Charis Read online

  C H A R I S

  A Naïve English Girl Who Overcomes Tragedy and Trial to Fight for Her Happily Ever After

  by Mary Francis

  First eBook Edition, November 2013

  Published by ABC’s Legacy, LLC

  Copyright 2013 ABC’s Legacy, LLC

  All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or part, without written permission from the publisher.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  With grateful thanks to AJ Harmon without whose help and encouragement this book would never have been written.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  GLOSSARY

  PROLOGUE

  I CHARIS

  II BEN

  III EPIPHANY

  IV LONDON

  V THE WEDDING

  VI THE HONEYMOON

  VII HAPPILY EVER AFTER

  VIII HOME AGAIN

  EPILOGUE

  DEAR READER

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  GLOSSARY

  CHARIS: (Karis) from Greek meaning 'grace' i.e. – 'divine grace' in Christian context.

  TINTAGEL: Legendary birthplace and childhood home of King Arthur.

  BEEFEATERS: Common name given to the Yeoman Warders (guards) at the Tower of London.

  Reference to BUCKINGHAM PALACE: From a poem by A. A. Milne. A conversation between Christopher Robin and his nursemaid, Alice.

  DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES: Henry VIII's looting and confiscation of land and properties belonging to the Catholic Church. Much of it was sold to wealthy subjects as a means of filling his treasury. Begun in 1536 and lasted four years.

  de SELLE: (Sellay) name believed to date back to the Norman Conquest in 1066

  HADRIAN'S WALL: Wall built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in AD 122 across northern England from the east coast to the west coast, used as a barrier to keep the 'barbaric tribes' of Scotland from invading the Roman Empire's territory of Britannia. A World Heritage site.

  QCs: Queen's Counsel – Senior barristers appointed by 'letters patent'. A distinction conferred by the Crown to 'a select few regarded as worthy of the prize, awarded to the specially diligent, learned, upright and capable members of the bar'. (Cox & Spiller, Queen's Counsel 2000 NZLJ 371 373) When they are appointed they wear a silk gown (known as 'taking silk'). They take precedence over other barristers.

  MEWS HOUSE: From the 16th to the 19th centuries a mews was an area used to house the horses and carriages of wealthy people living in large cities. The buildings were situated around a large courtyard and usually supplied accommodation for the grooms and their families. In recent years they have often been remodelled into very desirable residences.

  A & E: The Accident and Emergency Department of a hospital.

  BANNS: The Calling of Banns is a requirement of various churches before a wedding to allow members of the public time to register opposition to the marriage,as in the 'let him now speak or forever hold his peace' part of the ceremony.

  GP: General Practitioner – Primary Care Physician

  SAT NAV: Satellite Navigation - GPS

  PROLOGUE

  The two men stood deep in the shadows as they talked, ignoring the bustle of the busy marketplace nearby, heads close together, voices soft and insistent. They argued, they bargained and finally came to agreement. Money changed hands. The taller one nodded to the other then they turned and left in opposite directions, melting into the crowd.

  The selling of human flesh is a dark and evil deed.

  PART I

  CHARIS

  In later years, when Charis looked back on her childhood before her father died, her memories were all happy ones. Although her mother had died giving birth to her, she’d never felt deprived of love or attention. Mrs. Patterson had told her how her father, although he grieved deeply for his beloved Elizabeth, had cared for her with as much love and devotion as any mother. He’d bathed her, fed her, got up to her during the night, taken her for walks and played with her. Charis' own memories were filled with delight; of walks in the countryside near her home, her father pointing out the birds and animals, the trees and flowers to her. In the spring they would come home with bunches of flowers or leaves from the trees, in the autumn with horse chestnuts that had fallen to the ground. She remembered feeding the ducks on the village pond and playing Pooh sticks on the little bridge that crossed the stream at the bottom of their garden; the cosy cuddles in the big arm chair by the fire when her father read to her before bedtime; how he always came to tuck her into bed and kiss her before she fell asleep.

  He taught her how to read and guided her first tentative efforts to play the piano. He taught her to climb trees and indeed, how to enjoy life to the full. He’d guided her first steps, not just as she learned to walk, but as she embarked on the adventure of going to the village school. They walked to the school together every day and he was always there to fetch her home again. Life for Charis was full of joy, love, serenity and contentment.

  Each summer they’d spent two weeks on holiday in Cornwall, the beautiful southwest corner of England. They rented a cottage in a small coastal village not far from Tintagel. She remembered the walks to the beach and playing in the rock pools, eating Cornish pasties and having cream teas, or sitting on the sea wall eating fish and chips. Once she’d said that Mrs. Patterson would not approve and her father had mimicked their Scottish housekeepers voice, looked down his nose and said, “Young ladies never eat with their fingers,” and Charis had giggled so much she nearly fell off the wall. And then they'd go back to the cottage and she'd have a hot bath and they'd enjoy cosy evenings together.

  Every year they explored Tintagel castle and Merlin's cave by the water’s edge, climbing the steps from the beach, which Charis always counted and got a different number every time, and they’d cross the footbridge high above the water. Charis was always terrified they would fall, but felt safe with her hand held tightly in her father's. They went further afield too, to Boscastle which she enjoyed, and even to Devon to visit the donkey sanctuary. She very much wanted to take a donkey home and her father promised that when she was old enough to take care of it by herself, she could have a donkey of her own.

  They spent quite a lot of time in London, too; a week or two in the summer, the Easter holidays, a few days before Christmas and every half term. Her father had to visit his publisher regularly and so he combined business with pleasure. And they would always spend some time with James too, which pleased Charis. She liked her father's friend and felt comfortable with him. She loved the hustle and bustle of shopping for Christmas presents, the Christmas displays in the big shop windows, and the huge tree in Trafalgar Square. They always went to a pantomime. She remembered seeing Cinderella, Aladdin and Peter Pan. It delighted her to “Boo” the villain with all the other children and cry out “Oh, yes he is” as loud as any of them. She had many favourite things in London. Getting on the little boat at Westminster Bridge and going down the river to the Tower was one of them. She was fascinated by the stories her father told her of things that had happened there and the people who’d been imprisoned – or worse! She loved to look at the Crown Jewels and the uniforms of the Beefeaters. She enjoyed going to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Gallery. She was intrigued by the Whispering Gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral and loved walking in the park and watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

  They had a ritual where her father would recite the poem about Christopher Robin walking down with Alice, but when he came to the part about the King, Charis would say, “Do you think the Queen knows all about me?” and her father would answer, “She's sure to dear, but it's time for tea.” Then they would laugh and laugh and go home for tea.

  They had other outings too, especially on long weekends, or if her
father was doing research for his latest book. She came to love the history and the traditions of her country and enjoyed their time together exploring new places.

  The Christmas when Charis was five her father gave her a puppy as a present; a beautiful Golden Retriever she called Lady. Lady became her best friend – next to her father of course – and went everywhere with them, even on their annual holiday to Cornwall. She walked with them to and from school during the week and she explored the countryside with them at the weekend. The only time she wasn't with them was when they went to London. Paul told her that it wouldn't be fair to take her to the city as the traffic and noise would upset her, so Lady stayed home with the Pattersons who loved her too, and her precious Lady would accompany George as he worked in the gardens or sometimes curl up and sleep in the kitchen while Marjorie worked.

  But life wasn't always quite so enjoyable. Lurking in the background, as if ready to pounce at any moment, was Mildred and the malevolent presence of Henry. At that age Charis was too young to understand their relationship or reasons for being there. They were just there, hovering…menacing. And Charis was afraid of them both.

  *****

  The year was 1540 and Henry VIII was intent on his quest to dissolve all the monasteries. So far the little Abbey, just a few miles from Castle Combe on the road to Bath, had escaped his notice, but not anymore. Although not rich in worldly things, the Abbey was popular with the local people for the good works the monks did for the community; taking care of the sick, the elderly and the poor, and teaching some of the children to read and write. The leading family in the area was the de Sellés, said to have come from Normandy at the time of the conquest, and as Henry's greedy eyes fell upon the little Abbey, Robert de Sellé offered to buy it and so saved it from destruction. He bought the buildings and the land and saved as many of the monks as he could, but couldn't save them all. Those who managed to escape returned to their homes and former lives.

  Robert and his wife enjoyed their new house. They turned the old buildings into a large and sumptuous family home and as the land of their original property ran alongside the old Abbey grounds, they now had ownership of extensive holdings. Rich in worldly things, they were also kind people and benevolently kept up as many of the monks’ good deeds as they could. But by 1580 Robert and his good wife had gone the way of all the earth and it was a somewhat dissolute grandson who now had ownership. He gambled his way into debt and it looked as though he would lose the property, but instead, he sold off large swathes of the old Abbey land and made just enough money to keep the house. The biggest section, known as the Monks Meadow, was bought by one Thomas Beresford, where he built a house, married a wife and raised his family. They called their home Meadow Lea Hall.

  Thomas was twelve when he first went to sea. He’d gone to Bristol to look for work and found a job as a cabin boy and so began his career. By 1577, he was sailing with Francis Drake aboard the Golden Hind on its epic three year voyage around the world. He arrived home, thirty years old, feeling the need to settle down and with enough gold in his pockets to be comfortable for the rest of his life.

  Thomas and his wife Elizabeth built their home in the Elizabethan style – in the shape of an E, and of Cotswold stone. They had a magnificent oak panelled hall with a large inglenook fireplace, a wide oak staircase, and leaded glass, stone mullioned windows. It was not as big nor as impressive as the de Sellé house, but very appealing nonetheless - a warm and comfortable family home. In due course their son William grew up, went to Oxford to read law and on to London where he became a successful barrister, wealthy and important enough to marry Sarah de Sellé. Her dowry was the remainder of the original Abbey land and it was large enough to have a home farm. Meadow Lea Hall was now complete.

  The Beresford family had arrived.

  *****

  Four hundred years later, another William Beresford was the owner of Meadow Lea Hall. It had changed little since being built by Thomas – enlarged somewhat by succeeding generations but never losing sight of its more humble beginnings and always in the same Cotswold stone. The gardens were lovely, the lawn behind the house sweeping down to the little stream that ran along the boundary of the garden and the beginning of the home farm.

  William and his wife Jane had been married for several years when she discovered she was to have a child. They were delighted and hoped for a boy, someone to inherit Meadow Lea Hall as their ancestors had done for hundreds of years. It had taken so long to have a baby…they realised there may not be another. When the time came, Jane was delivered of her long awaited child; a daughter, Elizabeth, at the cost of Jane's life. William hired a nurse to take care of his baby girl and retired into his study, saddened and bitter at the death of his wife and old before his time.

  Elizabeth grew and, despite all odds, was a happy and bright child. Gradually she began to pierce her father's unhappiness. At an early age she developed a love of music and began to pick out little tunes on the piano. He found a piano teacher for her and before long she could play simple pieces of music for him and kept him amused with her games and antics. By the time she was about six or seven years old, William started thinking about getting married again. He felt Elizabeth would need a mother as she grew up, which was when Mildred entered the picture. William brought her home to meet Elizabeth but instead of falling in love with William and his daughter, she fell in love with his house.

  Mildred was a widow with a twelve year old son. As soon as she saw Meadow Lea Hall she coveted it for her Henry. She could tell William doted on his daughter and decided the best way to get to William would be through Elizabeth. The ploy worked. Before long William married Mildred and she and Henry came to live at Meadow Lea Hall. To begin with, Mildred made an effort to be pleasant and outwardly affectionate towards Elizabeth. But children are perceptive and Elizabeth was uncomfortable around her and Henry and the tension began to show. Soon all pretence was gone and, at best, an uneasy truce held sway. It was about this time that William visited his solicitor to draw up a new will.

  Things were better when Henry went away to school, paid for by William, and he was only around for school holidays. By the time Elizabeth went away to school, Henry had embarked on his archaeological studies at Cambridge and was home even less. Once again William retired to his study and Mildred had her say in the running of the household. Things changed each time Elizabeth came home. William became more of his old self and laughter was heard in the house once again. Music played a more and more important role in Elizabeth's life and as her school life ended she chose it as her career. She went to London to study. Her visits home were the only light in her father's life. Sometimes he went to London to hear her play, especially as she began to be a soloist with well-known orchestras.

  Then one weekend she arrived home with Paul. They were obviously in love with each other and were married soon afterwards. William's health was beginning to fail so Elizabeth and Paul came to live at Meadow Lea Hall. Elizabeth sensed her father didn't have long to live and wanted to make sure his last months, hopefully years, were happy ones.

  *****

  Paul Ainslie was a successful writer of historical mystery novels and already had two of his books made into films and one into a television drama. It was while he was working on the TV show that he met Elizabeth. She was hired to play the piano in a scene of the show. As he watched her play he was mesmerised – he thought she was absolutely lovely and so totally oblivious of everyone as she lost herself in the music. The scene concluded and as he approached her, she turned and smiled at the director standing nearby, pleased with her performance and glad it was over in one take. Her smile dazzled Paul and he felt unable to move. The director turned and saw him standing there.

  “Ah Paul, I'd like to introduce you to our beautiful pianist, Elizabeth Beresford. Elizabeth, this is Paul Ainslie, author of the story we're filming.”

  Elizabeth turned and saw a young man of medium height, brown hair and a charming smile. This time her smile
was just for him.

  “How clever of you to write – I've read your books – I really enjoy them.”

  “And you are so talented,” he managed to say, hoping his voice wasn't squeaking too much. Then he added, “And beautiful.”

  Her hair was a deep gold colour and she had lovely blue and expressive eyes which he thought were laughing at him. Somehow he managed to ask her to have dinner with him and was surprised and elated when she agreed. They found they had much in common and delighted in each other's company. It wasn't long before she invited him home to meet her father and a few weeks later they were married.

  Their marriage was happy but things were difficult with Mildred trying to run the household even though William made it plain that Elizabeth was in charge. On the rare occasions that Henry came home it was even worse. Elizabeth tried to shield her father from the tension as his health deteriorated rapidly, but knew that he must be aware of it. William indeed blamed himself for marrying Mildred in the first place and wondered how he could’ve been so stupid to have been taken in by her. At one time he had even considered divorce but knew that Mildred would have sued for large amounts of money that by rights belonged to his heirs, so he had continued on, thinking it worth the sacrifice to ensure his daughter's inheritance was intact. He knew that Mildred would never consider divorcing him. She valued her position too much. So he did what he could to ensure that neither she nor her son could get their hands on any of the Beresford property or money.

  Elizabeth and Paul had been married for two years when William died. She had taken his early morning cup of tea into his room to find he’d passed away peacefully during his sleep. Elizabeth tried to comfort herself knowing that he was with his Jane again and was thankful to have Paul to lean on, who took upon himself the task of all the funeral arrangements.