The Companion of Lady Holmeshire (14 page)

“
And now,” Gabriel asked Emma, “may I inquire about your life and your dear family? I do recall that you were raised by a Squire as his ward.”

Emma gave a half smile and thought for a few seconds. “There is not much to tell, I fear. I was dropped on the doorstep of Squire Carrington as an infant some two and twenty years ago with no calling card whatsoever, and so they had to find a name for me.” Gabriel’s concern was validated.

“
Oh, my dear lady, that is sad to tell.”

“I do not know, sir, it could be that I would have had a very difficult life elsewhere, but I was raised as a squire’s ward and taken in by the Countess of Holmeshire! I was educated for two years by a governess and tutors. I have come to live as a spoiled guest at Holmeshire Hall, rather than to serve, and am sitting today in the Drawing Room of the Duchess of Trent drinking a very fine tea! They are terribly good to me. It seems a very blessed life to me, and I intend always to show loyalty and appreciation for it.”

“
Indeed. And I am glad of it! They could not have chosen a lovelier, more worthy girl to favor in this way.” This, of course, made Emma blush, but she made the effort not to look away, as all lovely young women must learn to accept such praise.

Winnie joined in, “Mr. Hughes himself has had a sad start to life, but has made a fine gentleman of himself!”

“
I have had every advantage,” he replied. “At least after a short time as a bit of a stray kitten in the streets of London. But it made me willing to work hard, to never fall back into such sad straits again, and to do what I can for those who are so unfortunate.”

“
The streets!” Emma gasped before he had even finished, “At what age were you in the streets?” She leaned forward to receive her answer the sooner.

“
I only remember being there, sitting on the side of the road with other dirty little boys not far away from me. I recall being taken into a fine carriage by a well-dressed lady and given a wonderful bit of food from her basket. I just remember my amazement at her shining carriage, her thick, beaded jacket and the delicious confection. Oh, yes, and she gave me a neatly cut little sandwich as well. And I remember being taken to a grand house, such as I had never seen, and being scrubbed like I never had been. They tell me I was about four years old.”

“
Four!” she choked. “You were alone on the streets at four? Who fed you? What did you eat?”

“
Apparently, I was there for some time before that day. I do not remember anything before the carriage ride, but the street people knew of me and explained everything to the Princess.”

“
A princess? It was a princess that took you in?”

Helena joined in, eager to share her memory of that day. “I was with Princess Charlotte that day. We had gone for an outing with Caroline, Princess of Wales. We were riding in a lovely park, watching people walk in the sunshine, and then we traveled farther into an area I had never been in. The farther we went, the sadder I felt. There were people calling out to us, desperately, to buy things from them. One had some buttons he had dug up from the mud of the filthy Thames. He had tried to clean them, but we did not dare to even touch them. We just gave him a coin for his trouble. A woman begged us for a doctor’s help for her injured child; we gave her money for a doctor. And then we saw beautiful little Gabe. We asked some women where his parents were. His mother had died, they said, and he had no one else, other than them. They had been near when his mother died, but they could not much help him. The Princess of Wales took him into the carriage and brought him home. It must be kept a strict secret as to where he came from; very few people know, or they might shun him, you know. She adopted him, as she had other children. She did not keep him in the palace, but found a genteel couple who would raise him and care for him. She paid his expenses and made sure he received a start in life to become a man who could care well for himself. He has proven to be a man who certainly deserved the help, for he, in turn, looks after others.”

“
That was the day Helena came home and told me how she wished to help the poor,” Winnie recalled. “She was very persuasive with our parents and was in tears. It made me realize how difficult life can be for other people. So you see, it turned out for the good, for Mr. Hughes and for us.”

“
And for me,” Emma mused. “Perhaps that is why I am here.”

“
Then I am all the gladder for having lived it!” Gabe declared.

***

Time had gone by slowly for poor Anne, who was in desperation, trapped between the ladies’ rooms and the nursery. She would see her loved one below the window, when he returned with the post a few times daily, and he would always look up, hoping to see her there, but neither of them could find a way to communicate with the other. Waving would have been noticed, and she could not throw open the window of Nanny Bowen’s nursery and the reason go undiscovered.

Anne had determined that should much more time pass in this way, she would take matters into her own hands. And that day had arrived. Anne now knew what times of day her darling was to be seen, looking up at her window, but the doors of the building were guarded by the Montagues, and she did not know whether any of them had defected to Simon’s side. She could not get near the main door, near where she always saw him, on any pretense. And she surely could not saunter through the kitchen and out the servant’s door.

So she conspired, her scheme requiring the assistance of a hapless geranium plant from the nursery. Nanny Bowen was preoccupied with Nicky when Anne abducted the flower.

Next she devised that she might be admitted to the Drawing Room above Mr. Grantham’s sacred door. She approached Grantham, curtsied politely, and asked to be admitted to the room. This puzzled him, but he assumed it related to a lady’s plant, and she was announced. Inside the room, she curtsied again and asked Her Grace whether she could please put her precious potted geranium out on the balcony, for just one afternoon, for a bit of extra daylight. It was, she said, her very own living thing, and she thought of it as her precious baby.

Helena was a bit confused, as lady’s maids did not normally step in this way, but for the sake of the poor lovely plant it was logical enough, and she gave permission. The timing was perfect. Juliet stepped out on the balcony and dropped a note just as her Romeo passed beneath. He had been dismayed not to see his dear one standing at her window post, but now he was aware of the reason. He caught the note, smiled and bowed his head to her and entered the building as proficiently as ever.

***

Genevieve and her mother moved ahead with their plans for the Midsummer Night’s Dream Ball. Several times they called in their committee for tea and planning sessions. Eventually, invitations went out to all the best people. Everyone went to their seamstresses asking for wispy, sparkling gowns in pale color, cut with pixie hems, trimmed with flowers and vines, some with wings, all with garlands or crowns, all full of mystery and intrigue. The group made plans for decorations that would turn Handerton’s ballroom into a nocturnal forest. They called in craftsmen, searching for those who could create the needed decorations. Genevieve nearly forgot her problems, for fitting all the planning and work into her already unrelenting schedule.

Other than for his trip to Holmeshire, Lord Wilfred never missed a day at the Palace of Westminster, paying rapt attention to the speeches and deliberations of the gentlemen. He held back as a junior member, but had been given an opportunity once, through Lord Breyton, to speak, and he rose to the occasion. His words were greeted heartily; it was apparent that he would be a highly respected Lord in the chamber. A few even suggested to him that he set his sights on the role of Prime Minister within a decade or so!

Unexpectedly one day, Wills arrived at Handerton House to call on Genevieve. She had been planning and working with the young Lady Katherine Embry and Miss Samantha Highmore, her closest friends, and her mother. All were surprised and delighted when Wills was announced at the door of the glassed-in Palm Room, where they had gone to induce woodland thoughts in the botanical atmosphere. Even the butler could not help but exult at his arrival.

“
Please, have a seat, My Lord,” beamed Grace, The Lady Breyton. He bowed his head and then stood as the women moved themselves from a table to grasscloth divans near a proliferation of palm leaves, hovering over ferns and orchids, and took a seat after they did.

“
Good day, Milady,” he replied, “and Lady Genevieve, Lady Katherine, Miss Highmore.” He paused. “Is this perhaps the committee for your ball, Lady Breyton?” She nodded and said that yes, it was, in part, the committee. He continued, “I am terribly sorry to have been so long away. Although I have been in Town for the most part, I have been working very hard, and I was, in fact, away for a short time.”

“
We had heard that you were away,” Katherine expressed sincerely, relieved and respecting the fact that Wills was, at last, here and had not yet committed any faux pas. “Did you have success with your project at Holmeshire?”

“
I would love to share my story of that matter with you very much, but I am terribly short of time today. I’m afraid that you will all find me to be very rude. I came to ask whether Genevieve would be permitted to leave you all to accompany me on an outing?” Smiles brightened despite his abruptness; Grace winked knowingly at her daughter’s friends and then stood up to ring the bell for Genevieve’s wrap. She turned, though, to Wills with a warning.

“
Please, Lord Holmeshire, do keep Genny at your side. There have been strange men watching her for some time, more and more recently, and we are frightened.”

“
I will be right beside her, Your Ladyship, do not concern yourself. It can be only a brief outing, so should you ladies care to wait for Genevieve, I promise to return her to you quite safely within the hour.” All nodded in agreement, and Genevieve stood up to prepare to go. It seemed to be such a short period of time that he had set aside for this outing, and apparently a proposal, as he had promised to deliver one some weeks ago, but Genny had decided to accept that her future husband would be a very busy man. Wills waited, rather impatiently, for her cloak and then requested of her, “Genny, dearest, would you please remove your jewelry?” Puzzled expressions replaced every smile, Genny’s most of all. She removed her necklace and rings and gave them to her mother, took her gloves and parasol and went out the door, bewildered by this perplexing man.

The coachman already knew where to go after helping them into their seats. Wills sat uncommonly near Genevieve, but she felt comforted and protected by him. Her sense of safety, and Wills’ silence, moved her to talk to him of her troubles.

“
Mama mentioned that I am followed. You should know that it is true. I am unaware of any cause and am frightened.”

“
You are a lovely young lady. Someone is, perhaps, wishing for an introduction. Is the gentleman alone?”

“
The horrid man is alone, when watching me, but not alone in the practice. It has happened several times, and with two or three individuals, separately. I never leave the house, now, without at least two guardians besides my chaperone.

“
I see! And what has been done to discover the intent? Has your Papa searched it out?”

“
He has simply ordered the steward to be sure that I am protected and has forbidden me to go out alone. I must have the two largest footmen with me. But he behaved strangely; my impression is that he knows something about it, and that it worries him.”

As Wills thought the matter over, quite puzzled and concerned himself, Genny began to notice a change in the scenery. The carriage took a few turns, and she had to ask.

“
Please, Wills, tell me where we are going?” She was beginning to see that they were leaving her wonderfully privileged existence and heading for a different world. The smiles and laughter that had enveloped them at Handerton faded to expressionless faces in poorly kept streets around them. People were standing still, as though they had no place to go and nothing to do. Most stared and followed the carriage with their eyes; many held out their hands for something, anything.

Finally they arrived at a street corner, where she was surprised to see a number of well-dressed gentlemen among the ragged, forlorn people. The carriage stopped. Wills stepped out and held out a hand to Genevieve. She dismounted with hesitation, with fear on her face and thoroughly puzzled. She again looked to him for an answer.

“
Here, my dear, is the world that I am fighting to heal. My friends, these gentlemen, have come to walk with us, to provide you with protection and to learn more about my concerns.”

None of them had the spirit to greet her or speak, for they were already disconsolate. They all together began to walk. They passed dirty children, huddled together, with some sleeping on the road’s edge. They saw children carrying small, tangled loads— all that they owned. They passed a few tearful children, but for most, what was the point? They were beyond crying.

Genny closed her eyes for a moment, hoping to relieve her heart of its ache. There were women and men, and there were families. Many had collected scrap to sell, or picked a few flowers from some park that they offered. Some people were half dressed for the cool weather; bigger, stronger men had more belongings. Three children were living inside one large coat and being watched over by their father, who was missing an arm. She asked for his name, but what could she do?

Several people asked for money or food. Wills and the gentlemen handed out many coins; one man thanked them, but asked candidly what he was to do when his money was gone!