The Summer Maiden. Dilly Court
He smiled and shrugged. ‘You obviously haven’t seen some of these so-called educational establishments, Miss Manning. I don’t include my old school in this, but some children are simply unwanted and sent away with little thought as to their material comforts. Many of them remain at these places even in the holidays.’
‘That’s awful.’
‘Awful but true. Might I take a look at the rooms upstairs?’
‘Certainly. In fact, we’ll go together. I haven’t had time to inspect them.’
Caroline led the way up a narrow staircase. The rooms were in desperate need of a good clean, but when they reached her old room in the attic Caroline could not resist going out on the balcony. It was close to midday and the heat was intense. The river itself seemed to seethe and boil with the turbulence created by large and small craft, and the constant tidal surge as it met the water flowing to the sea.
‘How wonderful.’ Caroline shielded her eyes against the bright sunlight. ‘I could stand here all day just watching the traffic on the river.’
‘I hope you don’t think I’m being impertinent,’ Laurence began cautiously, ‘but I know that the late Mr Manning owned a shipping company. Might I ask what happened?’
Caroline turned to face him. There was nothing to be gained by keeping the truth from him: it would be public knowledge soon. ‘When my father died he left nothing but debts. We have only one remaining vessel and that is so overdue that I’m beginning to fear the worst.’
‘I’m so sorry. This must be very painful for you.’
‘It is, of course, I loved my father very much, but it’s even harder for my mother. He was her whole life and she’s gone to the country to recover.’
‘But hopefully matters will improve when your ship returns to port?’
‘Yes, but it will be too late to save our home. All I can do is hope and pray that Uncle George returns safely.’
‘Once again, I am very sorry to hear about your problems, but I have enough money saved to pay rent, and it would make me feel better if you will accept it. If you will allow me the use of two rooms – one for myself, and the other for use as a schoolroom – I would still be prepared to tutor your brothers free of charge until you are in a position to pay for their education.’
‘But you need a proper income, Mr Bromley. Unless, of course, you are a gentleman of means.’
His laughter echoed round the empty attic. ‘If I were a man of independent means I would not have spent ten years trying to force knowledge into the heads of boys, most of whom were only interested in kicking a ball around a field or riding to hounds. I could advertise for day students and see how that goes, but that would be up to you and Miss Dixon.’
‘I can’t see any objection,’ Caroline said thoughtfully. ‘I’ll check with Sadie, but in the meantime we’d better try to make this old house habitable again.’ She was about to leave the room when she paused, sniffing the air. ‘I can smell tobacco smoke. I used to believe in ghosts, but I’m not so sure now. Maybe the carter has arrived, although I didn’t hear anyone call out.’ She descended the stairs as quickly as her long skirts would allow, and was met by Max in the entrance hall.
‘You’re in a hurry, Carrie,’ he said, chuckling. ‘Where’s the fire?’
‘I thought perhaps the carter was here.’
‘No, not yet. I’ve been looking out of the window and I’d have seen his van.’
‘It’s just that I thought I smelled pipe smoke.’
‘Maybe it was the captain’s ghost.’ Max nodded and winked. ‘Aunt Sadie told me about the old man who haunts the house. When you smell smoke he’s here and he’s happy, but if he doesn’t approve of what’s going on he goes round slamming doors and rattling windows.’
‘I know the story, but don’t tell Jimmy or he’ll be awake all night.’
‘Don’t worry about him – he’s tougher than you think. Anyway, Jim knows all about the captain. We’re planning to sit up all night and see if he materialises.’
‘Never mind that now. I need you to give a hand to clean this place up before our furniture arrives.’ Caroline reached for a broom that someone had left propped up against the wall and she thrust it into her brother’s hand. ‘You start sweeping and I’ll fetch a dustpan and brush. The floors need a good scrub but we’ll have to wait for Sadie to get the fire going so that we can heat some water.’
Max tossed the broom from one hand to the other. ‘I think I’d rather be at school than doing housework.’
‘I’ve got news for you, young man.’ Laurence descended the stairs with a purposeful look on his face. ‘You are at school and this is your first lesson.’ He took the broom from Max. ‘This is how you sweep a floor. I’ll make a start and you can take over.’
Caroline flashed him a grateful smile. ‘Thank you, Mr Bromley.’
He paused, leaning on the broom handle. ‘I think you could call me Laurence, as we’re going to be living in the same house.’
‘Really?’ Max looked from one to the other. ‘Are you really moving in with us, sir?’
Laurence nodded and resumed the task of sweeping up the debris left by the last tenants. ‘I am indeed, and we begin lessons as soon as we’ve got this place ship-shape.’
It took more than a few days to get the Captain’s House habitable, but everyone did their bit, even James, who was delegated to keep the fire going in the range. Despite his initial reluctance to take on such menial tasks, he made a good attempt at chopping kindling in the back yard, and kept the scuttle filled with coal. Sadie took over the kitchen with a determination to revive her culinary skills that was impressive, and soon the house was filled with the aroma of baking bread and savoury stews. When she was satisfied that the rooms were spotlessly clean Caroline spent her time making them as homelike as possible, but the money Sadie had saved from the sale in Finsbury Circus was dwindling away at an alarming rate. She scoured the second-hand shops and used what little money they had to purchase a sofa, even though it had seen better days. The upholstery was worn and threadbare and the horsehair stuffing protruded in places, but a couple of well-placed stitches soon put that right. She bought two armchairs in a similar state, but despite the sagging seats they were surprisingly comfortable. A rag rug added a touch of colour to the front parlour and a fly-spotted mirror hung over the mantelshelf made the room look slightly larger. Curtains had been left in all the rooms, mainly, she discovered, because they were lacy with moth holes, but they would have to do. Altogether, Caroline was satisfied that she could do no more.
Laurence’s rent money was used for the purchase of food, candles and coal, but by the end of the first week it was becoming even more apparent that they were in desperate need of an outside income. Despite the fact that Caroline checked every day, there was still no news of her uncle’s ship, and the office remained closed, but she refused to believe that anything untoward had happened to him or his vessel. The loss of her father had left a raw place in her heart, and, although she kept a cheerful face for her brothers’ sake, she was still very much in the first stages of grief.
The city simmered in the summer heat, but there was always a breeze this close to the river, and Caroline was beginning to understand why her parents loved the restless spirit of the Thames with its ever-changing moods and colours. In the evenings, when peace descended upon the house, Caroline often chose to sit on the balcony, enjoying the sunset. The scent of tobacco smoke wafted around her, but even though she had started to believe in him, she was not scared of the old captain, and she often spoke out loud, telling him how grateful she was for the shelter his house afforded them. She was certain that he understood, but it was a feeling rather than anything tangible. Even so, she was sure that he appreciated their efforts to take care of his old home. Whether he was real or imagined, she felt that he understood and sympathised