Where Seagulls Soar (21 page)

‘I shouldn’t be surprised if Bisley isn’t jealous over the whole affair. He’s been with Durrington since he was a child, and thought he was set to inherit the estate, if
not the title. But Bisley is of mixed blood, and although Durrington looks after his by-blows, he’s not about to allow the son of an African slave to inherit. Durrington will have to keep an
eye on Bisley when the boy comes to London to live with him.’ Barnard’s eyes washed critically over him. ‘You’re looking rather down at heel. Work drying up, is
it?’

As if Barnard didn’t know Durrington had put the word out. Not that it mattered to Seth, for he had contacts in the law courts, and also at number four Whitehall Place, otherwise known as
Scotland Yard. Both sources kept himself and Geevers supplied with investigative work.

Seth shrugged, flicking a piece of lint from the lapel of the respectable but slightly shabby suit of clothes he usually wore when visiting his brother. ‘Oh, it comes and goes. How are
your sons?’

Barnard’s chest swelled at the mention of his offspring. ‘Chips off the old block, all of them. They’re all at Rugby now. The discipline will do them a world of good. Mrs
Charsford spoiled them in the nursery. As far as I’m concerned, the less a mother has to do with a man’s sons, the better. It makes them soft. That was my father’s policy and, by
damnation, he was right!’

Pity rippled through Seth, for their mutual mother had borne great love for her children, just as Joanna Morcant loved her son. The bond of maternal love was something joyous and natural that
Barnard had not been allowed to enjoy in infancy, for his father had been a strict disciplinarian, by all accounts.

Now Barnard had delivered his message, Seth was dismissed in a rather perfunctory manner.

As he was leaving, Mrs Charsford came to help him into his overcoat. She gazed nervously towards the study door and whispered, ‘I overheard them talk of abducting the boy from his
mother.’

‘Who?’

‘Lord Durrington and Mr Charsford. It’s not right, separating a mother from her children.’

‘Did they say when?’

‘No, but I believe it will be soon.’

He nodded and handed her his card. ‘Thank you, Mrs Charsford. If you ever need my help, this is where my office is situated. You may speak freely to Mr Geevers if I’m absent. In an
emergency you can go to my home.’ Seth whispered his home address in her ear, then added, ‘For your own sake be careful, I beg of you. And please, if you know the history of my niece,
you will understand why I ask that you be discreet and not allow my brothers to learn of my residential address.’

‘You don’t have to tell me that.’

‘What’s your first name?’

‘Constance.’ The card was slid swiftly into her sleeve as the door to the study opened and Barnard looked out.

‘Not gone yet, Seth?’

‘As you see. I’m just about to depart.’

Barnard’s eyes darted to his wife, who immediately lowered hers to the floor in a submissive manner when he asked her, ‘Where’s the footman?’

‘I sent him to find one of the housemaids.’

‘I see. May I remind you that your place isn’t to linger in the hall and gossip with the visitors. Mr Adams can see himself out. Go about your business now, Mrs Charsford. You can
wait for the maid in the morning room.’

Before she had a chance to move Seth took her hand in his and brushed his lips across her knuckles. ‘It’s nice to see you looking so well, Constance.’

‘Thank you, Mr Adams, you’re most kind.’ As their eyes met for a second she coloured slightly, then she darted a nervous glance at her husband and scuttled away towards the
stairs.

Seth let himself out when the study door closed again. As he stood on the pavement he realized he’d been given a legitimate excuse to go and see Joanna Morcant again, for she had to be
warned.

Catching sight of the procession coming up the hill, Joanna swiftly changed into a clean bodice, tied a freshly ironed apron around her waist, then tidied her hair. She pulled
a clean smock over Toby’s head, gave his face a lick and a promise with her handkerchief, then brushed his dark, unruly curls into a semblance of submission.

Going downstairs when a knock came at the door, she couldn’t stop smiling when she set eyes on her visitors, and she didn’t know who to hug first. She settled for Charlotte.
‘It’s so good to see you, do come in.’

The cottage suddenly seemed crowded, the men blocking out the light from the window. Toby went to stand amongst them, craning his head upwards, not at all awed by their height, as if trying to
recognize the one who belonged to him.

Charlotte stooped to pick her great-grandson up. Toby bestowed his Alex smile on her and plucked at the pearl brooch on her bodice. ‘No you don’t, young Toby,’ she said, and in
the next breath, ‘My, how you’ve grown; you look more like your father every time I see you.’

Joanna gazed from one man to the other, Thaddeus, James Stark and . . .?’ She remembered meeting the third, but only once before for a few moments. She smiled as his name came to her.
‘Captain Staines, I believe.’

‘I’m surprised you remember me.’ His voice was gruff as he gazed at Toby. ‘The boy’s like his father. Alex would have been proud of him, I reckon.’

‘Yes, he was.’ Her glance settled on James. ‘Is something wrong, James?’

‘Not exactly.’ He looked around him. ‘Are we alone?’

She laughed. ‘Hardly, but if you’re asking if Oliver and his sisters are around – no, they’re not. Oliver is fishing for our dinner, and Irene and Lydia are at their
places of employment, teaching piano. What do you need to tell me?’

James offered Edward a sly glance. ‘Edward saw your father in Melbourne.’

‘So that’s the reason for this visit. That’s wonderful. Is he well? What about Jane?’ Her voice tailed off when she saw Edward’s confused expression.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out except a strangled snort and a muffled ‘Well, I’ll be beggared.’

‘Are you all right, Captain Staines?’

‘Tobias is your father? The devil he is. How can he be when you were married to him?’ Edward said, choking out an incredulous laugh.

‘We didn’t know about our relationship when we wed. Luckily, my grandmother saw my resemblance to my mother before . . . well, before any harm was done. He then removed himself from
my life . . . from all our lives.’

Edward shook his head and chuckled. ‘Now I see it all. What a schemer.’

Joanna gave him a big smile. ‘Captain Staines, I apologize for giving you such a shock, but I daresay you can understand why it was kept quiet.’

‘It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out the reason for his disappearance, now. And that smile of yours is unmistakably Tobias Darsham.’

‘I hope you don’t mind. But you haven’t told me how they are.’

‘Your father avoided me, he ducked out of sight into a shop when he saw me. Gabriel Tremayne and Son was painted on the sign over the door. Tobias Darsham a shopkeeper?’ He shook his
head.

‘He’s opened a shipping agency as well.’ Alarm overcame her happiness and she gazed back to James. ‘I’ve had trouble with Lord Durrington snooping
around.’

‘Lord Durrington? What did he want?’

‘As Toby’s grandfather, he wants Toby to live with him and become his heir. He’s gone so far as to threaten to abduct Toby and take him back to London to live with him. He said
my shipboard marriage to Alex wasn’t legal and has set an investigator on to me, who’s also guessed the truth about my relationship with Tobias – though it seems that the marriage
doesn’t appear in the church records. What if he learns the truth about my father’s supposed death, too?’

Charlotte gazed from one to the other. ‘I have a confession to make. I told Richard Lind of my fears regarding your marriage, Joanna. I told him I thought you were my long lost
granddaughter. Although he laughed, after Tobias disappeared at sea Richard removed the marriage entry from the parish records. He hid the page in his journal. With his dying breath he asked me to
burn it. So I did.’

James groaned. ‘A felonious marriage will probably bring twelve months with hard labour. But more charges can be brought against us. Tampering with parish records. And conspiracy carries a
heavier penalty. Although he’s not liked, Durrington has a lot of influence. If he wants the child, all he’d need to do is prove you’re an unfit mother, Joanna.’

‘The investigator said that under the circumstances he wouldn’t work for Durrington. He’s promised not to tell him anything. He doesn’t know that my father’s still
alive, though.’

Thaddeus shook his head. ‘You can’t trust anyone, Joanna Rose.’

‘I
have
to trust him; I have no choice.’ She brightened. ‘Lord Durrington only came here once, so perhaps he’s changed his mind. Having Oliver here is
reassuring, though. James, this affects us all. We must tell Oliver and his sisters. Then I must think of what to do.’

‘I have a solution,’ Edward said calmly, and they all gazed at him. ‘Mrs Morcant and her son can sail with me on the
Joanna Rose
. She’ll be out of
Durrington’s reach in Melbourne.’

‘Smuggle her out as a passenger on one of Durrington’s own ships?’ Thaddeus began to chuckle. ‘Damn it, Edward, you’re a devious so and so. I didn’t think you
had it in you.’

‘I had a good teacher, Thaddeus.’

‘I have another idea,’ Charlotte said a trifle breathlessly, her casual manner not quite hiding her excitement at the daring of it. ‘Why don’t we all go to Melbourne? Not
on the
Joanna Rose
, since Thaddeus and I would need to sell the house and settle up here. We could follow on later – make an entirely fresh start.’

They fell silent for a few moments, then Thaddeus grinned. ‘You know, that’s something worth considering.’

‘Aye,’ said, Edward. ‘I’d be happy to join you, and so will my woman and my sons, since we’ve already discussed the possibility.’

James grunted. ‘I don’t know what my wife will say to such a scheme.’

‘Imagine what she’d say if you went to prison.’

‘There’s that.’

Joanna couldn’t leave Oliver and the girls to fend for themselves, she just couldn’t. ‘We’ll have to tell Oliver and the girls the truth, since I can’t just go and
leave them behind.’

‘Of course you can’t. What truth, and where are we going?’ Oliver said from the kitchen doorway, a broad smile lighting his features at the sight of Thaddeus and Edward.

James began, ‘We were discussing whether or not to go to live in Australia, and Joanna said—’

‘I heard what Joanna said. Is there a reason for this migration of the families – or must I guess?’

Those present gazed from one to the other.

‘Could it be something to do with Tobias perhaps?’

‘How long have you known?’ Joanna said, so indignantly that everyone laughed, relieving the tension in the room.

‘I’ve suspected for some time. There was the way you and Alex used to exchange glances and carefully change the subject whenever Tobias was mentioned. You referred to Charlotte as
great-grandmama once when you were playing with Toby. And you sometimes wear Honor Darsham’s brooch and ring. But the biggest clue is in the way you carefully tend Honor’s grave, as if
she means something to you.’

‘I also tend your father’s grave, Oliver. Why didn’t you say something?’

‘I figured that if you thought it was my business, you’d have told me. As for tending my father’s grave, you feel you have a connection with him. Thaddeus told me the tale of
your cradle coming ashore in the storm with the seagull guiding it.’

‘It was just an old tale my pa told me.’

‘Didn’t he also tell you that Lucian Morcant, the master of the
Cormorant
, was the spirit of that seagull?’

A smile touched her lips at the reminder of the tale. ‘Yes, he did, and although you might think it fanciful, I believe it. I like to think of Lucian as my protector, since my pa told me
that only a true seaman could have rigged my cradle to bring me safely ashore in such a sea. I first met Tobias right next to Lucian’s grave, too, as if he’d meant to bring us
together.’

Oliver grinned. ‘I don’t think it at all fanciful. Seafarers are a superstitious lot and set a lot of stock in the lore of the sea.’

‘Especially when they’ve had a skinful,’ Edward muttered.

Charlotte murmured, ‘Lucian would have been so pleased to have heard Joanna say that, wouldn’t he, Thaddeus?’ And she nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

Clearing his throat, Thaddeus announced, as he tried to hide his grin, ‘Aye, I reckon he would at that. Lucian always fancied being a seagull. Remind me not to look up at the sky when
he’s flying overhead, though.’

Joanna joined in the general laughter. ‘What was Lucian like?’

‘You don’t have to look far. Oliver has the same look and the way of him.’

‘Then he must have been a nice man, and now he’s the nicest seagull in the sky.’

Leaving Oliver looking abashed by the compliment, which served him right for teasing her, Joanna went off to make some tea. In the kitchen a medium-sized cod lay on the table. Already gutted, it
was big enough for a meal, and the head and bones would make a delicious soup stock. Having Oliver living here had certainly eased the workload on herself.

There was a sudden commotion as Irene and Lydia arrived home. Not at all shy, they greeted the visitors with cries of delight and an animated conversation began, as if they’d been starved
of social contact.

They probably had been. The life they were living was a far cry from what they’d been used to and, although they never complained, they must be bored with such a simple and relentlessly
hard existence, as she was herself. Joanna sighed. Now everything would have to be explained all over again, for the simple lie her father had set in motion seemed to be growing out of all
proportion.

But as she set the kettle on the hob and began to unpack the hamper Charlotte had brought, the thought of a new life in far off Melbourne sent a thrill of delight running through her. How
wonderful it was that she had accidentally uncovered a family and friends who would support her through thick and thin.