A Village in Jeopardy (Turnham Malpas 16) (27 page)

‘Isn’t that cutting it a bit fine?’

‘No. It’s what they want. We’ll have lunch and then—’

Johnny was horrified at the prospect of lunch. Sit down and quietly eat lunch? This was taking calm and composed to whole new heights. He tried to keep his horror to himself but he didn’t. ‘Have lunch? Surely not.’

‘Johnny. Keep calm.’ She was standing at the top of the stairs, bag in hand.

‘Wait there. I’ll carry your bag down.’ He charged upstairs two steps at a time and snatched it from her. ‘Now I’ll go down backwards and you hang on to me; I don’t want you falling down.’

But she had a contraction and paused for a moment while it passed. Alice kissed him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. She was two steps above him and she stopped to cup his chin in her hand and say, ‘Darling Johnny, this is going to be the happiest day of my life. Meeting you was the first happiest day, and giving birth to your baby is my second happiest day. I love you so deeply I can’t find the words to explain it. But believe me happiness is at the top of my agenda today and for ever.’

Johnny swallowed hard. ‘Thank you, my darling, thank you. It’s my happiest day too. But come on, if we’re having lunch we’re having lunch pronto, then we’re clear to go when . . .’ he was going to say ‘when I say so’ but he realised that today was Alice’s day and he was merely a bit player, so he changed that to ‘when you give the word.’

They finally left at half past three with Johnny trying hard to drive sensibly when all he wanted to do was fly there before anything serious began.

He sat with her the rest of the afternoon, holding her hand, giving her drinks, talking about South America, which he rarely did nowadays because he’d become so involved in his life in the village. Alice exhibited absolute control over her labour and by half past six she was saying she felt she wanted to push. It was Johnny’s turn to sweat and need a drink and want comfort, but taking his cue from Alice he remained helpful and cooperative. The nurses were full of praise for Alice and when his son slid into the world screaming vigorously, looking perfect with ten toes and ten fingers, two legs and two arms, a chubby bottom and sturdy shoulders and a face that mirrored his, Johnny wept for joy. He didn’t see the midwife cut the cord – she’d offered him the scissors to cut it with but he couldn’t see for tears and shook his head.

She wiped his baby’s face and head, wrapped him in a sheet and handed him to Alice. ‘My word, Alice,’ said the midwife, ‘you can have a few more of these if you like; you were a model patient. He’s beautiful – a big strong laddie. We’ll weigh him when you’ve had a cuddle. Have ye chosen a name?’

Alice said, ‘Not really, but Ralph will be one of them, I think, maybe.’ She smiled at Johnny and said, ‘Aren’t we clever? He’s so beautiful. Some newborns are ugly and crinkly and need a few days for their skin to get used to the world, but he’s so beautiful right now.’

Master Templeton sneezed and frightened himself but Alice laughed and comforted him. ‘Fancy being so young that a sneeze gives you a fright. He has so much to learn, hasn’t he? He’s so like you there’s no doubt who his daddy is. Even his nose is right.’ She’d had this ridiculous thought all the time she was carrying him that her punishment for being unfaithful to Marcus would be that he looked a little like Marcus and that it would haunt her all her life, yet it was impossible and she knew that and he wasn’t and for that she was so grateful. In fact she almost wished she hadn’t been so stubborn about the big house and Johnny had been able to buy it for him to inherit. But he couldn’t anyway, so she’d no need to beat herself up about it. But was that how new mothers behaved? Wanting the very best for their children the minute they were born?

The midwife took him from her to weigh him and bathe him and Alice’s arms already yearned to have James back where he belonged, snuggled against her bare skin. James! She’d called him James. ‘Johnny, can we call him James?’

‘That sounds wonderful. Yes, James it will be. He’s wonderful, isn’t he?’

‘Are you all right? You’re very quiet.’

He grinned. ‘I think it’s shock. I’m someone called Daddy now, when I wasn’t before. You seem a natural.’

‘It’s what I’ve always wanted.’ The sweating and the pain and the need for tremendous will power already fading, Alice dozed for a while. And so did Johnny, and he dreamed about his son inheriting Turnham House Estate and woke with a smile of deep satisfaction on his face to find Alice starting James breast feeding and the sound of his son sucking hard and Alice laughing with delight at her success. Could there be a more satisfying sound than that in all the world?

Johnny went home about nine o’clock because Alice needed to sleep and there was nothing more he could do. It was deflating driving home on his own to an empty house. Should he sleep in Alice’s house or in his own? He needed someone to talk to.

Johnny checked his watch and decided to ring the doorbell at the Rectory.

Caroline answered and when she saw who it was she raised her eyebrows, asking without words.

‘A boy and he’s beautiful! I’ve got some pictures. Would you . . .?’

‘Of course, come in. Is Alice OK?’

‘She’s fine. You’d never believe he is her first baby; she got it right all the way through.’

Caroline took him into the kitchen. ‘Sit down. Tell me all.’

And he did, leaving nothing out and full of praise for Alice. ‘So this is him. We’re calling him James.’

Caroline studied the photos intensely, then said, ‘Congratulations, Johnny. That’s wonderful and I’m so pleased for you, so very pleased. He is so like you! It’s amazing, there’s no doubting who his father is. Oh! I beg your pardon – I didn’t mean to be indiscreet, but he is the spitting image. Alice has longed for a baby and now you’ve given her one. Peter will be delighted. He’s . . . sick visiting otherwise he’d be here wetting the baby’s head.’

‘Sick visiting at this time of night?’

‘Well, it’s not so much sick visiting . . . anyway now’s not the time.’

‘Oh! Right.’

‘So the two of us will wet his head.’ She looked at the photos again and said, ‘He’s so like you. Ralph would have been delighted.’

‘Ralph?’

‘Yes, your great-uncle, or is it great-great? The thought of an heir being born. It was one of his great regrets that he didn’t have a son and heir. Very important to someone titled. Wonderful man, you would have liked him. Very proud, very honest, very principled and I sense that’s you, isn’t it? I haven’t got champagne so—’

‘I have, in the fridge already waiting. Shall I go get it?’

‘It seems scandalous just for the two of us.’

‘Peter will be coming back soon. I’ll go get it. Just wait there.’

Johnny left before Caroline could protest again. Inspired, she rang the Charter-Placketts and invited Grandmama if she wasn’t already in bed, Gilbert and Louise, Tom and Evie and Zack and Marie, and Dicky and Georgie to the Rectory to make something like a party for Johnny. Secretly she wished Ralph and Muriel would be there but . . . where was Johnny? How long did it take to snatch a bottle from the fridge?

Eventually he arrived after the others, who had already scurried across and established themselves in the Rectory sitting room.

Johnny was astounded when he walked in and found them all there. Jimbo had brought a bottle of champagne too and was glad he had because it was definitely needed.

But Johnny also had two cakes and paper napkins too. So they had a real celebration all together, raising their glasses to the future Sir James Ralph Templeton. There was a lot of laughter and then a demand for a speech from the new father.

Johnny, never at a loss for words, said, ‘Our son weighs in at eight pounds fifteen ounces, he has blond hair, and he can sneeze! According to the midwife the birth was easy, though it didn’t seem like that to me.’

‘The contractions were bad for you were they, Johnny?’ This from Jimbo, who laughed his head off at his own joke.

‘You know what I mean! It’s not funny being a dad for the first time, and you ought to know! I thought I was going home to celebrate all by myself, but I ought to have known better. Thank you so much all of you for coming; Alice will be delighted to hear about all this. We are so proud to be parents and look forward to bringing him up and any brothers and sisters he might have, in the midst of all of our friends.’

A huge burst of laughter greeted this casual remark, accompanied by questions like, ‘Does Alice know about this?’ and ‘A bit early to be saying that!’

‘All right, all right! But it is true we do want more than one. No doubt you will have lots of advice to give us in the coming months and no doubt we shall be in need of it. To Alice and to our beautiful son, James Ralph Templeton. To James!!’

The party broke up at midnight and Johnny went home to sleep, feeling very lonely. To give himself some comfort he went to bed hugging a nightgown of Alice’s and a blanket they’d bought for James. Tomorrow they’d be home! Johnny couldn’t wait. If only Craddock Fitch had given in and let him buy Turnham House James could have been going home to his inheritance, but as Johnny thought that he was glad there was no one there to see him smiling, as though he hugged a secret.

Chapter 21

Peter and Caroline went straight to bed when the others had left, doing nothing more than clearing up the sitting room and the kitchen enough to make life easy the following morning.

‘So what happened, then, at Turnham House?’

Peter, just back from the bathroom, climbed into bed, and said, ‘He’s very low, very very low. I’ve never seen him so depressed; that’s why Kate asked me to go see him.’

‘It’s all of his own making, Peter; let’s be honest here. If he sells to Johnny, who is eager to buy, the whole matter will be resolved, won’t it?’

‘It’s not as clear cut as that, darling.’

‘I never realised just how deeply he hated Ralph. It hardly showed at all, did it?’

‘In some ways it’s not just Ralph stopping him; he remembers the times when the whole village stood against him. Remember when he wanted to build the houses in Rectory Meadow? And Muriel lay down in front of the diggers? To him Muriel’s motive was ridiculous, saying she’d met a little wren sitting on a nest in the hedgerow and she didn’t want its nest destroyed. He’s motivated by making money and she prevented him. What made it worse was the village supporting her.’

‘Did you get him to see sense?’

Peter turned towards her and smiled into her eyes. ‘I may be good at persuading people to let their better side come to the surface but this time I was unsuccessful. It’s also partly to do with Ralph’s ability to persuade people to behave well with no brown envelopes being passed round. Apparently Craddock’s paid out thousands that way.’

‘Craddock gave the church a lot of money too, don’t forget.’

‘He did and I always thought it was because he lived where he lived and it was all part of being Lord of the Manor, but tonight I began to wonder if it was something to do with keeping the door of heaven ajar for when he arrived there . . . or conscience money.’

Caroline sat up abruptly. ‘Conscience money? What do you think he’s done then? Did he say?’

Peter pulled her back down again, saying, ‘You’ve lived in this village far too long. You’re a gossip.’

‘I am not, I’m just taking an interest in your work.’ Caroline grinned at him. ‘Well?’

‘He may be depressed but not so depressed he let out any secrets. My guess is during the course of his meteoric rise to riches he has done a few sleight of hands which are not strictly on the right side of the law.’

‘Peter! Don’t you think it would be lovely to have a real Lord of the Manor in situ in Turnham House? All sort of medieval and paternal. Johnny would be excellent at that, especially when he’s so rich.’ She sighed with longing at her flight of fancy.

‘I’m right, you’ve been too long in this village. We don’t really need some kind of father figure in the big house, Craddock Fitch is much more interesting! Even when he’s not well, poor chap.’

‘I bet if you asked, every single villager would prefer Johnny to Craddock Fitch.’

‘Well, it isn’t going to be. Believe me, he’d burn it down before let him have it. He’s said so.’

‘Bad as that?’

‘Yes. Goodnight, darling.’

‘Goodnight, Peter. See you in the morning.’

Had they known what was happening at the big house at that precise moment they would not have said ‘Goodnight’ so cheerfully.

After Peter had left, Craddock supposedly went to bed. Kate, exhausted by the terrible day she’d had, vowed to stay awake until she was sure Craddock had finally gone to sleep. But her weariness overcame her and within ten minutes she was deeply asleep.

Craddock glanced at his clock and decided to wait five more minutes and then get up to say ‘Goodbye’ to his house. His beloved house. He hadn’t wanted to sell it but he had to, thought he’d got a buyer – a disagreeable one but nevertheless a buyer – but after weeks of new advertising campaigns, fresh strategies, new initiatives he was exactly where he was when he first wanted to sell. So now his latest idea was about to come into being.

He slid carefully out of bed, slotted his feet into his slippers, put on his dressing gown because it was damned cold when the heating went off for the night, and quietly left the bedroom. He’d come back for her when everything was in place. As he walked down the beautiful Tudor staircase which was the joy of his heart he tenderly smoothed his hand along the banister, and thought how could he possibly allow his wonderful home to be owned by that crass idiot, Johnny Templeton. It wasn’t just the Templeton blood that flowed in Johnny’s veins, it was the whole upper crust business in which his country was still embroiled, despite the attempts over the last fifty years to rid the whole country of such claptrap. He smiled to himself and wondered for a moment: if he’d been born into the upper crust would he have wanted rid of the whole shebang?