The Forgotten Family (15 page)

It was a relief when the New Year of 1906 had been welcomed in. The atmosphere had been subdued with all of them wondering what this coming year would bring. Everyone in the house missed Mary dreadfully, and the festive season had only seemed to highlight the recent loss.

It had been the quietest Christmas Ellie could ever remember. There had been a tree and presents, but it wasn’t the same. Her father had been preoccupied and she glimpsed his loneliness. He hid it as best he could, but she knew his every mood.

Mr Rogers spent the holiday with his parents, and Ted with Jack and Pearl. They would be returning today and, weather permitting, Ted would be overseeing the clearing of the land for the orchard.

Her father was already at the breakfast table with Uncle
Henry and Philip, who had been staying with them over the holiday. Ellie had been glad to have her cousin around for company.

‘Looks like it might snow.’ Philip seemed delighted with the prospect.

‘Hope not.’ Henry glanced out of the window, frowning. ‘The last thing we need is snow. That ground must be cleared by the spring so we can plant fruit trees and, hopefully, get a modest yield from them in about two years’ time.’

‘Sooner than that if we plant mature trees,’ Albert commented, then continued reading the letter that had arrived that morning. ‘Ah, Eleanor, it seems that Mrs Montague has a house in London. She’s staying there now and has asked us to call at our convenience.’

‘That’s marvellous,’ Ellie said excitedly. ‘When can we go?’

‘Well, Mrs Montague admits to being curious, so I think we had better go tomorrow.’

‘Thank you, Father.’ Ellie could hardly believe their luck that the lady happened to be visiting London. It would save them a long journey, and her father was already devoting far too much time to this, when he should be attending to his own business. She couldn’t help feeling guilty about that.

Albert frowned when he saw his daughter’s enthusiasm. ‘Don’t build up your hopes. It might not be your sister.’

‘That’s true, but Jack said she went into service so I’m hopeful.’

Philip looked disgruntled. ‘I suppose I’ll have to spend my day in the schoolroom while you have a trip to London, again.’

‘As you are a boy your education is more important than Eleanor’s,’ Henry reprimanded sternly. ‘One day you will have to take over the running of the estate.’

‘So will Ellie.’ Philip scowled. ‘Uncle Albert doesn’t have a son.’

‘Your cousin will marry one day, and if she is wise will choose a husband capable of the task.’

‘Must that be my only criteria for marrying, Uncle Henry?’ Ellie’s tone was playful. ‘Shouldn’t I fall in love with him as well?’

‘If you must.’

Albert laughed, standing up. ‘Stop teasing Eleanor, Henry. She will choose a husband for her own reasons when the time comes. She will only be eighteen this month, so there’s plenty of time.’

The next morning Ellie was in a high state of excitement. Would this girl be her sister? Ted had seemed optimistic that it would be. He’d given her all the news from Wandsworth, saying that he’d enjoyed himself, but was happy to be back in the country. He’d said, proudly, that although Jack and Dave had drink in the house, he hadn’t touched a drop. It hadn’t been easy, but he was much too excited about the challenge of the new job to put it at risk. ‘Are you ready, Eleanor?’

‘Yes, Father.’ She peered in the mirror to adjust her hat.

‘A little more to the side, I think.’ He laughed as she fussed over her appearance, as this was something she had never taken much interest in. ‘You look charming.’

The blue of her dress was the same colour as her eyes,
and she gazed at it doubtfully. ‘Do you think it proper for me to come out of mourning so soon?’

‘Your mother would wish it, for you know how she disliked dark sombre shades. She did choose that outfit for you herself, didn’t she?’

Ellie nodded, sadness clouding her eyes. ‘I can’t get used to her not being here.’

‘No, it is hard.’ He took her arm and guided her to the waiting carriage. ‘But she would want us to get on with our lives. If she’s watching from above, then she would approve of what we’re doing.’

Mrs Montague’s house in Knightsbridge was lovely. The door opened before they could knock, and a butler took Albert’s calling card, then showed them into a spacious room just off the hallway. A lot of the furniture was ornate, but the decor was subdued and tasteful.

‘This is a lovely house,’ Ellie whispered, ‘but not as nice as ours. When you look out of the window here you only see more houses, but we have open countryside.’

The butler was back almost immediately to show them to an upstairs drawing room. He opened the door, announced them, and then withdrew.

Ellie had been expecting an older woman, but Mrs Montague was slightly younger than her father, and so elegant. Her smile seemed to light up the room, and the young man standing by her side was obviously her son, for they both had the same golden brown hair.

‘It is kind of you to receive us.’ Albert said, after a momentary hesitation, for he too was surprised by the lady. ‘May I introduce my daughter, Eleanor?’

Ellie found herself being studied intently, and could not believe the colour of the lady’s eyes. They were a startling violet colour, and she had never seen anything like them before.

‘Your daughter is charming.’ She motioned to the young man. ‘This is my son, James. You don’t mind if he stays while we discuss the reason for your visit?’

‘Of course not.’

‘Please sit down.’ While she was speaking the door opened and a maid came in with tea and cakes. ‘You must be in need of refreshments after your journey.’

Once they were all settled, Mrs Montague leant forward. ‘I admit to being rather curious to find out why you wish to see me. You merely said it was a family matter, Mr Warrender, but I don’t believe we have met before.’

‘That is correct.’ Albert didn’t waste any time in explaining that Ellie had been adopted, and upon learning that she had come from a large family, wished to trace her other siblings. ‘We understand that you have a maid by the name of Margaret Bonner.’

‘Yes, she is my personal maid.’

‘With your permission, we would like to see her. She may be Eleanor’s sister.’

‘My goodness!’ Mrs Montague rang a bell. ‘How very exciting.’

The butler appeared at once, and the lady instructed him to ask Margaret to come immediately. When he had closed the door, she said, ‘Would you prefer to see her alone?’

‘That won’t be necessary.’ Albert stood as Ellie was already on her feet.

‘I am glad you said that, Mr Warrender, for I also am eager to see if my maid is related to your daughter, but I cannot see any resemblance.’

Ellie stood beside her father, disappointed by that announcement, watching the door anxiously. A light tap on the door made her jump in anticipation, she was so nervous.

‘You wanted to see me, madam?’

Margaret Bonner was shorter than Ellie, and rather plain, with light brown hair, but her hazel eyes were a redeeming feature. Ellie’s heart beat faster; she had a look of Jack about her.

‘Mr Warrender and his daughter would like to ask you some questions.’

‘Please don’t be alarmed, Miss Bonner, but we believe you may be able to help us,’ Albert tried to reassure her. ‘We are trying to trace all the children of Fred and Hilda Bonner from Whitechapel.’

The maid drew in a deep breath. ‘May I ask why, sir?’

‘My daughter will explain.’ Albert urged Ellie forward. ‘Are you Maggie, and do you have brothers by the name of Jack and Ted, and a sister, Pearl?’

‘Yes.’ She had gone quite pale, gazing suspiciously at Ellie.

‘Then I am your sister, Queenie.’ She waited while Maggie absorbed this; she wanted to reach out to her, but she didn’t dare. The girl didn’t look pleased to see her.

The silence was enough to take away her breath, as the girl was obviously shaken. Then to Ellie’s distress, Maggie turned and fled from the room. She felt her father’s hand
on her shoulder, steadying her as she fought her bitter disappointment.

There was a sharp exclamation behind her as James spoke. ‘What extraordinary conduct, Mother. She has just insulted our guests by leaving the room without permission.’

‘Leave it, James, this is not our business. I shall reprimand her later.’

‘Oh, you mustn’t do that, please.’ Ellie was alarmed. ‘This has obviously been a great shock for her.’

Albert handed Ellie one of his cards. ‘Take this to her, and tell her that she is welcome to call on us if she ever feels like it.’

Taking the card, Ellie hurried from the room with James right behind her.

‘She will have returned to her room. I’ll show you the way.’

It wasn’t necessary. Maggie was only next door in the music room. She was holding on to the back of a chair for support, head bowed.

Ellie stood beside her, holding out the card. ‘I’m sorry to have upset you. This is where I live in case you ever want to see me. I won’t bother you again, the decision will be yours alone.’

Shaking her head, Maggie refused the card. When she spoke her voice was trembling. ‘I couldn’t wait to get out of that place and away from everyone connected with it. I’ve made a decent life for myself, put it all behind me, and then you turn up.’ She faced Ellie. ‘After they’d taken you away, life was hell in that house.’

‘That wasn’t my fault, Maggie. I was only around two and a half.’

‘I know, but I left as soon as I could and I don’t want anything, or anyone, to remind me of that time.’ Maggie eyed her curiously. ‘You’re a real posh lady, aren’t you? You ain’t one of us no more.’

‘I may have lived a very different life from yours, but I was born into the same conditions as you. That makes me one of you, and no amount of fine clothes will ever change that fact.’ Ellie paused to gain control.  ‘Again I apologise for upsetting you.’ Tossing the card on to the chair, she turned and walked out of the room.

James was waiting outside for her, still annoyed. ‘She shouldn’t have treated you like that.’

After a mighty struggle Ellie managed to keep her tears at bay, and she looked up at the young man. ‘My turning up unannounced must have been a dreadful shock for her. I shouldn’t have come, but I don’t remember any of my brothers and sisters, and I wanted to meet them.’

‘How many did you have?’

‘Nine, but two are dead. We’ve found two brothers and a sister so far, now Maggie, but she doesn’t want to know me. The others were pleased to see me – at least two were – the other was ill, but he’s better now and happy to know I am all right. They never knew where I went, or who took me. My father warned me that they might not all want to meet me, but I did so hope they would.’

‘You have embarked on a very courageous quest, Miss Warrender.’

‘Or foolish.’ She sighed, feeling she could talk to
James. ‘But once I was told about my other family, I knew I wouldn’t be able to rest until I had found them.’ She managed a smile, although she was crying inside. ‘It was naive of me to expect them all to accept me. I doubt this will be the last rejection I shall suffer, but I will not stop until all are traced.’

James held out his arm. ‘Shall we return to the drawing room, Miss Warrender?’

She nodded. ‘I can do no more here, and please call me Ellie.’ They walked back together in silence. She couldn’t help casting him a quick glance. He was mid-twenties, she guessed, and almost as tall as her father. His eyes were a paler shade than his mother’s, but still violet. And although he was now aware of her humble beginnings, he did not seem to be at all bothered by that fact, and continued to treat her with respect. She liked that about him. Her father wasn’t ashamed of her background, and neither was she. They would have no time for anyone who thought otherwise.

When they entered the room, Mrs Montague and her father were in deep conversation, but he stood up as soon as she walked towards him.

‘She doesn’t want to have anything to do with me, and would not take the card, but I left it for her anyway.’

‘I am sorry, my dear.’ Albert studied her face carefully, assessing how she had taken the rejection. ‘We knew that might happen, didn’t we?’

‘Yes, we did.’ She held her head up high and hoped it was good enough to fool them. She would not show her hurt in front of strangers, pleasant as they appeared to be.

He nodded, touching her hand briefly to let her know he understood how she was feeling. ‘Mrs Montague has invited us to stay for lunch.’

Ellie turned to Mrs Montague, all distress wiped from her face, determined not to embarrass anyone by breaking down. ‘That is very kind of you, madam. I am rather hungry after all the excitement.’

That light-hearted remark brought a nod of approval from Mrs Montague. ‘Your daughter has character, Albert.’

‘Indeed she has,’ he said, amusement and affection lighting his unusual eyes. ‘She has always loved a good scrap, and defends her beliefs rather forcefully, causing two schools to decide they couldn’t keep her. She does not tolerate rudeness or snobbery of any kind. And neither do I, Augusta.’

James spluttered on a laugh and winked at Ellie. ‘Mother was asked to
leave
her finishing school.’

‘Really?’ Albert grinned.

Augusta nodded. ‘But only one. Eleanor has beaten me on that score. You sound much like myself as a young girl. Ah, there is the luncheon bell, you must tell me all about it while we eat.’

After an excellent meal they retired to the drawing room. James was very interesting to talk to, and had entertained Ellie with tales of his Grand Tour, from which he had recently returned. And she discovered that he was twenty-four, but looked younger.

‘Will you be staying in London for a while?’ Albert accepted a cup of coffee from his hostess.

‘We’ll be here until the spring. It can get very cold in
Yorkshire during the winter months, but it is marginally warmer down here, and we take this opportunity to visit friends, attend the theatre and social gatherings.’

‘It is Eleanor’s eighteenth birthday on the sixteenth of this month. We are still in mourning for my wife, but she would not wish us to ignore such an important occasion, so we shall be celebrating in a modest way, and we would be pleased if you could join us. You may stay for a while, if you wish. The countryside around Sevenoaks is very beautiful, even in winter.’