With a flurry of muslin skirts and lace-frilled petticoats, Cordelia hurried from the room.
Caroline sat very still, gazing around the luxuriously appointed room with a stifled sigh. Until today she had taken this standard of living for granted, but, for the first time, she was looking at the expensive hand-painted wallpaper and the priceless oil paintings with a new eye. She ran her fingers over the peach-coloured damask, so delicate to the touch that it felt like caressing a baby’s smooth skin. Each piece of furniture had been matched perfectly with its neighbour. The pier table standing between two tall windows, draped with peach damask curtains, was set below a pier glass in which she could see herself reflected. She dropped her gaze, clasping her hands tightly in her lap as the hard truth dawned upon her – this would most probably be the last time she might visit Bearwood House on equal terms with her hosts.
She jumped as the door opened to admit Lady Alice, followed by her daughter, and Caroline rose to her feet, dropping a curtsey.
‘Good heavens!’ Alice stared at her in dismay. ‘Whatever is the matter, Carrie? Delia said that you were upset, but you look distraught. Sit down and tell me what’s happened.’
Haltingly at first, Caroline explained her predicament, and then the words came tumbling out. ‘I can’t tell, Mama. She’s broken-hearted as it is, and to lose Papa and our home would be a terrible blow.’
Alice patted her on the shoulder. ‘Your mama is made of stronger stuff than you realise, Carrie. If you’d seen how she coped during our long sea voyages, when I was laid low with mal de mer, and how she rose to the challenge of living in the Australian goldfields, you would know that she can cope with almost anything.’
‘Except the loss of my father,’ Caroline said sadly. ‘Even if Uncle George were to return today, I doubt if we could save our home. He might be able to persuade our creditors to allow him time to pay off the company’s debts, but according to Sadie they are enormous.’
‘When is your uncle’s ship due in, Carrie?’
‘It’s overdue. No one knows where she is.’
‘That’s worrying.’ Alice rose to her feet. ‘Ring the bell, Delia. I’ll order my carriage and we’ll go to Finsbury Circus. I think, in the circumstances, that it might be best if I break the news to Essie.’
Caroline stood up, eyeing her with a worried frown. ‘What will you say to her?’
‘Don’t worry, my dear. I know how to handle your mama. We’ve been friends for twenty years and we’ve been through a lot together. I’m going down to Devonshire – I plan to spend a few weeks at Daumerle – and I’ll suggest that she accompanies me. In fact, I’ll insist upon it.’
‘That’s very kind of you, but what about my brothers? They’re supposed to be in school.’
‘I’ll talk it over with Essie, but it sounds as if they will have to leave Rugby. Maybe they would like to spend some time with us in Devonshire, and you are more than welcome, also, Carrie.’
Cordelia put her head on one side, eyeing Caroline with a worried frown. ‘You poor girl. I wish now that I hadn’t accepted the invitation to spend the rest of the summer at Fairleigh Hall with Euphemia’s family, which means that I won’t be able to join you. I suppose I could cancel the arrangement.’
‘No, please don’t do that on my account,’ Caroline said hastily. ‘I want to stay in London. There must be something I can do to keep the company going until Uncle George returns.’
‘But where will you stay?’ Alice demanded. ‘You’re not thinking clearly. I know it’s been a shock—’ She broke off as the door opened to admit a neatly dressed parlour maid. ‘Send for my carriage, Franklin, and tell Merrifield to bring me my bonnet and shawl. She’ll know which one I need.’
‘Shall I come with you, Mama?’ Cordelia asked anxiously. ‘I’ll postpone my appointment with the dressmaker.’
‘There’s no need,’ Caroline said. ‘I’ll go with your mama, Delia. This is my problem, not yours.’
Esther was in no state to gainsay her wilful friend. Lady Alice Bearwood was a force to be reckoned with, and within an hour of her arrival at the house in Finsbury Circus she had almost managed to convince Esther that a trip to the country would be beneficial to her health. Not only that, but she skilfully created the impression that she was in desperate need of companionship.
‘You always loved Daumerle, Essie,’ Alice said gently. ‘We could visit my cousin Freddie at Starcross Abbey. You always got on so well with him.’
‘I’m not very good company at the moment, Alice. Perhaps another time.’
‘But that is why you need something to divert you, Mama.’ Caroline slipped her arm around her mother’s slender shoulders. ‘A good rest and country air will revive your spirits.’
‘Yes, indeed,’ Alice said firmly. ‘Moping around is going to make matters worse. I know how you must be grieving for Jack, we all miss him, but he wouldn’t want you to be unhappy.’
Caroline could see that her mother was weakening. ‘Aunt Alice is right. A few weeks in the country will make all the difference.’
‘But I can’t abandon the boys. They need me to be strong for them.’
‘They’re not babies now, Mama. I can look after Max and Jimmy.’
‘You heard your daughter,’ Alice said briskly. ‘Come to Devonshire with me and it will be like old times. You can send for the boys when you’re feeling stronger.’
‘It would be nice to get away from London for a while. It’s so hot and airless in midsummer, and it would be lovely to see Freddie again.’ A faint smile curved Esther’s lips. ‘I often think about our days in the goldfields. It was hard leaving Pa and our friends when we returned home.’
‘Do you regret parting from Raven?’
Esther shrugged and turned away. ‘It wasn’t my choice, but had I stayed I wouldn’t have met Jack – he was the love of my life.’
‘If you say so, my dear.’ Alice held out her hand. ‘You need a change of scene, Essie. If you’ve no objections, we’ll leave for Devonshire first thing in the morning.’
It was with a feeling of relief that Caroline waved goodbye to her mother who, despite her continued protests, was ensconced in the luxury of the Bearwoods’ carriage as it set off for Waterloo Bridge Station. Merrifield, Alice’s maid, followed with a mountain of luggage piled into the barouche.
‘We did it,’ Sadie said triumphantly as she crossed the entrance hall, heading for the morning room. ‘Your mama will be well cared for, Carrie, so don’t worry.’
‘At least we managed to keep the worst from her,’ Caroline said, sighing. ‘But she’ll have to know sooner or later.’
‘Your father’s death has hit her hard, but she’s a strong woman and she’ll recover, eventually.’
‘She really loved my pa.’
‘I know, and as I grew up I used to envy her. But I’m well and truly on the shelf, and, at my age, there’s little chance of finding a love like that.’
Caroline eyed her curiously. ‘You’re not old, Aunt Sadie.’
‘I’m nearly thirty-two, Carrie. Far too old to be romantic, or even hopeful. Anyway, I think it’s time you called me Sadie. It would stop me feeling like a spinster aunt.’ Sadie opened the door to the morning parlour and went to sit by the window, gazing out at the busy street. ‘You would think that among all those people there might be one man, just one, who would take pity on an old maid.’
‘Don’t belittle yourself, Sadie,’ Caroline said with a wry smile as she took a seat by the fireplace. ‘You’re a wonderful person and you’ve been more like a big sister to me.