The Best of Daughters (19 page)

She acquitted herself well in the first aid classes and when she was with her fellow trainees she enjoyed the feeling of liberation and comradeship, something akin to fighting for the cause with the suffragettes. But when she returned to Grosvenor Square she had to revert to her submissive state and it was far from easy. She had to pack away her comfortable uniform and put aside all talk of war, and become once again the decorous young woman who was engaged to the future Lord Pendleton. She was obliged to suffer in silence while her maid laced her corsets until it was difficult to breathe, and it was not uncommon to have several changes of outfit in one day. Daisy managed to bear it all with good grace, but she had glimpsed a different way of life and made new friends and found it unsettling in the extreme.

It was with mixed feelings that Daisy packed her bags for the return home at Christmas. She had been invited to spend the festive season at Pendleton Park but she declined firmly, saying that she had been absent long enough from her own family and they would be deeply hurt if she did not stay at Rainbow's End. She had genuinely missed them all. In retrospect, even her mother's constant criticism seemed like a mere irritation, and she was eager to return to a simpler way of life without worrying if she made a social gaffe or showed herself up in front of the servants. She
wondered how Ruby was getting on with Iris; and then there was Bowman. She had barely given him a thought since she joined the FANY. Perhaps she had recovered from the infatuation which had threatened to consume her whole being. She pinned all her hopes on her forthcoming reunion with Rupert. She knew that he would be supportive of her decision to join the Yeomanry, or at least she hoped that he would think it a good move on her part.

Three days before Christmas she set off for Essex in the back of the Rolls with Lady Pendleton. Lord Pendleton had promised to join them on Christmas Eve, travelling first class on the train from Liverpool Street, and Lady Pendleton had accepted his decision, as always, with a vague smile.

It was dark when Daisy arrived at Rainbow's End. The air was crisp and smelled of frost and woodsmoke. Ice particles glistened on the path leading up to the house and the warm glow of lamplight shone from the windows as if to welcome her home. Parkin carried her bags to the front door and rang the bell. ‘Merry Christmas, miss,' he said, saluting smartly as he took his leave of her.

‘The compliments of the season to you too, Parkin,' Daisy said, smiling. She waited eagerly for someone to let her in, and after a few moments the door was opened, but to her surprise it was Iris who stepped outside to pick up the suitcases. Daisy entered the house, inhaling the familiar scent of lavender and beeswax tempered with just a hint of dry rot and mildew. ‘Hello, Iris. It's good to see you, but where is Ruby?'

Iris closed the front door. ‘She's not feeling too good, miss. She went to bed early. Shall I take the cases up to your room?'

Puzzled, Daisy nodded. ‘Yes, thank you.' She hurried across the hall to the drawing room without stopping to divest herself of her fur coat and hat. Her father rose to his feet and came towards her with his arms outstretched. Teddy and Bea were quick to follow suit. Only Gwendoline remained seated, but she was smiling and nodding with approval.

‘You've come at last,' Bea cried, giving her a bearlike hug. ‘We've saved some supper for you. Iris is a super cook.'

Victor kissed Daisy on the cheek. ‘Welcome home, my dear.'

Teddy slapped her on the back. ‘You put us all in the shade, dressed up to the nines in your fox furs.'

She knew he was teasing, but she slipped off the expensive coat and tossed it onto a chair. ‘I love you too, Teddy.' She glanced warily at her mother. ‘Hello, Mother.'

Gwendoline patted the empty seat beside her. ‘Come and sit down, Daisy. I'm sure we all want to hear about your time in London.'

‘Give the poor child time to catch her breath,' Victor said, resuming his seat by the fire.

‘I'm dying to hear about it,' Bea said excitedly. ‘It's so good to have you home, Daisy. I haven't had anyone to tease since you went away. Teddy's no fun. He's always mooning round after Iris.'

‘Shut up, brat.' Teddy tweaked her hair, which she
had attempted to put up in a more sophisticated style, and it tumbled around her shoulders causing her to slap him.

‘Beast. Now look what you've done.'

‘Children, behave.' Gwendoline frowned. ‘Your father is quite right. Give Daisy a moment to settle in. Perhaps she would like to freshen up after her journey and have some supper before you wear her out with your questions.'

Daisy shot her a grateful smile. ‘Thank you, Mother. Yes, actually, I'd like to go to my room and tidy up a bit before I eat, and then I'm all yours.'

‘I'll come with you then.' Bea rushed to open the door. ‘I want to hear absolutely everything. Life here has been so dull without you, and I want to know how the toffs live.'

‘Don't be vulgar, Beatrice,' Gwendoline said automatically. ‘Go if you must, but don't keep Daisy talking upstairs. It's bitterly cold in the bedrooms as, according to your father, we can't afford to light fires upstairs. Anyway, come down quickly. We all want to hear about your time in London. I do miss it so terribly, you know.'

With Beatrice following her, Daisy made her way upstairs to her room. She paused on the landing as she heard a door open on the top floor where Ruby slept in one of the tiny attic rooms. She looked up and caught sight of a pale face peering over the banisters. Ruby's dark hair hung loose about her shoulders and her face was as pale in the dim light as her white calico nightgown. ‘Are you all right, Ruby?' Daisy called up the stairs. ‘Iris said you are unwell.'

Ruby turned and fled, slamming her bedroom door.

Daisy turned to her sister in astonishment. ‘What on earth is wrong with her, Bea? Why wouldn't she speak to me?'

BEATRICE OPENED DAISY'S
bedroom door, beckoning furiously. ‘Come in and I'll tell you.'

Daisy shivered as she entered her old room. She had grown used to the warmth of the house in Grosvenor Square, where servants lit fires in the main rooms first thing in the morning and kept them going until late at night. She had also become accustomed to the luxury of electric light, and having her own bathroom with hot and cold running water. It was quite a shock to return to the primitive living conditions in Rainbow's End. ‘What is this all about, Bea? Is Ruby sick?'

‘She's in pod, Daisy.'

‘What do you mean?'

Beatrice gave her a pitying look. ‘You are an innocent, Daisy. She's in the pudding club. About four months gone I should say.'

Daisy's knees gave way beneath her and she slumped down on the bed. ‘Whose is it?'

‘Use your head. She's been sneaking off to see Bowman at every opportunity. It's his of course, and according to Jimmy she's not the first one he's put in the family way.'

‘That's just village gossip,' Daisy said faintly. ‘Are you sure she's in pod as you so elegantly put it?'

‘Jimmy's elder sister is expecting too, although her boyfriend is going to marry her next week so she won't have a little bastard like Ruby. Anyway, I'm not so naïve that I don't know the signs.'

A wave of nausea left a bitter taste in Daisy's mouth. She swallowed convulsively. ‘I think I've heard enough, Bea.' She forced herself to rise to her feet and hurried to the washstand, filling the flower-patterned bowl from the jug. She splashed her face with ice-cold water. ‘Go downstairs, there's a dear. I'll just do my hair and I'll be down in five minutes.'

Bea stood with her hands clasped behind her back, angling her head. ‘You aren't upset, are you? I wouldn't have blurted it out like that if you hadn't asked.'

‘I worry for Ruby if what you say is true, but I prefer to hear it from her lips. There might be some other explanation.'

‘I'm right, you'll see. And Iris will be the next one if Teddy isn't careful. That's if he lives long enough to become a father. Jed Smith has threatened to put out his lights if he doesn't leave Iris alone. Not that she needs any encouragement. She's a wonderful cook, but in my opinion she's a fast cat.'

Torn between laughter and disapproval, Daisy made an effort to keep a straight face. ‘Mother would die if she heard you talking like that.'

‘I don't care. I'm only telling you what's been going on while you've been living the high life in London. I'd be green with envy if it didn't sound so deadly dull.' Beatrice hesitated in the doorway. ‘You won't tell anyone what I said, will you, Daisy?'

‘Of course not. And don't worry. I'll sort it all out in the morning.'

Daisy slept from sheer exhaustion that night but she awakened early. It was still pitch dark and for a moment she thought she was back in her splendid bedroom in Grosvenor Square, but as she reached for the switch her fingers touched the old-fashioned oil lamp on her bedside table, and everything came flooding back to her. She struck a match but she was shivering so much that it took several attempts to light the wick. As she slipped her silk peignoir around her shoulders she could see that there was ice on the inside of her bedroom windows and her breath curled around her head like smoke. She rose from her bed and braced herself to wash her face and clean her teeth in water that had been standing all night and had a faint skim of ice on the surface. She only now realised how spoilt she had become in a very short time. The family had lived in relative comfort in Warwick Square, but it was as nothing compared to the pampered existence of the Pendletons in their London home. She felt slightly ashamed even making the comparison and dressed quickly in her warmest wool merino morning gown. She wrapped a cashmere shawl around her shoulders, hugging it around her in an attempt to keep warm as she went downstairs to the kitchen. She found Ruby whey-faced and shaky having been sick in the scullery sink. ‘So it's true,' Daisy said calmly. ‘Beatrice told me that you're expecting, but I wanted to hear it from you.' She glanced down at the swell of Ruby's belly
just visible beneath her serge skirt. ‘Does anyone else know?'

Ruby's eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. ‘No.'

‘What about the father?'

‘I told him.'

Taking her by the shoulders, Daisy pressed her gently down on a chair. ‘It's Bowman, of course.'

‘Yes.' Ruby bent her head and tears fell unchecked onto her clasped hands. Her whole body shook and she rocked backwards and forwards. ‘I love him, miss. And I thought he loved me.'

‘Is he going to marry you?'

Ruby raised a tear-stained face. ‘He can't. He's got a wife already.'

‘Married?' Daisy pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘But that's impossible. Everyone in the village would know about it.'

‘She don't come from round here.' A sob racked Ruby's thin frame and she buried her face in her hands. ‘I dunno what I'll do. It'll be the workhouse for me and the baby.'

‘Nonsense,' Daisy said with more certainty than she was feeling. ‘Bowman must be made to look after you both. And you have a family in London. If the worst came to the worst, wouldn't they take you in?'

‘Me dad would kill me. I daresn't show me face there again. Your mum will sack me as soon as she discovers that I'm in the family way, and I'll be out on the street.'

‘You most certainly won't. Not while I've got a breath
in my body.' Daisy rose somewhat shakily to her feet, but she was motivated by anger now; cold hard implacable rage against the man who had lied and cheated his way into their hearts. She moved swiftly to the range and riddled the ashes until the embers glowed into life. She built up the fire and filled the kettle at the tap in the scullery, placing it on the hob. ‘Where is Iris? I take it that she doesn't live in.'

Ruby wiped her eyes on her sleeve and sniffed. ‘No. She still has her old room in the servants' quarters at the big house, but she'll be here in time to cook breakfast.' She glanced at the wall clock. ‘In about half an hour.'

‘She doesn't know about . . .' Daisy gazed pointedly at Ruby's stomach.

‘No one does, except your sister. I think she's guessed, but she's a good kid. She won't say nothing.'

‘She told me and it's only a matter of time before it's obvious to everyone. We'll have a cup of tea and then I'm going out. You must act normally. We don't want Iris to get suspicious.'

‘I don't trust her. She's a sly one on the quiet and she's got her eye on Mr Teddy.'

‘So Beatrice said. I'll have words with my brother, but first I'm going to sort out Mr Barnaby Bowman.'

‘No, miss. Please don't say nothing to him. He won't like it.'

‘He most certainly will not. That's my whole aim. I'm going to tell him exactly what I think of him. I may not wield any authority in the village but my future father-in-law does, and I think he could make
life very difficult for Bowman. Barnaby won't be so cocky if he can't get work.'

‘He'll just move on. He's done it before.'

‘We'll see about that. Has he finished working on the motorcar?'

‘Not quite, miss. He's waiting for a part to come from the manufacturers, but I'll say this for him, he's done a really good job on it.'

Daisy warmed the teapot. ‘Has he now? That may be to his advantage.' She made the tea and filled two cups, passing one to Ruby. ‘Drink up and cheer up. We're still sister suffragists at heart, Ruby.'

Ruby answered with a watery smile as she sipped the hot, strong tea. Daisy drank hers quickly, regardless of the fact that she had burnt her tongue. She was furious and she wanted to keep the anger going until she saw Bowman.

Leaving Ruby to do her morning chores, Daisy put on her old coat and felt hat and set off for Bowman's cottage. It was just getting light as she hammered on his door. He opened it moments later, tousle-haired and with his shirt unbuttoned. His eyes widened with surprise when he saw her. ‘Miss Lennox.'