Chapter Sixteen

‘Don’t be stupid, Seth,’ Olly said. ‘Of course you’re going to be there. You’re a client as well as a friend.’

‘I know that. But I’m still not going,’ Seth said.

Olly was inviting him to a dinner he was giving for his clients at Nase Head House, and he wasn’t going there – especially as Caroline was also going to be there. She’d told him as much. It wouldn’t be fair to Emma – he knew how she felt about him, and Caroline was bound to speak to him at some stage during the evening, wasn’t she? Discreetly, or under the cover of other people present. But Emma might see, and he didn’t want to hurt her anymore than he already had.

‘One excellent reason why not,’ Olly said. He called for the barman to pour another pint of ale into his and Seth’s tankards.

Seth was glad of the lull in the conversation – it gave him time to formulate his reply.

‘Because,’ Seth said, resuming their talk as the barman went to serve another customer and they were alone again with no one within earshot, ‘and this is strictly between you and me, I know you’ve invited Caroline Prentiss …’

‘I’m not sure I follow? I have invited her, yes, because I’ve built a boat for her father, and …’

‘Olly, stop. I’ve been seeing Caroline Prentiss. Discreetly.’

‘You should have said before. Older woman. Experienced. You dog. But for your information, I’ve done the seating plan now. And as it happens I’ve already seated you together. My thinking was you’re a single man, she’s a widow, so pure chance on my part …’

‘Well, undo it. I want to end things with Caroline.’

‘Ooooh, feathers will fly. I bet you’ve enjoyed the bits under the bedcovers, though?’ Olly laughed. He gave Seth a playful punch on the arm.

Seth shrugged. He didn’t have to answer that.

‘Anyway, like I said, the seating plan has gone to the hotel now. Couldn’t you do me a favour and turn up? It’s a bit late in the day for me to find a single male to sit beside the charming-the-pants-off-you Mrs Prentiss.’

‘I don’t know …’

‘You could tell her you want to end things, sotto voce, over the dessert,’ Olly said.

‘She’s going to love that,’ Seth said, unable to stop a smile from turning up the corners of his mouth.

‘So you’ll come. Good. Now, how about some mutton stew to go with this beer?’

‘Why not?’ Seth said, although he didn’t think he’d be able to swallow a mouthful. He only had himself to blame for the situation he was in, didn’t he? And therefore, he was the only one who could get himself out of it.

‘I don’t know I should be showing you this,’ Ruby said, rushing into Emma’s room. ‘And I’m certain you ain’t going to want to know. An’ if I gets caught up here instead of doing me work then I’m for the chop. Only I knows you’re sweet …’

‘What, Ruby?’ Honestly, Ruby could be so irritating at times. ‘What’s that you’ve got to show me?’

‘A card, Em,’ Ruby said. ‘Me and Stephen Bailey’ve been set to laying the place settings for Mr Underwood’s dinner …’

‘Why you? That’s Harry’s job.’

‘He’s gone sick, hasn’t he? The influenza. It’s all over town like a rash of measles. Well, up this side of the harbour it is. If Harry’s got it then we might all go down with it, and …’

‘Don’t be so dramatic, Ruby,’ Emma said, although inside she was terrified the influenza might rip through the hotel. She wasn’t fearful for herself so much, but for Isabelle – she was a baby still. ‘The card?’

Emma held out her hand, and with a sigh, Ruby placed the card on it.

Emma turned it over.

Fishcombe Marine Celebratory Dinner

Saturday, 10th December, 1910

Mr Seth Jago

‘But that’s not all, Em. Oh, I was so pleased at first to find it. I thought maybe you could be about and speak to him. But his card was right next to one with Mrs Caroline Prentiss’ name on it. Why is Seth sitting next to her? She’s a widow, so Stephen said, God only knows how he knows. I didn’t stop to ask.’ Ruby took a deep breath and prattled on. ‘Oh, Em, you like Seth, don’t you? I know you haven’t had a minute, not even on your half day, to see him, have you? Well, I’m guessing you haven’t ’cos you ain’t spoken to me much about him in a while. Is Seth seeing Mrs Prentiss now?’

Ruby seemed to have run out of things to say – or breath, or both.

So that was who Seth was seeing? Why would he have been seated next to Mrs Prentiss otherwise?

‘By the look on your face, if you didn’t know before you do now. And you don’t much like it. What’s he doing with her? She’s ancient.’

‘Ancient?’

‘At least thirty, I’d say. And Seth’s …’

‘I know how old Seth is, thank you.’

‘So did you know?’

‘I knew he was seeing someone,’ Emma said. She handed the place-setting card back to Ruby. ‘You’d better put this back where it belongs before someone notices it’s gone missing and comes looking for it. Now, run.’

Ruby ran.

And Emma put her head in her hands and let the tears come. It was going to be too much to see Seth with Mrs Prentiss.

‘Please, God,’ she sniffed, ‘if you’re listening, let me have a touch of Harry’s influenza by tonight. Just enough to be indisposed so I have to stay in my room. But not enough to kill me.’

God hadn’t been listening.

Or if He had, He’d given the influenza to the wrong person. Mr Bell. Emma had seen him being escorted to his room, coughing and spluttering and looking very poorly indeed, by Stephen Bailey.

When Mr Smythe came into Isabelle’s bedroom where Emma was settling the child for the night, she felt her stomach plummet to somewhere around her knees. She was dreading what Mr Smythe was going to say.

‘We must hope Isabelle falls asleep quickly, and stays sleeping,’ he said. ‘You see …’

‘Why?’ Emma said.

‘If you’d let me finish … Mr Bell is indisposed. I will need you to take his place this evening. I can’t ask you to wait at table because you haven’t been taught how. But you’ll be able to manage taking the coats easily enough, I’m sure. We have an important dinner. Clients of Fishcombe Marine.’

Emma already knew about that – Ruby had shown her the card, hadn’t she? Besides, she’d overheard two of the waiters debating how much they were likely to get in tips.

But on reception? The worst place she could possibly be. Everyone would come to the desk with their coats and she’d have to hand them a ticket then hang their coats in the cloakroom for them. Seth would be there.

‘Couldn’t Ruby do that and I’ll take over …’

‘No, she can’t, Emma. She isn’t the right sort of person to be on the reception desk. Besides, Cook tells me he needs her to help him today. I’ve already asked Grainger to keep an eye on the children. Get yourself down to reception. And be sharp about it.’

Emma thought about saying Isabelle wouldn’t be happy if she woke up hungry or wet or just needing a cuddle to find it wasn’t her or Ruby doing the cuddling, because Ruby had been detailed to be in the kitchen, but thought better of it. It wasn’t her place to sort the running of the hotel and Mr Smythe’s domestic arrangements.

Emma left the room – but sharpish it most certainly wasn’t. And she wouldn’t be rushing down to reception, either. The dinner guests wouldn’t be arriving for another hour. She had time to make herself look as good as she possibly could – let Seth see just what he was letting pass him by.

‘Mr Jago,’ Caroline said, sidling up to him, but not touching – her voice a purr. ‘I had no idea you’d be here.’

Seth had watched her weave her way through the throng of Olly’s guests, making her way to him. But subtly – she’d stopped to pass a word with this one and that. But now she was here.

And she didn’t sound in the least put out that he hadn’t told her he’d be attending Olly’s function. But Mr Jago indeed. In case anyone was to overhear, obviously.

‘Olly invited me. We’re friends. And he does repairs to my boats.’

‘I don’t need your reasons for being here chapter and verse. But seeing as you are here, you can make yourself useful,’ Caroline said. ‘You can take my fur to reception. I hate queueing for things. I see my parents are deep in conversation with some boor already.’ She turned sideways on to Seth and slipped her fox fur cape from one shoulder – the better for him to admire her milky flesh, no doubt.

Anxiously, Seth searched the doorways where staff were standing waiting to be called to do some task or other, looking for Emma, but couldn’t see her. He breathed a little more easily.

‘My fur.’ Caroline leaned towards him. ‘I don’t bite,’ she whispered. ‘At least, not in public.’

She made little gnawing gestures with her teeth that Seth hoped and prayed no one else had seen. He was regretting every second he’d spent with Caroline now.

‘Of course,’ Seth said. ‘Your fur. I’ll take it to reception. Ah, there’s your father. He’s walking this way with your mother. I’d better …’

‘Golly, Mr Jago, anyone would think you were nervous about a little dinner given by a carpenter.’

‘Boatbuilder,’ Seth corrected her. ‘Olly’s a boatbuilder. A master craftsman, in fact. You should know that, seeing as he’s so recently finished building a boat for your father.’

‘I stand corrected. Oh, there’s the waiter with the drinks. If you could just relieve me of my fur, I’ll go and stand over there and wait for him to glide by. I hope it’s good champagne,’ Caroline giggled, slipping her other shoulder from her cape. Seth took it, careful not to touch her. She seemed, Seth thought, to be totally unconcerned that people might think, from her action, they were well acquainted.

‘It will be,’ Seth said to Caroline’s retreating back. Olly might like a drink or two in the pubs, like many his age did, but he was an astute businessman as well.

He made his way across the foyer towards the reception desk and almost stopped breathing. Emma was behind the desk dealing with the coats. He hadn’t expected her to be there. How beautiful she looked. Wonderful even. He thought, in that moment, that his heart might burst with love for her, while at the same time wishing he was anywhere but waiting his turn. But his wishes would go unanswered.

‘Mr Jago,’ Emma said, holding out her hands towards him to take his coat and Caroline’s fur wrap when his turn came. ‘May I take those for you?’

Mr Jago? Well, of course she would have had to call him by his surname, but it still felt alien to him coming from Emma’s lips. How glorious and so very desirable, she looked – even in a plain white blouse and a black skirt. Her hair was shining under the lamp over the desk. Her skin glowed with health, and how good that was to see after all she’d been through. Her eyes glistened and he hoped that wasn’t with tears; that he wasn’t the cause of any distress. Did she know he was here with Caroline?

Stupid thought – he had two garments in his arms and one of them a woman’s. She’d know he was here with someone.

‘Thank you,’ Seth said.

Their hands touched for the briefest of moments as he handed over the coats.

‘You look beautiful,’ Seth said, sotto voce, when Emma turned around to face him again, and was heartened when a flush came to her cheeks and she put a hand to her left one. She tore two tickets from a small book and handed them to him.

‘You can return to Mrs Prentiss now,’ Emma said, coldly. ‘There are others waiting behind you.’

So she did know who he’d been seeing. She’d probably seen the seating plan Olly had handed in and put two and two together.

‘Of course,’ Seth said. He lowered his voice. ‘Might I speak to you later?’

He would tell her that this was a duty dinner for Olly. Tell her that this was definitely the last time he would be in Caroline’s company. Just seeing Emma told him where his heart really lay.

But Emma shook her head. ‘No,’ she said. ‘You may not. Please don’t ask me again.’

She stepped sideways behind the desk, turned her smile on the next guest. He’d been dismissed.