Like Father, Like Son

by Diane Allen

  ‘Why, you bastards!’ Tobias swore at the two devious, deceitful people that he now hated with every breath he took. As he watched, Polly crumpled up into a shivering mess.

  ‘Aye, go on, lad. Hit a defenceless woman, and then I can get you locked up, out of the way.’ Dora laughed as Tobias stepped forward.

  ‘Tobias, no – she’s not worth it. She can’t get her hands on Paradise. Grandfather was going to leave it to me. He promised me he’s been to the solicitors, so there’s nothing they can do.’ Polly jumped to her feet, pulled Tobias from her grandmother and looked at Matt with his shamed face.

  ‘That’s what you think, lass. My Matt here rightfully owns half of this place and we’ll contest any will that there is. After all, he is the man, out of the two of you. Why do you think the law is going to favour a feeble young woman like you? And he’ll not always be here – look, he’s making for the door even now.’ Dora tossed a look at Tobias, as he walked to the kitchen door and opened it wide.

  ‘I’m opening the door because you two are no longer welcome. Now get out, and leave Polly in peace.’ Tobias stood, dark and brooding, by the doorway. ‘Out – get out now! – else by God I will not be responsible for my actions,’ he bellowed like a madman, across the kitchen, making the mouthy Dora go quiet and Matt realize that Tobias was too powerful to be taken on, in the temper he was showing now.

  ‘You’ll not be throwing me out, once I’ve talked to the solicitor down in Hawes. He’ll be taking you to court,’ simpered Dora as she walked past him.

  ‘Out! Get out, and don’t bother coming back.’ Tobias didn’t even look at her, as Dora eyed him from beside the door.

  ‘I’ll fucking get you one day – you are nothing. This place is mine,’ Matt whispered in Tobias’s ear and grimaced as he walked past him.

  ‘And good day to you. Please call again when you can prove the farm is yours. But for now, get out of this yard,’ shouted Tobias from the porch, as the two angry Dinsdales climbed into their horse and trap and cracked the whip over the horse’s head to set it into action.

  ‘Ta. Fuck you, you cheeky bastard,’ Matt yelled as Tobias closed the door upon them.

  Tobias leaned against the closed kitchen door and sighed, looking at Polly, who was crying in the chair. ‘Well, we know now where we stand. I’m a bastard, which if he did but know it is partly true, as my dear departed father used to always call me by that endearing name when I was a child. But you, my dear, are not a slut; you are ever the lady, and the woman I love.’ He walked over to Polly and held her tightly. ‘Don’t let their words hurt you, my love. Wait until after we’ve buried your grandfather, and then I’ll come with you to old Winterskill. We’ll see if there is indeed a will bequeathing Paradise to you, and tell him of this incident. He’s a good friend of my mother. He’ll do anything for her, and me. Don’t you fret, my love, he’ll not be bullied by your brother and grandmother.’

  Polly held Tobias tightly. She had wanted to be this close to him for so long, but it didn’t feel right under the circumstances. ‘I don’t think I can ever forgive Matt. I should have known he was using me. He was so cold towards me, once our grandfather told us both the truth about our parentage. I guessed then that he had already known.’ She sniffed and looked up at Tobias.

  ‘Families are strange things. Sometimes you are better off without them. Although I love my mother – she means everything to me. I’ll take you to meet her, when we go and see Winterskill. It was he who told her that I was her son, after my father died; she had no idea, you know. All she knew was that, when she first saw me, she felt this inexplicable bond and a need to protect me. That is what she has done from the very first day I met her in the kitchen of Grouse Hall, and every day since. That is what I’m going to do for you, my love. No matter what worries come our way, I’ll stand by you and protect, and love you always.’

  Polly relaxed in Tobias’s arms. He was a good man, and under the aloofness that some people felt about him lay a heart of gold, and a heart that had borne a lot of sadness. They were two souls thrown together through life’s injustices, and with Tobias she knew she would be safe.

  20

  1904

  Christmas led into a new year and with it came the day of Edmund’s funeral. The days had been long and hard since his death and Polly was relieved in some ways that her grandfather was finally being put to rest. The chapel at Garsdale was full, with folk paying their respects outside as well as in. Polly walked behind the hearse with her arms linked with Martha and Len Brunskill’s. Behind her walked Matt and his grandmother, who refused to give Polly a second glance as she cried. The vicar started his sermon as the bearers carried aloft the few charred remains of Edmund in his coffin.

  ‘You all right, lass? Take no notice of them; they’ll not say owt while you’re with me.’ Len squeezed her hand tight, feeling Polly tremble. She’d told him about what had happened, straight after the argument between Tobias and Dora Dinsdale. He’d found her crying in the stable when he’d come to make sure she was all right, and had been shocked by her outburst. He hadn’t thought highly of her sleeping with Tobias, but what Matt and her grandmother had done was worse. As for Dora Dinsdale, well, she had always been a manipulative woman. Poor old Bernard, her husband, had probably been hounded to his grave by her sour tongue.

  Polly smiled up at Len. He and Martha had been her rock. She was thankful for their advice and support and thought the world of them. She looked around at the pews full of friends, neighbours and railway workers, who had come to show their respect to the old man who had risked his life for others. She blushed as she spotted Tobias at the end of a pew near the front. He was there with his mother, Daisy Allen. She looked graceful, covered from head to toe in black lace. Polly knew Tobias wanted her to meet his mother, but she thought it only proper to wait until after the funeral. She searched the pews again. She’d expected her Aunty Evie and Uncle Albert to attend, but she’d not had any correspondence from them since she told them of Edmund’s death. She’d thought they might surprise her by coming to the funeral.

  Bill Sunter stood at the end of one of the pews, and next to him stood Maggie, who looked blooming; another two months and she would be a mother. Maggie smiled and wiggled her gloved fingers at Polly, until her father told her to stop when the vicar and the cortège halted at the head of the chapel. Polly shuffled into the front pew and bowed her head in prayer between the two Brunskills. She wanted to cry, but nothing came out. She’d cried so much since the accident, and crying wasn’t going to bring anyone back, so it was futile to do so.

  ‘I am the way . . . ’ The vicar gave his blessing and then led into the first hymn. ‘Please rise and sing together “The Lord is My Shepherd”. Edmund was known for loving his beloved flock of Swaledale sheep, and I believe in his later years for his love of a certain Herdwick. Which, I am told, he’d found a good home for, in its later years.’ The vicar smiled down at Polly and she felt a lump rise in her throat.

  It had seemed like only a few months ago that she was viewing the old Herdwick in lamb at Hawes, with Edmund and Ada joking about it. Len must have told the vicar. He’d organized everything with her, and had thought of all the personal little bits that she either hadn’t known or had forgotten about. She stood, with her legs wobbling and her voice faltering, as she remembered both her grandmother and grandfather. She had no idea what was going to happen in the days after the funeral. But what she did know was that she had been lucky – so lucky that she had taken everything for granted. How she now longed for that love and security again; a simple thing like a meal ready on the table, a warming pan in the bed and, most of all, a smiling face that wished her well.

  The funeral tea was held in the village hall. Mrs Armitage had organized sandwiches, cake and trifle, with tea to accompany them, and she wandered around each table, making sure everyone’s needs were catered for. Polly sat between Martha and Len, with Tobias and his mother.

  ‘So, Polly, Tobias tells me that yo
u have been so brave since your grandfather’s death. It’s a terrible thing to be left on one’s own. Although, of course, I know you’ve a brother.’ Daisy Allen gazed across at the young slip of a lass, who looked like she would burst into tears at any moment. ‘It’s a pity we cannot choose our relations, like we choose friends; it would cause a lot less trouble.’ She smiled as Polly bowed her head. ‘Don’t worry, my dear. Tobias will not let them get the better of you. He’s told me how much he thinks of you, and that he will move heaven and earth to make you happy. You are in good hands, my dear.’ Daisy smiled. Polly reminded her a lot of herself at that age, and she didn’t want Polly to have the same heartache that she’d had.

  Polly blushed. ‘Thank you, Mrs Allen, I appreciate your concern. Tobias has been wonderful.’ She raised her head and looked quickly across at the face she loved.

  ‘Aye, they are a right pair of lovebirds, these two. A bit of hope out of a tragedy.’ Len Brunskill smiled and squeezed his wife’s hand and looked at her.

  ‘Yes, I can tell my Tobias is smitten. It’s about time; he wasn’t getting any younger. I’m pleased for you both. You’ll come to tea on Tuesday, won’t you, Polly, when you go to the solicitor’s? I would love to get to know you a little better.’ Daisy rose from her seat. She’d earned the respect of the locals over the years, helping to build up her husband’s business, and then financing Tobias as he ventured into farming. Gone were the days when she was whispered about by the local gossips, and now she had an air of self-confidence about her, and the respect of the local community.

  Tobias offered his mother his arm as she stood up, gazing at Polly as he did so.

  Polly looked at them both. Could they be her new family? She hesitated for a moment before answering. ‘Yes, I’d love to, Mrs Allen, if you are sure.’

  ‘Of course I am, my dear. I want to hear all about you. Come, Tobias, see your mother home and then the day is your own.’ Daisy stepped away from the table and gracefully walked past both Matt and his grandmother, who glared at the couple.

  ‘Now, that’s a grand family, lass. Edmund might have had his doubts, but Daisy’s a lovely woman and she’s brought Tobias up well. Get him snapped up, lass. You’ll not regret it.’

  ‘Len, you hold your wind. We are at a wake, so stop your matchmaking,’ said Martha.

  Polly blushed at the bickering couple.

  ‘You make your own happiness in this world, lass, and if he makes you happy, then what’s wrong with that.’ Len winked. Funerals were a time to think of life as well as death; and life went on. He smiled as Maggie came and sat next to Polly and kissed her tenderly on the cheek, and they both cried together over the death of Edmund. One in, one out, Len thought, as Maggie made Polly feel her unborn baby kick. That was the way of the world, and nowt would stop it.

  Polly kissed both Martha and Len as she left them, to walk home up the field path. They’d begged her to stay with them overnight, but she was adamant that she wanted to go home. The truth was that, on the one hand, she half-expected Matt and his grandmother to come barging in; and, on the other, she secretly longed for Tobias to come and visit her. Whichever it was, they would find her exhausted and without argument, for the day had broken her and the one thing that was keeping her hanging on was the warm smile of Daisy Allen and the promise of tea with her and Tobias on Tuesday.

  Len had made her smile with his teasing. He knew her and her secrets too well. A cloud came over her as she remembered the dark looks and whisperings of Matt and their grandmother. People had shunned them at the funeral, knowing something was wrong, but not knowing quite what. Gossip was rife, and every time folk talked about who was to be left Paradise after old Edmund’s day, a little bit more speculation happened. Even she didn’t know what would happen until Tuesday. Who had inherited it would then be made clear.

  Polly pulled down the latch on the kitchen door and walked into the dim light of the room. She was startled when there was a movement in her grandfather’s chair. Had he come back to haunt her? Was he not really dead? Perhaps they’d been someone else’s remains in the coffin?

  ‘Well, is the old bugger dead and buried then?’ A tall middle-aged man stood up in front of her, the light from the fire giving him a holy glow as he asked his question.

  ‘Who are you, and what are you doing here? I’ll call my dog – he bites!’ Polly stepped back and fumbled for the kitchen-door latch as she kept her eye on the man in her kitchen.

  ‘Hold your noise. You must be Polly? Well, Polly, this might surprise you, but I’m your father. So you can shut that bloody door and sit down.’ Danny Harper turned and spat into the fire.

  ‘You can’t be. Nobody knows where he is. He’s even in America, for all we know.’ Polly didn’t believe a word from the stranger who knew her name.

  ‘He’s not; he’s here in front of you, and I’m bloody starving, lass. I’ve had nowt to eat since I left Liverpool yesterday morning. Get on and make us something.’

  Polly looked at the brash man talking with a slight accent. It was the same accent as that of her Uncle Albert, who was Liverpool-born and bred. Was this really her father? She couldn’t help but stare with her mouth wide open. She’d never dreamed of him turning up out of the blue.

  ‘For God’s sake, lass, I’m not a ghost. Or are you a bit feeble-minded? Bill told me you were as sharp as needles, but then again he’d tell me owt, that rogue.’

  ‘It’s just I’ve never seen you before – it’s a shock!’ Polly gathered her thoughts and then went into the pantry. What did you give your father the first time you ever fed him? Not a lot, in Polly’s case, for she’d not baked or bothered cooking since the crash. She’d even had to throw the sacrificial Christmas goose out, after forgetting that it was hanging there, well past Christmas. She looked round, picked up a loaf of bread and a slab of Wensleydale cheese, some onion pickle and the one slice of cooked ham that she was going to have for her supper. That should fill him. Well, it was going to have to, because she hadn’t even collected the eggs that morning. She looked at the man she now knew to be her father, as she buttered the bread, moving close to him as she put the kettle on the fire to boil.

  ‘Bill said you were like your mother, and he’s right. You’d think you were her.’ Danny looked up at Polly as she offered him the supper, placing it on the kitchen table. He ate as if it was his first-ever taste of food, and talked with his mouth full as Polly watched his every move. ‘You don’t say a lot, do you? I don’t bite, you know.’

  Polly’s curiosity got the better of her. ‘Where have you been until now, and why come home and not even show your face at the funeral?’ She looked at him from the other side of the table. Even by the oil lamp’s dim glow she could tell that he had weathered skin, and his face was hard, with a once-broken nose and sharp eyes.

  ‘Now you are asking a question, lass. Why, indeed?’ Danny sniggered. ‘No matter how much that bloody old bugger of a father said he hated me, he could never forget I was his son. And I know that this spot is mine, now he’s dead. He’d never leave it to anyone else but his lad. So that’s why I’m back.’ Danny leaned back in his chair and belched as he studied Polly’s worried face.

  She quickly remembered the deeds that she’d dared to look at, the night her grandfather was drunk. He was right: Paradise had always been passed to the male heir, and she’d been daft to think it would ever be hers.

  ‘And as for where I’ve been, well, I’m surprised Bill Sunter’s never told anyone. I’ve lived in Liverpool these past eighteen years, making my living on the docks and helping Evie and Albert out, when they needed a hand with their dairy. Thank God they never let on to my mother and father. They knew how tight the lead was that the old bugger kept me on, when I was at home. I’d never any money, and could never afford to stand my round in the pub with my mates. All he ever promised me was that one day I’d own this spot – Paradise.’ Danny watched Polly’s face. ‘He told you that too, did he? You don’t have to tell me, for your face tel
ls me everything.’

  Polly bowed her head. He was right, but deep in her heart she knew that Edmund and Ada had loved her.

  ‘Anyway, I’m back. Happen not for long, just until this place is sold. I’ve instructed old Winterskill to put it up for sale next month, by auction in the Crown Hotel. The sooner it’s sold, the better.’ Danny took a long drink of his tea and watched as a tear ran down Polly’s cheek. ‘Winterskill wrote to me last week, telling me that I’d inherited this place. Not long after my father’s death, Bill gave him my address.’ Danny looked at his daughter. She was the spit of her mother – the mother who had nearly trapped him in a life he didn’t want.

  ‘I’d say you could come back to Liverpool with me, but I’ve a wife and six bairns already. We only live in a back-to-back in Everton; it’s no life for a country lass. You’ll have to go into service or something – at least that will get a roof over your head.’ Danny had no intention of having Polly in tow with him, on his return to Liverpool. With the money from the sale of the farm, he could better his lot and not worry for once about how to feed his hungry brood.

  Polly started to sob. She was losing everything because of this selfish man, who was her father. He’d walked out on her mother and now he was walking out on her, leaving her with nothing.

  ‘For God’s sake. Your mother used to do this and all she did was moan, and look where that got her.’

  Danny went quiet as he was interrupted by a knock on the kitchen door. He got up out of his chair and opened it, to the surprise of Tobias Middleton. ‘Who are you, and what do you want?’

  Polly listened at the table and blew her nose hard, brushing away her tears as she realized it was Tobias at the door.

  ‘I’m Tobias Middleton. I’ve come to see if Polly’s all right.’ He placed his foot in the doorway and peered at Polly, crying at the table. ‘Who are you, and why are you making my Polly upset?’ Tobias wasn’t going to remove his foot, even though Danny was trying hard to push him out of the door.