The winter belle, p.24
The Winter Belle, page 24
‘We have another guest, Martha. Put the kettle on, love.’ He stood aside to allow Sergeant Barton to enter the room.
‘Good morning, ma’am,’ Barton said, bowing over Mrs Fairweather’s hand as she moved forward to greet him. ‘Thank you for taking care of Miss Harte.’
Kitty rose slowly to her feet. ‘Mrs Fairweather has been most kind,’ she said. Her first instinct had been to jump up and grasp Barton’s hand, but his formal attitude chilled her to the bone, and she eyed him warily. ‘I take it you’ve come to re-arrest Dagg, Sergeant Barton.’
‘A mere formality, Miss Harte. Constable Fairweather is going to have him taken to the county jail, where he will be tried at the assizes later this month. You will be required to attend as witness for the prosecution.’ Barton met her gaze briefly and then looked away.
‘Yes, I understand.’ Kitty was distressed by his casual manner. She had expected a much warmer welcome, but they might as well be strangers.
‘Sit down and have a cup of tea, Sergeant,’ Mrs Fairweather said hastily. ‘You’ve come a long way.’
‘Thank you, ma’am, but we should be leaving now. Your husband has apprised me of the case against Dagg and Brother Benedictus, and these will be followed up in due course.’
‘Sergeant Barton has put me in charge of the case,’ Constable Fairweather said, puffing out his chest.
‘That is correct.’ Barton nodded. ‘I came down from London on the milk train, and I hired a carriage to bring me from the station. It’s waiting outside so that I can take Miss Harte back to Little Foxbury.’ Barton turned to Kitty. ‘Are you ready?’
‘Yes, Sergeant.’ Kitty turned away to give Mrs Fairweather a hug. ‘Thank you again, ma’am.’
‘My pleasure, dear.’ Mrs Fairweather held her close for a moment, whispering in her ear. ‘Gentlemen don’t always show their emotions. Be patient, dear.’
Before Kitty had a chance to respond she found her hand clasped by Constable Fairweather. ‘Safe journey home, miss. You’ve been very brave throughout your ordeal. I told Sergeant Barton how I found you at the priory. I can’t say I would have been so calm under the circumstances.’
Kitty smiled and squeezed his fingers. ‘Thank you for saving me from Brother Benedictus, Constable Fairweather. I don’t think he is as harmless as he pretends to be.’
‘I’ll commend your actions to the Chief Constable, Fairweather,’ Barton said, beckoning to Kitty. ‘We really must go now, Miss Harte. The horse will be growing restless.’
With a last heartfelt thank you to her hosts, Kitty followed Barton outside into the winter sunshine. He handed her into the chaise and climbed up beside her, taking the reins in his hands.
‘Walk on.’ Barton flicked the carriage whip above the horse’s head, and the animal ambled off at a steady pace. ‘You don’t seem to have come to any actual harm from your undoubtedly trying experiences,’ Barton said after a brief silence.
‘You should be grateful to me for catching Dagg for you,’ Kitty said sharply. ‘You would still be searching for him, but for me.’
He shot her a sideways glance. ‘You put yourself in jeopardy. That was not very clever, Miss Harte. The outcome might have been much more serious.’
‘Did you come all the way from London merely to lecture me, Sergeant Barton?’ Kitty gazed angrily at his set profile as he turned away to concentrate on the road ahead.
‘I thought you would be safe living in the countryside, but it seems I was wrong. It might have been better had you remained in London where I and my colleagues could keep an eye on you.’
Kitty took a deep breath. ‘I am so sorry to have put you to such an inconvenience, Sergeant. I will try to do better. Anyway, Dagg is locked up safely and the case is closed. You will not have to be bothered with me or my family again.’
‘That is not what I said. You are putting words into my mouth now,’ Barton said stiffly.
Kitty did not dignify this with an answer. She had a sudden urge to cry, which she told herself was ridiculous. Neither she nor Barton had made any promises to each other. As far as he was concerned, she and her family were just another case, and now that Dagg was safely under lock and key there would be no further need for them to see each other. She lapsed into silence, but then she became angry.
‘Why are you treating me as if I were in the wrong, Sergeant Barton? I have had a truly horrible experience at the hands of Dagg and the wretched monk.’
Barton turned his head to give her a straight look. ‘You put yourself in danger. I did everything I could to protect you and your family, but you would not listen. You might have suffered even more if Constable Fairweather had not been so astute.’
Kitty swivelled around on her seat to face him. ‘How can you say it was my fault? Dagg was lying in wait for me. I didn’t know he was hiding in the windmill.’
‘Constable Fairweather told me what had happened. You were left on your own while your geologist friend took his grandmother to the safety of Mill House. What sort of man leaves a young woman to make her way home in the dark?’
‘It wasn’t Flinders’ fault,’ Kitty said angrily. ‘He had to carry his grandmother. I was close behind, or at least I left just a few minutes after they did. He wasn’t to know that Dagg was lying in wait.’
‘But he did know that his grandmother had taken on a stranger to help in the mill. Why did he not interview the man personally to find out if he was a suitable person to leave alone with an aged grandparent?’
‘I don’t know.’ Kitty shook her head. ‘Why are you cross-examining me as if I were in court? I’ve done nothing wrong. In fact, I’ve helped you to catch an escaped convict, and Brother Benedictus is going to be investigated for stealing the church silver.’
‘Yes, agreed, but all this could have turned out so differently. You might not have got off so easily, Miss Harte. You don’t seem to realise how dangerous Dagg is. He’s part of a larger gang.’
‘I didn’t know that. How could I?’
Barton gave her a sideways glance. ‘How, indeed? Would you have behaved any differently had I told you the full extent of the Daggs’ involvement in one of the worst and most vicious gangs in London?’
‘This is nonsense,’ Kitty said angrily. ‘I don’t know why you are saying these things since you’ve washed your hands of the case, and Dagg is safe in the county prison. I don’t have to listen to you ranting on about things being my fault, Will Barton. As far as I’m concerned, the matter is closed.’ She folded her arms and turned away from him. She knew if she said another word she would burst into tears of anger and frustration and that would never do. Barton himself seemed in no mood to compromise or to apologise for his dismissive attitude, and they drove on in frosty silence until they reached Mill House.
Kitty was saved from speaking to him when the door opened, and Ivory rushed out with an uncharacteristic show of emotion and wrapped her arms around her sister. Flinders was close behind, followed by Nellie and finally Edith, who invited Barton into the house. He politely refused, however, and he drove off without a backwards glance. Kitty dashed tears from her eyes. She was angry with him but furious with herself for allowing him to have such a hold over her emotions. That was over now. She would go on from here and forget that Sergeant Will Barton ever existed.
Later, after a light luncheon, Kitty sat in the parlour with Ivory and Flinders.
‘Are you sure you are all right, Kitty?’ Flinders asked anxiously. ‘From what you told us at table you’ve had a terrible ordeal.’
‘Yes,’ Ivory agreed earnestly. ‘Anyone else would have been in such a state, but you were always the brave one, Kitty.’
‘I’m not brave. I was scared all the time I was there, but I couldn’t give way. I had to keep going if I were to survive, and survive I did.’
‘I still think you are very plucky.’ Flinders reached out to lay his hand on Kitty’s arm. ‘If I hadn’t gone on ahead with Grandmama, I could have saved you from all that.’
‘We didn’t know that Dagg was the person Jem brought in to help Mrs Saunders,’ Kitty said seriously. ‘Anyway, it all ended well enough. Dagg is in prison and will no doubt get a much longer sentence. Brother Benedictus is suspected of stealing the church silver and he will be arrested, unless the prior intervenes. And I wasn’t hurt, thanks to Constable Fairweather.’ She looked from one to the other. ‘But what about you? Did you go to the soirée at Westbrook House?’
Ivory shook her head. ‘No, but Charles and Frances came here to visit us when they heard that you had been abducted. Charles was so kind and considerate.’ Ivory’s cheeks reddened and she turned away. ‘And so was Frances.’
Kitty smiled. She had always suspected that Ivory had a soft spot for Charles Westbrook. ‘Well, Frances has always been our friend and Charles was very generous when purchasing my paintings.’
‘I’m sure they will be delighted to learn that you have come home unharmed,’ Ivory added hastily. ‘We were all so worried about you, Kitty.’
‘Well, you’re home now,’ Flinders said, smiling. ‘I was about to go in search of you when Sergeant Barton arrived on the doorstep. He was obviously very concerned about you, Kitty.’
‘He lectured me the whole way home.’ Kitty sighed, shaking her head. ‘You would think that I wanted to be abducted and held in a haunted priory.’
‘You saw a ghost?’ Ivory’s dark eyes widened in horror.
Kitty laughed. ‘Not exactly, but I can tell you that it was very creepy. It was easy to imagine ghostly spirits in every corner of the near-derelict building, and the ruins were very eerie.’
Flinders cleared his throat nervously. ‘I don’t want to spoil your homecoming, Kitty, but I will be leaving tomorrow morning. I’m going back to British Guiana, although I don’t like leaving you all without a man of the house.’
‘But you’ll be seeing Papa again,’ Kitty said eagerly. ‘That’s wonderful, Flinders.’ She was quick to see the hurt expression on his face and she seized his hand, giving it a squeeze. ‘Of course we’ll miss you terribly, but you might be able to do something to get Papa sent home soon.’
‘At least you will be able to find out how he is progressing,’ Ivory added, smiling. ‘It won’t be the same here without you, Flinders.’
‘This is one of the times when I wish I had chosen a different profession,’ Flinders said sadly. ‘However, you are both right. I will make sure that everything is being done to make Mr Harte better so that he can return home.’
‘What is happening about the mill, Flinders?’ Kitty asked, changing the subject to something less painful than her father’s injuries.
‘I think it will have to be sold,’ Flinders said regretfully. ‘I know I am the man in the family, but I cannot give up my profession to become a miller, and it is too much for Grandmama. I don’t know how she has managed to keep it going for the past seven years.’
‘She is an amazing lady.’ Ivory rose to her feet. ‘I think I heard someone at the door. I’ll see who it is.’ She hurried from the room, leaving Kitty to give Flinders a questioning look.
‘Why is my sister so keen to see who is calling? It might be a commercial traveller looking for a bed for the night.’
Flinders grinned. ‘I think she is hoping it might be Charles. He’s called a couple of times using the excuse that he and Frances were worried about you, but I think it’s Ivory who is the real attraction.’
‘I once thought that he was of the same ilk as Carnaby and the others, but I’ve changed my mind. Besides which, he’s very wealthy and unmarried. I’m beginning to think like a real matchmaker, although the truth is that I would love to see Ivory settled with a good husband. She has spent too long in Amethyst’s shadow. And speaking of my younger sister, heaven alone knows what she is getting up to at Bridlebank.’
Flinders reached out to grasp her hand, making Kitty turn to him with a start.
‘Kitty, I know this is not the best time to say this, but we are never alone in this busy house.’
‘What is it, Flinders? What are you trying to say?’
‘I – I love you, Kitty. I did from the beginning. I knew that I would inevitably be sent back to British Guiana and there was no hope for me, but I can’t leave without telling you how I feel.’ Flinders gazed into her eyes, clutching her hand so tightly that it hurt.
Kitty was tempted to giggle from the sheer shock of his sudden pronouncement, but she could see that he was deadly serious.
‘I’m very fond of you, too, Flinders,’ she said, easing her hand from his grasp. ‘You are the best friend anyone could wish for.’
‘That’s not what I want to be, Kitty. I really do love you and I want to marry you, if you will have me. I know I am not a senior geologist like your papa, but I do earn enough to support a wife, although not in the style that Charles could offer.’
Kitty shook her head. ‘I’m truly honoured and touched by what you’ve just told me, Flinders. I’m very, very fond of you, but not in the way you want.’
He jumped to his feet. ‘It’s Barton, isn’t it? I knew that something was going on between you.’
‘No, it isn’t Barton. I admit I was attracted to him, but that is over and done with. There is no one else, Flinders. I’m truly sorry, but I can’t marry you. It wouldn’t be fair on either of us.’
‘I would do anything to make you happy, Kitty.’ Flinders wrenched the door open and hurried from the room, passing Ivory in the doorway.
‘Look who has come to see if you are home safely, Kitty.’ Ivory ushered Charles Westbrook into the parlour. He strode over to where Kitty had risen from her seat, and he embraced her fondly.
‘We were all so worried about you, Kitty,’ Charles said earnestly. ‘Frances insisted that I should come again today and I’m very glad I did. Now I can give her the good news.’
‘Thank you, Charles. It’s good to be home safe and sound.’ Kitty managed a smile although her emotions were once again in turmoil. She had not wanted to hurt Flinders’ feelings, but she knew it would be cruel to give him false hopes. He was worth more than that.
‘Why did Flinders rush out of the room, Kitty?’ Ivory asked, frowning. ‘He looked angry and upset.’
Charles laughed. ‘I expect Kitty turned him down. He’s always been obsessed with her.’
‘Charles!’ Ivory said angrily. ‘Don’t be so unkind.’ She turned to Kitty, her pretty face a picture of concern. ‘Is it true?’
‘I think that’s between me and Flinders. Don’t either of you say anything to him. He’s a good man and he deserves better than me.’ Kitty was about to leave the room, but she hesitated. ‘I think it might be difficult for us to remain here when Flinders leaves tomorrow, Ivory. Maybe we ought to think about asking Grandmama if we can stay at Bridlebank until we can find cheap lodgings in town.’
‘Do you think Edith will ask us to leave?’ Ivory asked anxiously. ‘I don’t think I could face going back to live with Grandmama.’
‘We can’t remain here for ever,’ Kitty said gently. ‘If Edith finds out that I turned Flinders down she might ask us to leave. After all, Mill House is getting rather crowded, and she does run the place as a business.’
‘Frances wants to return to London,’ Charles said thoughtfully. ‘She’s never liked living in the country, unlike me. However, we were thinking of returning to Duke Street soon. Why don’t you both come with us?’
‘To live with you in Duke Street?’ Kitty stared at him in surprise.
‘That is what I suggest. It’s a large house and you will be company for Frances. You could even go back to your stall in the Bazaar, if you so wish, Kitty. You are wasting your talents waiting on table and helping in the house. What do you say?’
Chapter Nineteen
It had all happened so quickly. Flinders had left early next morning, Jem driving him to the station. It had been a tense farewell, leaving Kitty feeling guilty and ungrateful for all the kindness Flinders had shown. It hurt her to say goodbye, knowing that she had dashed his desire for a deeper relationship, but it would be cruel to give him false hope. He had accused her again of being in love with Barton, which she had refuted, but in truth she was not sure. Her own feelings were a maelstrom of contradicting emotions that she was unable to put into words.
Then, just two days later, Kitty, Ivory and Nellie had packed their bags and were on their way back to London. They had said their goodbyes to Edith and Adeline, and although Adeline seemed complacent, Edith was clearly resentful that Kitty had rejected her son’s advances. She did not put her feelings into words but somehow that made it even more difficult. Kitty had given Mr Beadle a kiss on the cheek and a promise never to forget him, but she left Mill House with a feeling of guilt for seeming to have abandoned the people who had helped them in their time of crisis. Ivory, however, seemed to have no compunction about leaving so abruptly. She was already seated next to Jem on the driver’s seat and Kitty climbed into the wagon to sit with Nellie and the luggage.
‘Don’t look so downcast, love,’ Nellie said brusquely. ‘You did the right thing when you rejected Mr Riley.’
‘I can’t expect his mother to agree with you.’ Kitty made herself as comfortable as possible as the wagon lurched into motion. ‘We’re going to be covered in flour from sitting on the bare boards,’ she added with a wry smile.
‘If that’s the most of our problems we don’t have much to worry about.’ Nellie clutched the side of the vehicle. ‘Don’t drive so fast, Jem.’
He turned his head and muttered something unintelligible beneath his breath.
‘I’m going to start painting again when we are established in Duke Street,’ Kitty said, wincing as the cart went over a rut in the road. ‘If I can earn enough money in the Bazaar, we might find a small house or even a set of rooms to rent. I don’t want to be beholden to Charles and Frances for any longer than necessary.’
‘You’ll have to paint a lot of portraits to make that sort of money.’ Nellie pursed her lips. ‘Let’s hope that the master gets home sooner rather than later.’
