It took twenty years for him to go to Australia. The Great War had thrown the world into chaos. He had to adjust to a new England afterwards, and his wife was of invaluable help with her sensible attitude towards life and all things economic. But at last he set out to see it, together with his wife and his son.

  They travelled along the new road towards Cape Otway, having seen the shipwreck coast and the lighthouse already from the boat that had brought them over. The road showed them what a beautiful country this really was. It was truly breathtaking. Spring brought forth flowers everywhere, and there were charming creatures in the trees around them.

  At Cape Otway Henry asked about Porter, and a young woman, she might have been eighteen or nineteen, told them that he had died a few years ago. She suggested to take them to the cemetery that lay a short walk off in the dunes. The offer was accepted, and they learned on the way that the girl’s name was Aideen O’Hare and that she was in some way related to Porter’s wife, who was also buried in the dunes.

  Henry asked her to describe how Porter had lived. The girl looked at him in confusion. “Like we all do, sir. He worked. And he was always there for us children. He told us stories, he read to us, he taught us to read. Sometimes the stories were scary, but he always gave them a happy ending. My parents liked him also, and they named me after him. He came here, they say, because he loved his wife so much that he had her brought here from England after she had died. I had not been born then, I hope I don’t get things mixed up too much. – Here we are, sir. That is the grave over there.“

  Henry entered the cemetery enclosed in the sandy landscape alone; Trudy and young Henry stayed back, talking to Aideen. Henry looked at the graves. Some were in danger of being swallowed by the sand and had been protected with boards. Others lay between the short trees. There was no order, no path. The graves were each surrounded with iron fences and tall headstones. They looked like beds in the sand. A garden of beds. He walked towards the grave Aideen had pointed out to him.

  Tears welled up in his eyes when he read the inscription: “Aoife Porter, nee O'Hare, died 1901 aged 20, with her son, born and died 1901 – beloved wife of Aidan Porter, died 1920.“

  He saw that the inscription had been made all in one go, except for Porter’s date of death. Porter had come with the intention never to leave again.

  After a while Henry felt Trudy standing beside him, gently putting her hand on his arm. She did not speak when Henry acknowledged her presence by putting his hand on hers. When he sighed, she said, “I knew them, too. Both of them. Aoife O‘Hare had been my maid, back then in Wotton House. She was my age. Very clever, very funny. I offered her to come with me, but she refused. She did not want to be a maid.“ Henry nodded. Trudy spoke on, ?I gave her my comb and a pair of earrings. She could have sold them if ever she needed money. She never did.“

  Henry remembered the earrings and the comb. Aoife had been wearing them in Margate. He had been wondering about the letters engraved on the comb. GG for Gertrud Grave. Only now he realised that the things were back in Trudy’s possession.

  Before he could remark on that, his wife said, “And Aidan Porter was my father.“

  Henry had thought that he could not be surprised any more. “Your father?“

  Trudy glanced at him swiftly, then she sighed and leaned against him. “The sad truth about my parents’ marriage is even sadder than you already know. When my mother failed to get pregnant, my father started mistreating her. Once he hurt her so much that it took a long time for her to get well again. She went to the seaside, to Aldeburgh. She loved the sea, her home was an island, back in Germany, you know. Aidan Porter was at the time a footman in Mr Jennings’ service. He was sent with my mother and her maid, because my mother was not able to walk very well. The maid would not have been able to help her on the beach.”

  “And then other things happened?“ Henry tried to spare his wife the worst part of the story, but Trudy shook her head.

  “She told me that she seduced him, one time, shortly before they had to go back to London. They got into a thunderstorm on the beach, and Aidan turned over a boat and made her take cover, and she insisted on him crawling in as well, and then she insisted some more. Quite romantic, really. She loved this memory. He left his position immediately afterwards, though.“

  “He came directly to my father, I believe. He had been my valet since I was sixteen“, Henry babbled. “Remarkable.“ Then he realised that Trudy was looking at him with an amused smile. “Did he know that there was you?“

  “Oh yes. My mother wrote to him, and she sent him photos. She even tried to make him come to Germany, after the situation with her husband had escalated badly. She liked him a lot. It is quite possible that she would have gone a long way for him.“

  They were silent. Henry held his wife’s hand. Eventually she said, “He did not want to come. He never even answered her letters. He probably thought that we were better off without a scandal. And we were safe in Germany.“

  “That sounds like him.“

  “Yes. This is how I came to know him. My mother died, and shortly after Jennings died, too – under somewhat mysterious circumstances, as you may know.“

  “It was not an accident with a carriage?“ Henry knew only the official version.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “It was more likely an attack because he had cheated at betting. On bare-knuckle fights. This is what his lawyer hinted at, anyway. He was not a good person, Jennings.“ Trudy’s manner of speaking was casual. “Anyway, I had to return to England because of the formalities following his death. And the invitation to Wotton House came in at just the right time.“

  “You knew that Porter would be there?“

  “Oh yes. We met a few times, in secret, of course. He was very calm. He was not trying to be a loving father. He was frustratingly reserved. Outbursts of feeling were not to be expected from him. I offered to give him money so that he could leave his job. As tactfully as I could, which was probably not tactful enough. He declined. He was not impolite, just very reserved and discreet. I wish I had gotten the chance to know him. You knew him much better.“

  “You are like him in many ways.“, Henry said. “I have always wondered why you were so familiar to me, right from the start. It is your eyes. And your level-headed calmness. Among other things. I’m glad that I have got an explanation now.“

  Trudy smiled. “You have had him when I would have liked to have him.”

  “Is that why you married me?“

  “No. Not really. Or rather, I liked you, but at Wotton House I was too busy with myself to be looking for a husband. And could I have married you while my father was in your service? I would have driven him away, I believe. But then he wrote to me.” She pulled a letter from her coat pocket, carefully folded but read many times, holding it out to Henry.

  He hesitated before he took it. It was dated shortly after Porter had left his service but still in England. He read:

  “Dear honoured Lady Gertrud,

  included you find the jewellery you gave to Miss O’Hare a few months ago. Miss O‘Hare has died shortly after accepting me as her husband. She valued your friendship greatly and always spoke warmly of you, even though your acquaintance was only brief. She enjoyed wearing the pieces. I have no use for them and would like to return them to you.

  I am about to leave the country. I hope you will remember Miss O’Hare fondly.

  I also regret that it was impossible for me to react in a kinder, more appropriate way to your generous offer and your wishes regarding our acquaintance. Time and connection might have been advantageous for both of us; sadly, there is not enough time to catch up on that. I appreciate you as an honest, straightforward, intelligent and warm-hearted person, and I must admit that I am proud of you, even though I have no agency in your life. I know only one other person who walks through life with similar uninhibited charm and grace, and this person is my master of many years, the Earl of Ashwood, whose service I am now leaving.

  I wish you all the best, and always a fortunate hand in making your choices, trusting that my wishes are not necessary at all.

  Kindest regards,

  Aidan Porter“

  Henry handed the letter back to his wife.

  “He praised you so much. I had to marry you, don’t you think?“, she said.

  “He let you know that he was out of the way, that much is certain.“

  “That, too. But he praised you above all else.“

  Henry sighed. “Did he exaggerate?“

  “Not very much, no. He may have where it comes to me, but not where you are concerned.“

  Henry put his arms around his wife and kissed her on the forehead. He failed at his attempt to smile.

  “What did he write to you, back then?“, Trudy asked, and Henry froze.

  “When?“

  “You had a letter from him, shortly after Henry was born. You turned it over and over and then read it in the study. I saw his handwriting.“

  Sharp woman, truly her father’s child. “He had learned about our marriage and about Henry. He wanted to congratulate.“

  “He might have congratulated me as well. You looked as if you were expecting bad news, though.“

  He knew that she would not let him off. He could not tell her the whole story, though. Henry wanted one thing most of all: Trudy should keep her favourable image of him without him having to tell any lies. He had to find the right way to say it.

  “Well, the times were difficult when he and Aoife got married and decided to leave together for Australia. Everything had happened so fast, and there had been many misunderstandings we had not been able to resolve. I was hurt and sad. I did not know what to make of his letter. Luckily”, he added, “your father managed to explain in his letter that they had been no more than misunderstandings. We were not attentive enough.”

  Trudy nodded. Further questions were cut short by young Henry, who joined them.

  “Who was this man, dad? This Porter? I mean, who was he if we travelled all this way to visit his grave?“

  Henry put his hand on the next Earl of Ashwood’s shoulder. “Aidan Porter, my boy“, he said, “was a friend I haven’t been able to keep.“

  Then he turned to Aideen, who was still lingering at the entrance. “Miss O'Hare, do you think it is possible to walk to the beach? I heard that it is very impressive.“

  Aideen replied, “It is, very much so. But it is a bit of a walk away.“

  Henry looked at his son, who in turn looked at Trudy. “I’m game“, she said. “It is warm, and we have all the time in the world.“

  They let the young people walk ahead. It took a while until they heard the sea crashing against the cliffs below. They followed the path through the dunes, and then they reached the beach. It went on for miles and miles, bright and wide and empty except for young Henry and Aideen, who were skipping the waves and laughing. Their son waved, they waved back. The young people went towards the small waterfall dropping from the red and orange cliff, creating a rainbow as the wind dispelled the stream in the air.

  Again Henry felt like crying. But he was not sad.

  They sat down on a boulder.

  “He likes her“, Trudy said. “And I envy her. She knew my father as I wished I had known him.”

  “She has the same hair as Aoife”, Henry remarked. “We could ask her to travel with us.”

  Trudy laughed. “Darling, we are here now. We can stay awhile. We can wait and be attentive.“

  She leaned against him. He lit a cigarette and held it out for her. She took it from his fingers with her lips.

  She was right, of course. Henry blinked in the afternoon sun.