"Kieran...Mr Radcliffe...hopes to be able to say hello before you all leave, Catriona?" Mum said, once we were all settled in the headmaster's private drawing room for what we had hoped would be a private afternoon visit with Sheila Radcliffe. Mama and I were sitting on a sofa and Grandmama had claimed an armchair next to us, leaving Sheila and Mum on the bigger couch opposite us. "He asked me to sit with Sheila this afternoon for him...to ensure that you were welcomed properly...and it is so nice to see you all?"
"It is lovely to see you, too...Elizabeth?" Catriona replied, all sweetness and light, although I did not actually think that she seemed particularly comfortable with suddenly being on first name terms with my birth mother. They were not friends, at all, and grandmama was certainly not pleased to see mum there. I was not quite sure what was going on, to be honest. Mama and Papa were adopting me. It was a legal process, and I was well aware that my parents had been informed of my decision, which had to be painful for them, obviously. I was not insensitive to their feelings, and appreciated that they would not be pleased by my decision, so I expected them to feel a little bruised by it all. But it was really not any sort of surprise. In fact, they had more or less signed me over to Colin and Helen Montague, long before I took my vows. I did not consider the legal confirmation of my status within the Montague family to be an issue. My birth parents would always be my birth parents, but Mama and Papa took on responsibility for me in Meadvale. I wanted to be a Montague, and Mama and Papa wanted me to be a legal part of their family, so we were just jumping through the legal hoops. Papa had spoken to Dad about it, and I had written to my parents again, to explain my feelings. "But we were rather expecting to have a private conversation with Sheila...concerning family business?"
"Quite...which is why dear Kieran wanted to be present...but he is a busy man, and this is the middle of his working day...and as I am family, he asked me to...sit in...I am Hermione's mother, after all?" Mum replied, which was true. She was my mother. The fact that we had not discussed my adoption did not really change that, and neither did the fact that my parents were suddenly against my marriage to Steven Blackstone. It was a very awkward meeting as a result and I felt quite uncomfortable. "Sheila welcomes my company...and my support...don't you my dear?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Sheila replied, looking down, her head bowed, clearly submissive. "It is very kind of you to give up your time, Ma'am."
"Sheila might...but I am afraid that I don't...this is not appropriate?" Catriona said, glancing at Mama, because she was unsure how to react. Our visit was supposed to be about my wedding I suppose, or the arrangements that needed to be made to confirm it, and having Mum there was tricky to say the least. "I would quite happily discuss...what we have to discuss...with Mr Radcliffe supporting his wife...although his presence is really not at all necessary in these circumstances...but Elizabeth, dear...having you here...does make things...difficult, after you and your husband expressed some concerns about the business in hand?"
"I don't see why...you are here to discuss Hermione's betrothal to Steven Blackstone...and I am Hermione's mother...I have far more right to be here than Helen...for instance? Or indeed you, Catriona?" Mum suggested, pouring coffee for everyone. "But we are...where we are...I am not going to make a fuss about the legal niceties...Hermione is your responsibility before the church, and now she is to be legally part of your family...however, I think that Barry and I still have a right to be at least consulted...don't you? That was our original agreement, when she took her vows? And I want to support Sheila, because no one wants a mistake to be made here and Kieran fears that she is worried about her son?"
"Mummy...I am an adult...I will decide who I marry...not you?" I said, impertinently. I did not mean to be rude, but I could not just sit there, listening to them locking horns over me, as if I was still a child. I had to speak up.
"Hermione, dear...this is not your fault...I am not angry with you," Mum assured me, a smile playing on her lips. "You are legally of age...your father and I would not dispute that...but you are not...in our opinion...mentally capable of making this life-changing decision...and we are very concerned that you are being unduly influenced by..."
"Before you say another word, Elizabeth...this must stop!" Catriona snapped, her temper well and truly lost, her eyes burning with fury. I could hear it in her voice, her tone. I had rarely heard her get angry, even with Auntie Susannah, but I knew her so well, and I could tell that she was furious. But before she could say anything else, Mama intervened, and took a rather more measured approach than grandmama.
"Elizabeth...I know you think that we have stolen your daughter from you...and I really do understand how much that must hurt...but this quite remarkable young woman is making all of her own decisions...thanks to my even more remarkable mother-in-law." Helen said, taking a firm hold of my hand, but actually looking at Catriona. "We were all busy trying to convince Hermione to marry Steven Blackstone...you and Barry included, if you remember...but it was Grandmama who made sure that your only daughter had the chance to make her own decisions in her own time, whilst receiving the best possible advice from her loved ones. You have clearly turned against Steven...and Sheila, it would appear...for some reason...but I am sure...and Hermione is sure...that Steven is the right option for her...and to question her mental capacity to make a rational decision is...quite frankly...beneath you?"
"Quite." Catriona growled, before turning her attention to Sheila Blackstone. "Sheila...I will not stay and cause a scene...I do not wish to make things even more awkward for you...but we came to confirm that we have offered a marriage contract to your son...and the ball is now in Steven's court. I hope our families will be joined in the summer."
"Thank you for telling me, Ma'am." Sheila replied, as Mum visibly fumed beside her. "My son is free to make his own decisions, as you are aware?"
"Of course, my dear...but it is only good manners to keep you informed...and I can assure you that you are always welcome in our house...but Mrs Scott," Catriona said, speaking gently to Sheila, before her tone hardened as she turned to address my mother. "I am afraid the same cannot be said for you, or your husband...and if you ever repeat that vile accusation concerning Hermione's mental capacity, our lawyers will be in contact with you forthwith...come along my dears, it is time we left, before I say something Mrs Scott will regret!"
No one can sweep out of a room quite like Catriona Montague. Mama and I followed in her wake, and she was like a great ship in full sail, her fury raging around her like a hurricane as she stormed away. Mama helped me with my bonnet, and took my arm, because I was shaking as we all reached fresh air, my mother's words still reverberating in my head. But Catriona did not stop, and she did not speak, not until we reached the gates, and left Deepdene. She turned to face us then, stopping us in our tracks, her cloak swirling around her. "Hermione...my dear girl...take deep breaths?"
"She will be fine, Grandmama." Helen murmured, putting her arm around my shoulders, our skirts crushed together, as Catriona took my hands. "She knows that she is loved...even if that vile woman..."
"Indeed...but as Miss Knight reminded me some months ago, when I was less than charitable about Hermione's birth mother, we should not criticise her in front of Hermione...it is not fair on her. And I must say that I blame Mr Scott for his wife's behaviour," Catriona sighed, as I looked into her deep blue eyes, which were full of love for me. "Steven Blackstone is clearly deemed by our bitter enemies to have changed sides...and Hermione lives in the belly of the beast as far as they are concerned...these demented fanatics do not seem to care who they hurt anymore, do they?"
"Poor Sheila?" I murmured as tears started to form in my eyes.
"Yes...and how typical of you to think of others, my dear...but we need to get you home and make sure that you are not unduly affected by this afternoon's troubles." Catriona said, moving to my other side, so that she and Mama could take one arm each.
"I am not...I'm not going to get...depressed...about this, Grandmama...I promise?" I said as we started to walk towards home. "I know it is just...nonsense?"
"Good girl...but you will allow me to fuss a little, won't you?"
"Do I get a choice, Grandmama?" I grinned, and they both squeezed my arms.
"What do you think?" Mama said, which provoked what I can only describe as a snort from Catriona Montague. Mama and I both giggled like nurslings.
"You two are both rather cheeky at times, which is not necessarily a bad thing...and Helen dear, I heard your passionate words to Mrs Scott, and I am choosing to consider being described as remarkable as a compliment..."
"Which you know it was, Grandmama?" Helen interrupted, making me giggle some more.
"Indeed...and your words were well-judged and temperate...I am proud of you, dear."
"I was not sure that you were quite in control of your emotions at that particular moment in time, Grandmama?" Helen dared to suggest, but Catriona took her turn to chuckle. "I was trying to defuse the situation?"
"I was not...I was considering throwing my coffee cup at her..."
"Grandmama?" I gasped, rather shocked that she would ever consider violence.
"Unpleasant as that was, at least we now know where we stand...and we did the right thing by reaching out to Sheila, because in normal circumstances, negotiations would be conducted with the bridegroom's parents...not with the bridegroom himself." Catriona continued, making no further reference to her violent considerations. "It would have been quite proper for Kieran Radcliffe to have accompanied Sheila, but he has no responsibility for Steven, and no say in who he marries...so it would just have been a courtesy to his wife."
"Steven doesn't need permission from his family...does he?" I asked, and Helen squeezed my arm again, offering reassurance.
"No...he is clearly an adult and is of independent means...his father's estate went largely to his older brother, because the majority of the inheritance was bank shares...but Steven and Ryan, the middle brother, both received some cash...so he is not beholden to Joshua to any extent. If his father was still alive, as a devout Reformist, he would have asked his father's permission, but that is just tradition...it would never be withheld." Helen explained as we started across the park. "And Mr Radcliffe has no say as Steven is an adult...we just wanted to be polite and proper with Sheila...to try and involve her?"
"Technically, if a father refuses to sign a wedding contract, the church might refuse to marry the son and his fiancé...but as that would certainly risk driving the happy couple away from the church, it is never ever done." Catriona continued, explaining for my benefit. "It is a good system...marriage is a union between two families, not just two people, and it is a serious and profound commitment, so it should be discussed and agreed between both sets of parents, and the young people involved. But good Reformists never ignore the wishes of their children...not without good cause."
"What will happen if my parents object? What if they question my...mental capacity?"
"Hermione...our doctor will testify to your capacity, I assure you?" Helen insisted, squeezing again. "No one would take such an accusation seriously, would they Grandmama?"
"Grandmama?" I queried, when she did not immediately agree with Mama.
"No one sensible...but my only concern is the Senior Pastor, who is a lot too close to Richard Ellesmere for my liking...but never fear, my dears...Malcolm and Colin will sort things out, I promise. But this is the end of our secret war, I think...things like this always get out...and as soon as Steven Blackstone signs his contract, out they will be!"
I did not descend into depression, because I was not alone anymore. Mama, Grandmama and Miss Knight rallied around me until the children got home, and then I was allowed to lose myself in the afternoon routine. By the time I returned downstairs, after helping Miss Ford get everyone to bed, dressed for dinner, the gentlemen were all home, and Catriona had brought them all up to date. And Grandpa asked to have a quiet word with me, in private. That was not normal, of course. I knew Malcolm Montague well enough, obviously, but we were not as close as I was to his wife, and we had never had a private word before. But I liked him, and respected him, so I was not nervous. He was not an intimidating person, like Catriona could be. He was just very clever, and thoughtful.
"Hermione...firstly, let me say that I am so sorry that your future has got caught up in this rather stupid power struggle...it is most unfortunate...and regrettable." He said, once we were seated in the small drawing room, with me on a sofa and him in an armchair close by. "It must be upsetting for you to be so at odds with your birth parents...and I promise you that I will do everything I can to put things right?"
"Thank you, Grandpa...but I think we will remain at odds until I return to their control...and that is never going to happen...is it?"
"Not unless you choose it, my dear."
"I think that my father initially wanted me to marry Mr Blackstone because he wanted me at Deepdene, where he could control me like they are controlling Mrs Radcliffe?" I suggested as he took a sip of his wine. He was a handsome man, with distinguished silver hair, tall and lithe with an easy smile. But he was, according to Mama, a ruthless businessman and a formidable foe. I knew that he was well-respected in the community, and that his work for the bank in New York had made everyone a lot of money, which made him popular. "I think Deepdene has been planned for some time, Grandpa?"
"I think you might be right, my dear...to be charitable, I think your parents thought that was what you wanted, but I also think that your father was well aware of what Deepdene was going to become. Ironically, it was Mrs Radcliffe who identified you as someone who would be an asset to the school...and to her son...considering your penchant for working with children...so it was not a terrible idea...until her plans for the school were undermined and it became some sort of...template...for the strict imposition of the traditional doctrine."
"How did my father get caught up in all this, Grandpa?"
"Business, of course? As far as I can gather, he identified the land Charlesfield stood on as being perfect for a new housing development and that led him to Richard Ellesmere...and they clearly got on..."
"Do you think my father is a man of faith now, Grandpa?" I asked, sitting properly, with my hands resting together in my lap. He smiled at me and shrugged his shoulders.
"Richard Ellesmere most certainly is...and from what I know of him, he does not mix with heathens, so I have to assume that Barry is a genuine convert...and rather like you, he has gone from nothing to the most traditional wing of the church in one gigantic step. That is easier for a man, of course...but still unusual...although I would imagine that he has been well-rewarded for his commitment to the cause...he did make Richard a clear profit of seventy million pounds after all...I am sure he got a hefty share of that."
"I don't understand why people would want the church to be like...to treat people like Sheila Radcliffe and Bella are being treated? It is such an extreme reaction to what Nicola did?"
"Every church...big and small...every religion in fact...has its extremists, Hermione. From those Catholics who beat themselves with a whip, to those of the Islamic faith who force their women to wear veils." Malcolm sighed again, reaching out to put his wine down on the table between us. "In fact, I think that Islam is a good example of what I mean...it is a beautiful and peaceful religion, one I admire for many reasons, but you cannot really think of Islam as one religion, because there are numerous interpretations of the Quran, which are also shaped by different cultures. It is a very different entity in say Saudi Arabia, or Afghanistan...millions of Muslims live here, and the vast majority are peaceful and moderate people...but a few...rarely the majority...treat their women appallingly to our eyes, or commit hideous acts of terrorism in the name of their Prophet. And our church is the same. There have always been those who believed that our rules had to be strictly applied...they are extremists in every sense of the word I think...but they have never been a majority."
"But that seems to be changing...Grandpa?"
"Well, Mr Ellesmere is trying to change things...by using his considerable influence, and big bank balance, to encourage change. He has supporters within the church...because most of our Pastors would prefer to see a little more adherence to the doctrine...and his shareholding in the bank gives him power. But Deepdene is his to control...he basically owns it, although he gave it to the church...and that is where he can impose his beliefs without too much resistance. And if anyone does resist, as young Steven Blackstone has, he can get rid of them...which I think he will, quite soon, from what I hear...it is his fiefdom, I am afraid."
"Is it him or my father who doesn't want me to marry Steven?"
"It is probably both, but I doubt Ellesmere is that bothered about losing you as a potential housemother or even Steven as a teacher. He is just a control freak...so, I assume that it is your father who wants to stop you marrying young Blackstone."
"By telling people that I have mental health issues?"
"I don't think he will do that, my dear...after Catriona made me aware of the situation this afternoon, I did two things...I got our doctor to certify you sane, which you obviously are. We consulted him about you when Elizabeth first mentioned your problems when you were at university, and you will remember that he talked to you? Well, he was happy to confirm that you are perfectly well...and I then had my lawyer send a copy of that to Barry, with what our legal eagles call a cease-and-desist letter. That means if he ever questions your mental capacity again, either in writing or in front of witnesses, I will sue him."
"Golly..."
"Richard thinks he can do what he likes...and Barry, as his acolyte, seems to feel much the same...but not with me and mine. He has learned that at the bank, where he has failed to get a majority, and he will learn it again over you and Steven. You are not to worry...I will talk to Steven, and I will make sure that no one tries to stop you two doing what you want to do...and I will give him a career here in Meadvale. Catriona's school idea is a very good one...and we are going to make it come to fruition...it will be good for the community and it will put Richard and Barry in their place..."
"I am so sorry to be causing so much trouble, Grandpa?" I moaned, but he just smiled again and shook his head.
"My dear girl, you have caused no more trouble than any other maiden...and in case you had not noticed, you are an important part of this family. I am used to my wife bullying me to get what she wants, but when Rachel Knight joins in, I know something very special is going on in my house. And everyone loves you...including me...we will see this through, Hermione...I promise...and you will get the happy outcome you deserve."