* * *
—
The following morning, she went into Conor’s room and found he had emptied his chest of drawers. The window was open and when she glanced out, it became clear he’d thrown all his clothes out into the garden. Feeling annoyed and not knowing how to handle the situation, she felt a flicker of panic.
“Come with me,” she said, standing with her hands on her hips. “We need to retrieve your clothing.”
He stayed where he was with his arms folded. This was awful. Instead of things improving they seemed to be getting worse hour by hour. She looked out of the window again when she heard the lilting notes of a single flute playing Sinhalese music. The clouds were darkening and it looked like rain, so she needed to quickly get his clothes back indoors.
“What’s the matter, Conor?” she said, squatting down in front of him. “Won’t you tell me?”
“I want Leo,” he said and seemed to look straight through her.
She tried to shrug it off and gave a little laugh to lighten the mood. “You know Leo is busy. But he’ll come and get you on Saturday. You’ll spend all weekend together, and maybe the three of us could go out on the boat again soon. Would you like that?”
“I just want to go with Leo.”
“Well, I’m sure you could do that. Come now, why not help me gather up your clothes.”
He followed her down to the garden and although she did most of the picking up, at least he had accompanied her. It was only a very small victory but better than nothing.
The rest of the day passed in a similar vein. Louisa attempted to read to him but he yawned loudly to show his contempt. When she asked if he knew his alphabet, he took a crayon and wrote it out immaculately. At least Zinnia had managed to teach him something before her illness made things impossible. She tried to find out what he knew of geography but his disinterest was obvious. The same thing happened with history, but when she began to write down some sums, he immediately perked up. She passed them to him, then glancing across at him surreptitiously, she pretended not to notice his interest. Within moments he had completed all the sums she’d given him and, when he had finished, he picked up a book and curled up on the sofa to read. At least she now knew he could read and he liked arithmetic. It was a shaky start.
On Friday Gwen arrived in the afternoon while Conor was outside playing with the dogs.
“I’m so glad you made it,” Louisa said and gave her a hug.
“I set off very early. So, are things any better?” She glanced around and then put the baby down to sleep on the sofa with cushions around her. “She’s not so portable now she’s bigger, but luckily she still likes her naps. I’ll have to keep an eye on her while she’s on the sofa. I’ve brought a Moses basket for the night.”
Louisa shook her head. “We’ll keep watch, but isn’t she gorgeous with all that lovely dark hair. Curly like yours.”
Gwen smiled. “So? Are things any better?”
Louisa looked directly at her friend. There was no point pretending. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to do. And…” She paused. “I’m afraid there’s something I didn’t tell you. The thing is, the child I’m looking after didn’t just lose his mother.”
“Oh?”
“He’s Elliot’s son.”
Gwen stared at her, with enormous eyes and paling cheeks.
“He lives on a cinnamon plantation but he’s here during the week as his current guardian, Leo McNairn who owns the plantation, is tied up with work. Leo is Conor’s late mother’s cousin. I will tell you all about it but I’d rather not go into the whole story just now.”
Gwen nodded. “Don’t worry. You can tell me when you’re good and ready.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall we talk about Conor instead?”
Louisa nodded.
“I kept a close eye on Hugh after Liyoni died, mainly because he was so unnaturally quiet. But I soon guessed it was his way of coping and I had to wait for him to talk when he was ready.”
“Conor’s suffering in silence, I know that.”
“Perhaps we can find a way to get through to him.”
“I don’t know.”
“He must be feeling terribly overwhelmed by everything that’s happened. School may have been the last straw.”
“Do you think there’s anything I can do?”
Gwen seemed to be thinking and didn’t reply right away.
“Maybe not,” she eventually said. “He’ll need time to get used to what are terrible losses. Does he say anything?”
“He’s mainly communicating that he doesn’t like me.”
“Be honest now. Do you like him?”
“Because of his resemblance to Elliot it’s not always easy. I see Elliot reflected in Conor’s eyes, or in the shape of his head, or in a certain quizzical look on his face. The similarity takes my breath away and then I feel shaken by thoughts of what might have been.”
“Hard for both of you.”
“Yes.”
“He’s feeling sad, of course, but probably also very angry. I know Hugh was. Conor might well be taking it out on you.”
Louisa pointed at the garden. “Look, he’s outside now. If we go up to the window we can see what he’s doing.”
They went across to the French windows and watched Conor enthusiastically throwing a ball for the dogs. They were barking and racing after it frantically, then returning for more. It lifted Louisa’s spirits to see the little boy playing so happily.
“I think patience is the key,” Gwen said.
Conor suddenly stood still as if listening. After a moment, he went up to a bush and squatted down. He picked something up and cradled it in his hands. Then he glanced up at the house and spotted them. Louisa waved, then opened the door and she and Gwen went out.
In the garden a wet breeze was caressing the shrubs and plants. Louisa ran a hand over her hair. “Plays havoc with my hair, this humidity.”
Gwen nodded in agreement.
“Conor, this is my friend Gwen,” Louisa said. “She has her baby here. Would you like to see her?”
He shook his head.
“What have you got there?” Gwen said.
His voice quivered. “It’s a bird, but there’s something wrong with it.”
“Can I have a look?”
He nodded and Gwen went up close.
“It doesn’t fly. Just shivers.”
“Let me see.” She observed the bird. “A sunbird, I think, but it’s stunned. Let’s just watch it for five minutes and if it doesn’t recover, shall we take it indoors and make a bed for it in your room? Stunned birds often recover quickly.”
When the bird was still unresponsive after about five minutes, they went indoors.
“Louisa, have you got a cardboard box we can use?” Gwen asked.
Louisa found a box, positioned a folded piece of soft cloth inside it and then poked holes in the top for air. “Will this do?” she asked Conor, and he nodded.
“We need to leave the bird to recover for an hour and then come back and see how he’s getting on.”
They left the box in Conor’s room and went to wait downstairs.
“How will it eat?” he asked.
“Later we could try sugar water from an eye dropper I have. Would you like to do that?” Louisa suggested.
After an hour, they went to the kitchen where Louisa found the dropper. She heated some water and asked Conor to mix in the sugar. This he did very solemnly. Once the sugar water had cooled to room temperature she asked him to fetch the box and when he came back she passed the dropper to him.
“Squeeze it to draw up the water and then just be very careful when you open the lid.”
He opened the box and offered the eye dropper to the bird. It took just the slightest amount from the end of the gl
ass tube, opening and closing its beak very fast.
“Let’s take it outside and see if it’s feeling ready to fly again,” Louisa said.
They went out to the garden and Conor lifted the lid again. The bird glanced about and then, with a brief flutter, it was off.
Louisa smiled. “Well done, Conor. You helped the little bird get better.”
* * *
—
Saturday was a bright shiny day, and Louisa found herself looking forward to seeing Leo again. After the incident with the bird, things had improved but overall it had been a hard week. She took extra care over dressing and brushed her hair until it shone, all the while convincing herself it wasn’t for Leo, and trying to ignore her longing to feel him close again.
Conor was even more excited than she was, and, for the first time, was as animated as you’d expect a seven-year-old to be. It warmed Louisa’s heart to see him looking happier, though she felt relieved that for two days she would have time for herself. Since Elliot’s death, she’d become accustomed to her own company, had even become accustomed to sleeping alone, something she had thought might never happen.
She was surprised when the first person to arrive was her father, and he’d brought with him a present for Conor, but had left it outside for the time being.
“Well, let’s see it,” she said. “Shall we, Conor?”
The child didn’t reply.
But with Louisa he followed Jonathan out and his eyes shone when he saw a new bicycle right beside the front door.
“Is it really for me?” he asked, looking up at Jonathan with enormous eyes.
Clearly thrilled when Jonathan nodded, he ran his hands over the saddle, but then his face fell.
“I can’t ride a bicycle,” he said.
“We all have to start somewhere,” Jonathan said. “Why don’t you get up on to it and I’ll hold on to the handlebars while you pedal.”
Conor looked dubious but did as Jonathan suggested, and the two of them sailed up the road and were soon out of sight. While they were gone, Leo turned up in his van and Louisa was glad to have a few minutes alone with him. It wasn’t much, but better than nothing. The street was completely still and they stood for a moment in silence, then chatted inconsequentially while watching a cat with orange eyes slink along a wall. She felt very aware of the space between them and, knowing they needed to talk properly, wanted to say more. He reached out a hand as if to reassure her.
“I’ve missed you,” he said.
“Me too.”
Then he asked how things had been with Conor. She sighed, not wanting to disappoint him, but knowing he deserved to hear the truth. “I can’t get much out of him and nothing I do seems to be right.”
“Give him time. He’ll come around.”
“That’s what my friend Gwen says too. She’s come to stay for a couple of days to give me some advice. I hope you’re right. To be honest, it’s been exhausting trying to think up things he might want to do. The worst thing is the school won’t have him.”
He stiffened. “Why on earth not?”
“Some of the other children were calling him a bastard, and then he got into a fight. The head says the other parents complained about his illegitimacy.”
He frowned. “You should have phoned me.”
“Sorry. I knew you were busy.”
“Poor kid. So where is he now?”
“Out on a bicycle my father bought for him. Dad’s teaching him how to ride it.”
“Well, that sounds positive.”
“It’s surprising, but a master stroke on Dad’s part. Conor had never met my father before, yet off he went, happy as Larry.”
“It’s a good sign.”
She frowned. “He doesn’t mind Margo either. It’s me he suddenly doesn’t like.”
“He probably thinks you’re trying to take his mother’s place.”
She didn’t speak.
He put a hand on her arm and she felt the heat of it on her bare skin. “We both know you’re not. We need to make sure he knows it too.”
Suddenly there was a shout. “Leo! Look!”
It was Conor, now cycling on his own with no fear at all. Jonathan came up behind him, laughing as he attempted to catch up.
“Well, that didn’t take long,” Louisa said while the child dismounted, leaned the bike against the house, and then ran to Leo.
Her father grinned with pleasure and shook hands with Leo. “He’s a natural. Got the hang of it in five minutes. The hardest part was getting him to slow down.”
“Can we take it home?” Conor asked, cheeks flushed and eyes shiny with excitement. “Please, Leo?”
Leo nodded. “I’ll put it in the back of the van.”
“You’ll have to be careful on the track at home,” Louisa said. “It’s a lot bumpier than here.”
Conor ignored her but Leo said Louisa was right and he’d have to slow down a bit or risk falling off.
“I’ll be careful,” Conor said and gave Leo a hug.
Leo loaded the bike into the back of the van, gave Louisa a wide smile, and within minutes they were gone.
“Thanks for that, Pa,” Louisa said. “Hopefully, when he comes back, it might make things easier. You know the school won’t have him?”
“I heard about it from Elspeth Markham. Everyone seems to know he’s Elliot’s son.”
“Does it bother you?”
He shrugged. “I have to admit it does. But more because I feel angry at Elliot than anything else. Conor’s a good little kid and he’s been through such a lot. To hell with the gossips, I say.”
She smiled at him proudly. Her father never let her down. “The thing is, I can’t educate him alone. I was wondering about a tutor.”
“Don’t you have a French kitchen maid?”
“Yes. Camille.”
“Ask her to teach him some basic French. I’ll happily lend a hand with history and geography when I have time. If you can cope with maths, English and natural history.”
“Sounds like a plan. I don’t want to overload him, but he needs to be kept busy or he’ll brood. Would you have time to spend an hour with him on Monday? I think he’ll take it from you and that might get the day off to a better start. Or maybe I’ll take him for a bike ride first—see what creatures we can find—and you can have him later.”
“Monday it is.” He scrutinized her face. “Now let’s take a walk around the ramparts. You look as if you could do with the wind in your hair.”
“Gwen’s here, feeding the baby. I’ll see if she’d like to come.”
She went indoors but came out shaking her head. “No, she’s trying to put Alice down for her nap.”
Just before they set off the postman arrived and handed Louisa a single envelope. She tore it open then sighed deeply.
“What is it?”
“A note from De Vos asking me to meet him on Monday at midday in the court square.”
“Is it signed?”
“Yes. He must be after his money again.”
She pocketed the note and they began to move off.
“A legal debt would have to come out of Elliot’s estate,” Jonathan said.
She snorted. “What estate! Anyway, it isn’t a legal debt, is it? The contract was a forgery.”
“Then you can just walk away. That’s all there is to it.”
“Couldn’t we just find the money? Make the man go away once and for all?”
“It’s an awful lot, and you still don’t know what happened to all the cash Elliot took out from his bank account. It must be somewhere.”
“Some of it went to Zinnia, I think, but he did talk about putting money aside for them in a letter I found. Trouble is, I don’t know where else to look.”
“Will you meet De Vos?”
“I think so.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, I’d rather do it alone.”
“Why?”
“Because I feel I must be the one to stand up to him. If I don’t, I’ll never be rid of him.”
There was a short silence as they walked on.
“Well,” her father eventually said, “let me know if you change your mind. Now, tell me how things are proceeding with the emporium.”
Louisa told him the builders were doing well and that they thought they might complete the job within a few weeks, but she could do with encouraging another jeweler to get on board.
“I have a contact for you on that count,” Jonathan said. “A silversmith, who makes all manner of brushes, combs, ornaments and jewelry.”
“That’s just what I need.”
* * *
—
Louisa and Gwen set off to have lunch at the New Oriental Hotel, carrying the baby between them in her basket, although now she was bigger it wasn’t so easy. Luckily, she still slept regularly and so their lunch was planned to fit around her nap.
“Gosh,” Gwen said when they arrived. “It was Christmas when I was last here. Hasn’t the time flown by?”
They walked through the imposing but smoky entrance hall into the elegant dining room.
Once settled at a table in the window, where they could watch people passing by, they talked in a desultory kind of a way. Then, after they had ordered, Gwen told her more about her life at the tea plantation and about how she had met Laurence in London.
“I knew the moment I saw him.”
“Love at first sight?”
Gwen nodded. “I think so. It was at a musical evening in London. I was lost the moment he charged over, held out his hand and grinned at me.”
“Romantic.”
“We saw each other every day after that. My parents weren’t happy that a thirty-seven-year-old widower wanted to marry me, but they came around when Laurence offered to leave a manager in charge of the plantation and return to live in England. I wouldn’t hear of it. I told him if Ceylon was where his heart belonged, it was where my heart would belong too.”
The Sapphire Widow Page 28