Once and for Always, page 2
Bea had a sudden vision of a golden-haired Adonis with twinkling blue eyes. She hastily tucked it back into the depths of her heart where it belonged. There was no point in hankering for the unattainable. ‘No.’
Rob had been watching her face. ‘Then I think you should marry me.’
Bea looked at him with a startled expression, eyes wide and mouth half open.
Rob laughed. ‘It is not such a bad idea. It would not be a conventional marriage, more a partnership with the added protection of a husband in the background.’ Bea was lost for words. ‘It could work,’ Rob assured her. ‘We like each other. We could work well together.’
‘I don’t know what to say.’
‘’Yes, would be preferable. No, will take a little more thought.’
‘Why would you do this for me?’
Rob looked at her kindly. ‘Let us just say that I owe your father a debt I have never been able to repay. I will take care of you for his sake. I do not mean that to sound insulting or make you feel like a burden.’
Bea stared back at him, still in a state of shock. He was the same age asf her father although he looked much younger. He talked about his travels and the people he met but she knew next to nothing about his private life. She was glad he had not mentioned love. He was proposing a business arrangement, something she was familiar with. He had helped her Mama with her investments. Bea blinked rapidly. Was that what he wanted?
Rob laughed. ‘I can see what you are thinking. I am not after your money, I have enough of my own. Nor do I want to interfere with your running of the shop. Everything you have will remain in your name.’ He leant forward and took hold of her hand. ‘Bea, I am really a very selfish person. Taking care of you will relieve my mind. My life will not change. I will come and go as I have done for years. I will give you any help you need but you will have to ask for it. Do you have an answer for me?’
Bea nodded. ‘Yes. Mama and Papa trusted you. Thank you.’
‘Good.’ That was all. A deal done.
‘Now,’ Rob said getting to his feet. ‘Shall we go and sort out your Weasel?’
‘Not mine!’ Bea declared with a shudder. ‘Do you think he will give me the lease and leave me alone?’
Rob just looked at her with raised eyebrows. ‘Have I not just said how things will go on?’
They were halfway down the stairs when they heard the shop bell tinkle. Tanner’s insolent voice followed. ‘You can keep your opinions to yourself, boy! Tell her to get down here. I have not got all day to waste.’
Freddie met them at the foot of the stairs. ‘Bea.?’ He looked worried.
‘I know,’ Bea said with a wry twist of her lips. ‘We heard his greeting.’
‘We won’t be long,’ Rob added. ‘You can leave us know. Bea will tell you about it later.’
Tanner had made himself at home, relaxed on a chair with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee and a smirk on his face. It vanished as soon as Rob entered the shop behind Bea. Tanner shot to his feet. ‘You again? Or have you been here all night?’ Rob took a step forward but Tanner was closer to the door and refused to be intimidated. ‘I have business to discuss with Miss Hastings.’
‘Any business will be discussed with me.’ Rob leaned back against the counter and continued. ‘I believe your supposed problem with the lease if because Miss Hastings is a single lady.’
‘I would not grant the lease to any woman,’ Tanner declared, ignoring the distinction in terms. ‘Business is for men.’
‘I agree up to a point.’ Rob remarked, casually examining his finger nails. ‘The law is very dismissive of females. It does not take into account their ability and experience.’ His stern gaze fastened on Tanner’s face as he declared, ‘Miss Hastings has both. You would not hesitate to grant the lease if she were a man. Or to her husband.’ It was not a question.
‘But she,’ Tanner sneered with a jerk of his head towards Bea, ‘ain’t married.’
Rob stood away from the counter. ‘She, if you are referring to Miss Hastings, will be my wife in the very near future.’ Rob removed a card from his waistcoat pocket and offered it to Tanner.
The agent made no move to take it. ‘And who might you be?’ It was a silly question as everyone hereabout knew Mr Fleming was a friend of the family and frequent visitor.
‘I might,’ Rob replied slowly, ‘be having a word with Lord Ridgeworth about your insulting behaviour to my future wife.’ He stepped forward and waggled the card under Tanner’s nose. ‘There are my details. Please deal with the formalities without delay.’
Mr Fleming knowing Lord Ridgeworth took the wind out of Tanner’s sails. He was down but not yet out. ‘Is this true? Are your really going to marry her, er, Miss Hastings?’ he added.
‘Yes.’
Tanner knew when he was beaten. He took the card in his left hand but did not bother to glance at the name. He held out his right hand. ‘Then I am happy to do business with you, Mr Fleming.’
Rob looked at the proffered hand with disgust. ‘I do not shake hands until a deal is finalised.’
‘Yes. Quite so.’ Tanner shuffled towards the door. ‘I’ll see to this straight away.’
Bea waited until the door closed before letting out a long breath. ‘Thank you. I thought he was going to insist on being a witness at the wedding.’
‘Speaking of witnesses, may I suggest Mrs Cotton and Freddie. Does Freddie have another name?’
‘He’s not sure but his mother went by the name of Mrs Smith. Is he old enough?’
‘Very original,’ Rob said wryly. ‘I don’t see why he cannot be a witness. He can read and write his name, thanks to you and Grace.’
‘When will we be married?’ Bea asked, not quite looking at his face. She did not want to sound too eager but speed did appear necessary. ‘And, please, I don’t want a big fuss.’
‘Neither do I and as soon as I can arrange it. Right answers wrong order,’ Rob said with a smile. ‘I shall need your birth certificate. Do you know where it is.’
Bea led the way back upstairs and to the room her father had used as a study. A strong box stood in one corner. ‘I don’t know where the key is.’
‘Probably in John’s desk,’ Rob suggested.
It was the second time Bea had searched the desk but it still did not feel right.
‘Bea,’ Rob said gently, ‘this is all yours now. You will have to go through it at some point. There may be correspondence. People who ought to be told of John’s death.’ He doubted anyone would be interested but he could not tell Bea that.
Bea found the key and handed it to Rob. She might have to go through the strong box as well but not yet.
The certificate was in an envelope along with her parent’s marriage certificate and he mother’s wedding ring. Bea felt tears welling up and brushed them away. ‘Would you mind if we used Mama’s ring? As ours is not to be a ………’
‘I know what you mean, my dear. Buying you a ring would make it too personal. By all means wear your mother’s ring if it makes you more comfortable. Shall I take the share certificates as well? It will probably take a week or so to get the details changed. You will have them back as soon as possible’.
Rob gathered up the documents and put them in his briefcase. Bea tucked the ring into her pocket. Keeping it close made the bizarre situation seem more real. All that was left in the box was her parents’ marriage certificate and the small velvet roll that held her Mama’s few pieces of jewellery. Bea would not be able to wear them yet as she would still be in mourning, even after the wedding. The strong box looked very empty. Was that the sum total of her parents’ lives? How sad.
Rob looked at her with sympathy. The past few months had been traumatic for her but he would do all he could to give her security. ‘It does no good to dwell on the past, Bea. Cheer up. Let’s go and tell our witnesses.’
Freddie was over the moon at being asked to witness Bea’s wedding. ‘Can I get a new suit? And a hat?’
‘Not a top hat,’ Rob told the boy firmly. ‘It would be a waste of money as you are unlikely to need it again.’
There was a loud knocking on the front door which still showed the closed sign.
‘I’ll go down with Freddie,’ Rob said. ‘That may be Tanner. If not, I’ll wait.’ He looked at Dora who had not said a word. ‘You will want to tell Dora all about it.’
The two women were silent for a moment after the kitchen door closed. Dora looked as though she had received news of another death and Bea frowned. ‘Aren’t you going to congratulate me?’
‘Not until I know what he meant by ‘all about it’.’
It took a while. Dora listened until Bea ran out of words. ‘Well? Bea prompted.
‘I need a cup of tea and, if I may say so, you need to think carefully before you rush into this marriage.’
‘I don’t have time! Tanner will turn us out. What would we all do then?’
Dora kept her back turned as she busied herself with the tea things. ‘You don’t need to worry about me and Freddie.’ She spun around. ‘We would not leave you and together we can manage, somehow.’ Dora sat down suddenly. ‘Oh, Bea, have you asked yourself what Mr Fleming gets out of this?’
Bea laughed in relief. ‘He said he owed a debt to Papa. Keeping me safe is his way of repaying that debt.’
‘I still don’t like it. What do you really know about him? You say he is going to change the deeds into your name. What if he changes them into his and disappears? What if Fleming is not his real name? Then where will you be?’
‘Don’t be silly. Papa has known him since boyhood. Mama would not have trusted him if there was anything shady in his past.’ Bea frowned. ‘Come to that I don’t know very much about Papa’s background. I know he has no family but you know how he always changed the subject if I asked about his early years.’
There was not much Dora did not know about the Hastings. She probably knew more about them than Bea herself. She had been Grace’s confidant. In the days before she died Grace had opened her heart to the woman who had become her friend. ‘Tell Bea as much as she needs to know. I have tried not to poison her mind about John’s family. With luck she will never find out how he was treated.’ Dora had given her word that she would always take care of Bea.
The rattle of the kettle lid jerked Dora back into action. She got up and made the tea and had just brought the pot to the table when Rob returned to the room.
He waved a folded paper. ‘I’ll be on my way now. You won’t have any more trouble from Tanner. I have made it clear that although I may not be here all the time I will know if he does anything to upset you.’
He refused a cup of tea, kissed Bea’s cheek and looked at Dora’s serious face. ‘This is the best I can do for Bea, Mrs Cotton. I know you care for her but in this you have to trust me to know what I am doing.’ With a nod and a last smile at Bea he left again.
Chapter 3
That same afternoon Bea took the black wreath to lay on her parents’ grave. The newly turned earth only bore a simple wooden marker. She would have to get the stonemason to amend the headstone which had only been set in place a few weeks ago.
Bea knelt down and started to talk. She knew her mother would approve of the marriage. Above all else Grace Hastings had been practical.
Bea had always been closer to her father. She could tell him things her Mama would scoff at.
‘Am I doing the right thing?’ Bea asked when she came to the end of her recital. They could not answer of course but she could not sense any disapproval. They had both known and trusted Rob. She had no option but to do the same.
Footsteps on the gravel path made Bea turn around. It was the vicar, Rev Robins. He waited at a distance until Bea started to rise and then moved forward to help her to her feet.
‘I have just been to call on you,’ he said. ‘I was concerned as to what you had planned for the future. Now I hear you are to be married.’
‘Yes. Mr Fleming is a friend of the family. I will be able to stay here and still run the bookshop.’
‘Then I wish you well and look forward to meeting Mr Fleming soon.’
The Vicar accompanied her to the gate where they turned in different directions.
Bea did not have far to go. St Anne’s Row was a wide lane that ran between the church yard and the grounds of Peakes University. The shops were on the university side. The houses opposite were smaller and leased out to private individuals.
Bea met several people on the short walk home. Freddie had been joyfully spreading the news with more emphasis on his new suit than the actual wedding. Polite congratulations, heavily tinged with curiosity, delayed her. Although the Hastings had lived quietly, they had not been reclusive. Bea and her Mama had attended church regularly and were members of the Parish Charity group. They shopped and attended a few minor functions. Mr Hastings was less out-going. Most of his outdoor activities had been confined to solitary walks and visits to book sales. People were friendly but the family’s obvious gentility created a barrier that few were willing to breach.
One exception was the daughter of the ironmonger. She was about twelve years’ old and had not learned when it was impertinent to voice an opinion.
‘I wouldn’t want to marry an old man,’ she told Bea. Then gave a knowing grin. ‘But Mr Fleming is a fine figure. You won’t find being his wife a burden.’
The implication was clear, making Bea blush. The girl giggled and ran back into her father’s shop.
Bea hurried away. She was still rather flushed when she reached the bookshop and slipped upstairs before Dora could ask what was wrong.
Alone in her room Bea dabbed her face with cold water. She would have to get used to people thinking the marriage was consummated. She was not ignorant of what went on between a man and a woman. Her mother had explained the monthly bleeding and the reason for it. Bea’s more explicit knowledge came from some of the books her father kept on a high shelf. They were shown to interested buyers in the privacy of the back room and Bea had grown curious and looked at them when no-one else was about.
Bea’s blush returned in force. She could not imagine doing those things with Uncle Rob!
Her thoughts veered to another man. The golden-haired customer who had but had never forgotten him.
After that one meeting she had asked if it was possible to fall in love at first sight. They had been sitting around the dinner table at the time, the Hastings and Dora. Her mother had said it was better to get to know the man before making a commitment. Respect and affection would grow and endure.
Her father had said, ‘Yes. If you are lucky you meet someone and know you will love once and for always.’ Her parents had exchanged a look and Grace had hurried from the room. ‘You will find that man, Bea,’ her father said quietly. ‘when you are older.’
Dora had waited until they were alone before giving her opinion. ‘Don’t you go falling for a pretty face and lovey words. That kind of love will blow up in your face and scar you for life.
Bea knew Dora spoke from experience.
With hindsight Bea wondered if her parents had done the same. They were not demonstrative but Bea was sure they had loved each other. Her father had lost the will to live after his beloved wife died.
Bea’s heart was the kind that wanted once and always. Which did not bode well for the future. The customer, Mr Simon Armitage, was older and had only spoken a few words to her. To her knowledge, Mr Armitage had never visited the shop again. But that first rush of feeling had never dimmed. She had seen him briefly a few years later and although he had not recognised her, he was still firmly settled in her heart.
Bea was glad Uncle Rob, Bea laughed quietly, she really would have to stop thinking of him as an uncle. She was glad Rob had not mentioned love. He was fond of her. That would have to be enough.
Rob did not return the next day or the one after. Doubts took hold of Bea’s mind. Not helped by Dora’s silent sympathy. What had she done? She had given all her worldly assets to a man she really did not know. His name was on the lease. Dora’s remark about it being his real name began to make awful sense. Rob did not want anything to do with the shop. If he was not really Mr Fleming, who was he and how could she find him and reclaim her possessions?
Bea tried to reassure herself with the fact that her parents had known him for years. But that only raised other questions. Were they who they said they were? There were no birth certificates. Bea was not sure when compulsory registration had become law but had a feeling it was quite recent. Had her life been a complete hoax?
In an effort to calm her fears, Bea went back to the strongbox to look at her parent’s marriage certificate. The document confirmed that Grace Alice Conlyn, had married John Arthur Hastings at St Adolph’s Church in Killdonny, Ireland, in 1842. That accorded with what her mother had told her about her own youth. Grace’s father had been Baron Conlyn so her name had to be right. And her father was recorded as living at the same address.
That did not seem to make sense.
Bea thought back to what she knew of her mother’s background. Grace’s handicap had been an embarrassment to her widowed father and he had spent very little time at home. He refused to let Grace go into London society where he spent most of his time. Grace had never sounded unhappy or resentful when she spoke of her girlhood but it must have been lonely. Of her meeting with John Hastings Grace had only said he was her father’s secretary and that they had married after her father died of a sudden heart attack. Given the fact that his employer rarely went home, Grace and John could not have known each other very well.
It did surprise Bea to learn that Grace was seven year’s older than her husband. If she had ever thought about it, Bea would have guessed her father to be the elder. He had not looked particularly old. His hair was still thick with only a sprinkling of grey at the temples, it was just that he was so set in his ways and immersed in the study of ancient literature. Her mother on the other hands had been interested in the people she met and was open to new ideas. With such diverse natures, Bea had often wondered what they saw in each other.
