Remember Me (2 page)

‘You look very nice and smart,’ said Susannah. ‘All dressed up in your glad rags. Are you going out after the show?’

‘Yes, as a matter of fact I am,’ replied Maddy, unable to suppress a satisfied smile. ‘I’m meeting a young man – a friend of mine from home – and he’s taking me out for supper.’

‘Oh! Not one of those stage door Johnnies, is he?’ asked Susannah, looking rather anxious. ‘I promised Letty I would keep an eye on you and see you back safely to our digs. You can’t be too careful, you know.’

‘No!’ said Maddy, a trifle impatiently. ‘I’ve just
told you, he’s a friend from home. I’ve known him for ages. Actually…’ she sighed, ‘he’s my stepbrother; you know, my Aunty Faith’s son. He’s at university in Leeds.’ She hadn’t wanted to admit that it was her stepbrother she was meeting. It sounded much more grown-up to say she was meeting a ‘friend’. But it didn’t really matter so long as it would stop Susannah from worrying about her.

‘Oh, I see. That’s all right then,’ said Susannah. ‘And he’ll see you home afterwards, will he?’

‘Of course he will,’ said Maddy. She got a little tired sometimes of the older women’s fussiness, although she knew that they had her best interests at heart, and that their solicitude made her father and Faith feel less anxious about her being away from home.

Susannah might not have been too happy, however, about Maddy meeting her stepbrother had she known that the girl’s feelings towards him were not the least bit sisterly. And Maddy felt, deep down, that his feelings towards her were just the same. She had not, of course, divulged this secret to anyone, not even to Jessie, who was Samuel’s sister and Maddy’s best friend. Maddy had felt an attraction to Samuel when she had first met him, seven years ago, when she and Jessie were both ten years old, and Samuel and her own brother, Patrick, were fourteen. She had admired his handsome looks: his dark eyes and dark hair and his serious-looking face that reminded her of a picture of a
knight of old in a history book. And how different he had seemed from her brother, Patrick, who was forever laughing and joking and teasing her.

She knew that Jessie, likewise, had at first developed fond feelings for Patrick; but she also knew that those feelings had passed and that Jessie did not mind at all that Patrick was now engaged to be married to Katy, the girl he had been courting for several years. Their relationship – that of Jessie and Patrick – had become very much a sisterly, brotherly friendship.

When they had all met in the summer of 1900, Maddy’s mother, Clara, had still been living. Indeed, who could possibly have imagined that within a few months, in the February of 1901, she would have died following an attack of pneumonia? Maddy and Jessie had met on the beach at Scarborough whilst they were both watching a performance by ‘Uncle Percy’s Pierrots’, the troupe to which Maddy now belonged. The Moon family and the Barraclough family had become friendly, although Faith and her husband, Edward, had already been living more or less separate lives. William Moon would never have become enamoured with another woman so long as his beloved wife, Clara, was living. Maddy, with a wisdom beyond her years, had known that. She had not objected, therefore – and neither had Jessie – when their respective father and mother had fallen in love and been married a few years later.

The only member of either family who had shown any animosity was Samuel Barraclough. He had always been much closer to his father than Jessie and the twins, Tommy and Tilly, who were several years younger. Maddy thought she could understand how Samuel felt. Divorce was a rare occurrence, something that was still spoken of in hushed tones; and he had always seemed to Maddy to be a very upright and serious-minded young man. She guessed that he did not approve of his mother’s re-marriage. On the other hand, she knew that he still visited his father from time to time. Edward Barraclough was now living in York with his new wife, who had formerly been his mistress, and the young man did not seem to object to that.

Samuel had been about to leave home anyway at the time of his mother’s marriage to William Moon, to start his training at Leeds University. He occasionally visited the family home in Scarborough when his college was on vacation. He spent a good deal of his time, though, in the homes of various friends he had made.

He had scarcely seemed to notice Maddy at first. He had always been polite enough to her and chatted to her on occasions, although Samuel was not what you might call a garrulous person. And he had been oblivious, seemingly, to the amorous thoughts building up inside his stepsister as the years passed and she became more and more aware of him.

Until last Christmas, that was, when he had begun to regard her in a different light. She had been conscious of his eyes on her, when they were dining, for instance, or sitting at leisure in the drawing room. His visit, that time, had lasted rather longer than the three or four days that he usually spared for his family. They had had a party on Boxing Day, to which a few family friends had been invited. After a few grown-up games they had played a form of hide-and-seek, to please the ten-year-old Tommy and Tilly.

Maddy had found Samuel hiding behind the long velvet curtains in the dining room. As soon as he saw her he had pulled her close to him, putting his finger to his lips, warning her not to let on where they were. And then he had put his arms around her, lowered his face to hers and kissed her lovingly and tenderly.

‘I’ve been wanting to do that all week,’ he whispered. ‘Little sister…’ he added teasingly, touching the tip of her nose. ‘But you’re not anymore, are you? You’re a beautiful young woman.’ She had been unable to speak for the pounding of her heart and the feeling of wonderment that was spreading through her. Then he had kissed her again on her half-open lips, more fervently this time, and she had felt herself responding to him in a way she had never dreamt of. When they heard someone entering the room they drew apart. It was Tilly who had found them
and she came to hide alongside them. She was unaware, though, of Samuel stroking Maddy’s thigh and then, tentatively, her breasts behind the concealment of the curtain.

There had been little chance after that for them to be alone together. There always seemed to be one or another of the family around. But Maddy knew that their relationship had moved onwards, on to a new footing. He had said, hadn’t he, that she was no longer his little sister? Maddy knew, also, that she had fallen in love with him. When he had contacted her and said that he would meet her after tonight’s performance she had hardly been able to contain her delight. She had played it down to Susannah, pretending that it was just her brother. But Samuel was much, much more than that…

Chapter Two

H
e was waiting outside the stage door and her heart gave a leap on seeing him there. He was dressed more as a stylish young man about town than as a university student. The students were often to be seen in the streets of Leeds, casually, some of them scruffily, dressed and nearly all with their college scarves slung around their necks. Samuel, however, was wearing a smart three-piece suit of charcoal grey with a faint white pinstripe and he sported a rather showy necktie of red and grey stripes.

‘Hello there, Maddy. Good to see you again.’ He stepped forward to greet her, kissing her chastely on the cheek, then he held out his arm for her to link.

‘Good to see you too, Samuel,’ she said with a casual air. It would not do to let him be conscious of her beating heart. ‘I hope you enjoyed the show?’

‘Yes…I must admit that I did,’ he replied, sounding almost as though he hadn’t expected to enjoy it, she thought. But that was typical of Samuel; he liked everything to be just so and could be very critical. ‘A good variety of acts,’ he conceded, ‘and rather more polished, if I may say
so, than the old Pierrot shows. City audiences are much more demanding, of course, and expect good value for their money. Haven’t you found it so?’

‘Possibly,’ Maddy replied, not wanting to disagree with him outright. ‘They’re usually very receptive, though, and seem to enjoy the shows. At least we haven’t had any catcalls or any eggs and rotten tomatoes thrown at us. No; the audiences have been just fine.’

‘That’s good then,’ he said, squeezing her arm and smiling down at her. ‘They couldn’t help but fall for you, could they? You stole the show, Madeleine. That sweet and innocent act would get all the fellows going, and I should know.’

‘It’s not an act, Samuel,’ she retorted. ‘I am sweet and innocent…aren’t I?’ He grinned at her.

‘We’ll see,’ he said darkly. ‘That Susannah now; she went down well with the audience, especially the men. I should imagine she’s rather…naughty, isn’t she?’

‘I wouldn’t say so,’ replied Maddy. ‘That really is part of her act. She’s very nice and friendly and she’s been real kind to me. I believe she’s had quite a few gentlemen admirers, but she’s settling down with Frank now. You know – the one who plays all the musical instruments. I think they’re going to get married.’

‘Oh well, that’s nice for them, isn’t it?’ replied Samuel, sounding not terribly interested. ‘Anyway, never mind them, eh? Here we are, see… This is
where we are going to have our supper.’

They had turned off the Headrow onto Briggate, and Samuel had stopped outside a small restaurant which Maddy realised at a glance was select and…expensive! She had never dined in such a place before. Even though her father, and her stepmother, too, might be considered ‘well off’, William Moon did not believe in throwing his hard-earned brass around in fancy restaurants, especially when you could dine in the comfort of your own home with meals prepared by your own excellent cook-housekeeper.

Maddy followed Samuel into the dimly lit interior, her feet sinking into the deep-piled red and gold carpet. The head waiter – at least that was who she guessed him to be – stepped forward to greet them. ‘Good evening, Mr Barraclough. And good evening to you, too…miss. Your table is ready for you.’

All the tables were discreetly illuminated by red candles in glass holders, and the red-shaded wall-lights above each table cast a rosy glow on the snowy-white tablecloths and napkins, the gleaming silver cutlery and the single red rose in a crystal vase. The tables at the side of the restaurant were in separate booths with high-backed settles of dark oak cushioned in red plush.

Maddy slid into the booth and sat down on the cushioned seat with Samuel sitting opposite her. The waiter, bowing a little, handed them each a
large menu card filled with what seemed to Maddy to be hundreds of different dishes: hors d’oeuvres, soups, meat and fish dishes, entrées and sweets. ‘Would sir like some wine?’ asked the waiter, a trifle obsequiously, and when Samuel inclined his head in an affirmative nod he produced another large card, with a long list of wines, beers and spirits.

‘Mmm…an impressive wine list,’ observed Samuel in a knowledgeable voice as the waiter left them alone for a little while to make their choice. ‘I will choose the wine, Madeleine, if that is all right with you?’ He smiled at her, a little patronisingly, Maddy thought, and she felt, momentarily, a stab of annoyance.

‘Yes, of course,’ she replied. Samuel knew that only on special occasions had she drunk wine; that was at family parties, notably at the Christmas dinner. At least, that was what he was assuming. For all he knew, though, she might have become an habitual wine drinker since joining the concert party. The fact that she hadn’t – that she hardly ever touched alcohol at all – was immaterial. Samuel was treating her like a child, like his ‘little sister’, and that was something she did not want.

She lowered her head, studying the menu. Some of it was written in French although, fortunately, the English translation was there too. Her eyes wandered up and down as she tried to decide on her choice. She liked roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, and steak and kidney pie – and, rather surprisingly,
they were both on the menu – but she knew that Samuel would expect her to choose something different, something more sophisticated. When she looked up, after several moments, it was to see Samuel watching her with his eyebrows raised and a quizzical look on his face.

‘Spoilt for choice, aren’t we?’ He grinned at her amiably. ‘Have you decided? Or would you like me to choose for you? I’ve been here before, so I know which are their specialities, you see.’

‘Very well then,’ she agreed as she was truly mesmerised by the array of dishes. ‘What do you suggest?’

‘Let me see…’ Samuel pondered. ‘Their Jerusalem artichoke soup is superb.’

‘Sounds exotic,’ observed Maddy. ‘I don’t know that I’ve ever had artichokes, at least not Jerusalem ones.’

‘Just a fancy name for the soup, but I can assure you that it’s delicious.’

She nodded. ‘Yes…I’ll try that.’

‘And then…’ Samuel frowned a little, running his finger down the menu. ‘How about turbot with shrimp sauce, served with duchess potatoes and a selection of the chef’s vegetables of the day? How does that sound to you?’

‘That sounds…very nice. Turbot – that’s a fish, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, of course.’ He gave an amused smile.

‘Well, I like fish, don’t I?’ said Maddy. ‘I should
do, seeing that I come from Scarborough. But I’ve only ever had cod or haddock, or hake occasionally. Yes, I’ll give it a try, the turbot.’

‘It won’t come covered in batter, with chips and mushy peas,’ teased Samuel.

‘Oh dear,’ retorted Maddy. ‘No salt and lashings of vinegar? Or what about tomato sauce?’ She laughed to show him that she was joking. He had used to be such a sobersides, but recently she had noticed that he had a sardonic wit. You needed to be on the alert, though, because he had a tendency to poke fun at people, and not always in a kindly way. ‘Don’t worry, Samuel. I’m not going to show you up by asking for the bottle of HP.’

‘I didn’t think that for a moment,’ he replied seriously. ‘You will enjoy the turbot; it’s a highly prized fish… Ah, here comes the waiter.’ He ordered the same dishes for both of them for the first two courses. ‘We will choose from the dessert menu later,’ he added. ‘And would you bring us a bottle of Riesling, please? A medium-sweet would be best. That might be more palatable for the young lady…’

‘Yes, sir, thank you, sir, very good, sir…’ The waiter bobbed up and down, like a penguin Maddy thought, suppressing a giggle; then he waddled back in the direction of the kitchen.

‘A highly prized fish…’ repeated Maddy. ‘Did you catch any turbot then, when you used to go fishing off Scarborough pier?’

‘Hardly,’ replied Samuel. ‘One would need to be in much deeper waters. Dabs and whiting, that was the extent of my catch. Mmm… It all seems a long time ago now.’

‘Don’t you go fishing anymore then?’

‘Leeds is just about as far from the sea as one can get. Besides, I have very little time for fishing, always supposing that I wanted to do it – which I don’t.’

‘You used to enjoy it, though, when you were in Scarborough for the summer holiday.’

‘So I did…’ replied Samuel thoughtfully. ‘I think I enjoyed the solitude though as much as the fishing; being completely on my own, away from the family. My mother was trying so hard to pretend that everything was normal. But we all knew – at least Jessica and I knew – that our parents were not getting on well together at all. Mother thought that going to Scarborough each summer would ease the situation. She seemed to enjoy the change, and the twins did, of course, and Jessica. But I always felt like a fish out of water.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘Yes, a suitable metaphor, isn’t it? I believe I was the only one who missed my father. He used to come and see us occasionally at the weekends, but I knew it was only because he felt he ought to do so… And then we met up with your family, didn’t we? Thanks to you and Jessie and the Pierrot shows.’

He sounded almost as though he regretted the
encounter, and Maddy felt annoyed. She knew, of course, that Samuel had not really become a member of their united family in the way that his siblings had done, following the marriage of his mother and her father. He had chosen to remain aloof, but she had hoped that their friendship – hers and Samuel’s – would bring him closer to all of them.

‘You sound as though you didn’t enjoy our times together,’ she remarked. ‘But I seem to remember that you enjoyed the teas that my mother made for us all. And the sandcastle competition; we won that thanks to your ambitious plan. And you and Patrick got on quite well together; he even went fishing with you once or twice. What happened with my father and your mother, that was quite a while afterwards, you know. A long time after…after my mother died. There was nothing improper going on.’

‘Hey, hey, calm down.’ Samuel waved an admonitory hand at her. ‘Come down off your high horse. I wasn’t suggesting that there was any impropriety, of course not. I was really sorry when I heard that your mother had died; she was a lovely lady. And I did enjoy being with the Moon family…some of the time. Especially with you, Maddy.’ He reached out and put his hand over hers, and she felt at one with him as their eyes met and held for several seconds.

‘If there were any improper goings-on,’ he
continued, ‘it was my father who was the guilty party. We learnt afterwards that he had had a mistress for several years, and my mother had known about it for quite a while. But he has married her now so it’s all above board. Gwendolen, she’s called. She’s not a bit like my mother. She’s much more – what shall I say? – earthy, and always good for a laugh.’ He chuckled as though he quite approved of that. ‘But not nearly so beautiful…’ he added musingly. ‘My father seems very happy though, and that’s the main thing.’

‘So you visit them quite often?’ asked Maddy, knowing full well that he did.

‘Yes…I suppose I do. I was fond of my mother; I still am, I wouldn’t want you to think otherwise. But she always seemed rather distant; with me at any rate. I was always much closer to my father. That’s why it was such a trauma to me.’

Maddy nodded, unsure as to how to reply. It was the first time he had talked to her of family matters. ‘They are happy, though, my father and your mother,’ she ventured. ‘And the rest of us have all settled down well together.’

‘Yes, yes, I know,’ he replied. ‘Don’t get me wrong; I like your father; he’s a real good sort, is William.’ That was how Samuel always addressed William Moon; not as ‘Uncle Will’ as did Jessie, Tommy and Tilly. But he always showed respect to the patriarch of the family by addressing him as Mr
Moon. ‘And your grandfather as well. He’s a real character is Mr Moon.’ To the other children Isaac Moon had very quickly become ‘Grandad’.

‘Anyway, we are not going to fall out about them, are we, you and I?’ He squeezed her hand briefly, then let it go as he saw the waiter returning. ‘Ah, here comes our first course.’

Maddy agreed that the soup was delicious, savouring the subtle yet satisfying taste of the artichokes with celery, onion and a hint of garlic. She enjoyed the firm meaty texture of the turbot, too, attractively served with shrimp sauce and a side dish of butter-glazed carrots, florets of broccoli and minted garden peas.

They conversed very little at first as they concentrated on enjoying their meal. Maddy sipped tentatively at the wine, rolling it gently around her mouth. She found it very palatable; quite sweet but with an underlying richness of green grapes. She took a longer drink and then realised that Samuel was watching her with an amused glint in his eyes.

‘Hey, steady on!’ he laughed. ‘It’s not to be drunk like water. I don’t want to get you tipsy, or else your father would have something to say.’

‘He’s not here, is he?’ retorted Maddy, throwing caution to the winds and taking another gulp of wine. She realised what he had meant, though, when her glass was empty and Samuel, despite his warning, started to pour her some more. She was beginning to feel a bit light-headed. She put her
hand over her glass. ‘No more,’ she said. ‘I’ve had what you might call an…an elegant sufficiency.’