The Forgotten Family (14 page)

‘Of course, Eleanor.’ Albert finished his drink and stood
up. ‘I think we should give your uncle some peace and quiet. I have ordered the driver to return Mr Rogers to the gatehouse before coming back here.’

Someone shaking him woke Ted, and feeling drowsy and disorientated for a moment, he gazed up at Alan.

‘Mr Bonner, it’s eight o’clock and cook has sent you up some dinner.’ Alan shrugged apologetically. ‘Sorry to disturb you when you was sleeping so peacefully, but cook said you must eat to get back your strength. Here, let me help you.’

Ted struggled out of bed and over to the table set up by the fire. He groaned. ‘I’m so weak. Today has taken more out of me than I realised.’

‘Bound to.’ Alan removed the covers from the plates. ‘You eat that lovely bit of beef. It’ll make you feel better. Nice to see your family today, was it?’

‘Yes, very.’ Ted put a forkful of meat in his mouth and felt the beef almost melt it was so tender. ‘I’m glad I was well enough to join them.’

Alan busied himself building up the fire, making sure there were enough logs to keep it going through the night, and then folding Ted’s clothes neatly. ‘Mr Warrender said he was sending you another suit tomorrow, and a warm overcoat.’

Finishing off his meal, Ted sat and stared at the comforting glow of the fire, deep in thought. ‘Why are they doing this for me?’

‘What?’ Alan was loading the empty dishes on a tray.

‘Why are these wealthy, influential men treating me with such kindness?’

‘You was sick, and they’d do the same for anyone, man or beast.’ The stable boy smirked. ‘My master, Mr Henry Jenson, can bellow loud enough to frighten the horses, but he’s a good man. The same goes for Mr Albert Warrender, but you don’t never want to see him in a rage.’

‘I believe I already have.’ Ted ran a hand over his eyes, grimacing.

‘My master runs for cover when that happens.’ Alan giggled at the thought. ‘There now, that fire should last you through the night, but I’ll pop in now and again, just to make sure you don’t get cold.’

‘You mustn’t do that, I can manage, and you need your sleep.’

‘Ain’t no trouble. We got a sick mare, so I’ll be up to check on her a couple of times.’ He picked up the tray. ‘Now, you just get under the blankets and have a nice sleep.’

The bed was still warm when Ted crawled into it, but he didn’t go to sleep immediately. His mind was buzzing with everything that had happened, hardly able to believe that their little Queenie had turned up out of nowhere. He angled his head on the pillow so he could watch the dancing flames. He was lucky to be alive, and he wouldn’t have been if Mr Warrender hadn’t bullied him and brought him here. Today had been a struggle, not only physically, but mentally as well. There had been decanters full of alcohol in the library, and wine at lunch. God, he wanted a drink. It had taken all of his self-control not to beg for one, but the doctor had warned him not to drink again – ever – for it was unlikely that he would be able to control it. That had been hard to believe, but when he looked back he could see
something he had never admitted to himself. He’d always liked a drink, stopping at some pub on the way home from work. Just one pint, he had always told himself, but more often than not it had been two or even three. The only thing stopping him had been his eagerness to see Annie. How he’d loved her. Once she had gone his life spiralled out of control. He’d sunk so low. But then a strong, determined man had reached out and pulled him up.

Closing his eyes, he clenched his hands in determination. Strangers had cared enough to try and save him. He mustn’t let them, his family, or Queenie down. She was a real lady, and he wouldn’t shame her, or himself. It was time to stop using his darling Annie as an excuse. He had a problem and that must be faced. He would
never
again touch alcohol.

Just over four weeks had passed since Mr Steadman had been engaged to find the rest of Eleanor’s family. He had warned that it might take time, as there was very little information available for him to work on. Albert knew the waiting was hard on his daughter, but they had to give Mr Steadman a chance to investigate. The problem was that some of the children had just walked out of the house in Whitechapel and not bothered to keep in touch. He thought Maggie might be the easiest to find, so he was concentrating on her first.

Albert walked over to the window, deep in thought, and gazed out. It was a lovely bright day, if a little cold, but just right for a ride. Eleanor and Philip were in the schoolroom, so he might as well go and see Henry. Christmas was nearly here, and he wasn’t looking forward to this festive
season. Mary had loved it, filling the house with colour and laughter. How he missed her. He still expected her to come and stand beside him, slipping her hand through his arm in her gentle way.

As sorrow gripped him, he spun away from the window, and strode out of the house towards the stables. A good gallop was what he needed. He had never before spent his time in idleness. Henry had been waiting for him to make a decision about buying that extra land, but he just hadn’t been able to concentrate on the project.

‘Good Lord, that’s no way to treat a fine animal.’ Henry stormed out of the house as Albert thundered up on a sweating horse.

Albert jumped down, allowing his stallion to be led away. ‘Don’t fuss, Henry, he enjoyed the ride as much as I.’

His brother-in-law snorted in disgust. ‘He told you that, I suppose?’

Feeling more relaxed after his wild ride, Albert grinned. ‘What has put you in a bad mood today?’

‘Oh, nothing, nothing. Feeling restless, that’s all. I’m sure we’ll all be relieved when Christmas is over. Going to be damned strange without Mary.’

‘I agree, but she wouldn’t like it if we were too miserable. You know how she loved this time of the year.’

Henry nodded. ‘Must keep up the tradition, I suppose.’

Albert watched Ted walking towards them, now looking fit and healthy. His recovery had been steady.

‘I saw you arrive, Mr Warrender, and I wondered if I could have a few minutes of your time.’

‘Certainly. Let’s go inside.’

Once in the library Albert and Henry sat, but Ted remained standing.

‘You have both been generous in caring for me, but I don’t feel it would be right for me to impose upon your hospitality any longer. I can never repay you for what you’ve done for me, but I will try. You saved my life and I’m very grateful to you.’

‘Sit down, Ted.’ Henry waved him to a chair. ‘What are you going to do? Where will you go?’

‘I don’t know yet, sir. I could stay with Jack for a while until I find a job and somewhere to live.’

‘Do you want to return to London?’ Albert sat forward, elbows on his knees. ‘Have you considered trying to find employment here?’

‘I don’t want to go back to the city.’ Ted pulled a face, showing his distaste at the prospect. ‘What could I do here? I’m good at figures and things like that, but I haven’t any special qualifications.’

‘Don’t make any decision at the moment.’ Henry smiled. ‘You are welcome to stay in the carriage house for as long as you like. It isn’t needed for anyone else.’

‘That’s more than generous of you, sir, but you’re feeding me as well, and Mr Warrender has supplied me with new clothes. I can’t keep taking from you. It isn’t right.’

‘We wouldn’t be happy if you left without a job or a place of your own to go to.’ Albert thought it would be far too easy for him to slip back into his old ways. He liked the man, and he knew Eleanor was happy to be able to see him in her spare time. ‘There’s no rush for you to leave.’

‘I wouldn’t be happy staying unless I can pay for my
rent and food.’ Ted looked worried. ‘Isn’t there something I could do on your estates? I don’t mind what it is. I’ll do anything to pay my way.’

‘Let’s consider it.’ Henry stood up. ‘Seeing as you’re here, Albert, we should go and have another look at that land before we purchase it.’

‘Certainly.’ Albert turned to Ted. ‘Why don’t you come along with us? It’s a perfect day for a ride.’

‘Erm … I would like that, sir, but I have never ridden a horse before.’

Henry laughed. ‘Time you did then. Come along, we’ll find you a docile animal.’

The ride of some two miles was an experience for Ted, and Albert stayed close by his side as he didn’t appear to be too safe in the saddle.  But gradually he began to relax and managed to stay seated when Henry urged him to try a trot.

They reached a rise and Albert caught Ted’s reins to bring him to a halt. ‘There it is.’

Spread out before them was a valley sectioned off into areas of agricultural land and part dense woodland.

‘Ah, that’s lovely.’ Ted stood up in the stirrups to get a better view. ‘What section are you thinking of buying?’

‘All of it.’ Henry dismounted. ‘We did originally consider only the wooded area, but the land belongs to Lord Faversham. He died recently and his son has decided to sell off this entire area. They need the money, if you ask me. It’s been neglected, but the land is good, just right for orchards.’

‘If you’re going to plant fruit trees, it will be some time before you show a profit.’

‘We realise that, but we could get a good price for the timber.’ Albert shaded his eyes against the sun, so low in the sky this time of year.

‘You’re not going to cut that down, surely? It would be criminal.’ Ted looked embarrassed. ‘I do beg your pardon, sirs, it is none of my business what you do.’

‘Don’t apologise.’ Albert pursed his lips. ‘We are of the same opinion and thought we might replant it after the felling, but we are still trying to decide on the best way to manage it.’

They tied the horses to a tree while they surveyed the area. Albert watched Ted as he moved around, touching one tree after another. Then a small notebook came out of his pocket and he scribbled away, frowning in concentration.

Henry came and stood beside Albert. ‘What’s he up to?’

‘I have a strong feeling that there’s a sound business mind at work there.’

‘Hmm, that might be useful.’

Ted came back to them, his face glowing, but when he reached them he said nothing, merely stood gazing silently at the trees.

‘What do you think, Ted?’ Albert prompted.

‘Oh I don’t know much about this kind of thing. I love the countryside and feel it should be cared for and protected. But my opinions won’t be much use to you.’

‘We’d still like to hear them,’ Albert said.

That was all it took to have his ideas pouring out. ‘Selective felling could be the answer. Take out the largest, and that will make room for fresh planting. The area to the left is nothing more than a piece of scrubland, and
that could be cleared for planting more trees. If this is husbanded carefully, it could give you a good return on your money while the orchards are coming into fruit. In the end you will have a larger forest than you started with. The landscape will be improved instead of destroyed, as this whole area will eventually be given over to trees of some kind or another.’ He took a deep breath, excited with the vision. ‘But, of course, doing it that way will cost a great deal of money. It would be a very long-term investment.’

‘I hadn’t considered extending the forest like that. It will be a lot of work, by the sound of it.’

‘I’m afraid so, Mr Jenson.’

‘It’s a sound plan, but Henry and I would not have the time to manage such a project.’ Albert pointed out an area by a small stream. ‘A house could be built there, don’t you think?’

‘Perfect.’ Ted nodded, puzzled. ‘But what for?’

‘We’ll need an overseer, won’t we, Henry? And he’ll have to have somewhere to live.’

It took Henry a few moments to realise what Albert was saying. Giving his brother-in-law a nod, he said, ‘If we can find a suitable man, then I think we should buy the land and go ahead with Ted’s plan.’

‘I agree.’ Albert walked over to the stream, and then turned back. ‘You have vision, Ted, would you be prepared to take on the job of managing this project for us?’

‘Me?’

Albert watched him grab hold of a tree for support as the surprise hit him.

‘But … but, I’ve never done anything like this before.’ He
shook his head as if trying to clear his mind. ‘I’d love to do it, but you would be taking a great chance on me. Are you sure?’

‘We’d appreciate it if you’d give it a try, and we’ll give you all the advice you need.’ Albert waited as Ted struggled with his emotions. ‘We don’t want to force you into this. Just say if it doesn’t appeal. We shall quite understand.’

‘Oh, it does appeal.’ Ted gazed around the area with longing. ‘I would love to stay here and work for you but, as I’ve said, this would be something entirely new for me.’

‘What do you say about a six-month trial? If you don’t like the work you can leave, and if we don’t think it’s working out, we shall have the option of finding someone else to take over.’

The concern cleared from Ted’s face, and he reached out to shake hands with them. ‘On those terms I would be willing to give it a try.’ He grinned. ‘Thank you, what a challenge!’

‘We wouldn’t have asked you unless we thought you could do it.’ Albert had seen something special in this brother of Eleanor’s, even when he had been in a pitiful condition, and now he was even more convinced.

‘That all sounds very satisfactory.’ Henry said, pleased. ‘That’s all settled then. Ted, you can stay in the carriage house until your place is ready.’

The next three hours were spent in hard negotiations. The heir to the property was showing some reluctance to sell as much land as they wanted, and it took all of Albert’s skill to finalise a deal.

As they rode away, Henry laughed. ‘That was hard going, Albert, but we did well. We’ve bought prime land for a reasonable price.’

‘We did well.’ Albert urged his horse into a canter. ‘We can begin employing men in the New Year. Then we’ll see if Ted can handle the job.’

‘Hmm.’ Henry looked doubtful. ‘I know you want to help the man, and I’m quite willing to go along with that, but I hope we’ve done the right thing.’

‘So do I, but only time will tell, and we can risk six months to see if he can do the job.’

‘Yes, that was wise. We should know one way or the other by then.’

On reaching Henry’s house, Albert didn’t dismount. ‘Will you tell Ted that the deal is done?’

‘Right away. Come over tomorrow, Albert, for we’ll have business to attend to.’

Lifting his hand in a wave, Albert turned for home. It was dark when he arrived and, after giving over his horse to the groom, he strode into the house, well pleased with the day’s work.

‘Father!’ Ellie threw herself at him with such enthusiasm that she nearly knocked him off balance. ‘Ted told me you have offered him a job. He’s so happy he won’t have to go back to London. He loves it here.’

‘Don’t get too excited, Eleanor.’ He sounded a note of caution. ‘Ted has six months to prove he can do the job, or decide that it’s not what he wants.’

‘I know, but you’ve given him something to strive for. It is more than a job – you have given him hope for the future.’ She reached up to kiss his cheek. ‘Thank you, Father.’

At lunchtime the next day, Ellie’s father sent a message to say that she was to dine with him instead of having her meal in the schoolroom, as she usually did. She hurried downstairs and found him in his study reading a letter.

‘Ah, there you are. I have just this moment received a letter from Mr Steadman. He has traced a Margaret Bonner working as a lady’s maid to Mrs Montague, living in Yorkshire.’

Ellie’s elation died. ‘But that is so far away. How can we go and see if it is my sister?’

‘I’ll write to Mrs Montague and ask if we may visit her, but it may be some weeks before we can make the journey.’ He smiled. ‘Don’t be disappointed, my dear, Mr Steadman is making every effort to trace the others. If this turns out to be Maggie, then that only leaves Tommy, Bert and Harry. We are making good progress.’

‘Yes, of course.’ Ellie studied her father, thoughtfully. ‘Do you know this lady?’

‘No, I’ve never met her, but I’ve heard of the family. They have considerable estates in Yorkshire, I believe, and are well regarded.’

The gong sounded. ‘I must be patient, but I do keep wondering about the others. I liked Pearl and Jack on sight. And now Ted’s recovered and I’ve been able to spend time with him, I like him very much.’ Ellie and her father went through to lunch. ‘I wonder if Maggie is anything like Pearl? That is providing it is her,’ she added hastily.

‘We’ll have to wait and see. I will not mention to Mrs Montague the reason for wishing to visit. I will merely say that it is a family matter and we would appreciate her help.’

Ellie giggled. ‘That should arouse her curiosity, especially as we’ve never met her.’

‘My very thought’ Albert said wryly. ‘I hope the lady is approachable.’

‘Do you think Mr Steadman will be able to find the others?’ Ellie changed the subject, knowing there was nothing more she could do until they heard from Mrs Montague.

‘I’m afraid I cannot see the future.’

She slanted him an amused glance. ‘I always thought you could. But I do hope Mr Steadman is successful for I would dearly love to meet Harry. I keep wondering all the time what he’s like, and why he was so special to me.’

Albert put down his knife and fork. ‘I think it highly unlikely that he’s still alive, Eleanor. The chances of a twelve-year-old boy surviving on his own is low.’

‘That is so sad.’ Ellie’s mouth thinned, determined not to let this upset her. ‘But I am grateful to have found Pearl, Jack and Ted.’

‘And there is a chance the lady’s maid is Maggie.’ Albert continued eating.

‘Yes, I do hope she is.’