The Shoemaker's Daughter (48 page)

‘Oh yes he will, that Mrs Grinter is a dragon, she reports back to dad and Emily on everything that happens in the shop.’

‘Why not wait for me?’ Hari said quickly. ‘Lewis won’t mind walking you back to the emporium.’

‘No thanks, don’t want to put you to any trouble, don’t want to be no gooseberry either!’ Sarah giggled and Hari felt an angry flush rise to her cheeks.

‘There’s no need to talk like that,’ she said, ‘I have only just lost my husband remember.’

‘Sorry, only joking.’ Sarah blew William a kiss and hurried from the room.

‘Take no notice,’ Will said but it was clear he felt uncomfortable. ‘Sarah speaks without thinking, you mustn’t mind her.’

‘Yes, you’re right,’ Hari said, ‘there’s silly of me to take offence where I’m sure none was intended.’ But she wasn’t sure at all, Sarah had always been a difficult person to understand.

‘What about work?’ Will changed the subject. ‘What sort of orders have we got?’

Hari smiled, ‘I haven’t sorted the orders yet, Will, it’s wrong of me to wallow in gloom I know but I’ll get round to it.’

Hari suddenly felt a new sense of purpose, there were people depending on her to help them make a living and she would do her best to justify their faith in her.

‘Enough talking for tonight, Will,’ Hari said touching his cheek, ‘you need to rest, you’re still not well, mind.’

‘All right, if you say so.’ Will smiled, watching as she moved across the room. When she reached the door, his voice halted her.

‘Hari, you’re sure you are all right? I mean to think of making a success of a business after life has played such mean tricks on you takes a lot of fire in the belly.’

‘I’m sure.’ Hari said firmly, ‘You and me are going to do all right for ourselves, you’ll see.’

Lewis was waiting outside for her, leaning against the wall of the hospital. He pushed himself upright when he saw her and peered at her in the darkness as though trying to read her expression.

‘Will all right?’ he asked. ‘Only I saw that girlfriend of his flying out of here like a bat out of hell, wondered if the boy had taken sick again.’

‘No, Will is well on the way to recovery,’ Hari said, ‘he still seems a bit weak and he’s very tired right now but he’s going to be all right.’

They walked in silence for a few minutes and then Lewis paused, staring down at Hari, clearing his throat nervously.

‘I know this is a bit soon and perhaps I should wait a bit like but I want you to know you can always count on me, Hari.’

She looked up at him in surprise. ‘I know I can, Lewis,’ she said quietly, ‘I’ve always been able to depend on you.’

‘But more than that,’ Lewis continued, ‘I have always held you in the highest regard. I’m not putting this very well, Hari, but what I mean is, have I a chance with you once you are over your grief, your period of mourning?’

Hari looked up at Lewis, tall and handsome in the moonlight, his hands, big strong cobbler’s hands hanging at his sides as though he wasn’t sure what to do with them and felt a rush of affection for him, but it wasn’t love.

‘I’m sorry, Lewis,’ she began, ‘but though I like and admire you very much, I can’t say, hand on heart, that I feel love for you.’

If only she could love him, share her life with Lewis, build a business with him and more, build a stable family life in which David could grow up in a healthy normal background it would be wonderful.

‘Love can grow, mind,’ Lewis said, ‘and I would be good to you and the boy.’ He thrust his hands into his pockets. ‘I know I’ve got nothing much to offer you now but I can work hard, you know that, Hari, and I would always be faithful to you.’

Hari remained silent, she could think of nothing to say and, in any case, tears formed a hard knot in her throat. Lewis stared down at her, not touching her.

‘Don’t answer now, it’s too soon, I shouldn’t have spoken yet of such things but remember this, Hari, I love you.’ He sighed. ‘I always have loved you ever since the first time we met but then you were always so far above me, I could never pluck up the courage to tell you how I felt in case you thought I was after your money.’ He cleared his throat nervously.

‘Then you got married and you were even further away from me than before. I’ve loved and wanted you for so long, do you think I found rooms in Hetty’s house by chance?’

Hari began to walk towards Salthouse Passage and Lewis fell into step beside her. ‘You sly boots.’ She laughed a little self-consciously. ‘But you’re right,’ she said, not wanting to hurt him. ‘It is too soon for me to think about taking another husband but I am honoured, Lewis, that you think well of me.’

As they neared the house, Hari heard the sounds of voices raised in anger. With a shock, she realized that one of them belonged to Sarah Miller, what on earth was she doing in this area during the night time? She must be out of her mind.

‘Just listen to me, Sam,’ Sarah was saying, ‘I went to the hospital because I felt sorry for Will, you didn’t have to hurt him so bad, did you?’

‘You come straight from him and then run sniffing round here after me, well, you can just go back to him, understand?’

Lewis looked down questioningly as Hari held his arm, putting her fingers to her lips in a warning gesture.

‘Sam, I’m sorry!’ Sarah was saying, ‘I won’t do it again, I promise you.’

‘You won’t get a chance!’ Sam said angrily. ‘I don’t want no two timer for my girl.’

Hari could just make out the two figures in the doorway of the house where Maria Payton lived and the boy talking to Sarah was obviously Sam Payton.

Hari’s first impulse was to rush forward and confront the two of them, to tell Sarah what a traitor she was going out with another man behind Will’s back and the very one who had been responsible for putting Will in the hospital in the first place, but Sarah was shrieking at the boy now, her voice rising hysterically.

‘And what am I supposed to do about the baby I’m carrying, your baby?’ she cried.

‘My baby is it,’ the boy’s voice was low with scorn, ‘and how do I know that?’ He gave a short laugh. ‘It might be the work of that scum you slept with before, have you thought of that? You did sleep with him, didn’t you?’

‘The baby is yours!’ Sarah was protesting. ‘Will has been sick for too long, the baby definitely isn’t his.’

‘Then you’ll have to convince him different won’t you?’ Sam Payton laughed, ‘Just think, that fool bringing up my bastard, that should be a laugh.’

‘You can’t mean it!’ Sarah was crying now, ‘you said you loved me, told me that you wanted to marry me, how can you be like this to me, how could you have told me such lies?’

‘A man will say anything when he wants something from a girl, haven’t you learned that much by now?’ There was the sound of the door being opened and then Sam spoke again.

‘This is where we part company, goodbye, Sarah.’

The door was slammed and then Sarah fell against it sobbing bitterly. ‘Oh
duw
, what am I going to do?’ Her words were muffled in her fingers as Sarah stood crying her heart out in the darkness.

Impulsively, Hari moved towards her, out of the darkness and touched the girl’s shoulder lightly. ‘Sarah, it’s all right, don’t cry. Come on, me and Lewis will walk you home.’

‘It’s none of your business!’ Sarah turned on Hari, her eyes burning, ‘I suppose you heard everything, spying on me you were, creeping up on me like that!’

‘We were just making our way home, Sarah,’ Hari said reasonably. ‘Why on earth should I want to spy on you?’

‘Because you don’t think I’m good enough for your precious William, that’s why! Well, you can just keep your nose out of my affairs and if you tell Will any of this I’ll deny it, mind.’

‘I think it’s up to you to tell Will,’ Hari said softly. ‘Come on home now, you’re upset, you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.’

‘Leave me alone!’ Sarah spun on Hari, eyes blazing, ‘And don’t pretend to be so holy and good when everyone in Swansea knows that your baby is a bastard!’

‘Hold your tongue!’ It was Lewis who moved forward and stood close to Sarah, his face set and angry. ‘Don’t you go talking like that, do you hear?’

‘Oh, get out of my way all of you and just leave me alone!’

Sarah darted past Lewis and disappeared into the darkness. Lewis shrugged, ‘Let her go, she deserves everything she gets does that one, talking about you like that and you respectably married when you had your son.’

Hari walked beside Lewis in silence for a moment. ‘She was right though,’ she said at last, ‘at least in a way.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Lewis said slowly, ‘the boy is your husband’s son, isn’t he?’

‘No, Lewis,’ Hari said softly, ‘David is Craig Grenfell’s child. I was expecting when I married Edward.’

Lewis was silent and Hari felt forced to explain. ‘I didn’t know I was with child at first and, when I found out, I wanted to tell Eddie but then he fell sick. I suppose I am just like Sarah when you think of it.’

‘No!’ Lewis said, the word bursting from his lips. ‘That man took advantage of you, just as the gentry have always taken advantage of our sort, I could kill him for the hurt he’s caused you.’

‘Craig Grenfell has caused me pain,’ Hari agreed, not seeing the look of bitter anger on Lewis’s face, ‘but I have my son and I love him.’ She touched Lewis’s arm gently. ‘Thank you, Lewis, you don’t know how much it means to have the loyalty of friends.’

‘You’d have me by your side for ever if you’d only say the word, Hari,’ Lewis said. ‘You need the protection of a strong man, that’s what I think.’

Hari sighed, ‘You are right enough, Lewis, but let’s not talk about it any more now.’

It was good to return to the warmth of Hetty’s kitchen and find David asleep and Hetty just brewing a fresh cup of tea.

If she was surprised to see Hari and Lewis come in together Hetty didn’t show it. She believed in minding her own business and letting other folks mind theirs. In any case, Hari Morris was a respectable lady, anybody could see that, there would be no funny business where she was concerned.

‘Will is looking much better,’ Hari was smiling as she took off her shawl, ‘I shouldn’t wonder if he’s allowed home soon.’ Hari took a seat near the fire accepting the cup of tea that Hetty handed her gratefully.

‘Well,’ Hetty said, ‘his room in the attic will be ready and waiting for him, you can tell him that from me.’

Hari sipped the hot tea enjoying the strong sweetness of it. ‘Do you realize, Hetty,’ she said, ‘you’ll have three cobblers staying under your roof then, no need to ever go without stout shoes on your feet.’

‘Aye,’ Hetty said, ‘Lewis here told me he was a cobbler, like you he was sent to me by Cleg the Coal’s wife, owe Cleg and Beatie a debt of gratitude, I do.’

‘So do I,’ Hari said gently. ‘I couldn’t have found better lodgings if I’d searched the whole of Swansea.

‘Lewis!’ she said, ‘Come over here, your tea is getting cold.’

‘
Duw
, tea is tea, hot or cold,’ Lewis said but he came to sit near the table, his big arms resting on the scrubbed surface. ‘I used to work for Hari, mind,’ he said smiling at Hetty, ‘she might seem a quiet little soul but she gets the work done, believe me.’

Hari forced a smile. ‘I’m going to do my best anyway,’ she said, ‘try to get back most of my old trade, people who have gone for Emily’s ready-made shoes, I’m sure it can be done.’

‘Well, you’ve got a nursemaid for the boy, he can stay by here with me every day while you’re at work,’ Hetty said in her slow thoughtful way. ‘Be happy to do my old job again I would.’

Events seemed to be moving too fast, almost as if they were being taken out of Hari’s hands and when, later, she lay in the bed in the parlour of the house in Salthouse Passage she was unable to sleep, she tossed and turned in her bed, watching the coals in the fire die one by one and she was filled with fears of what the future might bring.

32

Emily moved along the row of machines, watching with admiration the speed with which the boots and shoes could now be cut and sewn. In only a few weeks, the emporium could be supplied with a new stock of footwear, it was little short of miraculous.

Business was so good that Emily had been able to expand and, soon, the new premises in the Strand would be ready for occupation; extra sewing and cutting machines would be installed and more workers would be taken on. Everything in Emily’s world was wonderful except for one thing, she had still not conceived John’s child.

He constantly reassured her that he was happy the way things were, that she was everything in the world that he desired and yet she knew that to have a son would bring him the ultimate joy.

She left the outbuildings and made her way back to the emporium, she had left Sarah in charge and yet she doubted about the girl’s ability to cope with the responsibility.

Over the last few weeks, Sarah had been edgy, her temper uncertain and Emily was finding it difficult to deal with the girl’s tantrums.

Emily wondered if she should have a word with John about Sarah’s strange behaviour but she was reluctant to make trouble between father and daughter.

Lady Caroline was sitting in the shop with her daughter, an array of shoes spread around her, it was clear that Lady Caroline was being her usual over-fussy self.

Sarah was bending over Elizabeth, helping her to try on a dainty evening shoe, and there was a look of impatience about Sarah’s attitude that was easy to read.

‘Why don’t you go and have your coffee, Sarah?’ Emily said warmly, ‘I can see to the customers.’

Sarah looked up at her, eyes hard and angry. ‘What’s wrong, don’t you think I’m capable of selling a pair of shoes now?’

Emily forced herself to remain calm. ‘I just thought you would like a break, that’s all.’

Sarah straightened and deliberately dropped the shoe she was holding on to the floor. ‘Right then, please yourself.’ She flounced away, head high and Emily made an effort not to let her anger show, but this sort of behaviour really couldn’t be allowed to go on.