The Beggar Maid (47 page)

‘Bah!' Myrtle flew at Wilmot, beating him once again with her fists. ‘This is all your fault. You brought me to this. I was happy in my Devonshire home but it wasn't enough for you. You wanted the Bligh Park estate as well.'

Wilmot brushed her off as if she were an irritating insect. ‘Spare me the histrionics, my dear. You are as avaricious and grasping as I am. We'll do very well together, but I know when I'm beaten.' He marched her towards the doorway. ‘We'll leave tonight. I won't stay where I'm not welcome.'

Safe in the circle of Harry's arms Charity could hear her future in-laws arguing all the way up the stairs until the sound of their voices faded away. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes. ‘Did you mean that? Do you really want to marry a beggar maid?'

‘More than anything else in the world.'

She slid her arms around his neck and closed her eyes as he claimed her mouth with a kiss that made her heart sing with joy.

Daniel burst into the dining room, coming to a halt with a broad grin on his face as he saw Charity and his brother seated side by side, gazing into each other's eyes. The table was laid and set for three. ‘Wonderful,' he said enthusiastically. ‘I'm in time for dinner, and you two have obviously resolved your differences as I knew you would.'

‘Come and sit down, Dan.' Harry raised Charity's hand to his lips. ‘You can be the first to congratulate us.'

Daniel slapped him on the back. ‘I'd have been the first to give you a good hard kick if you hadn't proposed to the girl.' He leaned over and kissed Charity on the cheek. ‘I couldn't have wished for a lovelier sister-in-law, or a more courageous one. You're a lucky dog, Harry.' He sat down and shook out a starched white napkin. ‘I noticed that Wilmot's carriage had gone from the coach house, so I take it they've left.'

‘I told him to go in no uncertain terms, but I hope he makes her happy nonetheless,' Harry said seriously. ‘She's still our mother no matter what she's done in the past.'

‘Mama is a survivor,' Daniel said, helping himself to a bread roll. ‘She'll bounce back and lead Wilmot a terrible dance, which is exactly what he deserves. I'll go and see her when I've sorted out my trip to Egypt.' His smile faded. ‘You will fund me, won't you, Harry? I mean I know the money belongs to you, but you wouldn't begrudge a little of it to your brother, would you?'

Harry flicked a piece of bread roll at him. ‘It will be worth it to get a bit of peace and quiet, old chap.'

‘Of course he will,' Charity said firmly. ‘And I, for one, will miss you. I'll re-read Miss Edwards' book about her trip up the Nile and think of you in all those exotic places.'

‘Maybe we'll join you one day.' Harry looked round as the door opened and Parkin ambled in carrying a soup tureen. ‘Thank you, Parkin. We'll serve ourselves, and tomorrow we'll have a chat about employing more staff. I can't have you and Mrs Trevett run ragged. There'll be a few changes made, but they'll all be for the good.'

‘Thank you, sir.' Parkin's face split into a semblance of a grin and Charity could swear that there was a spring in his step as he left the room. She rose to her feet and began serving the savoury-smelling stew.

‘We must help Violet's mother,' she said, placing a plate in front of Harry. ‘And there's Nevill's Court lying empty and neglected.'

He looked up at her, eyebrows raised. ‘You're not thinking of filling it with little Chapmans, are you?'

She passed a steaming plate to Daniel. ‘Not exactly, but it might be a good thing to bring them to Sutton Pomeroy. I'm sure there must be a vacant cottage on the estate and you just said you were going to employ more servants. Mrs Chapman is a hard-working woman used to working in a laundry. Maybe we can find something for Violet as well.' She ladled stew into another plate and set it in front of Harry before serving herself.

Daniel swallowed a mouthful of bread and butter. ‘I know almost nothing about these things,' he said slowly. ‘But I think Gideon has rather a soft spot for Violet. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he spent a bit more time visiting his pa, or if he put in for a transfer to the parish when Mr Raines retires. The old man can't go on forever.'

Charity stared at him in amazement. ‘I think you might have something there. Who would have thought it?'

‘Stop matchmaking, you two,' Harry said, laughing. ‘You'll have Dan waiting for young Dorrie to grow up next.'

‘Now that is ridiculous.' Daniel picked up the piece of bread roll and tossed it at his brother. ‘I'll marry a girl who shares my love of archaeology and doesn't mind roughing it.' He shot a sideways glance at Harry. ‘How soon can we settle matters? We've just about finished the dig here and found nothing more than a tessellated pavement, which isn't going to add to the Bligh fortune, even if it does attract the interest of academics and people who have nothing better to do than roam the country looking for antiquities. Anyway, I'll soon be at a loose end.'

‘I'll see my solicitor and he'll advise me on the best way to handle my finances. I'm not going to fritter away the Bligh Park fortune.' Harry reached out to hold Charity's hand. ‘I think we should travel up to London tomorrow and spend a few days in Nevill's Court. I have to decide what to do with the old place.'

‘You don't want to live there, do you?' Charity asked anxiously. ‘I mean, I wouldn't mind at all and I love London, but you don't have to give up everything for me.'

He smiled. ‘I've had enough of the high life. I want to settle down and be a country squire with you at my side. We'll raise our family here in Bligh Park and restore the old house to its former glory, but as to Nevill's Court, I'm at a complete loss and yet I don't want to sell it.'

Charity laid her spoon down and faced him eagerly. ‘I had an idea for the house while I was living there. The library is filled with wonderful books, as is the one here. It seems such a waste to keep all that knowledge and learning locked away.'

‘Dash it, Charity.' Daniel stopped eating to stare at her. ‘You don't mean to open another shop, do you?'

She laughed and shook her head. ‘No, of course not. Nor do I intend to hawk them round the streets as I did when we were desperate for money.' She turned back to Harry with a persuasive smile. ‘I thought we could open up some of the rooms and start a free lending library so that the poor could have access to books that they could never hope to afford. We could use volunteers who would be willing to coach people who can't read, or children who are slow at learning. Maybe wealthy benefactors will donate money to help with the running costs, and most important of all it would mean that Mrs Diment, Jackson and Bosun have a permanent home.'

Harry raised her hand to his lips. ‘Am I going to spend the rest of my life doing good works?'

‘No, I don't expect miracles,' she said, chuckling. ‘I love you just as you are.'

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Epub ISBN: 9781448135608

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Copyright © Dilly Court 2014

Dilly Court has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work

This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author's imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

First published in Great Britain in 2014 by Century

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