Different Tides (31 page)

Any doubts Zachariah held about the children now fled. The affection he’d once held for his late brother catapulted him along on a prolonged shuddering wave, so tears filled his eyes at the poignant sense of loss he experienced.

He felt for a handkerchief and couldn’t find one. The women of the house had claimed them all! He blinked several times as if he’d just emerged from darkness into sudden light.

Gabe’s children would receive all the love and guidance he could give them, Zachariah thought. Alexandra wouldn’t be abandoned either. The girl was not of his blood, but it seemed more than possible that she was his niece and half-sister to the children. It had been cruel to bring her up believing a lie when she had the strongest of blood ties to his late sister-in-law. She would be invited to become part of the Fleet family if that’s what she wanted.

Then there was his darling Clemmie, conceived during a business transaction between a light-skirt and a bigamist, who had tried to do the right thing by her before he went off to face death on behalf of his country. She refused to believe wrong of either of her parents. And why should she when her father had been a hero who’d died defending his country, and her mother had given her all the love she could afford? She had left her child with only good memories before she died from some disease.

He didn’t know how long he’d stood there, gazing out of Gabe’s window remembering the oddments of good things that came from his brother.

As for the family connection between himself and Clemmie, it was so remote that it hardly signified. All the same he would employ his usual caution in the matter, as he must.

He mused how odd it was that five abandoned members of the same family had come together. Like debris floating on different tides they’d washed up together on the same shore, as if the time had come for their collective worth to be discovered.

‘I won’t tell … I promise.’

He looked down to see Edward gazing up at him and smiled. ‘I only said I’d think about it.’

Edward was almost twitching with excitement, and Zachariah didn’t believe he’d keep the conversation private for a moment. He wouldn’t put it past the boy to propose marriage to Miss Clementine Morris on his behalf.

Zachariah sighed and hoisted the boy on to his back. ‘Come on then, let’s go and find those daffodils.’

Under the guidance of John Beck the children gave separate accounts of what had happened on the night of the fire.

Clementine gave hers, propped up against her pillows and with Julia for support. The magistrate was most sympathetic when he saw her injuries.

Zachariah showed the magistrate Edward’s biography, and the boy was complimented on it. ‘Well done, lad, you’ll have to become a magistrate yourself when you’ve grown up a little.’

His deposition was marked:
As related by Sir Edward Fleet Bt, and witnessed by his legal guardian Zachariah Fleet and his attorney John Beck.

After Edward signed it he looked up at Zachariah. ‘Is my first name Sir, and what does Bt mean?’

‘It’s your legal title, one you inherited from your father. We will discuss it when you’re a little older, Edward.’
The lad has a big load to carry on those small shoulders in the years to come
, Zachariah thought.

Two more weeks passed before Zachariah allowed Clementine out of bed. Her physical strength had returned and her bruises were fading to a yellowish colour, except for the deeper ones.

She avoided the part of the staircase where Jonas Hawkins had died. The carpet had been scrubbed clean but was now brighter than the other stairs. ‘I’ve ordered new carpet for the stairs,’ Zachariah told her.

Clementine became melancholy now and again and cried for no reason when she was alone in her bed at night. She also felt insecure, jumping at the slightest sound, even while knowing she was perfectly safe.

The Becks returned to London after assuring Zachariah that John was perfectly capable of running the business on his own, especially since he owned half the business in addition to being an attorney, an occupation his sons embraced.

‘After all, I did teach you about investing money in the first place,’ John had said.

‘Why didn’t you go to London with them?’ Clementine asked Zachariah one evening.

Zachariah offered her a smile. ‘John can manage the business for a while. I decided it would be better if I waited until you’re well enough to travel.’

‘You’re taking us with you?’

‘I can’t leave you here. What happened is preying on your mind, so you practically freeze every time you see a shadow moving on the wall.’

She drew in a deep breath. ‘Sometimes I see his face when I’m going off to sleep and I struggle and can’t breathe. Then I remember the life fading from his eyes and even though I know he’s dead, his hands won’t let me go.’

‘I wish I could have shielded you from that.’

‘The children are coping better than I am. They’re not moping and they’ve dismantled their hiding place now the question of who killed their parents has been resolved. It tells me they’re feeling more secure.’

‘Good, because I do want them to enjoy their childhood without having what happened hanging over them.’

‘I’m improving, Zachariah, truly I am. I’m sure I can manage if you need to go to London. After all, the danger has been removed and I have your study to refurbish. That and the children will keep me busy until July when you intend to return.’ She drew in a deep breath. ‘I know Jonas is not likely to come back from the dead. I just can’t understand why he did it.’

‘He was an escaped convict, a clever confidence trickster and an opportunist. He’d been an acquaintance of Gabe’s since they attended church school together. My brother owed him a considerable amount of money. It was probably from gambling IOUs.

‘Gabe and the real George Sheridan found some gold and Jonas Hawkins demanded his debt be repaid. There was an argument and Jonas found Sheridan’s portion of the gold. Gabe had hidden his small hoard well and had refused to hand it over. That was the moment when he’d played his last hand, gambling on his own life and the lives of his family. He should have remembered that luck always let him down.

‘It would be easy to blame Gabe’s death on Jonas. Gabe treated life as a game, and he hid Jonas from the authorities. From Edward’s account, Jonas wore a beard and he shot all of them and pushed the bodies into the river, which was flooding after a heavy rainstorm. Except for Edward and Iris.’

‘Why didn’t he kill the children as well?’

‘They hid, but according to Jonas’s woman she persuaded him not to when they were found. But seeing their parents killed was a horrific and terrifying act for the children to have witnessed. Apparently she pointed out to Jonas that the troopers were looking for him, and that the children were his ticket back to England. He shaved off his beard, pretended he was George Sheridan and came up with a scheme for her to pose as Mrs Sheridan. In that way he escaped from Australia without too much trouble, using George Sheridan’s identity papers.

‘I think he might have disposed of the children in England if we hadn’t been waiting for him at the other end. Although Jonas, posing as George Sheridan, had said he’d expected to deliver the children to Martingale House.’

‘Yet Edward must have known that George Sheridan and Jonas were one and the same.’

‘He always drew Jonas as having a beard. The children were terrified of him and they were scared of the woman as well. Edward doesn’t like to talk about it, and had stopped speaking in case the man cut his tongue off, if you recall.’

She shuddered. ‘As if I could forget. And Basil Cheeves … how did he get involved with Jonas?’

‘Through gambling. I’ve spoken to Cheeves the younger, and his father. They have agreed to rebuild the barn. Mr Cheeves has bought his son a commission in the army in the hope it will make a man out of him. If I’d thought Basil had contributed anything but sheer stupidity to the escapade I’d go ahead and drag him in front of a magistrate. As it is I’ve decided to hit him where it hurts. I’m in the middle of negotiating a reparation agreement for both you and the children.’

She stared at him. ‘But I don’t want his money.’

He smiled at that. ‘Money is designed to be circulated. Look on the transaction as being an exchange. It’s a poor reward when compared to your life, my love. You might want to get married one day. The money will serve as a dowry or you may decide to donate it to charity.’

Her mood took a sudden downturn. ‘I don’t think I’ll marry.’

‘Don’t you want a family of your own?’

She thought about it. She would be contented just being a mother to Edward and Iris, but would like to be married to Zachariah and have children with him too. If she were given a choice she wouldn’t know how to answer.

He smiled as if sensing her hesitation. ‘Let’s put our cards on the table, Clemmie, shall we?’

Sensing a trick, she proceeded with caution. ‘You said you were working on a new contract.’

‘With a decent dowry you could attract an offer from a wealthy gentleman in the not-too-distant future and it’s possible you might even become Lady Clementine.’

‘A gentleman of the finest sensitivity would marry a nursery maid for love alone, but not one from my background. And to hell with being Lady Clementine!’ she threw at him. ‘I don’t want to prowl around looking like a camel with my nose stuck in the air.’

His laughter was a delight. ‘What if I happen to know of a man who loves you only for yourself?’

That would be a fine irony when she knew she would never love any other man but him. Her mind stopped in mid-thought and spelled it out for her.
He is referring to himself, you fool.

She stared at him, trying to read his eyes. He was in an enigmatic mood and she wanted to stamp her foot. She managed to toss a careless laugh in his direction as a barrier against any disappointment that might be coming her way. ‘You’re not referring to Edward, are you? He’s already proposed and I turned him down.’

‘I should hope so. Is there something wrong with your reasoning today? I’m referring to the obvious. How honest do you want me to be?’

‘Extremely.’

He growled. ‘All right … because you want to make me suffer I will tell you. It’s me, of course.’

‘Yourself?’ She began to laugh because she was astonished that she’d been right. ‘Really, Zachariah … why me?’

‘Don’t try to sound so surprised when that laughter is totally false. My intentions have been clear right from the beginning.’

‘As clear as mud, I’d say.’

‘Can I help it if you ran a mile every time I approached you? I know my past isn’t exactly spotless and I’m not much of a prize and my courting technique is non-existent, since I’ve never had the inclination to wed before. But I’m proud of what I’ve achieved when I could have easily ended up as bad as … Well, John and Julia Beck saw something in me and I’ll be forever in their debt.’

‘The past is exactly that, Zach. Would it help if I said I saw something in you too? I think you have a fine sense of compassion and there’s a strong streak of the lost boy in you that makes you raise barriers. That’s what drew me to you first; the need to break down that barrier and have you trust me. I do love you.’

‘Then allow me.’ He joined her on the sofa and pulled her on to his lap. She had to believe what his eyes were telling her now, so blue and deep they were. ‘I’ve told you why, Clemmie, my dearest one. I love you … adore you … I want you with me day and night and I’m desperate to make love to you.’

‘Oh!’ she gasped, and then grinned at him and teased. ‘Well yes … I suppose you are. That sounded clear enough.’ She placed her hands against her burning cheeks.

He pulled them down again. ‘Don’t tell me I’ve been reading the signs wrong and it’s only your cheeks that burn for me, my delightful Clemmie.’ He laughed and blew gently into her ear so shivers ran down her spine. ‘I want a wife I can be wicked with.’

‘Do you, Zach?’ She cocked her head to one side and regarded him, laughing. ‘I’m sure I could be wicked if you show me how.’ She looked down at her hands and then at his dark curls. Reaching up she ruffled his hair and laughed. Then hugged him tight. ‘I’ve always wanted to do that.’

A few seconds later he said in a muffled voice, ‘And I’ve always wanted to do this, except I can’t breathe.’

‘Oh … my goodness.’ She had him crushed against her heart. When she loosened her grip he slid a kiss over her breast and emerged with a grin on his face.

He took her bruised face in his hands, brought her face down to his and gently kissed every inch before he nipped her bottom lip and captured her mouth with his. A long time later he whispered against her ear, ‘I’ll show you just how wicked you can be after we are married, my Clementine.’

She almost fell apart at the thought.

She thought she heard the door open, and then it closed again.

‘I love you,’ he whispered against her mouth.

There was a barely suppressed giggle then somebody whispered, ‘Miss Clemmie has got something in her eye again.’

‘Don’t be silly, Iris. Uncle Zachariah is kissing her. I told you they were going to be married and be our mama and papa.’

‘You think you know everything.’

‘I do know everything. It’s because I’m a boy child, like Jesus in the bible. The Reverend said so.’

‘That just makes you plain daft,’ Iris scoffed, sounding a little like Polly. ‘Uncle Zachariah said it’s a fairy tale, and he knows better than the Reverend, don’t you, Uncle …
Papa
?’ Iris giggled.

Zachariah’s eyes were full of laughter.

Clementine placed a hand over his mouth before he could answer and he tickled her palm with his tongue before saying diplomatically, ‘A man has to make up his own mind over such matters as he grows up.’

They drew apart and smiled at each other before turning to their interested audience.

‘Aren’t you going to make another kiss?’ Iris asked.

‘Not while the pair of you are watching. A man should be allowed to do his courting in private.’ Zachariah held out his arms. ‘Come here, you pests.’