Read sample An Erroneous Assumption

Chapter One

Richard Somiton read his letter for a second time, swore volubly under his breath, and went in search of his twin, the Earl of Somiton.

‘Adam, I’ve just received a letter from the widow of one of our sea captains, Mrs Sarah Trenwith, she is asking for our help as his death at sea has left her in financial difficulties and unable to support her family.’

His brother, who was also engrossed in a letter he’d received by the same delivery, looked up. ‘Why would she write to you? Do you have some connection with this woman?’

‘No, I’ve never met her. I did like Captain Trenwith, he was a fine man, a true Cornish sailor and one of the best we had. It was a damned shame that his ship went down and he and his crew were lost.’

‘I thought all the families were recompensed for their loss – surely the same was done for this Mrs Trenwith?’ Adam frowned – he wasn’t happy with this news.

‘It was, of course, but for some reason the money didn’t reach Mrs Trenwith. Several of his crew were from the same village, Pencarrow, and it appears that none of their families received any money either. I’ll have to go down myself. I owe it to the man. The person responsible for dispersing this money must be corrupt and have pocketed it for himself.’

‘Edward and Eleanor are now back from their wedding trip and happily settled in their new home. There’s no reason why you can’t go. I’ll return to London and deal with pressing matters there.’

‘Mrs Somiton has proved an admirable hostess for us and her son Leo has now resigned his commission so he can act as guardian to the four girls,’ Richard replied.

‘Eloise and Amelia have settled in well without the pernicious influence of their mother. I wonder if we’ll ever find the man who tried to set fire to us all a few months ago. Oliver Somiton, his son and this woman have vanished without trace. Jessica is nothing like her murdering father and brother, thank the Lord.’

‘Leo’s sister, Frances has become bosom bows with Jessica and the four girls are like siblings rather than distant cousins. Are you quite sure, Adam, that Leo will be able to keep them in line? They are a lively group of young ladies and always looking for mischief.’

‘Miss Devonshire, the companion I appointed, has proved a godsend. The girls are learning to conduct themselves as they should and now that Eleanor is home, she’ll no doubt be involved as well. Eloise and Amelia were a tad wild when they arrived but are hardly recognisable as those girls nowadays.’ His brother waved his own letter. ‘This missive is from the Runners that have been looking for the Somitons. It seems they have news. As I have business in Town, I’ll combine the two. It’s fortunate that the weather’s clement and that winter hasn’t truly set in.’

‘We can travel to London together. I’ll take the mail coach to Cornwall and hire myself a hack when I get there. I’ll not take my valet…’

‘Manson must go with you, brother. Things are different since I became the earl. You might not have a title of your own but you’re an aristocrat now and cannot gallivant about the place as you used to.’

‘If you insist then my valet will come too. You don’t object to me travelling on the common stage?’

Adam smiled. ‘Absolutely not – it’s too far and too expensive to go by post-chaise. It occurs to me that you could sail there – there might well be a packet going down the coast that you could take a berth on.’

‘If there’s a passage available then that’s what I’ll do. This excursion might well take several weeks which means I might not be back for the festive season.’

‘That would be a shame – it will be our first Christmas at Somiton Hall and I’d like all the family to be here.’

‘That gives me just over six weeks to complete my business. I’ll do my best, Adam, to be back in time but it rather depends on what kind of chicanery I discover there.’

‘We can inform everyone at dinner tonight. I’ll not be gone more than a sennight. Leo is going to make an excellent addition to our team. With business expanding at the rate it is, and my added responsibilities as the earl, there’s too much work for Edward. The sooner that Leo is able to take over some of these responsibilities the better.’

Lady Eleanor, the previous earl’s daughter, had married Edward in the summer and was now Lady Eleanor Revere. Grace, her younger sister and their mother, the countess, lived in the Dower House. Leo and Frances’s mother had become firm friends with the countess in the same way that the girls were now inseparable.

Richard had grown up with just his brother for company, had little experience with young ladies apart from those he flirted with, and loved having a parcel of cousins milling about the place. Fortunately, neither he nor his brother had a romantic interest in any of these young ladies but he was quite certain that when Adam opened the grand house in Grosvenor Square for next Season it would take the combined efforts of both himself, Adam and Leo to keep the eager gentlemen at bay.

Lady Charlotte, the dowager countess, and Mrs Somiton were already busy making the necessary arrangements. The Season didn’t commence until April but it appeared musicians, invitations and such things had to be in place by December. Adam had decided that having all five girls come out at the same time would be easier than being obliged to be in Town three years in a row.

Richard wasn’t so sure this was a sensible idea. There would be three balls. Grace, who would have had her own ball this summer if it hadn’t been for the fire, would go first and then the sisters Eloise and Millie, would be second and Frances and Jessica would be third.

The girls were equally excited at the prospect and Grace was no longer disappointed that she hadn’t had her come out last summer. Having one in London at the start of the Season was every young lady’s dream.

It had taken a few weeks to restore the fire damage done to Somiton Hall but since then Adam had entertained frequently. There had been dinners, informal musical evenings and two dances so the girls were well prepared for what they would face in London in the spring.

The ostensible reason that a young lady participated in a Season was to find a suitable husband. From the various conversations he’d had with his cousins none of them were in a hurry to leave Somiton. Therefore, for them this expedition was to have the opportunity to wear their new gowns and be seen in the most prestigious houses in Town.

Grace and Frances were nineteen years of age, Eloise was eighteen, her sister and Jessica were only seventeen. He thought Adam was playing with fire exposing so many volatile young ladies to the temptations and attentions of gentlemen in search of a wealthy, well-bred wife. All of them, especially Grace, were going to be in demand.

Journeying to Cornwall on business for the next few weeks would take his mind off the unpalatable prospect of escorting his cousins to balls, routs, soirées and parties – not to mention expeditions to Vauxhall, the menagerie and other attractions.

Miss Demelza Trenwith stared gloomily at the meagre pile of coins in front of her on the scrubbed, wooden table. Mama had taken to her bed again saying she wasn’t well enough to deal with things and had yet again left her eldest daughter in charge of the household. Mama was fading away and Demelza feared for her life.

‘Demelza, Johnny and I are going down to the village. Do you want anything?’

‘Silas, please don’t go anywhere near The Jolly Sailor. There are a lot of things I want but we’ve no money to buy them.’

Her brother, at sixteen, three years her junior was spending far too much time fraternising with the local fishermen who were also the local smugglers. He was being led astray by Johnny, his senior by a year, and she feared they would both be picked up by the revenue men if they continued on this path.

‘We could get some fish if any of the boats have come in.’

‘I doubt you’ll get much with the few pennies we’ve got left this month. I thank God every day that we grow our own food and have a cow, pigs and chickens, for without these we would surely have starved.’

‘Pa said if anything happened to him we would be taken care of – why have we been left destitute? If Johnny and I become smugglers it will be Somiton’s fault.’

‘Hush, you mustn’t speak like that. Anyway, it’s Lord Somiton now as you very well know.’

‘What did the bank say when you went to see them in Bodmin yesterday?’

‘Nobody would agree to speak to me. I’m a girl, no one of importance, and they can do as they wish as we’ve no man to stand up for us.’

‘Did you write to his lordship?’

‘No, I wrote to Mr Richard Somiton as our father used to speak most highly of him. I signed the letter as if I was Mama as I feared he too would ignore any letter from me.’

Her older brother stuck his head through the door. ‘Silas, what’s keeping you? It’s too cold to leave the horses standing.’

Demelza was on her feet and beside her brother before he could escape. ‘You two would be better busy about the farm helping rather than riding off to get into mischief.’

He scowled and pulled away from her hand. ‘We’re not servants, sister, we’re gentlemen. It’s bad enough that you dragged us back from school but don’t expect us to work whilst we’re here.’

‘Pa would be ashamed of you. Our mother is still prostrate with grief, unable to cope, and what are you doing to help? All you do is add to her worries.’

‘He wanted us to live a life of leisure, marry well, not work for a living like he did.’

Sometimes, much as she loved her brother, she wished to punch him on the nose. ‘He wanted no such thing and well you know it. He intended that you get a good education, become a lawyer or a doctor and not follow him to sea. He certainly didn’t want you to laze about the place pretending you’re something that you’re not.’

Johnny straightened. He was a head taller than her and for a second she felt a flicker of fear at his expression. ‘Are you suggesting that we’re not gentlemen?’

‘I’m telling you that you behave as if we’re still wealthy. We might live in a large house, have two inside servants and two outside men, but our main income was from our father’s profession. He was a well-respected and well-remunerated sea captain but when he died it appears that he left no money at all according to the bank.’

‘We cannot continue our education so what do you suggest we do?’

‘I know what you shouldn’t do and that’s fraternise with the smugglers. It will only end in disaster.’

‘It’s a lark, nothing more, and without the silver we’ve garnered these past few months we would already have had to sell the house.’

She stared in horror at her brother. He told her that they’d sold some of their father’s possessions but now she knew the truth. Johnny realised he’d revealed too much. Instead of staying to explain, to apologise, he all but snarled at Silas to come with him and strode from the room.

Her brothers were out of control – they were both almost young men – there was nothing she could do to restrain their dangerous behaviour. The current revenue officers were less than vigilant along this coastline but it was only a matter of time before her brothers were arrested. They could be imprisoned, transported, or if violence was involved, then they could be hanged.

She ran after them and was able to catch up with Johnny as he’d stopped to fondle their large lurcher, Billy.

‘Tell me, what did you do in order to get the money?’

‘We didn’t do anything, Demelza, we just gave Captain Borden permission to store his ill-gotten gains in the caves on our beach.’

‘Thank the good Lord for that. I beg you, both of you, not to become any more involved than you already are. I heard it on good authority from Lady Pendragon last week that a fresh troop of officers will be arriving imminently. The lackadaisical approach of the current ones has not gone unnoticed.’

He grinned and looked more like the brother she loved than a fierce stranger. ‘We’re going to The Jolly Sailor. We’ll talk to fishermen, who no doubt are also smugglers, but nothing else, I give you my word.’

‘Pa would knock your heads together but I can do nothing but appeal to your better nature. Young gentlemen of your age shouldn’t be going into such dens of iniquity. If anything happened to either of you it would kill our mother and that’s not an exaggeration.’

‘This place is my heritage and I intend to do whatever it takes to keep it intact. However, I give you my word that we’ll do nothing untoward until you’ve heard from Somiton.’

‘The letter went three weeks ago so there should be someone on their way here as I speak. This gentleman can explain why the money that we should have had last year has failed to appear. There are several families who lost husbands when the ship went down and they are in a worse position than us.’

She intended that whoever came on Lord Somiton’s behalf should also make further enquiries on the behalf of those poor souls.

Since many of the tin mines were now closed, as their seams had run out, unemployment was rife in the neighbourhood. What else could these people do but join the smugglers in an attempt to stay out of the poorhouse?

The Trenwiths were a respected family in Cornwall, they could trace their lineage back for hundreds of years. Pa had been a younger son so had been obliged to make his own way in the world but he’d had every advantage and this house had been gifted to him by his grandpa on his marriage.

Being a ship’s captain for The Somiton Line had been a prestigious position, one that any young gentleman could aspire to. The fact that it meant her father was away more than he was home was part of the job. Mama, she was quite sure, was more distraught by the lack of funds since Pa had died last year than she was by his permanent absence.

The carriage and the team that pulled it had been sold and this money had kept them out of debt for several months. The two splendid horses that her brothers rode would have to go next and they were both well aware of that fact which is why they were so angry all the time.

Richard, accompanied by Manson, disembarked from the mail coach at Bodmin heartily sick of being cooped up for so long. They had no commercial interests in this county so this was his first visit. The town seemed prosperous enough on the surface, plenty of well-dressed people going about their business.

However, this was the main thoroughfare where the bank and businesses were situated, he was quite certain that poverty would be rife in other, less salubrious parts.

‘Manson, take our bags and find us accommodation somewhere without crawlers in the bedding. Tell the proprietor that we require two chambers for a week. Then secure our places on a coach leaving a week from today.’

‘Yes, sir. Do you have any preference?’ He pointed to the three establishments.

‘I’ll leave that up to you. I’m going in search of mounts for us. It’s too late to ride the ten miles to the Trenwith house today.’

His valet was a resourceful sort of fellow, he not only took care of his personal needs, he also acted as his man of affairs and secretary when needed. Manson could both read and write – not fluently – but enough to be useful.

It was a pleasure to stretch his legs, feel the sea breeze blowing on his face after the stuffy interior of a mail coach for the past few days. He’d come armed with the necessary paperwork to establish his credentials but had no appointment at the bank in which the money owed to the Widow Trenwith and the three other families had been deposited a year ago. He wished to arrive unannounced and not give whoever was responsible for this malfeasance time to cover his tracks.

After getting his bearings he soon found the livery stable that had been recommended to him by three people he’d spoken to on his walk. He strode in and was immediately greeted by a jolly fellow.

‘How can I help you, my lord? I’ve the best nags around to hire or to buy.’

‘I’m not a lord, that’s my brother. I take it that you’re the proprietor of this establishment – one Jethro Tully?’

‘I am that, sir. You’re a fine, big gentleman and no mistake. I reckon I’ve got just the nag for you.’

‘I need two horses; my companion’s shorter than me but as heavy. Show me what’s available.’

There were only four animals up to his and Manson’s weight. He examined each with an expert eye. ‘I’ll take this black gelding and the chestnut. I’ll need them for a week and will return them here for livery most nights.’

‘Right you are, sir. The black answers to the name of Ben and the chestnut’s called Red. When will you be needing them first?’

‘Tomorrow morning. Tell me, Jethro, do you expect bad weather over the next few days? It seems colder here than it was further north and the wind has a bitter feel to it.’

‘Storms are coming, that’s for sure, but not for a day or two. I reckon there could be snow – we don’t see much of that around here most winters.’

The cost of hire was reasonable. They shook hands on the deal and Richard went out into the street again. A blast of icy wind made him glad he was wearing his caped riding coat. He turned to look at the sea. The waves were white-capped, huge and menacing as they crashed against the black rocks at the base of the cliffs on the far side of the bay. Not a time to be at sea.

Chapter Two

Demelza was on edge for the remainder of the day, jumping at noises, starting at shadows and didn’t feel comfortable until her brothers returned. They’d quite obviously had more than one mug of cider but at least they were home.

‘What’s for supper? It’s blowing a gale out there and it’s made us both sharp-set,’ Johnny said as he handed his caped riding coat to Maisie, the maid of all work, who was waiting a little too eagerly by the door to receive it.

Silas hung his own coat up and made his way to the fire, holding out his hands to the blaze. ‘There’ll be no free-traders out tonight and no revenue men either. I don’t envy any ships attempting to sail past the point in this gale.’

Her brothers exchanged glances and she knew what they were thinking. If a ship foundered then they would be out to see what they could find along the beach. Everybody would do their best to rescue any sailors but would be more interested in the flotsam and jetsam that came in with the tide.

There’d been no ships lost so far this year and she prayed there wouldn’t be one tonight. Taking the cargo from a ship that had sunk was a criminal offence but that didn’t stop the villagers from doing so. There were no wreckers in Pencarrow as there were in other places along the coast. These evil men lured unsuspecting ships onto the rocks by using their lanterns to mimic a lighthouse.

The letter from The Somiton Line had said that pa’s ship had gone down on the other side of the world in a typhoon. She believed this was a particularly fierce storm that caused havoc to shipping in those foreign oceans.

Dolly, the cook-housekeeper, had made a tasty vegetable pie followed by baked apples and cream. Demelza took a tray to her mother.

‘Mama, the boys are home. You can stop worrying about them now.’

‘How can I do so? If only your father hadn’t perished last year they would be safely at university and not here fraternising with ne’er-do-wells in the village.’

‘I’ve written to Lord Somiton and am hopeful someone will come any day now to explain what’s happened to the recompense we were promised. Once that’s available then things will return to normal and hopefully the boys can continue their education.’

She placed the tray across her mother’s knees and for the first time in many days it was viewed with some enthusiasm by her parent.

‘I find that I’m hungry tonight. I might get up tomorrow – I’ve no wish to be unavailable if this person comes.’

Now was not the time to point out that this visitor might not arrive for several days, or at all. Also, the fact that the weather was too wet for anyone to travel on horseback at the moment meant nobody was likely to come, even if they were in the neighbourhood, until it was more clement.

‘I’ll come in to help you dress after I’ve done my chores outside, Mama. I’ll be up to collect your tray after I’ve eaten with the boys.’

The next morning dawned crisp and bright – the fierce storm had blown itself out overnight. The ground would be wet after so much rain but it shouldn’t prevent a rider from coming from Bodmin if they so wished.

As always, she dressed in her work clothes, a thick gown with long sleeves and high neck that had once been a pretty pink but was now faded to a nondescript colour. She tied a thick woollen shawl around her shoulders and pushed her feet into wooden clogs. These were the most sensible footwear for feeding the chickens, collecting the eggs and milking the house cow.

The outside men should be doing these tasks but Josie, the cow, couldn’t abide either of them and only gave milk if she was sitting on the stool. Demelza enjoyed her interaction with the chickens so was happy to keep that task for herself.

Ed and Joe had more than enough to do taking care of the pigs, cleaning out the livestock, repairing the fences, keeping them supplied with firewood and setting traps for rabbits for the pot. In the spring they ploughed fields, planted, weeded and harvested.

Before Pa had drowned there’d been four men doing the job that these two now had to accomplish alone. The same had happened inside – she’d had to let go the personal maid that she and her mother had shared as well as the second girl who’d worked in the kitchens and done the heavy work.

Billy, the lurcher, who was waiting hopefully for any dropped eggs, suddenly stiffened. His ears pricked, his long plumy tail wagged and he took off, hurdling the gate and barking furiously.

She ran to the back door, hastily placed the eggs on the step and then went off in search of the dog. Billy still believed that his master would come home as he always had and whenever he thought there might be a rider approaching, he raced off to greet them.

There was mud on her skirts, her clogs were filthy and she was quite sure she’d smeared a goodly quantity on her face a moment ago. This didn’t deter her. Their house stood facing the sea, coarse grass led to the cliff edge, so there was no formal boundary. Visitors were obliged to leave their mounts in the farmyard and then walk around to the front door in order to enter.

Sometimes villagers used the path that belonged to the family but her father had never objected. Billy had once almost knocked one of them over the cliff in his boisterous enthusiasm so she had no option but to call him back if he was heading in that direction.

The approach to Seaview was more a narrow lane than a driveway and it meandered through the gorse bushes and grass and connected the house to the track that led to the village and to the main thoroughfare that would take one eventually to Bodmin.

She could hear her dog barking and it wasn’t coming from the cliffs but from the rear of the house. Could this be the gentleman she was expecting? Were their financial difficulties going to be over at last?

The dog was quiet which was a good sign and she could definitely hear horses approaching. Quite forgetting she was dressed in garments more suitable to a servant than a member of the family she ran to meet the two riders who were approaching at a trot.

To her astonishment the gentlemen ignored her and rode right past as if she was invisible. They were both so muffled against the elements that she’d been unable to make out their features. One was taller than the other, but apart from that they were indistinguishable.

Billy had remained with her and nudged her with his long nose. ‘That’s not a good start, is it? I dislike them both already for their ill manners.’

Mama was still in bed, as were her brothers, there was no one there to greet these visitors apart from herself. Maisie would show them to the drawing room – that’s where all visitors were taken – but there would be no fire lit and the room would be cold and unwelcoming.

Nobody called to see them apart from the vicar occasionally so it could be none other than someone sent from Somiton in answer to her letter. Joe was at that very moment dealing with two handsome horses.

‘Them gentlemen has gone around the front, miss.’

‘Thank you, they passed me on the lane.’

She collected the half a dozen eggs that she’d left in the bowl outside the back door and went in, kicking off her clogs in the boot room before stepping into the kitchen.

‘Maisie’s doing the fire, miss, I’ll make them a nice pot of tea, shall I?’

‘Yes, do that.’

She dare not risk going into the entrance hall in case she was seen so took the narrow back stairs. She paused and looked into her mother’s bedchamber but her parent was still sleeping. She must speak to these objectionable gentlemen herself.

Her normal clothes, as always, were where she’d left them ready for her to put on after she’d completed her ablutions. A full twenty minutes had passed before she was ready to descend. Her hair was neat, her face clean, and she was wearing an elegant dark green gown and matching spencer. She was quite sure they wouldn’t mistake her for a servant now.

The tea that had been brought to them was much appreciated by Richard and his valet. It had been damned cold riding from Bodmin that morning.

‘We could be waiting for an hour or more. In my experience it takes a lady an unconscionable time to get ready.’

‘Maybe it would have been better, sir, to have sent word of our coming and not turn up unannounced like this.’

‘There are four members of this family. Two young men and a daughter – I can’t credit that none of them are prepared to come and speak to me.’

There was a slight sound behind him and he turned. A young lady with startling red hair and periwinkle blue eyes stood in the doorway viewing him with what he could only think was dislike. She looked vaguely familiar.

‘I am Miss Trenwith. It was I who wrote to you. I assume that one of you is Mr Somiton.’

There was no apology for keeping him waiting, no thanks for having come so far to see her. Then he realised why she was so snippy with them.

He bowed as if to royalty. ‘Miss Trenwith, I rode past you not realising who you were. I made an erroneous assumption and thought you a servant girl. Please accept my most humble apology for my error.’ He then pointed to his companion. ‘This is Manson, my valet and sometime man of business.’

She smiled at Manson but then turned to the attack. ‘Indeed you did, sir. I was incensed at your behaviour but accept your gracious words and tender my own apology. You’ve been kept waiting, and in a room with no heat.’

‘It was a little chilly initially, Miss Trenwith, but things are better now the fire is burning well.’

She smiled and he hoped that the unfortunate incident was behind them. Heaven knows what would have happened if he’d caused her to jump aside, had splashed her with mud as some arrogant gentleman might have done.

‘Since my father died last year things have been difficult. We no longer have the staff we used to employ hence my needing to work on the farm when necessary.’

‘Do you not have two healthy brothers? I would think it better for them to be doing the heavy work outside.’

Her smile vanished. ‘My brothers are still of the opinion that they can spend their days doing as they please, that we still have the wherewithal to support their idleness.’

‘Is Mrs Trenwith to join us?’

‘No, I’m sorry, but she’s indisposed. As I was the one who contacted you it is to me you must refer.’

He and Manson remained standing waiting for her to be seated. He thought maybe she was unaware of the fact that gentlemen couldn’t sit before the ladies.

‘It’s decidedly cold in here, despite your saying the opposite, Mr Somiton. We would do better in the family parlour where it’s warm.’ She didn’t wait for his response but turned and marched out leaving him no alternative but to follow.

The room she took them to was indeed more pleasant. It had a central, polished mahogany table, a bureau and six elegant chairs as well as a chaise longue and two comfortable, padded armchairs grouped in front of the roaring fire.

‘Please be seated, gentlemen, and we can begin our discussion.’ She gestured towards the chairs and she took her position on the daybed. Without preamble she launched into her complaint. He listened closely.

‘Right, Miss Trenwith, I can see why you’re incensed about this. I know for a fact that your father had substantial savings. Like all our captains he was allowed to use a portion of the hold to bring his own goods back.’

‘I’d no idea he did that. Then why are we all but destitute?’ She jumped to her feet and went to a pile of documents neatly arranged on the bureau and returned with a letter.

He quickly scanned the contents. ‘This is outrageous. Even if there’d been nothing from your father’s investments remaining because he’d gambled it away…’

The girl immediately took exception to this comment. ‘How dare you suggest that my father gambled. He did no such thing.’

‘Miss Trenwith, if you’d waited for me to finish my sentence before interrupting then you’d be aware I wasn’t implying that Captain Trenwith did any such thing.’

He watched her through narrowed eyes and she took the hint and remained quiet this time.

‘I shall continue. Even if your father was an inveterate gambler and had spent everything else the substantial sum that was deposited by my company should still be there.’

If he’d expected her to look suitably chastened by her error, he would have been disappointed. She nodded and continued as if nothing untoward had taken place between them. ‘In which case, sir, where is the money? Are you quite certain no one at your end could have purloined it?’

‘I am. The money quite definitely arrived at the bank owned by one Thomas Penrith and his son, David. I can only apologise that your family has been obliged to suffer such deprivations as well as the loss of your beloved father.’ He looked at Manson who delved into his jacket, produced two cloth bags that chinked satisfactorily, and handed them to him.

‘I came prepared for such an eventuality, Miss Trenwith. I take it you don’t wish to deposit this at the Penrith bank?’

‘I certainly do not.’ She was waiting for him to hand her the coins and he decided to toss one across to her knowing she wouldn’t expect the bag to contain gold, which weighed heavy.

Keeping a straight face he leaned over and dropped one of the purses into her outstretched hand. She, naturally, dropped it. He tried to hide his amusement but failed.

Her eyes snapped with dislike. ‘If you expect me to grovel at your feet in order to pick that up, then you’ll be disappointed.’ She stared pointedly at the bag which had come open and some of the gold had spilled onto the carpet.

Manson, fortunately, dropped to his knees and collected the money, returned it to the bag and politely handed it to her. She smiled sweetly at his valet.

‘Thank you, Mr Manson, that was most gallant of you.’ She rose gracefully to her feet and before he could prevent it whisked the second bag from his hand.

‘Exactly how much is there in here, Mr Somiton? I take it this is an interim payment as from the papers I’ve perused I know that the family is owed five hundred pounds.’

Things would have been well if her impertinence hadn’t annoyed him. He was more easy-going than his brother, but had no intention of being spoken to so disrespectfully by this slip of a girl he’d come hundreds of miles to help.

He stood up slowly. He was a head taller than her and used this to his advantage. He moved closer so he was towering over her before he spoke.

‘Miss Trenwith, my company fulfilled its obligation to your family a year ago. The fact that the bank you use has somehow mislaid it does not make us culpable. As far as I’m concerned this is no interim payment but the end of the matter.’

She turned her back on him and walked to the door, head held high. ‘Then, you may take your leave. I’m at a loss to understand why you thought it necessary to bring this token gesture in person. I bid you good morning, sir.’ All this was spoken without facing him and this added to his anger.

Before he could follow her a terrified maid appeared in the doorway almost invisible beneath two greatcoats. He took his and shrugged into it. His muffler and gloves had been stowed in one sleeve and, when he rammed his arm down, they shot out of the end. The end of the scarf fell into the flames.

His anger forgotten, he snatched it back and stamped on the singed wool. A wave of shame engulfed him. His behaviour towards the poor child was nothing short of disgraceful. He could feel the disapproval of his valet and had no need to look at his face to know what he thought about the matter.

He’d come here to put matters right and had just made things worse for the family.

Demelza knew it had been unpardonably rude to speak to Mr Somiton with her back turned but she had no wish for him to see the tears streaking her cheeks. She had made a sad mull of this interview and had now antagonised the one person who could help them. She put the gold on the stairs and removed her handkerchief from the pocket in her skirt. She was mopping her face when her brother thundered down the stairs.

Johnny immediately saw how distressed she was. He was at her side in a moment and put his arms around her. She leaned against him enjoying the comfort of his arms but then stepped away. Her grievance was so strong she spoke without thinking of the consequences.

‘What’s happened? Why are you crying?’

‘Mr Somiton is here, he threw these at me and then said there would be no more despite the fact we should have had four times this amount.’

‘No one upsets my sister. I’m the man of the house – it matters not my actual age – I’m going to draw his cork.’

Before she could stop him, he strode off in search of the man who’d made her cry. She loved him for his protectiveness but knew it could only end in disaster.