Realising that he could do no more to persuade her for now, he lifted his hat and gave a stiff little bow to Mrs Carter before removing a small bundle of rolled notes from his waistcoat pocket and placing them on the table that held the tea tray. ‘For any expenses that may be incurred,’ he said quietly and with what dignity he could muster he left.
‘Well!’ Mrs Carter said when they heard the front door close behind him. ‘What a turn up for the books! You could knock me down with a feather. Whyever didn’t you tell us that it was your employer who had taken advantage of you? Your uncle will be incensed when he finds out.’
‘No!’ Amber shook her head. ‘He must never know,’ she said decisively. ‘No good could ever come of it if he caused a fuss. Like I just told him, all me family rely on him fer their jobs an’ I don’t want them to suffer.’
Mrs Carter looked concerned but she nodded all the same. ‘Very well. It will be as you say but I urge you to consider his offer, for the baby’s sake at least. Won’t you be able to have a clearer conscience if you at least know it is in a decent home?’
Amber remained stubbornly silent as, her mind in turmoil, she stood at the window watching the father of her child striding away along the street.
Chapter Ten
‘Mrs Ruffin told me that you wished to see me, my dear?’ Barnaby said as he entered his wife’s bedroom early one misty September morning. Already there was a hint of autumn in the air and there was a fire roaring in the grate.
Louisa was languishing on the window seat in a loose gown of yellow silk that pooled around her. ‘Yes. I’ve been thinking, Barnaby, and I have decided that I don’t wish our child to be born here. This room has seen its share of dead babies and I wish to go somewhere there are no unhappy memories.’
‘I see. And did you have somewhere in mind?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, I would like to go to my parents’ holiday home in Scarborough. They did say we could use it whenever we wished and it is quiet and peaceful there.’
Barnaby glanced at Mrs Ruffin with concern writ on his face. Louisa was very close to her time now so surely it wouldn’t be wise for her to be travelling any distance. But Mrs Ruffin merely shook her head. She knew of old that what her young mistress wanted she would get so what would be the point of arguing with her?
‘I see.’ Barnaby clasped his hands behind his back as he began to pace up and down. ‘But, darling, the place is no more than a cottage – a very nice cottage admittedly but I don’t think your parents have visited it for years. It would need a thorough airing and cleaning and there would be no room for many of the staff.’
‘I only want Ruffy with me this time when the baby comes,’ she said petulantly, like the spoilt little girl she was. ‘And a midwife, of course. I’m sure there will be one there who you could organise to attend.’
He scratched his head and sighed. ‘And if I can manage to arrange all this, when would you want to go?’
‘As soon as possible,’ she answered decisively. ‘Ruffy will look after me and do the cooking, won’t you Ruffy, dear?’
When Mrs Ruffin nodded, Barnaby knew that he was beaten. It was ironic now that he came to think about it. He had two children due to be born to two different mothers at around about the same time, and now they would be born in the same area – although of course he would only be able to acknowledge one of them. The thought brought a scowl to his face. It was a week since he had visited Amber in Scarborough but as yet she hadn’t given him an answer to his offer of finding a home for their child. If she chose not to agree to his idea, he would never know what had become of the baby and he found that this concerned him – not that there was much he could do about it but he hoped that she would look favourably on his idea.
For now, however, he had more than enough to organise if his wife persisted in going to the cottage. He would have to go there as soon as possible in order to employ some locals to prepare the house and get some shopping in and then he would have to enquire about having a reliable midwife on standby. Just when he was so busy at the shipyard as well, he thought glumly, but it couldn’t be helped. It occurred to him that if he was going to Scarborough again, he might as well call and see Amber, and although he didn’t relish the welcome he might receive it made sense.
The very next day he rode to Scarborough and went straight to Louisa’s parents’ holiday cottage. They had clearly paid a local to come in and tend the gardens as the lawns were neatly cut and the last of the summer flowers were blooming in the gardens. The cottage had a thatched roof and the sun and salt spray had weathered the outer bricks to a mellow honey colour. Here and there, ivy, honeysuckle and wisteria, no longer in flower, clambered up the walls and across the tiny leaded windows and it reminded Barnaby of a picture he had seen on a large box of chocolates he had once bought for Louisa. It was certainly a pretty place, although the inside looked dusty and tired. It was furnished with rather grand pieces of furniture that Louisa’s parents no longer used in their enormous home. They looked slightly out of place in a cottage but were comfortable and practical all the same so he made enquiries at the houses nearby until he found Mrs Reed, a local woman who, for a generous fee, was prepared to go in and give it a good clean. She also recommended a good midwife who he would go and see as soon as he had Louisa settled in.
‘Me an’ me daughters will ’ave the whole place shinin’ like a new penny fer yer wife when she arrives, sir,’ she promised. ‘An’ durin’ her stay I’ll come an’ fetch all her dirty laundry an’ tek it back all washed an’ ironed fer ’er an’ all, if yer like?’ Barnaby nodded and satisfied that she would keep her word he gave her the spare key, paid her a princely sum to be going on with and went back to the cottage to have a final look at what Louisa might need to bring.
In a way, he could see why she might want to come here. Perched high on a hill it overlooked the sea and there were no other residences close by, which gave it privacy. After Greenacres it appeared small to him, although it was still a sizable home, boasting four good bedrooms and an indoor water closet upstairs, and downstairs, a good-sized parlour and a large kitchen. Satisfied that he, Louisa and Mrs Ruffin would be comfortable there he locked the door and after mounting Major he turned him towards the town. Tomorrow, he decided, he would send one of the grooms ahead with a carriage containing the baby’s crib and Louisa’s clothes, for he had no doubt that she would insist that Mrs Ruffin pack enough gowns to dress a dozen women for at least a year. In truth he could ill afford to be away from his businesses at this time as he was surprisingly busy with orders, but it couldn’t be helped if he was to be present for the birth of his child. A pang of guilt shot through him as he thought of the other child that would be born shortly. There could be no celebrating that birth but he had made Amber Ainsley a promise and if she would allow him to, he intended to go through with it. He just hoped that she had made her mind up one way or another. Time was running out and he needed to start making enquiries if he was to find a home for the child.
Scarborough was bustling with late holidaymakers when he arrived in the town and after finding a stable where he could leave his horse to be fed and watered, he set out for Royal Albert Road. It was Mrs Carter who answered his knock at the door and she gave him a granite stare.
‘You’d better come in?.?.?.sir.’She held the door wide and as he stepped into the hallway, he removed his hat and gave a little bow. ‘Amber is in the drawing room if you’d care to come through. I’ll just tell her you are here.’
After announcing the visitor Mrs Carter left the room and Amber rose to greet him, although the look she gave him was hardly what might have been termed as welcoming.
‘Good afternoon, Miss Ainsley.’ His fair hair was tousled and the sun shining through the window reflected the colours in his gaily patterned waistcoat, but his smart appearance and good looks were lost on Amber. All she saw was the man who had duped her and forced her into the unfortunate position she found herself in, so she merely glared at him.
‘I was in the area,’ he hurried on, ‘and so I thought I would call and see if you had given any more thought to my suggestion of finding a foster home for the child.’
She could have told him that she’d thought of little else but instead she nodded towards a chair and he quickly sat down. Her first instinct had been to tell him to go to the devil, she would make her own arrangements for the child, but as Mrs Carter had pointed out, surely she would have an easier conscience if she at least knew that the baby was to be placed with people who would love and care for it.
And so taking a deep breath she nodded. ‘Yes I have, an’ yes you can go ahead.’
His face broke into a wide smile and she found herself thinking back to the happy times they had spent together – not that it would cut any ice with her. She had seen both sides of him now and she would never forgive him for what he had done to her.
‘Very well, I shall start to make enquiries immediately.’ He smiled again but when she didn’t respond he asked tentatively, ‘And have you decided what you are going to do when you leave here?’
‘That ain’t none o’ your concern,’ she said sharply, flicking a lock of her shining curls across her shoulder.
