‘Am I?’ Flustered, Pearl fiddled with the ribbons on her bonnet. She had just retrimmed it with some ribbon the mistress had given her, and this would be the first time she’d worn it since. She’d been saving it for a special occasion. ‘Well, I must be off,’ she said, avoiding Susan’s eyes as she shot away, much to her friend’s amusement.
Pearl saw Nick just leaving the barber’s shop as she walked into the town. His beard was gone now and, freshly shaved with his hair neatly trimmed, he looked handsomer than ever.
What’s wrong with me? she asked herself. She had never felt like this with anyone before and couldn’t understand why her heart had started to thump again.
Nick looked her way as she approached him with a basket over her arm and he beamed thinking again how pretty she was now.
‘I, er . . . brought my neighbour, Lil’s, address for you . . . just in case you ever get chance to go and see her.’
All fingers and thumbs, she fumbled in her pocket for the piece of paper she had written the address on and handed it to him.
‘Thanks.’ He tucked the paper into his pocket before asking, ‘So what are you up to now?’ He liked the bonnet she was wearing, he decided. The colour of the ribbons matched her eyes.
‘Oh, I’ve got a few things to get for Mrs Forbes, then she’s given me the morning off,’ she answered. ‘Her son is coming home from school in England and she’s writing out the invites for the party she’s arranging to welcome him home.’
‘Isn’t he the one that you and Eliza weren’t keen on?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. I’m just hoping he’ll be a bit nicer when he comes back, but I’m not holding my breath.’
They walked on in silence for a few moments as Pearl headed to the post office with a letter to Mrs Forbes’s parents that she’d asked her to post.
‘I’ll tell you what, I’ll do your errands with you, then we could go for a cup of tea if you like, in that nice little café along the main road. I haven’t got anything else to do.’
She smiled at him. ‘I never say no to a cup of tea. I might even get you to treat me to a scone. They’re particularly nice from there.’
‘That’s typical of you women, trying to get a bloke to part with his hard-earned cash,’ he teased. They were at ease in each other’s company again now and he couldn’t think of a nicer way to spend the morning than with her. It was funny when he thought about it, he was no virgin and had had many girls in many ports, as most of his shipmates had, but he had always been able to leave them and never give them a second thought. You’re goin’ soft, lad, he scolded himself. He’d promised himself that he would never become attached to anyone and yet there was something about Pearl that drew him to her like a moth to a flame. Not that anything could ever come of the attraction. He was a sailor and who knew when he might dock here again. It could well be another two years away and by then a beautiful girl like Pearl would probably have a string of young men after her; he was surprised she didn’t already.
They went to the post office and then the haberdashery shop and once she had everything on her list, Pearl told him with a smile, ‘That’s it, I’m all yours – for the next hour or so at least.’
Soon, they were tucked in seats at a window table in the café with a steaming pot of tea and a plate of scones in front of them.
‘This is all very civilised,’ Nick said as Pearl poured tea into delicate china cups through a small tea strainer. For some reason he couldn’t seem to stop smiling. ‘We’re lucky to get tin mugs on board ship.’
‘Then just enjoy what time you have left on dry land. Tomorrow will be here before you know it,’ she told him wisely, and she went on to tell him all about what had been happening in her life for the last two years and what her life in Canada had turned out like.
It was a shock when Pearl glanced at the clock on the wall sometime later to see that they had been sitting there for over an hour. ‘Oh, dear, look at the time. Mrs Forbes will think I’ve got lost. I shall have to go.’
‘Must you?’ Suddenly the thought of saying goodbye with no idea when he might see her again was unbearable – and could he have known it, she felt exactly the same.
‘I’m afraid so.’ Lifting her bonnet, she popped it back on, covering up her glorious fair hair, and after leaving a generous tip on the table he followed her outside.
‘I could walk some of the way back with you, if you like?’ he suggested and was rewarded with a smile.
‘I’d like that, thank you.’
They walked through the town without speaking until, once they were on the road that led to the house, he gently took her arm and told her, ‘I’ve enjoyed this morning, Pearl.’
‘So have I.’ She was shocked to find, now that she was standing so close, that she only reached up to his shoulders.
‘Perhaps the next time I come back, we could do it again?’
She stared up into his wonderful dark eyes. With the sun in them they reminded her of the colour of treacle.
And then suddenly, before he could stop himself, he bent his head and kissed her. Pearl gasped as emotions she had never known she had burst into glorious life; the feeling was so wonderful, she felt almost as if she could have flown away.
It was he who pulled away first, looking guilty. What was he thinking of? He would be gone the next day so why was he leading her on? He knew it wasn’t fair and yet he hadn’t seemed able to stop himself. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,’ he whispered.
‘Why not? I didn’t stop you, did I? And I enjoyed it as it happens.’
He was looking uncomfortable now as he kicked at a loose stone in the road with the toe of his boot. ‘Er, right, I’d best be off. Look after yourself.’
‘I will,’ she whispered and she stood and watched him until he was out of sight.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I
t was the middle of July and a beautiful day when Pearl threw open the windows in Master Monty’s bedroom to let in some fresh air. The bed was freshly made up and every-where smelled of lavender polish. She glanced around and once she was happy that everything was ready for his arrival, she went downstairs to find Mrs Forbes prowling up and down the drawing room like a caged animal.
‘I do hope the ship hasn’t been delayed,’ she said for at least the tenth time in as many minutes, as Pearl plumped up the pillows on the small gilt sofa.
‘I’m sure it won’t have been, ma’am. If there had been any storms at sea, Mr Forbes would have heard about it from the other ships that have been docking here. They’ve all been on schedule.’
‘Yes, yes, you’re quite right, of course they have. It’s just that . . .’ Mrs Forbes’s hand rose to her throat. ‘I think I’ve been fretting a little. What I mean is, Monty has been away for such a long time now. What if we don’t know each other anymore when he gets back? What if we are like strangers?’
‘I’m sure that won’t be the case,’ Pearl assured her, as she ran an expert eye around the rest of the room. There was a large vase of freshly cut flowers on a small table and another in the hall, and they filled the house with their perfume. Everywhere looked perfect, so all they could do now was wait. Will had taken the carriage down to the quay to wait for the ship over an hour ago, but then they all knew that it might still be some time before it arrived.
‘I’ll just go and make sure that all is well in the kitchen, ma’am,’ Pearl said and hastily took her leave. The mistress’s pacing was making her nervous and she just wanted the homecoming to be over now. The house had been in chaos for days and she would be glad when things went back to normal.
She found Cook seated on a chair by the open door and the table covered in an array of freshly baked cakes and pastries. ‘Mistress said as I was to cook all his favourites, so I have,’ she grumbled. ‘An’ I just hope he appreciates it.’
Eliza was washing a lettuce at the sink to add to a large bowl of salad, and Freda was outside, hanging a load of clean sheets on the line in the
yard.
‘Still not ’ere?’ she asked when she’d finished.
Pearl shook her head. ‘Not yet, but I hope he won’t be much longer for the mistress’s sake. She’s like a nervous wreck, poor soul.’
‘Huh! I would ’ave thought ’is dad would ’ave took a day off to welcome ’im ’ome an’ all,’ Freda commented disparagingly.
Cook and Pearl exchanged a glance. Unlike his wife, Mr Forbes didn’t seem to be too happy with the fact that his son was returning, but then, it was he who had sent him away in the first place. Cook had confided to Pearl some time ago that she thought the master held his son responsible for his daughter’s death, and when Pearl had looked shocked she had hurried on to explain, ‘They were both of them banned from going anywhere near the river but Master Monty took her down there one day and when she fell in he was unable to save her. No one could have with those currents. That river has been known to sweep full grown men to their deaths. Even in good weather when the top looks calm, the currents beneath are treacherous. Anyway, I don’t think the master ever forgave him.’ Cook had shaken her head sorrowfully. ‘She was such a lovely little lass,’ she’d said, as she’d sniffed back a tear. ‘Always got a smile on her face and the sweetest nature, but her brother was always jealous of her. In fact, I sometimes wondered if . . .’ Realising that she had almost said too much, she had shaken her head, but Pearl had already formed her own opinion. Could it be that Monty had played some part in what had happened to his sister?
Eliza was just adding some tomatoes to the salad bowl when they heard the sound of the carriage returning.
‘Ooh, I bet this is Monty,’ Freda hooted as she wiped her nose on her apron. She was now almost seventeen but still skinny and plain, which perhaps went some way to explaining why she seemed to be so jealous of Pearl and Eliza.
‘I’d better get to the door just in case it is,’ Pearl said – but she was too late, because as she hurried into the hallway the front door crashed open so hard that it bounced off the wall and Monty stood there glowering.
‘Some homecoming this is,’ he said peevishly. ‘When I have to let myself in.’ He stopped speaking as his eyes lit on Pearl, and for a moment he was speechless. Surely this wasn’t the scrawny little cripple kid that he used to torment? But he had no time to think anything else, because the next second his mother came hurtling out of the drawing room and launched herself at him, almost knocking him off his feet, even though he was much taller than her now.
‘Oh, my darling boy, you’ll never know how much I’ve missed you,’ she gushed. ‘But come in – you must be hungry and thirsty. Pearl, could you have some tea and food sent in on a tray for him to keep him going?’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Pearl turned around, glad of a chance to escape, but she could almost feel his eyes burning into her back as she set off down the hallway. He had changed a great deal in looks, in fairness, and was now a nice-looking young man, but if his entrance was anything to go by, his nature hadn’t improved.
Cook prepared him some ham and salad sandwiches and, after adding a pot of tea and some small cakes and pastries to the tray, Pearl carried it through to him.
‘Oh, thank you, just leave it there. That will be all thank you, Pearl,’ Mrs Forbes told her, and without once looking in Monty’s direction Pearl hurried out again.
‘She’s certainly grown up,’ Monty remarked as his mother began to pour the tea.
Mrs Forbes grinned. ‘Have you looked in the mirror lately, darling? I’ll think you’ll find you have too. But now come on and tell me all you’ve been up to. How are your grandma and grandpa?’
He sighed. He hadn’t been home for more than a few minutes and already his mother was driving him mad with her constant chatter. Still, he supposed it was better than having to attend that school anymore. Had he not left when he did, he knew that he would have been expelled, so far better for his parents to think he had come home because he wanted to. And after seeing Pearl, there were perks to being here, he decided. She had turned into a very comely young woman. With a smirk, he took the tea his mother offered and helped himself to a cake as he thought about the fun he and Pearl could have.
‘So, you’re home then,’ his father remarked rather unnecessarily, when he met Monty at dinner that evening.
‘I would say that was rather obvious,’ Monty replied sarcastically.
‘Cook has made you your favourite roast dinner, look, darling,’ his mother butted in nervously. She had hoped that her son and her husband would get on better after being apart for so long, but they certainly hadn’t got off to the best of starts. They had only been together for five minutes and they were bickering already.
As she hurriedly began to pile Monty’s plate with succulent roast beef and vegetables, her husband raised his eyebrow and remarked, ‘I’m sure Monty is quite old enough to serve himself now, darling.’
She gave a nervous giggle. ‘Of course, you are right,’ she said to placate him. ‘But I’m afraid old habits die hard. It’s so strange to see him as a young man now.’
‘Hm, which leads me to what I wanted to say to you.’ His father looked at Monty. ‘Now that you are, as your mother says, a young man, I think it’s time you started work.’
Monty didn’t look at all enamoured of that idea. ‘Doing what?’
‘Well, there are a few choices. I could set you on at the sawmill, or perhaps you’d prefer to work at the shipyard?’
‘Doing what?’ Monty repeated, and his insolent tone made his father frown.
‘Obviously wherever you start, you will have to begin at the bottom, as I did, and work your way up, so that you know what all of the jobs entail.’
Monty looked horrified. ‘But surely the boss’s son should have a managerial role?’ he argued.
‘That’s not how it works,’ his father said solemnly. ‘Imagine how the rest of the workers would react if you suddenly turned up giving them orders just because you are my son. No, I’m afraid anyone that works for me must know all the jobs inside out. I’ve always prided myself on being able to do anything that I ask my workers to do, and many a time I’ve worked with them if we’ve been a man down.’
Monty didn’t look too happy with that idea at all. He had imagined as the boss’s son that his days from now on would be spent doing whatever he liked with a good allowance to spend, but it appeared that his father had other ideas.
‘Oh, and I ought to warn you that I’ve stopped your monthly allowance now that you are no longer at school,’ his father continued, as if he had been able to read his mind.
‘What?’ Monty looked horrified. ‘So what am I supposed to live on?’
‘Money that you have earned.’ His father gave him a stern glance. ‘It’s time to join the real world. You’ve had the best education that money could buy and now we’ll see if it was worth all that it cost me. And don’t look so horrified. You’ve had it easy compared to how I had it. I started out with nothing and built my businesses with my bare hands. There was no one to help me, so think yourself lucky. Just think about what you’d like to do and let me know. I thought you could start work next week when you’ve had a few days to settle back in.’
Monty scowled as he leaned over his plate and the rest of the meal was eaten in an uncomfortable silence. It was hardly the homecoming he had hoped for.
Later that evening as the staff sat in the kitchen enjoying a cup of cocoa before going to bed, Freda joined them. She had been banking down the fires in the drawing room and the dining room and now her face was flushed. ‘Phew, I just met Master Monty,’ she gabbled with a dreamy look in her eye. ‘An’ ’e’s so ’andsome.’
‘Huh, handsome is as handsome does,’ Cook said. ‘And I’ll make my decision on that when he’s been home awhile. I have to say though, of the little I’ve seen of him since he got back, he’s still as cocky as he was before he went away.’
Much to everyone’s surprise, Freda tossed her head. She never usually disagreed with Cook, but it was clea
r that she was smitten with Monty. ‘Well, I like ’im wharrever any o’ you lot say about ’im,’ she said and left the room, slamming the door behind her without even waiting for her cup of cocoa, which wasn’t like her at all.
The next morning Pearl was sitting in the office working on the household accounts when Monty appeared in the doorway and gave her a disarming smile.
‘Oh, sorry to disturb you. I didn’t expect to find anyone other than my father in here,’ he apologised.
‘Mr Forbes is at the mill today,’ Pearl informed him politely. ‘But he gave me permission to work in here when he was away.’ She closed the ledger hastily. ‘But of course, I can work somewhere else if you wish to use the room.’
‘Oh, no, no, I wouldn’t dream of disturbing you,’ Monty assured her, with a sickly, false smile. ‘I only came in to choose a book. I’m not used to sitting about and thought I’d read for a while.’ Crossing to the huge bookshelf that took up almost all of one wall he pretended to browse the titles, although in truth he couldn’t stand reading. It had always seemed such a complete waste of time to him, but he wanted to impress Pearl.
‘It’s quite all right. I’ve actually almost finished anyway, and I should be going to check if Mrs Forbes needs anything.’ She inclined her head and without another word left the room.
Monty scowled. He wasn’t at all used to girls ignoring him; in fact the ones back in London had never been able to get enough of him, especially when they knew that he had money in his pocket. It was one of his former school friends who had first introduced him to the delights of the brothels, and since then he had lost count of the girls he had bedded. He had even had two girls fighting over him one night, but he could see that he was going to have to try a different tack if he was to win Pearl over. The girls he was used to were trained to sleep with whoever had the money to pay for the privilege, but Pearl was probably one of those soppy girls who believed in love and romance. I can do that, he told himself with a grin. At least until I’ve had my way with her and then she’ll be like putty in my hands. Perhaps I could get her a little gift? All girls liked gifts.
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