Hope for Tomorrow (21 page)

He was composing a reply that evening when Mrs Lassiter came into the study followed by Sarah, informing him that Martha's father, Jim Dawley had arrived back that day and was now at the new house.

Lucien got to his feet, then hesitated. He wanted to go over there and turn him out but Martha had clearly told him to keep out of it and to let her know as soon as possible.

Marchwood's Post Office didn't have a telegraph and without a railway, even if he posted a letter first thing in the morning, it would take a day to reach Penchester.

If he left now though, he could catch a night train from Stockport. He didn't much like the idea of waking her up in the middle of the night but if he did, she could be back here by midday tomorrow.

Unfortunately he didn't know her home address. He dashed a hand through his hair then picked up her letter, hoping that there was perhaps a clue in there. What he noticed first was the return address, which was on South Marsh Street rather than her shop.

It was better than nothing. He stuffed the letter in his pocket and took off.

“
Master Lucien?” Mrs Lassiter called after him. He paid her no heed but as he saddled his horse out in the stables, she caught him up. “Master Lucien, where are you going?”

“
Stockport Station, from there I'll try and catch a train to Penchester.”

“
But it will be the middle of the night by the time you get there!”

“
She will want to know.”

“
But you haven't even had your dinner yet!”

“
Let the servants have it as a treat,” he said, fastening the girth.

“
But-”

He turned sharply to her, cutting her off.

“
I know how insane it looks to go running off in the middle of the night, Mrs Lassiter, but you know about her father, surely? I can't in all good conscience let him stay with them for a moment longer than necessary.”

He could see from the sad look in her eyes that she knew what he meant and she nodded.

“
Then godspeed to you, Master.”

Lucien led the horse from the stable, ran alongside it for a few paces then jumped on to its back and into the saddle, galloping off into the night. Mrs Lassiter headed back into the house and found Sarah waiting for her by the back door, still looking worried.

“
Don't you fret, my dear,” she said, putting her arm around Sarah's shoulders and guiding her back inside. “Between the two of them, they'll make mincemeat of your Pa.”

Chapter Nineteen

For a moment when Martha awoke she thought that she was still dreaming, for she could hear Lucien, only rather than whispering sweet nothings into her ear, he was yelling her name rather loudly, in between some equally loud bangs.

Finally she threw the last vestiges of sleep off and sat up, realising that he must be knocking on her front door. She instantly regretted having given him her home address but he had been so good with respecting her boundaries that she had decided to trust him. She had not expected him to turn up in the middle of the night, pounding on her door and waking up half the house.

Which wasn't like him, actually. He must be drunk, she thought, but on the few occasions when she had seen him after a few drinks, he had always been in control.

She got out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown, ready to give him a piece of her mind but as she went out into the hallway she could hear that one of the maids must have let him in already as she could hear the girl pleading with him to stay put. He was just agreeing to stay where he was if she would get Martha immediately when Martha spotted Hope coming out of the nursery and wiping her eyes. The nanny was behind her.

“
I'm sorry, ma'am, but she's frightened.”

“
Mar?”

Martha opened her arms and Hope ran right into them. Hope was getting big now but Martha could still carry her if she settled the girl on her hip. She wasn't sure that letting Lucien see Hope was wise but she wasn't about to leave the girl when she was frightened.

Gus had not emerged from his bedroom but Martha knew that he was a heavy sleeper and slow to rise these days. Nevertheless she didn't want him worried, not after his last fit of breathlessness.

“
Will you check on Gus,” Martha asked the nanny. “If he wakes, tell him everything's fine, that it's under control.”

The nanny nodded. Hope tucked her head into her mother's shoulder and they headed downstairs together, meeting the housemaid on her way up.

“
Go back to bed,” she told the girl. “I'll handle this.” She rounded the corner of the stairs and got her first glimpse of Lucien but rather than being drunk as she had thought, he looked frantic.

“
Martha,” he looked relieved as he saw her. “I'm so sorry to make a scene like this but...” his words stopped as he saw what she was carrying in her arms.

Martha carried on down the stairs.

“
But?” she prompted.

Lucien looked from Hope to Martha and seemed to remember himself.

“
Your fa-” he remembered that she was supposed to be an orphan. “Jim Dawley is back.  I considered writing or sending a telegram from another town but I knew I would be faster if I came myself.”

Martha nodded but her heart sank as she stepped off the final stair.

“
Thank you.”

Lucien wanted to be there for Martha, really he did but the girl who was curled into her just kept drawing his attention.

“
May I meet her?” he asked, gesturing to Hope.

Martha hesitated but only for a moment. He had come all this way to help her; he deserved to meet his daughter.

“
Sweetheart?”

Hope looked up at Martha, though she was still rather clingy.

“
I want you to meet a friend of mine.” She turned slightly so that Hope could see Lucien. “This is Lord Beaumont but you can call him Uncle Lucien.”

Unusually, Hope didn't introduce herself.

“
What's wrong?”

“
He was shouting,” Hope said softly.

“
I know but he's just worried, that's all, not angry.”

“
Worried?”

“
Sometimes worry can make people shout.”

“
Why is he worried?”

“
Because in the town where I come there are some people that I care about a lot, as I care about you and and Gus, but there's a man there now who could hurt those people.”

“
Do you love those people like you love me?”

“
Not exactly like I love you, you're special, but I do care very deeply about what happens to them.”

“
Why is that man going to hurt them?”

“
I wish I knew, darling, but I don't.” She placed a kiss on Hope's cheek. “Some people are just mean without a reason.”

“
You're not.”

“
No, and nor is Lucien, so why don't you say hello to him as you've been taught.”

Hope sat there for a moment, considering her mother's words, then she squirmed to get down. Martha placed her on the floor and she turned to Lucien, giving him her best curtsey.

“
Very nice to meet you, Sir.”

Lucien, who had been watching the exchange with interest, bowed to his daughter.

“
And a great honour it is to meet you too, Miss Hope.”

Hope smiled at him.

Martha spotted Gus making his way downstairs and signalled for him to wait.

“
Hope, darling, you know where Uncle Gus keeps his brandy, don't you?”

Hope nodded.

“
Well I'm certain that Uncle Lucien would like some refreshment after his long journey so why don't you show him where it is and I'll join you in a minute.”

Hope took Lucien's hand.

“
Come on, Uncle Lu-sin, it's in here.”

Lucien smiled at Martha, thanking her for the moment alone with Hope. Gus made his way down the stairs once they were gone.

“
You should go back to bed,” she admonished gently.

“
Perhaps I will when I know what is happening.”

“
My father is back, I have to go to Marchwood for a few days.”

Gus nodded. “When will you leave?”

“
I'll have to wait for the bank to open in the morning so we'll catch the first train after that.”

“
Very well, you can fill me in on the details in the morning,” he said, knowing that they would still be there at breakfast time. He kissed her cheek. “Shall I send the nanny back down?”

“
In five minutes; give him a moment with her.”

Gus smiled at her choice then headed back up the stairs.

Martha headed to the kitchen to make herself a pot of tea but also to give Lucien and Hope a little more time. As she returned with the tray, the nanny was waiting in the hallway and opened the study door for her.

“
Thank you.” Martha put the tray down on the desk and went up to Hope, who was standing in front of Lucien's chair and telling him about one of her dresses. “Sweetheart, it's time for you to go back to bed now.”

“
But I want to talk to Uncle Lu-sin.”

“
He will still be here in the morning and you can talk to him then but now I need to talk about grown-up things with him.”

Hope nodded and walked to the doorway where her nanny was waiting then she remembered her manners and turned back.

“
G'night Mar, g'night Uncle Lu-sin.”

They both wished her goodnight and only once the door was closed did Martha's expression change to one of worry. She poured herself some tea, while Lucien added some coal to the dying fire, then she came to sit in the chair next to him.

“
Did I do the right thing?” he asked. “I know you said not to handle it myself but-”

“
You did the right thing,” she assured him. “Thank you for coming all this way.”

“
It was worth it,” he assured her, his smile warm and tender as he remembered his daughter. Then he wondered if Martha would think that an ulterior motive. “I didn't come with the idea of seeing her, if that's what you-”

“
It's not,” she smiled at him. “Believe me, your expression was far too shocked to have been put on.”

“
She's wonderful,” he said. “Why does she call you Ma? I thought everyone believed she was your sister?”

“
They do and she does. We tell everyone it's a pet name for me as she couldn't say Martha when she was young, but in public she calls me Martha now.”

“
You look upset,” he observed.

“
I am,” she sighed. “I'm so proud of her that I wish I could shout from the rooftops that I'm her mother but I can't. I can't even risk telling her the truth.”

They were both silent for a while until Martha spoke up again.

“
I'm not sorry,” she said. “I mean, I hate how things ended  and some of the situations we found ourselves in but I can never be sorry that I had her, no matter what society says about it.”

“
It's not the same for men,” he said. “We are allowed our indiscretions, as long as we're discreet of course but there were some days when I wished that I'd never met you, because then I would feel the pain of your loss.”

She looked over at him, surprised.

“
It never lasted long,” he assured her. “Just long enough for Mother to trail another simpering lady without a single original thought in her head and I'd imagine sharing my life with one of those women. You taught me what it was like to be with an equal and I knew that I could never love anyone who could not match me in the way you did. Then I'd remember our fight and hate myself again for being the reason that you left.”

“
You really have changed,” she said softly.

“
Not really.”

“
I can't imagine that young man I knew galloping half way across the county to deliver a message.”

“
Actually I caught the mail train here,” he teased.

“
I mean it,” she wasn't going to let his deflections get in the way of what she was trying to say. “You've become the man I always knew that you could be.”

“
Thank you but I didn't change so much as grow up. I used to think that you were the young one, the inexperienced one, and in many ways you were; you didn't have my opportunities or my education. In reality however, you were the adult, handling whatever life threw at you because you had to; I was still a child, rebelling against my lot in life and my parents.”

“
And now?” she asked.

“
Now?” he smiled slightly. “Now I understand that life is a journey and we don't often get to choose our destination. I don't like it but I accept it and deal with what life throws at me, as best I can.”

“
I'm glad.” Martha smiled. “We should get some sleep now, we have an early start tomorrow. The spare beds should be made up so I'll show you to one.”

As Lucien settled under the covers he found himself wanting to go to Hope and watch her sleep but was worried that he would scare her or her nanny. She was quite something though, even based on their short acquaintance tonight and he hoped to have the chance to get to know her a little better.

Following a rushed breakfast with Hope and Gus, Martha packed a bag, said goodbye to them both and left with Lucien. She stopped in at her bank briefly while Lucien hailed them a cab to take them to the station.

They made it just in time for the first train to Stockport, where Lucien had left his horse the night before, tipping a porter to take the beast to the closest inn where it could stay overnight. He intended to hire a carriage for Martha or if there was a stagecoach, he could ride alongside. Failing that, he was quite prepared to have her sit behind him, astride, though he hoped it didn't come to that.

They shared their train carriage with others so unfortunately they couldn't talk freely. When they got to Stockport they alighted and Lucien was surprised to see Barry waiting by the entrance to the station.

“
Lord Beaumont, Sir, Mrs Lassiter sent us this morning to meet you. We didn't know when you'd be in so the carriage is at the White Hart Inn with your horse, which I'm to ride back if you want to go in the carriage with Miss Dawley.”

“
How far is the inn?” Lucien asked.

“
It's just next door, Sir.”

They followed Barry to the inn beside the station where they found the carriage. The horses were still secured to the carriage and the driver was giving them some water. Lucien's horse, Midnight, brayed as he heard his master and came to the door of his stable so Lucien patted his neck. He trusted Barry to exercise Midnight in his absence and he knew that he could trust the lad to ride him home. He handed Barry some money.

“
I left in something of a rush last night but that should cover anything I owe for the stable.”

The driver was back up on his perch by the time Lucien left Midnight so he helped Martha into the carriage then climbed in after her.