Two Houses, Alike in Dignity, Chapter 6. A Rowansford story

“There’s some jam there for Daisy to take home with her,” Alice said. “And you have to see something before you go – we’ve only just finished it. Daisy’ll be down in a bit. What have you been doing today?”
Jonathan launched forth! The whole dramatic rescue story and the generous gift from the Waterfolds to the young couple – the lot! Jacob and Alice listened, amused, while strange sounds came from above their heads. Daisy was doing something, though what exactly Jonathan wasn’t quite sure. He’d only had a son – he didn’t recognise the sounds of a female getting dressed up. Alice was grinning secretly.
“I don’t suppose they’ve ever managed to break that covenant,” Alice said thoughtfully. “I mean, Albert’s father was sixty-nine when Albert was born. I know he lived to ninety – and Albert will probably go on to a hundred! – but Albert would only have been twenty-one when he died. And Albert’s son died in his late twenties. And Mike left the farm at twenty and never came back. Albert wasn’t an easy man to live with. I don’t think he was very kind to his daughters.”
Jonathan’s attention had been caught. “What were you saying about Albert’s father?” he began, but just then Daisy came down the stairs. “Wow! Daisy, you look amazing!” Jonathan totally forgot what he was saying at the sight of his grand-daughter.
“Do you like it?” Daisy was almost shy. “Alice made it for me.”
“Well,” Alice cut in. “She’d made these amazing dresses for her friends…”
“Only because you helped me.”
“…and she wasn’t going to have time to make one for herself – so I made this one for her.”
“Well, I could have worn the one I had last year…” Was this really his spoilt, fashion-obsessed grand-daughter? Not any more, it seemed. This was Daisy, putting her friends before herself. Jonathan was proud of her, and told her so. With enthusiasm and at length! Albert hadn’t forgotten or forgiven Martha and Claire for embarrassing him. And it was half term – the girls were off school for the week. The easiest way to get back at Claire was to get at Georgina. Georgina began to dread her daily tasks – Albert was always watching her and criticising her performance. He never touched her – but his words scared her. “Useless. That’s what you are, and that’s all that girls are. A useless burden, fit only for household chores. So get on with them – and make sure you do them properly.” Martha was kept busier than ever – task after task piled onto her tired shoulders. She didn’t think Claire had been able to speak to Blake at all: Albert seemed to be keeping her unbelievably busy as well. Some holiday this was for the girls! She only saw them at mealtimes – and with Albert sitting there at the table, all any of them said was, “Please pass the bread.” I would – truly – do anything to escape, she thought. But pushing Albert down the stairs was no solution. It would only lead to trouble later. Claire had managed to speak to Blake – but he needed an opportunity to get them all away at once, and that wasn’t easy to come by. He had a plan – two plans actually, but plan A was out of the question. Martha was out of his class financially. If he asked her to marry him…? He could imagine what his brother would say. Plan B was going to take up all of his meagre savings, and he’d have to go to his brother and admit defeat, forfeit any chance of gaining his share in the business. But for Martha’s sake – and the children too – he’d do that. “These are the old nurseries.” Why had Albert brought them up here into these normally locked rooms
“Naughty children used to be locked up in the little room. Who’s it going to be – you or Georgina? You choose.” He showed Claire the little room – dark and dingy, the window boarded over. She couldn’t let him shut Georgina in there.
“Me. Not Georgina.” She watched the satisfaction flicker in his eyes.
“I’ll bring up the brassware. You can polish it while you’re in there. If you tell your mother about this, I will lock Georgina in there. Nobody will hear her cry from up here.” And Albert made sure that Georgina didn’t see her mother except at bedtimes. She too was made to work for the whole of the holidays. Georgina hated the thought of Claire locked up in that room. But Albert’s tales of what he would do to Claire if she told anyone kept her silent and terrified.
“No-one will believe you. I shall make sure of that.”
Blake was loading pallets onto the truck for Albert – and beginning to put his plan for their escape into action.
“Thought you might like to know,” he said, keeping his usual surly face on for fear Albert might suspect something. “The police are checking up on older drivers. To make sure they renewed their licences at seventy. Heard it in the chemist’s shop.”
Typically, Albert remained ungrateful.
“And what were you doing in the chemist’s shop? I didn’t send you out to do your own shopping!”
“Needed toothpaste, didn’t I? Sorry I told you.”
Albert merely grunted. “You’d better take these pallets. And don’t be slow about it!”
He didn’t actually have a driving licence – and the last thing he wanted anyone interfering in his life. Especially the police… Martha was sure there was something wrong with Claire this holiday – but Albert never let her see Claire alone. Nor Georgina, now she came to think about it. If she and Claire we in the kitchen together, then Albert was always there too – and then he would order Claire off somewhere else in the house, and Martha never managed to spot where. Her only hope was that Blake really could do something to rescue them. But Blake needed to speak to either Claire or Martha before he could do that – and they were proving hard to contact. Even the longest week had to end. Once more they were blissfully wearing their school uniforms.
“Don’t be frightened,” Claire said, hugging her little sister. It’ll be all right, you’ll see. I’ll look after you. I didn’t let him lock you in that dark room, did I? Something will turn up.”
But she didn’t know what the something would be. “So I think it’s very clear,” Jonathan said a little apologetically. “Nedging Tye doesn’t belong to the Battisford family any more. It’s legally yours. The papers, the diary, all the things you lent me – and Alice Barden’s great-grandmother’s diary too: the clues were all there. I checked the records.”
He paused and then went on.
“I had to tell you – and you and Patrick have to do something about it. As things stand, the Battisfords have no legal right to the place at all. They couldn’t sell it, couldn’t raise a mortgage on it – even most of the income from the farm ought to be yours.”
Jenny’s face was even more sombre than he’d expected it to be. Eventually she spoke.
“David’s got to know Claire Battisford. And this half term, he’s been talking to me about her, because he can’t see her any more. And he’s been talking about the way her great-grandfather treats them all. I really haven’t liked what I’ve heard.”
Given Jenny’s work background, Jonathan took the comment seriously.
“I’ve been wondering what I could do – and now you’ve given me an opening. But Patrick and I are going to have to think this through. You say we have the power to dislodge Albert from the farm – and Claire and her family as well?”
“Yes. And it’s very clear that Albert knows this.” “We can’t leave things as they are – you’re right, the family is in a hopeless situation. If I thought Albert could be trusted, had everyone’s best interests at heart – but from what David’s said, that’s not the case.” Jenny fell silent. Around her, the house made the small shifting noises that old houses make.
“We’re going to have to turn the Battisfords out of their home, aren’t we?” Her voice was brisker now. “Have they got anywhere else to live?”
“Legally, Albert should have been born in Bridge Cottage. That’s his, and he has a pension from the farm income until he dies. The old mill still belongs to the family – to Timothy now. That was never Waterfold property. But I don’t think it’s very inhabitable…”
Jenny thought again. It almost felt as if the house was holding its breath for a moment or two. Jonathan began moving the papers around on the table, and the small noises came back again, but she remained silent for ages.
“When we’ve sorted out the legal issues, we can make provision for Claire, her mother and her siblings. I want to know just what Albert’s been doing to them though.” David had forgotten his homework for that afternoon. Again. Because he’d been worrying about Claire mostly, but his parents – and the teachers – were getting a bit shirty about it, and he didn’t want another detention. He’d slipped out of school at lunchtime and sneaked in by the back door – it would have to be a day when his mum wasn’t at work! Now, creeping quietly out again, he heard the first part of what Jenny said. Claire was going to be homeless! He had to warn her! At once!