Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
“Prudence is an essential virtue in a woman's character.”
Dr. John Gregory, A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters
Richard watched from his study window while Caroline Brown descended from the carriage he had sent for her.
He guessed this was her first time visiting London, at his request, and based on her expression, she found the city daunting.
She had probably never seen so many people, buildings, horses, heard so much sound, smelled so much humanity.
London was more … everything. She appeared quite out of sorts as she stared up at the four towering stories of Balfour Terrace, stretching five bays wide.
Visibly gulping, she headed toward the servants’ staircase.
“Mrs. Brown?” Although the window muffled the words, he could just hear them. His man, Long, called her by her courtesy title, a privilege of being a housekeeper in a respectable household, but to Richard’s knowledge she was not a true Mrs.
Long assisted his man of business with Richard’s vast holdings, and he had sent his loyal agent to find the former maid at the home of her employer days earlier. His man would have invited her to London for an audience with Richard, who had been expecting their arrival for some hours.
Out in the street, Caroline looked back at Mr. Long in question.
“Lord Saunton has invited you as an honored guest.” Mr. Long held up his hand to indicate the way up the steps toward the front door. Richard could just make out her eyes widening in surprise as she stood undecided. “Please, come this way, Mrs. Brown.”
Fidgeting nervously, the young woman most likely pondered her low status while she considered the front door.
A common servant who had worked hard and raised her station to that of housekeeper in a doctor’s household after Richard had nearly destroyed her future two years earlier.
She was fortunate that after betraying Miss Annabel Ridley, her mistress had seen fit to find her a new position.
Annabel would have been well within her rights to dismiss the kitchen maid without a second thought.
Richard could only assume the young woman to be confused by his invitation, but he had sent Long because the man could be most persuasive.
He wondered how she had organized her affairs to accompany Mr. Long to the great city of London.
Truly, she would have no idea why she was here, and she must believe that she had no business walking in the front door of a fine home such as Balfour Terrace in the famous Mayfair district.
“Mrs. Brown, the earl insisted you are to be treated as a guest. He will be most displeased with me if he learns you entered through the servants’ entrance.”
The young woman reluctantly rejoined him and ascended the steps out of Richard’s view. Long reappeared shortly, descending the steps toward the carriage.
“Mr. Long?” Richard heard Caroline call out in an alarmed tone.
Her companion was halfway down the front steps. He stopped to look back.
“Are you not joining me?”
“Nay, Mrs. Brown. I will return to escort you back to Filminster, but I have errands to run. The earl and his staff will take good care of you in my absence.”
Richard assumed the woman must have looked anxious from the cajoling that followed that statement.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Brown. I think you will be pleased to hear what his lordship has to say.
” Long gave an encouraging smile. Evidently, he succeeded in allaying her fears because he nodded a goodbye and continued his descent.
Richard turned back to his desk, anxiously checking his cravat and coat. He could not deny he was nervous about this meeting.
A few moments later, there was a knock at the door. “Come in.”
Radcliffe entered. Behind the butler, Richard could see Caroline peering into his study with an expression that mirrored his own internal ferment. “Mrs. Brown is here to see you.”
The young woman grimaced behind the manservant before being shown into the study. She came to a halt in the middle of the lavish room, looking around in bewilderment.
Richard pasted a smile on his lips and stepped around his desk to give a short bow.
In a surreal moment, he thought about Caroline’s perspective—what she might be thinking as her eyes flittered over the bottle-green wallpaper, the white trim, the polished mahogany desk and matching shelves.
Her gaze rested for a moment on the set of plump wingback armchairs, upholstered in a cheerful ivory fabric patterned with rich greens, reds, and golds, before skittering to fall to the rug, which she stared at pensively.
“Mrs. Brown?”
Caroline whipped her head back to him. Richard was careful not to smile the characteristic glib smile he used to charm women, but schooled his face to display concern.
“Mrs. Brown, are you all right?”
“What am I doing here?” she whispered.
Richard looked over her shoulder. “Radcliffe, please bring tea and refreshments. Mrs. Brown must be exhausted after days on the road. Mrs. Brown, please take a seat?”
Carefully, he took her by the arm and steered her to the seating area, urging her to sit. She plopped down in a daze. After a moment, she untied her bonnet, placed it on the end of the table between them, and smoothed her hair with a trembling hand.
“I am sorry for the suspense, Mrs. Brown. When you hear what I have to say, it will be worth it, I assure you.” With that, he took the seat opposite, his fingers drumming on the arm of his chair while he collected his thoughts.
“I summoned you to London because I wanted to make my … apologies …”
Caroline frowned in confusion.
“First, please, tell me how you have been since I last saw you?”
Caroline cleared her throat. “I am … fine, I suppose. Miss Ridley—I mean, the Duchess of Halmesbury—and Mrs. Harris assisted me to find a new position as a maid with the local doctor after she … caught us kissing in the stables.” She mirrored his own state of agitation with her awkward mumbling.
They both well knew the disreputable circumstances of their last encounter.
“Since that time, the doctor’s housekeeper retired, so I was promoted to running his household.
So I guess everything has worked out for the best.”
“I am so glad to hear that.” Richard did not reveal that he had gathered this information on her before the meeting. She was clearly distressed. “I wanted to apologize to you … for my seduction … or perhaps a better word would be my interruption of your life.”
Caroline looked at the earl, aghast. “Apologize, my lord?”
He cleared his throat uncomfortably, tugging at his cravat.
“It was not well done of me, engaging with you under your mistress’s nose.
And, after she found us, I did not step in to take any responsibility for you.
If Miss Ridley had not decided to find you the new position, you would have been destitute, and I am profoundly embarrassed regarding my behavior with you. ”
“I … see. I cannot blame you for the decisions I made, my lord.” Caroline dropped her head, shame reflected on her face.
What he had done to this young woman, it was her secret burden to bear that she was a fallen woman.
Fortunately, those who knew about her indiscretions with him had elected to keep the affair private.
“That is generous, but I do blame myself. I had considerable experience that I brought to bear when I pursued you. Not to sound conceited, but few women would have resisted.”
“I see. While it is very kind of you to apologize, is that why I am here in London? It seems to me you could have sent me a letter to state your apology and spared yourself a great deal of trouble bringing me here.”
“No … I wanted to apologize in person and to make an attempt at amends. I wish to make reparations … in the form of funds. Funds you could use to change your current circumstances or could be a means to your retirement in the future. I was thinking of putting two hundred pounds in your name.”
Caroline gasped. Richard knew that two hundred pounds was a fortune for a woman in her position. His earlier meetings with similar women from his past had proved quite?—
“No!”
No? What on earth?
“No?”
“No! It would make me feel like a kept woman. I did not engage with you for funds.”
Richard’s chest tightened in dismay. Would she not allow him to make amends? This was unexpected. He needed to assist her in some way to free his soul, but— “But Mrs. Brown, I want to do this. To take responsibility for my actions as I should have done?—”
“No. I accept your apology, but I need something else … not a payoff.”
Oh, thank heavens! She had a request of some sort. She was not merely refusing a small fortune.
Richard leaned forward eagerly. “There is something I can assist you with?”
“I do not wish to sound presumptive, but Miss Ridley and I were friends. Did you know that?”
He frowned. “I did not.”
“I came to work in her household as a girl. Miss Ridley gifted me a book, and when she discovered I could not read, she taught me. She also taught me numbers and showed me how to manage an accounting book. She purchased me fabrics, and she prepared me … to follow my dreams.”
“Dreams?”
“Yes, milord. Miss Ridley promised me that once she was married to you, she would help me with an investment using her pin money. She was to assist me in purchasing a dressmaking shop. We discussed finding one in a market town. I could not … I could not believe I betrayed her in the manner that I did. It was … so utterly foolish. I have worked hard since to prove to myself that I was ever worthy of her support. Now you say you want to make amends. That is the path you interrupted.”