Prue Phillipson - Hordens of Horden Hall (35 page)

“You died of the plague,” was all he could think of to say.

Now she laughed. Had he ever seen her laugh before? He didn’t know she could laugh.

“You
have
been drinking! If you have seen Grandmother’s letter then you knew we were coming.”

At last he seemed to be in a real world. He could answer that. “She wrote that she was bringing her lady’s maid.”

“Oh!” Her face looked shocked.

“But you
are
Eunice. How? Why? Oh glory be! You are
real
. You’re alive!”

He swung round and grasped her hands.

Now her eyes were shining and her cheeks glowing.

She began to explain how she had escaped after her father’s death but then broke off to exclaim, “Why would my grandmother do such a thing – letting you think – saying I was her lady’s maid? Of course I’m happy to serve her as such but to tell your mother –!”

He saw Cousin Celia appear round the bow window of the inn. Eunice quickly drew her hands from his but Celia absolutely skipped with glee on seeing him. As he rose shakily Eunice stood up too and just touched his arm to steady him. Then she faced her grandmother.

“You didn’t say I was coming too.”

Daniel was surprised at the asperity in her tone. He began, slowly because his faculties were hardly functioning yet, to see that this was a new Eunice. This is Eunice without her father, he told himself.

Celia was not in the least put out. “Oh it was to be a surprise, a lovely, lovely surprise. And here he is come to meet us. Well I never.” She embraced him and pulled his face down to kiss him on both cheeks. She glanced sideways at Eunice. “I didn’t know where you’d got to, you naughty girl, leaving me like that, but now I see there was a much greater attraction. So we will not have to hire a vehicle, Daniel. Which is your coach?” There were several drawn up which had come to meet the stage. “You told the man to put our baggage in the inn, Eunice, did you not and now it may be mixed up with everyone else’s.”

Daniel, swaying a little, realised he had to take charge of this situation though he hardly felt able to walk safely.

“We don’t have a coach. I’ll see what they can let us have here.” Holding onto the doorpost he stepped inside and waved to the serving-man who had brought his beer. “Have you any sort of vehicle we can hire to get us home to Horden Hall. It’s only four miles.”

He could hear Cousin Celia behind him muttering, “Not have a coach. Landed gentry and not have a coach. How did he get here himself?”

He turned round as the man went to inquire. “I walked. We have horses. We usually ride but I walked, a long way round. I just happened to be here.” To his own ears his speech sounded odd.

It seemed there was an open carriage that could be fetched but they had better come in and eat something while it was being got ready. Daniel had no idea what time it was. He had brought no watch with him nor, he found to his dismay, any money. Nevertheless he gestured the ladies inside and found them seats vacated by the stage coach passengers going on north. He ordered them slices of a chicken he could see on the spit which looked well-roasted. It came with some boiled beef, a dish of eggs and chopped onions.

Celia asked if they had chocolate to drink rather than ale, but this puzzled the inn servants. They had never heard of such a thing.

“Ah it will soon be all the rage in London. The best coffee houses are serving it regularly.”

Daniel was pleased to see that Eunice ate well. She was not quite such a slight figure as she had been. He sensed her observing everything he did so he helped himself too, with no idea when he had last eaten, and began to feel better for it. His headache was disappearing but he still found it hard to grip hold of the situation. When was it he had first heard of Celia coming? What would they all be doing at home when he finally arrived there with the visitors? He had no idea.

He asked Eunice to finish telling her tale but she demurred. “It is enough for now that God has been good to preserve me from both plague and fire and happily reunited me with Grandmother. If we may stay a little with you till we can fend for ourselves we will be most grateful. When we meet your kind parents I am sure there will be much to tell on both sides.”

Well, he thought, she can converse like a mature young lady. She doesn’t run into a corner and hide. But she attributes her preservation to God. Does she also credit Him with her father’s death and her grandfather’s? Her grandfather’s! Of course, this is why they are both in black. I have said not a word to Cousin Celia about her loss. What will she think of me?

He began an awkward speech about his sorrow at her bereavement but she interrupted him.

“You saw him, Daniel. He tried to question you about the navy and why his ships were lost. He was a broken man and it tormented him that he couldn’t make himself understood. Death came as a happy release in the end.”

Daniel was pleased to see the serving-man approaching. “The open carriage is outside, sir, and I’ve stowed the bags under the seats. Perhaps you would like to make sure they are all there.” They went outside and Celia and Eunice confirmed that nothing had been left behind. “It’s five shillings for the hire, sir, since you need our man to drive and bring it back and it’s two shillings for the dinner and ninepence for your beer, sir, for you had three pots.”

Daniel felt desperately in his pockets, knowing he had no purse on him. “My father will pay when we get home. I’m Sir Daniel Wilson Horden. You can trust me.”

Eunice had produced a purse from within the pocket inside her skirt. “Let me, Daniel.”

He shook his head, feeling himself blushing.

“Well then, here is something for you,” she said to the man, “for looking after us so well.” She handed him sixpence and he gave a delighted chuckle. Her confident manner amazed Daniel.

“That was too much,” Celia said when they were on their way. “A penny would have done very well.”

“I prefer to be generous if I can. My father was when we had little ourselves.”

Out in the open Daniel’s head cleared some more. The mood he had been in, what his mother had said, what Nana Sula had said, the meeting with his father all fell into place. They would be wondering where he had gone. And surely they had only received Cousin Celia’s letter that morning! Yet here he was bringing her and, of all people, the long lost Eunice. Yes, and all that that meant came back to him in force – his mother’s insistence that Eunice loved him, her ‘love letter’ as his mother had called it, which he had carried about with him till he believed her dead, and especially Celia’s determination to bring them together. Now she had brought her.

He was of course delighted to see her alive. He did feel a little excitement that she was sitting so quietly and demurely beside him, looking about her with great interest at the places they past as they drove out through the Pilgrim Gate. Is she not too composed to be in love with me? Mother thought
I
loved
her
. Mother could be wrong. On board ship he had often thought of ‘little Eunice’ with tenderness but supposed she had passed out of his life. Now suddenly she was here and practically planted in his lap. The only thing he knew for sure was that he could never behave to his parents in front of her as he had done that morning. She had already looked askance at him for being drunk.

He told himself, I
was
drunk and I’m ashamed of it, but could I live with her the rest of my life? Could I have with her the marriage Father and Mother have had? I am not in love as they are. I can’t see where my life is going. I feel like wreaking vengeance on the Dutch for Henry’s death but I know that we have killed thousands of their sons. I seem to have little heart for the care of Horden Hall and its estates. Mother has her finger on its pulse of life with more enthusiasm than I ever could.

“Nothing to say, Cousin Daniel?” Celia snapped. “I asked you if you have fully recovered from your wound.”

“I beg your pardon. Yes, indeed, I thank you.”

Celia chuckled, oblivious of their driver. “Ah, I know you are in a heaven of delight at the return of your long-lost love.”

He felt Eunice quiver and he knew he was blushing hotly himself, with anger, not love. Fortunately he was distracted by them reaching the junction of the two tracks one leading to the village and one to the Hall.

“Keep to the right hand,” he ordered the driver. Thank God they were nearly there but what mischief this woman would make if she was permanently among them he could hardly bear to think.

In his confusion he began to gabble to Eunice about the state of the woods which were now visible ahead of them. “They are all ours but in a neglected state. We haven’t had the men to clear them and encourage the best trees to flourish.”

“But to own whole forests!” she exclaimed. “Now you are well what a grand work for you to do. In London I would have thought it a delight to have a blade of grass outside our little house. May I walk in your woods, Cousin? I have never done such a thing in my life.”

“Of course you may. I will clear some of the paths.” Why had he not thought of that before? Wielding an axe might have dissipated his black moods. “Now” – he pointed – “you can see the first glimpse of the Hall. As we come round this bend, there are the gates ahead.”

In the sunshine the solid grey stone rectangle of the Hall with its pillared porch, its ornamental brick chimneys and the flamboyant equestrian statue outside did, he thought, look rather grand. He felt a little pride which he swotted down quickly when he thought of the house Eunice had lived in most of her life.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I never imagined anything so magnificent.”

“Wait till you get nearer. You’ll see it’s sadly in need of repair. We keep a bucket in one of the attics where the roof’s leaking. Ah, here are my father and mother running out and Ursula. You saw Ursula, Cousin Celia, I believe on your long ago visit. Eunice, she is an angel but terribly deformed. Don’t be shocked.”

Celia was shaking her head. “It was her face made your Uncle Robert’s horse rear up. That’s what killed him. I was there. It was very dreadful. So she’s still with you, is she?”

They were now recognised by the excited group outside the house and Daniel could only glare at Celia as they drew up in front. No one should live at Horden Hall who did not love Ursula.

He jumped out and lifted Eunice down. She was trembling and quite pale with nervousness he could see, but much lighter than he remembered Diana Rombeau.

“Look what I’ve brought you, Mother.”

Bel was in tears of ecstasy. He could see that. She couldn’t speak. His father’s sweet kindly face was brimming with joy too and Ursula was absolutely bouncing up and down, her bright eyes lit up.

Celia was forgotten. The driver handed her down and unloaded the baggage.

The air was full of unspoken questions but just now, Daniel thought, I am aware of nothing but the love my parents are showering on Eunice. His own eyes filled with tears as his mother at last released her from her enveloping hug.

He needed that too. “Mother.” He flung his arms round her as if he too had been away a long time, which was truly how it felt.

“Cousin Celia,” his father said, when he too had kissed and embraced Eunice, “you are most welcome. I fear you catch us on the hop. Your letter only came to hand this morning. We have no idea how Daniel came to fetch you. We didn’t know where he was. We waited dinner a while. I am afraid it has now been eaten but Ursula here is a wonder at producing refreshments in a hurry.”

Eunice had not spoken at all. Daniel saw she was too overcome at the warmth of her welcome. They all began to move towards the house, Celia explaining that they had eaten in Newcastle. Then Eunice looked up at him and murmured, “May I be presented to Ursula?”

Daniel reached out and grabbed Ursula who was trotting after them.

“Meet my cousin, Mistress Horden.”

Eunice stopped still and held out her hand. “Eunice, please.”

Ursula gave a little curtsey. Daniel was amused to see they were the same height. They looked into each other’s eyes and then Ursula clasped Eunice’s hand.

“We are friends already,” she said.

CHAPTER 24

Eunice stood at the pointed window of the former chapel room, looking out at the statue of Sir Ralph in the soft glow of the autumn sunset. She had refused to be housed in any other room when Bel protested that this had been chosen for Celia’s lady’s maid and their man had opened up the connecting door to Celia’s room.

“Then I can fulfil that function perfectly from here,” Eunice had told her. “I have lately been only a kitchen maid.”

Bel had laughed and agreed. Bel was fresh air after Celia. There was no fussing and she must remember to call her Bel and the Reverend Nat.

Eunice had unpacked her own things while Bel was with her and a cheerful plump maid called Peggy had helped Celia settle in “for now,” Bel said, “because you must come down and sit in the sunshine. We are all waiting to hear your story.”

So she and Bel and Nat had sat on the bench below the Hall window with Daniel on the grass at their feet and she had told her tale.