Chapter 14
Fourteen
There was joy at being back at my duties with Samuel and Annabelle, in teaching.
The children were trusting me more and more.
Annabelle had begun to hug me every afternoon when the nursemaid came to collect them after our lessons were finished.
And Samuel had brought me a tiny flat piece of ivory carved in the shape of a bird that he’d found in the garden.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It probably broke off a hatpin or a brooch. It’s very pretty.” I handed it back to him, but he didn’t take it.
“You can keep it,” he said. “It will be a good marker for a book, to hold your place.”
“You are right. Thank you, Samuel.”
He turned a little red, but I pretended not to notice.
Although I’d seriously considered returning to Mrs. Southey’s school, it felt good to have made the decision to stay.
I did long to see my friends again, to return for a visit to the only place I remembered as home.
I longed to see everyone smiling and looking happy to see me again.
It might blunt the pain of being treated like a leper by both the other servants and Lord Brookhaven’s guests—or at least being told I wasn’t good enough to marry Lord Brookhaven.
It was summer now, and in the weeks to come, Lord Brookhaven and I met as we’d done before on our walks.
Things between us soon became as easy and comfortable as they’d been.
We discussed many subjects, including politics, religion, and literature.
Our beliefs and tastes were remarkably similar, and when we did disagree, he never tried to force his opinions on me.
I always felt as if he respected me, and in fact, he became quite gentle—his voice was softer, and he had ceased to sound commanding and never made demands of me.
He never treated me like a servant, but like a friend.
And he seemed to go out of his way to show anyone watching that we were taking walks together but nothing more. Everything was proper and aboveboard.
I tried to tell myself it was my imagination that his manner had changed, that he no longer treated me like a servant, especially when he would look at me in a particularly intense or admiring way.
My heart would beat fast and my thoughts would soar, and I’d have to scold myself later for my foolishness.
There were a few times when he would point out a stag or a fox or a bird’s nest he had found, and he would lean so close that his shoulder would brush against mine.
Or he’d hand me a bunch of flowers he’d picked for me and our fingers would touch.
I’d think about it for hours, still able to feel my skin tingling.
But always I would tell myself it meant nothing.
He was lonely for a friend, and I was more than happy to be that friend.
Although, in my heart of hearts, I longed to be so much more.
Lady Derringer had gone home, but she wrote to me once a week—surprisingly friendly letters, telling me about her life in London, parties or balls or concerts she’d attended, asking me if I’d like to come to London sometime as her guest, talking of the places we would go.
It seemed strange but also quite pleasant, to think the widow of a duke would wish to spend time with me, although I considered her thoughts on a future invitation to be just that—thoughts that would never come to fruition.
But I enjoyed her friendship, and I would have enjoyed her letters just as much were she not a duchess or even wealthy.
I wrote letters, but I also spent a lot of time writing stories for Samuel and Annabelle.
I used these stories to teach the children new words, comprehension skills, decision-making, and problem-solving.
And I dreamed of someday having them printed in book form for other children and their teachers to read and use in their lessons.
Many of the stories were about two dogs named Ernest and Maizie who had lots of adventures. Samuel and Annabelle were particularly fond of those.
One day when we were reading one of those stories, I looked up to see a servant beckoning me from the hallway. I excused myself and went to see what she wanted.
“A Mr. Sullivan is here to see you. He says he’s a solicitor from London.”
I couldn’t imagine what business a London solicitor could have with me, but the servant led me downstairs to Lord Brookhaven’s library.
Lord Brookhaven sat behind his desk, looking quite serious, his brows drawn together. A short, balding man stood when I entered the room.
“Miss Charlotte Robbins?”
“Yes.”
“I am Jonah Sullivan. I was hired to find you and notify you . . . I think you will want to sit down for this.”
We all sat, me rather heavily, as he pulled some papers out of his leather case. His hands shook slightly, making the papers tremble.
“Were you aware, Miss Robbins, that you had a relative, an uncle of some means, John Robert Robbins, who has died and left you fifty thousand pounds?”
An uncle? I blinked, trying to comprehend his words. Fifty thousand pounds was an enormous sum.
“Sir, my parents died when I was almost five years old. I barely remember them, and I was told that I have no other relatives.”
“Yes, well, your father was estranged from his elder brother, John Robert Robbins, who was my client until his death.” He stared past me, as if the wall behind me drew his interest. “It was his dying wish that you receive the whole of his fortune, which amounts to just over fifty thousand pounds.”
An uncle! I longed to know more about him. How sad that he died and I could never meet him or speak to him. And now he’d left me his fortune. I could hardly take it in. Could such a thing be true?
“He was a solitary man, only engaging in business, rarely involving himself in society. He did not even belong to a gentleman’s club, and he never traveled to London, which is why he had no home there.”
“What of his home?”
“He instructed me to sell it and all his possessions upon his death and settle all his debts. The remainder is the fifty thousand pounds he left to you.”
I’d inherited a fortune—a truly enormous fortune—from an uncle I never knew I had.
I should feel elated, but my breath had gone out of me. I couldn’t seem to think with all this swirling in my head.
Mr. Sullivan was still talking, but his words seemed to float past me without catching hold.
“Miss Robbins? I said you can either return to London with me, where I will transfer the funds to you, or I will bring them personally to you in a few days and you can deposit the funds in the nearest bank. Which do you prefer?”
“I . . . I don’t know.”
“Would you like me to wait while you speak to someone, to ask for advice?” He gave me a smile that looked like a grimace.
“Lady Derringer is here from London,” Lord Brookhaven said. “She arrived last evening. Would you like to speak to her?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Lord Brookhaven said he would take me to her, and we excused ourselves from Mr. Sullivan.
I stood and half stumbled through the door.
We found Lady Derringer in the drawing room, almost as if she was waiting for us. Lord Brookhaven left us, and I began to tell her everything Mr. Sullivan had told me, pausing only while a servant brought us our tea.
“This is such a wonderful opportunity for you,” Lady Derringer said. “You are a wealthy woman now.”
“It seems so strange.”
“You may do whatever you wish. What do you wish for? To go to London? You could let a house in town, go to all the shops, visit famous places.”
“It’s a bit overwhelming, isn’t it?”
Lady Derringer looked amused, but then she changed her expression to one of compassion. “Forget everything I said and just think of what you would like to do if you had all the time and money in the world. Would you go to London?”
“Perhaps. I’ve always wished to see London.”
“Very well, then, go to London. Do whatever your heart desires.”
“It just feels so . . . unreal.” And the question I’d actually been wondering was—now that I had a fortune, could Lord Brookhaven marry me without dire consequences? Would he want to?
Instead, I said, “Mrs. Southey told me I didn’t have any family. Why did my uncle not contact me?”
“I suppose he didn’t want to be known to you while your father was alive, and perhaps he didn’t know your father had died. These things happen sometimes.”
“Fifty thousand pounds is an enormous sum.” I’d never dreamed of half so much. My stomach felt a bit sick, and I pressed my hand to my middle. “I have no idea how to proceed.”
“You said you wished to go to London, did you not?”
“I do, but I don’t want to abandon Samuel and Annabelle. They’ve been abandoned by nearly everyone else in their lives. I don’t want them to feel as if I’m abandoning them as well.”
Lady Derringer’s expression was impossible to read, as if she was deliberately trying to hide what she was thinking. She simply stared back at me and said nothing.
“I’m not sure what to do,” I said. “Will you advise me?”
“I know you don’t wish to leave Samuel and Annabelle behind, so what do you think of taking them with us?
Lord Brookhaven and I will accompany you to London, we’ll bring the children, and we can all be in London together.
You won’t need to do their lessons. We can hire someone—of your choosing, if you like—and you can instruct their new governess. What do you think?”
“Lord Brookhaven wishes to do this?”
“I will need to ask him, but I am sure he would be agreeable.”
I bit my lip. I’d still be abandoning the children, as I’d no longer be their governess. But perhaps if I visited them every day . . .
“And Lord Brookhaven and I can show you around London, introduce you, take you to see all the sights—the Tower of London, the beautiful churches. Would you like that?”
Her eyes were bright, and I believed that she truly did wish to do all those things with and for me.
“You are so kind.” My voice choked up, and I had to stop and take a few breaths. “I would like that very much.”
“Your care and concern for Samuel and Annabelle do you great credit, Miss Robbins. May I call you Charlotte?”
“Oh, yes, of course.”
“Yes, I think this is all going to work out quite well.” Lady Derringer gave me such a sincere smile that I couldn’t help smiling back.
Her confidence seemed to give me a bit more courage, and it helped me begin to believe that I truly was an heiress, as strange and mysterious and incredibly fortunate as that was.
“You will have Lord Brookhaven and me, but you will also need an older woman who will be able to protect your reputation, a companion who will live with you and accompany you to all social events.”
“You are certainly acquainted with more people than I am; I know no one in London. Is there someone you could recommend?”
“I believe I may know one or two older women who would be appropriate for such a role. You will need someone who is wise in the ways of society, who will help look out for your best interests, but mainly you simply need someone to help ensure that no one accuses you of impropriety.”
I pressed my hands against my cheeks and tried to take in a deep breath as my thoughts kept going to Lord Brookhaven.
How I wanted to believe that he would be able to marry me now, but I was still a former governess—the former governess for his own siblings. Was my new fortune enough to keep the gossipmongers from looking down on him?
Lady Derringer leaned closer. “Are you well, my dear?”
“I . . . yes, I’m well. Just a bit . . . overwhelmed.” I managed a smile. I was getting ahead of myself. He might not have any wish to marry me. As an earl, he could marry anyone. He was also young, handsome, and wealthy.
But I could see him socially—or, at least, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility. We could meet and talk again, be friends, even attend the same balls, possibly.
“I’ll help you with finding the best dress shops,” Lady Derringer was saying. “You’ll want to get a full wardrobe. And perhaps Mr. Sullivan, Lord Brookhaven, and I can help you find a suitable townhouse near his and advise you on financial matters, as well. If you wish it.”
“Oh yes, thank you. But will I be able to afford to lease a house in London?”
“With fifty thousand pounds? I should think so.”
My thoughts were spinning like a whirlwind, but in the center of the spinning thoughts was Lord Brookhaven.
I now had something that might make it possible to socialize with him—a large fortune.