A Loving Family (41 page)

‘I wish I'd been in a position to look for you all sooner, but at least we're together now, and Freddie will be with us again on his next leave. I just hope we can help Rosa save Heron Park for future generations.' Stella realised that she had lost her sister's attention. Belinda had spotted Harry and was waving frantically.

‘Harry, come and have some refreshment before we sell out completely.'

Stella smiled to herself. Belle seemed to fall in and out of love so easily: she sometimes wished that her heart could heal as quickly. She knew she would love Kit until her dying day, but he might return from war a changed man. He had never promised her anything and the differences between them could still pose an insuperable barrier. She looked up, realising that Harry had spoken to her. ‘I'm sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?'

‘It's going better than I expected, Miss Barry. I don't know how much money was taken at the gate, but there are more people here than I thought would turn out on a cold bank-holiday Monday.'

‘Do have a cake,' Belinda said, offering him what was left on the tray. ‘Spike has gone for more supplies, but we've done a roaring trade.'

Stella nodded in agreement. ‘It has gone well, Harry. Thanks to your hard work and everyone involved, I think our first day of opening to the public has been a huge success.'

‘I'm going to collect the takings from Turpin and his wife,' Harry said, selecting a sticky bun and taking a bite.

‘I think we should have a celebration tonight,' Belinda said eagerly. ‘We ought to include the servants and the farm workers whose efforts made all this possible.'

‘That's a very good idea, Belle. I don't know why I didn't think of it.' Stella gave her an encouraging smile.

Harry stared at Belinda with open admiration. ‘It's a wonderful idea, Miss Belinda. It would go down well with everyone.'

‘I'll put it to Rosa and Tommy.' Stella had just caught sight of them as they emerged from the crowd. ‘I'm sure you can manage on your own until Spike returns, Belle.' She hurried off without giving her sister a chance to argue.

Rosa greeted her with a delighted smile. ‘Isn't it wonderful, Stella? It's exceeded all our expectations.'

‘It has gone well,' Stella agreed. ‘Will we do this again?'

Tommy nodded enthusiastically. ‘We'd be mad not to follow this up. I'd suggest having posters made advertising the next event, and even placing an advertisement in the newspapers.'

Stella fell into step beside them as they headed for the house. ‘Belinda has suggested that we give a party for the staff tonight as a thank you for all their efforts. What do you think?'

‘A party for the servants?' Rosa came to a sudden halt. ‘What a strange idea.'

‘I don't know,' Tommy said thoughtfully. ‘We do something similar at Christmas. The servants have a ball and the family attend. Perhaps an impromptu party would raise their spirits, which I daresay have been dampened by the sacking of Mrs Kendall and Cook. It would be foolish to imagine that the servants aren't aware of the precarious financial position that Rivenhall left behind him.'

‘What do you think, Stella?' Rosa asked anxiously. ‘Wouldn't it take an awful lot of preparation?'

Stella glanced at the thinning crowd as the visitors began to make their way homeward. She smiled. ‘We have plenty of cake, and I'm sure I could help the kitchen staff to make up a cold collation. I don't know the state of your cellars, Rosa, but I'd be prepared to bet that Mr Rivenhall left them well stocked.'

‘I'll send Noakes down to look,' Tommy said, grinning. ‘On second thoughts, perhaps I'd better accompany him or he might take a wrong turn and we would never see him again, poor old fellow.'

Rosa beckoned to Harry, who came rushing to her side. ‘A party for the servants is a splendid notion. We just need some musicians so that there can be dancing.'

Stella had a sudden vision of the carol singers on Christmas Eve and the choirmaster with his huge violoncello. ‘Surely someone on the estate must have a musical talent?'

‘I believe that Turpin plays the fiddle,' Harry said thoughtfully.

‘That will do for a start.' Rosa set off in the direction of the house. ‘I'll leave it to you both to make the necessary arrangements. I'll go and make the announcement in the servants' hall.'

THE OPEN DAY
had proved to be even more of a success than Stella and Rosa had hoped for. They had not made a fortune and the mismanagement of the estate would not be corrected overnight, but Harry worked tirelessly to make it profitable once again.

They continued to open the gates once a month during the spring and Stella's business was doing well. Spike proved to be a keen apprentice and she was able to leave much of the preparation to him, assisted by Connie, the workhouse girl who now lived with them in Fleur-de-Lis Street. Belinda, having suffered the rigours of the workhouse first hand, had taken the child under her wing and Connie was her devoted slave. Stella supervised the day-to-day running of the shop, but she was able to leave them to work on their own when necessary. This allowed her to spend time at Heron Park and make full use of the kitchens there in order to provide refreshments when the caves were open to visitors.

Rosa and Tommy had planned to be married in June, but Rosa decided that she would wait until Kit came home. ‘I've no one to give me away,' she said mournfully when Tommy protested. ‘It wouldn't be right to celebrate our happiness with my brother risking his life daily in Afghanistan.'

Tommy had been forced to capitulate and reluctantly agreed to postpone their nuptials until Kit's return. Stella lived for that day and everything she did and planned for revolved around her feelings for Kit. She did her utmost to make Heron Park visitor days a success and no one worked harder than she to ensure the smooth running of the household. She felt as though she was two people, proprietor and head baker at the shop in Artillery Street and part-time housekeeper at Heron Park. She never aspired to take over from Rosa, but she did all she could to support her and to share the knowledge she had gained while working in the kitchens at Portgone Place. She wanted above all things to have a home waiting for Kit when he returned from the war. He had been powerless to claim his rightful inheritance while his uncle lived, but now he would come home to find a well-run estate and his childhood home as he remembered it before Gervase's excesses brought it to near ruin. She worked hard, slept little and lived for the day when she would be reunited with the man she loved with all her heart.

Ultimately, as summer drifted into the golden haze of autumn, it was Jacinta who became a bride. She had wanted a quiet wedding by special licence, but Thaddeus was having none of it and insisted on organising everything himself. ‘I want the world to see the wonderful woman who has agreed to marry me,' he said stoutly. ‘I'm inviting the whole village to celebrate our union, Jacinta. I won't change my mind.' Reluctantly Jacinta agreed, although she confided in Stella that she wished she could wait until Freddie came home on leave so that her son could give her away. There seemed little likelihood of this but Bob put himself forward for the honour, and Jacinta accepted with good grace. Only Stella knew how much it cost her mother to make such a concession.

The night before the wedding, Rosa and Tommy stayed at Portgone Place, but Jacinta and Stella took rooms at the village inn, leaving Aunt Maud and Belinda to enjoy the comforts of the farmhouse. Spike and Connie were to manage the shop with Perry promising to keep an eye on them. It was an arrangement that worried Stella, but her mother's happiness was more important than mere business.

On the day, the village church was decked with flowers and the pews were packed with well-wishers. Jacinta walked down the aisle on Bob's arm wearing a new silk gown in a subtle shade of pearl grey. Her hair was caught back in a heavy chignon and studded with white rosebuds picked that morning from the farmhouse garden. Thaddeus beamed happily throughout the ceremony and gave his responses in a loud, clear voice that echoed off the vaulted ceiling. Stella had a lump in her throat as she watched her mother leave the church on the arm of her new husband to a slightly discordant triumphal march played by the village schoolmaster on a harmonium.

Outside the sun blazed down on the village green and the congregation filed out to follow the newlyweds to the village hall, where a feast had been laid out on trestle tables. The choirmaster and the fiddler raced on ahead to strike up a tune and Bertie was there before them to create and be the first to sample the fruit cup. Stella suspected that it had been fortified with a liberal helping of brandy, especially when it proved to be popular with the younger men, whose cheeks began to glow after a glass or two. Their eyes sparkled as they pounced on the village girls and asked them to dance, whirling them round the grassy floor until they shrieked and begged to slow down. The warm scent of crushed grass mingled with the heady aroma of the punch and the yeasty smell of the cucumber sandwiches left on the platter to curl at the edges. Pies and pickles were devoured in great quantities, as were the gingerbread and small cakes that Stella had baked and brought from London for the occasion.

Stella had to wait her turn to congratulate the bride and groom. She hugged Thaddeus and kissed his whiskery cheek. ‘I'm proud to call you father,' she said softly. ‘I can't think of a better man to make my mother happy.'

His eyes were moist as he returned the embrace. ‘My dear girl, I thank the Lord for that day when I spotted you sitting on the roadside looking so forlorn. That day changed my life for the better.'

‘And mine, Pa Hendy. None of this would have been possible had it not been for your kindness.'

He dashed his hand across his eyes. ‘Now, now, girl. I'm in danger of making a fool of myself.'

Jacinta wrapped her arms around her daughter. ‘You are the one to be thanked, my dear girl. If it hadn't been for your determination to unite our little family things would have been very different.' She glanced at Belinda, who was dancing with Bertie. ‘Your sister might have ended up in a nunnery and spent the rest of her life regretting it.'

Stella smiled. ‘I think Belle would have realised that it was not for her before she took her final vows. If anyone was meant to live life to the full it's Belle.'

‘It's a pity that Harry couldn't come,' Jacinta said, her smile fading. ‘That young man is head over heels in love with Belinda. She could do worse than marry a land agent, I suppose.'

‘Harry's a good man,' Stella said hastily. ‘He's done so much to revive the fortunes of Heron Park. We should be very grateful to him.'

Thaddeus slipped his arm around his wife's waist. ‘I think it's time I led my wife onto the dance floor, Stella. We'll show the young ones how it's done.'

‘Of course.' Stella stood aside, watching them with delight. No one deserved more happiness than Ma. If only Freddie and Kit were here the day would be complete. She was about to make her way to where Rosa and Tommy were standing when out of the corner of her eye she saw a familiar figure enter the hall. Her breath caught in her throat. ‘Freddie!' She rushed towards him, pushing her way through the throng of dancers and throwing her arms around his neck. ‘Freddie. I can't believe it's really you.'

He lifted her off her feet and swung her round. ‘It's me all right, Stella. I didn't think I'd make it in time, but I'm here now.'

‘How did you know where to come? It's a miracle.'

He set her down, straightening his uniform jacket. ‘I've got a few days' leave and I went to the house in Fleur-de-Lis Street. Perry told me you'd come here for the wedding and here I am, just in time it seems to drink the health of the bride and groom.'

‘Ma was so disappointed that you weren't here to give her away, but this will make up for it.' Stella took him by the arm and led him onto the floor. She tapped Thaddeus on the shoulder. ‘Excuse me, Pa Hendy. There's a gentleman here with prior claim to this dance.'

Thaddeus came to a sudden halt in the middle of a waltz and spun Jacinta round to face Freddie. She uttered a shriek of joy and ran to greet him, flinging her arms around his neck. ‘Oh, my dear boy. This is truly a miracle.'

‘Hold on, Ma,' Freddie said, blushing. ‘Everyone's looking at us.'

Jacinta turned to the guests, laughing and crying at the same time. ‘This is my son. He's come home.'

The musicians stopped for a moment and then struck up a hornpipe. Everyone clapped enthusiastically. ‘I think I need a drink,' Freddie murmured. ‘I've been travelling all day and all last night, Ma.'

Thaddeus patted him on the back. ‘Well done, my boy. I couldn't be happier, but let your sister see to your needs for now. I want to finish this dance with my wife.'

Stella took Freddie by the hand. ‘Let's see if there's any fruit punch left and I'll get you a plate of food.'

He grinned at her from his superior height. ‘Always the bossy big sister.' He glanced over her shoulder. ‘And there's Belle with a fellow on her arm as usual. Nothing changes. It's good to be home.'

They found seats at one of the tables and Stella brought him a plate piled high with roast beef and a slice of pork pie with pickles and cheese. She watched him eat. ‘Don't they feed you on board ship?' she teased.

He chewed and swallowed. ‘They do, but not like this. I've just come back from Bombay with a shipload of injured soldiers. We're sailing again at the end of the week.'

A chill ran down her spine and she shivered. ‘Kit is out there somewhere.' Her throat constricted and she looked away. ‘Will it never end, Freddie?'

‘Pray God it will. I've seen enough suffering amongst the troops we bring home to last me a lifetime. Let's hope that your chap gets through it unscathed.'