you have?’ Susannah shrugged. ‘I’ve had a few men friends since then, I must admit. I know some folk think I’m a flirt, but it hurt for a long time when Simon died. He was my first love, my true love…’
‘But now you’ve got Frank?’ Maddy ventured to ask.
‘Yes, indeed I have. And we are very good for one another. We don’t really care what people say. We know that what we have will last. We were close friends at first before anything else, and that’s always a good start.’
‘Are you going to get married?’ asked Maddy boldly.
‘All in good time,’ laughed Susannah. ‘He has a wife, you know, but he and Hilda – that’s her name – have gone their separate ways for years. She has a thriving second-hand clothes business in York. And their daughter, their only child, has just left home to get married. Frank’s a good ten years older than me, you know. Yes, we’ll tie the knot eventually… Now, I hope I have set your mind at rest, regarding the other problem?’
‘Yes…yes, thank you, you have.’
‘Did it have something to do with that stepbrother of yours? You sounded a bit cagey about him. I guess you regarded him as something rather more than a brother, didn’t you, Maddy?’
‘Yes, yes, you’re right. I did…’
‘Do you want to tell me about it? Only if you would like to.’
‘Oh, I would,’ replied Maddy. ‘It all went wrong last night…’ She explained about her feelings of love for him and how she thought they were reciprocated by Samuel. ‘But he just wanted to…you know. I realise now what it was he wanted to do; but I knew it was wrong, that I couldn’t. And he didn’t really love me at all… But I feel much better now, Susannah, really I do, after talking to you.’
‘It sounds to me as though he is not a very nice sort of young man,’ she replied. ‘You will know to keep out of his way.’
‘I may not have any choice. He said he’s going on an expedition fairly soon, to Peru.’
‘Good riddance then,’ said Susannah. ‘Don’t be too ready to lose your heart, Maddy. You may meet quite a few young men before you find the one who’s right for you. What you must do now is make up your mind to enjoy your time with the troupe. Don’t forget we’ll be in Blackpool in a few weeks’ time.’
‘Yes, I’m looking forward to that,’ said Maddy. ‘I’ve never been to Blackpool.’
‘And then, before you know it, we’ll be back in Scarborough for our summer season. You’ll be back with your family for a while. I’m sure you must miss them all.’
‘Yes, I do,’ agreed Maddy.
‘Now, how about a spot of lunch before we catch the tram back? There’s a restaurant over there, see, beyond the trees. We won’t need much though, after that mammoth breakfast.’ They linked their arms in a friendly fashion as they made their way around the lake.
Chapter Four
‘T wo letters for us this morning,’ Faith Moon called out to her husband as she picked up the letters from the hall table, where their housekeeper, Mrs Baker, had placed them. ‘Well, only two that look interesting; the others look like official ones. Your department, my dear.’ She smiled at him as she entered the dining room where William was already seated at the table.
Faith’s children, the ten-year-old twins Thomas and Matilda – always known as Tommy and Tilly – had breakfasted earlier, in the kitchen, under the supervision of her elder daughter, Jessica. This was the routine they followed on weekdays – school days – as they needed to set off from home soon after eight-thirty. Jessie escorted the twins to their private school – although they insisted they were perfectly capable of going on their own – and saw them safely inside before going on to her daytime college. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, however, and at every evening meal, the whole family, six of them in all, dined together.
‘There you are,’ she said, handing him several of the envelopes. ‘The top
‘But now you’ve got Frank?’ Maddy ventured to ask.
‘Yes, indeed I have. And we are very good for one another. We don’t really care what people say. We know that what we have will last. We were close friends at first before anything else, and that’s always a good start.’
‘Are you going to get married?’ asked Maddy boldly.
‘All in good time,’ laughed Susannah. ‘He has a wife, you know, but he and Hilda – that’s her name – have gone their separate ways for years. She has a thriving second-hand clothes business in York. And their daughter, their only child, has just left home to get married. Frank’s a good ten years older than me, you know. Yes, we’ll tie the knot eventually… Now, I hope I have set your mind at rest, regarding the other problem?’
‘Yes…yes, thank you, you have.’
‘Did it have something to do with that stepbrother of yours? You sounded a bit cagey about him. I guess you regarded him as something rather more than a brother, didn’t you, Maddy?’
‘Yes, yes, you’re right. I did…’
‘Do you want to tell me about it? Only if you would like to.’
‘Oh, I would,’ replied Maddy. ‘It all went wrong last night…’ She explained about her feelings of love for him and how she thought they were reciprocated by Samuel. ‘But he just wanted to…you know. I realise now what it was he wanted to do; but I knew it was wrong, that I couldn’t. And he didn’t really love me at all… But I feel much better now, Susannah, really I do, after talking to you.’
‘It sounds to me as though he is not a very nice sort of young man,’ she replied. ‘You will know to keep out of his way.’
‘I may not have any choice. He said he’s going on an expedition fairly soon, to Peru.’
‘Good riddance then,’ said Susannah. ‘Don’t be too ready to lose your heart, Maddy. You may meet quite a few young men before you find the one who’s right for you. What you must do now is make up your mind to enjoy your time with the troupe. Don’t forget we’ll be in Blackpool in a few weeks’ time.’
‘Yes, I’m looking forward to that,’ said Maddy. ‘I’ve never been to Blackpool.’
‘And then, before you know it, we’ll be back in Scarborough for our summer season. You’ll be back with your family for a while. I’m sure you must miss them all.’
‘Yes, I do,’ agreed Maddy.
‘Now, how about a spot of lunch before we catch the tram back? There’s a restaurant over there, see, beyond the trees. We won’t need much though, after that mammoth breakfast.’ They linked their arms in a friendly fashion as they made their way around the lake.
Chapter Four
‘T wo letters for us this morning,’ Faith Moon called out to her husband as she picked up the letters from the hall table, where their housekeeper, Mrs Baker, had placed them. ‘Well, only two that look interesting; the others look like official ones. Your department, my dear.’ She smiled at him as she entered the dining room where William was already seated at the table.
Faith’s children, the ten-year-old twins Thomas and Matilda – always known as Tommy and Tilly – had breakfasted earlier, in the kitchen, under the supervision of her elder daughter, Jessica. This was the routine they followed on weekdays – school days – as they needed to set off from home soon after eight-thirty. Jessie escorted the twins to their private school – although they insisted they were perfectly capable of going on their own – and saw them safely inside before going on to her daytime college. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, however, and at every evening meal, the whole family, six of them in all, dined together.
‘There you are,’ she said, handing him several of the envelopes. ‘The top
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