The Gilded Fan (Choc Lit) (31 page)

‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ Aunt Hesketh’s cheeks took on a ruddy hue. ‘I’m sure she can find employment somewhere in Plymouth. She needs to earn her keep.’

Nico nodded. ‘Of course. I was forgetting how little work she does around here, cooking, cleaning and running around all day. And you do so much, overseeing it all.’

The sarcasm in his voice was clear and tipped Aunt Hesketh over the edge. ‘She doesn’t belong here, I do!’ she screeched. ‘And I can’t stand the sight of her!’

Nico narrowed his eyes at her. ‘Now we come to the crux of the matter. What I want to know is why, and I intend to get to the bottom of this.’ He headed for the door. ‘Come, Midori, and you too, Stepmama. We are going to see Jacob. I believe he may be able to help solve this riddle.’

‘Jacob? Why?’ Aunt Hesketh gaped at him, but he ignored her. Instead he took Midori’s hand and started down the stairs.

‘We’re going to the parlour. Now.’ His voice brooked no opposition and, to Midori’s surprise, Aunt Hesketh followed them as Nico bellowed for someone to fetch Jacob.

‘This needs to be sorted out,’ he said and threw open the door to the first-floor room. ‘Please, sit down.’

Nico and Uncle Marston were on one of the benches by the far wall, while Midori and Aunt Hesketh occupied the two chairs with armrests which had been placed opposite to form a rough circle. Midori sent her aunt a quick glance, but waited in silence for the others to speak. Nico took a deep breath and began almost immediately.

‘I think it’s time to clear the air, once and for all. There are old grievances in this family which have festered long enough and we need to get them out in the open if we’re ever going to move forward. Do you agree, Jacob? You told me it’s time to forgive and forget.’

‘Absolutely.’ Her uncle looked more alert than Midori had seen him for a while, his eyes darting between Nico and his stepmother with interest.

‘That’s easy for you to say,’ Aunt Hesketh muttered, but when Nico fixed her with his blue gaze, she lowered her eyes and her fingers plucked nervously at a fold of black material in her skirt.

‘No, it’s not easy. When I left Plymouth all those years ago, all I wanted to do was forget you all, and for a while I succeeded. Coming back has opened up old wounds, however, and I’ve come to realise the only way to heal them is to understand the cause. This isn’t just about Midori, although she seems to have been a catalyst of some sort. I believe this goes back much further.’

Uncle Marston nodded. ‘He’s right, Kate.’

Aunt Hesketh glared briefly at Midori. ‘We were all right until she arrived.’

Midori opened her mouth to defend herself, but didn’t get a chance.

‘If it wasn’t for Midori, I wouldn’t have returned at all,’ Nico stated. ‘Would you prefer to think me dead still?’ His stepmother gave an involuntary shake of her head and he continued, ‘No, I don’t suppose you would. Most mothers wish their children to be alive and well, even stepchildren, so I assume you wouldn’t go that far. Although admittedly you never seemed to care much when I
was
living here. Perhaps it’s time to tell me why? What did I do that was so bad you couldn’t bear the sight of me? I know I was a bit wild, but so were many other youngsters and my siblings weren’t much better, yet you cared for them well enough.’

Aunt Hesketh struggled for a moment, as if she couldn’t get the words out, but then they came pouring through her lips in a veritable torrent. ‘You looked like my firstborn, the one I lost and I wanted him so! I thought … I thought if only I could keep him it would all have been worth it, but it wasn’t to be. He was taken from me, while you … you were as healthy as a stoat. But you weren’t mine.’ Tears trickled down her cheeks.

‘Why was he so important? You had other children of your own, didn’t you?’ Nico asked, more gently.

‘He … he was conceived before I married your father. He was the son of the man I loved, Rafael Rydon. The one
your
mother married!’ Aunt Hesketh turned an accusing glare on Midori. ‘It was all Hannah’s fault! I should have been married to Henry Forrester – I’d be a titled lady now if I had – but because I was with child, he broke off the engagement. By then Rafael had left and my father insisted I take the man he’d promised your mother to, Ezekiel Hesketh.’

This was news to Midori and all very confusing. She waited to hear more.

Nico raised his eyebrows. ‘Surely if Forrester wasn’t the child’s father, he had every right to be aggrieved. And you loved Rydon, not him. Who was this Rydon fellow?’

‘A sea captain, the man I sailed to the Japans with,’ her uncle put in and Aunt Hesketh nodded.

Nico frowned. ‘Well, had he promised you marriage?’

‘No, but if he’d only come back, I’m sure I could have persuaded him. I was young and beautiful, and if I’d presented him with a son …’

Aunt Hesketh is the loose woman here, not me.
Midori would have laughed at the irony if the discussion hadn’t been so serious.

Tears continued to stream down Aunt Hesketh’s face and her hands pleated and unpleated her skirts repeatedly. ‘So I was forced to take Ezekiel and his brats.’

‘Brats? That’s what you thought of us?’

‘No, not really. You were only little and I didn’t hate you, of course I didn’t, it was just that once I lost my baby, the sight of you always reminded me of him. And because your mother was a cousin of Rydon’s, you look so much like him, you have no idea! It … it was agony watching you grow up.’

Uncle Marston handed her a large handkerchief and she covered her face with it, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.

‘I understand,’ Nico said. ‘But it was a long time ago now, and surely you must see that you, yourself, were responsible for what happened? You can’t continue to blame others; you must forgive yourself.’

Midori couldn’t keep quiet any longer, since she was still puzzled about something. ‘But what has all this to do with me? You implied it was my mother’s fault you’re not Lady Forrester, but she wasn’t even here.’

Aunt Hesketh emerged from the handkerchief, her eyes blazing at Midori. ‘No, but if she hadn’t run away like a hoyden, I wouldn’t have had to marry Ezekiel. He should have been
her
husband! I’m sorry, Nicholas, but you must agree he wasn’t a nice man and I’d rather have been wed to anyone else but him, but because Hannah escaped, my father was hell-bent on honouring his contract with him. As I was in disgrace, that was my punishment. The stupid little minx, I should have locked her in our bedroom when I went to meet Rafael …’

‘Stones in glasshouses, Kate,’ her uncle reminded his sister quietly.

‘That’s as may be, but now Midori is following in her footsteps.’ She glared at her niece. ‘It’s not just Nicholas she’s cavorting with. I know you were sneaking out of the house a while back, no doubt to meet some man. What happened, did he get himself killed so now you have to set your sights on someone else?’

Midori gasped. ‘What? No, I never …’ Then she remembered her sessions on the beach with Daniel. She was about to defend herself, but didn’t know how without revealing her fighting skills, which would no doubt be another thing against her in Aunt Hesketh’s eyes.

Nico came to her rescue. ‘Midori wasn’t “cavorting” with anyone, I can bear witness to that. She was taught self-defence by her father – it is something that’s necessary where she comes from, I believe – and she was passing on her knowledge to Daniel in order to give him more of a chance to stay alive during this wretched war. Is that not so?’ He put a hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

‘Fighting tricks? A girl?’ Aunt Hesketh goggled at them, predictably.

‘She’s from a different culture, Sister,’ Uncle Marston said, smiling at Midori. ‘And I, for one, am very grateful for such forethought. Daniel is precious to me.’

Nico looked at Aunt Hesketh. ‘So, it seems to me you have only yourself to blame for all this ill-feeling, and you have to come to terms with that. It’s time to forget the past and live in the present. You have other children whom you love, grandchildren you ought to see more of and I’m here, whether you like it or not. Neither Midori nor I are going anywhere at present and we are tired of living with your antagonism. It has to stop.’

‘I agree with Nicholas, Kate,’ her uncle said. ‘I’ve been lenient with you for too long, allowing you to wallow in self-pity and taking out your frustration on those who don’t deserve it. Our Lord must think me very remiss in not doing something about it and I will pray for forgiveness. For the sake of your immortal soul, you must change or I’m afraid I can’t allow you to stay here. Enough is enough.’

Aunt Hesketh’s sobs stopped and she stared at her brother, a stricken expression in her eyes. ‘You can’t mean that? You need me to run your household.’

‘Not any more, Kate.’ Uncle Marston’s voice was firm. ‘Temperance is almost old enough to see to everything, and in any case, my dear niece is here to help her. I would suggest you go and pray for guidance, then come and tell me your decision. If you choose to stay here, I shall expect you to change and there will be no going back.’

Faced with three pairs of eyes, all watching to see what she’d say or do next, Aunt Hesketh suddenly crumbled. Midori would have sworn the woman aged before her eyes, shoulders sagging, face drooping. It was as if all the air left her lungs at once, together with her animosity.

‘Very well, I … I see now that my thinking has been skewed. You’re right, all of you. I made a mistake and I paid for it.’ She looked at Nico. ‘I’m sorry, truly sorry …’ She blew her nose, then took a deep breath and turned to Midori. ‘And I apologise if I’ve been hard on you. My brother is right, I should remember the words of our Lord – a child is innocent, no matter what their parents have done. And in all fairness, I can’t blame Hannah for running from Ezekiel. I only wish I’d done the same, but I didn’t have her courage.’

‘Then let’s move forward and let bygones be bygones.’ Nico stood up and pulled his stepmother to her feet, enveloping her in a bear hug the way only he could. Midori envied the woman, because she too wanted to be in the safety of those arms, but she wasn’t sure it was her place.

She watched as her uncle, too, gave his sister an unaccustomed embrace. She was glad the air had been cleared and she hoped it would make things easier.

Easier for Nico to propose again?
She hardly dared to hope.

A silence fell over the parlour, but it was broken soon after by the sound of the front door of the house being thrown open, banging into the wall beneath them, and footsteps rushing up the stairs. Nico, who had been about to say something, exchanged a glance with his uncle, who was frowning.
Now what?
He felt emotionally wrung out from the confrontation just ended and wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with anything else today.

Daniel burst into the room without so much as knocking. Red in the face and panting, he stopped just inside the door to catch his breath before announcing, ‘The King himself has arrived … outside the town. He’s brought an army … twelve thousand men they say.’ He closed his eyes and drew in another deep breath. ‘Saw them coming myself, drums beating, colours flying. Thinks to scare us no doubt, making a big show of it, but we’ll show them.’

‘Are they poised to attack?’ Jacob went over to grab his son’s arm, as if he wanted to keep him from rushing off to face such a formidable foe.

Daniel shook his head. ‘Not yet, Father, they’ll set up camp first, but soon.’

‘You’ll need all the men you can get,’ Nico put in. ‘I’ll help, but are there any spare muskets? I’m afraid I lost mine.’

‘You’re surely not fighting? In your condition?’ His stepmother stared at him, eyes wide open with incredulity and fear. He wanted to reassure her that all would be well, but he didn’t know what to say. How was the town to withstand an assault from such a huge army?

‘I’m better,’ was all he said. ‘My wound is almost healed and I don’t suffer from headaches any more.’ That was a lie, but they were certainly better than they had been. And he couldn’t sit around and do nothing.

He glanced at Midori, who’d remained quiet. He had hoped for a chance to speak to her alone that afternoon, but perhaps now was not the time.

‘I’ll find you a weapon,’ Daniel promised, then turned to Midori. ‘We’d best have a square meal now, if you can find something for us? There may not be time to eat later and we’ll need the strength.’

‘Yes, of course, I’ll see to it.’

Before Nico could catch her eye, she’d left the room. He swore under his breath.
Why did the King have to turn up just now? Damn him!

A half-hour or so later, Uncle Marston came into the kitchen, where Nico and Daniel were polishing off the remains of a stew. ‘Hah!’ he said, looking unaccountably pleased. ‘I’ve just heard from our neighbour. His Majesty obviously expected the garrison to surrender immediately, as he sent a message saying “Surrender forthwith or be overrun”. Naturally he received an emphatic refusal.’

‘Should think so, too,’ Daniel muttered with his mouth full.

‘So what’s he going to do now?’ Temperance asked. She’d been hovering in the background and Midori had seen her put her hand in her apron pocket several times, as if checking the sharp knife was still in there.

‘Well, he was very angry, to be sure,’ her uncle replied, ‘and probably couldn’t believe his ears, but he sent another messenger with the same demand. This time the man was instructed to tell him the town of Plymouth would never surrender to him and if he tried to send a third messenger the man would be hanged.’

‘Oh, dear, I suppose he’ll definitely attack now.’ Poor Temperance was visibly shaking, but her father didn’t seem to notice. As Midori had said to Nico, her cousin had tried to be brave throughout the long years of this war, but it was beginning to take its toll on her, as on everyone else. Midori put an arm round Temperance’s shoulders to comfort her.

‘Aye, no doubt about it,’ her uncle said. ‘Attack us he will, it’s only a question of time.’

Midori took one look at Temperance’s expression and thought it best to remove her uncle from his daughter’s vicinity for a while. ‘Uncle Marston, I do believe Aunt Hesketh was waiting for you to bring more news. I was just about to take her a tray of food. Will you come?’

‘Yes, of course. Lead the way, Midori.’

Safely out of earshot of the others, Midori asked, ‘Is there any chance we can withstand such a substantial force as the King’s?’ It sounded impossible to her, but she knew there was no alternative in the minds of the proud townspeople.

‘We must. I’m going to join them myself, as is every able-bodied man, woman and child.’

‘You are? I thought you didn’t want to fight?’ Midori was surprised at this about-turn.

‘I was being selfish, I see that now. The Lord needs us all to fight for what is right and I should have listened to Daniel. I just didn’t want him hurt, but he seems to be managing well, partly thanks to you.’ He sent her a smile of gratitude.

‘It was nothing, but … must you go? I’m sure there are plenty of others who can go in your stead.’ Midori considered her uncle too old for warfare. She didn’t know his exact age, but guessed him to be at least fifty and she was fairly sure he had never fought before.

He nodded. ‘Yes, it is my duty.’