Settling the Account (80 page)

Generous in her awareness of her blessed
state, Maudie went over to Sarah. ‘I bet you’d love to hold Lucy,
Miss Millish.’ Before Sarah had a chance to deny any such desire,
the baby was on her lap. ‘There, that’s nice, isn’t it?’ Maudie
said, beaming at the sight.

Sarah sat rigid, staring in some dread at
the creature that had descended on her. ‘What do I do with it?’ she
asked.

Maudie laughed. ‘Cuddle her, of course!
Here, I’ll show you.’ She took hold of Sarah’s hand and drew her
arm around Lucy. ‘Put your arm behind her back like this—that’s
right, sit her up properly or she’ll think you’re going to give her
a feed.’ She took a step backwards and studied them in
satisfaction. ‘Isn’t that nice? Have a good, long hold of her, you
don’t get the chance much.’

Maudie moved about the room, glancing back
from time to time to enjoy the sight of Lucy on her reluctant
perch. ‘Lucy’s such a good baby,’ Amy heard her say. ‘She’ll go to
anybody.’

Lizzie obviously took this as a slight on
her own baby. ‘Benjy’s too little to get passed around like a
parcel,’ she said, clutching the baby closer. ‘I don’t want him
getting upset or anything.’

She glared at Maudie as if daring the girl
to argue. But Maudie said nothing, merely raised her eyebrows and
smiled knowingly.

‘Yes, Lizzie’s pretty careful of the little
fellow,’ Frank said. ‘She doesn’t even let me hold him most of the
time.’ He gave Lizzie a grin.

‘I do!’ Lizzie protested. ‘Don’t go telling
stories, Frank. I’m just careful with him, that’s all.’

She hesitated, then, ‘You can have a hold of
him if you like,’ she said, holding the baby out towards Amy.

Amy took the offer for what it was: a sign
of Lizzie’s love and trust. ‘I’d love to, Lizzie.’ She took the
baby and nestled him into the curve of her arm.

Benjy had been lulled by warmth and the hum
of voices around him. He looked mildly surprised at being shifted
from one lap to another, but seemed content with his new situation.
He stared up at Amy with apparent interest.

The baby was warm against her, and the milky
smell of him was heady. He was a plump, fair-haired child, big for
his age and with an air of robustness that hampered his mother’s
efforts to treat him as a tiny, delicate creature. But when Amy
closed her eyes and relied on smell and touch alone, the warmth and
scent of him brought a feeling of drowsy pleasure.

‘There’s something about a baby, isn’t
there?’ she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

She opened her eyes and saw the solicitous
look on Lizzie’s face. ‘Is Benjy all right?’ Lizzie asked. ‘He’s
not used to other people. He’s not getting upset, is he?’

‘He’s a lovely, lovely baby, Lizzie,’ Amy
said. But he was not her baby, despite the tricks memory was
playing on her. ‘You’re lucky to have him. You’d better take him
back now, though. We don’t want him to get upset, do we?’ She
replaced him in Lizzie’s ready arms and planted a soft kiss on his
cheek.

‘I’ve finished with this one, too, thank
you,’ Sarah said plaintively, trying to catch Maudie’s eye. But she
would have had to shout to get Maudie’s attention away from the
conversation she was engrossed in with Lily. Sarah sighed, and
bounced Lucy on her lap in a half-hearted way.

Lucy, who had been studying Sarah with an
increasingly suspicious gaze for some time, began to squirm.

‘I wish she wouldn’t wriggle like that,’
Sarah said. ‘I’m scared I’ll drop her.’

Lucy squirmed all the more, and screwed up
her face ominously.

‘Oh dear,’ Sarah said. ‘I think she’s going
to cry.’

Richard glanced over at them, and came to
Sarah’s rescue before Amy had the chance to take the baby. ‘Here,
let me,’ he said, relieving Sarah of her unwanted burden. ‘I’ve
hardly had the chance to hold my daughter all day, with so many
other people wanting the pleasure.’

As soon as she realised she was back in
familiar arms, Lucy settled again. She giggled in delight as
Richard bounced her gently, then she nestled comfortably into the
crook of his arm.

‘I must say it’s a relief to see I haven’t
done her any lasting harm,’ Sarah said. ‘She was beginning to look
quite odd, with her face all red like that.’

‘She could tell you weren’t confident with
her,’ Amy said. ‘That’s why she got nervous.’

‘What a very sensible child,’ Sarah
remarked, stretching her arm gingerly. ‘However do parents cope
with having their arms go numb all the time?’

‘Oh, yes, she’s very clever,’ Maudie said,
drawn back to their group by the praise of her daughter. ‘She’s
very forward at things. She can just about sit up already, and she
can hold a little doll all by herself.’

‘Benjy’s a lot younger than her,’ Lizzie put
in quickly. ‘He’ll be doing those things soon enough.’

‘Well, of course he will,’ Maudie said,
enjoying the chance to be condescending to her mother. ‘Honestly,
Ma’s silly as anything over Benjy,’ she confided to those close to
her. ‘You wouldn’t think she’d had eight babies. Lucy
is
very clever, though,’ she added, quietly but with certainty. ‘Isn’t
she, Richard?’

‘I’m hardly unbiased, dear. But as far as
I’m concerned, she’s the cleverest child the world has ever seen.
Aren’t you, my darling?’ He tickled Lucy; the baby laughed and
waved her arms about.

‘Then I hope you’ll have her properly
educated, Doctor Townsend,’ said Sarah. ‘It would hardly be right
to waste her abilities, would it?’

‘Oh, I don’t think we need to worry about
that just yet,’ Richard said, but Sarah was prepared to press the
point.

‘It does no harm to think ahead. Your
daughter might want to study. You’ll need to see that she’s
properly prepared to do so.’

‘We’re going to send her to school, Miss
Millish,’ Maudie said, clearly puzzled by Sarah’s comments. ‘You’ve
got to send kids to school, anyway.’

‘I think Miss Millish is thinking of
education beyond what Ruatane might be able to offer, darling,’
Richard said. ‘I do appreciate your concern, Miss Millish,’ he
added, carefully polite but unable to hide his amusement.

‘But why would she want to do that?’ Maudie
said, still puzzled. ‘I mean, she’s not going to have to
work
or anything.’ She said the word as though it were
something rather shocking.

‘No, she won’t,’ Richard agreed. ‘I do
expect to be able to provide for my daughter, Miss Millish. She
won’t be put in a position where she has to support herself by her
own efforts.’

Sarah stared hard at Richard. ‘I’ve heard
that there are men—professional men like yourself, Doctor
Townsend—who don’t actually
have
to work themselves. Who
have adequate private means, but choose to work for some other
reason. Would you have any views on such a matter?’

Richard’s expression told Amy that he had
not missed the allusion to himself. He still appeared to be
searching for a reply when Sarah answered the question for him.

‘I rather suspect that the reason might be a
desire to feel useful. Would you agree?’

‘I think that’s a fair assessment,’ Richard
said guardedly.

Sarah pounced. ‘And why shouldn’t your
daughter feel the same way? Why shouldn’t she have a desire to be
useful?’

‘Lucy will be useful to her mother, of
course. I would hope that she’ll find that rewarding.’

Sarah regarded him steadily. ‘If you had a
son, Doctor Townsend, and he wished to be a doctor, what would your
feelings be?’

‘Well, naturally I’d be pleased. And of
course I’d help him in any way I could, though I hope I’d try not
to push my own desires beyond what the boy wanted for himself.’

‘And what if your daughter happens to want
the same?

‘Be a doctor?’ Maudie said, clearly shocked.
‘What, go poking around in people’s insides? What an awful idea!
Ooh, I’d never let Lucy do anything like that. You wouldn’t want
her to do that would you, Richard?’

Richard hesitated before replying. ‘I think…
I think I would have to give the matter proper thought if the
occasion arose.’ He hesitated again, for longer this time, then
said, ‘I’d try not to stand in the way of something Lucy really
wanted, as long as I was convinced it was truly the best for
her.’

‘Give her the opportunity, Doctor Townsend,’
Sarah said. ‘Give her a proper education. Fit her to make up her
own mind in a sensible way.’

‘I take your point, Miss Millish,’ Richard
said. ‘Thank you for your interest.’

‘I
think
,’ Maudie said, still
bristling, ‘I
think
we know what’s best for Lucy.’ She took
Lucy from Richard and flounced off in a rustle of petticoats,
giving Sarah the barest of nods as she went.

Richard went after her and put a hand on her
arm. As Amy and Sarah watched, they spoke quietly together. Maudie
gave a slight toss of her head, then glanced back at Sarah and her
gaze softened. She looked down at the baby in her arms and
whispered something to Richard.

‘She’s feeling sorry for the “old maid”,’
Sarah remarked drily. She sank back in her chair, apparently a
little deflated after the confrontation. ‘I suppose I’ve caused
offence now. I’m rather good at that.’

‘I don’t think you really caused offence,’
Amy said.

‘Oh, yes I did. Don’t look so anxious, Mrs
Stewart, I’ve no intention of feeling guilty over it. Doctor
Townsend was being patronising, and that’s something I won’t stand
for. The fact that I’m a woman doesn’t mean I’m incapable of
talking sense.’

‘I’m sure Richard didn’t think that,’ Amy
said. ‘I expect he just hadn’t thought about education for
girls.’

‘He was being patronising,’ Sarah insisted.
‘My father was the finest man I’ve ever known, and from the time he
realised that I had a decent brain I don’t recall his ever being
patronising to me. If I never had to suffer it from Father, I’ve no
intention of tolerating it from any other man.’

Amy hesitated, reluctant to argue with Sarah
but anxious to be fair. ‘I don’t think Richard meant any harm. He’s
very nice, really he is. I like Richard.’

Sarah smiled at her, her face softening. ‘I
suspect you like most people, Mrs Stewart. You don’t seem very good
at disliking. Anyway,’ she said, suddenly serious again, ‘I didn’t
come here to waste my time arguing with Doctor Townsend. I came to
talk with you.’ She looked about her, frowning. ‘Though there’s
precious little chance of privacy, is there? Do you think we’d be
noticed if we slipped off for a walk?’

Amy glanced up at the mantel clock. ‘No, I
can’t, I really should be leaving. I said I’d only be an hour.’

‘No!’ Sarah said, startling Amy with her
fervour. ‘No, you can’t go yet! Not when we haven’t talked. I don’t
know when I’ll have the chance again. I mightn’t ever—’

She broke off, noticing Amy’s discomfort at
the attention Sarah’s raised voice was attracting. ‘And now I’m
making a fool of myself, and upsetting you into the bargain,’ she
said more quietly. ‘But I have to talk to you, Mrs Stewart.’

‘We’ve been talking, haven’t we?’ Amy said,
puzzled by Sarah’s mood. ‘Sarah, I’m sorry, but I really do have to
go. It’s not fair on Dave to leave him looking after his father by
himself too long.’

‘I hardly see that it would hurt him to take
some share of the burden.’

‘Oh, he does. Dave’s a big help to me. I
don’t know how I ever managed without him.’

Sarah’s mouth set in a narrow line. ‘Yes,
your precious David.’

‘And you got him back for me,’ Amy said,
feeling a warm rush of gratitude at the memory.

‘I don’t need reminding of the fact,’ Sarah
murmured.

Amy moved around the room making her
farewells. Sarah hovered near her, and Amy introduced her to Mrs
Coulson.

To Amy’s surprise, the nurse seemed inclined
to be rather cool towards Sarah. ‘You’re part of Mrs Susannah
Leith’s family, are you?’ Mrs Coulson said, her voice tight. ‘I can
see a certain resemblance.’

‘No, not at all,’ Amy answered for Sarah.
‘It’s just that Sarah came out with Susannah and Tom. Sarah’s
Lily’s cousin, you see.’

Mrs Coulson looked a little confused, and
Amy could see that the nurse was struggling to remember just who
Lily was. ‘So she’s part of your family, dear?’ she asked
uncertainly.

‘Well, yes, she is in a way,’ Amy said,
anxious not to confuse the nurse further.

Mrs Coulson studied Sarah, then turned to
Amy and smiled. ‘That’s lovely, dear. I’m so pleased.’ She tilted
her face to receive Amy’s kiss. It gave Amy a start to realise that
Mrs Coulson seemed to be getting muddled in her memories, but her
old nurse seemed cheerful enough.

Beth made her up a small parcel of
christening cake to take home for David and Charlie, and Lizzie
dispatched Danny to catch a horse to take Amy home on.

‘I’d come and see you off, but I think Benjy
wants a feed,’ Lizzie said as they stood just outside the parlour
door. They hugged as well as they could with the baby between them,
then Lizzie took herself off into the bedroom with the mildly
fractious Benjy.

Sarah had followed Amy to the parlour
doorway. She came out onto the verandah and down the steps with
her. ‘How stupid of me,’ she fretted. ‘I could take you myself if
I’d only had the sense to ride out. Whatever possessed me to come
with Mrs Leith?’

‘It’s quite a long ride,’ Amy said. ‘It was
a good idea to get a lift with Susannah.’

‘I won’t pretend I enjoy Mrs Leith’s
company, though I suspect she intends to dine out on me for some
time. I heard her talking to the minister before he escaped—“Miss
Millish is one of
the
Millishes, you know,”
 
’ she said, affecting a mincing tone.
‘
 
“Such a distinguished family, and
such a charming girl. We’re quite friends already.” If only she
knew,’ Sarah murmured. ‘But it suited me to come out with her and
Thomas—at least I thought it did at the time. Why does your Uncle
dislike her so much?’ she asked. ‘And what did he mean by what he
said about what killed your father?’