‘Yes, sir.’ The groom hurried into the shop, followed by Cassy and Lottie.
‘Set me down, you fool, and wait outside. I’ll call when I need you.’ Oliver dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
‘What’s the matter?’ Cassy demanded. ‘Why are you so angry?’
He smiled ruefully. ‘I’m sorry; I’m being a bear again today, my love. If it hadn’t been for Lottie I might have had a serious argument with the doctor.’
‘You’re a difficult patient,’ Lottie said, chuckling. ‘We get plenty like you, so don’t think you’re special, Oliver Davenport.’
‘That’s right,’ Cassy said with mock severity. ‘It’s time someone stood up to him. We’ve all been tiptoeing around Ollie, but perhaps he needs a firm hand, like a naughty little boy.’
Oliver pulled a face, turning to Jack who was standing at a respectful distance. ‘I suppose you’re used to petticoat rule, my man. I don’t know how you put up with it.’
‘Jack is too polite to answer you.’ Cassy suppressed a sigh. Ollie had been particularly difficult for the last day or two, and her patience was almost at an end.
Lottie went to study the paintings one by one. ‘These are very good,’ she said, turning to Jack with a smile. ‘Much better than the ones you showed at the exhibition. I think they’ll be snapped up.’ She picked up a honey-glazed clay pot in the shape of a top hat. ‘This is nice too. I can just see it filled with primroses and violets. You have some lovely things here, and the shop is in a prime position. I hope it does well.’
‘I do too,’ Cassy said with feeling. ‘But how did you come to be with Ollie? Were you visiting someone at the hospital?’
‘I’ve been sent there for six months to study orthopaedics. I think I might specialise in it if I manage to qualify, although of course there is such a lot of opposition from the male members of the profession. It’s a real struggle, Cassy.’
‘But I’d say you’re more than a match for those idiots,’ Oliver said stoutly. ‘You should have seen her standing up to the doctor who examined me, Cassy. He was talking to me as if I were a two-year-old and Lottie waded in there like a tiny tiger. I’d have her in my regiment any day.’
Cassy looked from one to the other in surprise. In the past their relationship had been fiery. One minute they were laughing and chatting like old friends, and the next they would be sparring like barristers on opposing sides. She met Lottie’s amused look with a grateful smile. ‘Thank you for taking care of him. As you can see, he’s quite a handful.’
‘It’s not easy for an active man to find himself dependent on others, but what Ollie hasn’t told you is that he has recovered a little of the feeling in his feet, which is an excellent sign. We’ll have him up and walking yet.’
‘You’ll come back to the house for luncheon, won’t you?’ Oliver said urgently. ‘I’ve got a whole list of questions I want answered.’
Lottie shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. I’d love to, but I’ve got to get back to the hospital. I shouldn’t really be here but I managed to persuade the consultant that you ought to have someone with you, if only to prevent you from setting about the groom. You really were terribly rude to the poor man, and he was doing his best to help you.’
No one had spoken to Oliver like that for a long time, and Cassy held her breath waiting for him to react angrily, but to her surprise he seemed not to have taken offence. In fact he appeared to be almost chastened. Cassy stared at Lottie in amazement. She had dared to do what everyone else had been too scared to attempt. She had put Oliver in his place.
‘I’ll apologise to the fellow if that makes you happy, doctor,’ he said meekly.
‘Not a doctor yet.’ Lottie patted him on the shoulder. ‘Give me time, though. I’ll say goodbye for now, but I really must get back to the hospital.’
‘Come and see us again when you get time off,’ Cassy said as she saw her to the door. ‘I have so much I want to tell you.’
‘I guessed as much, Cass. We never had any secrets from each other, and I can see that you aren’t happy.’ She glanced at the ring on Cassy’s finger. ‘That’s a splendid gem, but I don’t think that ruby-red is your colour.’
Glancing nervously over her shoulder to see if Ollie was listening, Cassy was relieved to see that he was in conversation with Jack. She grasped Lottie’s hand. ‘I’m in such turmoil. I need to talk to you.’
‘I’m off duty tomorrow evening,’ Lottie said in a low voice. ‘Shall I come to your house?’
‘No, I’ll come to you. It would be impossible to talk at home.’
Next evening, Cassy found it surprisingly easy to slip away after dinner. Oliver had retired early, having drunk rather too much claret during the meal and had been wheeled away by Maitland, a quiet, dependable manservant who had been taken on to attend to his personal needs. Cassy finished her dessert in silence while her mother and father made plans for an outing to one of the new department stores in order to choose furniture for the nursery. They barely noticed when Cassy made her excuses to leave the table, and she left them discussing when they ought to advertise for a nanny and a nursery maid. She had secreted her bonnet and cloak in the morning parlour, and she waited there until the carriage was brought round to the front entrance.
Feeling like a prisoner escaping from jail, Cassy slipped out of the house and climbed into the barouche. It was raining. The cobblestones glistened in the gaslight and the muddy water made gushing noises as it ran in rivulets along the gutters to create eddies as it was sucked into the drains. It was cold, and Cassy was shivering by the time she arrived in Spectacle Alley. She told the coachman to return in an hour, and wrapping her cloak tightly against the wind and rain she hurried down the narrow street to hammer on the shop door.
Lottie let her in. ‘Good heavens, what a night. Come into the parlour and sit by the fire. Pa sends his apologies but he’s got one of his bad chests and he’s gone to bed.’ She led the way through the dark shop, where the manikins lurked like headless giants in the shadows. When she was a child they had scared Cassy, but she had grown out of such youthful fancies now. Taking off her bonnet and cloak she laid them neatly on a chair.
Lottie went to sit by the fire, motioning Cassy to take a seat opposite her. ‘Now then, tell me everything. I could see that there was something terribly wrong. What is it, Cassy?’
It was a relief to pour out her troubles to sympathetic ears. Lottie listened without making any comment until Cassy finished speaking. ‘I am so sorry. It is a bit of a pickle, so what will you do?’
‘What can I do? I’ve promised to marry him, and I don’t want to hurt him. I do love him, but not in the way he wants. It’s Bailey and it was always him, even though I didn’t realise it until too late.’
‘But Cass, you mustn’t marry a man you don’t love. It will go wrong eventually and then you’ll both be unhappy.’
‘He’ll never know. I mean to make him a good wife, but I just had to tell somebody and who else but my best friend?’
Lottie was silent for a moment, staring into the fire with a thoughtful look on her face. When she raised her head, her expression was serious. ‘I wish I had some good advice to give you, but this is something you must work out for yourself, Cassy. I know that your motives are based on loyalty and gratitude, but don’t you think Ollie deserves more than that?’
‘He trusts me, and I can’t let him down.’ Cassy reached out to grasp Lottie’s hands. ‘You’ve seen the delicate state he’s in, and you’re a doctor, or soon will be. I want you to promise me that you’ll do everything you can to make him well again. He’s always been fond of you, Lottie. If anyone can help him, it’s you.’
‘I don’t know about that, Cass. I’ll do everything I can, of course, but . . .’
‘If Ollie could walk again I might be able to tell him how I really feel, but until then I have to keep my promise, to him and to Bailey.’
‘And if he never walks again?’
‘I’ll stand by him, no matter what.’
Cassy returned home feeling relieved to have shared her problem with Lottie, but nagging doubts about the future kept her awake into the small hours. They were not eased when, next morning, Flora arrived at the house in Lemon’s Terrace dressed in furs and looking every inch the squire’s wife. Cade had accompanied Oliver to the hospital for his appointment with yet another consultant and it was left to Belinda and Cassy to entertain their guest.
‘Well, you’re a pretty pair,’ Flora said, taking a seat close to the fire in the blue and gold drawing room. ‘Having a baby at your age, Belle. What were you and Cade thinking of?’ She chuckled. ‘No, I’ll rephrase that question. What on earth were you and Cade thinking of?’
Belinda smiled serenely. ‘I can assure you that we’re both delighted at the prospect of being parents, and I’m only just thirty-five, Flora.’
‘You do look well, I have to admit that.’ Flora turned to Cassy with a questioning look. ‘And you, miss? I hear that you’re engaged to Oliver. What’s that all about?’
‘Just that, Aunt Flora. We’re going to get married.’
‘You’re taking on a cripple? I’ve been married five times, and even I would think twice before landing myself with a husband who couldn’t walk up the aisle. And this is my nephew we’re talking about. Even if Ollie was hale and hearty I wouldn’t think it a good match for either of you.’
‘Flora, is this really necessary?’ Belinda cast an anxious glance at Cassy. ‘You don’t have to listen to this kind of talk, my love.’
‘Ho, you’ve become very bold,’ Flora said, curling her lip. ‘I remember the time when you wouldn’t say boo to a goose, Belinda. I see that marriage to that renegade has made you into a different woman.’
‘And one I’m proud to be. No disrespect to poor Geoffrey, who was a good husband, but my true love was always George. I only wish we’d been able to share the joy of bringing up our daughter.’ Belinda gave Cassy a rueful smile. ‘I regret those wasted years.’
‘Yes, well, Geoffrey was a dry old stick, as I’ve said many a time before, and you’re old enough to know your own mind.’ Flora turned her fierce gaze on Cassy. ‘But I’m not sure that you do, miss. Heaven knows I love my nephew, but I don’t think you two are suited. Oliver may think that you are all sweetness, but I’ve seen a core of steel inside you, Cassy. He may imagine that he can rule you, but I have my doubts. Unless you love him with all your heart, I’d say stop this charade now. Never mind breaking his heart, it will mend. Better to do it before you’re married than afterwards. I speak from experience, my dear.’
Cassy bowed her head. She could not meet Flora’s knowing gaze. It was as though she saw deep into her soul, and had guessed her guilty secret.
‘And how is Mr Mullins?’ Belinda said sweetly. ‘Are you enjoying life on the farm, Flora?’
‘As a matter of fact I’m in my element. I’ve discovered that he owns land and cottages that bring in rents, when he can be bothered to collect them, as well as the income from dairy farming. I’ve taken over the business side completely now, and next year I hope to make a substantial profit. To think that all those years I was dependent on my husbands for money, and all the while I’ve had a perfectly good brain which could have been put to better use than organising parties and making the odd pound or two for charity.’
‘You make it all sound so easy,’ Belinda said mildly.
Flora pointed a bony finger at Cassy. ‘Use your head, girl. I hear you’re starting up a shop for the soldiers to sell their handwork, which is splendid news. One day women will earn the right not only to vote but to equal men in the business world. Don’t waste your talents on having a baby every year, Cassy. Go out there and fight for women’s rights.’
The winter months flew past for Cassy. Setting her own problems aside, she threw herself into organising the day to day running of the shop, although her main aim was for the men to take it over themselves. Business was slow at first but Cade encouraged his friends and acquaintances to visit the premises, and gradually word spread that there were bargains to be had, and works of art to collect which might one day prove to be a good investment. Jack had plenty of ideas for expanding their business by employing one of the men who had been a cobbler by trade. He had lost the use of his legs, but he was more than happy to have his workbench set up close to the window so that passers-by could see him mending boots and shoes. This brought in customers who would never normally have gone into premises such as theirs. Jack also put forward the suggestion that they rent the shop next door where they would sell bread and cakes cooked in the home kitchen. Cassy could envisage the whole row of shops taken over by the ex-soldiers utilising their varied talents and former trades.
As the cold weather was eased away by an early spring, Belinda gave birth to a son. Both mother and baby were doing well and Cade handed out cigars by the boxful. Cassy was delighted with her baby brother, who was to be named George, after his father, and Hubert, after the grandfather Cassy had never known.
Slowly over the months, Oliver’s condition had begun to improve. The feeling had come back to his lower limbs and the doctors were now hopeful of a good, if not complete, recovery. Lottie was tireless in her efforts to find new treatments that helped him regain the strength in his wasted muscles, and she was convinced that he would walk again. But Cassy watched his progress with a mixture of hope and trepidation. When he had begun to show signs of recovery, Oliver had decided that they would wait until he could walk down the aisle unaided before they took their wedding vows. She had been glad of the reprieve, but she realised that the time was coming when she must make the final decision that had the power to change the course of both their lives forever.