‘You rest and walk alongside me. I’ll take this the rest of the way.’ And without giving her time to object he set off at a brisk trot as if the heavy cart weighed nothing.
The rest of the journey was made in silence and when they arrived back at The Crow’s Nest, he gently took Charlotte into the house and laid her on the sofa before beginning to carry the shopping in.
‘Why don’t you go and get changed?’ he suggested and for once Amber didn’t argue with him. She’d had quite enough unpleasantness for one day and it had upset her deeply.
‘Don’t you have to get back to work?’ she asked him when she came back downstairs.
‘No, it won’t hurt if I don’t go back today. Jimmy can see to what we were doing and I’d rather hang about here in case there’s any more unpleasantness. I’ll make myself useful in the garden,’ he said, leaving the room and going upstairs to change.
Amber stared after him thoughtfully. What had happened to her in the town seemed to have upset him almost as much as it had her and it surprised her. After all, she had never been anything more than a laundry maid he could toy with and then dump when he tired of her, had she?
Then, with a shrug she began to put the groceries away.
*
Early in the morning on the day before her uncle’s wedding, Amber, wearing her best dress, carried the last of the luggage out to the barouche and Barnaby, looking very handsome in a smart pin-striped tail suit and a starched white shirt, loaded it onto the back.
Amber had written to her mother to tell her to expect them and her mother had written back to say that her uncle had bought her a new outfit for the wedding that he hoped would fit her and Amber could hardly wait to see it.
‘Is that the lot?’ Barnaby asked.
She nodded and clambered up onto the seat next to the driver’s as Barnaby handed Charlotte up to her. The baby had started to jabber away in her own little language and if it was possible Barnaby seemed to be even more devoted to her.
‘We should be there by early this afternoon if we make good time,’ he told her as they set off, Charlotte giggling in delight.
As Barnaby had forecast, they drew up outside her uncle’s home in Scarborough shortly after lunchtime and whilst Amber and Charlotte went to knock on the door, Barnaby began to unpack their luggage.
Her mother and Martha Carter answered the door and instantly started to coo over Charlotte.
‘Oh, she’s got so big,’ her mother cried with delight. ‘And she’s so beautiful. The absolute double of you when you were her age.’
Her smile faded as she glanced towards Barnaby and she said politely, ‘Thank you very much for bringin’ them.’
‘It was my pleasure, Mrs Ainsley.’ He tipped his hat and gave a little bow and Alice couldn’t help but notice how handsome he was. It was no wonder he had turned Amber’s head.
‘How shall we be able to let you know when she’s coming home?’
‘Oh, that won’t be a problem,’ he assured her. ‘I’m just off to find a hotel to stay in, so I’ll be close at hand.’
Alice looked slightly uncomfortable. He had put himself out to bring them after all, and it seemed churlish not to ask him to stay there.
‘We, er?.?.?. do have a spare room, if you’d like to stay here,’ she said tentatively.
Barnaby frowned. ‘I wouldn’t wish to put you to any trouble.’
‘It wouldn’t be,’ she assured him. ‘And I’m sure you’d like to see Charlotte all dressed up tomorrow.’
He wavered. ‘Well?.?.?. yes, I would, actually, if you’re quite sure. But what about my horse?’
‘There’s a farrier in the next road that would stable him for a small fee.’
‘In that case, I’d be very grateful to accept your kind invitation.’ He tipped his hat again and after hopping back into the driver’s seat he set off to get the horse settled, leaving Alice to go back inside and tell Amber what she’d done.
‘What did you have to go an’ do that for?’ Amber snapped.
‘Because it would have been bad manners not to invite him to stay after he’s brought you all this way!’ Alice retorted. ‘And he thinks the world o’ Charlotte an’ seems to me he’s doin’ his best to make up for the way he treated you.’
Amber scowled as she glanced across at her uncle and his wife-to-be who were making a great fuss of Charlotte. It was clear they were delighted to see her again. ‘Then I dare say I’ll have to make the best of it,’ she said sulkily.
