The Best of Daughters (7 page)

‘You know that I've always wanted to get behind the wheel. You are so thoughtful, Rupert. I could kiss you, but I don't want to give everyone the wrong idea.' She would at least have hugged him, but they were standing in the middle of the dance floor, and
the head waiter chose that particular moment to announce that dinner was served.

Rupert proffered his arm. ‘What's the betting that we're seated next to each other, Daisy Bell?'

‘Odds on, I should think, and I had nothing to do with the seating plan. Mother has arranged everything.'

Beatrice almost knocked them down as she rushed towards the top table. ‘I'm absolutely starving,' she muttered crossly. ‘I thought the formalities would go on forever.'

As expected, Rupert had been placed next to Daisy at the top table. A covert glance from her mother confirmed her suspicion that this had been arranged with one thought in mind. She gave Rupert an apologetic smile as he held out her chair. ‘I'm sorry,' she said in a low voice. ‘Subtlety isn't a word in my mother's vocabulary.'

He took his seat beside her. ‘Let her enjoy her moment of triumph, old thing. I fear she'll come to earth with a bump when all the excitement is over.'

Daisy glanced at Beatrice, who was seated between Teddy and Bobby. Someone had given her a glass of wine and she was imbibing with relish. Bea might suffer in the morning but maybe she had the right attitude. Perhaps money and status were, as Daisy had suspected all along, terribly overrated. A fresh start in the countryside would prove an exciting challenge for the whole family. She turned to Rupert with an eager smile. ‘What make of car do you drive? Do you think I'll need many lessons?'

‘
STEADY ON, DAISY.
The speed limit's twenty miles per hour.' Holding his hat on with one hand, Rupert clutched the side of his sports car with the other. ‘You're not on the race track at Brooklands,' he added, chuckling and ruining the effect.

‘Spoilsport.' She reduced speed with the greatest reluctance. ‘But it's so easy to go fast in this car, and it's the best feeling in the world. Almost like flying.'

‘You're doing really well, considering there's been such a long gap between your lessons, but I'll be most upset if you damage my beautiful new car.'

‘Mother would have a fit if she could see me now. She thinks I've gone into town to change my library book.'

Rupert relaxed against the padded leather squabs, his smile fading. ‘How is she coping? It must be almost a year since you moved to Nutley Green.'

Daisy concentrated hard as she negotiated a sharp bend in the road, stamping on the brake as she came across a herd of cows. ‘Damn,' she breathed, resting her head on the wheel. ‘That was a close one.'

‘That's why I told you to slow down. These narrow country lanes are devilish difficult, and there's nowhere to go other than the ditch if you meet something coming
the other way.' Rupert patted her on the shoulder. ‘Cheer up. No harm done.'

Gaining control of her breathing as the erratic beating of her heart slowed down, Daisy straightened up. ‘You were right, and I was getting carried away. Sorry, Rupert, but at least I didn't damage your beautiful red Prince Henry.'

‘One of Vauxhall's finest,' he said proudly. ‘And I wouldn't be sitting here calmly if you'd scraped the wing of my pride and joy, especially as I've got to report back to the barracks first thing in the morning.'

She looked straight ahead, watching the cows as they meandered on their way towards the farm gate. ‘You've had such a short leave. When will you get another one?'

He grinned. ‘You only love me for my motor car.'

‘You won't catch me out that way. Oh, look, the cows have gone, and I've stalled the engine.'

‘Yes you have. So you'd better get out and crank the starting handle.'

She pulled a face. ‘That's not very gentlemanly. Besides which I can hardly walk in this silly hobble skirt.'

‘Well, you girls will be slaves to fashion. I'm surprised you allow the dress designers to dictate to you in that way.'

‘Don't tease. I still support the suffragists even if we do live too far away from London for me to take an active part in the movement.' She opened the car door and climbed out, moving slowly as the tight skirt made it impossible to take anything other than tiny steps. She turned the handle a couple of times without any
luck and was about to lose patience when Rupert came to her aid.

‘I wanted to see just how much of an independent woman you are, Daisy Bell.' He took it from her and the engine started at one turn. ‘She recognises her master's touch.'

Daisy hit him with her driving glove. ‘You brute.' Laughing, she returned to the driver's seat. ‘Get in quickly or I'll drive on and leaving you standing.'

He vaulted in beside her. ‘No chance of that, my dear Daisy Bell.'

She drove off, accelerating slowly. ‘When are you going to stop calling me that ridiculous name?'

‘I don't know. Perhaps when you give me your answer.'

‘To what? You haven't asked the question.'

‘Ah, now that's the point. If I proposed to you now you would almost certainly turn me down.'

She could never quite tell when he was teasing her and she shot him a covert glance. ‘Of course I would. We're more like brother and sister. It simply wouldn't work.'

‘Maybe not, but every time I hear that song it reminds me of you.' He leaned back, closing his eyes as the sun beat down on them and the summer breeze tugged at his tweed cap. ‘Tomorrow I'll be back in uniform, and I'll think of this when I'm out on manoeuvres or writing reports. I'll remember the warm sun on my face and the soft breeze filled with the scent of clover and warm grass, and I'll see you with the wind in your hair and roses in your cheeks.'

She slowed the engine and turned her head to give him a searching look. ‘You sound as though you're going to be away for a long time. Is there something you aren't telling me, Rupert?'

He responded with a lazy smile. ‘Of course not, but there's just a chance that we might be posted abroad.'

‘We're not fighting anyone at the moment, are we?'

‘We live in uncertain times, Daisy. With the continuing troubles in the Balkans, and Germany mobilising more troops, you never can tell what might happen.'

‘Don't spoil a lovely day with that sort of talk, and please don't mention it in front of Teddy. He's been dying to join the army ever since you got your commission. His heart was never in the business and he absolutely hates living in the country.'

‘But I heard that your father is doing well now that he's started up again, albeit in a much smaller way than before.'

‘I believe so, although he doesn't talk about it at home. He goes off to his office in Colchester every morning and returns again in the evening. Teddy is forced to go along with it because he has no alternative, but if war was declared he'd be one of the first to enlist, I know it.'

‘Poor chap. I feel for him.'

She braked as they reached the crossroads. ‘Don't tell him what I said. It wouldn't take much to make him kick over the traces and be off. It would break Mother's heart, and Father would have to manage on his own since he can't afford to take on staff. At least
he's always saying he has one foot in Carey Street, and I believe him.'

‘I'm sure it can't be as bad as that. Look out, there's a horse and cart to your right.'

‘I saw it coming before you did. Which way now? Perhaps we ought to go home.'

‘I've a better idea. Let's go into Colchester and find a tea room. I have a sudden fancy for cucumber sandwiches and fancy cakes.'

‘All right, but you'd better take the wheel when we get to town. Father would have a fit if he saw me driving your motorcar. He hasn't quite forgiven me for getting myself arrested last year. I think both my parents are worried that I'll take up with the suffragette movement again.'

‘Will you?'

Daisy flexed her work-worn fingers as they gripped the steering wheel. ‘I really don't have the time or the wherewithal to get me to the places where they hold their meetings or demonstrations. Father refuses to have a telephone installed at home and I've lost touch with the suffragists I knew in London.' She shot him an amused glance. ‘Except for Ruby, of course, but she works terribly hard at home. Mother has to admit, reluctantly because she doesn't really like her, that Ruby lives up to her name and is a treasure beyond price. She cleans the house from top to bottom and no one can beat her when it comes to doing the weekly wash.'

‘Does this paragon of virtue cook as well?'

‘No. That's a bit beyond Ruby's capabilities so I've taken over in the kitchen. Mother would kill me for
admitting it to you, as she considers that it's a terrible comedown, but I enjoy cooking and I find I'm rather good at it. At least, I haven't poisoned anyone yet.'

‘Maybe one day you'll allow me to sample your cuisine?'

She drew the car to a halt at the side of the road. ‘We don't entertain any more. Mother might have some of her church-going ladies to tea occasionally, but that's as far as it goes. We have to be careful with money, Rupert. It's not like the old days.'

His brow puckered in a frown. ‘I don't like to think of you living like this, Daisy. You were meant for better things.'

‘Don't. You sound just like my mother.' She opened the car door. ‘You'd better take over now, but thanks for the lesson. I'll have to wait ages for my next one.'

He reached across to take her hand in his. ‘Marry me, Daisy. Let me give you the life you deserve.' He studied her palm, tracing the lines with his fingertips. ‘You were brought up to a life of ease. You're a lady, not a drudge. Marry me and you can drive the Prince Henry every day of the week if you want.'

She stared at him in amazement. She had thought for a moment that he was joking, but looking into his eyes she realised with a shock that he was sincere. Fighting down a momentary feeling of panic, she chose her words carefully. ‘That's very sweet of you, Rupert. But feeling sorry for me isn't the same as loving me. I couldn't marry you or any man unless we were both very much in love.'

‘But you do care for me, don't you?'

‘Of course I do, but you're just being kind and heroic, and I think the image you have of me is romantic and quite unreal.' She withdrew her hand gently and climbed out of the car. ‘Thank you for asking me. It was really lovely.' She hesitated, gazing at him anxiously. ‘Is the offer of tea and cake still on?'

He slid into the driving seat. ‘Actually I've rather gone off the idea. Would you mind awfully if I dropped you at home? We'll do the afternoon tea thing on my next leave.'

‘No, of course not. And I'm sorry if I've upset you, Rupert. I really appreciate what you were trying to do.'

‘No, you're right, Daisy. It was a silly idea, especially as I haven't the faintest idea where I'll be this time next year.'

They drove home in silence, with Rupert concentrating doggedly on the road ahead and Daisy seated beside him, wondering how such a bright sunny day could suddenly seem so bleak and foreboding. Their goodbye in the road outside Rainbow's End was stiff and formal. She watched him drive off with a lump in her throat. They had seen so little of each other in the past year, but on each occasion they had picked up where they left off. Now it felt as though their childhood friendship had ended and things would never be quite the same again. She stood outside the garden gate, gazing at the dwelling which had once been the family's holiday retreat from the hurly-burly of London life, but was now their one and only home.

The former dower house snoozed in the late
afternoon sunshine like an elderly lady napping in a deckchair. Roses clambered up the mellow red-brick walls and festooned the portico over the front door. Some of the roof tiles were missing, and two of the chimney stacks leaned precariously as if bowing to each other. She hesitated with her hand on the gate, taking pleasure in the riot of colour in the herbaceous borders. Hollyhocks, larkspur and the old-fashioned granny's bonnets gave off a heady perfume, and glorious oriental poppies spilled their pink, white and scarlet petals like confetti on the crazy paving path. Bees buzzed in the spice-scented lavender and birds sang, but it was winter in Daisy's heart as she let herself in and made her way slowly round to the back of the house. She felt a terrible sense of loss but she knew that she had done the right thing. To marry Rupert simply as an escape from the life she was compelled to lead would have ended in disaster for them both.

She did not enter the house immediately, choosing instead to walk around the garden. It was quiet and peaceful and she needed a few moments to compose herself before she faced the family. The lawn spread before her like a green blanket, smooth and evenly trimmed, stretching as far as the orchard where apples ripened in the summer sun. Soon it would be time to pick them and the blackberries that festooned the hedgerows. This year Daisy intended to make jam and to experiment with chutney using the tomatoes and onions that she had cultivated in the vegetable patch. Her father had bought chickens and a rooster and they
resided in the ancient hen house at the bottom of the garden. It was a ramshackle affair, patched and nailed together in a haphazard manner, but it kept them safe from the marauding foxes. They were pecking about in the run, but soon she must lock them up for the night and collect any eggs that Bea had missed that morning.

Daisy sighed, pushing thoughts of Rupert to the back of her mind and stifling a niggling feeling of regret. She could have taken the easy way out, she thought, as she walked back to the house, but that would not have been fair on either of them. Besides which, she had responsibilities now. She was no longer a lady of leisure, planning her day around social engagements. Dinner would not appear on the table as if by magic as it had in the old days. There were vegetables to prepare and lamb cutlets to cook. Her father and Teddy would be most upset if there was not a hearty pudding on the menu. She must hurry if she was to get everything done by seven o'clock when the family assembled in the oak-beamed dining room for their evening meal. She entered the house through the scullery door and was pounced upon by Ruby.