Straw in the Wind (29 page)

A minute or two later a large, handsome man with black eyes appeared. ‘What the hell's going on, Aria? The place is full of weeping women. Aunt Daisy is in tears in the kitchen, and you're bawling like a couple of Irish banshees in here . . . and where's Alex?'

Marianne wiped her eyes with a lace handkerchief. ‘He's with the maid, upstairs.'

‘Alex is bellowing as well, now he's heard all the noise. He thinks we're having a party and ignoring him. Go and get him, would you, while I sort things out here. It sounds like a wake rather than a reunion.'

A large expanse of clean white handkerchief was placed in Serafina's hand, and the man grinned at her. ‘Here, blot your eyes before you drown yourself. I'm your cousin, Nicholas Thornton, Nick for short. I only use Nicholas when I want to appear dignified.'

She gave a faint smile as she gazed at him. He was brimming with confidence. ‘You look quite dignified to me. I'm Serafina . . . Sara Finn . . . Fenn.' She sniffed and wailed, ‘Oh . . . I'm so mixed up that I don't know who I am any more, and I don't really care.'

‘My guess is that Aria hasn't stopped prattling at you. She does that when she's nervous and can spin people like a top without even trying. Where's Adam? Why isn't he with you?'

‘He's with Captain Thornton on his ship.'

Nick nodded. ‘How did my uncle react to the sight of you? Was he civil?'

She nodded. ‘Mostly, though we spent only a few minutes together. He was taken aback at first, I think. I did things all wrong. I wouldn't listen to Adam and insisted on going on board by myself and without introduction.'

His chuckle was like cream. ‘That sounds like a Honeyman trait; the womenfolk never do what they're told. Then Aria turned up and took charge of you, I suppose.' He took her chin between his finger and thumb and gazed at her face. ‘No wonder my uncle was taken aback. He had some romantic idea in his head that you'd resemble his lost love, Caroline Honeyman, but you don't, and thank goodness, because Aria is the very image of her, and another one in the house would cause mayhem. You greatly resemble Erasmus and Daisy's mother though, which is no bad thing. There's a picture of her in the attic room upstairs. Erasmus will probably show it to you later. If he forgets, ask him if you can see it. It might make you feel as though you belong somewhere definite in the family.'

She liked this man. ‘Thank you, Nick, you're very kind. I feel like an idiot for crying.'

He kissed her on both cheeks then released her. ‘Of course you do. To be honest, I cried myself when I first met Erasmus, but I was only young then and I thought he looked fearsome. He told me to stop snivelling, said my father was dead and my mother had begged him to take me off her hands because my stepfather and brothers were being cruel to me.'

‘Oh, how dreadfully sad,' and she sniffed, though was grateful for the connection that their similar early childhoods provided.

‘Hey, don't you start crying all over again. There are only so many tears I can cope with in one day. It was actually the best day of my life. I just didn't realize it at the time. Are you feeling less soggy now?'

She nodded.

‘Thank goodness for small mercies,' and his sigh of relief made her laugh.

‘Papa!' The young boy who wandered in was the image of his father, and he had a smile as wide as Nick's as he scrambled into his father's lap. Laying his head against Nick's chest he stuck his thumb into his mouth and stared at her, then he gazed up at Nick and whispered, ‘Lady.'

‘Say hello to your new aunt, Serafina.'

‘'ello, Fina.' When the boy giggled Serafina's heart melted. He was a handsome boy with dark liquid eyes and curly dark hair like his father.

‘Serafina, this is your nephew, Alexander Thornton . . . Alex for short.'

‘Hello, Alex.' She gazed from the boy to Nick and smiled. ‘He looks like an angel.'

‘He's wearing his disguise at the moment. He has a pair of horns hidden under his curls and a long tail with a pitchfork on the end of his spine, haven't you, Alex?'

Alex solemnly nodded. ‘Me good.'

When Nick laughed Alex did likewise, and to prove his point the toddler fished Nick's watch out of his pocket by the chain and held it to his ear. ‘Tick-tock tick-tock,' he whispered, then put it back where it belonged and began to investigate the other pocket. There, he found what he was looking for, something wrapped in tissue paper. A grin widened his mouth. ‘Ahah!' Tearing the wrapping from a piece of rose-coloured Turkish delight, he tossed the scrap of paper on the floor then stuck the sweetmeat in his mouth. One cheek bulging, Alex gazed at his father in triumph.

Serafina laughed. ‘He's certainly got charm. Have I got any more nephews?'

‘Three, and one niece. They're Charlotte and Seth Hardy's brood.'

Marianne bustled in carrying a tea tray. Daisy trailed behind with a plate of sliced fruit cake.

‘Goodness . . . what on earth is Alex eating?'

‘A snail,' Nick said.

Apart from a grin, Marianne didn't turn a hair. ‘Then let me put a napkin under his chin before he dribbles it all over you. Keep him on your lap till it's all gone, Nicky darling.' Tying the napkin in a knot at the back of the boy's neck, Marianne kissed both of her males, momentarily exchanging an intimate look and a smile with her husband before taking up position behind the tea tray. They seemed happy together.

Daisy Thornton took a seat next to her, she was red-eyed from crying and Serafina imagined she looked the same.

‘I suppose you think I'm an idiot, Missy.'

‘No, Mrs Phipps, of course I don't. I know this must have come as much a shock to you, as it did to me. I thought I had no relatives left alive until Adam contacted me, and was unaware of the circumstances of my birth. Now my whole life seems to have been taken apart, examined, and put back together differently, so I now feel as though I'm someone else altogether. It's a little uncomfortable.'

Daisy patted her hand. ‘We'll soon get used to one another.'

‘I expect we will, and I'll try and find employment as a housekeeper, so I won't get underfoot and can pay my way.'

‘Find employment as a housekeeper?' Marianne said faintly. ‘You don't have to go that far.'

‘But I'm used to keeping myself busy.' Her glance travelled to Daisy. ‘I understand that you're married to Reverend Phipps. I used to work for a reverend when I was young. He was . . .
horrid
. . . mean, and very strict, and pompous. He acted as though everyone was beneath him. His wife treated me well though. Elizabeth was my friend in the workhouse until she married him. Even after her marriage she was good to me, and she taught me lots of things, for which I'm grateful.'

‘Oh, Phipps isn't in the least bit pompous. He makes me laugh, and he encourages me to use my own mind and have my own opinions.'

Nick chuckled. ‘He knows better than to try and stop you, Aunt Daisy. I don't know why you waited so long before you accepted him.'

‘I had you and Erasmus to make a home for when you were in port.' She gave Marianne a fond look. ‘Now Marianne does it.'

‘Erasmus will have to come to the new house when it's finished.'

Daisy smiled. ‘Not necessarily. If everything goes well and Serafina decides to stay with us she's welcome to make her home here. Erasmus is a creature of habit, and he grew up here.'

Nick said, ‘Serafina will need employment under those circumstances, and I'm sure I can use her in the emporium once she's settled in and decided what she's going to do. There's plenty of accounting work, or if you don't fancy that I could make you the supervisor of the female staff. If you'd prefer not to work for me, then I'm sure I'll know someone who would be willing to employ you. In the meantime, don't worry about anything. There's no rush, and you might meet a nice young man, fall in love and get married.'

All enthusiasm, Marianne said, ‘We must entertain then; you know several unattached young men, Nick. We'll invite them all to dinner so they can meet her.'

‘All at once?'

‘Goodness, no, Nick! Men find safety in numbers and they talk about boring things like the economy and politics instead of paying attention to us women. You have to catch men alone if you want them to notice you, Serafina.' There was only one man Serafina wanted, but he was probably out of her reach when it came to marriage. ‘I appreciate the offer of a job, thank you, Nick. As for meeting men, I'll put that on the bottom of my list for a while if you don't mind, Marianne.'

Mischief filled her eyes. ‘How disappointing. I was going to ask Adam to join us for dinner tonight, too, though I expect Erasmus will bring him home, anyway.'

‘Adam isn't a suitor, of course, our relationship is very professional.'

‘Oh, what a shame,' Marianne said smoothly.

She sighed, said, ‘Yes, I suppose it is,' then smoothed nervously at her shirt. ‘Oh dear, I've got nothing to change into. My luggage is at the boarding house.'

‘Didn't I tell you that I kept everything that wouldn't fit into the baskets? The wardrobe is stuffed with clothing that belongs to you. Heavens, we must do something about that hairstyle.'

‘Adam fashioned it for me.'

‘Adam did?'

Three pairs of eyes gazed with interest at her.

‘I never learned how to dress hair.' Serafina felt the colour creeping under her skin and hoped nobody noticed. ‘He's a friend, and nothing else,' she said, much too emphatically. ‘He learned to do this style for his sister, Celia, when she sprained her wrist.'

When Nick winked at Marianne and the pair exchanged a grin, she coloured even more.

Standing, Nick handed Alex over to his wife. ‘I've got to get on now; I want to see my uncle before I go back to the emporium.'

Marianne exclaimed, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you. Erasmus gave me a message to pass on to you if I saw you. Red and Sam are on board.'

‘I'll be damned,' he said with a smile. ‘That's good news. I'll see you all a little later, then.' And he was gone.

Marianne asked, ‘Is Reverend Phipps coming to dinner, Aunt Daisy?'

‘If he doesn't, he can go without.'

Marianne began to panic. ‘Oh, lor . . . I hope I've got enough food for us all,' she said despairingly. ‘I'm not used to cooking for a lot of people. The silver needs cleaning and the best tablecloth needs ironing. I was going to take Alex out for his usual walk to get some fresh air. He gets fractious if he misses it, and sleeps badly. Then there's the leek and potato soup. I forgot about it when I saw
Daisy Jane
at the berth, and realized that Serafina must have arrived as well.'

Daisy smiled at her panic. ‘I'll go to the butcher and buy a double shoulder of lamb. The butcher's boy can deliver it straight away. He can also deliver some apple pies from the pie shop next door. I'll make some custard and bring it back with me. You've got plenty of vegetables in the larder, and more in the garden. Tell the maid to prepare some of those, and ask her to stay on and help serve the dinner and wash the dishes afterwards. She'll be glad to earn some extra money. Serafina, what can we find for you to do?'

Managing a house was something Serafina was more than capable of doing, and she had picked up many cooking tips from Maggie at Leighton Manor. Her sister was as lovely and generous as she'd been led to believe, but she didn't seem to have the skill to organize a dinner for unexpected guests.

Calmly, Serafina said, ‘Take Alex out for his walk if you like, Marianne. I'll make the soup and some mint sauce to start with. You have mint in the garden, I imagine? Then I'll clean the silver, do the ironing and see to the table. After that I'll see what else needs doing. With your permission I'll soon discover where everything is. We'll get it all done, and with time to spare, you'll see.'

Galvanized into action, she soon had everything under control, and by the time Marianne returned the table looked pretty with candles, shining silver, crystal glasses and arrangements of white rambling roses picked from the garden.

Alex was fed and bedded down for the night. He'd gone to sleep in an instant, sucking his thumb.

Gently kissing his flushed cheek, Marianne said, ‘He's such a love; I adore him.'

Serafina was inclined to agree with her.

The two women stripped down and washed, then dressed. Marianne picked a blue gown to match her eyes, and insisted that Serafina wear a creamy gown the colour of roasted almonds. It was decorated with embroidered yellow roses and trimmed with a deep lace collar. Her hair was parted in the middle and Marianne used the tongs to curl pretty ringlets at either side, securing them with white silk flowers.

‘Do you have any jewels?' Marianne asked.

The thought of jewels brought the worry to Serafina's mind, of that awful moment when the ring had dropped from the handkerchiefs on to the desk.

‘You can wear my pearls if you'd like to.'

Serafina experienced a rush of warmth at Marianne's generosity of spirit. She kissed her cheek. ‘Thank you, Marianne, but I can go without. I'm not used to wearing jewellery, and the gown is so very lovely. Will I be meeting Charlotte before too long?'

‘Charlotte hasn't been well since the birth of her son, James. Doctor Beresford said she's suffering from melancholy, which is quite common apparently.'

‘Oh . . . I'm sorry.'

‘Be patient with Charlotte, I beg you. When we lost our mother, Char became everything to me. She takes her responsibilities too much to heart, but I love her dearly, and so will you when you get to know her.'

‘I'm sure I shall.'

Daisy and the reverend arrived early to help out, and the reverend made himself busy, choosing two bottles of red Bordeaux from the wine cupboard, and resting and decanting them.