Chapter Two
He couldn’t save them all.
But Matthew did the best he could.
His carriage approached Dove Hall, the large manor house he had bought when he had reached his legal majority four years ago.
The estate consisted of five acres, the house, a small stable, and seven cottages.
More cottages needed to be built, and he would need to talk to Crandall, his steward, about purchasing the supplies to do so.
Crandall would send a small team of tenants to the property once the supplies had been delivered.
This crew had built the other cottages and knew to stay strictly within the area where the construction occurred.
Because other than Matthew, no men came to Dove Hall.
He still could see the terrible place Mama had been sent to by her husband.
Years later, she still had nightmares about the asylum.
Despite Parliament passing the Madhouses Bills a little over a quarter of a century ago, limiting the number of people committed to a place and calling for a yearly inspection and central registry of those confined to the premises, private madhouses still abounded.
Since his own mother had been victimized, Matthew had studied the laws carefully, going back to the Hawley case, which occurred almost fifty years previously.
The House of Commons had created a select committee to probe the unlawful detention of patients in private madhouses, finding a Mrs. Hawley had been committed simply on the word of her husband, and he had paid a couple of guineas each month for her keep.
Mrs. Hawley could not leave the house, nor was she allowed to communicate with anyone outside of it.
The committee found this had become commonplace, with no doctor’s orders required to detain a person, and it recommended legislation be passed to intervene.
Unfortunately, a bill was never brought forth.
While the Madhouses Bills finally passed did regulate asylums now, all too often, private houses were still operating, such as the one Mama had been placed in.
Two days ago, Matthew, through a third party, had extracted Lady Treatley and Miss Stannis from one of these private houses and brought the pair to Dove Hall.
Mama had been the one to name the place of refuge, and only the two of them referred to the women as damaged doves.
After he had brought Mama home, she had a dream about doves, and together, they had researched all they could about the birds, finding doves were considered symbols of peace, hope, and transformation.
That was why they had chosen the name Dove Hall, wanting the place to be one of compassion and kindness for the women going through a difficult transition.
Matthew worked with a Bow Street runner, Mr. Larkin, in rescuing these women.
The runner discreetly looked into the disappearance of women who were members of Polite Society and tried his best to locate them.
Once Larkin established a lady was being held in one of these private asylums, he looked into the why of her being placed there.
Most men who put away wives, daughters, or sisters did so for control.
A majority of them never saw their relative again, merely paying a monthly fee to the owner of the asylum for maintaining the supposed lunatic.
None of the women Matthew helped went back to their abuser.
Only two had been lovingly accepted back into the families they had belonged to before marriage and remained hidden away on those families’ country estates.
The others had no contact with their former lives.
Some had settled into the cottages built upon the estate.
They made items to sell, usually embroidered goods or quilts.
One had become a seamstress, and she made new gowns for the doves who arrived.
Two more doves had become companions to elderly women who never came to town.
Three others now served as governesses, finding their positions through his mother.
All who left Dove Hall assumed a new name, knowing they could never go back to their old life and position of prestige within the ton.
Still, these women were grateful to be alive—and away from the prison they had been unjustly committed to for life, thanks to Matthew paying healthy sums to free them.
“Thank you for bringing me to visit our newest arrival, Matthew,” Mama said.
Gazing at her, he saw her ethereal beauty.
She had recovered physically from the two years of abuse she had suffered at the hands of the staff at Dr. Cheney’s establishment years ago.
She had also grown in confidence. No longer was she the young wife beaten senseless by her husband.
The Duchess of Reddington possessed a calm, capable air about her, and she took great pride in the work her son did to aid women in hopeless situations.
“I believe Lady Treatley will adjust, given time,” he said. Frowning, he added, “I am still worried about Miss Stannis, though.”
Lady Treatley had been able to talk coherently from the moment they had gotten into his carriage. She was bloody but unbowed. They would speak to her today about her future, which could have nothing to do with Lord Treatley.
Miss Stannis, on the other hand, had been listless and uncommunicative. It had been hard to leave her at Dove House, but Mrs. Paul, who administered the property and served as the housekeeper, had told them it would be best. He worried about the condition they would find the young lady in.
“If we need to, I will bring Miss Stannis home with us today, Matthew,” Mama said.
They had done so on only one other occasion, when the woman had needed extra care. He only hoped Miss Stannis would adjust to her new situation.
They arrived, being greeted by Mrs. Paul, who told them, “Lady Treatley knew you would be coming. She is in the parlor and eager to speak to you.”
“And Miss Stannis?” Mama asked.
Mrs. Paul shook her head. “I cannot rouse her from bed, Your Grace. She has yet to speak.”
“Then we will take her home with us after we speak to Lady Treatley and the others.”
They went to the parlor, finding Lady Treatley dressed much better than the shapeless gown she had been wearing two days ago.
Matthew could see fire in this woman’s eyes and hoped she would not cause them trouble.
He would need to make clear to her that she could take no retaliatory measures against her husband.
Lord Treatley needed to think his wife still locked away.
“Lady Treatley,” Mama said, taking the woman’s hands in hers. “It is so good to see you again.”
The other woman’s eyes filled with tears. “And you as well, Your Grace.”
Mama indicated him. “This is my son, the Duke of Reddington. He is the one who arranged for you to have your freedom.”
The woman’s eyes shone with tears. “Then I owe you my life, Your Grace. You did not share your name with me the other night. Or if you did, I was too distressed to recall it. But I shall never forget your face.”
“Please sit,” he said. “We have much to discuss, my lady.”
As they did with everyone they brought back to Dove Hall, they asked Lady Treatley how she came to be at the private asylum she was placed in.
Some told them their story in anger. Some in regret.
Some barely could speak, their tears flowed so much.
Lady Treatley was in command of her emotions, however, and Matthew thought this session would go well.
He said, “Mr. Larkin, our investigator in these matters, has learned that your husband’s gambling is out of control. He owes a great deal to many of the gaming hells throughout town.”
“He wanted me to sign papers that would give him access to funds which were protected going into our marriage. When I refused, he had me bound and gagged and dragged off to that horrible place.” Lady Treatley shuddered.
“Your situation is different from many of the ladies we try to help,” Mama said, slipping her hand about the other woman’s in order to comfort her.
“Reddington and Mr. Larkin have been in touch with the solicitor who drew up your marriage settlements. They asked him to accompany them to the bank, where your funds are held. Because you were declared incompetent, they learned that your husband has gained access to your funds. He has only taken a small amount from the account so far.” She paused.
“That will not last. He will become greedy.”
“The bastard,” Lady Treatley said, disgust in her tone. “How can I stop this? Protect myself from Treatley—and my monies?”
“I will accompany you to town and meet with the banker,” he said.
“Once he sees you are perfectly competent, we will legally withdraw the funds from his bank and move them to another institution, ensuring Lord Treatley cannot gain access to them.” Pausing, he added, “You are fortunate, my lady. Most of the women we remove from these places do not have any funds. They cannot return to their old lives, and their families prior to their marriage do not want them back.”
“That is outrageous,” Lady Treatley said.
“Your marriage settlements were written up different from most. Many families do not wish to anger the husband, which they would certainly do if the wife returned to her family. As you know, many ton marriages are made for the social connections they can bring.”
“I only have a sister left. She is a widow, living near Bath.”
“I would go to her once you control your monies,” Matthew suggested. “I would not be seen in town again. Lord Treatley will come looking for you once he discovers you are gone. Believe me, he will, because he will not be able to pay his gambling debts.”
“How did you get me out?” she asked.
“His Grace arranged a substantial payment to the man who ran the asylum,” Mama said.
“I will repay you,” Lady Treatley said proudly.
“It is not necessary,” he replied. “Knowing you are safe and living a better life is payment enough for me.”