Whispering (23 page)

‘No,' said Caterina. ‘No, I don't think I could do that.'

‘Then you must most certainly warn Mr Craddock.'

‘But it will mean telling him –'

‘Yes, it will. I think you owe him that, don't you? And after all, Cat, face it: everyone is going to know about little Lewis soon enough. When the old lady and her lawyers go into action they are bound to name you as his mother. I do think it would be civil to tell Jeremy Craddock first.'

‘Of course I must.' She remembered that he had begun by asking her in all earnest to marry him. ‘You're right; I've not had
time to think.' She raised her voice to summon a servant. ‘When Mr Craddock leaves my father's study bring him in here please.'

‘But he has already left,
minha senhora
. And your father wishes to see you.'

The interview had gone badly from the start. Senhor Gomez had been closeted with Father Pedro and had refused to see Jeremy alone. He had then listened to the young man's rather stilted proposal in stony silence, and had exchanged a long, questioning look with Father Pedro before he spoke. ‘It is usual, I believe, for the young lady to say that a proposal of marriage has surprised her, but this time I am the one who is amazed. What will Miss Emerson have to say about it? You may think that I live isolated here, but this does not mean that I am quite unaware of what is going on in town.'

‘I am sure you are well informed.' With a speaking glance for Father Pedro. ‘And by tomorrow you will know that the Emersons are booked to leave for the United States on the
Washington
this Saturday. I plead guilty to some folly in that quarter, but it is over,
senhor
.'

‘And more profitable councils have prevailed? A pity Miss Emerson did not manage to cure you before she decided to leave us. I need a man for a son-in-law, Mr Craddock, not a cripple with the falling sickness.'

‘But –' What could he say? He was caught in his own net. ‘I have been perfectly well since I have been here in Oporto.' Which was true enough.

‘Under the tender ministrations of Miss Emerson? And you think, now it suits you, to come straight from her arms to my daughter's. I hope I am too good a father to permit that, Mr Craddock. I have quite other plans for Caterina.'

‘I know,' said Jeremy. ‘She told me. And they are monstrous, sir. That is why I made bold to offer myself sooner than I would otherwise have dared to do, after what I confess was my folly over Miss Emerson.'

‘And that is why she took you.' Father Pedro spoke for the first time, though Jeremy had felt him in implicit control of the conversation throughout.

‘Maybe,' said Jeremy. ‘But what is that to the purpose? You gave her the choice of marriage or the silent order, sir.' He spoke directly to Gomez. ‘And this is her answer. Do you propose to go back on your given word?'

‘It was I, not Senhor Gomez, who put the proposition to his daughter,' said Father Pedro.

‘And that lets Senhor Gomez out? What kind of sophistry is that? And do you, I wonder, stand to gain from it?' He looked from one man to the other and saw that he was right. ‘I tell you both that I consider myself engaged to Miss Gomez, with or without your consent, sir. As her fiancé, I will fight any attempt to incarcerate her with the silent sisters. The Bishop of Oporto, I know, is her godfather … I mean to return to England shortly, and should be proud and happy to take her with me, as my affianced bride, to stay with our mutual grandmother, until I can provide a fitting home for her.'

‘Brave words,' said Father Pedro.

‘Believe that I mean them.' And the odd thing was that it was true.

‘I have listened to enough of this ranting.' Gomez's hand was on the bell-pull. ‘Tonio, show Mr Craddock out. He will not be admitted again.'

The great door slammed behind him. Too late, Jeremy wished he had insisted on seeing Caterina again, but he had been too angry to think straight. He was still trying to marshal his furious thoughts when he reached the marketplace. He paused for a moment to catch his breath and watch the women packing up their wares for the day. He had committed himself to so much, and yet got nowhere. And what in the world was he going to do now?

First, he thought, he must write to the Bishop of Oporto. That had been no idle threat; he well remembered with what affection Caterina had spoken of him on their happy voyage out. And then, he must look a little into the affairs of the firm of Gomez,
Sanchez and Brown. Something Joe Camo had said had made him wonder whether they, like the Wares, might not have been hard hit by the years of war. It seemed all too likely when once he started really thinking about it. But this brought him to another problem. Was he going to declare his interest to Camo? And should he not consult Caterina first? He wished more than ever now that he had not let that door shut behind him, but it was too late for that kind of afterthought. Anyway, the answer was obvious. The more widely news of their engagement was spread, the greater the protection for Caterina.

‘Craddock.' Was it the second time his name had been spoken? He looked up and saw Major Dickson, his arms full of bundles.

‘Dickson! What in the world are you doing here?'

‘Buying fruit at a price I can afford. I enjoy this market. It's a pity the prices they charge our troops are so much higher. But what's the news with you, Craddock? Are you on your way to dine at the Factory?' They had fallen into step side by side as they crossed the emptying marketplace.

‘Maybe. I hadn't thought.' Here was a chance to tell his tale, and perhaps to learn something too. He knew Dickson for a man very much at the centre of things. ‘I've just come from the Gomez house,' he went on. ‘Congratulate me, Dickson, I am the happiest of men. Miss Gomez has said she will be my wife.' There, it was out, and he was glad.

‘Goodness gracious.' Dickson suddenly sounded very Scots. ‘I do congratulate you, Craddock. But –' a pause, ‘with her father's consent?'

‘No, there's the rub. I've just been shown the door and told not to come back.'

‘Drastic,' said Dickson. ‘And odd, surely. I thought the word in town was that he fetched her over just so as to get himself a biddable son-in-law. Excuse me –'

‘No need to apologise. Lord knows I have made such a public fool of myself, here in Oporto, I must seem like anyone's tool. But evidently not one Gomez wants –'

‘So something has happened to change his views. I wonder what.'

They had left the marketplace now and plunged into the tangle of lanes that led down to the English Factory and the quay. ‘Has it struck you, Craddock, that we are so busy fighting our own war that we tend to forget just how hard things are here in Oporto? Those market women are close to starvation, many of them. It's hard not to buy from all of them, and the prices are absurd. It can hardly be worth their walking in from their hovels in the country round, but they do it just the same. And their men just as desperate. I don't altogether like the feel of things here. And if things are so bad at the grassroots, who knows what is going on higher up? Maybe Gomez doesn't feel his affairs can stand up to the inquisitive eye of a prospective son-in-law.'

‘And proposes to shuffle his daughter off to the silent sisters before she starts asking awkward questions!' exclaimed Jeremy. ‘That's what he plans, you know, the day after the Wares' party.'

‘Monstrous,' said Dickson. ‘We can't let that happen. What do you plan to do?'

‘I thought I'd write to the Bishop of Oporto.' It sounded absurdly inadequate as he said it. ‘He's her godfather, I believe.'

‘He's also a very busy man down in Lisbon. Several days' ride away, and no guarantee of an immediate answer. Oh, a useful threat, I grant you, but for more immediate protection, I suggest you make sure to introduce the young lady, as your fiancée, to the guest of honour at the party next Tuesday. I know we are not supposed to mention the name but you and I both know he's always had an uncle's eye for a pretty girl, and he's great on the Anglo-Portuguese alliance. Entirely between ourselves, it is partly because of something I said to him, last time I was upriver, about the state of things here in Oporto that he is making this “surprise” visit. Your problem might come quite apropos to his thinking. Would you be appalled to find yourself married to the girl out of hand, with an honour guard of British dragoons?'

‘No, but she would.' He regretted the words the minute they were spoken, but Dickson was laughing.

‘You make me quite long to meet the young lady.' He paused at the corner of the Rua Nova dos Inglesas. ‘I must get rid of my
burden of fruit. Shall I see you at the Factory, Craddock? I'm off upriver in the morning to meet the great man.'

‘Not today, I think. I feel I rather owe it to my landlady to tell her my news before it reaches her by the Portonian grapevine.'

‘You are absolutely right, and how Mrs Ware would hate to hear you call her your landlady. So, the news is public?'

‘As public as possible. The engagement, that is. No need to speak of old Gomez's reaction. The more I think about it, the more I hope he will sleep on it and settle for me as a lesser evil.'

‘Ah,' said Dickson, ‘But less than what?'

Left alone, Jeremy looked at his watch. Joe Camo observed the Portuguese habit of siesta and should be just back in his office. There was comfortable time to call on him before the Wares' English dinner hour. And if anyone could throw light on the Gomez business it would be Joe Camo.

He was glad to find Camo alone, reading vintage reports in his sumptuous, mahogany-furnished office.

‘Of course I have a moment for you. I'm glad enough to leave this depressing reading.' He put down the last report. ‘It is going to be a bad winter, here in Porto. But what can I do for you, Craddock? Don't tell me those Emersons have changed their minds again?'

‘No, it's not that. Something quite else.' How very awkwardly it came in the context of the Emersons. ‘The case is, Camo, that I am the happiest of men. Miss Gomez has said she will be my wife.'

‘Caterina Gomez? Well, I'll be –' He broke off, held out his hand. ‘I do congratulate you, Craddock, with all my heart. I've not had the pleasure of meeting her, but a delightful young lady, by all reports, and full of character.'

‘She's going to need all of it. Her father has turned me down, forbidden me the house.'

‘Has he so? On what grounds, may I ask?'

‘My wretched health.'

‘But you don't believe that is the real reason?'

‘No, I don't think I do. That
éminence grise
of his, Father Pedro, was with him throughout the interview. I did wonder –'

‘As well you might. A pity the old man did not send for his daughter sooner. He's the only active partner in the firm, did you know? And not active enough, by what I hear. Don't think it's a fortune you are marrying, Craddock.'

‘It's a woman!' Absurd to be angry. ‘And she needs protection, Camo. Her father means to send her to the Little Sisters of Saint Seraphina.'

‘The silent order? You can't mean it.'

‘I'm afraid so. The day after the Wares' party. You know how things go on here better than most, Camo. Could he do it?'

‘Her father, and she not of age? Oh yes, he could do it all right, and it would be the devil's own job to get her out again. What are you going to do, Craddock?'

‘I wish to God I knew. First of all, I mean to write to the Bishop of Oporto, who is her godfather. Is there a ship sailing for Lisbon, Camo?'

‘No, and if there were, it would take too long to get an answer back, still less by courier, granted the state of the roads. But you write your letter, Craddock, and I will see it goes off by the swiftest route.'

‘Thank you. I knew I could count on you.'

‘Your best friend, and the young lady's, is going to be public opinion. It's a pity the Portuguese gentry have chosen to ignore Miss Gomez, they would be her strongest allies at this point.'

‘Major Dickson suggests I make a point of introducing her as my fiancée to the guest of honour at the Wares' party, enlisting his support.'

‘And a very good idea. I will leave you in peace to write your letter, Craddock, while I make arrangements for its delivery.'

‘He refuses his consent.' After the brief, stormy interview with her father, Caterina had told her furious tale.

‘Refuses? But it was he –'

‘Precisely. He says he didn't know Mr Craddock was such a sick man. Unfit to help him in the business. He claims. Beyond that, he refused to discuss it. Just said we should be packing our things.'

‘For the silent sisters?'

‘Yes, but we're not going.'

‘Of course not. But – have you any money, Cat?'

‘Not a
scudo
. I spent it all on drawing materials, and not much good has come of that. I had hoped that maybe after the party I'd sell some of my pictures. No chance of that now. Thank goodness you were able to write to your mother and tell her how hopeful things look for little Lewis.'

‘Yes.' Harriet managed a laugh. ‘He'll be living off the fat of the land, bless him, once my mother knows there is a rich great-grandmother in the background. Do you know, Cat, the more I think about it, the more I think you had best tell the old lady about this threat of your father's. She's bound to hear about it anyway, and it will come best from you.'

‘You are absolutely right,' said Caterina. ‘I'll write a quick note and have Tonio get it across the canyon before night. With a bit of luck there will be one from her soon, telling me what she means to do about Luiz. And what the lawyers say. I should think it would take some fixing to turn my Lewis from a bastard into the Fonsa heir.'

‘And what will they make of you?'