Rome? Were you serious? Bea said that you weren’t. That you’d only said it because of Hanson.’
‘I did.’ Daniel buttoned up his jacket. ‘But I’ve been thinking about it since and I would like to go. I promised Granny Rosie when I was young, although I don’t suppose she’d hold me to it.’
‘Promised her what?’ Charles bent down and picked up a bag of nails.
‘To go and look for my grandfather. It’s complicated. She said he was a seaman, from abroad, but she doesn’t know where. Somewhere hot, at any rate.’
‘But if she doesn’t know where, how will you ever find him? The world is huge!’
‘Don’t know,’ Daniel said. ‘But if I needed an excuse to travel, then I have one, and,’ he wrinkled his nose, ‘I’d like to know more about my birth father’s family. He wasn’t really a Tuke – my ma said that Granny Ellen brought Noah up because Granny Rosie wasn’t able to. I think,’ he said confidingly, ‘that she probably wasn’t married to my grandfather.’
‘Ah!’ Charles said meaningfully. ‘So what you’re saying is that your birth father was born out of wedlock to an unknown foreigner?’ They set off up the field towards the house, and he murmured, ‘How very interesting. So you think that you might travel to look for him?’ He glanced at Daniel, who appeared to be pondering on the subject, and added, ‘And if you decide that you will, do you think you could wait until I’ve left school, because I really would like to come with you.’
Daniel blew a silent whistle. ‘Would your parents allow it? To travel with me?’
His face broke into a grin and Charles felt a fleeting surge of envy. He was so handsome, dammit, even he could see it and he was sure that Beatrice did; she was always dreamy after being with him. ‘Why not with you?’ he asked.
‘Well, I’d have thought that they’d rather you went with some of your chums from school,’ Daniel answered. ‘Not a farmer’s labourer like me.’
‘I thought you were a farmer’s son, just like me,’ Charles said laconically. ‘Is there a difference?’
‘You know very well there is. Your father isn’t a farmer, he’s a landowner. Come on,’ Daniel urged. ‘Let’s get a move on, or there’ll be no grub left – sorry, old fellow , I mean luncheon.’
‘Wouldn’t it be marvellous if we could go together?’ Charles continued. ‘We’d have such a great time, no parents to say what we should be doing or what path we should be taking.’
Daniel frowned. ‘Mine don’t,’ he said. ‘Although I suppose they took it for granted I’d join Da and Tom at the farm, as I did too. But don’t mention it yet. I need to think it through and talk to Granny Rosie.’
Charles was curious about Daniel’s natural father, probably more than Daniel was. ‘Are you like your father – in looks, I mean?’
They opened the gate into the yard and secured it behind them. Daniel leaned on it and looked back over the meadow. There was still a rime of frost shimmering on the surface, which probably wouldn’t clear all day. ‘I don’t know,’ he answered. ‘I was only a week or so old when he drowned in ’estuary. I suppose I look like him; I don’t look like ’rest of ’family, do I? You’ve onny to look at my sisters and Joseph to know they belong to Fletcher. Lenny looks like Ma, though,’ he added. ‘Although she says he’s the spit of one of her brothers.’
‘I didn’t know you had any uncles,’ Charles remarked. ‘Do you ever see them?’
Daniel shook his head and turned towards the house. ‘I think they were lost at sea when she was young.’ An idea struck him. ‘I’d never thought o’ that. Mebbe that’s why I’ve got this feeling about going to sea, cos of Ma’s family and nothing to do wi’ my grandfather at all.’
‘How lucky you are to have such a diverse family,’ Charles said. ‘Mine is quite ordinary in comparison.’
CHAPTER NINE
Fletcher took the horse and trap down
‘I did.’ Daniel buttoned up his jacket. ‘But I’ve been thinking about it since and I would like to go. I promised Granny Rosie when I was young, although I don’t suppose she’d hold me to it.’
‘Promised her what?’ Charles bent down and picked up a bag of nails.
‘To go and look for my grandfather. It’s complicated. She said he was a seaman, from abroad, but she doesn’t know where. Somewhere hot, at any rate.’
‘But if she doesn’t know where, how will you ever find him? The world is huge!’
‘Don’t know,’ Daniel said. ‘But if I needed an excuse to travel, then I have one, and,’ he wrinkled his nose, ‘I’d like to know more about my birth father’s family. He wasn’t really a Tuke – my ma said that Granny Ellen brought Noah up because Granny Rosie wasn’t able to. I think,’ he said confidingly, ‘that she probably wasn’t married to my grandfather.’
‘Ah!’ Charles said meaningfully. ‘So what you’re saying is that your birth father was born out of wedlock to an unknown foreigner?’ They set off up the field towards the house, and he murmured, ‘How very interesting. So you think that you might travel to look for him?’ He glanced at Daniel, who appeared to be pondering on the subject, and added, ‘And if you decide that you will, do you think you could wait until I’ve left school, because I really would like to come with you.’
Daniel blew a silent whistle. ‘Would your parents allow it? To travel with me?’
His face broke into a grin and Charles felt a fleeting surge of envy. He was so handsome, dammit, even he could see it and he was sure that Beatrice did; she was always dreamy after being with him. ‘Why not with you?’ he asked.
‘Well, I’d have thought that they’d rather you went with some of your chums from school,’ Daniel answered. ‘Not a farmer’s labourer like me.’
‘I thought you were a farmer’s son, just like me,’ Charles said laconically. ‘Is there a difference?’
‘You know very well there is. Your father isn’t a farmer, he’s a landowner. Come on,’ Daniel urged. ‘Let’s get a move on, or there’ll be no grub left – sorry, old fellow , I mean luncheon.’
‘Wouldn’t it be marvellous if we could go together?’ Charles continued. ‘We’d have such a great time, no parents to say what we should be doing or what path we should be taking.’
Daniel frowned. ‘Mine don’t,’ he said. ‘Although I suppose they took it for granted I’d join Da and Tom at the farm, as I did too. But don’t mention it yet. I need to think it through and talk to Granny Rosie.’
Charles was curious about Daniel’s natural father, probably more than Daniel was. ‘Are you like your father – in looks, I mean?’
They opened the gate into the yard and secured it behind them. Daniel leaned on it and looked back over the meadow. There was still a rime of frost shimmering on the surface, which probably wouldn’t clear all day. ‘I don’t know,’ he answered. ‘I was only a week or so old when he drowned in ’estuary. I suppose I look like him; I don’t look like ’rest of ’family, do I? You’ve onny to look at my sisters and Joseph to know they belong to Fletcher. Lenny looks like Ma, though,’ he added. ‘Although she says he’s the spit of one of her brothers.’
‘I didn’t know you had any uncles,’ Charles remarked. ‘Do you ever see them?’
Daniel shook his head and turned towards the house. ‘I think they were lost at sea when she was young.’ An idea struck him. ‘I’d never thought o’ that. Mebbe that’s why I’ve got this feeling about going to sea, cos of Ma’s family and nothing to do wi’ my grandfather at all.’
‘How lucky you are to have such a diverse family,’ Charles said. ‘Mine is quite ordinary in comparison.’
CHAPTER NINE
Fletcher took the horse and trap down
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