Chapter Eighteen

Over the next few weeks Kitty tried to rid her mind of thoughts of Rufe and focused instead on the baby growing inside her. A new life dependent on her for its wellbeing, a tiny creature to love and nurture and consider above all else. She took long walks daily and immersed herself in the peace and beauty that surrounded her on every side, drawing it around her like a protective cloak.

William became solicitous of her welfare, and he no longer flew into rages. When the time came for them to leave for Sydney, she had achieved a state of, if not happiness, at least of calmness and acceptance.

****

“Well now, my dear, this is most pleasing, isn’t it?” William smiled appreciatively as he looked around the suite of rooms he had reserved in Adams Hotel. “We’ll be quite comfortable here.”

Kitty nodded. “Yes, we will, and it’s not far from the shops I’ll need to visit to buy what we need.”

“Quite so. And when you’re going out, the doorman will summon a cab for you. And now my dear, I think you should rest until teatime. The trip must have tired you.”

“I could do with a short spell before I go shopping.”

“No, no, you mustn’t start shopping until tomorrow. That will be soon enough. You must rest for today. You need to take care of yourself. And my son.”

Kitty was touched by his solicitude. “Very well. I’ll take your advice. Tomorrow will be soon enough to start.”

“Good.” He patted her shoulder as she sank into a chair. “I’m going out for a while. I’ll walk around to my club. If I’m not back by teatime, you have your mother to keep you company.”

Kitty nodded again, amused by his stratagem to make sure she could not complain of being left alone while he spent the days at his club. But it suited them all.

The next morning Kitty and Bella visited Farmers store and made their way to the baby’s department.

They were met at the entrance to the department by a dapper little man with a luxuriant moustache and a gold watch chain draped across his waistcoat.

“Good morning, ladies, in what way may I help you?” he asked.

“I am looking for a complete baby’s layette,” Kitty responded.

“Certainly.” He beamed. “Please come this way.”

He led the way across the wide timber floorboards to a long counter, its cedar top polished to a gleaming brilliance, where he indicated two bentwood chairs placed conveniently alongside the counter.

“Please be seated and I’ll have Miss Simpson attend to you.” He raised his hand to a rather prim looking woman at the other end of the counter who was engaged in unpacking tiny garments and placing them in the drawers of polished timber that lined the wall behind.

“Yes, Mr. Roberts?” she enquired, coming toward them.

“This lady, Mrs.…?” he turned to Kitty.

“Barron,” she supplied.

“Mrs. Barron wishes to see a complete baby layette. You will see that she has everything she requires.”

“Certainly, Mr. Roberts.” He moved away and she turned to her customers, the smile lighting up her face, totally banishing her stern look. “We have some lovely things for baby. Shall we start with the basics first?”

“I think that would be best, don’t you, Mother?”

Bella nodded. “Yes, after that we can see the more interesting things.”

They spent the next few hours happily examining the vast array of baby goods available, with Miss Simpson tirelessly displaying all the different choices for them.

“It’s a shame we don’t know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl, we don’t know whether to choose pink or blue trimming,” Kitty lamented.

“Best stick to plain white,” Bella advised, “it’s safest.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

By lunchtime they had chosen several dresses of finest lawn, half a dozen flannelette nightgowns, ribbed cotton singlets, and napkins, knitted matinee jackets, bonnets, and booties.

Kitty picked up a shawl made from soft, lacy wool, so fine it seemed almost like cobwebs.

“It is nice to have something so fine and lovely,” Miss Simpson put the shawl with the growing pile of items. “Now, for a change, perhaps you’d like to see a perambulator? We’ve just received a shipment of the very latest design from England.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Miss Simpson came out pushing a perambulator. “Isn’t this stylish?” she asked, turning it around in circles for them to study it fully.

Kitty admired the elegant gray coachwork, the gold lines traced to follow the outline of its shape, and its high wheels with radiating spokes.

“I must say it’s very handsome, but could I use it in Bulahdelah? We don’t have smooth roads like here in Sydney, you know.”

“It’s very well sprung, just like a carriage,” and the sales lady pointed out the sturdy leather straps as she bounced it up and down. “I’m sure your husband would be proud to push the little one around in this.”

Kitty giggled at the picture of William pushing the elegant perambulator around the tracks of Redwoods, striving to maintain his dignity as he maneuvered over the ruts. “I’ll take it,” she said. “We still have to choose a christening robe, and some nursery furniture, but this is enough for today. We’ll come back, probably tomorrow. If I give you our details can you arrange to have it all delivered to our home in Bulahdelah?” Kitty asked.

“Yes.”

Kitty gave the address to the sales lady, who carefully wrote it down. “Thank you, Miss Simpson. We’ll see you again soon.” Turning, she slipped her arm through her mother’s with a smile. “Come on then, we’ll go and have lunch.” As they left the department, Kitty’s heart felt lighter than it had for some time.

Turning to their right as they reached the footpath, she released Bella’s arm to walk in single file as they passed a group of lads clustered around a street seller with hot pies. Her attention taken by avoiding the noisy bunch, she took no notice of a man approaching in the opposite direction until he stopped, barring her way as he stared at her, his lips twisted in a smirk.

“Well, well, now. If it isn’t Charlotte Morland. What a surprise. So this is where you’ve been hiding. Across the other side of the world. No wonder we couldn’t find you.”

Kitty stopped dead, her heart hammering. Only at the Arnolds had she ever been called Charlotte, Kitty being deemed too frivolous for a governess.

The man’s hand reached out to grasp her arm in a steely grip. “But I’ve found you now, haven’t I?”

Kitty stared, barely able to breathe, into the face of Craddock, George Arnold’s manservant. Her blood turned cold as she stared into a face she had never thought to see again. How could it be? Craddock was twelve thousand miles away, back in Knightsbridge. How could he be here, here in Sydney? This must be some kind of apparition. But the hand that gripped her arm was squeezing her flesh; it was real.

Her blood went cold. William was here in Sydney. What if he came upon Craddock, what if he learned of her past? All this flashed through her mind in the seconds that she gazed spellbound at the man grasping her arm. She blinked. She must bluff her way out of this.

Haughtily she drew herself up and shook her arm, with Craddock’s hand clamped firmly to it. “Let me go, you ruffian, or I’ll call the police.” Her voice dripped ice as she glared into his eyes. “How dare you accost me in this manner? I have no idea what you are talking about. I am Mrs. William Barron, daughter-in-law of Sir Alexander Barron.” She pushed at his hand with her free hand. “Get away from me before I have you arrested, you hooligan.”

A flash of indecision crossed the man’s face and he removed his hand from Kitty’s arm, but he made no move to stand aside and let her pass. His eyes narrowed as looked at her.

“So. Mrs. William Barron, are you?” Slowly he savored the words. “You might be now, but you were Charlotte Morland before you married, weren’t you? Late of London, England.” He looked her up and down, taking in her fashionable clothes. “Looks like you’ve done all right for yourself, too, by the look of you. Come up in the world since you were a governess, hey?”

Kitty’s stomach turned nervous somersaults but she forced herself to appear calm. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. If you do not stand aside and let me pass, I shall call for the police.” She tried to push past him but he barred her way and once again grasped her arm.

“I don’t think you’ll call the police.” His mouth twisted in a contemptuous sneer. “You’d be too frightened of what I could tell them. About certain items that went missing, after I saw you leaving the master’s study, and just before you left the house and disappeared. Oh yes, I think they’d be mighty interested in that.”

Kitty swallowed at the lump that seemed to be constricting her throat. “You have obviously mistaken me for someone else,” she said coldly. “Sir Alexander is a very influential man. I don’t believe he’d take kindly to having his daughter-in-law falsely accused of, whatever it is, that you believe this Charlotte person has done.”

“So, part of the aristocracy now, are you? Well, I’ll say this for you, you’ve got guts trying to bluff your way out of this, but you don’t fool me. I’d know you anywhere. However”—he looked at her speculatively—“you might come in handy to me. So I’ll let you go for now. Could be that I’ll need a favor done one day, and you might be able to help me. Both me and Mr. Arnold. Yes, could be. You’d like to help him, wouldn’t you? Make up to him for what you stole from him that night. Yes.” He nodded. “Where do you live?” he suddenly barked.

Kitty recoiled. “I have no intention of telling you where I live. Now, let me pass.”

“You won’t be hard to find. You can expect a visit from me one day. I won’t bother to let you know when I’m coming, I’ll just turn up.” Craddock released her arm and stood aside, smiling unpleasantly. “That’ll give you something to look forward to.”

Kitty turned to Bella, who had been standing as if turned to stone behind her. “Come, Mother,” she said imperiously. “Let us leave this madman and go about our business.” And she swept past him, Bella trailing behind, white faced and wordless.

As Kitty held her head high and strode along the street, she did not look back. The blood thundered in her ears, and she felt as if her legs must give way but she marched on until she reached the next corner, where she turned. Then she stopped and waited for Bella, who looked as if she was about to faint. Kitty took her arm without a word and led her along the footpath to where a sign announced ‘Tearooms’. They went inside and Kitty found them a table for two in a corner, sat Bella down, and collapsed into the seat opposite her.

Bella slumped forward in her chair, her trembling hand pressed to her mouth, her eyes wide and staring in a face drained of blood. A low moan, scarcely louder than a sigh, came through her fingers.

Kitty leaned over and gently took her hand from her face and placed it on the table in front of them, then covered it with her own and spoke softly. “It’s all right, it’ll be all right, I promise you. Even if he didn’t believe me, he won’t be able to find us. How would he ever think of us being in Bulahdelah?” She shook Bella’s hand gently. “Come on now, Mother. Calm down. Take some deep breaths and listen to me.” Kitty breathed deeply, finding the effort of trying to soothe Bella had a calming effect on herself. “As you always said, nobody is going to accuse one of Sir Alexander Barron’s family of any wrong without being certain of their facts. And it would only be Craddock’s word against mine.”

If only she could be as sure of that as she was telling her mother she was. But the words penetrated Bella’s consciousness and her face relaxed a little. She gave a shuddering gasp and her chest rose and fell as she started to breathe more evenly.

At that moment, a waitress appeared by the table, ready to take their order. Kitty let go of Bella’s hand and looked up.

“A large pot of strong tea, please, and yes, I think some sandwiches, a plate of mixed sandwiches. Is that all right with you, Mother?” When Bella nodded she continued, surprised to hear her voice sounding normal. “Thank you, that will be all we need for now.”

When they were alone again, Bella took a deep breath. “Who was that man?” she asked.

“It was Craddock, George Arnold’s manservant. He worked in the house at the same time I was there.”

“He said he saw you, that night. Did he?”

Kitty remembered her fancy that she saw the downstairs door closing as she paused by the stairs. Could Craddock have been there, or was he bluffing?

“I suppose it is possible he saw me leave the study. But that would be all. Nothing else.” She shook her head with certainty. “No. Absolutely not.”

“But if he says that…”

“It would be his word against mine.”

“But, then, William would know…” her voice trailed off.

Kitty swallowed, imagining how he would react. She spoke sharply. “Mother, that’s enough. I’m William’s wife. The mother of his child. You know William. Do you really think he would take the word of a servant above mine?”

“No, I suppose not…”

“Of course he wouldn’t.”

“Perhaps not. But he wouldn’t be happy. He’d make it hard for you.”

“Now you’re looking at things that might never happen, and probably never will. Remember, Craddock has to find us first, and then go all the way up there. For what? What could he gain by it?”

“He said you might be able to help him.”

“Help him do what? Come on now; let’s not worry about some nebulous threat that’s probably without any foundation. Let’s try and forget about the unpleasant incident.” Kitty had the satisfaction of seeing a tinge of color creep back into Bella’s face.

At that moment, their tea and sandwiches arrived and Kitty filled their cups. Only a slight tremor of her hand betrayed that she spoke with a certainty she wasn’t feeling. She couldn’t forget Craddock’s vindictiveness to her when she worked in the Arnold household.

****

Craddock waited patiently, seemingly engrossed in the newspaper he was reading as he lounged outside the newsagent’s shop where he could watch the door to the tearooms where Kitty and Bella were having lunch. She might well be useful to him in the future and he meant to find out more about her present circumstances and where she lived. She was a gutsy bitch all right, thinking she could bluff him into thinking he was mistaken in knowing her, but he’d recognized her straight away. His hand went to his cheek and he touched where she had scratched him on the night of the ball. He had good reason to remember her.

He’d seen her coming out of the study on the night the diamonds were stolen. But by the time he learned of the theft, she was well and truly gone, and unable to be found. And now George Arnold had sent him to Sydney to help his cousin Thomas develop the Australian side of the business, the same business that had been so lucrative in South Africa. His own experience in working with George would be invaluable to his cousin, who was somewhat a novice in the game.

He peered out from behind his paper as Kitty and Bella emerged from the tearooms and set off down the street, and then tucked it under his arm and followed behind at a discreet distance. He came closer as they approached a cab waiting at a curb, then stopped and turned to gaze into a shop window.

“Adams Hotel, please,” he heard Kitty say to the driver.

He waited until they had gone before turning around and hailing a passing cab. Alighting at Adams Hotel, Craddock made his way inside. Kitty and her mother were not to be seen. He would have to take a chance and hope they were staying here. He removed his hat and approached the reception desk. He cleared his throat softly and twisted his hat in his hands, giving a small apologetic smile to the young woman standing behind it.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I hope you might be able to. I fear I’ve just missed Mrs. Barron and her mother, have I?”

“Yes, they’ve just gone to their rooms.”

“Oh, dear. I feel such a fool.” He made a wry face. “The ladies have been shopping and they ordered some goods to be delivered to their home address. Like a fool, I only took this address, and I don’t know where to send their parcel. I wonder if you could possibly give it to me so I don’t have to let them know how stupid I am.”

She hesitated a moment. “Well, I’m not really supposed to give out information about guests, but as it’s only an address for a delivery, I suppose it couldn’t do any harm.”

Craddock gave her an engaging smile. “It would really help me. My boss won’t be happy if he knows I made such a stupid mistake.”

She smiled back. “Well, don’t tell anyone I told you, will you?”

“Of course not.”

“It’s Redwoods, at Bulahdelah. On the Myall River, so you’ll be able to send your parcel by steamer.”

“Bulahdelah. That’s up north, isn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s about fifty miles north of Newcastle.”

“Thank you so much.”

Once outside he rubbed his hands together with satisfaction. What a stroke of luck. In that district he would certainly be able to make use of Kitty. With gold strikes at Copeland and Whispering Gully, a safe bolthole for the gang, not too far from the diggings, would be very useful. He would lose no time in finding out her circumstances in Bulahdelah.

****

Kitty tried to cut short their stay by telling William that the shopping was completed; however, it seemed William was enjoying himself, spending all his days at his club, and didn’t want to leave early.

She knew it was no use trying to change his mind. Twice more, she and Bella visited Farmers store to complete their shopping, going both ways by cab, but they felt afraid to wander around Sydney in case they ran into Craddock again, so spent the rest of the time in the hotel.

The trip back to Bulahdelah seemed interminable. Although Kitty’s back ached as the carriage jolted its way toward Stroud, she was grateful for every extra mile it put between her and Sydney. She breathed a deep sigh of relief as she finally stepped through the doorway at Redwoods, but she still feared that somehow Craddock might find her. However, as the days grew into weeks and nothing happened, her fear gradually grew less.