Cherry Tree Lane (32 page)

Jacob felt a bit shy as he turned into the house. He still had to make his peace with Mattie, wasn’t sure how to begin.

She’d hardly said a word to him. He looked at her and caught her staring at him. He couldn’t do this in front of his children. ‘We’ll talk later,’ he said. ‘You’re sure you’re all right?’

She nodded, but still looked wary.

The hardest thing about having children around was a husband and wife finding time to be alone together and talk, he thought, especially hard when you were newly wed. But he wasn’t going to sleep until they’d sorted this out, till he’d apologised. He owed Mattie a big apology for his churlishness, for his false pride.

They went into the kitchen to wash the cuts. Cook came back in the dog cart a short time later, exclaimed in horror at the sight of her bruised and battered master, and took charge.

She put arnica on the bruises, washed the cuts with soft rags and as Mattie saw how good she was and how much she was enjoying looking after him, she stepped back and didn’t try to help.

When Cook had finished, she sent them out of her kitchen, telling them she’d bring a tea tray to the small sitting room.

‘Let Luke stay with you and bring that,’ Jacob said. ‘You’ve enough to do.’

She looked fondly at the two children and nodded. ‘We’ve not had our luncheon either. I’ll feed them in here, shall I? We’ll bring yours into the morning room, sir.’

‘I never realised servants could order their masters around,’ Mattie whispered as they went to the sitting room.

Jacob caught her hand, wincing as her fingers clung to his and inadvertently hurt his bruised knuckles.

She raised his hand to her lips and kissed it. ‘Thank you for protecting us.’

‘I’d a hard job with that stepfather of yours. You were right. He does fight dirty. Come and sit on the sofa with me.’

When they were seated he took her hand again. ‘I got to thinking in church that I was being a fool. It was pride, Mattie, just pride that made me treat you like that. A man likes to provide for his family, only you’ll be doing the providing now.’

‘But I still need you. I can’t possibly manage on my own. I don’t know what to do with all this.’ She gestured round her.

‘I need you too. But not for the money, because I want you to be my wife … and properly. I love you, Mattie.’

She stared at him, her heart suddenly beating faster at the warm look in his eyes. ‘Oh, Jacob, do you really mean that?’

‘Of course I do. I’d not say it else.’

‘And I love you, too.’

His smile lit up his face. He glanced over his shoulder towards the door and gave her a rueful look. ‘I hardly dare kiss you in case Cook comes in and tells us off.’

She chuckled, relaxing even more, feeling happiness flood through her. ‘It’d be worth a telling-off.’

His voice had thickened as he pulled her to him. ‘Yes. It would.’

He kissed her gently, or at least he tried to. But the kiss didn’t stay gentle, because it was Mattie and he’d been wanting her in his arms for days. And she was willing, offering her lips, clinging to him, kissing him back.

Some of the pins fell out of her hair and with a soft murmur of approval he pulled the rest out. ‘Lovely hair you have, lovely skin too.’

It was the sound of giggling that pulled them out of the embrace. He turned in embarrassment to see Luke and Sarah standing at the door watching them.

Mattie flushed scarlet and buried her face in Jacob’s chest.

He looked at his son first, frightened that the boy would resent his feelings for Mattie.

But Luke smiled at him and said, ‘Tom told me how you’d be acting if you loved one another, kissing and all that, but I didn’t think you did love one another. I don’t mind you getting married again if you really love one another, though I’m never going to get married because you’ll not catch me kissing a girl like that.’ He shuddered eloquently.

Jacob didn’t make the mistake of telling the boy off for his cheek, but said gravely, as one man to another, ‘I do love her dearly, son, and I hope you will too when you get to know her.’

Luke looked at Mattie and she held her breath, desperate to win the approval of both Jacob’s children. He shrugged. ‘I don’t mind. She’s nice to Sarah and she sets a good table. I’ve not been hungry once since she got better.’

Jacob’s voice only shook a little with amusement as he said, ‘Good reasons for me to marry her, eh?’ He squeezed Mattie’s hand and exchanged smiles with her, then turned his attention to his daughter. ‘Are you happy about Mattie being part of our family, Sarah?’

She beamed at them both. ‘Oh, yes. She’s nice. And she’s pretty too.’ She ran forward suddenly and thrust herself between them on the sofa, trying to cuddle them both at once.

Jacob looked over his daughter’s head at Luke and gestured to him to join the three of them. And after a moment’s hesitation Luke did that, squeezing into a corner of the sofa next to his father and smiling at them both.

‘That’s what I like to see,’ Cook said from the doorway. ‘Families who love one another. Life’s better when you’ve got a bit of love to help it along. Now, who’s coming to help me carry the food in?’

As Jacob and Luke followed her to the kitchen, Mattie gave up the attempt to pin back her hair and let it fall to her shoulders. She was filled with joy, so much joy it felt to be sparkling all through her.

And even though she didn’t know where her sisters were, she was sure now that they’d got away from Bart and that pleased her greatly. One day she’d find them again. She had to believe that.

And surely with a gentle man like Cliff, Nell and Renie would make a better life for themselves … just as she would with Jacob. Oh, but it was a pity they couldn’t come and share in her good fortune. Maybe one day she’d be able to help them.

It was Luke who brought her out of her momentary trance. ‘Come on, Mattie. I’m hungry. Aren’t you?’

‘You’re always hungry,’ Sarah said, beaming at everyone.

Mattie nodded and took her place at the table with her family, feeling as if her heart would burst with joy.

 

 

If you enjoyed
Cherry Tree Lane
look out for
Elm Tree Road
,
the next book in the Wiltshire Girls series.

 

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A
NNA
J
ACOBS
is the author of fifty novels and is addicted to storytelling. She grew up in Lancashire, emigrated to Australia in the 1970s and writes stories set in both countries. She loves to return to England regularly to visit her family and soak up the history. She has two grown-up daughters and a grandson, and lives with her husband in a spacious waterfront home. Often as she writes, dolphins frolic outside the window of her study. Inside, the house is crammed with thousands of books.

www.annajacobs.com

Cherry Tree Lane

Elm Tree Road