Charlotte: The Practical Education of a Distressed Gentlewoman (17 page)

Charlotte, her manners bred in,
curtsied while Elizabeth gave a slight bow of her head in
acknowledgement and said, “Lady Chalfield, we've come for Miss De
Vere's things.”

“
Where's my hundred
pounds?”

“
A hundred pounds, what
for?”

“
Her rent. Either she pays it or I
keep the clothes.”

“
No. You will give us the clothes
and Charlotte's jewelry. Remember you still owe me my fifty
pounds.”

“
That's included in the hundred, I
would have charged a hundred and fifty.”

“
You will get nothing.”

“
Make me, you underbred
trollop.”

“
Lady Chalfield, you will learn to
regret those words.”

The door knocker banged again, and
in a few moments, the shabbily dressed servant announced, “Mr.
Talbot, Ma'am.”

“
It looks like I have the full
deck of Talbot's. Still, how are you going to make me return Miss
De Vere's things?”

“
Freddy, she's holding on to Miss
De Vere's clothes and jewelry.”

“
Mr. Talbot, it's worse, she
exchanged my necklaces for paste!”

“
Did she?”

“
The real ones are at Mr.
Samuelson's, around the corner.”

“
That's odd, he's usually the best
place to buy trumpery for inamorata. Good prices.”

Charlotte was shocked and asked,
“Freddy, how would you know about that?”

Elizabeth ignored her friend and
pointed out, “If he doesn't pay for his stock, he can undersell the
rest, brother dearest.”

“
So what do you want me to do
about this sorry state of affairs?”

Elizabeth looked at him hopefully,
her big brother usually managed to make things right. “I thought
you would know what to do.”

“
Well I could ask my friend Lord
Marsh, at the Old Baily to take a look. You know a private
prosecution would be expensive, is it worth the effort?”

“
Maybe not directly, but what
would happen to Milady? It could ruin her.”

Lady Chalfield realized that they
were dancing around the idea of having her good name dragged
through the courts. Since that was all she still possessed, even if
she won the suit she would lose everything.

“
If it means that much to you,
just take the blasted thing.”

“
Now about my fifty
pounds?”

Lady Chalfield grumbled, “I don't
have the money.”

“
Shall I call the
bailiffs?”

“
No, don't do that, please don't.
I'm only a poor widow.”

“
I'm not sure I shouldn't, you
couldn't pluck many more pigeons from the Coldbath Fields
prison.”

Lady Chalfield paused, but
eventually pulled a role of flimsies from her reticule and
unwrapped a note. “Here, now leave!”

Elizabeth very gracefully gave her
a curtsy. “It is my pleasure.”

On the way out she turned to
Charlotte. “I know you wouldn't accept money from us before, but
you truly need it now. Would you please accept this token of my
friendship?”

“
Lizzy, I'd rather not. I want to
make my own way.”

“
Well, it's your lookout, but I'd
say it would be useful to have at least a bit of the ready on hand.
Should you find your way deeply mired.”

“
That's different. Then I'd need
the help.”

Outside, Freddy begged his leave,
“Miss De Vere, Lizzy, I must return to my work. I still need to
meet with Major Travers. I'm sure that you can sort out the
remaining few problems, so until tonight I bid you
adieu.”

Freddy was hard at work when one of
his office boys brought him a visitor.

“
Sam, good to see you. Are you
still interested in a position?”

“
Depends, were you able to salvage
much from my father’s mess?”

“
I've made a start, but it will
take one of my solicitors a few days to get the details figured
out. He may need to talk to your father and see if there is a way
to reschedule his debt.”

“
One of your
solicitors?”

“
The firm is too big for just
one.”

“
Oh, I had no idea your company
was so big.”

“
It is. What it needs is an
engineer to look at new projects.”

“
Why?”

“
We're moving into the thin end of
modern technology. Steam engines, tram ways.”

“
I don't know anything about steam
engines.”

“
You know more than me. There are
only two or three engineers in Britain who are any good at it. I've
tried to hire them and they've said no. Are you willing to
learn?”

“
Yes, but I know more about
earthworks, siege lines, fortifications and moving
cannon.”

“
Canals are big earthworks. We're
not done with canals. While I'm trying to divest from the Somerset
canals, we're still expanding up around Birmingham.”

“
I can do that.”

“
How about factory
siting?”

“
Big buildings, water
supplies?”

“
That's about it. Just has to be
checked when we finance or join a firm that's building
one.”

“
I think I can help with
that.”

“
Sam, it sounds like you have the
basic skills. What I really need is someone I can trust to dig up
the truth with some of these wild ideas. Are you
interested?”

“
I might be, but I will have to
think about it. It's a big jump from the army to your
firm.”

Freddy and Sam returned to Freddy's
house on Portman Street early in the evening. Freddy had promised
Elizabeth to bring Major Travers to supper. While it was not as
elegant as Clarridge's, a family dinner at the Talbot's was usually
not to be missed. As they gave their outer coats to the footman,
the butler coughed to attract Freddy's notice.

“
Sir,” he explained discreetly,
“There is someone in the parlor who would like a quick word with
you.”

“
I wonder what this could be
about. Sam, I'll catch you in a few minutes, if you'll excuse
me.”

“
I'm sure Miss Talbot won't mind
if I chat to her while you're detained.”

Freddy winked, “I doubt
it.”

Freddy entered the parlor and
somewhat to his surprise found Charlotte waiting for him. She stood
to greet him and said, “Mr. Talbot, Lizzy warned me not to make a
big fuss, but I have to thank you for what you did for
me.”

Freddy stiffened with
embarrassment. “It was nothing, please don't mention
it.”

“
It wasn't nothing, not to me.”
She reached forward and grabbed his hand. “The other thing she said
I must do is to try my best to make you laugh.”

Freddy unbent, “Make me
laugh?”

“
Not just that, I'm not very good
with jokes and japes. She said to make you happy. Can I try?” She
gave his hand a squeeze. “I know I've not always been nice to you.
I'm sorry for that.”

Freddy gave her one of his
increasingly less frequent smiles. “Miss De Vere.”

“
Please call me Charlotte, at
least in private, I think we are close enough friends for
that.”

“
Charlotte, then,” words failed
him, so he squeezed her hand back. She understood his acceptance of
her apology. Both unsure of what should come next, or what to say
to each other, they stood there in silence, together. Freddy
finally found something to say, “Major Travers and Lizzy will be
wondering what's become of us. Shall we join them?”

“
Yes, lets.” She gave him a quick,
furtive peck on the cheek, blushed and then the two of them walked
out of the room together.

When they arrived in the dining
room, Elizabeth inquired, “Where were you? The dinner is ready to
be served and you know how upset M. Pierre gets when his food is
kept past its peak.”

“
Temperamental French cook.
Sometimes I wonder whether he's worth it.”

“
You always say that until you
taste his cooking.”

The clanging of the knocker on the
front door announced a visitor while the four of them, Charlotte,
Elizabeth, Major Travers, and Freddy were still seated at the
dinner table. When the doorman went to answer it a small, somewhat
dirty man who smelt strongly of horses stood there. It was Freddy's
former groom, and now his father's groom, Henry. “Yes?”

“
Out of my way. I need to deliver
this message to Mr. Talbot.”

“
The family is at dinner, and
can't be disturbed.”

Henry replied, “This is critical,
express from Staverton and Mr. Talbot's father, so yes they can.”
He pushed his way past the doorman, then bolted down the hall to
the dinning room. Despite the efforts of the doorman, and several
of the footmen he reached it, opened the door and
entered.

Freddy looked up from his
conversation, “Henry, my God, what is it?”

“
It's trouble sir.”

“
Did someone die?”

“
No, Sir. They send their best
wishes.”

“
Then is it father's new bank? I
was worried about it.”

“
Some of it, sir. It is private,
like, confidential.”

“
Miss Elizabeth is one of my best
advisors, she's privy to everything. If it concerns Staverton, Miss
De Vere should be informed as it is still her family's estate.
Major Travers, here, is an old and trusted friend. Is it too
private for that?”

“
No sir.”

“
Then what's going on?”

“
It's that solicitor, Mr. Cruise.
He up and ran off with the bank's money and the mortgages he drew
up for Lord Staverton, the ones you hold sir, they're all in a
mess. It's a right imbroglio it is.”

“
Henry, your vocabulary has
improved. Where did Mr. Cruise bolt to?”

“
They say Bristol, to catch a ship
to America.”

“
I'm sorry Sam, Miss De Vere,
Elizabeth, I'm going to have to post up to Staverton tonight. I'll
have to send for Bayliss. Henry?”

“
Sir?”

“
Have the runners been called
in?”

“
Yes, your father sent an express
as soon as something seemed awry.”

“
Good, now go get something to eat
and a bit of a rest. We'll ride in an hour or so.”

“
Sir”

Major Travers spoke, “Freddy,
before you go. What about your sister and Miss De Vere?”

“
What about them?”

“
Shouldn't they be there
too?”

“
Yes, please handle it, Sam. I've
got to go as soon as I can.”

After Freddy left, Sam looked at
Elizabeth and Charlotte. “What now?”

Elizabeth replied, “What do you
think you should do?” It was something of a test. He paused,
thought for a few moments then replied, “Miss De Vere, Miss,
Talbot, Elizabeth, if you're ready in the morning, I'll escort you
to Staverton. I'll have to get leave, of course, but that shouldn't
be hard.”

“
Good, is nine too
early?”

“
I'll have a post waiting here at
nine. Please be ready.”

“
Excellent. We will be
ready.”

The next morning, at nine sharp,
Major Travers had an aged yellow bounder at the door. “Sorry,” he
said, “This was the best I could do at short notice.”

Elizabeth looked at it, “Does it
have wheels?”

“
Yes.”

“
Do the horses have glanders or
any of those odd diseases?”

“
No. Nor are they
lame.”

“
Then let's go, times
a'wasting.”

They boarded and the postilion rode
out of London, through Maidenhead following the Bath road. It
wasn't until they should have been near Reading that things began
to look unusual. Elizabeth commented, “Major Travers, while we've
been talking, I think the post boy has taken a wrong turning. This
doesn't look like the Bath road, does it?”

“
No, it doesn't.” He put his head
out and addressed their postilion, “Are you sure you know where
you're going? This doesn't look like the Bath road.”

“
It's a short-cut around a nasty
bit of road south of Reading. It were washed out in the storms last
week.”

Turning to Elizabeth, he added, “It
sounds like he knows where he's headed.”

The carriage stopped in the middle
of a field south of Twyford. Major Travers remarked to Elizabeth
and Charlotte, “This is odd, we're well off the main road. This
farm track can't lead anywhere.” He thumped on the roof to attract
his post boy's attention. “Come on man, we need to make it to
Staverton today. Why are we stopped?” There was no answer. Well not
quite. The window next to Major Travers was smashed open and then
an arm with a gun pushed through. Major Travers reacted almost
instinctively, kicking the arm up and forcing the gun to fire
through the roof of the carriage. Grabbing the arm with one hand,
he reached into his jacket and pulled out a large knife. This he
pushed it into the man. Unfortunately, their assailant twisted out
of the Major's grip and ran off. The events happened too quickly
for either Charlotte or Elizabeth even to start to scream, let
alone do anything useful.