Page 31 of The Gentlewoman Companion (The Gentlewoman #4)

Chapter Fourteen

J ames and Hugh remained in the study long after the house quieted. Exactly as James had anticipated, Hugh listened to explanations of recent events and revelations with interest but without judgment.

“I can’t sit among my peers—hypocrites who extoll morals and duty—not after what I learned about father. You are familiar with his thunderings against moral decay, and all while he had multiple children tucked all over London.”

“The lords will survive without you.” Hugh swallowed his brandy.“You are busy enough trying to reconcile with your father’s past. People are complicated—even fathers.”

“I’m struggling to have compassion for him when he abandoned his offspring.”

Hugh placed a hand on Halverton’s shoulder with unexpected gentleness. “I cannot imagine the pain it must have caused, finding that letter, discovering your siblings.”

“I am hopeful the guinea I send will prove something to Margaret. As for parliament, I will instead focus my efforts on supporting the Foundling Hospital, become a member of the General Committee of Governors and Guardians. I hope they’ll vote me in, despite my refusing to step into the House.”

In conversing with his old friend, James found he had solidified his intentions.

Stepping from the comforts of Grosvenor Square to the poverty of Rosemary Lane had tied him to the children who lived there.

The invisible cord that attached him to his home had unspooled, looping and tying itself to every wanting child in his path.

It fastened to Margaret and Samuel and had not severed upon his return home.

Hugh stood and stretched before retaking his seat. “You know, you can’t save them all.”

“Of course not. But I can use whatever means within my power to help some.”

“It sounds like you have it worked out. What about Miss Thorpe?” Hugh asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Who is she, why is she here, and does she know you are in love with her?”

Halverton opened his mouth, but only blustering confusion ensued. He cleared his throat. “Miss Thorpe is my mother’s companion. Love her? Preposterous.”

“Ah, so you haven’t admitted the truth to yourself.”

“You’re insufferable.”

Hugh laughed. “Well, she is almost as delighted with you as you are with her. She barely pulled her sparkling eyes from your face all evening.”

“Nonsense. We are merely good friends. She is a wonder with my mother, who was always lively but began to have bouts of melancholy that Loui—Miss Thorpe has cured.”

“Louisa, is it? You cannot keep it from yourself much longer.”

“Truth be told, were I ready to declare myself—which I am not—I would still hesitate to do so because I see something, I don’t know…

raw inside her that convinces me she is not looking for a suitor.

Or perhaps she has not quite settled a dissonance within herself.

That may make little sense to you, having just met her. ”

“There is something vulnerable about her.”

“Yes. She is almost skittish at times, yet she’s the bravest woman I’ve ever met. Wait until you see her on a horse.”

Hugh grinned. “I shall hope for the chance.”

T he following morning, James received the small package, yet unopened, containing the letter and guinea he’d sent to Margaret. He withdrew the money before crumpling the letter and tossing it into the fire.

A knock sounded at the door. Damn. He was barely dressed, and no one knew he was in town. Could it be Margaret, ready to accept his help?

Graham bowed. “Lord Tilney to see you, my lord.”

Halverton groaned. “Tell him I’m not at home.”

“Lord Halverton.” Lord Tilney stepped into the room, his thin legs unreasonably steady beneath a round middle. A bundle of papers protruded from under his arms, which he withdrew and began arranging on the vacant desktop. “Are you ready for your speech?”

“I presume you’ve received my letter?”

“We all get struck with nerves, my boy, but you cannot allow that to prevent you fulfilling your duty.”

James moved to stand behind his desk, hands on the back of his chair. “I have lost all interest in politics.”

Lord Tilney stared at him, his steel blue eyes penetrating. “I will give the speech if I must, but we need your vote.”

With his wig slightly askew and the buttons on his waistcoat misaligned, Lord Tilney was not the typical member of the House of Lords. He had been an excellent mentor, serious about improving England and studiously examining every motion. James would miss him.

“I am in London for my own pleasure and will not vote.”

Lord Tilney sighed and took a seat uninvited. “You are jaded, I see. What has happened?”

James offered a partial truth. “I am disenchanted with the bribery.”

“Which is precisely why you must vote! We need honesty and virtue in the House. Your father brought it and was the cause of much good and progress, and I am convinced your moral compass is as strong as his was.”

James hoped it was far stronger. “This coming from you? If memory serves me, you wrote asking me to support a bill that would enrich the aristocrats who invest in the East India Company.”

“You speak as if accusing me of being one of those investors, but I am not. Rather, I am convinced that we must maintain a strong presence abroad. But even if I had invested in the company, I would still understand how the wealth of those at the top trickles down and enriches the nation. I’ll not be ashamed of benefitting from my position when it enables me to better care for an entire village. ”

“What of the small merchants who are forced into piracy to maintain their businesses?”

“Bah! No one is forced to break the law.”

“Some would argue they must break it or starve.”

Lord Tilney sighed. “If that is your view, come tell the House. Convince the lords of our foolishness, but don’t abscond because you disagree with me or your father.

In fact, come because you have a fresh point of view.

” He leaned forward, his face softening.

“You are right. There are plenty of rascally lords who take a guinea and cast a vote. Not you. So be the example. I see my public service as a gift—unearned, but one I will do my best to fulfill honorably. Your father did what he thought best in his service. You will do the same.”

Lord Tilney’s arguments were sound, but there was a broader problem.

Whereas in the past James felt incapable of voting on acts he did not fully understand, now he’d seen the society wherein his sister and brother resided.

New understanding of their challenges introduced nuances to his understanding of legislation.

He could not pass a law that might worsen their circumstances.

“Thank you for coming, Lord Tilney. Graham will see you out.”

Lord Tilney tapped the pages he’d laid out. “These papers will change your mind, Halverton. See you in the House.” He left the room, followed by footsteps that echoed down the hall until all traces of the man vanished with the thud of a closed door.

James released a breath. The conversation had been difficult, and frustratingly, the papers left behind tugged at his curiosity. He gathered them and tossed them into an empty desk drawer. Perhaps he would consider them another day.

The larger question remained of how to help siblings—who did not want to be helped.

Chirping voices echoed from the parlor. His mother and Louisa must have concluded their studies and would be deciding the day’s itinerary.

“…a profound analysis,” his mother was saying. “I hope you will speak your mind at tonight’s salon. Your ideas have matured since that first literary breakfast.”

“I still have many questions, and likely as many holes in my arguments.”

“And every wise person does. You will continue improving. Did I tell you? The sisters arrived early and are even now in London.”

“Oh! And Miss Cron? Shall we call on them now?”

“Yes, Miss Cron came as well, and I believe the Trelawneys will be here any day. It is early yet for calls, but what say you to stretching our legs in the park?”

“Precisely what we need before it rains—or the wind picks up,” Louisa said.

James entered the parlor. “Might I join you?”

“Always, but we leave directly,” his mother told him.

James linked himself between his mother and Louisa, and soon they entered Hyde Park.

Louisa was a fast walker and was constantly recalibrating her step while Lady Halverton meandered, eyes lingering on the scenery around them.

James felt pulled back by his mother on the right and tugged forward on the left by Louisa.

“My lord,” Louisa said with a sparkle in her eye and an energy that made him nervous. “When will you teach me to drive your phaeton and pair?”

“This again?” But he couldn’t restrain a smile.

“We agreed. A prize decided upon and earned.”

“I will teach you, but you must allow me to take us where we won’t be in the way. Even the best trained horses, as you know, have minds of their own.”

“Lady Halverton, will there be time tomorrow?”

“Why not return to the house now? You are fairly sparking, Louisa. We best get the leads in your hands before you flame.”

“Sparking?” Louisa asked, her brows creasing.

“Do not be offended, dear.” His mother soothed Louisa like she was younger than she was. “You seem restless, that is all.”

Louisa’s step slowed, and she breathed deeply. “There, I am calmer.”

His mother gave Louisa a dubious look. “Let’s get you in that carriage. There will be plenty of time to see Mrs. Beecham and Miss Fischer before tonight’s salon. That is, if you are available, James?”

He very much wanted to ask Louisa for her advice as to how to help Margaret and could only do so if his mother was not present. “I am at my leisure.”

“No business to attend to? No acts to review?” she asked.

He had waited too long to tell her. Though delaying until they were alone might be preferable to discussing the matter in the park, he decided to answer the question.

“I will not vote this year.”

“Why ever not? It is your duty—what you were born to do.”

His mother’s notions of duty were as strict as his own, but his obligations shifted when he’d met Margaret. “In reviewing Father’s papers, I feel uncomfortable with the way the lords conduct their business. Bribes and suspicious negotiations. It’s unethical.”

“My dear, compromise is the soul of diplomacy. You will find your feet, solidify your opinions—but enter the House.”

“Perhaps in time.” James lacked the energy for the burgeoning argument. Still, he would not raise her hopes. “Or perhaps not, but I am looking for my feet.”

His mother’s arm loosened around his. Disappointed though she may be, he could not change.

“Do you know what I would give to vote?” his mother asked, taking him by surprise.

Louisa said, “Oh! My lady, you would teach those mighty lords how to think.”

“I would.” She bent around him to nod at Louisa.

“And to earn that right, I might fight a war, relinquish the comforts of high society, pay with my blood. My ability to sway the thoughts of a nation are limited to drawing rooms, while you could change the course of an entire nation in an afternoon.”

“We have been reading Madame de Gouges,” Louisa told him. “Not that I disagree with you, my lady. I am merely providing context.”

He had had no idea his mother felt so strongly. “If I could, I would gift you my wig and robes, but that does not change my feelings.”

“You must be proud of him, Lady Halverton,” Louisa said. “Only a man of true integrity would take such a stance.”

James’s insides dissolved into a warm mess. Her compliment was sincere, and she had pointed out the one moral quality he continually hoped to maintain and portray above all others.

“I am proud,” his mother said. “And I will still be proud when he dons his robes. I want to say something, James, and I want Louisa to hear it.” Again, she bent forward to catch her companion’s eyes.

“My husband was often away from home, leaving the affairs of Lundbrooke increasingly in my hands. I found myself a very capable administrator, though I was taught that such activities were beyond the capacity of a female. The estate and its management were a friend to me in my darkest times.” She paused, and James knew she referred to Alice’s death.

“My responsibilities compelled me to rise each morning, bore me through gloomy days, eventually filling me with a thrill when the balance sheets showed how my efforts improved the estate.” She stopped walking and faced them.

“We are all of us far more capable than we believe ourselves to be.”

Louisa’s arm, still linked to his, shuddered.

He looked down at her, searching her face for a clue to her thoughts.

What did his mother’s words mean to her?

His mother spoke powerfully, and he had no doubt her voice would shake the House of Lords.

But her speech inspired him in quite another direction.

If he truly were more capable than he believed himself, he could support his siblings despite the obstacles he faced.

For his part, he would press forward with more determination than ever before.