Matters of the Heart (10 page)

‘This is not true, Laura,’ Grandmother said with a firm voice. ‘Why should you think this?’

Laura turned to her mother.

‘Because I saw them in the woods together. They were walking close and were laughing, laughing at me no doubt, and when she told me she was with child, I knew it was Andrew’s. How I hated her, and him, but she would never have him. I saw to that. But no-one will punish me for it for I have been punished enough over twenty years. I thought I could find love again with Robert, until she came on the scene!’

She looked at me once more.

‘You are no better than your mother, stealing my man. I have never had any happiness and never will.’

I felt almost sorry for her, but her next action took us all by surprise. She suddenly ran to the door and before Robert or I could catch up with her, she had picked up the skirts of her green dress and was halfway up the staircase.

Robert shouted after her and I followed him. To my amazement, she fled to my room and as Robert and I reached the door it was too late. She had already reached the balcony and jumped.

My heart was pounding but while Robert sped back downstairs, I stepped out on to the balcony. I could see Aunt Laura’s crumpled body lying on the ground below, her skirts spread around her. Even as I looked, Robert appeared and bent over her poor, broken body. As he looked up at me, I knew she was dead.

12

Aunt Laura and Andrew Trehaine were both buried in the family crypt in Pendenna church. It was a sad day, especially for my grandmother who had now lost both her daughters.

‘But I have you, Jane,’ she said to me after the funeral, hugging me to her.

The police were told the whole story and there were enough witnesses to verify that Aunt Laura had admitted to shutting her betrothed in the priest’s hole. How sad, I kept thinking, that she was such a jealous woman to the extent that she would murder the man she loved, and no wonder Nora Blackstone was so deranged after what she had witnessed.

She had loved her two girls, Laura and Felicity, enough to keep silent all those years. Grandmother had spoken with Nora and now coaxed her to come downstairs more. Daisy Dobbs had kindly taken the governess under her wing and they took tea together every day. When the days were warmer, it was hoped that Nora would walk in the grounds of Pendenna again, but only time would tell.

The day after the funeral, two weeks before Christmas, in no mood for riding, I asked Jack to take me in the pony and trap to Mannamead. It was time I talked to Jason Trehaine. Simms opened the door to me and offered his sincere condolences. I was dressed in black out of respect for Aunt Laura. Grandmother had told me I only need wear it until Christmas Eve.

As I stood in the drawing-room waiting for Jason Trehaine I could feel the butterflies in my stomach and I was still wondering how I was going to broach the subject, but there was no need.

As he walked through the door and looked at me he said, ‘You know, don’t you, Jane?’

‘That you are my father? Yes, I do, but how...’

‘It was your manner the evening I dined at Pendenna. You kept touching your mother’s brooch as you looked at me.’

I touched it now, for it was pinned to the neck of my dress.

‘Seat yourself, Jane, and tell me how you found out.’

‘I dropped the brooch that very day you came to dinner and I saw your picture. Everything suddenly fitted together, but I need you to tell me why my mother married John Merriock even though she was carrying your child.’

‘It is a long story, Jane, but I will try to simplify it for you. Your mother and I fell very much in love but I was engaged to be married to Charlotte Trevellyan. It was a long-standing engagement, a match secured by my parents and one just didn’t thwart one’s parents in those days. When your mother found out she was with child, we both panicked. John Merriock was a good friend of mine and had always secretly loved your mother.

‘I confided in him and he agreed to go away and marry Felicity, bringing up my child as his own. We hoped that when the child was born, your grandparents would welcome them back to Pendenna but Morgan Pendenna refused to have anything to do with his daughter, grandchild or the penniless artist she had married. I was at my wits’ end for I knew that I would probably never see my beloved or my little daughter.’

He paused, his voice breaking a little. ‘And what of the brooch which my mother wore each day?’ I queried.

‘On our last meeting, the night before your mother left Cornwall, I gave her the brooch with my image inside it so she would never forget me or the fact that I adored her.’

‘And the paintings?’

‘To make John feel better, I bought them to pay for their house and your schooling. I vowed you would be brought up in the manner I envisaged and that you and your mother would want for nothing. Jane, believe me when I say that I have lived in torment the past twenty years and when I heard your mother and John were dead, my first thought was to come and fetch you but at that time you would not have understood. I pray you understand now.’

He leaned across and took my hand.

‘Yes, I do understand. In the past couple of weeks, despite all that has been happening, I have given it all much thought and you have now made clear to me the whole story. You were going to tell me anyway, weren’t you?’

‘I was but I had to speak with your grandmother first and I never got the chance, what with Andrew being found in such a shocking way and your aunt’s death, but now you have come to me for which I am so thankful.’

‘It was because of Granny Merriock you were going to tell me, wasn’t it?’

‘Partly that and I knew you would eventually fit things together, as indeed you have done.’

‘And what of Granny Merriock?’

‘She knew. John had told her and she never forgave him for what he did. I knew that if you ever met her something would be said. Can we now forget all this and work on forming a relationship?’

‘We won’t have to work very hard at it. I liked you the very first day I met you and I feel I know you so well.’

As I spoke, he pulled me to my feet and drew me to him.

‘Ah, Jane, I thank God that I can at last call you daughter. And Jane,’ he said as he put me at arm’s length, ‘promise me that when you fall in love, you will never let him go.’

‘I promise,’ and my thoughts turned to Robert.

No, I would not let him go, and after Aunt Laura’s supposition when seeing Andrew and my mother in the woods, I realised how wrong she had been and how wrong I must be also. I knew I could not jeopardise a relationship for such a supposition.

As I made my way from Mannamead, my heart was light and I knew that I must seek out Robert and tie up the last loose ends. He was in the library when I found him and my thoughts turned back to the other occasion when I found him there. It seemed so long ago now. He looked up as I closed the door behind me.

‘Jane, what a pleasure.’

‘Ask me again, Robert,’ I said and he looked perplexed. ‘Remember the day at the Dancing Damsels? Ask me again.’

He stood up and came towards me. Gently, he took my hands in his hand, bending towards me, his lips touched mine gently. What joy I felt.

‘Will you marry me, Jane?’

‘Yes, oh, yes, I will marry you. I love you with all my heart and will never let you go. I will adore you, forever.’

If you enjoyed reading
Matters of the Heart,
you might be interested in
Where Love Takes You,
also be Rosemary Smith.

Extract from
Where Love Takes You,
by Rosemary Smith

Chapter One

It was the second time I’d seen the apparition while brushing my hair in front of the dressing table mirror, preparing for the evening meal, and when I turned around there was nothing there. The grey lady, as I called her, was a flimsy vision of a young woman in a grey morning dress, so unlike the style of clothes we wore now that I imagined it had been a fashion from the past. The young woman had blonde hair, drawn back off her face and she had on both occasions looked me in the eye seeming anxious about something. As on the first occasion I had seen her, not long after arriving at Middlepark, I shrugged my shoulders and put the incident down to an over active imagination, but surely I thought, if it was my imagination I would not have seen her twice. But for now I must concentrate on getting dressed for the evening meal for Miss Lina would be tapping on my door at any moment to seek my advice on what she was wearing.

I’d obtained a post at Middlepark, a lovely house in the Devon countryside close to the sea as companion to Miss Lina Roseby, the seventeen year old daughter of a Mr Richard Roseby a widower who had interviewed me for the position here at Middlepark one fine June morning in 1883. I recalled the interview now,

“And do you think you could bring to heel my daughter and teach her the ways of a lady Miss Trent?” The dark handsome Richard Roseby had asked me as we sat in his office on the second floor of Middlepark House. I had been somewhat distracted by the view over the beautiful gardens so had not answered straight away and when I looked at him, Mr Roseby had been looking at me thoughtfully with an amused expression on his face, his hands met together in front of his perfect mouth.

“Why, yes sir.” I had replied somewhat stupidly, thinking all the while that any chance of gaining the position had now evaded me.

“I also think you could Miss Trent.” The handsome Richard Roseby had said without further ado. “Could you start next Monday?”

“I could indeed sir.” I’d replied somewhat overcome as I really thought the interview had not fared well.

“All I ask Miss Trent, is that while you are with my daughter that you refrain from daydreaming.” Any other person would have spoken these words harshly but there was a mischievous gleam in Mr Roseby’s eyes and I could see he was amused.

“I promise I’ll try to do so, sir.” I said lightly once more looking out over the large green lawns where, even as I looked, I could see four people playing croquet.

“Would you like to join them?” asked my employer.

“No indeed not.” I had said.

“I’d like you to,” had been his answer, “so you can meet your charge.” As he spoke he walked over to the window, beckoning me to join him. As I stood next to him I realised how tall Richard Roseby was, he appeared to tower over me and at the proximity of his nearness I felt my heart skip a beat for he was indeed a very attractive man. “The young woman in the lemon dress is Georgina Moor, a vain person who is intent on marrying me, and that young man about to hit the ball is her brother Jonathon. They live at Redcliffe Manor which is a short distance from here and they spend more time here than they do in their own home.” I was to learn over the coming weeks that this was indeed true and how I would come to loathe Georgina and she, me.

“And who is the elderly gentleman?” I asked for, from this distance, he looked to be a pleasant kindly man.

“He is my father George, and he will wish you to call him such.”

“So I take it the young woman in pink with the parasol is Lina.”

“You are correct in that assumption Miss Trent, I’d like you to meet her now,” he said seriously. “For it remains to be seen if you will take to each other.” So Mr Roseby and I walked back down the staircase together, the thick gold-coloured carpet soft beneath my feet, me hardly believing that I had secured the post. As I left in the Roseby’s brougham some time later, looking back at the three storey building basking in the afternoon sun, the long windows gleaming, I realised how fortunate I was.

My parents had died in a storm on a crossing back from France in late February and since then I had been sewing day and night for Mrs Forester to earn a living, but I loathed it and now I would stitch no more except for pleasure. There was a light knock on my door and Lina walked in, interrupting my revelry of those important moments a few weeks ago.

“How do I look Charlotte?” said Lina. She was a pretty young woman who lacked confidence in herself but with my help and persistence I hoped to change things, so that eventually she would marry well which was her father’s intention. She stood before me now looking still very much the child, ringlets fell each side of her face and a soft fringe fell over her forehead which was very much the fashion of the day. The pink dress she wore was over decorated with flounces at the v-neckline, the sleeves and the skirt both at the back and front. Fortunately we were to have a visit from the dressmaker in a day or two when I hoped Lina would be happy to accept my suggestions of more sleek lines to accentuate her lovely figure, with round necklines for evening. The young woman had come to readily accept me as her mentor for which I was thankful and had insisted on including me in all the activities of the household.

“You look charming,” I told her kindly. “But when Mrs Rivers arrives we will need to make a few changes to prepare you for your coming out ball in Exeter in September.” While Lina looked out of the window watching the arrival of the Moors I quickly looked back in the mirror wishing to look my best for my employer who I’d fallen madly in love with. I knew that I never dared expect that love to be reciprocated but I lived in hope. The soft yellows of the room reflected in the mirror and once again I thought momentarily of the grey lady and wondered if I should mention it to someone, but Richard Roseby already knew I was a daydreamer and would no doubt dismiss me if he had the notion that I was not only dreaming but seeing things as well. I decided to remove it from my mind.

The pale blue cotton dress I wore was quite pleasing to the eye, complimenting my lustrous light brown hair which, like Lina’s, fell softly over my forehead. The bulk of it was drawn back into a bun at the back of my head, allowing my curling dark lashes and my grey eyes to be my most prominent feature.

“Are you wearing the pearls your father gave you,” I asked Lina as she walked back across the small cosy room which was on the third floor.

“Yes I am,” said Lina showing me the creamy pearls which adorned her slender neck. Although I was only five years older than Lina, being just twenty-two years of age, I appeared to be much older and wiser, but then Lina had led a sheltered life here at Budleigh Salterton while I had traversed the high seas with my parents since I was a child. It had only been because of illness that I had fortuitously not accompanied them on their last trip to France.

Lina and I walked together down the two staircases to the dining room below, my A-line skirts clinging softly to my slender legs and brushing the carpet beneath my feet. We were a trifle late and all were assembled in the long dining room, the silver gleaming where a ray of sunlight fell across the white damask cloth onto the richly laid table.

“I apologise for being late,” I said to Richard Roseby who was waiting to seat himself at the head of the table.

“It is but a couple of minutes Miss Trent,” he replied amiably. “Please be seated.” I did as I was bid and sat next to Georgina Moor. Her brother was sat opposite us next to George who, on his left, had Lina between him and her father. For the umpteenth time I thought how young Richard Roseby looked and wished, as I had done all these weeks, that he would call me Charlotte, but there were many things I daydreamed about which hadn’t a chance of coming true. I looked at the wine-coloured wallpaper and wondered idly if it was Richard’s wife who had chosen it. I’d learned that she had died of a fever when Lina was just two days old, how sad I felt for both of them; he to lose a wife and she a mother.

“I said, how are you coping with this heat?” Georgina’s harsh voice drifted across to me. She was sat next to my employer and I saw him smile at my lack of interest at what was going on around me.

“I find it quite bearable as long as we stay indoors,” I told Miss Moor. “I like to walk along the front after dinner when it is a trifle cooler.” I helped myself to the potatoes George offered to me in a china serving dish.

“And do you walk with Miss Trent Lina?” Georgina asked of her.

“No. I am usually too tired to accompany Charlotte, I don’t know how she does it,” replied Lina politely.

“But this evening, we shall accompany Miss Trent on her walk, if that pleases you,” said Richard to me. My fork stopped half way to my mouth and I looked at him. “Well?” He said, obviously noting the bemused expression on my face.

“I would be honoured Mr Roseby for you and Lina to accompany me.” I stumbled over the words for Richard Roseby was looking at me in a way he had never looked at me before, or was I imagining this also, as I was sure I was imagining the grey lady in my room.

“We’ll all go, shan’t we Jonathon,” said Georgina to her brother and I realised that at no cost would she allow me to walk with Richard without her.

“I’d prefer that the three of use went alone,” said Richard, quite unperturbed by Georgina’s request to join us.

“Very well,” said Miss Moor, with more than a hint of disappointment in her voice. I smiled secretly to myself, and looked at Georgina. She was pretty in a faded sort of way and I guessed her to be a lot older than myself. Her hair which was brown never shone, and her beige-coloured silk dress although becoming looked as if it had seen better days, as did most of her clothes. I chided myself at such an uncharitable thought but I disliked her and she me, so her next words surprised me somewhat.

“I’d like you to call for tea at Redcliffe Manor one day this week Charlotte, with Lina of course. Shall we say Thursday? And of course the invitation extends to you dear Richard.” As she spoke she looked sweetly at the object of her affection and I thought of what Richard Roseby had said the first time I had set foot in Middlepark House
—
“A vain person who is intent on marrying me.”

He wouldn’t marry her surely, and I waited with baited breath for his answer. “Apologies Georgina, but I have business to attend to this week. Another occasion perhaps.” As he spoke quite politely, I could see that Georgina was crestfallen.

“Well, you and Lina will have to come alone I suppose,” she said to me and I realised that her only intention had been to lure poor Richard to Redcliffe Manor and that she hadn’t wanted to invite me at all. Well, her plan had failed to have the desired effect I thought.

The meal over and goodnights said, Lina, her father and I set off down the lane towards the seafront. It was a glorious evening made all the more pleasant by my companions. Seagulls squawked in the distance and I could see them swooping in unison obviously following some fishing boat laden with fish. Lina went on in front of us pulling at the grass in the hedgerows. “No Lina,” I called, “that is not seemly for a young lady. Please walk with us.”

“Quite right,” said Richard, “I can see you are doing a grand job with my daughter for which I thank you.”

“Thank you for your kind words sir,” I said.

“It is nothing more than you deserve young woman, would you…” Here his voice petered off and I realised Richard Roseby was about to ask me something but I would never know what as Lina joined us.

“Is it alright for me to pick the wild flowers?” she asked.

“It is, but it would be more seemly in the daytime. Maybe we could walk this way tomorrow if the weather holds,” I told her for the weather had been beautiful since Iarrive
d
—
sunny, balmy summer days which I would never forget and wondered with some misgiving what would become of me when Lina found a suitable beau. My despair at the thought of leaving Middlepark was too dire to contemplate.

“Miss Trent,” Richard’s voice drifted across, “daydreaming again?” Shall we ask her what she was dreaming about Lina?” And he laughed.

“Would that I could tell you sir.” I said coyly and his face changed to one of seriousness.

“Would that you could Miss Trent,” he said quietly. “Here we are, the sea in all its glory.”

How I loved the sea, I thought, and I stood still and took a deep breath inward, breathing in the tangy, salty sea air into my lungs.

“Surely that is unseemly Charlotte,” said Lina with a smile hovering at her mouth. I realised for the first time that she had the same wicked sense of fun as her father and I flung my head back and laughed quietly, my straw bonnet nearly falling off in the process.

“Take my arm both of you,” said Richard unexpectedly, and so we walked along the three of us, Lina and I each side of her father. My hand trembled as I felt the smoothness of his sleeve and the strength of his forearm and I silently prayed he would not notice, but as he looked down at me I realised he had. Our eyes met and for a brief instance my dreams had come true, but the moment was gone and I looked out over the pebbled beach and sparkling sea, with small fishing boats drawn up on the edge unloading their catch. The large ball of fire which was the sun was starting to fall on the horizon ahead of us and I wondered if my dreams would ever come true. Only time would tell. The walk was invigorating and we returned to Middlepark with a spring in our step. Lina was tired and asked to be excused so she could go to her room which was next to mine on the third floor. Apparently it had been the nursery in times past and Lina had slept there since she was a child. As we watched her walk up the staircase I thought that I had best leave my employer to his own devices as much as I wished to stay with him for I was happier in his company than I had ever been in my life.