Page 24

T hey reached London, and Dru suddenly recalled the bustling streets as Julian’s carriage rolled along them.

She remembered how she had never seen that many people before her only visit to the great city.

The smells coming from food carts drifted through the air, causing her mouth to water.

Other, not so pleasant odors, also mingled, and she shuddered.

“The warmth of the sun does exacerbate some of the more odious smells,” Julian said. “I used to work on the London docks and thought I would never get the stink of fish from my nostrils.”

She thought his statement odd. Why would a marquess—or at least the heir to a marquessate—be doing physical labor on the waterfront? Though curious, she didn’t press him about it. Julian’s past was not her concern.

“We will go straight to Oakbrooke,” Ariadne told her. “Then the carriage will go to our townhouse. Tally will unpack for the both of us.”

Dru patted her hair. “I like what Tally did with my hair this morning. Hopefully, she could teach Annie how to recreate this style.”

“I will have her spend time teaching Annie how to do so once we return to Surrey,” her cousin assured her.

For the next half-hour, she gazed out the window, looking at the buildings and people, while Ariadne and Julian talked of their work at the orphanage and why it was so important to them.

“I came from the lower classes,” Julian shared. “Worked on the docks long hours and then served as a clerk to a solicitor. I had no idea I was the son of a marquess. The legitimate son,” he added.

Now, his words made more sense to her, and she wondered how Julian had discovered his true heritage.

Ariadne snuggled against her husband. “I would have wed you no matter what you did. It is nice, however, to have a wealthy husband who has a heart for the poor and is willing to part with some of that wealth in order to do good for so many who are in need.”

Dru could picture Julian as a laborer, based upon his physique. She also thought him quite honorable, giving both time and money to the poor.

They arrived at Oakbrooke Orphanage and sent the carriage along the way, with the coachman promising to return for them late in the afternoon. She had no idea what they might do for all those hours, but she was ready to take part in whatever Ariadne and Julian suggested.

As they entered the building, the large hall was empty. Her cousin said that classes were in session now, but that a school-wide assembly would begin shortly.

“We should make our way to the dining hall,” Julian said.

Once they reached it, Dru caught sight of a woman setting up a few chairs at the far end of the hall’s entrance.

“Who is that?” she asked.

“An angel in disguise,” Ariadne quipped. “Come and meet our Miss Darnell.”

She was introduced to the headmistress of Oakbrooke Orphanage and learned that Miss Darnell had been a teacher before assuming her current position.

“But I still do a bit of teaching,” she told Dru. “I cannot ever see myself totally leaving the classroom.”

“What is this assembly like, Miss Darnell?”

“It is a daily gathering of the orphans. We always refer to them as students. I do not like to remind them of being orphans. Many times, they have already had a hard life before they reach us. We open with a prayer, and then I speak to them briefly. Sometimes, I let them know what is occurring in London and beyond. I believe an informed citizen is a better citizen. Also, an educated citizen can better understand his or her place in the world.”

“That is followed by students sharing with others,” Julian told Dru.

“Sometimes, they will hold up their artwork so others might view it. A few are learning how to play a musical instrument, so they sometimes play a tune for us. One of the teachers has quite a good voice, and once a week, she will teach the group an English folk song. The children really enjoy learning those.”

“It is a time to come together and bolster their spirits,” Ariadne concluded.

“They do spend a good deal of their day in a classroom, learning to read and write and do sums. We also offer classes to help train them for service. A good many of them will go into service in the great households in the city or at country estates of titled noblemen.”

“The children also help take care of their environment and the orphanage itself,” Miss Darnell continued. “They rotate various housekeeping activities, based upon their age. The younger ones are given simpler tasks. The students at Oakbrooke learn to cook, clean, and sew.”

“All of them learn these things?” she asked.

“Yes,” the headmistress confirmed. “Some of the great chefs in Europe and Asia are men. Even though I doubt we have a world-class chef in the making, I think it is important for each student to learn how to take care of themselves. That includes learning how to feed themselves and sew on a button. How to wash their clothes. Ironing is a very important skill, and it is something all Oakbrooke children learn to do. Not only do they learn how to iron clothes, but they also iron linens. Even newspapers. Many noblemen prepare to read a pressed newspaper at breakfast.”

“We hope as they mature, Julian and I might hire some of them to come to work for us, either at Aldridge Manor or here in town,” Ariadne said. “I will probably ask my siblings and cousins to hire some as the years go by and everyone starts establishing their own households.”

Dru noticed children starting to enter the dining hall.

They were in neat lines and moved silently as they took their seats on benches which had been placed on both sides of the long tables filling the dining hall.

She saw the smiles these children broke out in as they caught sight of Ariadne and Julian.

Glancing to her cousin, she saw love in Ariadne’s own smile for these orphans.

For three-quarters of an hour, the assembly progressed. Miss Darnell introduced Dru, and they responded politely and in unison, saying, “Good morning, my lady.”

After the assembly ended, most of the children remained seated, but several of them left the room.

“Where are they going?” she asked Miss Darnell.

“Students are assigned a various day of the week in which they serve others seated at their tables. A student must be ten years of age before they can become a server. We do not want little ones carrying trays of food and dropping them because they are too heavy.”

“We would like to assist in this if you are willing to do so,” Julian said.

“Of course. I would love to help,” Dru said enthusiastically.

The three of them went to the kitchens, where food was dished onto plates and set upon trays.

A bright-eyed boy introduced himself. “I am Joseph, my lady. You can work alongside me if you’d like.”

Joseph took her to a table, having Dru set plates in front of children on one side of it while he did so on the opposite side.

“We’ll be back with the rest in a moment,” he promised those who had yet to receive their meal.

She decided this must be the orphan Ariadne had spoken so fondly about previously. With his positive attitude, Dru thought the boy would go far in life.

Gathering another tray, she accompanied Joseph back into the dining hall, serving the rest of the table.

“You may go and sit with the teachers, my lady,” the boy said, taking her tray. “I will see that you receive your meal promptly.”

“Thank you, Joseph,” she said, heading toward the front of the room where several adults already sat.

Ariadne and Julian joined her, and Julian said, “Joseph is very special. He is one of the oldest in the orphanage, and Ariadne and I are eager to have him come to work for us.”

“He is a delight,” she declared.

Moments later, Joseph returned, serving Julian, Ariadne, and Dru. They all thanked him politely. After that, she listened to the teachers discuss a variety of topics and accepted an invitation from one to come and work with students on their sums once they finished their meal.

“Have you ever thought of having any animals at the orphanage, Miss Darnell?” she asked.

“I have a cat named Toby, and he is my true companion. I left him behind in Surrey because he can be a bit of a handful around others, but it might be fun for the children if they had a cat or dog to play with.”

“I had not thought about that before, my lady,” the headmistress mused. “It would teach some excellent lessons, having the children learn to care for animals.”

“If you have room outside, you could even build chicken coops and raise hens for eggs,” she suggested. “The little ones could gather the eggs each morning and scatter feed to the chickens.”

“I like that idea,” Miss Darnell declared. “And I believe our students might even be able to build the coops with a bit of supervision.”

“I can help there,” Julian volunteered. “I will look at the space you have available now and even go and purchase the wood.” He looked to Ariadne. “You and Dru can stay here while I do so.”

After their meal, Ariadne went off to teach students their letters.

Dru enjoyed her time working with small groups of students.

Two groups worked on addition, while another learned about subtraction.

A third group of more advanced students were even learning multiplication, and she taught those students a song her governess had taught her, feeling both merry and useful.

The last hour she was at the orphanage, Dru read to various groups of children.

Miss Darnell had told her that while it was important for the students themselves to read aloud, it was imperative that they had good reading modeled for them.

She chose a story with talking animals, changing her voice each time a different animal spoke.

By the end, she had the children in her care laughing, and they were imitating the various noises the animals made.

She bid a fond goodbye to the students, some even hugging her, which touched her deeply.

“I see you have the same heart for children as Lord and Lady Aldridge do,” Miss Darnell praised. “You are welcome to call at Oakbrooke Orphanage anytime, Lady Drusilla.”

“Thank you,” she responded. “I have never really been around children. I am the youngest in my family. It is a bit surprising to me how much I enjoyed myself today.”

“You will make a fine mother someday, my lady,” Miss Darnell told Dru.

In the carriage, she couldn’t stop talking about all she had seen.

“I cannot thank you enough for inviting me to come today,” she told Ariadne and Julian. “I never thought I would be so comfortable around children, but I find I like them quite a bit. As much as I do animals,” she teased.

“I hope you will join us again tomorrow,” her cousin said.

“I would be happy to. After all, I want to come and watch Julian as he teaches the older children how to construct a chicken coop.”

“The materials will be delivered first thing tomorrow morning,” Julian said. “Not only the wood but saws. Hammers. Nails. I think your idea a fine one, Dru. The children will enjoy caring for the hens, and the eggs will be a wonderful addition to their meals.”

“I spoke to Cook about that,” Ariadne said. “She was thrilled that she would have access to fresh eggs on a daily basis.”

Dinner was wonderful that evening, and Dru retired to her room with a book she had chosen from Julian’s library. She was distracted, though, finding it hard to concentrate on reading.

Today had been enlightening. It had awakened something within her.

She had always thought she wouldn’t care for having children.

Instead, after her experience at Oakbrooke Orphanage today, she was ready to accept the fact that she could see having her own children in the future.

For that to happen, though, she would need a husband.

That brought her back to Lord Martindale.

Dru thought he would have enjoyed spending time at the orphanage today.

She also believed it would be good for him to be around others.

It would be something she would suggest to Ariadne.

Her cousin took great pride in the orphanage, and Dru knew she wouldn’t mind showing the place to the earl.

Or perhaps even she could do so herself.

She marveled at how much and how quickly she was changing on this visit to Surrey.

While she was still stubborn in nature, a few weeks ago she had wanted neither husband nor children, much less a come-out Season.

Now, she decided all three would do. It was good to be open-minded.

Just because she had believed she knew what her future held, she saw it could change—and for the better.

The question would be whether or not Lord Martindale might be a part of it.