Another Man’s Child. Anne Bennett
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Dermot said as he led the sweating horse towards the barn. ‘Someone’s for the high jump.’
Tom thought it was probably Norah who’d done something because even before this business with America she had been a bit wild, not like Celia who seldom put a foot wrong.
He would have been surprised then if he had seen that after ordering Celia upstairs Dan followed her up and pushed her into her bedroom. He faced her across the room. He was breathing heavily and Celia noted that his face was purple with rage and a pulse was beating in his temple as he almost spat out: ‘Now I want the truth. Is there some sort of carry-on between you and Fitzgerald’s hireling?’
Celia had never seen her father like this and she was nervous. The scathing way her father had said ‘Fitzgerald’s hireling’ caused her heart to feel heavy, as if there was a lump of lead in it, and her voice trembled as she spoke. ‘It’s not some kind of carry-on, Daddy. We just meet and talk sometimes.’
‘A lot of times from what I hear.’
‘Not that many,’ Celia said. ‘And we are not doing anything wrong. We’ve just been talking, that’s all, and most times Norah has been there.’
‘Yes and she will get the rough edge of my tongue as well,’ Dan said. ‘She should have told me what was going on for I spoke to men today who have passed you walking with the hireling on Sunday afternoon on one of the walks you suddenly took such an interest in. You say you’re doing nothing wrong, when you have wilfully deceived your parents to meet a man you knew I would heartily disapprove of.’
‘How can you disapprove of the man?’ Celia cried helplessly. ‘You don’t even know him. His family had a farm too but he was the second son like Jim and, not having a handy relative in America, he is having to make his own way in the world. It’s not fair to be so against him.’
‘I don’t care how fair you think it is,’ Dan said. ‘Anyway, he is some man to go behind my back like this.’
‘He wanted to tell you,’ Celia said. ‘He wanted to ask your permission to walk out with me, but I stopped him. I was afraid you would stop us seeing one another.’
‘Well you were right there,’ Dan said. ‘For from now on you will have nothing more to do with this man.’
‘Oh no, Daddy,’ Celia cried, covering her face with her hands while tears trickled down her cheeks from eyes filled with sadness.
‘Oh yes, Daddy,’ Dan mocked scathingly. ‘You just think yourself lucky that I am not a violent man for I know many would horse-whip their daughters for behaviour like this, but I will lock you up if you disobey me, for until you are twenty-one you are under my jurisdiction.’
Celia had never been scared of her father before, but she was now, so scared that she felt her knees knocking together. But then Andy’s lovely face filled her mind and she remembered her sister saying that their father could make life difficult for her if she opposed him. But what harm was she doing being friendly with Andy McCadden? So she lifted her head, which she had initially hung in shame, and faced her father and in a voice she willed not to tremble she said, ‘I don’t think you are being just at all here, Daddy. The only thing I have done that is wrong was deceive you and I did that to prevent you doing this and forbidding me to talk to someone who is a neighbour to us and who has shown both myself and Norah nothing but pleasantness. And yet you resent him out of hand, all because he is a hired man.’
‘Yes and as such he is nothing to you.’
Now Celia was more angry than fearful and she said, ‘Andy McCadden is a fine man and yet you choose to look down on him because of an accident of birth, a man you know nothing of.’
‘I know enough to know he won’t be earning enough to provide for you and any family you might have.’
‘Daddy, I’m not suggesting marrying Andy McCadden,’ Celia declared, though she crossed her fingers behind her back because she was knew she was fast becoming very, very fond of him. ‘I don’t want to marry anyone just now and Norah is always with me when we meet.’
‘Then how is it,’ Dan asked, ‘that I was told that just this morning the pair of you were waltzing across the Diamond side by side with no sign of Norah?’
‘I was with Norah,’ Celia protested. ‘If you ask her she will tell you the same, but she met an old school friend as we were crossing the town and stopped to have a chat. If whoever told you had watched a bit longer he would have seen Norah join us after a few minutes.’
‘That apart, Celia,’ Dan said, ‘surely to God I don’t have to tell you how unseemly it is for two young girls to walk unchaperoned with a man we know little or nothing about. I thought at least you knew how to conduct yourself respectably.’
‘I am respectable,’ Celia said. ‘We were only talking. You said we know nothing about him and we didn’t but we are finding out.’
‘What he was or is or does is nothing to do with you,’ Dan said. ‘And as for talking to him and referring to him in that familiar way … Well here’s an end to it. You are never to see or speak to this man again.’ Celia gave a gasp, but her father hadn’t finished. ‘And I want your solemn word that you will not defy me in this.’
Tears were trickling down Celia’s cheeks, but she remembered Norah saying that often fathers decided the future of their daughters and so her voice was unusually firm as she said, ‘You can forbid all the friendships you like, Daddy, and as you said I must do as you say until I am twenty-one, but one thing I will say, and it won’t matter how old I am, I will marry for love or not at all.’
‘Do you know who you are speaking to?’
Celia gave a defiant toss of her auburn locks as she said, ‘Yes, I know. And I also know neither you nor anyone else can make me marry a man I do not want to marry.’
Dan was stunned for this was not the compliant, easy-going girl not long from childhood that he had thought her, but a determined young woman that knew her own mind and that fact had been made even more apparent when she refused to give her word not to see and speak to Andy McCadden again.
‘Then,’ Dan said, ‘I must lock you in while I tell your mother what has been happening.’
Celia stared at her father in shock, not sure she had heard right, but her father meant every word and he closed the door firmly. She heard the key turn in the lock with a grating noise then his footsteps were going down the stairs and she had the urge to hammer on the door. She was proud of herself for not giving in to that, but as she gazed at the locked door a sudden sense of desolation swept over her and she threw herself on the bed and cried, broken-hearted, muffling the sound in her pillow.
Downstairs they were all waiting for Dan in the kitchen, but he shooed Ellie and Sammy outside, for what he had to say was not for their ears, and he told the others what Celia had said, and it implicated Norah too for she had known and said nothing.
‘I am disappointed with you,’ Peggy said. ‘You were the elder and it was up to you to turn her from this foolishness.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ Norah said.
‘Is there any more light you can shed on this?’ Dan asked her.
Norah was determined to say nothing further that would get Celia into more trouble and so she shook her head as she said, ‘No, it’s just as Celia said. ‘We’d meet Mr McCadden sometimes and talk and that’s all.’
Peggy knew Norah wasn’t telling them everything and so she looked at her sadly. ‘How could you do this?’
‘I’ve said I’m sorry and I am,’ Norah said. ‘But I honestly didn’t see much harm in it.’
‘Not much harm in it,’ Peggy repeated. ‘Well we will agree to differ on that and I’m glad at least that you are sorry for your part in it, but you won’t be half as sorry as you will be when I write to Aunt Maria and tell her about your part