The Companion of Lady Holmeshire (21 page)

I threatened my parents with our eloping, and that has resulted in my income continuing from Father. You need have no concern for my future needs. My parents have hopes, then, that I will not marry you simply because of being in want of an income. Papa is so opposed to your views, of a sudden, and to your having taken in the little child.

What I do wish to extend to you, more than anything, is that I am hoping that you will take an office in Chenbury House, any room that you choose. There, along with me, you could run a new charity to benefit women like the one we saw on the grass in London with her cold and blue baby. I ask that you would try to find that woman and her sons and bring them, also, to Chenbury, where we can provide them with work in setting up our project. As it turns out, I will have some money to accomplish much with. Please inform me of your desires in all these matters. Fondly, Genevieve.’”

“
That does it, then! Now I know what I will do with my day. I must go out and search for that woman. I have not been able to bear the thoughts of her and that poor baby in the cold. It is necessary to find her temporary lodging until we have everything decided. What shall I do? She wishes to work; I can give her work at Chenbury when she is able, as we have Genny’s permission. I have so much to think about, now, and to do!” Wills rose quickly to his feet, his hands on his forehead with his eyes closed to allow him to think, leaving his breakfast untouched.

Winnie tried to slow him down. “Should you wish it, I will take Emma and search for a room for the woman,” She set down her newly poured cup of coffee and stood up. “We just had a quiet day planned, with you being free, and we have the time. But please take a moment, Son, and eat something?”

He whirled around to the back of his chair and pushed it in. He spoke quickly, ready to leave. “Oh, do search for a room; that would be wonderful, Mama. It would expedite improving conditions for that baby. I hope he has survived this long!” Wills could not move fast enough. Helena entered the room, shocked at the apparent state of emergency existing there.

“
Your Grace! Aunt Helena!” Wills pleaded. “Please, send a letter to Genevieve telling her that I am searching for the woman, and that my mother is finding her a room. Do not delay! Oh please, please excuse me.” He started out the door, but realizing how confusing and surprising his request must have been, he turned briefly and apologized. “I am sorry, Aunt, I am in such a hurry. Please do this for me?” And Wills was out the door to have a coachman called before she responded. She nodded, though she was, indeed, bewildered.

Riding through the same dismal area again, he became concerned when, after quite some time, he did not find the woman. Where could she have gone? Could she have decided to go into a workhouse, where her sons would be taken away from her? Perhaps she had become convinced that it would be the only way to save her child’s life and had traded her scant remaining happiness for his life. He hoped that she had not. With the child’s loss of his loving mother, he saw it as a deplorable solution, at least in comparison to what Genevieve had proposed. He jumped down out of the carriage, dejected, and began to ask about her.

“
Have you seen a woman wearing a brown silk cloak with purple designs? She would be with a young lad and a baby, whom she would keep warm beneath her cape, or so I do hope. I am here to help her.” At first there was no positive response, at least not as to her whereabouts, but Wills did not give up. He checked in old residential buildings, asked in shoddy business establishments and even inquired inside a rat-infested area workhouse. After a couple of hours of searching on foot, a boy heard his query from a distance and called out, “I know where she is, sir!” Wills turned around, and the ragged child pointed to a metal staircase across the way on the side of a building. There she sat, she with her sons, wearing the cape. Wills broke into a grin, thanked the boy and hurried across a weed-infested dirt plot to see them.

She smiled up at him. “Sir! It is you!”

“
Do not get up. And the baby? How is the baby?”

“
The baby is warm and doing very well under this fine cloak. I have many times wondered, sir, your name? I wish to give the baby your name, for I know it was you who brought the kind lady here. I have hoped you would return so I could learn it.”

“
My name is Wilfred, Lord Holmeshire, ma’am. And I wondered about your current living arrangements?” The teenage boy stood up, came down off the stairs, and bowed.

“
My Mama sleeps on the grass, My Lord,” he said. “Though it is rocky, she is now warm. We are grateful for that.”

“
I now have a better arrangement for you,” Wills enthusiastically reported. “My Mama is searching for a room for you right now, if you please, and a bit of work will be provided, should you be able to manage it.” He addressed the woman. “Are you well enough to work when you recover from your laying in?”

“
Or, I’m afraid, sir, my laying out!” She laughed.

“
We are both quite well enough to work, My Lord,” the teenage son replied for her. “My Mum should rest and care for the child, but I am strong, at least, and can work, should you allow it. Please, sir.”

Wills was impressed with the lad’s ambition and desire to help his family. “Can you come now, the three of you? Are you free to leave the area?”

The woman, overwhelmed at the kind efforts being made on their behalf, spoke up. “Let me tell someone that we are going. I thank you with all my heart, My Lord.” She signaled, and the little boy who had shown Wills the family ran to find his father. The woman told him that they were fortunate to soon have a room, and that no one need worry about them. Wills added, while the family was taken into the carriage, that they were working on a plan to provide what they could for all of them. Time would, unfortunately, be needed, he bemoaned. And off they went.

Wills ascertained that the woman’s name was Abby Smith, and the lad’s, Henry. He asked what kind of work they had done in the past. Abby said that she had been a washer woman in a laundry shop, but that when she came to be with child she could not carry the buckets of water, and so she was replaced. Her dear husband had died soon thereafter from an illness that had passed around in the area. Henry’s job alone, at the wash shop, was not enough to rent their room. They became homeless. Homeless people were driven away from that area by the businessmen, she said, and Henry could not get to his work any longer. Now they had nothing, and nowhere to go.

Henry asked Lord Holmeshire if he was married. “No,” he said. His expression sobered, and he changed the subject quickly. Should they not visit a seamstress for clothing? Surely they were in need. Abby replied that she knew of a used clothing shop that would be less expensive and allow them to have clothing immediately, should he not mind. She had nothing with them, she said, after all, and they so needed to wash what they were wearing.

They stopped at the shop, spent a bit of time looking through the carefully cleaned and folded apparel, and all three came out clothed quite decently. They had extra in a bundle, as well as nappies for the baby. Wills had chanced upon a lovely, fine dress for Abby that he carried out over his arm, and he suggested that they tear up their old apparel for rags. There would be no need to dress so poorly, he told them, with the income they would soon be earning.

The horses next took them to Belgrave Square, and Wills sent a footman inside to learn from his mother whether rooms had been found. Soon they were following Winnie, Emma and Nicky down the road in a separate carriage.

“
How nice,” Wills said, as the group stopped in front of a modern edifice, “that they have the new gas lamps on the street. It will improve the safety of the area.” He exclaimed that he was also pleased with the quaintly trimmed building, which was well maintained and attractive.

Winnie had found the little family a pleasant suite of rooms in which they would be most comfortable. It was already furnished pleasantly. To the suffering mother and son, it was the most wonderful, welcoming place on earth! How could so much good have come to them in these few days?

Winnie and Emma enjoyed becoming acquainted with them and helped them with settling their few items in. They set out some candles they had brought, and a snuffer, and found a teapot to prepare hot tea for the new mother. They had also brought some crusty bread and a pot full of good soup from the Duke’s kitchen. Wills eagerly assisted them in emptying the pot.

Nicholas was happy to be helping “a cute baby,” and wished it to be his very own brother. Everyone enjoyed little Nick’s determination and laughed heartily as the baby made funny little shapes with his mouth. Wills told Abby to rest for her confinement, and Winnie said that they would provide some help until she was strong. And Henry was to go to work at Chenbury very soon.

***

Wills sat down at his desk and read several letters from the Lords of Parliament, some of which were discouraging indeed. He intended to write a letter to Genevieve, but before he could, he found another from her that had arrived on his desk.

“
I have such plans,”
she wrote,
“and can hardly think of anything else! First, I would like to use Chenbury’s large banquet room for an auction hall, where we can sell off donated items, such as my tiresome trinkets. The banquet table can remain in place, as there is adequate room without moving it; we could, therefore, hold honorary dinners at any time. The dance room would make a wonderful theater with a bit of redoing. Perhaps we could take out a wall to make it larger, and we could put on Shakespearean productions, which would entertain many and produce funds for our project! What fun that would be.

I am sorry not to have waited for a reply before carrying my thoughts so firmly in this direction. I simply desire this too much to allow you to say no! It is what I care to do regardless of anything else, and I suppose I am a bit of an independent lady. I received a note from your aunt saying that you would search for our poor mother and child, and I hope that you will be able to locate them very soon. I do so hope the baby has survived. Fondly, Genevieve.”

Wills had just spent the most joyful day of his life, for giving does, indeed, bring the greatest happiness. Genny’s note conformed quite nicely to the pleasant direction of things. If only Gabriel Hughes were not so frequently assailing his sanity! He penned a reply to Genny’s two notes.

“
Dearest Genevieve, First let me comfort you in that I have located Mrs. Abby Smith and her two sons, Henry and little Wills. Henry will be a most willing worker. Wills is healthy and it appears that he will do quite well, thanks to your kind assistance to his mother. You have clearly saved his life! And now your further generosity will make it a happy one, I am certain. Thanks to your request that I locate her, and thanks to the efforts of my mother, the family is warm and delighted in a suite of rooms within walking distance of Chenbury House.

I am planning to cut back my time at Parliament to do more for the poor. Since I have come under your father’s disapproval, my support at Westminster seems to have pulled back. I do not have the influence I once did, and there is great support, again, for the workhouse arrangement. My ideas for the poor are simply not a subject that the Lords are willing to discuss any longer at this time.

If I am to accomplish anything much, it must be with my own money and whatever you and other generous souls wish to do. Your funding ideas are brilliant! The use of Chenbury for this project is an enormous help; it will enable us to begin building shelters all the sooner. I hope to have many beds prepared before autumn rains fall. I could appeal to my Uncle for support in Parliament, but I feel that there will be greater peace and happiness from this should we simply turn to the good will of many of our friends. I also feel that we should be able to simply move ahead and not have to spend time and energy on a battle over it. This will mean housing, clothing and food for those in need quite soon. Once the benefits of our efforts are shown, perhaps the Lords will give our approach more consideration.

As for the matter of our marriage, I prefer to talk together about that when we next see each other. Please inform me of when we can meet at Chenbury and begin working on our project. My Aunt Helena, my Mama, Emma and Nicholas all wish to join us in this happy project, and they will be of tremendous assistance. Sincerely yours, Wilfred, Lord Holmeshire”

His letter made it to her hands the same evening, and they both were sleepless with excitement.

***

Come the following Wednesday, Mrs. Amberton sauntered past the new brick telegraph office in Holmeshire village. “It is preposterous what they say they can do!” she thought, frowning as she hurried past the Devil’s very window, furtively glancing in. A voice from inside called out to her excitedly, and she nearly broke into a run in the opposite direction! Someone came outside behind her, calling out her name with a familiar voice. Puzzled, she turned around. It was young Mr. Wells, who had returned from training in London not long since. He was standing beneath the handsome new swinging wooden sign hanging over the doorway, motioning her into the building with astonishment on his face, determinedly gesturing.

“
Mrs. Amberton! Our very first telegram has come through, just a moment ago, you see, and it is for you!” They seemed to have no interest in the message itself, but were very excited that the machine had actually worked! The office was full of noisy rejoicing, and a bottle of champagne was loudly uncorked. As she stepped inside, they were shouting, “How quickly it came from London!” “Have a bit of the bubbly, Mrs. Amberton!” She heard none of this for all her disbelief of the first comment. She disputed, with most somber piety, that she or anyone could ever receive a telegram.