Where Seagulls Soar (13 page)

Indignantly, she said, ‘The angel has got hardly any clothes on. Isn’t that rude?’

‘Not if you’re an angel. Luckily, you’re not, in any shape or form.’

He thought Kate had begun to look a little wilted, though she hadn’t complained. ‘As soon as I’ve been into the church we’ll go to Mrs Henry’s boarding house.
I’ll carry you up the hill on my back if you’re tired. Tomorrow we’ll go home.’

‘Can’t we sleep in Joanna and Toby’s house? I like it there.’

Titties like plump white doves nestling in her bodice
, Hiram had said. Seth grinned. He’d only snatched a glimpse of those particular birds before she’d swiftly buttoned her
bodice. But Joanna Morcant certainly wasn’t in the market for a man yet. And from a professional point of view he couldn’t afford to get involved.

‘Sorry, it will have to be Mrs Henry,’ he said firmly.

It didn’t take Seth long to find what he was looking for in the church, since there was nothing to find. Oddly, there was a complete absence of records for Joanna Morcant. There was an
entry of birth, marriage and death for her parents, though. A little digging revealed a whole heap of cousins, including Leonard. And if Joanna had been married to Tobias Darsham in this church, as
Lord Durrington had suggested, it also hadn’t been recorded.

Joanna herself had never mentioned her first marriage, which struck him as rather odd. She’d been cautious, not giving much away. Her ability to out think him had not only surprised him,
but had gained his respect.

So whose daughter was she? Seth didn’t attach much credence to gossip, but he didn’t like the way this was beginning to look.

Joanna was hanging out the washing the following week when Oliver Morcant and his two sisters arrived unexpectedly.

Joanna’s heart went out to him, for he looked so gaunt. ‘My mother’s dying and we’ve lost our home,’ he said bleakly. ‘I wondered if you’d take my
sisters in, since I need to get to America and sort her affairs out. I was hoping to pick up a ship in Poole and work my passage. I was going to throw myself on the mercy of Charlotte. But my
sisters said you’d offered, and . . .’ He spread his hands with a helpless gesture that tugged at her heart. ‘Here they are.’

‘When I said they could come any time, I meant it.’ She smiled at the girls, who looked travel stained and weary. ‘You’ve had a hard time of it, haven’t you? Of
course you’re welcome to stay.’

‘It’s horrible being poor,’ Lydia said. ‘We had to walk all the way from London, except when people gave us rides. And we got so hungry.’

‘I quite enjoyed it, except I got blisters on my heels and the luggage was heavy,’ Irene remarked. She gazed dubiously at Joanna’s cottage. ‘This is rather a small
house.’

‘It’s quite large for an island cottage, and is fairly roomy inside. But I haven’t got much, and you’ll have to help, for we’ll need to earn the money to feed
ourselves.’

Lydia said offhandedly, ‘Oh, we won’t mind, since Oliver told us you were not well off, and neither are we now. It will probably be fun learning how to manage, and we’ll help
in any way we can, won’t we, Irene?’

The pair exchanged identical but slightly dubious smiles.

Irene suddenly seemed to brighten. ‘When we came up the hill we saw a ladies’ clothing store, though it looked dreadfully old fashioned. We know a lot about fashion, so we thought we
might apply for a job there and earn some money. Let’s go and unpack our bags, Lydia.’

It wouldn’t be that easy to find work, as they’d learn, but at least they were willing and optimistic. Smiling, Joanna nodded towards the house. ‘Upstairs there are two small
rooms under the eaves you can use. If you’d prefer to share, there’s a larger room downstairs.’

And the big bed Fanny Rushmore had used was still in there. Tilda had brought a new mattress cover made from ticking for it, and they’d filled it with fresh feathers bought from a market
stall.

‘It was my mother who ruined the mattress in the first place,’ Tilda had said when Joanna had protested, for the original one, disgustingly stained with several years of spilled
food, and liquids of a dubious nature, had clearly been beyond redemption. Joanna had shuddered at the sight of it, and had thrown it on top of the bonfire.

‘The downstairs room is a sitting room really, but it’s never been used as one. You’d have to share a bed, but it’s a large one and the mattress is new. Try not to wake
Toby up when you go in. He’s having his nap.’

The twins carried in the luggage, struggling a little under the weight of the bags and coming back for the boxes Oliver had been carrying.

‘What have they brought with them?’ she said with a smile.

‘Anything they could lay their hands on, I think. It weighed a ton.’ Oliver picked up his own modest travelling bag and shuffled his feet. ‘I’ve got a long way to go, so
I’ll be off. I’m sorry I can’t offer you anything for the girls’ keep, Joanna. But we have nothing left, and I was at my wits’ end.’

‘We’ll manage, and they’ll learn to survive, I promise you.’ As he turned to go, she said, ‘Wait a minute, would you?’ Going into the house Joanna took ten
shillings from her precious hoard then, when she returned, slid the thick gold wedding ring from her finger and pressed it into his hand. There was no room for sentiment when hunger was an
issue.

‘The money should buy you a meal or two and a bed for the night if you need one. Alex gave me the ring when we exchanged our vows on board the
Joanna Rose
. It’s solid gold.
Wear it, and sell it if you need something to fall back on. God speed, Oliver. Come back to us.’

‘Aye, I will. Who would have thought the Morcant family would ever have been brought so low?’ Tears came into his eyes. Hugging her tight, he said thickly, ‘I can’t thank
you enough, Joanna.’ Then he was gone, striding briskly off down the hill, though his shoulders were slumped with tiredness. Joanna wished he would have stayed for the night.

She finished hanging the washing out and went indoors. The twins were settling themselves in the downstairs room. Clothes covered the couch.

‘There’s nowhere to put anything,’ one of them wailed.

‘You can use one of the small bedrooms for clothing, but, goodness, you won’t need all those fancy things here, and if the wind gets under those crinoline hoops it’ll lift you
off your feet and blow you away. What’s in these boxes?’

‘Silver candlesticks in that one. We thought they might come in handy if we had to sleep in a barn, or something. But we forgot to pack candles. There’s our crystal dressing table
stands, mirrors and hair brushes, and some figurines from our bedrooms that we liked. I don’t know how we’ll manage without a maid to do our hair, though.’

‘Joanna manages,’ Irene pointed out.

Gazing at Joanna’s windswept braid, Lydia gave a bit of a giggle that sounded close to tears. ‘Mama would have a fit.’

Irene shrugged. ‘Since our mother will soon be dead, I doubt it. Besides, we said we wouldn’t mention her name again after she cast us aside.’

The girls were certainly impractical, if enterprising. ‘Well, just keep those figurines out of Toby’s way,’ Joanna said, hearing her son begin to rattle the bars of his cot.
‘Perhaps it would be better if you left them packed for now.’

The visitors were a distraction for Toby, who pulled on a charming smile at the sight of his aunties.

Tears came to Irene’s eyes, and Lydia choked back a sob as she whispered, ‘Toby is so much like Alex. Our brother was always so nice to us, and he often took our side against Mother.
We loved him so much.’

‘So did I,’ Joanna murmured, unable to keep a brave façade in the face of this unrestrained demonstration of female grief. Soon, the three of them were sobbing in each
other’s arms.

Pulling himself up against his mother’s knee, Toby laid his head on her lap and joined in with distressed howls.

Lydia and Irene learned the hard way.

Joanna had to teach the girls the basics. How to structure their day, so every minute was gainfully employed. How to eke out the food they had, so they ate what they needed without waste. How to
bake bread, kill and dress a chicken, and make a stew.

October came in with a roar and some of the worst storms the island had experienced in years. Ships were lost, and Joanna prayed that Oliver was safe.

They all lost some weight, except Toby, who gained some. But the girls never complained when food was scarce, and they laughed at each other’s mistakes, regarding the whole thing as an
adventure. They adored Toby and spoiled him constantly.

Christmas came and went, celebrated with a feast at Tilda’s table after the church service. Toby celebrated his first birthday early in January, and a month later found his feet, and some
new adventures because of it. Towards the end of a cold and hard winter, when Joanna’s money jug was almost empty, she was offered a cleaning job at one of the quarry owners’
houses.

Her new mistress, Mrs Abernathy, was a thin, unhappy woman, who complained bitterly about her lot in life. Her daughter, Harriet, was rather cowed, and Joanna felt sorry for her.

‘I don’t see why we should have to live on the island,’ Mrs Abernathy said one day. ‘Harriet is missing out on so much and I want her to marry well. She’s reached
the age when they need to be taught certain refinements, and I can’t keep taking her to Weymouth.’

‘I think I can help you, Mrs Abernathy. My sisters-in-law are well versed in social matters, even though they’ve fallen on hard times.’

Mrs Abernathy gazed down her nose. ‘I’ve seen the young ladies about. Can they play the piano, dance and sing?’

Joanna crossed her fingers. ‘Most certainly.’

The woman sighed, but her eyes had sharpened. ‘I’m not well off. I can only pay them a small amount.’

The Abernathy family were as wealthy as lords, and as pinchpenny as misers. ‘That’s unfortunate, since I have no intention of allowing them to work for subsistence wages. I thought
to give you the first chance of employing one of them, but others are interested.’

‘I shall interview them,’ Mrs Abernathy said hastily. ‘If they suit, I’ll talk to my husband. You may bring them up this afternoon and if I like them I shall choose one.
Now, get on with folding that washing up. The windows needs cleaning and you haven’t got all day.’

When they learned of their fate, the pair smiled ironically at each other. Irene then said lightly, ‘What fun. We shall go to the interview, and we’ll share the job and home chores
between us. As for payment, Mama used to pay our music tutor and dancing master a vast amount of money. We shall charge the same.’

‘I doubt if Mrs Abernathy will pay a professional fee.’

‘We shall see.’

As expected, Mrs Abernathy balked at the fee they intended to charge.

‘We were taught dancing at the Germaine St Claire academy for young ladies,’ Lydia cried out in faked affront. ‘My sister was awarded first prize in the piano recital contest
at the Boston music conservatory, and we won’t be condescended to.’

Irene promptly seated herself at the piano to play several sweeping and elaborate trills, which seemed to impress the woman. Toby clapped his hands and jiggled up and down on Joanna’s
lap.

Mrs Abernathy gazed from one to the other, looking surprised and slightly overawed, making it obvious she had very few social graces herself. ‘How will I tell you apart?’

They exchanged a glance. The slight difference in their hair colour was rarely noticed and it amused them when people couldn’t tell them apart. ‘Goodness, you’ll have no need
to, since we’ll both answer to Miss Nash.’ Lydia drew forth the daughter of the house. ‘Come, seat yourself beside Miss Nash, young lady. We shall decide if you have any
talent.’

With Mrs Abernathy having been placed on the defensive, the twins decided to put Harriet through her paces. At the end of five minutes the girl could manage a clumsy scale. Irene and Lydia
exchanged a long and meaningful glance.

‘Well?’ Mrs Abernathy said.

Lydia hummed doubtfully in her throat and Irene reluctantly nodded. ‘Miss Abernathy will have to work hard, but she has a modicum of talent.’ She pulled on her gloves, fussing with
the fingers as she said in a superior way, ‘My sister and I are agreed then, we shall take your daughter under our wing.’

‘Thank you, Miss Nash.’

‘Good. Then I shall be here at ten a.m. sharp, and Harriet shall receive a two-hour music and singing lesson. In the afternoon, my sister will teach her dancing steps, followed by a
painting lesson. At the end of each week, you may pay to Mrs Morcant the sum we agreed upon for our services. Good day Mrs Abernathy.’ The pair swept off.

Nodding at her employer, Joanna followed after them, trying not to grin. They’d picked up some useful airs from their mother, she thought.

As for Lydia and Irene, arms around each other’s waists, they chatted and laughed all the way home, pleased by the thought that they’d be able to contribute to the household
expenses. They were a bright pair. Joanna was grateful for their company, since she hadn’t had time to be lonely, and they had taken her mind from the loss of Alex.

There was a hire carriage waiting outside the house. The horse fidgeted and its foreleg dug at the road. The driver chaffed his hands together, nodding when the quartet stopped and stared, and
jerking his thumb at the house. ‘The gentleman has gone inside.’

‘Perhaps it’s Oliver. He should be back by now,’ Lydia said, gazing hopefully at her sister.

But it wasn’t.

Once inside the house they all fell quiet, staring with disbelief at the figure seated on the couch. A dark-skinned woman occupied the chair by the wall. She had an odd, exotic look to her.

Beside Joanna, one of the twins gasped and clutched at her hand. She was trembling.

Lord Durrington gazed from one to the other, his glance settling on Joanna. He said, ‘I have some private business to discuss with you, Mrs Morcant.’

Lord Durrington came straight to the point.

‘I want to raise my grandson as my heir. I’ll pay you handsomely and give you a one tenth per cent share of the shipping company profits, so you’ll have an income.’