Read Online Band of Gold by Deborah Challinor - Free Book Online
Authors: Deborah Challinor
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butcher?’
‘Yes, six months after you left. And produced a child exactly nine months later. Each to her own, I suppose.’
When Rian had sent Kitty to Auckland to keep her out of harm’s way during the Northern War in New Zealand in 1845, Kitty had boarded with a widow named Mrs Fleming. Hattie Whelan and Flora Langford had also been lodgers.
‘And I left just after that , ’ Flora continued, transferring a piece of cake onto a plate and reaching for a fork.
This time Kitty’s eyebrows went up.
‘I had to,’ Flora said flatly. ‘One of my “gentlemen” decided he wanted to marry me.’
‘Not your Mr McRae?’
‘No, not Mr McRae. I made it clear that I had no interest in being a married woman, but he was very persistent. And then he became rather unpleasant, pointing out that were our affair to become public, I would have more to lose. He was quite correct, of course. He was a single man, after all, whereas I would be revealed to all and sundry as a harlot. Which, as you know, I was. Not an ideal situation in a town as small as Auckland. So I left New Zealand.’ Flora sipped her tea, then relaxed back in her chair. ‘You’re looking very well, Kitty. Married life must suit you. Or is it the bracing sea air?’
‘Both. I do love the sea, but Rian is my life.’
‘Still?’ Flora looked surprised. ‘How extraordinary.’
‘Well, what about your husband, Mr McRae? Did you not love him?’
‘Not really.’
‘Then why did you marry him?’
‘I know, I always said I wouldn’t be a wife, didn’t I? But he was extremely wealthy, if somewhat elderly.’ Flora met Kitty’s gaze steadily. ‘And then, of course, he died. A tragedy.’
‘And left you all his money?’
‘Yes.’
Kitty fleetingly felt sorry for poor, deceased Mr McRae, then gave a mental shrug: Flora’s business was her own.
‘And how is that child of yours, Amber? Still wild? Or do you have a great brood of them now?’
‘No, just Amber. And, no, she’s not still wild. Well, not often.’ Kitty smiled. ‘I think you’d like her, Flora. She’s very, well, shall we say, independent? And rather clever.’
‘She wouldn’t remember me, I’m sure.’
‘I think she would. She remembers Mrs Fleming and Hattie. Why don’t you come and visit us?’
‘Perhaps. Tell me, Kitty, I’ve always wondered this, how did yourhusband take to being told he had suddenly become guardian to a little street urchin?’
‘Father, Flora, not guardian.’
‘I would have thought it would be the last thing a dyed-in-the-wool sea trader and part-time smuggler would want to hear.’
‘It was, and to be honest he wasn’t pleased at first. But then there was all the other trouble and by the time that was over he’d decided he quite liked her. Now he adores her.’
Flora took a bite from her slice of cake, then made a face and put it back on the plate. ‘Lard, not butter. What trouble was that?’
Kitty blew out her cheeks, not ashamed of what she was about to impart, but not exactly proud either. ‘When we arrived back at the Bay of Islands, after we left Auckland, Simon, Amber and I went off to look for Rian. And Amber was stolen, by a woman who’d been our housegirl at Paihia when I first went out to New Zealand. Her name was Amiria. Anyway, I followed them and when I caught up with them I…well, I had to kill her to get Amber back.’
There was a short silence, then Flora said mildly, ‘You do surprise me, Kitty’, in a tone that suggested no surprise at all. ‘Well, these things are sent to try us, I suppose. Oh dear, that was trite, wasn’t it?’ She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. ‘And what happened to Mr Bullock? Is he still in New Zealand filling native children’s heads with religious rubbish?’
‘No, he isn’t, actually. He left the church and he’s been sailing with us since, well, since we last saw you.’
‘As a seaman? Really? I’d rather gained the impression he wouldn’t have the fortitude for
‘Yes, six months after you left. And produced a child exactly nine months later. Each to her own, I suppose.’
When Rian had sent Kitty to Auckland to keep her out of harm’s way during the Northern War in New Zealand in 1845, Kitty had boarded with a widow named Mrs Fleming. Hattie Whelan and Flora Langford had also been lodgers.
‘And I left just after that , ’ Flora continued, transferring a piece of cake onto a plate and reaching for a fork.
This time Kitty’s eyebrows went up.
‘I had to,’ Flora said flatly. ‘One of my “gentlemen” decided he wanted to marry me.’
‘Not your Mr McRae?’
‘No, not Mr McRae. I made it clear that I had no interest in being a married woman, but he was very persistent. And then he became rather unpleasant, pointing out that were our affair to become public, I would have more to lose. He was quite correct, of course. He was a single man, after all, whereas I would be revealed to all and sundry as a harlot. Which, as you know, I was. Not an ideal situation in a town as small as Auckland. So I left New Zealand.’ Flora sipped her tea, then relaxed back in her chair. ‘You’re looking very well, Kitty. Married life must suit you. Or is it the bracing sea air?’
‘Both. I do love the sea, but Rian is my life.’
‘Still?’ Flora looked surprised. ‘How extraordinary.’
‘Well, what about your husband, Mr McRae? Did you not love him?’
‘Not really.’
‘Then why did you marry him?’
‘I know, I always said I wouldn’t be a wife, didn’t I? But he was extremely wealthy, if somewhat elderly.’ Flora met Kitty’s gaze steadily. ‘And then, of course, he died. A tragedy.’
‘And left you all his money?’
‘Yes.’
Kitty fleetingly felt sorry for poor, deceased Mr McRae, then gave a mental shrug: Flora’s business was her own.
‘And how is that child of yours, Amber? Still wild? Or do you have a great brood of them now?’
‘No, just Amber. And, no, she’s not still wild. Well, not often.’ Kitty smiled. ‘I think you’d like her, Flora. She’s very, well, shall we say, independent? And rather clever.’
‘She wouldn’t remember me, I’m sure.’
‘I think she would. She remembers Mrs Fleming and Hattie. Why don’t you come and visit us?’
‘Perhaps. Tell me, Kitty, I’ve always wondered this, how did yourhusband take to being told he had suddenly become guardian to a little street urchin?’
‘Father, Flora, not guardian.’
‘I would have thought it would be the last thing a dyed-in-the-wool sea trader and part-time smuggler would want to hear.’
‘It was, and to be honest he wasn’t pleased at first. But then there was all the other trouble and by the time that was over he’d decided he quite liked her. Now he adores her.’
Flora took a bite from her slice of cake, then made a face and put it back on the plate. ‘Lard, not butter. What trouble was that?’
Kitty blew out her cheeks, not ashamed of what she was about to impart, but not exactly proud either. ‘When we arrived back at the Bay of Islands, after we left Auckland, Simon, Amber and I went off to look for Rian. And Amber was stolen, by a woman who’d been our housegirl at Paihia when I first went out to New Zealand. Her name was Amiria. Anyway, I followed them and when I caught up with them I…well, I had to kill her to get Amber back.’
There was a short silence, then Flora said mildly, ‘You do surprise me, Kitty’, in a tone that suggested no surprise at all. ‘Well, these things are sent to try us, I suppose. Oh dear, that was trite, wasn’t it?’ She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. ‘And what happened to Mr Bullock? Is he still in New Zealand filling native children’s heads with religious rubbish?’
‘No, he isn’t, actually. He left the church and he’s been sailing with us since, well, since we last saw you.’
‘As a seaman? Really? I’d rather gained the impression he wouldn’t have the fortitude for
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