Charlotte: The Practical Education of a Distressed Gentlewoman (16 page)

Freddy stopped off at White's for a
snifter. The other members considered him a bit of an odd stick,
but good company just the same. One of his friends came over and
suggested he join the game of Hazard underway.

“
Sorry, but I can't.”

“
What do you mean you can't, it's
just chicken stakes?”

“
Samuel, you know I'm a
banker.”

“
If you're just a banker, I'm a
subaltern.” Major Samuel Travers was a well-respected officer in
the Coldstream Guards.

“
You know what I mean. It could
leave the wrong impression if I play the tables.”

“
Hmmn, I see. Have a point there.
Pity though, you used to be dashed good at it.”

“
But never for more than copper
stakes.”

“
True. I say, how about you advise
me? I could use the help.”

The other men at the game suggested
that he come and join them. Freddy sat down next to his friend and
soon was immersed in calculating the odds and advising his friend
on his betting.

It didn't take long before they
were cleaning the table. “Damn Freddy, it's a good thing we're
playing for chicken stakes. You and Sam would be leaving us in
deuced low water.”

Freddy chuckled to himself. Then he
stood up to leave, “Thank you Sam, gentlemen, I'd forgotten how
much I missed your company. When you get run off your feet
tomorrow, come see me. I always need some more clerks in my
office.”

Freddy returned home in a much
better mood than he had when left. As he pulled his latchkey from
his pocket to open the door, one of the footmen opened it. “I
thought I told you not to wait up for me, that Miss Talbot and I
might be late?”

“
Sir, Miss Talbot is waiting for
you in the front parlor.”

Elizabeth immediately saw that her
brother was in good spirits, “Freddy? What have you been up
to?”

“
Stopped in White's and met up
with some old friends. Do you remember Sam Travers?”

“
Wasn't he the one who joined the
army? A captain or something.”

“
A Major now. Still, we had a nice
chat, and I kept him from losing his stake at Hazard.”

“
You gambled, after what you told
Miss De Vere?”

“
No, I advised him on the odds,
though. Amazing how few of these fellows think those out in
advance. It was only chicken stakes anyway. No one was going to go
broke on the bets.”

“
I put our guest to
bed.”

“
I thought she was going to Lady
Chalfield's”

“
That old harridan? You know she
was setting up Miss De Vere to be plucked?”

“
Very probably. She does that
doesn't she?”

“
But?”

“
It's a bit rude to just leave
without asking pardon as a guest.”

“
I'll send her a message in the
morning. Now that her pigeon is well and truly plucked, I doubt
she'll want to keep her.”

“
Wouldn't surprise me, but Miss De
Vere can't stay here.”

“
Why ever not? You won't
compromise her or anything stupid like that, and she is my
friend.”

“
Lizzy, I'm not sure what she
feels about us, me at least. I guess she likes you for some reason.
What makes you think she would have a good opinion about
me?”

“
I have my reasons, and what you
said isn't fair. You know that. She may have detested you when you
first met, but I'm sure she doesn't now. Remember what she said at
the Opera and you seemed to enjoy dancing with her the other
night?”

“
I suppose you're right. It's just
a bit confusing, I'm not sure what I feel.”

Early the next morning, barely
before breakfast was started, let alone the last cup of tea drunk
and Freddy was off to the city to do whatever mysterious things he
did, a footman entered the room and announced, “Mr. Talbot, you
have a visitor.”

“
This early?” Freddy looked at his
sister who usually managed to rise early enough to see him off. She
was dressed informally, in a morning gown, since it was far too
early to be out and about the village. Miss De Vere blissfully
slumbered on upstairs, unaware of the Talbot family's unsocial
hours. “Who is it and is it important?”

“
It is a Major Travers, and he
says it is confidential.”

“
Nonsense, show him in, he's an
old friend.”

A few minutes later Major Travers
entered. He stopped and staggered, there was a beautiful woman in
the room. A woman that was vaguely familiar.

“
Sam, you must remember my sister
Elizabeth?” He did, but the last time he met her she was a scrubby
schoolgirl, all legs and arms, who had been more of a nuisance than
anything else. He remembered that she was always getting in his way
or trying to tag along when he and Freddy were off trying to find
some sport or diversion. Now here she was a dashing and well-posed
woman. More importantly, she was smiling at him. It was unnerving.
He stammered, “I s-s-ay Freddy, last night, when you said you had
positions for clerk's?”

“
Yes?”

“
Did you mean it?”

“
What happened Sam?”

“
This.” He held out a missive from
his father. Freddy quickly read the letter. It was not good
news.

Sam continued while Freddy read,
“He put the family fortune into Barlow's East Timor
venture.”

Elizabeth had been listening during
family dinners when that venture was discussed, “Oh, dear, he was a
'Captain Sharp', wasn't he? I remember you and father refusing to
have anything to do with him.”

“
Yes, I'll have to sell out, there
isn't enough to keep me going as a Major. Anyway father will need
all the help he can get to hold onto the family estates and my
commission will bring a good sized amount.”

Elizabeth asked her brother,
“Freddy, could we lend?”

“
No,” Sam stopped her, “I don't
borrow from my friends, besides, Freddy always requires collateral
and I don't have any.”

Freddy looked up from the letter.
“Not always, but a loan won't help you with this. Sam, I'll see
what I can salvage for you. Barlow's venture didn't completely
collapse.”

“
M'govenor used the shares to back
a mortgage on the family manse.”

“
Oh, so you really are deep into
the suds, aren't you? I might be able to salvage a shilling on the
pound, but that won't be enough, will it?”

“
I wasn't joking when I asked
about a clerk's position.”

Elizabeth looked stricken. While
Freddy was a generous employer, Major Travers would be hard pressed
to live on a clerk's salary. Freddy thought for a few moments, then
asked one important question, “Sam, before you were in the guards,
weren't you in an engineering battalion?”

“
Yes, not so dashing, but a good
place for a young soldier to start. I even attended a course at the
Royal College while you were at Oxford.”

“
Remember any of it?”

“
A bit. Why, do you need
fortifications thrown up in a hurry? I had heard business was
cutthroat but not that cutthroat.”

“
Come see me in the city this
afternoon. If you come before supper, you can come back here and
share our mutton. I don't think a clerkship is what you want.” Sam
appeared to hesitate.

Elizabeth inserted herself into
their conversation, “Please do, Major Travers. I'd so much like to
catch up with you. Find out what my brother's like when I'm not
around. Please bring Mrs. Travers as well.”

Sam looked at her, and a puzzled
expression crossed his face. She seemed to be so earnestly wishing
for something. It couldn't possibly be his company. On the other
hand a free dinner was a free dinner, and he had heard that Freddy
kept a good table. He replied, “Freddy that sounds like an
excellent idea. I'll see you this afternoon, dine with Miss Talbot
and you tonight. My mother won't be joining us, she's out in
Berkshire with the old man.”

He watched Elizabeth intently and
noted that she relaxed and sort of smiled to herself.

On the way out, with Freddy, Sam
asked, “Your sister, she's not engaged, entangled or anything, is
she?”

“
Lizzy? No, she is sociable
enough, dances and chats at the balls, but she hardly ever looks at
anyone twice. Why?”

“
Oh, Nothing.”

Charlotte rose towards mid-day.
When she descended to see who else was awake in the Talbot
household, she only found Elizabeth. Elizabeth was already deep in
her correspondence, having written a letter to the Answorth's
explaining, in as delicate a manner as she could why Miss De Vere
would now stay with her. She was well into a long letter to her
mother when Charlotte interrupted her.

“
Lizzy? What did Lady Chalfield
say about my staying with you?”

Elizabeth replied, “I don't know,
the footman brought a letter, but it was addressed to you.” Then
handed the letter to Charlotte. Charlotte started to read, then
gasped, “She's keeping my clothes and jewelry in lieu of rent! She
wants a hundred pounds for them.”

“
Really? Let me see.” Elizabeth
read the missive. “This won't do. I do wish Freddy were here. It
would be so much easier for a man to deal with this.”

“
What can we do?”

“
You can get your pelisse. We have
a visit to pay to that old croaker.” While Charlotte went for her
pelisse, Elizabeth sent a footman with a message to her brother.
“Please tell him it's important and he should meet us at Lady
Chalfield's residence.”

Accompanied by a couple of stout
footmen, whom the Talbot's kept for their muscles more than their
manners or elegance, Elizabeth and Charlotte walked the few blocks
to Lady Chalfield's town residence. They passed a discreetly
labeled pawn shop which was tucked away in an alley between two
town houses. Elizabeth stopped Charlotte. “Charlotte, I'd like to
take a look inside, if you don't mind.”

Once inside the shop Elizabeth
explained herself, “Charlotte, I have a sinking suspicion about
your jewels.” The proprietor, an elderly hunched man with a
shambling gait came over and asked how he could be of
service.

“
We're looking for some jewelry,
it may have been left here on consignment in the last week or
so.”

“
I can show you what I have.” The
man wearily pulled out a drawer which contained several necklaces
and bracelets. “They don't usually last long, my prices are
good.”

Charlotte gasped, “That one, and
that bracelet. They're mine!”

The proprietor was taken aback.
“Lady Chalfield dropped those off two days ago. Are you saying they
aren't hers to sell?”

“
They aren't. I'm afraid, I didn't
catch your name.”

“
Jacob Samuelson.”

“
I'm afraid Mr. Samuelson, you are
the receiver of stolen goods.”

“
Blimey. Can you prove
it?”

“
Not yet, but here.” Elizabeth
pulled out a ton, “Will this deposit hold them for me?”

Mr. Samuelson blinked, he wished
all his customers were so willing to pay, “Yes, and you
are?”

“
Elizabeth Talbot from -.” Before
she could finish, Mr. Samuelson stopped her, “You're one of the
Talbot's aren't you.”

“
Yes.”

He blanched in fear, then nodded,
“They won't go anywhere.”

“
Good. Now how long would it take
to get a paste copy made of one of these?”

“
If you aren't particular about
the quality, I know a place that can do it overnight.”

“
Does Lady Chalfield know the
place?”

“
Of course, I helped her dispose
of her jewels when she needed the ready last year.”

Elizabeth turned to one of her
footmen, “James, would you mind watching Mr. Samuelson's store
while we pay a visit to Lady Chalfield? Make sure that these jewels
don't wander.”

He touched his cap in
acknowledgement, “Ma'am.”

As Charlotte and Elizabeth walked
the last bit to Lady Chalfield's abode, Charlotte asked, “Lizzy,
how did you know about the jewels?”

“
Just a lucky guess, I saw Milady
Sharp was wearing paste in Bath.”

“
It's more than that, isn't
it?”

“
Well, yes. She's a member of the
'tinsel aristocracy'. Much glitter and charm, little substance, and
fewer morals. This wouldn't be the first time she's pulled a paste
for real switch. She tried it on me in Newbury.”

“
Lizzy!”

“
She wanted to use her jewels as
collateral for a loan. They were paste copies of her originals. She
would have claimed they were genuine when she came to pay and
insisted on full damages.”

The footman knocked on Lady
Chalfield's door, and after a bit of a wait they were admitted. A
shabbily dressed footman escorted Elizabeth and Charlotte to the
sitting room. Charlotte found the air of genteel decay familiar and
comforting. Elizabeth thought it demonstrated indolence and poor
management. Sitting in a worn and patched winged chair with the
light from the window behind her streaming into her guests faces,
Lady Chalfield greeted them, “Miss De Vere, so delighted to see you
again.” She continued with notably less enthusiasm, “and Miss
Talbot.”