Homecoming Girls (4 page)

Jewel gave a slight smile in Ruby’s direction and then glanced at Dan. ‘I don’t know,’ she said huskily. ‘I don’t honestly know.’ She gave a little shrug. ‘Who can tell?’

Dan sat in the chair opposite his father after Jewel and Clara had left. He bit on his fingernails and stared into the fire.

‘Go on then,’ his father said at last. ‘Spit it out. Summat’s troubling you.’

Dan shook his head. ‘Nowt,’ he said, taking a deep breath.

‘Shall we go and wave them off at ’train station?’ his mother said.

‘Not if it’s during ’week we won’t,’ her husband said abruptly. ‘We’ve work to do. It’s not everybody who can go gadding off to other countries. Some of us have to earn an honest penny and can’t go gallivanting ’world over like some folk.’

Ruby and Thomas both looked at Dan but he kept his eyes lowered and muttered, ‘I shan’t go.’

Thomas grimaced and was about to say something, but his mother cast a glance at him and shook her head. Later she whispered to him that Jewel and Clara were catching the ten o’clock train bound for Liverpool on Friday.

‘See if you can arrange an errand or a delivery or something,’ she said. ‘You can mebbe make a quick detour to ’station to see them off.’

Thomas grinned. ‘Thanks, Ma. I’ll try. I’d like to see Clara off. She’s that excited.’

‘You’ll miss her, won’t you?’ his mother said.

‘Aye, I will.’ He looked pensive. ‘We’ve allus been – such pals.’

He and Clara and Elizabeth had shared their childhood, being the same age, but it was Clara with whom he had had an affinity. Dan and Elizabeth had squabbled over the same toys until Jewel had come along and captivated Dan. But now they were both going away and Thomas wondered who he would talk to and discuss the issues of the day with. Not his brother, for Dan was inclined to be opinionated and not open-minded enough to have an intelligent debate. As for his father, he had been increasingly irritable lately and not easy to talk to; he was sure his mother had noticed it too for she always seemed anxious when his father was around, trying to please or pacify him.

Ruby was indeed worried about her husband and had tried on several occasions to ask Daniel what was bothering him. She had been brusquely rebuffed, though, which generally brought tears to her eyes and apologies from Daniel.

‘It’s nowt,’ he had said. ‘You’re imagining it. Give over, Ruby. I’m all right.’

She knew that he wasn’t. His moodiness had grown worse over the last year and she worried that he would become like his mother, who had been a most disagreeable woman, always niggling that she had come down in the world and that her husband wasn’t given his rightful dues. Because of her attitude and the lack of available work, Daniel had left home when he was seventeen and got a job at sea. Whilst he was away his mother had taken her own life by jumping into the Humber, and Ruby knew that in some way Daniel blamed himself for it.

On the Friday morning that Jewel and Clara were due to depart, both Thomas and Dan were up earlier than usual, for once coming down to breakfast before their father.

‘Thought I’d deliver to Grants in Beverley this morning, Da,’ Thomas said cheerfully when Daniel appeared. ‘Everything’s ready for me to box up and then I’ll drive over. I’ll be back before dinner time.’

‘No need for you to go.’ His father sat down at the breakfast table and Ruby served him bacon and eggs from the side
oven. ‘I’ll send Morris. We’ve to finish off them rocking horses for Brownlee. He wants them for Tuesday.’

‘Can’t Dan help with them?’ Thomas was disappointed. ‘I wanted to show Mr Grant those new designs of locomotives.’

His father looked doubtful. ‘I don’t think he’ll be interested. He’s doing well wi’ clowns and circus stuff.’

‘I – I mentioned them last time I was over there,’ Thomas said eagerly. ‘He said he’d tek a look at them.’

‘Aye,’ his father said reluctantly. ‘All right. But get back by dinner and then we can all crack on wi’ hosses.’

‘Dinner’ll be a bit late anyway,’ Ruby butted in. ‘Half past twelve. I’ve some shopping to do at ’market.’

Daniel gazed at her and then at Thomas, and gently shook his head. ‘You can’t pull ’wool over my eyes,’ he muttered. ‘I know what you’re both up to. Go on then. Dan can go to Beverley, and you, Thomas, can tek half an hour to go to ’station. But come straight back. We’ve work to do.’

Thomas heard his brother draw in a breath. He knew Dan wouldn’t want to drive to Beverley, but he had also said that he didn’t want to go to the station to see Jewel and Clara off. He pushed his chair back from the table. ‘I could go to Beverley this afternoon,’ he said, ‘if Dan and me work on ’rocking horses this morning.’ He glanced up at the kitchen clock. ‘It’s onny just seven; we’ve a couple of hours. We’ve just to finish polishing and fit ’manes. Then there’s all of ’weekend for them to dry.’

‘Sort it out between you,’ his father grunted. ‘Now let me get my breakfast in peace.’

Dan crashed his chair back and went towards the door.

‘Excuse me,’ his mother said. ‘Haven’t you forgotten summat?’

‘Sorry, Ma.’ Dan’s face was flushed. He came back and pecked her on her cheek. ‘Thanks for breakfast.’

Ruby nodded. She knew what was wrong with Dan, but she wouldn’t dream of mentioning it. Jewel didn’t love him. She thought that probably Jewel didn’t love anybody, not yet, but she was not the kind of young woman who would ever tie
herself down to anyone quite as demanding as Dan.

When their sons had left, Daniel finished his breakfast and drank another cup of tea, then he too pushed his chair back from the table.

‘What is it, Daniel?’ Ruby asked quietly. ‘What is it that’s troubling you?’

Daniel shrugged and reached for his jacket from the back of the chair. ‘Nowt’s wrong. Don’t know what you mean.’

Ruby came and put her arms round his waist. ‘I know you, Daniel Hanson. Should do after all these years. Tell me!’

‘Nowt to tell.’ He avoided her eyes.

She put her hands to his face and turned it towards her so that he had to look at her. ‘Truth, Daniel,’ she whispered. ‘We promised long ago that there’d be no secrets between us. Tell me what’s troubling you.’

He sighed. ‘It’s her. Jewel. It’s onny dawned on me over ’last few months that Dan is sweet on her. And . . .’ he hesitated, ‘I can’t bear to think that he might want to marry her.’

‘She won’t have him.’ Ruby’s brow furrowed. ‘But why would that upset you?’

He closed his eyes for a second. ‘Because of who her father was—’

Ruby gasped. ‘Not after all these years, Daniel! We’ve put all that behind us. At least,’ she added softly, ‘I have. But it seems that you haven’t.’

He shook his head. ‘I thought I had, but lately – well, it was at Elizabeth’s wedding. I saw Dan and Jewel talking together and I thought—’ His eyes were moist and she put her arms about him once again. ‘If they should marry and I saw her every day, it’d be like a knife in my heart.’

‘She doesn’t know.’ Ruby’s eyes filled with tears. ‘About me and her father. Why would she? It happened before she was born. It was another life, Daniel,’ she whispered. ‘We were different people then. Jewel has nothing to do with us. She’s a beautiful young woman with a different background. Grace said that she thought Jewel wanted to trace who her mother was and that’s why she wants to go to America.’

She gazed up at him and knew that she loved him as she always had; but a doubt crept in. Had Daniel always harboured resentment over her having been Edward Newmarch’s mistress before she married him?

He swallowed. ‘I’m sorry, Ruby. I’ll be all right. Once that train has pulled out and I know she’s gone.’ He gave another sigh. ‘I just hope that she doesn’t come back.’

Ruby pulled away. ‘And what about our son? Are you onny thinking about your own feelings? What if Dan does love Jewel? What about his hurt? You’ve forgotten, Daniel, about the hurt you felt when you thought I was going to leave with Edward.’

‘I haven’t forgotten,’ he said quietly. ‘I remember very well and I wouldn’t want Dan to feel as I did. But you didn’t go with him.’

‘I didn’t go with him because I loved
you.’
She tapped him on the chest with her finger. ‘So be gentle with your son. He might be feeling ’same way as you did. The difference being that Jewel
is
leaving and leaving Dan behind.’

Clara lived with her parents in High Street in the heart of the old town, close by the River Hull. The three-storey house had once been owned by a shipping merchant and his family who lived there before removing to a life on the coast in Holderness. It had then been turned into offices before being put up for sale. Grace, who had known the house from when she was young, was desperate for them to buy it and turn it into a home again.

Clara’s bedroom window at the back of the house looked over the river where the ships and barges came in and out of the Humber estuary, the larger vessels passing the wooden wharves and continuing on towards the Queen’s Dock in the centre of the town, one of the largest docks in the country.

She loved to be at the centre of things, as her mother did too. The market was only a short distance from their home, and before Elizabeth’s wedding Grace and her daughters
would walk there most days. When Martin was free he took them to the theatres in the town, of which there were many, and every October they visited the Hull Fair, always a great source of entertainment. Now, Elizabeth had left them to start her married life with Patrick, and although Clara knew she wasn’t yet ready for wedded bliss, she missed her sister’s companionship and excitedly prepared for her journey to fill the gap in her life.

Jewel and her parents lived on the edge of the town, in Albion Street, a street of elegant mainly Georgian town houses which Wilhelm had much admired when he first came to Hull. Within walking distance there was a subscription library, museums and public rooms, venues for philosophical debating societies of which Wilhelm was an enthusiastic member, and which almost made up for the fact that he missed his American homeland, willing though he had been to sacrifice it for the sake of Georgiana and Jewel in particular, so that she could be near her natural family.

In preparation for their forthcoming journey Jewel and Clara constantly sent messages across to each other’s houses, by maids or errand boys, but eventually they were ready. In the first week in June the day dawned for their departure, and both households scurried about making last-minute checks on tickets and personal items.

‘Come along, come along. We’ll miss the train.’ Wilhelm urged his womenfolk to hurry. Both sets of parents were travelling to Liverpool with Jewel and Clara. They would see the two young women safely on to the ship the next day and then travel back to Hull.

‘We’ve plenty of time, Papa,’ Jewel said. She knew how anxious he was about their travelling to America alone, but although no one would guess from her calm exterior she was bursting with enthusiasm and greatly looking forward to the challenge. Clara, she thought, would be the perfect companion, for she was malleable yet level-headed.

‘The cab is here,’ Georgiana called as the doorbell rang and the housemaid scuttled across the hall to answer it.

‘Goodness!’ Jewel said. ‘So soon! We’re only five minutes from the railway station.’

‘Better to be early rather than late.’ Wilhelm was in a fluster, which was unusual for him as he was generally so placid. He was also used to catching ships and trains, being such a frequent traveller himself.

‘Don’t worry, Wilhelm,’ Georgiana said softly. ‘She’ll be perfectly all right. She’s very prudent, and so is Clara.’

Wilhelm took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘I’m being foolish. But I can’t help it.’

Clara and her parents were just alighting from their cab as the Dreumels arrived at the railway station and the two young women waved excitedly to one another. Clara came over and gave Jewel a hug.

‘I’m so thrilled!’ she said. ‘I hardly slept last night. I was up at six o’clock packing my hand luggage. Papa is having a fit, though. He’s worried sick!’

‘So is mine.’ Jewel laughed. ‘Now, I suggest we appear to be very calm and composed.’

‘And self-assured,’ Clara concurred. ‘Yes, I quite agree. We don’t want them worrying that we’re two empty-headed young women with no idea of how to look after ourselves.’

‘Which we’re not,’ Jewel replied. ‘Oh, look! There’s Elizabeth.’

A smart single-horse chaise had pulled up alongside them and Clara’s sister stepped down.

‘Is that her carriage?’ Jewel murmured. ‘Patrick’s spoiling her!’

Clara laughed. ‘It’s compensation to appease her because I’m going to America and she isn’t.’

‘Darlings!’ Elizabeth swept towards them. ‘I had to come and see you off even though we said goodbye yesterday. Oh, Clara!’ Her face puckered. ‘I’ll miss you so!’

Clara hugged her. ‘I shall miss you too, Elizabeth. I’ll write as soon as we arrive; in fact I’ll write whilst on the ship and tell you whether I’m seasick!’

Elizabeth sniffled. ‘Yes, do. I shall want to know everything. Oh, I’m so envious!’ she said plaintively. Then she turned towards the chaise. ‘Do you like my carriage?’

‘It’s wonderful, Lizzie,’ Jewel said. ‘How lucky you are to have such a husband to spoil you!’