovative mind you have, and besides, he’d added, I miss you.

  And I miss him too, she thought. And I need his reassurance and steady disposition, for I feel somehow insecure. I am unwell, I think; not at all myself. She had always been robust, yet now she felt vaguely frail and rather weak and had been very sick on the ship. It surely cannot be my age, she decided, even though I am coming up to the time of life when there are changes in women’s bodies. But I’ll not be a party to that. I will not be feeble about such a natural occurrence!

  But her insecurity came from the worry that there might be some other reason why she felt unwell. She had heard lately of women who had taken to their beds with undiagnosed illnesses, and their families, mainly daughters, were running ragged about them. Well, that is not for me either, she fumed. If I am ill I will tell no one, except Wilhelm.

  They departed for Dreumel’s Creek early the next morning and Dan could hardly contain his excitement, although he tried his best to appear casual and blasé. They were to be travelling almost the whole day by train and coach until reaching their final destination.

  Dan fetched and carried for Georgiana: tea, coffee and whatever she wanted at the station stops. He arranged the safe transfer of their luggage when they changed trains and finally on to the coach, but mainly he watched from the windows as they travelled over wide plains, through mountain passes and alongside vast lakes; he gazed at the rich colours of the trees, for they were now into autumn, and marvelled at the immense expanses of land, water and hills. He was, without any doubt whatsoever, completely bowled over by the landscape. I cannot imagine ever wanting to go home again, he reflected, and wondered if he had spoken aloud, because Mrs Dreumel gave him a winsome smile as if she completely understood.

  It was dark when they reached Dreumel’s Creek and lamps were lit over the hotel porch and outside some of the buildings. The town seemed sleepy, as if it had put itself to bed. Wilhelm was waiting to help Georgiana down from the coach, and he shook hands with Dan. He knew him and his family, although not well. But he welcomed him and thanked him for looking after his wife, and added that he looked forward to showing him round the town the next day.

  ‘But now you must have something to eat and drink, and I know that Georgiana will want to rest. Come along in,’ he said, holding Georgiana firmly by her arm as he guided her up the steps. ‘Welcome to Dreumel’s Creek.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Strangely enough, Dan wasn’t tired. His body ached because of the motion of the train and the jolting of the carriage along the potholed road, but his mind was whirring with all that he had seen. What a country, he thought as he stood in the hotel porch breathing in the mountain air; he considered the Native Indians whose home it was until the settlers began to arrive in their waggons, followed by the miners who came looking for gold.

  It’s every man for himself out here, he pondered. He’d eaten supper with the Dreumels, and then Mrs Dreumel had declared that she was very tired and would go up to her room. Dan said goodnight to them both and strolled outside. Although there was no moon, he could see the blackness of the mountains rising up into the sky and hear the rush of the water in the creek, and felt again the rising sense of excitement he had known in New York.

  I won’t make any plans just yet, he decided in his enthusiasm. I’ll wait awhile, but I get ’feeling that I’ll like it here. I’ll have to work, though. There’ll be no place for slackers, so thank heavens I’ve got a trade. He thought guiltily of his father, who so often had to hound him to finish a piece of work, or would give back some item which Dan had thought was reasonable enough and tell him to do it again. Perfection is what we’re looking for, lad. Dan could almost hear his father’s voice. Not just ‘it’ll do’.

  I’ll have to do things right out here, he mused. My work will reflect on me. There’ll be so many others waiting in line, mebbe better craftsmen than me and all eager to earn a living in this land, and I won’t have my father or brother to back me up. I’ll be on my own.

  He had been leaning on a wooden pillar as he reflected, and now he stood up and stretched, just as a figure ran swiftly up the steps.

  ‘Jaysus, but you scared me!’ It was a woman’s voice. A young woman, who he saw as she came into the lamplight had a mop of flaming red hair tied back loosely with a ribbon. She wore a simple skirt and bodice and a shawl flung about her shoulders. ‘What are you doing skulking here?’ She scowled at him and her tone was accusing. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘Sorry,’ he apologized. ‘I didn’t mean to frighten you.’

  Caitlin Allen put her hands on her hips. ‘You didn’t frighten me,’ she said. ‘I said you scared me. Jumping out like that.’

  ‘I didn’t jump,’ he retaliated. ‘I was stretching ’cause I was stiff, and about to go inside.’

  She frowned again and then asked in a more polite manner, ‘Are you a guest here?’

  ‘In a manner of speaking, yes I am.’

  ‘In a manner of speaking? What’s that supposed to mean? Are you or not?’

  Dan laughed. She was certainly forthright. ‘Yes. I’ve just arrived with Mrs Dreumel.’

  If he had thought that by giving the name of Dreumel he might win some respect he was mistaken, for she squealed and pushed past him. ‘Aunt Gianna! Is she here?’

  Dan followed her into the hotel. ‘Yes, but she’s gone up to bed. She’s very tired after her journey.’

  ‘Oh.�
�� She seemed deflated. ‘I’ve been looking forward to seeing her again.’ She recovered her manners. ‘Sorry for the little tiff just now, but I wasn’t expecting to see anybody loitering there. I’m Caitlin Allen, by the way. I’m from Yeller but the town’s burnt down and I’m living here at the Marius for now. Living and working,’ she emphasized. ‘Paying for my keep.’

  ‘I’m Dan Hanson.’ He was a little miffed at being accused of loitering as well as skulking, but added, ‘I’m from England. I live in ’same town as Mr and Mrs Dreumel, and Jewel.’

  ‘Oh, sure. I think I heard your name. So are you taking a vacation or planning on staying?’

  Dan shrugged. Tiredness was creeping up on him. ‘Don’t know yet. I wanted to travel and when I heard Mrs Dreumel was coming to America I asked if I might come with her.’

  ‘Are you sweet on Jewel?’ Caitlin asked perceptively.

  What a lot of questions she asks, he thought. Little busybody. ‘Jewel’s a friend,’ he said. ‘I’ve known her since we were children. Since she came to live in England.’

  ‘She’s not here, you know. She and her cousin have gone to California.’

  ‘Yes, I know,’ he said. ‘Clara and her sister are friends of ours too. I’ve known them all my life. Our mothers have been friends since they were young.’ He felt that he had thus fully established his credentials.

  Caitlin looked at him speculatively. ‘Would you like me to show you around? Not that there’s much to see in Yeller. Our hotel is about the only building left standing. My mother’s from the same town as Aunt Gianna,’ she told him. ‘And my pa is from the north of England too. He came to America with Jewel’s pa but they got split up somehow. There’s a long story about them.’

  Dan nodded. ‘Yeh. I’ve heard some of it.’ He suddenly felt a wave of tiredness wash over him. ‘I’m sorry, Miss Allen. I’ll have to go up to my room. I’m beat.’

  ‘Sure,’ she said again. ‘And you can call me Caitlin.’ She smiled. ‘We don’t worry too much about being proper out here. Everybody knows who’s who anyway. Good night.’