Chapter Thirteen
Raised voices were coming from the upstairs set of rooms as he approached and Will paused to listen to what was being said. Only Mrs Creedy’s words were audible; Amelie’s replies to the shouted accusations were much calmer.
‘He’ll abandon you, mark my words. Once he gets what he wants, he’ll forget about these three and it’ll be back to the streets with all of you.
’ The widow’s tone was vicious and harsh and Will thought he heard a slight slurring of her words.
He stepped closer to the door, wondering if he would have to intervene.
‘They won’t be welcome back here, horrible little creatures. I opened my home to your family and this is how you repay me.’
The door opened and he saw the relief on Amelie’s face as she caught sight of him. Stepping forward, he took in the tear-stained faces of all three children and the grim line Amelie’s mouth was set in.
Quickly he relieved Amelie of the small bag she was carrying.
It was light, hardly filled at all, and it made him sad to think this was all these children had in the world.
With his free arm he scooped up Charles, feeling the boy’s gaunt face burrowing into his neck.
Amelie ushered the two girls out in front of her and together they hurried down the stairs, Mrs Creedy now reduced to shouting obscenities at their backs.
They all clambered into the carriage sat in silence for a few minutes once it got moving, all a little stunned by dramatic exit.
‘Are we truly never going back?’ Harriet asked eventually, her eyes flicking between Amelie and Will.
‘Never, ma chérie,’ Amelie said softly. Will saw the tears on her cheeks, heard the catch in her voice and knew in his heart this had been the right thing to do.
What sort of man would sit by and watch these children suffer when he had the resources to help them?
Amelie was right to be cautious, of course—they did not want gossip and rumour to follow them—but some things were more important than reputation.
‘Where are we going?’ Marie asked, her question directed towards her sister.
‘To Hampstead. It is a little journey, so you might want to rest on the way there.’
‘What is at Hampstead?’ Amelie asked once everyone had settle back and begun to relax.
‘My old nanny, Mrs Hampton. She worked for our family for almost thirty years in one capacity or another. Once Catherine grew too old for a nanny, she stayed and took the role of companion. When Catherine died she was devastated; I think she thought of her as her own daughter in many ways. I gifted her a small property and a yearly stipend so she could retire in peace, and mourn Catherine in her own way.’
‘Will she not mind us all descending on her like this?’
‘Not at all. She is a charitable woman but more than that she is pragmatic. She is one of the only people I can rely on to see the nuances of this situation.’
Amelie bit her lip and Will could see she was imagining everything that could go wrong.
He did not want to dismiss her concerns, they were of course valid, but she did not know Mrs Hampton like he did.
Within minutes of them arriving, she would put everyone at ease and settle the children in.
It might not be a long-term solution, given her age, but she would be happy to look after Amelie’s kinsfolk for a few months.
They travelled in silence, with Charles and Harriet dropping off to sleep with the swaying of the carriage. Marie stayed awake, but she sat quietly, cuddled into her older sister.
It took a little over an hour to get clear of London and the busy streets, but before long the carriage was moving at a better pace and the scenery changed from houses and warehouses to green fields.
They drew up outside the perfectly kept front garden of the house he had given to Mrs Hampton a little less than a year earlier. He was pleased to see she had already made it her own, having planted multiple rose bushes in the front garden that were beginning to bloom.
‘Is this where we’re going to live?’ a bleary-eyed Charles asked, his voice full of wonder.
‘Yes,’ Will said, springing from the carriage as soon as it came to a stop. ‘Let me go and explain the situation to Mrs Hampton and then I will return to fetch you all.’
Despite his assurances to Amelie earlier, Will felt a little apprehensive as he approached the front door.
Mrs Hampton had been in his life since he was an infant, a steadfast, comforting presence.
In his heart he knew she would do anything he asked of her, but he did not wish to take advantage.
The Mrs Hampton he had known a year ago would welcome the challenge of three emotional young orphans, but he did not know if her priorities in life had changed.
Mrs Hampton opened the door to him herself and, after a moment of disbelief, she threw her arms around him. He was so unused to such displays of affection that he felt frozen momentarily, but the warmth that emanated from his old nanny was enough to thaw him.
‘This is an unexpected pleasure, Your Grace,’ Mrs Hampton said, beaming at him as she ushered him inside. Before she shut the door, he could see her looking at the carriage with curiosity.
‘I have an enormous favour to ask, but first, how do you fare? Are you well? Are you happy?’
She led him through to a well-proportioned sitting room and bade him take a seat, positioning herself close to him. Every so often she would reach out and pat his hand, as if assuring herself it was really him.
‘I am in perfect health, thank you for asking, Your Grace. My life here is wonderful and it is thanks to your generosity I am able to live in such comfort.’
‘I am pleased to hear you are happy.’
‘And you? Nothing is amiss I hope. I am so happy you have paid me a visit.’
‘Nothing is amiss. At least not with me, but as I said, I have come to ask a favour.’
Mrs Hampton sat a little straighter and motioned for him to go on.
‘There is a young woman in my service who has a bit of a tragic past. She lost her home through the careless actions of her father, and was left to look after her younger brother and sisters with no real way to support them.’
‘Are these the three curious young faces I saw peering out of your carriage?’ Mrs Hampton had always been sharp and observant.
‘They are. Amelie has been working as housemaid and using her wages to pay for her two sisters and younger brother to lodge with a widow.’
‘A respectable solution,’ Mrs Hampton murmured, ‘But I take it there was some problem.’
‘Amelie came back to visit them after being away some weeks. The children are malnourished and thin, their clothes no more than rags, and the widow who is supposed to be taking care of them spends every evening in the local tavern, leaving the eldest to look after the other two even though she is still a child herself.’
‘A terrible situation,’ Mrs Hampton said, frowning. ‘Am I to understand you have rescued these children from this unsuitable environment?’
‘Yes.’
‘And now they need a place to stay?’
‘Yes.’
Will felt his heart thumping in his chest as Mrs Hampton paused, then she patted him on the knee. Even though he was a grown man, and a duke, one of the most powerful men in England, his former nanny could still make him feel like a child.
‘Of course I will help. I will nurture them and cherish them and keep them here as long as you need.’ She paused, giving him an assessing look. ‘Do I need to worry about you, Your Grace? Have you got yourself into a difficult situation with this housemaid?’
She was one of the only people in the world who would come out and ask him the question so directly. It was refreshing to find someone who spoke plainly about the important matters.
‘No, there is no difficult situation.’
Mrs Hampton regarded him for a moment longer. ‘But do you care for her?’
Will thought of the desire that had been coursing through his body these last few weeks.
Every time he stepped close to Amelie it felt as if he was being driven out of his mind.
He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything before, ever.
It was more than pure physical lust, though.
He enjoyed her company and sought her out when normally he would have been content on his own.
Her happiness mattered to him too. When he saw her anguish about how Mrs Creedy had been treating her sisters and brother, he had felt the pain as if it were his own.
‘I hold her in high regard,’ he said carefully.
Mrs Hampton nodded. ‘Then I am sure I will come to think the same of her. You will be careful, though?’
‘Of course.’ Nothing could happen between Amelie and him, despite their mutual attraction. In Grantchester they were almost living in a dream world, but here in London the stark reality of their different lives was apparent. It made it even clearer that there could never be a future for them.
‘Shall we fetch the little ones from the carriage? They must be exhausted. Your Amelie is welcome to stay with them overnight to get them settled, if that would suit.’
‘I think that is a marvellous idea.’
Will stood and led the way back out to the carriage, helping a sleepy Charles step down, and stopping him from stumbling on the path to the front door.
‘Welcome to Tranquillity House, my dears,’ Mrs Hampton said, her eyes raking over the three skinny children.
‘Lord Beescroft tells me you need a place to stay, and I am in need of a little company, so I think we will be perfect companions.’ She turned to Amelie and took hold of the younger woman’s hands.
‘It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. I know you do not know me, but I promise to look after these precious children as if they were my own.’
Amelie let out a sob, a mixture of gratitude and relief, and squeezed Mrs Hampton’s hands as if she were clinging on for dear life.
‘Come now, let me get you all settled in the sitting room and see if I have some tea and cakes. I expect you are famished.’
Will watched as Amelie allowed herself to be led into the cosy sitting room and he felt a deep sense of relief. These three children would be safe for a while at least, and Amelie would not have to worry constantly about their welfare.
As Charles sat down in front of the fireplace, taking out the small tin that contained his toy soldiers, he looked up at his sister.
‘Amelie, how will Papa know where we are?’
The look of pure panic on Amelie’s face threw him. She had never told him exactly what had happened to her father, but he had assumed the man was dead, seeing as it fell to Amelie to provide for her family. Yet the expression on Amelie’s face told him his assumption was wrong.
Now was not the time to press her for the story, but as he left he felt a flicker of unease. In everything else, she had been so honest with him, so open. It was concerning that she had not felt able to tell him the truth about her father.