The Fairbairn Fortunes Read online

  ‘It’s incredible to think it’s the fastest passenger express so far with Pullman-style cabins. Do you know one day it might even be possible for ordinary people to travel like that?’

  ‘Oh, I do hope so,’ Robert retorted.

  The drawing room was crowded now and children were running all over the place while Burton stood in the middle of the hall keeping track of everyone’s luggage, commanding the footmen to take it upstairs where Mrs Armstrong would make sure it was put in the right rooms.

  Meanwhile, Jock, the six-year-old son of Georgie and her husband Shane O’Mally, was doing his best to create chaos by throwing a small cardboard aeroplane into the air again and again.

  ‘Mind out!’ Flora snapped sharply in her schoolmarm manner. ‘That could hurt someone, Jock.’

  Georgie, very overweight after the births of her three children, smiled indulgently. ‘He’s all right. He’s only playing.’

  ‘He could knock over the Dresden figurines on the mantelpiece,’ warned Lizzie, inwardly thankful she’d had four girls.

  ‘It’s only a small toy,’ Georgie pointed out. Unfortunately, Jock chose that moment to deliberately target Diana, hurling the aeroplane up into the air, where it crashed into the side of Diana’s face, causing her to give a small shriek of shock.

  ‘Where did that come from?’ she asked.

  ‘Your nephew is trying to kill you,’ Flora retorted, turning on Georgie angrily. ‘You really should keep him under control. The child is a menace.’

  Shane O’Mally sauntered towards them, grinning from ear to ear. ‘It’s only a bit of cardboard, Flo, and he’s just a kid …’

  Jock, who was watching Diana, roared with laughter as she rubbed her cheek. Then he ran to pick up his toy from the floor but Flora was nearer and scooped it up, refusing to give it back to him.

  ‘You’re not to play with this indoors again,’ she told him firmly. ‘You’ve hurt poor Aunt Di. Supposing it had gone into her eye?’

  ‘You’ve no right to speak to my son like that,’ Georgie said querulously.

  Flora swiftly retaliated. ‘I wouldn’t have to if you’d brought him up properly.’

  ‘Leave Georgie alone,’ said Shane defensively. ‘She’s a first-rate mother.’

  At that moment their four-year-old son, Ian, grabbed a cushion from an armchair and threw it in the direction of his eight-year-old sister, Harriet, but missed, instead knocking over a vase of flowers on a side table, soaking her.

  ‘Bugger you!’ she screamed, looking down at her wet dress.

  Shane grabbed both Jock and Ian by the scruff of the neck and marched them out of the room. Then he could be heard in the hall scolding his sons in his broad Irish accent for ‘making a show of me and your Mum’, and telling them that he’d ‘have the hide of you both if you do it again, see if I don’t’.

  Diana stepped forward to take control of the situation. ‘Why don’t we all have a cup of tea while the nannies take the children up to the day nursery,’ she announced firmly. ‘Burton, could you possibly …?’ There was no need for her to continue. The butler was already standing in the doorway and he would carry out her wishes quickly and without fuss because he had an impressive instinct in what needed to be done. Quietly and calmly the children were ushered upstairs and, a few minutes later, several footmen were offering the guests refreshing cups of tea, an array of dainty cucumber sandwiches and small cakes with pink sugar icing.

  ‘Full marks for diplomacy, Di,’ whispered Laura. ‘Has Georgie gone up to the nursery with Harriet?’

  Diana nodded and replied in a perfect Irish accent, ‘Apparently Harriet didn’t want “no bleedin’ nanny taking off me wet dress”.’

  Laura nearly choked on her tea in an effort to stop laughing. ‘Is that what Harriet said?’

  ‘Loud and clear. I think everyone except Mama heard her. I thought Burton was going to faint.’

  ‘It’s catching, too.’

  Diana looked alarmed. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Children are notorious for copying each other. By Boxing Day they’ll all be effing and blinding. We might even learn a few choice new words ourselves,’ she added darkly.

  ‘Oh, no! You don’t really think so, do you? Robert will go mad.’ Diana rose from her chair. ‘I must go and have a word with Georgie and Shane.’ As she hurried out of the room Lizzie came over to sit beside Laura.

  ‘What is Di doing?’ she asked.

  Laura explained.

  Lizzie shrugged. ‘Yes, those children will have to be stopped if only for their own sakes. Do you remember when I said “oh my God” when I was about fifteen? Mama and Papa’s faces! He told me “never to take the name of the Lord God in vain”. Then I was sent to my room and not allowed to join all of you for dinner. Or for breakfast the next day!’

  ‘Yes, I do remember. Mind you, I don’t think that either Jock or Harriet knew they were swearing. That’s what made it so funny. They’ve got the faces of angels and the tongues of gutter-snipes, I’m afraid.’

  Lizzie smiled. ‘It’s very brave of Di to have invited the whole family for Christmas. I hope she’s not going to regret it. It’s the first time we’ve all been under the same roof since that last night at Lochlee three years ago.’

  ‘How the time has flown,’ Laura observed.

  ‘Slower for some than for others.’ Lizzie suddenly looked terribly tired, and her mouth tightened.

  ‘What is it?’ Laura asked.

  ‘Nothing. Nothing at all.’

  ‘Come on, Lizzie. I always know when you’re trying to hide something.’

  Lizzie looked at her with pain-filled eyes. ‘Well, I – gosh; I don’t quite know what to say.’ She looked away for a moment and took a breath. And then, in a low voice, she whispered, ‘I’ve fallen in love with someone. He’s … he’s the most wonderful young man.’ She stopped instantly, regretting her use of the word ‘young’.

  Laura pounced on it like a cat catching a mouse. ‘How old is he?’

  Lizzie blushed and refused to meet her sister’s eye.

  ‘Lizzie?’

  ‘Twenty-three. Humphrey has no idea, of course.’

  ‘But your girls?’ Laura protested in a horrified undertone. ‘What about them?’

  Lizzie spoke bitterly. ‘Having children doesn’t make one immune to falling in love.’

  Laura sat in silent bewilderment. Of all the sisters, Lizzie was the last one she’d have expected to behave like this. Furthermore, Humphrey was one of the nicest men she’d ever met: kind, humorous, and able to give his family a very comfortable existence in a lovely house in London.

  ‘How old is Margaret now?’ she asked.

  Lizzie looked pained. ‘She’s ten and Isabel is eight.’

  Laura nodded. ‘Then Rose must be sixteen and Emma seventeen.’ She paused before saying coldly, ‘Shouldn’t you be looking out for suitable young men for them, instead of for yourself?’

  Tears sprang to Lizzie’s hazel eyes.

  ‘I simply couldn’t resist Justin,’ she said brokenly as she averted her face to hide her tears. ‘I love Humphrey; he’s a dear man! But when I met Justin I realized I’d never been in love before. I’ve never felt like this before, and I thought …’ She paused before continuing in a rush of words, ‘I suddenly realized this was my last chance of really understanding what being in love actually meant. I can’t tell you how glorious it is when …’ Her voice faded with emotion.

  ‘For heaven’s sake, Lizzie, you’re forty now. In August you’ll be forty-one. You simply can’t let yourself get carried away by this infatuation. Think of your wonderful husband! And what would your girls say? It will harm their future chances of making good marriages. They’ll be notorious! Known as the children of a woman who had a love affair with a man young enough to be her son … You’ve got to stop this folly right away.’

  ‘Keep your voice down,’ Lizzie whispered fiercely.

  Laura leaned back in her chair so she could cast her eyes casua
lly around the room. Humphrey was deep in conversation with Robert and Andrew at the far end of the room and Beattie, Alice, Catriona and Flora were seated in a circle, chatting brightly to each other and laughing a lot. Laura wished with all her heart that she were a part of their happy group instead of being burdened by Lizzie’s dreadful secret.

  At that moment Georgie and Shane came back into the room with Diana, who was smiling broadly.

  ‘That’s the young’uns sorted out,’ Shane announced. ‘They’ve been taken to look at the horses. That’ll keep them quiet for a bit.’

  Lizzie, having unburdened herself, smiled serenely while Laura took a deep breath and wished that life wasn’t so complicated. For the past three years she’d struggled to get over her husband’s alcoholism that had eventually led to their bankruptcy, leaving their six-year-old daughter and her with nothing but the clothes on their backs as he was once again hospitalized. Their home and all their possessions had gone. If it hadn’t been for Diana they’d have literally been on the streets. When she’d borrowed the money to start her dressmaking business, once again Laura had faced a heart-breaking struggle to make ends meet. There were nights when she’d lain awake with sheer hunger. She feared the mail every day, terrified that it might be a final demand to pay her gas or electricity bill, and enough money had to be put aside for the rent of their little two-room flat, which had to be in an area of Edinburgh where her clients would be willing to come for fittings.

  It had been so different when she’d started her business before her marriage to Walter. She had only herself to think about and only herself to feed. Now she had Caroline, who showed great promise as a ballet dancer. Her father lived with his sister now and Caroline adored him. Laura had loved him once but his addiction had worn it away – all she felt now was a kind of pity and sadness at the loss of the kind and loving man he used to be. Alcoholism had obliterated a once noble soldier, husband and father.

  It had been a hard struggle to get back on her feet but she’d managed; all she wanted now was to be able to give Caroline a good education and training in ballet.

  At that moment Laura was struck by the full realization that Lizzie was in danger of risking everything in her foolish pursuit of sexual gratification. Sir Humphrey Garding was a warm and delightful man with wealth, a beautiful country house and the means to provide Lizzie and their four daughters with a life of quiet elegance.

  Laura turned back to look at Lizzie and felt like shaking some sense into her. She had to be stopped at all costs.

  Up in the bedrooms and dressing rooms of Cranley Court, all the guests were changing for dinner, assisted by their maids and valets, while on the top floor a score of nannies and nursery maids were giving the little ones their supper before putting them to bed.

  ‘Are you all right, old girl?’ asked Humphrey, wandering into Lizzie’s room.

  ‘Why shouldn’t I be?’ she responded tartly. She was sitting at the dressing table, staring at her reflection.

  ‘You seemed put out when you were talking to Laura,’ he replied mildly. ‘Is she all right? Are you worried about her?’

  Lizzie looked surprised. ‘Laura’s always all right. God knows how she manages. I suppose she’s very strong.’

  ‘To have survived what she’s been through, she’d have to be.’ He laid his hand affectionately on her pale bare shoulder. ‘I never worry about her,’ he added quietly.

  Lizzie rose quickly to avoid his caress. ‘Let’s go downstairs. I hope Diana’s giving us all champagne before dinner.’ She swept out of room, her beauty and elegance undiminished by age. ‘Come along, Humphrey.’ She spoke impatiently. ‘The others are probably in the drawing room by now.’

  He followed her slowly. Something was wrong and he was determined to find out what troubled her.

  Up in the nursery, Laura, who had already changed into a rich satin dinner dress in dark plum red, trimmed with matching lace, was reading a bedtime story to Caroline, the only mother among all of her sisters to do so.

  ‘How long are we staying here, Muzzie?’ the child asked.

  ‘For six days. Isn’t that lovely?’

  ‘I wished we lived here. Aunt Di would let us, wouldn’t she?’

  ‘It wouldn’t be fair if we did, darling. It wouldn’t be right to sponge off her and Uncle Robert. And we’re all right on our own, aren’t we? The flat’s cosy and it’s nice to be in the centre of Edinburgh. You’d miss your ballet classes, wouldn’t you?’

  Caroline lay still, frowning. ‘If we can’t live here why can’t we live with Papa and Aunt Rowena? Papa wants us to be with him and she’s got a nice house.’

  Laura rose. ‘How would I make money if we lived in the country? I have to be in Edinburgh.’ She bent over her daughter and stroked her face tenderly. ‘Now go to sleep. I must go and help your grandmama go down to dinner.’ She stooped to kiss Caroline but the child buried her head in the pillow. ‘We always have to do what you want,’ she said rudely.

  Laura recoiled at her daughter’s words, stung, and stood silently over her for a moment before turning and slowly making her way down to collect her mother.

  Lady Rothbury had aged greatly since she’d been forced to leave Lochlee, largely because of the crushing death duties that had been incurred by the deaths of Lord Rothbury and his two heirs, Freddie and her beloved younger son, Henry. After five hundred years of prosperity, the castle and hundreds of acres had been sold, and although the nearby manse was comfortable, she’d never recovered from the shock and the grief.

  ‘There you are, dear,’ she greeted Laura with a brief kiss on the cheek. ‘I thought you might have forgotten you’d promised to take me down.’

  ‘How could I possibly forget?’ Laura asked, forcing herself to sound cheerful, although she still felt hurt by Caroline’s attitude. ‘It’s so lovely we’re all together for Christmas, isn’t it? Goodness knows how Di has managed to fit us all in.’

  Lady Rothbury nodded sagely. ‘She made a very good marriage, that’s how.’

  Laura didn’t reply as she took her mother’s arm to help her down the wide, oak, red-carpeted staircase. In the hall below, Beattie and Andrew were talking to Georgie and Shane, and through the open drawing-room door all they could hear was a babble of voices and excited laughter from Catriona and Flora.

  ‘They all sound very happy,’ Lady Rothbury remarked indulgently.

  At that moment Lizzie and Humphrey emerged from the library. They were both tight-lipped and she looked flushed and angry. Laura’s heart sank. Maybe this wasn’t going to be the congenial family gathering she’d imagined.

  It was clear even to the staff that Sir Humphrey and Lady Elizabeth Garding had ‘had words’.

  ‘Is anything wrong, dearest?’ Diana whispered to Lizzie as they all trooped into the candlelit dining room, where the long mahogany table was laid with magnificent silver and crystal glasses and garlands of holly decorated with scarlet satin ribbons.

  Lizzie looked at her sharply. ‘What has Laura said to you?’

  Diana blinked, surprised. ‘Nothing. I just thought you looked upset. I’ve placed you between Robert and Andrew. Is that all right?’

  ‘Perfectly fine.’

  Diana looked at her doubtfully, watching Lizzie force a hard, cold smile, although her eyes were over-bright.

  ‘Get a move on, you two,’ said Georgie as she followed them into the imposing dining room, where up to thirty guests could be seated.

  There were small cards bearing the name of each guest at every place setting so everyone was quickly and smoothly seated. Laura was delighted to find her host on her left side and Humphrey on her right. They were her two favourite brothers-in-law and she flashed Diana a grateful smile. Her sister grinned back and slightly raised one eyebrow as she gently tilted her head towards the two men she was sitting between. To keep the numbers even she’d invited the local mayor and a retired doctor, both in their seventies. Laura tried to repress a giggle. Diana knew exactly how to do the right
thing and she admired that very much. Glancing around the table she saw that their mother was seated between two charming men of her generation, one a bachelor and the other a widower, and that Flora was next to a professor of science, while Catriona discovered that the young man on her right was a violinist in a big orchestra. This, Laura assured herself, was going to be the best Christmas of her life.

  At the top of the house Caroline lay in the darkness of one of the small bedrooms next to the night nursery, aware of the snuffling and sighing of some of her cousins as they fell asleep. Normally she slept in her mother’s room, but Aunt Di had insisted Muzzie must have one of the grand suites on the first floor with its carved four-poster bed and beautiful oyster silk hangings.

  ‘You need a good rest, Laura,’ she’d heard Aunt Di say. ‘I’ve given orders that you’re to have breakfast in bed. And if you appear downstairs before noon I’ll send you right back to bed again!’ Then Caroline heard her mother laughing happily, something she seldom did when they were at home.

  A deep pang of jealousy arose in Caroline’s chest. Why should she have to share an ugly, stuffy little room with Aunt Lizzie’s and Aunt Beattie’s little girls and the badly behaved Harriet?

  Rage flowed through her veins like poison and she kicked the foot of her bed viscously. Why didn’t she live in a beautiful big house? It wasn’t fair. That was the constant mantra that filled her mind. It wasn’t fair. Why didn’t she have expensive shoes like all the other girls? Why didn’t she have more clothes? Bought at an expensive shop, instead of things made by Muzzie?

  All her cousins had nicer lives than she did and it was so unfair. Round and round her bitter grievances went in her head, slowly causing her to cry quietly, the sobs busting forth from her throat with an ugly sound.

  ‘Are you all right, Caroline?’

  She recognized the voice of Aunt Lizzie’s prettiest daughter, Margaret.

  Caroline lay still in the darkness, not answering. She particularly hated Margaret, who was a year older. She had a sunny disposition, was liked by everyone and was her grandmother’s favourite – everyone’s favourite. Caroline was filled with thoughts of revenge. One day she’d show Margaret who was really the prettiest, the best dressed and the most popular, and she’d make sure that Margaret would feel as unhappy as she felt at this moment.