What You Wish For (19 page)

On the second day, Carrie managed to rouse her spirits enough to make the arrangements for Mrs Hale's funeral. She felt thoroughly ashamed of herself for wallowing in such self pity, when the woman who had opened her home to her had just died and her family was grieving.

Thankfully, though she was not legally family, both the reverend and undertaker were very understanding and helpful. Dixon also mentioned that Mrs Hale had on occasion spoken about her funeral, and she was able to give Carrie a good idea of what Mrs Hale would have wanted.

In the event though, she didn't get to attend the funeral that she had arranged. Societal norms in this time said that women couldn't go to funerals but Carrie had every intention of flouting that rule. That is until Dixon ran into Leonards, an old acquaintance from Helstone. He knew all about Frederick and the mutiny and it was decided that Fred must leave that very night.

Carrie felt bad for him that he couldn't attend his mother's funeral but at least he had gotten to say goodbye to her. As Carrie was helping him to pack his belongings, he came across a box and opened it to show Carrie the engagement ring he had bought for Dolores. She was too young to get married yet, but he had bought the ring some time ago and was just waiting until he could ask her.

The ring was quite small and the stones were only what she would have called semi-precious, yet from the way he talked about this Dolores, it was probably quite expensive. At least, he didn't seem like the kind of man to skimp on a ring when he was obviously deeply in love with this girl, and that gave her an idea.

On impulse she caught the evening train to London with him. Thankfully both Margaret and Mr Hale were still too upset to question her decision very much. She and Fred booked into a respectable hotel overnight and Fred insisted on paying, since Carrie did not have much money of her own. On Margaret's suggestion, Fred was to see a friend of the family and solicitor, Mr Lennox, the next day about the chances of winning a court martial, and Carrie intended to get her jewellery appraised.

They dined in the Hotel's restaurant that evening and Carrie finally got the chance to really get to know Fred. Despite Mrs Hale's recent death, being somewhere new and unknown to both of them provided some distance from those sad events, and allowed Carrie to see a more cheerful side of Fred than she had previously.

He told her more about Cadiz, where he lived and his intended, Dolores, describing both his home and his beloved in such exquisite detail, that it was very clear how enamoured he was of both. Carrie had lived in Spain for a time, though the land she knew was vastly different from the one he recognised, but she was able to share some of her stories with him, such as the beauty of her father's ranch and the Spanish Lipizzan horses she had been lucky enough to see while she lived there.

As the restaurant cleared and they had more privacy, Carrie took the opportunity to ask Fred for his account of the mutiny on his ship. It soon became clear that the glossed over incident she had read about in North and South, was a pale reflection of the true cruelty of the ship's captain, and Carrie was left in little doubt that the man must have been a sadist. It soon became clear that despite his easy going nature, Fred had truly risked everything, including his own life, to protect those weaker than himself, and Carrie was left with a new found respect for him. So much so that she was more sorry than she should have been after such a short acquaintance, that he would be returning to Spain the following day. She vowed to keep in touch with him and if it were ever possible, to visit him there at some time.

She told him of her regret at his leaving and her desire to visit Spain as they walked back to their rooms. He stopped outside her door and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“
You will always be welcome in my home, sister,” he said, smiling warmly at her.

Carrie smiled at his kind words and marvelled at how this family, that she had really known for such a short time, could have become so important to her. On impulse she hugged Fred tightly.

“
Thank you, brother,” she said. The language was false, for real bothers and sisters did not address each other thus, but the genuine affection behind the words made up for the awkward speech.

They bid each other goodnight before finally retiring for the evening.

Carrie awoke early the next day, excited both to hear what Mr Lennox had to say about Fred's case and to find out the value of her jewellery, so she was surprised when Fred slipped a note under her door not ten minutes after she had awoken, saying that he would await her in the dining room so that they might breakfast together before taking care of their business. She hurried about her usual morning routine so as not to keep him waiting for too long.

By the time she joined him, Fred had already sent a message to Mr Lennox and before they left the dining hall, had received his reply. It seemed that while Mr Lennox was happy to help Fred if he could, he was unavailable until noon that day, but would be pleased to see him in the afternoon. With little else to do, Fred offered to accompany Carrie to the jewellers.

Although she normally didn't place a great deal of importance on material items, Carrie's jewellery meant a lot to her because each piece had been a gift for good performance. The pendant was a reward for passing her GCSE's with A's and A stars. The earrings for passing her A-Levels. The ring for passing her grade 8 piano exam. When she wore these they were proof that she was capable of succeeding and she drew a certain strength from them.

The brooch was the only piece of jewellery that had been a gift from her mother and it was made of synthetic diamonds, created using the ashes of Friday, her childhood pony. The diamonds had been mounted into a horse shaped brooch and varied in size from ¼ ct to 1ct and had a ¼ ct black diamond as an eye. Technically speaking they were exactly the same as diamonds, even down to usually having imperfections, though they often had fewer than naturally formed diamonds did.

She had decided to go to a few jewellers to have them appraised first, before she asked what they would offer her to buy them.

When the first jewellers valued them, she was floored!

Since they had been gifts, she didn't know how much they cost in her time, but comparatively speaking they seemed to be worth much more here.

The most expensive piece was the horse brooch, which Carrie did feel a little guilty about but she kept reminding herself that technically, right down to the molecular composition, it was made from real diamonds, albeit ones formed in a lab rather than in the earth.

The first and second shops disagreed on their valuations by almost five thousand pounds. Both also offered slightly less than they had valued them at, citing that they would need to make a profit when they sold them on.

In the third shop, a Mr Raison valued them higher than both the other shops, and offered Carrie exactly what he had appraised the jewels at, saying that he would reset many of the stones from the brooch into other jewellery, which he could sell for a greater cost overall.

Since she didn't have a bank account yet and didn't want to carry cash, she arranged to return that afternoon, after Fred had seen Mr Lennox and exchange the jewellery for a bankers draft.

“
You're rich,” Fred teased after they had collected the bankers draft.

They were heading to the railway station; Carrie's hand resting on Fred's elbow. Carrie grinned at his words, for indeed she was rich now.

“
What will you spend it on?” Fred asked.

“
I don't know. I suppose I should buy us a house.”

“
Us?” he asked.

“
Your family has taken me in and treated me as one of their own, I think it only fair that I treat them the same. I wonder what houses in Milton cost?”

“
I can't claim any knowledge of that,” Fred said. “But I thank you for your kindness to my family. My mother said you had some very odd ideas, but that she liked you very much.”

“
I can live with odd,” she smiled. “But it is I who am thankful for them. They have been so very kind to me, and I've done little to deserve it.” Carrie's mood darkened slightly. “It's just a shame that Mrs Hale won't get to share in this joy with us.”

“
But she will be happy that you're looking after her husband and daughter.”

“
I hope so.” After the turmoil of the last few days, Carrie felt herself overcome with emotion.

“
Oh no, you must not cry at such a happy time,” Fred gently chided, handing her his handkerchief.

“
I know, it is very ungrateful of me.” She quickly got herself back under control and dried her eyes.

They soon arrived at the station and bought their tickets, Carrie heading north to Milton and Fred journeying south to Portsmouth.

“
I know we only met recently, and in rather unhappy circumstances,” Carrie said as they prepared to part company, “but I feel like I've known you forever.”

She thought most people probably felt that way after meeting Fred, for he was such an affable and kind hearted person that it was hard not to like him.

“
Well, you are the next best thing to a sister now,” he said.

“
I've never had a brother,” Carrie smiled.

“
Well then, the next time we meet I shall be sure to climb a few trees with you and taunt you with some captured insects, so that you have a true appreciation of what having a brother feels like.”

“
That
I think I'll pass on,” Carrie laughed, then hugged him tightly. “Now, you take care on your journey home. And please write if Mr Lennox has any news, good or bad.”

“
I will. You look after yourself too, won't you?”

“
I will,” she assured him. “Say hello to Dolores for me.”

As she rode back to Milton, Carrie felt lighter than she had for some time. She had means now. She could never have dreamed how much her jewellery would be worth here, especially since so few women wore diamonds, she had assumed they were unpopular. How wrong she had been.

The first thing she would do was buy a house for them all. Then a piano. She could even give lessons on it if she wanted to.

Then perhaps she could buy more houses to rent out? Yes, that would be a good long term investment and provide them with a steady, regular income.

Her mind immediately went to Mr Thornton as the best person to ask for advice, but she couldn't ask him any longer. That thought dampened her spirits somewhat and try as she may, she was unable to revive them again.

Chapter Fifteen

The house Carrie bought was in a nicer area of Milton; a little further away from the mills and so also slightly less smoky. They kept most of the same furniture since it had a history with the family, though Carrie did buy new furnishings for the dining room and the front parlour, in other words the public rooms. The furniture she chose was nice but not overly expensive.

She had noticed that many homes in Milton, Mr Thornton's included, were very over-done, almost as though families needed to show their wealth off if they had it. The decoration was too ornate, the light fixtures too grand and the furniture usually large, dark and imposing. Most homes were also full of ornaments and many reflective surfaces. She found it all too stuffy, cluttered and cold for her tastes and so thanks to its simplicity and homey ambiance, this house still felt much more like the Hale's home in Crampton than Mr Thornton's fine house.

Her only luxury was in purchasing a Broadwood grand piano, which took pride of place in the front parlour (or the fancy sitting room, as Carrie thought of it).

Mr Hale had a study where he could teach his students and Miss Hale could use the rear parlour (the less fancy sitting room or family room, as Carrie called it) while Carrie could teach piano in the front parlour.

They hired a third full time servant to help Dixon, as well as a cook who preferred to live out, but the extra help meant that Dixon was able to resume her original role as lady's maid, though she insisted on also keeping the position of housekeeper, so that the house might be run to her own exacting standards. Carrie didn't mind as long as Dixon didn't have to work as hard, for she was starting to look rather tired at times.

There was a spare room beside the kitchen, which was turned into a sitting room for Dixon and shared by cook while she was on duty. Since the attic had four bedrooms when only three were needed, the other two servants shared the fourth room and made it into their sitting room.

Mr Hale informed some of his students and their families that Carrie was about to start giving piano lessons, and he advised her on what she could charge. Sadly it was only a fraction of what Mr Hale got for his teaching, but this wasn't supposed to be her main form of income anyway. That's why she was buying more properties, two mid-sized ones, like the one in Crampton that could be more easily rented than larger properties could and some commercial properties, since the rents for such premises were generally higher. She wasn't foolish though, and still kept some some in the bank for a rainy day. She hoped that the rental incomes combined with her and Mr Hale's lessons, would cover their living expenses and perhaps allow her to put a little more into the bank every month.

Of course news of her new found wealth had spread like wildfire (though most reports were highly inflated) and she found herself inundated with new friends and acquaintances. She wasn't particularly inclined to make friends with these people, but she knew well enough not to alienate them, especially when she was trying to build her teaching business. One thing her mother had taught her was the necessity of forging relationships. As such she accepted most of their dinner invitations, if only for appearance's sake.