A Loving Family (7 page)

‘I saw you racing towards the folly. I knew something was up so I followed you and lucky I did.'

‘Were you spying on me, Jacob?'

‘I was bringing Sir Percy's horse back from the farrier when I spotted you. I seen him too, so I knew he was up to no good.'

She shivered convulsively as the chill seeped into her bones. ‘I thought he wanted to talk as we did when we were children. We were good friends in those days.'

‘That was a long time ago. You should have known better.' Jacob backed away as Tommy made an attempt to rise. ‘Touch her again, cully, and I'll knock your block off.'

Tommy staggered to his feet, holding his hand to his bruised chin. ‘You'll both pay for this.' He stumbled out of the folly and they watched him weave his way across the lawn like a drunken man.

‘I'll be sacked for sure,' Jacob said, picking up his cap and ramming it onto his head. ‘I've left the horses to find their own way to the stables so I'd best go and make sure they're all right before I pack me bags. You'll be out on your pretty little ear too, no doubt.'

‘I couldn't stay after that anyway.' Stella reached for her shawl. ‘I've already been in trouble thanks to Master Tommy. But I still can't believe the way he behaved.'

‘It's the drink that makes men behave like animals. My old man used to spend his wages on tiddley and come home roaring drunk to beat up me mother and any of us that got in his way. When sober he was a decent chap, but drunk he was a brute. I can see Master Tommy going the same way. You'll be better off away from here.' He linked her hand through his arm. ‘I'll see you safe to the kitchen and then I'll take care of the horses, although they know their way home without me.'

She allowed him to lead her out of the folly and across the lawn towards the servants' entrance at the side of the house. ‘Thank you, Jacob. I hate to think what would have happened if you hadn't come to my rescue.'

‘I've always had a soft spot for you, Stella. I could take care of you, if you'd let me.'

‘I don't deserve such kindness. I've never been particularly nice to you.'

‘When did that ever put a man off when he fancies a pretty woman?'

‘I don't know. In fact I don't know anything about men in general, other than the fact that I should avoid them from now on.'

‘We ain't all like Master Tommy. I would be good to you, Stella. I mean it.'

‘I know you do, but I'll have to leave Portgone Place and find my own way in the world. I always intended to go in search of my family but somehow the time never seemed to be right. Now I have no choice.'

‘Well, good luck, Stella. And if you change your mind you'll find me at the village forge. The farrier happens to be my uncle, and as luck would have it he offered to take me on and train me in his trade this very day. I said I'd think about it, but now my mind has been made up for me.' He patted her hand as it lay on his arm. ‘Come, we might as well walk together. We've nothing more to lose.'

He left her at the scullery door and she went inside, covering her torn blouse with her damp shawl in case anyone was about. All was quiet, but as she entered the kitchen she came face to face with a furious Annie. Her face was ashen and her eyes blazed with anger. ‘I saw you,' she said, pointing a shaking finger at Stella. ‘I was clearing the dining room when I looked out of the window and saw you racing across the lawn to the folly. You went to meet him, didn't you?'

‘It wasn't my idea, Annie. You must believe that.' Stella held up her hands in a gesture of submission but the movement caused her shawl to slip, revealing her dishevelled state.

Annie's eyes widened in horror. ‘You've been whoring with him, haven't you? Just look at the state you're in.'

‘No, really, it wasn't like that. He attacked me, Annie.'

‘You're a liar. Jacob isn't like that.' Annie took a step towards her, eyes narrowed. ‘I saw Jacob follow you but you must have led him on. Jacob wouldn't behave like that.'

A bubble of hysterical laughter threatened to overcome her, but Stella managed to keep a grip on reality. ‘Annie, it wasn't Jacob who attacked me. He saved me.'

A look of disbelief crossed Annie's pallid features. ‘Why should I believe you? I know he's sweet on you. If it weren't for you he'd see that I'm the girl for him.'

‘And you are. I'm not interested in Jacob.'

‘So who was this mysterious man you went to meet?'

‘I might as well tell you, because it will be common gossip before nightfall. If you must know I was foolish enough to agree to meet Master Tommy. I thought I could sort things out between us, but I was wrong. He'd been drinking and he tried to rape me. He would have succeeded if Jacob hadn't seen me going to the folly and followed me there.'

‘Oh, Lord, what a tangle.'

‘If you want to see Jacob again you'd best run to the stables. He's packing his bags as we speak. He's leaving because he knows he'll be sacked for punching Master Tommy on the jaw.'

Annie's eyes widened even further. ‘He never did.'

‘He knocked him senseless and he'll get the blame for it, which is very unfair. I'll be in trouble too and I'm not waiting around to suffer the humiliation of being sacked.'

‘Where will you go?'

‘I don't know yet, but I'll think of something.' Stella threw her arms around Annie and gave her a hug. ‘Go quickly and see if you can catch Jacob before he sets off for the village. He's been offered a job with the farrier so he won't be far away.'

Annie's grey eyes filled with tears. ‘I'll miss you, Stella. Send word to me when you've found a new position.'

‘I will. Don't worry about me. I'll be all right,' Stella said with more conviction than she was feeling. She gave Annie a last hug. ‘Go quickly or you'll miss him.'

The reality of her situation only became apparent to Stella as she walked through the gates of Portgone Place for what she thought would be the last time. She paused, glancing over her shoulder at the house which had been her home since she was eleven, and now she was going out into a hostile world with little more than a change of clothes and the small amount of money she had managed to save. The worst of it was that she had no one to turn to and nowhere to go. Perhaps she should have gone to Lady Langhorne and told her the truth of what had happened, but Tommy would deny everything and of course she would believe her son over the word of a mere servant.

She started walking and when she came to a crossroads she hesitated, gazing at the signpost. The wooden fingers pointed in four directions and she must choose which road to take. The rain had ceased but a chill wind whipped her hair from beneath her bonnet and tugged at her damp skirts. Her boots leaked and she was conscious of a blister forming on one of her heels. She read the signpost again and the word Navestock seemed to leap out at her. She closed her eyes and she could hear Mr Hendy's voice. ‘Chalkhill Farm, Navestock. Ask anyone and they'll give you directions.' He had invited her to visit them and she was desperate. Perhaps he would allow her to stay for the night, even if she had to sleep in a barn, and she could start out again tomorrow. She braced her shoulders and set off on the road for Navestock.

The sun had fought its way between billowing rain clouds, parting them briefly before they closed together like the curtains in a theatre, plunging the countryside into a sullen gloom with spatters of rain spiking the wind. It was late afternoon by the time Stella reached her destination and she could see the lights from the farmhouse windows from the lane. Her boots were thick with mud, as was the hem of her dress, and the damp patch was gradually working its way up towards her knees. Her fingers were numbed with cold as she fumbled with the metal latch on the gate. She opened it and was about to step into the yard when two dogs appeared as if from nowhere, barking and baring their teeth.

‘Down, boys.' The order came from Robert, who emerged from an outbuilding and strode towards her, clicking his fingers at the dogs. They obeyed the command and came to heel. ‘Miss Barry. It is you, isn't it?' Robert stared at her in astonishment. ‘Come into the house. You look perished.'

Her teeth were chattering so loudly that she was virtually incapable of speech, but she mumbled her thanks and followed him across the muddy yard to the back door of the half-timbered farmhouse. He ushered her into the chaos of a scullery with a stone sink filled with dirty dishes. The floor was strewn with muddy boots, which looked as though they had been kicked off and left where they had fallen. Waxed coats hung from pegs on the wall and she almost tripped over one of the dogs as it lapped water from a pudding basin. ‘It's a bit of a mess,' Robert said apologetically. He opened the kitchen door. ‘Father, we have a visitor.'

A gust of warm air almost took Stella's breath away as she entered the large and equally messy kitchen. Strings of onions and bunches of dried herbs dangled from its beamed ceiling and a flitch of bacon hung above the fire in the cast-iron range. The scene was of homely disarray with discarded newspapers lying on the flagstone floor and articles of clothing flung over the backs of chairs. The remnants of a meal lay abandoned on the kitchen table and Stella noticed a cask of ale occupying one of the ladder-back chairs. Mr Hendy rose from his chair by the range. ‘This is a pleasant surprise. But you look chilled to the bone, Stella. Take off those wet things and come and sit by the fire.' He gave a fat tortoiseshell cat a gentle nudge and it slid to the floor, swishing its tail in protest.

The welcome she had received was more than she had expected and Stella found herself close to tears. She covered her embarrassment by taking off her wet and ruined straw bonnet and her equally soggy shawl. Robert took them from her together with her small portmanteau. ‘I'll be amazed if you don't go down with a chill, miss. Sit down and I'll make a pot of tea.'

‘Put some brandy in it, Bob,' Mr Hendy said, eyeing Stella with a thoughtful frown. ‘Take a seat, my dear. Explanations can come later.'

Stella allowed them to fuss over her and gradually the feeling came back to her fingers and toes. The tea, laced with brandy, had an instant effect and she felt more like herself. ‘You're very kind. You must think it strange that I've turned up on your doorstep like this.'

‘I'm sure there's a very good reason,' Mr Hendy said, taking a seat on one of the beechwood chairs at the table. ‘But you need not tell us if it makes you uncomfortable. Suffice to say you are most welcome here, Stella.'

‘But I must explain, sir. I would not have imposed myself on you like this had it not been for circumstances beyond my control.'

‘What happened? You can tell us.' Robert glanced at his father who was shaking his head. ‘I'm sorry, Pa, but the question must be asked. Who would allow a young woman to roam the countryside alone in weather like this and so near to dusk? There must be a reason.'

‘There is,' Stella said hastily. ‘I had to leave my position at Portgone Place in a hurry, through no fault of my own other perhaps than an ill-judged loyalty to an old friend. I didn't know where to turn and then I remembered your past kindness, Mr Hendy. I thought perhaps if you would allow me to stay in one of your outbuildings for the night, I would go on my way in the morning without being too much of a bother to you.'

‘You will do no such thing,' Mr Hendy said firmly. ‘You will be a most welcome guest in my house, and you may stay for as long as you like. I know your history, my dear, and I would not see you homeless and alone when we are more than happy to enjoy your company. Isn't that so, Bob?'

Robert nodded emphatically. ‘It will be a pleasure to have a guest in the house, but I am not very good when it comes to housekeeping and my brother is even worse. We have a woman who comes in from the village every day to look after us, but our housekeeper died last year and we miss her.'

‘That isn't Stella's problem,' Mr Hendy said, rising from his seat. ‘I'll show you to your room, my dear. I suggest you change out of your wet clothes and then you might feel like coming downstairs to share our meal. Mrs Spriggs is a reasonable cook but she only knows how to make stew, so our diet is wholesome but monotonous.'

‘I'll take Stella upstairs, Pa.' Robert picked up a lighted oil lamp and made a move towards the doorway. ‘I'll show her where the clean linen is kept.'

Stella was overwhelmed by their eagerness to make her feel at home and more than grateful. ‘I can make up a bed, Mr Robert.'

‘I'm Bob to my friends, miss.'

‘And I'm Stella.' She turned to his father. ‘Thank you, sir. I really wasn't expecting all this.'

‘It's no more than you deserve after what you've been through in the past,' Mr Hendy said gently. ‘You need not tell us anything more if you don't want to, Stella. It's none of our business, but it must have been a very bad experience to make you leave Portgone Place. I thought you were settled there at least until some lucky fellow claimed you for his wife.'

‘I can't ever go back,' Stella said sadly. ‘I've left without a reference but I'll find work somewhere. I'm not one to give in to ill fortune.' She followed Robert from the warmth of the kitchen to the chill of the wainscoted entrance hall and up the staircase to the first floor. The ancient wooden floorboards sloped crazily, making Stella feel as if she was walking on the side of a hill as she followed him along a narrow landing to the rear of the house. He opened a door and the smell of camphor and lavender assailed her nostrils. ‘This was Mrs Bright's room,' Robert said, ushering her inside. ‘She came to us after Ma died and was like a second mother to Bertie and me. We miss her very much.'

‘I'm sorry,' Stella said, not knowing what else to say. She looked round the room, which was eerily shrouded in dust sheets. ‘I don't want to put you to any trouble, Bob.'