Here Comes a Candle (28 page)

“
What? But I
’
ve given orders for dinner!
”

“
That
’
s too bad.
”
He did not sound as if he cared.
“
Time enough to think of eating when we have put a few more miles between us and Boston. Your husband
’
s no fool, you know. When he finds no evidence that we
’
ve hired a coach there, he
’
ll think of other possibilities. I bribed the man I hired from Worcester as heavily as I could afford, but—
”
he shrugged.
“
Mrs. Croston, you
’
ll find the child upstairs in the ladies
’
bedroom. Wake her, if you please, and have her ready to travel as soon as I
’
ve had the horses put to.
”

“
Has she had anything to eat?
”

“
To eat!
”
Arabella was on the verge of one of her rages.
“
What do you think! We
’
re to pay for the damage in the dining parlor, Charles.
”
But he had turned to leave the room and took no notice.
“
Well!
”
For a moment, Kate thought she would let rage conquer discretion, but, recollecting herself,
“
Best lose no time, Mrs. Croston,
”
she said,
“
if we are really to start at once.
”

Grateful for her experience in just such little country inns when traveling with Jonathan, Kate began by finding her way to the big, hot kitchen at the back of the house. As she expected, the landlady and two of her daughters were hard at work there preparing the dinner Arabella had ordered. It was none of her business to warn them their labor was to be wasted.
“
How do you do,
”
she had learned from watching Jonathan, that the owners of an inn must be treated as rather better than equals.
“
Forgive my intruding when I can see how busy you are, but I
’
m Sarah
’
s nurse. I came to apologize for all the trouble she
’
s caused you. Poor child, traveling always upsets her.
”

“
Upsets!
”
The red-faced landlady handed her wooden spoon to the taller of her two girls.
“
I’
m upset too, I can tell
you, by the mess she
’
s made in my
dinin
g
room.
They
’
ll find it on their bill, and so I warned Mrs. Manningham.
”

Mrs. Manningham? But—of course.
“
I am so sorry.
”
Kate really meant it.
“
There
’
s nothing worse than a panicky child, is there? It
’
s almost an illness with Sarah. I can see you
’
ve had no trouble of that kind.
”
Here a glance for the two stout, red-faced girls who so unfortunately favored their mother.

“
No, ma
’
am; never a day
’
s trouble with mine.
”
The landlady was thawing.
“
‘
Make them mind you,
’
that
’
s what I say. First and last, that
’
s the secret of childrearing. But that Mrs. Manningham—why, you
’
d think she
’
d never had the care of the child before. In fact, we had begun to wonder, my good man and I, just what was going on?
”
Her curiosity was almost palpable in the room.

For a moment, Kate was horribly tempted. If she told this good-natured, inquisitive woman what was, in fact, going on, surely she would fetch help? But—what help, in a village this size? Charles Manningham would carry it, she was sure, with a high hand. The only result would be that she was left behind, and Sarah taken on, helpless, drugged with laudanum. And what effect that might have on the child
’
s already disordered nervous system
...

It did not bear thinking of.
“
You might well wonder,
”
she said as cheerfully as she could.
“
The trouble is, Mrs. Manningham
’
s not had much to do with the child. She
’
s—well, you know what Boston society is like?
”

“
One of those is she? Just what I thought. I
’
ve read of their doings, the painted Jezebels: balls and parties, picnics on Sundays; and even going to the theater.
”
She made it sound like the uttermost depth of debauchery.
“
Yes, I reckoned that was what it was, miss, but glad to have you confirm it, and will set my husband
’
s fears at rest. We
’
re a respectable house, mind, and a God-fearing one, and no wish to get mixed up in anything underhand.
”

“
Of course not.
”
It was frightening to have succeeded so easily.
“
I can see you
’
re a good woman, ma
’
am, and not one to stand by and let a child suffer. And it makes me bolder to ask a favor of you.
”

“
A favor?
”
She was all bristling suspicion at once.

“
Oh, nothing much. It
’
s just—could I possibly, do you think, have a glass of milk and a bit of cake for the child? I know it
’
s asking a lot, when it
’
s not your regular dinner hour, but by all accounts she
’
s had nothing to eat all day, naughty little thing; and you know, don
’
t you, ma
’
am, how badly growing children need their food? I
’
m sure your handsome daughters had plenty of midday snacks from you when they were growing.
”

“
That they did.
”
The woman moved across the room to pour a mugful of milk from a big stone crock.
“
No child shall starve in my house, that
’
s one thing certain. As for some folks that want their dinners to suit themselves, not me, that
’
s something else again.
”
She cut off a lavish slice of fruitcake as she spoke, and Kate was able to thank her and retreat with it before she had drawn breath for a new volley of questions.

The ladies
’
bedroom was on the shady side of the house, and the air struck pleasantly cool when Kate entered it. At first sight, the room seemed empty, then she saw the small figure, curled in a tight knot on the farthest bed. Sarah was fast asleep, her arms clutching the pillow among a welter of disordered bedding. She was still wearing the nightgown in which she had been carried off, and Kate had a horrified vision of her mother trying—and failing—to get her dressed.

She had lost weight while confined with the measles, and her face, relaxed in sleep, looked alarmingly thin, pale and dark-shadowed. At the sight, Kate abandoned any thought of trying to rouse the landlady on their side. It must inevitably mean a scene—another scene for the poor child to endure. No, for the moment, she must co-operate with Manningham and Arabella, simply to protect Sarah from the kind of inquisition to which she would be subjected if the question of her parentage should be raised. Imagine some bungling country lawyer trying to find out from speechless Sarah whether Arabella was indeed her mother. Of course—she sat down quietly by the bed—this was the strength of Manningham
’
s position. What did it matter that Arabella was traveling under an assumed name, when her daughter could not speak to accuse her—and Kate would not?

The sound
o
f horses being got ready in the yard below reminded her of her mission. Reluctantly, she put a hand to Sarah
’
s cheek in the gentle gesture she had found efficacious in waking her. The child reacted like a wild animal, awake in an instant, trembling all over, curled even more tightly in on herself, hands over her eyes, as if what she did not see, could not hurt her.

“
It
’
s all right, Sarah pet.
”
It was an effort to keep the anger out of her voice.
“
It
’
s me: Kate.
”

The hands came down at once. Two huge eyes stared at Kate as if they did not believe what they saw, and then, astonishingly, her lips moved:
“
Kate,
”
she whispered, and for the first time since Kate had known her, big tears began to fill her eyes.

“
It
’
s all right, my poppet, it
’
s all right my honey.
”
Kate had her in her arms now, rocking her like a baby.
“
I
’
m here now: I won
’
t leave you for anything.
”
And Jonathan Penrose will just have to arrange his life around that, she told herself. But harness was jingling in the yard below.
“
Sarah, honey, we
’
re going on a long journey, you and I. You
’
ll like that, won
’
t you, now I
’
m here? We
’
ll ride in the coach all day and see all kinds of new things and people and I
’
ll be beside you all the time. But first we must get you dressed, mustn
’
t we? Just look at you sitting there in your nightgown in the middle of the day. I don
’
t know what your father would say. No.
”
The big eyes had asked a question.
“
He
’
s not coming too, but I hope we
’
ll see him when we get there. We
’
re going to Washington, Sarah, where the President lives in his palace. Won
’
t that be a treat! I
’
ll take you to see all the sights when we get there.
”
No use worrying now as to whether she would be able to keep the promise. At any rate, while she talked, she had been expertly helping Sarah out of her nightgown and into pantalettes, petticoat, and frilled muslin dress.
“
And now, before we go down and say hello to our horses, something to eat, don
’
t you think? I
’
m famished, aren
’
t you?
”
She broke off a piece of the cake and fed it to Sarah, whose mouth opened willingly, like a small bird
’
s.

By eating a few crumbs herself, she managed to keep up the fiction of a shared meal, which had always been the best way to get Sarah to eat.
“
And now, your hair, Sarah! You never saw such a bird
’
s nest. And we
’
ve no brush either, so be patient with me, love; we don
’
t want to shame our traveling companions do we?
”
She was busy with her pocket comb as she spoke, teasing out the tangles in Sarah
’
s hair. Usually, this would have been apt to provoke rebellion or even a screaming fit, but today Sarah just leaned confidingly against her, the big tears still pouring down her cheeks.

“
It
’
s all right, honey.
”
Unbearably touched, she bent down to kiss her.
“
It
’
s all right now, I promise you.
”
How she hoped it was true.

Downstairs, there was, inevitably, a row going on between the landlady and Manningham about the uneaten dinner. Kate shepherded Sarah quickly through the contending parties and got her out into the village street, where the coach Manningham had hired stood ready. The coachman, a gloomy-looking man with a squint, was standing by his horses, ostentatiously consulting a huge pocket watch.

Kate smiled at him.
“
They
’
ll be out directly—I hope.
”
And then, remembering the lessons in friendliness she had learned from Jonathan.
“
I
’
m Mrs. Croston— you
’
ve met Sarah, but not at her best, I
’
m afraid. May she say how-do-you-do to your horses?
”

“
Surely.
”
He spat out his quid of tobacco neatly at her feet.
“
I reckon she looks a sight better than she did
this
morning. Fee
ling better now, hey?
”
This to Sarah, who hung back, clinging to Kate
’
s hand.

“
Much better, thank you,
”
Kate answered for her.
“
She does not speak, you know.
”
The memory of that whispered,
“
Kate,
”
was warm in her heart.
“
But she loves horses, don
’
t you, pet?
”
And
she lifted Sarah up to make much of one sleek brown nose after another.