Echoes Of The Past

by Jessica Blair

Genres: Sagas

Synopsis

Recently widowed, Katherine Chambers is taking her young son to visit her husband's family when disaster strikes. The ship they are sailing on runs into a severe storm off Robin Hood's Bay on the Yorkshire Coast. The Whitby lifeboat goes to their rescue but the freak weather conditions mean that not only is the ship lost but the lifeboat crew as well. However, among the bodies on the beach, a survivor is found. Identified as a Katherine from the engraving on the bracelet she wears on her wrist, she has no knowledge of who she is or where she is from. Dr Bennett, the local doctor in Robin Hood's Bay, is called in but though he can treat Katherine's cuts and physical ailments, there is little he can do to heal the gaps in her memory. Determined to save her from being placed in an institution he asks his spinster sister to take care of her until her family can be traced. But jealous of her brother's interest in Katherine's care, Amelia Bennett is not always kind to her charge. She takes a cruel pleasure in Katherine's predicament, and especially her turbulent reaction whenever there is a storm. But until Katherine can remember her past, her future is far from certain

Release date: April 7, 2011

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Print pages: 432

Sample

John Chambers took the two steps in one stride, tugged at the bell pull and waited impatiently for an answer, but it was the
impatience of one eager to impart good news. He turned with his back to the door to enjoy for one more moment the September
sunshine on this beautiful afternoon in 1832, expelling his breath with a deep sigh of contentment.


The door opened. He swung round. ‘Miss Katherine at home, Lizzie?’ he asked eagerly.

‘Good day, sir.’ The young maid, neatly dressed in high-necked, well-fitting black dress, was used to opening the door to
this likeable young man but today her usual cheerful greeting was missing. Holding the door wide, she moved to one side without
a word.


It was only as he stepped past her and sensed a different atmosphere in the Kemp household, on the boundary of the fashionable
area of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, that he realised something was different. He turned back and was struck by the sombre expression
on Lizzie’s face, noticing that her eyes were red from crying. She did not wear the usual white apron and cap, and with her
hair drawn back tightly into a bun at the nape of her neck, the severity of her appearance was marked compared to her usual
bright and cheery aspect. The five members of staff of the Kemp household liked this young man and were pleased that their
beloved Miss Katherine had found such a personable and friendly suitor who always had a kind word for them too.


‘What is it, Lizzie?’ he asked in a tone that assumed she was troubled and at the same time offered help.

She did not answer but led the way across the hall to the drawing-room. Mystified by her reaction, he took it as an indication
she did not want to enlighten him, not at least for the moment, and followed without a word.


She opened the door and in a voice that was scarcely above a whisper and had a catch in it, said, ‘Mr John, miss.’

It was at that moment that he knew something was dreadfully wrong. Confirmation came as he entered the room. Katherine was
sitting on the sofa with Mrs Nicholls, the cook-housekeeper, sitting beside her. She was holding Katherine’s hands in hers
and both of them had tear-stained cheeks and expressions that spoke of tragedy.


‘What’s wrong?’ John’s questioning glance moved from one to the other. He saw that the utter despair on Katherine’s face was
mixed with bewilderment as if she was far from understanding what had happened.


He saw that Mrs Nicholls’ sombre countenance also carried the strain of someone coping with loss while at the same time trying
to support and comfort another.


‘It’s the master, sir,’ the housekeeper replied in a faltering voice. John’s puzzled expression and obvious desire to have
none of the truth held back drove her on to utter something she would rather not have. ‘He’s dead.’


The blunt words hit John hard. He immediately wanted to doubt them, though he knew they would never have been uttered if they
were untrue. Then the moment of disbelief was submerged in concern for Katherine. He was on his knees beside her, taking her
hands in his.


‘Oh, Katherine, I’m so, so sorry.’ His voice was filled with sympathy and love for her, and desire to take the pain away.
‘What can I say? What can I do?’ He held her eyes and from his poured an immense love that she accepted with gratitude, knowing it was for her, offering a strength on which she could draw.


‘Be here for me,’ she replied quietly.

‘Always.’ He glanced up at Mrs Nicholls who had risen from the sofa, knowing that the young people needed to be alone. ‘What
happened?’


‘As you know, Mr Kemp has been sleeping in of late but has generally been down by ten or ten-thirty. He didn’t appear at that
time this morning so we thought he must be taking an extra rest. When he hadn’t appeared by twelve we became concerned. Miss
Katherine went to see if he was all right and found …’ Her voice faltered.


‘He was still in bed.’ Katherine took up the story in a voice which came weakly but with a determination not to shrink from
what she had to say. ‘When I went to him I thought at first that he was asleep, then I realised he wasn’t.’ The picture she
was seeing caused her voice to falter.


Mrs Nicholls took over. ‘The doctor and the constable are with him now.’

‘Constable?’

Katherine glanced at Mrs Nicholls and in the look she gave the housekeeper read the desire that she wanted to impart the rest
of the information on her own.


Mrs Nicholls gave an almost imperceptible nod of understanding and said, ‘Call me if you want me.’

‘Thank you,’ replied Katherine in a whisper.

Mrs Nicholls left the room. As the door clicked shut Katherine flung her arms round John’s neck, buried her head against him
and wept.


He held her tight, stroked her hair soothingly, said nothing but let her sob the initial distress out of her shuddering body.

When the crying stopped she eased herself from him. His hands slipped to her arms and held her while they looked deep into
each other’s eyes.


‘I love you, Katherine, no matter what.’

She drew immense comfort from the sincerity in his voice. ‘And I love you too, John. Help me through this. You know that Father
has been depressed since Mother died six months ago?’


He nodded, knowing Mr Kemp had been shattered by the unexpected loss of his wife. They had been a mature couple full of good
will and vitality with a tangible bond between them. Then tragedy had struck and Katherine’s father was bereft.


‘The doctor had given him something to try to counteract his low spirits. The bottle was empty on the table beside Father’s
bed.’


‘Oh, no!’ The implication brought confusion to John’s mind. How to cope with this? How to help Katherine accept what she was
implying?


Before he could reply a knock came at the door. John glanced at her, rose to his feet and hurried to answer it. He opened
it to see the doctor and the constable standing there.


‘A word with Miss Katherine, please?’ said the doctor, a short, rotund man with a florid face whose kindness extended to all
classes of society. The constable standing behind him was, in contrast, tall and thin, with sharp, serious features seemingly
forever gripped by a severity that precluded any frivolity. The letter of the law seemed to be written all over him but that
was a false impression. Though more often than not he would enforce it, he was not averse to bending the rules if he thought
fit.


‘Please come in,’ said John and stepped to one side.

The doctor crossed to the sofa and sat down beside Katherine. The constable
stood a few paces inside the room. John came and stood beside her, his hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder.


The doctor hesitated only a moment. He knew of the relationship that existed between the two young people and that he could
speak freely in front of John. In fact, was pleased that he was here.


‘My dear,’ began the doctor, ‘as you know your father suffered badly after losing your mother and I prescribed something I thought would help him. I suppose it has done so, but
not in the way I intended.’


Katherine gave a little gasp. ‘It’s true then?’ She saw the doctor glance at John and then back to her. ‘You can speak freely,
Doctor. John knows what I found.’


‘The empty bottle is not positive proof that your father took his own life, though in his depressed state after the loss he
suffered six months ago it is possible.’ He saw Katherine looked shocked, took her hands in his and looked her straight in
the eye. ‘Don’t ever condemn your father for what he might have done.’ He was careful to make no positive pronouncement on
what could have happened in the bedroom. ‘As far as I am concerned there is no proof. The constable and I have had a long
talk about this. Your father was much respected and we want no scandal to surround his death. We are agreed that he died from
natural causes. The constable’s report will say that there is nothing suspicious and I will sign the certificate accordingly.
You, my dear, should think of your father’s death in that way.’


Katherine had listened, at first with concern at the stigma that might be attached to her father, and then with relief at
the way two understanding men had co-operated to save his name. She bit her lip and with a catch in her voice said, ‘I am
so grateful to you both. Thank you.’ She swallowed hard, held back tears of gratitude and continued, ‘I am faced with a painful
time ahead that would have been even more painful but for your kindness. I will ever be beholden to you both.’


‘Think nothing of it, my dear.’ The doctor gave her hand a kindly pat, rose from the sofa and started for the door. John hurried
to open it for him. The constable, still standing stiffly, gave Katherine a weak, embarrassed smile, but she saw kindness
in his eyes. He turned and followed the doctor.


John escorted them to the front door where the doctor hesitated and said to him, ‘Take good care of her.’

‘I will, sir.’

John hurried back to the drawing-room and sat on the sofa beside her. ‘Thank goodness for understanding people,’ he said.

She nodded then gave him a frightened look. ‘What am I going to do?’

‘We’ll work something out, my love.’ He was longing to tell her his own news but this was not the right time. Bewildered and
distressed already, she would not grasp the full implications of what he had to tell her. Events had conspired against him.
He needed time to think things over and reassess what he should do. His decision could affect the future for them both, but
that lay ahead. Katherine’s immediate predicament was of paramount importance.


She had no family to turn to. Her nearest relatives, an uncle and aunt, had emigrated to America two years ago after their
daughter’s marriage. Though her cousin Rachel was nearly two years older they had been close as children, but after Rachel’s
marriage had taken her to the tiny Northumberland fishing village of St Abbs they had seen nothing of each other.


John saw the fear of utter loneliness in the girl’s eyes. He took hold of her hands with a pressure he hoped would reassure
her as he said, ‘We’ll get over this together. I’m sure Mrs Nicholls will be of great help with what has to be done, and I
know my parents will guide you in those matters if you wish. And don’t forget I’m here to help in any way I can. I know there
will be Mrs Nicholls and servants in the house but I think you should come home and stay with us until after the funeral.
My parents would want that.’


He had no hesitation about making such an offer. When, a year ago, he had first taken Katherine to meet them, they had been
captivated by her charm and vivacity. They had seen before them a beautiful young woman with a light in her pale blue eyes
that reflected her every mood, whether it be curiosity, laughter, pleasure or a quiet reflection that bespoke a sharp and intelligent mind. She had a well-formed oval face with a tip-tilted nose; a bow-shaped mouth that was
not too wide to distract from the smooth curve of the chin. Thin eyebrows arched above the line of her eyelids and matched
for colour the swirling mass of the copper-tinted hair drawn up from the nape of her neck. Though her heart had been fluttering
at this first meeting she’d betrayed no sign of anxiety. She had held herself proudly but graciously and had won the hearts
of John’s parents who were pleased that their son had found such a girl.


She for her part let her heart sing in the joy of having met a young man who was not only considerate and charming but had
a rugged masculine attraction that did not detract from his good looks. His dark brown eyes were bold, restless and enquiring
but could be gentle, sympathetic and understanding whenever the situation demanded it. At six foot tall he held himself erect,
seeming to add to his height. Though he was slim there was a strength and easy grace about him. His slender hands had power
in their fingers and wrists. At their first meeting Katherine had felt comfortable in his company. As the days and weeks moved
into months and they came to know each other better, that feeling of comfort grew and she sensed his ambitious and determined
nature.


When her mother had died six months ago he had been there, helping her to cope and adapt to life without the one she had loved
dearly. As her father, shattered by the loss, had sunk into a depression, John had given her all the support he could. Now,
an even greater tragedy demanded of him a role he might find difficult.


So it proved. The first few days after the tragedy were trying. The arrangements for the funeral, the service and the burial
on a dull, rain-spattered day when a northeast wind blew cold across the bleak cemetery, the acceptance of commiserations,
and the reading of the will, all took their toll on Katherine.


John’s heart ached for her. He longed to see again the vibrant girl with glowing skin and bright eyes.

He battled hard in his own quiet way, aided by his parents who took kindly to her staying with them. But once the funeral
was over and a week had passed they all sensed a restlessness in Katherine. It therefore came as no surprise when she informed
them that she wanted to go home. They quickly saw that their protests would be to no avail and realised that to insist on
her staying might have adverse results.


So John saw her safely home where Mrs Nicholls fussed over her without being too intrusive. When he left, he made Katherine
promise to send for him if there was anything he could do.


‘Thank you, John, you and your parents have been more than kind to me and I will ever be grateful to you all.’ Katherine forced
her voice to be strong. Though she wanted to reach out and hold him back, never let him go, she knew she could not. John had
his own life and she must face her sorrow. When the door clicked shut and his presence was no longer there she felt so alone
in the vastness of a house that less than a year ago had vibrated with family life and help a promise of comfort and security.
The silence, the absence of two dear presences, was overpowering. She took one step towards the stairs then burst into a run.
She raced up them, tears streaming down her face, to reach her bedroom where she hurled herself on to her bed and wept and
wept.


As September moved into October and October into November, John searched for a slight improvement in Katherine’s melancholia
that he’d fought hard to counteract. Plans were forming in his mind for when she was stronger. But one November day when he
made his usual call on Katherine, he was greeted by a worried Mrs Nicholls.


‘Miss Katherine is particularly low today, it would have been Mr and Mrs Kemp’s wedding anniversary. You know they always made a special occasion of it? Miss Katherine feels the loss very badly. She has sat in there all day.’ Mrs Nicholls
inclined her head towards the drawing-room. ‘She has eaten nothing, does not speak. The person in there is not the Miss Katherine
we know. The loss of her parents so close together was a terrible shock but she’s young, has a whole life before her. They
would not want her to mourn in the way she is. I fear that mentally she may slip away from us, if not worse. Please try and
do something, Mr John.’ By the time she had finished, tears were streaming down her face.


‘I’ll do my best, Mrs Nicholls.’ He patted her arm re-assuringly but was alarmed at the prospect she had raised and hurried
to the drawing-room.


He found Katherine staring into a grate in which the embers burnt without any cheery glow or warmth. A leaden sky muted the
November light, adding to the feeling of depression in the room he once remembered being filled with Katherine’s gaiety and
laughter.


He dropped to his knees beside her, reaching for her hands but feeling little warmth in their touch. He received only a wan
smile of recognition.


‘Katherine, you should not be sitting here like this,’ he said forcefully.

‘What else is there to do?’ she replied listlessly.

‘You’ve a life to live.’

‘It’s meaningless.’

‘Not for me. I need you beside me. Need your support.’

‘I’d be no good to you.’

‘In your present state you wouldn’t. But this isn’t the real you, not the girl I remember and whom I know will return.’

‘Will she?’ There was doubt in the shaking of her head.

‘Of course she will. I know she will. Katherine, I want you back. I’ll do anything to achieve that but there must be some
effort from you. I cannot do it alone. You must fight against the depression that has gripped you since your father’s death.’


She looked at him with misty eyes. ‘And we know how that came about.’

‘I realise what you are implying but you must get it out of your mind. After all, the doctor and the constable said they were
satisfied there was no real evidence to prove your father had taken his own life.’


She gave a wan smile. ‘But we know otherwise, don’t we?’

‘We don’t.’ John tried to make his words strong enough to penetrate an oppressed mind. ‘You have got to stop thinking like
that. For your own good and our future, you must cast that idea from your mind. To dwell on it in such a way is actually being
selfish. You are doing it because you want to crucify yourself. If you continue to do so you will sink even further. The choice
is yours. In your position you can stay where you are or you can make the effort to rise from the abyss and seize the chance
to begin living again, not just for yourself but for me and the people around you.’


She turned her eyes to his, lifted her fingers to his cheek and touched it gently as if to test that he was real. Her pale
smile mocked his statements.


John’s temper flared a little. ‘I’m right, Katherine, I know it. I believe deep down you know it too, but you’ve got to make
the effort to recognise it. If you can lift your present mood you will find life much easier. Try, Katherine, please try.
I have some ideas that may help, but I need you to co-operate.’


Though her eyes were lifeless, her demeanour dejected, he drew some hope when she whispered weakly, ‘What do you want me to
do?’


‘I want to see determination to succeed in you. But in a more practical way, I want you to come home with me.’

‘But this is where I should be.’

‘I think not.’

‘But …’

‘You should not be on your own.’

‘I have Mrs Nicholls and the servants.’

‘Yes, but they are not companions for you. You need people constantly around you to amuse and divert you. I would like you
to come home with me now. I know Mother and Father will welcome you but it is your decision. You must decide whether or not
to take up my offer.’


She remained silent.

The passage of a few minutes seemed eternity to him. On what she said now her whole future, and his, would rest. She could
either face up to the challenge or slip into oblivion.


‘I’ll come.’ Her words were so quiet that under normal circumstances he would have missed them. But, hanging on her decision,
he was listening intently.


Relief surged through him. Hopefully this was the first step on the road to recovery, though he knew there would be a long
way to go.


Mrs Nicholls’ fear for Katherine was alleviated when John called her and told her of the mistress’s decision. She quickly
organised some clothing for her to take and within the hour John was explaining to his parents what had happened while Katherine,
with the help of a maid, was unpacking.


The tender care she was given and the love with which the Chamberses surrounded her had its effect, as did John’s gentle persuasion
and encouragement for her to rise above the depression that threatened her. The light of interest began to return to her eyes;
she joined in conversations more readily, accompanied Mrs Chambers to take tea with friends, and John noticed that she was
making more observations when they walked together in the nearby park. Signs of the girl he remembered and still loved were
returning and soon the pace of recovery quickened. He began to think it a suitable time to break the news he had held secret
from her since the fateful day of her father’s death.


John observed her even more closely in the week before Christmas. He knew the Kemps had always made a lot of this time, keeping the religious observances and making it a happy festive time. This would be the first Christmas without
her parents and John hoped this would not threaten the progress that Katherine had made. He consulted his parents about the
attitude they should adopt and they all agreed that, while making this a happy time, they should keep festivities low key.
Having noted the progress Katherine had made, his parents agreed that this could be the right time for him to break his news
to her. It could help to take her mind off past Christmases and focus it on the future.


The opportunity came on Christmas Eve. Katherine and John had returned from an invigorating walk in the frosty afternoon air.
Katherine glowed. Laughter had returned to her lips and her eyes shone with the sparkle that had been missing from them for
months.


‘I loved that, John. We must do it again tomorrow if the weather stays like this.’

‘We will. It’s good to see you enjoying life again with your old zest.’

‘I feel so well.’ She smiled the smile that used to set his heart racing. It was racing now. ‘I owe you so much for making
me see my future, and your parents for letting me stay here through this trying time. I will never be able to repay you all.’


‘You’ve repaid us by getting well again. But it’s yourself you should thank. No matter what we have done, the real progress
had to be made by you. I am proud of you, Katherine, and I think now is the time to give you some more news.’ He took her
hand and led her to the drawing-room. He knew they would have it to themselves. His parents were visiting neighbours for afternoon
tea.


They sat down on the sofa, half turned towards each other.

‘Don’t look so serious, John.’ She ran a finger over the corner of his lips as if to make him smile. He started to speak but
she stopped him with the pressure of her fingers. ‘Let me say something first.’ She took his hand in hers. ‘I know you feared what Christmas might do to me but I’ll be all
right. What I am going to say might sound strange, but the other night I was woken by a peculiar sensation. I’m sure my mother
and father were close by. It was as if they were telling me to be happy, to remember the Christmases we had shared but not
to look on them with sadness. I should regard them as a pattern for this Christmas and all those in the future. They also
told me to live as they would have wanted me to and to seize happiness while I can. So you see, John, we should celebrate
properly tomorrow and throughout the rest of the festive season.’ She paused, seeing tension had left his face. ‘Now, what
did you want to say to me?’


‘Oh, Katherine, I’m so pleased to see you fully re-covered.’ He pulled her to him and hugged her. ‘Now I can tell you what
I came to say on the day your father died.’


‘And you’ve kept it to yourself all this time?’

‘It was news of particular relevance to us both. Then was hardly the right time and ever since I have been wanting to tell
you but needed to see you fully recovered.’


‘Well, I am.’ She looked at him intently, eager to hear what he had to say.

‘The day before I came to visit you, Mr Allberry called me into his office. Mr Carson was with him. When the partners who
own the firm you work for need to see you together, you know it is something serious.


‘I tell you, when I saw them both there, my knees started quaking and I feared the worst. I think they must have sensed this
for they glanced at each other and then as one turned to me with smiles on their faces. “Young man,” said Mr Allberry, “we
have been watching your progress in our firm. You have done well and we have had good reports of your work: efficient, competent,
not afraid to make decisions and stand by them.”’ John paused to smile modestly then continued. ‘They said that although I
was junior to a number of members of staff, they saw in me an ability to shoulder responsibility that impressed them and therefore were offering me a new position, helping Mr Drew, their senior manager,
to open offices in London and expand their trade through there. They told me to think about it and let them know my decision
the following day. I talked it over with my parents, and although they did not like the prospect of losing me to London, they
saw that it was a wonderful opportunity for me and gave me their blessing. I informed Mr Allberry the following day and came
to tell you, but could not when I found out what had happened.’


‘And now?’

‘I have to go at the end of March.’

Katherine was silent. Her joyful demeanour slowly disappeared as she considered the implications of this news. Then she shook
herself. She should not be melancholy, this was important to John.


She looked him steadily in the eye. ‘I am so pleased for you. It is wonderful that you have gained promotion to such a responsible
job so young. I am proud of you.’ Her pleasure dimmed then. ‘But it means I’ll lose you, John.’


He smiled reassuringly. ‘You needn’t, my love. Marry me and come with me?’

Having accepted in her mind that his departure for London would mean their separation, his proposal took her by surprise.
She stared at him, unable to grasp the idea and give him an answer.


‘Say yes,’ he prompted.

Her eyes widened. Excitement sparkled in them. This really was happening. The horrors and setbacks she had suffered recently
were lost in the joy that flooded her mind.


‘Oh, John! Yes, yes, yes!’ She flung her arms round his neck.

He grasped her waist and their lips met in a kiss of betrothal that promised a future of love and passion.

‘This is the most wonderful Christmas present,’ he said, a statement that was emphasised by the love and adoration in his
eyes.


‘I will never have a better. You have made me so happy.’

‘And I intend to keep you that way.’

Katherine’s parents came to mind then. How she wished they were here to share her joy! She felt the past closing in on her.
Tears came to her eyes but she stiffened her determination not to give way to sadness. Her parents had told her to be happy
and to live for the future. Well, that future was bound to John now. She knew her mother and father would indeed have been
happy for her.


‘My parents would have been very glad. I know they approved of you, John. Do yours know you intend to propose?’

‘No, but I think they suspect as much. They will be delighted.’

So they were. When Katherine and John heard them return from their afternoon visit, he hurried into the hall. A few moments
later he was ushering them excitedly into the room, not even giving them a chance to take off their outdoor clothes.


‘Mother, Father, I have told Katherine about my appointment to London and have asked her to marry me so that she can accompany
me there as my wife.’


Mrs Chambers’ face broadened into a delighted smile. She came straight to Katherine, arms wide, hugging her and kissing her
on both cheeks. ‘Oh, I am so pleased. Through all your setbacks I hoped and prayed you would make a full recovery so that
this day would come.’ She kissed Katherine again and then turned to heap congratulations and approval on her son who had been
receiving vigorous approval from his father.


Mr Chambers came over to Katherine, his smile benevolent and admiring. He kissed her on the cheek, allowing his lips to
linger