The Complete Ravenscar Trilogy: The Ravenscar Dynasty, Heirs of Ravenscar, Being Elizabeth

‘So does George, you know.’

‘Yes, that’s true,’ Edward agreed, and thought: he would love it for himself.

‘You will be running Deravenels, won’t you, Ned?’ Cecily suddenly asked, startling him.

‘I will.’

‘And Neville?’

‘Ah yes, Cousin Neville. Mmmmm. Let me think…he will be advising me, helping me wherever he can, as will Johnny and Will.’

There was a pause.

Cecily was totally silent.

‘What is it, Mother?’ he asked finally when she remained mute.

‘What does Neville hope to gain from all of this, Ned? He is the greatest magnate in England, and probably the richest. He already has everything. He doesn’t need to help you run Deravenels…’

‘I know that as well as you do, and I suppose he does, too. On the other hand, his father backed my father, the true heir to Deravenels. I believe he feels totally committed to do the same for me. There’s his pride involved you know, and honour. And another thing. I would say he wants…power.’

‘Oh, Ned, surely he has enough power.’

‘When is enough enough for an ambitious man?’

‘So what you are saying is that Neville wants power through you. Is that it?’

‘To a certain extent.’

‘Oh, Ned, be careful.’

‘I am not a toy on a string, he is not my puppet-master. He doesn’t control me. I am my own man.’

‘Ah, but does he know that?’

‘I should think so…Why Neville has known me all my life, and has only my interests at heart.’

‘I say again, be careful, Ned. Be very careful.’

THIRTY-THREE (#)

‘It’s becoming very painful for me to leave the child at Haddon House,’ Vicky explained, looking from Fenella to her husband Stephen. ‘And I worry about her so much when I’m not here, it’s upsetting my life, my concentration, and almost everything I do.’

‘I know it is, my dear,’ Stephen said, reaching out, touching her arm lovingly. ‘And I can’t say I blame you. I realize you think there’s a chance someone might come and claim her, or that she might run out into the streets and disappear. However, I don’t believe there is the remotest chance of either of those things happening.’

‘Neither do I!’ Fenella exclaimed. ‘She has become very attached to you, Vicky, we understand that. She took to you the day Amos brought her, and she can’t wait for the days when you come here.’

Stephen Forth sat back in his chair, a reflective expression shadowing his eyes. At forty-two he was a successful banker with a rising career. A man of independent means, through his mother’s family inheritance, he was a Harrow boy and a Cambridge graduate, and something of an intellectual. He was also a practical man, very down to earth, who believed in all things English, in the King, and in God, in that order. He had an enormous sense of justice, of fairness, and he was known for his kindness and charity. His looks were typically English. He had light brown hair and a fair complexion, and his warm brown eyes could fill with compassion or twinkle with fun and mischief. He was usually characterized by everyone as a nice man…nice looking, nice by nature.

Fenella was thinking exactly that at this moment when she said, ‘So you are in agreement with Vicky, Stephen? About adopting Rose?’

‘Oh yes, very much so. I think she is the most adorable child, and we can offer her so much.’ He glanced at Vicky, and added with a smile, ‘Vicky wants her, needs her in a sense, and so do I. Therefore, I will do anything I can to accomplish the adoption. Also, Fenella, Rose loves Vicky, we see that with our own eyes.’

‘Of course she does—’ There was a knock and Fenella broke off, looked at the door of her office, said, ‘Come in!’

Amos Finnister appeared on the threshold and smiled at them all as he entered. ‘Good afternoon, Lady Fenella, Mrs Forth, Mr Forth. I’m sorry I’m a bit late, but I was delayed on some other business.’

They greeted him warmly, and Fenella said briskly, ‘Thank you for coming this afternoon, Amos, we really do appreciate it. Please, come and sit down.’

Amos did so, and observing the expectant expression on Fenella’s face, he shook his head, and said, ‘I’m sorry, I haven’t been able to find out a thing about little Rose. There are no children missing in the area, in the local streets. I’ve inquired everywhere and I’ve even gone farther afield. Let me put it this way: if a girl is missing nobody’s admitting it, or claiming her.’

Stephen said, ‘And there was nothing in that old cloth bag was there, Vicky? Nothing to give us a clue to her origins?’

Vicky bit her lip. ‘Absolutely not. Unfortunately. Yes, there were some interesting things, but they don’t mean anything to us, in that they don’t reveal anything about her. Obviously they do mean a lot to the child, she becomes frantic when we put the bag away for safekeeping.’

‘Perhaps I could have a look at the things again, later,’ Amos murmured, ‘after we’ve had our meeting. Talk to her about them.’

Vicky agreed. ‘I think that’s a good idea.’

Fenella now said, ‘Well, I do have some good news. I have spoken to Hugh Codrill, and he says he can find no legal reason why you and Stephen cannot adopt Rose, Vicky. Legalities aside, he made inquiries at one of the local Dr Barnardo’s Homes, and they have a good system when they take in children, whether they are off the streets or given up by parents who cannot keep them. For health or financial reasons. Every child is registered at Barnardo’s. Name, date of birth, other family details. When a couple come looking to adopt a child, they are given a copy of the registration certificate, and if they are approved they receive adoption papers drawn up by Barnardo’s.’

Leaning forward over her desk, Fenella finished, ‘And he recommends that we do exactly the same, follow their example.’

Vicky beamed at her. ‘That’s such a relief.’ She glanced at Amos. ‘As I told Lady Fenella, the other day Will asked me how we could adopt a child, when we didn’t know who we were adopting her from. And Mr Codrill has given us the perfect solution.’

‘He has indeed,’ Fenella concurred. ‘He is currently drawing up the appropriate documents, a registration agreement for Haddon House to use now, in order to register Rose and the details of her arrival here. It will be a document that we can have printed later, to use if any other children are found on the streets and brought here. However, I cannot encourage that, since we are not an orphanage but a safe house for destitute and battered women, as you know.’

‘I presume Mr Codrill is also preparing documents for us to sign, Fenella?’ Stephen asked. ‘In other words, proper legal adoption papers?’

‘Exactly, and they will be as watertight as he can make them.’

‘And when will you have the documents, Fenella?’ Vicky asked, her eagerness and excitement apparent.

‘Within the week, but now that Hugh has done his legal research he just advised me that you may take Rose today if you wish.’

On hearing this news tears came into Vicky’s eyes, and she gave Fenella a faltering smile and said, ‘Thank you! Oh, thank you, Fenella,’ her voice thick with emotion.

Her beaming husband put his arm around her shoulders. ‘You see, my darling, everything has worked out perfectly, after all.’

‘I must say, it’s a wonderful relief for me, too,’ Amos murmured, his face also ringed with smiles. ‘I’ve worried about the little bairn for weeks now.’ He smiled at Fenella and said, ‘Thank you, your ladyship. Little Rose owes you a lot—well, we all do, really.’

It was Vanessa Barnes who took charge of the tea in the great room, with Vicky and Fenella helping her. As the women busied themselves, setting up cups and saucers and other accoutrements on the trestle table, Amos and Stephen Forth sat and talked for a few minutes about the mysterious circumstances surrounding Rose.

‘I just can’t understand it,’ Stephen said, sounding astonished. ‘How anyone could push a child like Rose out onto the streets, abandon her in such a way, staggers the imagination. It’s frightening to even contemplate such a thing, never mind knowing it’s actually being done.’

‘There are a lot of monsters passing for human beings out there, Mr Forth,’ Amos said in a sombre voice. ‘Take my word for it. Long before I became a private investigator, working for myself, I was a copper on the beat, right here in Whitechapel.’ He shook his head sadly. ‘I can’t begin to tell you what I’ve seen in my day—the most hair-raising things you could possibly conceive.’ He gave Stephen a long look, and continued, after a moment, ‘How any person could throw Rose away like rubbish I’ll never understand. She’s such a beautiful child.’

‘Very, I agree,’ Stephen was quick to say, and then asked, ‘How old do you think she is, Mr Finnister?’