Secrets and Lies (3 page)

Esmé grinned. ‘They’ll be quiet parties then, and nobody would want to attend anyway.’

Her cross patches never lasted long, and Meggie giggled.

Esmé went down, in time to see her brother shedding his coat. With him was a lanky looking man with a tumble of dark unruly hair.

Chad hung his coat on the hallstand and beamed a smile at her. He wasn’t very tall, but was handsome with his soft, but astute brown eyes and wavy hair. ‘What-oh, sis! You’re a sight for sore eyes.’

Chad looked tired. ‘Have you been burning the candle at both ends?’

He nodded. ‘At least I’ve graduated with enough marks to take me into medical school. I’ve got to keep up with my studies if I’m to succeed.’

His single-mindedness worried Esmé. ‘What if you don’t?’

His eyes told her the thought was alien to him, so did the short huff of impatience he gave. ‘You should know me better than that by now, Es. Failure is not part of my nature. We were given an opportunity to better ourselves, and it shouldn’t be wasted. We’ll never be out of work once our training is over . . . and from what I hear the depression is going to worsen, and will dig deep. Not a good time to be unemployed. Be glad that, despite everything, Livia managed to marry well and didn’t leave us in that home we were in. I shall do the same.’

Despite everything? Married well? It seemed an odd thing for her brother to say. Esmé sighed and gave him a hug. ‘How mercenary of you, Chad. Livia loved Richard Sangster, that’s why she married him, and she adores Denton. She didn’t marry either of them to enable you to attend medical school.’

‘Of course,’ he said, colouring a little. ‘I didn’t mean to suggest anything else.’

‘It’s a terribly romantic story, and both men were heroes. I shall only marry for love, too. I won’t care if he’s well-off or not. And I hope you do the same.’

‘You will care when you and your brood of children are starving in a backstreet slum, and you’re begging on the street and have nobody to turn to.’

‘Who’s starving in a backstreet slum?’

Esmé turned to see Denton behind her, and wondered how much he’d overheard. ‘I am, apparently. I said I wanted to marry for love, and Chad immediately placed me in a slum dwelling with a dozen starving children to support.’

Denton held out a hand to Chad, grinning. ‘Welcome home. Don’t worry, when Esmé gets into that state we’ll rescue her and the dirty dozen. You know, your sister has more sense than you give her credit for, Chad.’

Chad looked slightly dubious, and then gave a small smile. ‘If you think so Denton; it depends which sister we’re talking about, I suppose?’

Esmé gazed at her twin for a moment, almost dumbstruck. ‘You made a joke, Chad. It was a pitiful one, but a joke nevertheless. Congratulations.’

His companion chuckled, a warm rumble. His clothes hung loosely, as if somebody had picked him up, shaken the wrinkles out and hung him back on a hook. She offered him a smile so he wouldn’t feel excluded, and he winked at her.

Hah! He was full of so much confidence that she was left feeling ruffled.

‘Make the most of it, sis. In the meantime, I’ll work on a better joke for next year.’

She laughed, and placed a kiss on his cheek. ‘Don’t strain yourself, Chad. Now, I’m not standing here in the cold indulging in idle talk all night. You haven’t introduced your friend, and I want to join the party.’

‘This is Leo Thornton. He’s at a loose end and will be off home in a month or so. He’s a fairly decent chap so I’ve brought him home. Leo, meet my sister, Esmé, and my brother-in-law, Denton Elliot.’

A firm handshake was exchanged with Denton and there was a murmured, but respectful, ‘I’m pleased to meet you, sir. I’ve heard a lot about you.’

Denton nodded. ‘Welcome.’

A pair of vivid blue eyes regarded her from a face that looked as though it smiled a lot. He gave her a lopsided grin and drawled, ‘G’day, Es . . .’

She blinked.

‘Australian,’ Chad said, reading her mind. ‘Leo lives on a station.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Though she didn’t see at all. ‘That must be quite noisy with the trains.’

Leo chuckled. ‘You’d call it a farm here, I reckon.’

‘Oh . . .
that
sort of station. How absolutely wonderful; I’ve always wanted to live on a farm. Do you have rabbits?’

‘Do we have rabbits? I’ll say we have rabbits, hundreds of the little b—’ Chad’s quiet cough interrupted and Leo grinned at him before offering her a smile that was both apologetic and charming.
‘Blighters
.’

A cheer went up as they entered the room and they were drawn into the partying crowd. Mostly it was the neighbours who’d been invited, but they had grown-up sons and daughters who intended to have a good time.

There were also a couple of doctor colleagues and their wives, and horror of horrors – Matron! In an olive-green dress, which was only minutely less severe than her uniform, she was with a tall, thin gentleman who resembled her. Her brother, Esmé imagined. She couldn’t ever remember seeing Matron without her cap starched rigidly into its severe kite-shape. Her hair was a pretty, light shade of brown, and curly, as though it was rebelling against the severity of the rest of her.

She slid Denton an accusing glance and he grinned and winked at her.

It would be rude to ignore Matron, even if she’d dared to. She crossed to where they stood and smiled, because she didn’t like feeling at a disadvantage on her home ground. ‘Is there anything I can get for you, Matron?’

‘No dear, we’re fine. May I introduce my brother, Percival. He’s a headmaster. Percy, this is one of my girls, Nurse Carr.’

Percival looked perfect for the role of headmaster in his round wire-framed glasses. He sported a neatly trimmed salt and pepper moustache and smelled of peppermint cordial. She took the hand he offered, thinking he had a nice smile.

He said, ‘Ah yes . . . one of Hilda’s best, I’m given to understand.’

Esmé offered Matron a slip of a smile. Compliments were hard to come by from her, so even a second-hand one was worth having.

Matron’s glance settled on Esmé’s hemline. ‘Hmmm . . .’ was all she said, and although the younger guests mostly wore their skirts knee length, Esmé felt as though she were naked. She gave a nervous giggle.

‘A nurse is only as good as her tutor,’ Denton said gallantly, coming from behind to rescue her. She watched Denton wrap the woman around his little finger. ‘I’m pleased you could come, Hilda. How pretty you look. You must save me a dance.’

Matron simpered. ‘I’m surprised you managed to get away.’

‘I couldn’t keep a beautiful young woman waiting for me, so I left the patient open on the operating table, and will stitch him up tomorrow after breakfast.’

‘Dr Elliot! You wouldn’t do such a dreadful thing. I believe you’ve met my brother.’

‘Hello, Percy. How have you been keeping? Es, my love, there was a problem with the caterers being late, and Livia needs a hand setting up the buffet if you wouldn’t mind.’

She escaped with relief and headed for the kitchen, where her sister was struggling with plates of this and that. She picked up a soggy water biscuit with a sardine attached and gazed at it. ‘Good grief, this fish looks as though it died six months ago. Do you need a hand, Livia?’

Livia snorted and giggled at the same time. ‘I’m beginning to think Denton is having a bad influence on you.’

‘He’s buttering up the matron at the moment, and she’s falling for it, hook, line and sinker.’

‘Perhaps we should swap him for the sardine then. Talking of butter, there doesn’t seem to be enough food to go round. What do you think? I’m sure I ordered more than this, but I can’t find the list.’

‘I’ll make an extra platter of sandwiches to be on the safe side, if you like. So much for hiring caterers to save time.’

‘There was a dreadful mix-up. First they delivered the food to Nutting Cottage, and that awful old man sent them to Foxglove House. He knows very well the place is boarded up. Eventually they found us, and delivered, but there was nobody to serve it. Now I’ve got to try and make it look pretty. I’m sure I ordered some caviar.’

‘There’s a tin in the larder left over from Christmas. I’ll tip it into a glass bowl, and make some toast fingers. Haven’t we got some cake doilies in the drawer? We can fancy things up with those?’

Relief came into Livia’s eyes. ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’

‘Because you’ve got yourself in a tizzy.’ Esmé took out a dozen eggs and placed them in a pan of water on the stove to boil.

‘I’m sure the major did it on purpose because he wasn’t invited.’

‘Stop talking and let’s get on.’ Esmé took out a loaf of bread and slid it to her sister. ‘Cut it into thin slices and butter it while I prepare the filling.’

‘You’re being awfully bossy, Es.’

‘I know, that’s what comes of being a nurse.’ Opening a tin of salmon she drained it, mashed it up then spread it on the bread and added some mustard and cress that was growing on damp blotting paper in the larder. One of Meggie’s attempts at gardening, she supposed, and hoped it was edible.

She sliced off the crusts and cut the sandwiches into fingers, leaving Livia to arrange them while she investigated the pantry further. The remaining half of the Christmas cake was cut into squares, and a sprig of holly decorated the top.

Livia gazed dubiously at it. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t. Holly berries might be poisonous.’

‘Only if you eat several at once. Have you invited the old man?’

Livia offered an emphatic, ‘Certainly not.’

‘I remember old Major Henry as being a nice old man. Why don’t you ever invite him? He’s Meggie’s grandfather, isn’t he? One of these days she’ll put the two Sangster names together. You know what she’s like. She’ll want to know why she hasn’t been encouraged to socialize with her grandfather.’

‘You forget that Denton adopted Meggie when she was a baby. Although she knows who her father is, she thinks of herself as an Elliot. I’ll tell her when she’s sixteen and old enough to understand things better, that’s soon enough.’

‘What if she learns of the connection before then . . . from Major Henry himself perhaps?’

Livia smiled. ‘If he as much as breathes a word of it I’ll turn him out of the cottage, and he’ll have nowhere else to go. This conversation is now at an end, Esmé. As I’ve told you before, it’s none of your business. Pass me a sprig of parsley, if you would.’

Amid an atmosphere of slight awkwardness, Livia took the eggs from the stove, plunged them into cold water and began to peel the shells from them. Cutting them in half she laid them on a bed of parsley.

Esmé noticed the exasperation in her sister’s eyes. There was more to this than met the eye. She knew it. ‘If you ever need someone to talk to in confidence, I’m all grown-up now.’

Livia looked her straight in the eye. ‘Then act it. I have Denton to confide in. From the goodness of his heart, he took you and Chad in and treated you as part of our family. You’ve done well and we’re proud of you, but don’t think that responsibility has always been easy. Although you’re still welcome in our home now you’re able to support yourself, I’d like to remind you that you’re Meggie’s aunt. As such, you have no say in my daughter’s upbringing. Is that understood?’

Livia had never been so straightforward with her, or so resentful-sounding. In one fell swoop she’d built a barrier between them, and it hurt like hell. Tears pricked her eyes. Everything Livia had said was true,

Esmé nodded and said into the frosty atmosphere, her voice thick with unshed tears, ‘You couldn’t have made it clearer, Livia . . . sorry. I wasn’t trying to interfere, and you know I’m grateful for all you’ve done for me. So is Chad.’

They rarely quarrelled, and eventually Livia heaved a sigh. ‘I didn’t mean it Es. I know you have a special relationship with Meggie . . . you helped her into the world and she adores you.’

‘No . . . you were right. I’ve taken you and Denton for granted. When you took Chad and me out of the orphanage it was like having a mother. Then there was Richard Sangster, who was so wonderful to us while he lived – and then darling Denton, who we adored at first sight, and still do. I’m a selfish pig.’

She was folded in a fierce, brief hug. ‘You know you’re always welcome here, Es. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

‘Yes, you do . . . you have Meggie and the boys to keep you busy.’

There was a brief pause, and then, ‘Yes, I do have the boys . . . and Meggie.’ Livia arranged the sandwiches on a tray and picked up the plate. ‘Come on, let’s take this food through into the dining room, else we won’t get to eat it until next year.’

As they went out with the trays there was a scuffle at the top of the stairs, and a movement in the shadows.

‘Is that you, Meggie?’ Livia called, her voice sharpened by the thought that her daughter may have overheard something she shouldn’t have.

There was no answer, but after a moment Shadow came down the stairs. He gave a stretch, his chest flattening against the floor in an elegant bow, his back end rearing high in the air. Going to stand by the front door, he gazed expectantly back at them, tail wagging.

‘You certainly pick your moments to go outside,’ Livia grumbled. ‘I’ll be back to open the door when I’ve got rid of this food tray.’

The rug had been rolled up and removed leaving the parquetry floor exposed, which made an ideal surface for dancing on.

The younger people gravitated towards each other and soon the gramophone was going at full blast as they energetically applied themselves to the latest dance tunes from the Jack Payne orchestra, while the older generation sailed more sedately around the floor in matched steps.

Esmé didn’t allow Matron’s presence to lessen her enjoyment of the party as she lost herself amongst the other swirling short skirts.

Champagne corks popped. Somebody grabbed her hand when a Charleston started, and Leo Thornton rumbled softly into her ear, ‘Chad said you’re a dab hand at this. Let’s give it a go then.’

He was loose-limbed and uninhibited, and soon they had a circle of people round them as they all frantically applied themselves to releasing their pent-up energy. Matron was jiggling around on the outskirts, tittering into her champagne.