CHAPTER ONE
The Second Wife
There
was but one way in which Charlotte Wallis ever learned of plans for her family
and that was to listen at doors. It was this habit of eavesdropping which had
given her the knowledge that, since her father bought this house from the impoverished
Earl of Sutton, he had received unwelcome visits from local noblemen and
knights.
These
fine gentlemen seemed unanimously to resent Master Wallis’s sudden rise in
wealth and status, brought about by sheer hard work and guile. These titled men
believed themselves a race apart from the man of trade and worked very hard to
keep the lower classes in their place.
Charlotte
started life in a small house in London which she shared with her mother and
father and her younger brothers and sisters. They were a happy family, a family
of free born townfolk who worked hard to make the best they could from life.
Master
Wallis’ wealth came gradually and built up slowly until he had enough to employ
others to do the work and he wanted to grant his wife’s wish for a big house
and estate such as the nobility enjoyed.
He
at first tried to buy land on which to build his house, but always before anything
could be properly arranged, the land would be sold to someone else and he knew
it was his so-called betters, trying to stop him from building a house as good
as their own.
Lord
Sutton, however, had fallen on hard times and of his many properties, this one
was the greatest drain on his limited resources. It was a large house, much
larger than the family had been used to, but there was not much arable land to
produce grain and few tenant farmers to produce income in the form of rents. There
was a very small village, inhabited by the tenants of Willowside who worked
their small farms and gave what they could. Master Wallis took only their rents
as his wealth was such that he had no need of more and saw no value in taking
from these poor people. He had been poor himself once, so knew what hardship
that could cause.
Lord
Sutton decided to sell and knowing how his fellow earls resented Master
Wallis’s efforts, he had approached him directly with an offer to sell
Willowside, a large manor house which had been part of his late wife’s dowry.
He asked a price for the estate which was far more than its worth, but he knew
Master Wallis could afford it and would be willing to pay. It was the only way
he would get his manor house and Lord Sutton felt no disloyalty in betraying
his fellow noblemen; his only interest was in the money.
The
Wallis family moved into Willowside before it was ready for habitation, but
Master Wallis thought it best to let the lords know he was going nowhere. He
also feared vandalism if the house remained empty so he moved his family in
straight away, inviting Lord Sutton and his daughter to return any time they
wished to retrieve their belongings.
Most
of the furniture Lord Sutton decided to leave for the new owners, but his
daughter had some personal things she wanted. That was why she was there that
summer afternoon, sorting through souvenirs of her childhood, looking for any
clothing that was still fit to be worn.
She
was in the chamber which had once been hers but now was used by Charlotte.
Knowing that Lady Felice would be coming for her things, she had left them
exactly where they were and that lady seemed pleased about that.
“I
am sorry to intrude,” she said to Charlotte. “Had I notice of the sale, I would
have taken my things before you moved in.”
“Lord
Sutton did not tell you?” Charlotte asked.
She
could not imagine such a thing. If her father was selling his house, he would
certainly have told all his family, but perhaps the nobility did these things
differently.
Lady
Felice was a very beautiful young woman. Her hair was blonde and arranged
intricately on her head to show her long neck. Her skin was very smooth, like
fine china almost, and looking at her, Charlotte caught herself running her
fingers over her own face in comparison.
“No,
he did not. Unfortunately he has not told me most of the mistakes he has made
over the years since my mother died. He loved her, you see, and when she died
he was beside himself with grief. He found solace in gambling. He gambled away
almost everything we had and more.” She glanced up at Charlotte and blushed.
“Forgive me. I should not be telling you these things; it is disrespectful. I
love my father, but I am so angry with him! Had he told me his problems
earlier, I might have been able to do something, although what I cannot think.”
“I
am sorry. It must be very hard for you. My father says this house was to be
part of your dowry.”
“It
was. I have been betrothed to Viscount Thomas Lindsay since I was a child, but
now, with no dowry, the marriage may not happen. We shall see.”
Charlotte
thought that odd, both that they had been betrothed since childhood and that
the young man would not marry her without a dowry. If he loved her, it would
not matter.
“You
do not mean betrothed, do you?” She asked. “I mean not officially. You mean
promised or something.”
Felice
glanced at her and raised an eyebrow, gave a cynical grin.
“No,
Mistress,” she said. “I mean betrothed.”
“Oh,”
was all Charlotte could think to say.
“Ah,
there it is!” Felice exclaimed suddenly as she reached into the bottom of her
clothes chest. “I knew it was here somewhere.”
“What
is it?”
She
held up a beautiful gold bracelet, intricately carved with hearts and roses,
and draped it over her wrist.
“It
is beautiful,” Charlotte said. “I wonder why it was buried in the chest.”
“I
threw it there when the Viscount told me he had doubts about our marriage. It
was a gift from him when we were but twelve years old and I was angry with
him.”
“Because
he refused to marry you?”
Felice
smiled.
“No.
Because he told me there was no dowry left except this house. I had no idea
until then that my father was having difficulties and I was angry that Thomas
knew and showed no sensitivity in sharing the knowledge.”
“Well,
now you have it back at least.”
“Yes,”
she answered, clutching the bracelet in her hand. “Now I can sell it. It might
fetch enough to help Father more, although I doubt it.”
“Do
you want to sell it? Does it not hold sentimental value?”
Felice
shook her head.
“Thomas
asked me to return it,” she said angrily. “Can you imagine that? When he
learned that my father had sold Willowside, the last vestige of my dowry, he
had the temerity to ask for his bracelet back! So I shall be taking it to the
goldsmith in Colchester at the earliest opportunity.”
Charlotte
watched her for a few more moments. She wondered why she was doing this herself
instead of bringing a servant, but she thought it best not to ask. She could
offer one of their own maids, but somehow she knew the offer would not be
welcome.
“If
your marriage to Viscount Lindsay is not to take place, what will happen then?”
“To
me?” Lady Felice rolled her eyes up to look at the ceiling. “Who knows? I have
more important things to think about, like keeping my father out of debtor’s
prison and keeping a roof over our heads.” She paused and sighed heavily. “Oh
dear! I am saying far too much. Why are you so easy to talk to?”
Charlotte
shook her head and smiled.
“I
had no idea I was.”
“Well,
you are. Do not be surprised if everyone throughout your life burdens you with
their problems. But please, do not breathe a word. My father would be
humiliated more than he already is. Everyone hereabouts knows about his
problems, but they are too polite to speak of it so he can pretend they are
ignorant of the facts.”
“My
Lady,” Charlotte said as her hand covered Felice’s. “You and your father have a
home here should the need arise. I know my father would welcome you both.”
Felice
turned to her, tears in her lovely blue eyes, and she took Charlotte into her
arms and hugged her.
“You
are very kind,” she said. “I will not forget. It may well come to that; we have
nothing left to sell except Sutton Place itself.”
“That
is His Lordship’s estate?”
She
nodded.
“Yes.
It used to be a wealthy property, used to produce a good income, but no more.
It takes money to produce money and Father simply cannot afford to run it. I wish
there was something more I could do to help him, marry a very rich man or
something. But I fear Sutton Place will have to go. I hope it does not come to
that, but I fear it will.”
“Would
you do that?” Charlotte asked. “Marry a very rich man for your father’s sake?”
Felice
nodded.
“If
I could find one, yes I would. But wealthy, unattached men are in very short
supply.”
She
glanced out of the window to the small garden below. Lord Sutton had planted
that garden specially for her and she hoped the Wallises would keep it up.
“Do
you mind if I ask you a favour?” She asked.
“Anything.”
“May
I take some of the roses from the garden? My father had them planted for me.
Lord knows when I shall ever have them again.”
***
This
would be the first summer Charlotte and her family had spent at Willowside. Renovations
had been going on for a little while and her father was having gardens made
from the meadows closest to the house. Lord Sutton had never actually lived in
this house, so he never saw the need for gardens, just the small cluster of
rose bushes he grew for his daughter. But Charlotte’s mother wanted them. She
was feeling very important about their sudden rise in status and wanted
whatever the upper classes had, although gardens were not something even they had
in general.
Charlotte
just happened to be observing the gardeners from the window of her bedchamber
and appreciating the muscular figure of the young man who was planting the
hedges, when she saw the large black stallion approaching, ridden by a very handsome
man. He was in his late twenties or early thirties, with dark, glossy hair and
muscular thighs beneath his deerskin breeches. She could only imagine what was
beneath the matching jacket, but he definitely provoked her interest and tore
her attention away from the young gardener.
He
approached the house and her eyes followed him as he rode up to the porch and
dismounted. She supposed he was another local lord come to complain about her
father having the audacity to buy a large manor house. It was a shame; he was
such a good looking man, a petty nature would spoil the image altogether.
She
crept out of her bedchamber and slipped through the open door, made her way
quickly to the spiral staircase which led up to the attics where the servants
slept. There she sat on the floor beneath the stairs where she could listen
without detection. Below her the staircase continued down to the great hall and
that was where the visitor stood with her father.
She
waited to hear raised voices; her father would not be cowed by these men, would
not apologise for being able to afford the things he wanted, and for that she
was proud of him. She was also rather enjoying the lords’ frustration at not
being able to either buy or bully their way to their goal, which was to banish
Master Wallis to what they considered a more appropriate dwelling.
The
opening of shipping lanes between England the eastern countries had given more
freedom to merchants like Master Wallis, had brought them wealth as they could
now import many fine silks as well as expensive spices which could not be found
in England. He had even imported sugar, a very expensive and rare sweetener
which was unheard of in their cold little island. Now ordinary, hard working
men like Charlotte’s father could rise up and attain the same things as
noblemen and the latter would need to be very devious and part with a lot of
money to stop them.
There
were laws to dictate what fabrics and colours could be worn by the middle
classes, laws meant to be sure they never rose too far above their station. She
had no idea if she was wearing a colour she was not allowed to; nobody really
took these laws seriously.
Peering
through the gaps in the stairs, she could see that the two men had seated
themselves at the table, that her father was pouring wine into pewter goblets
for them both. This looked quite civilised. Her father had shown no particular
hospitality to the other lords who had come calling. Perhaps this one was
trying a different approach, just to persuade him to leave. He was unlikely to
sell, Charlotte knew. He had spent too much already on the renovations and her
mother would never part with her new house.
Charlotte
smiled. It would be a shame to disappoint such a handsome man, but she
anticipated some entertainment in his attempts.
“I
am honoured by your visit, Sir,” her father was saying now. “I am at a loss,
however. Have we met?”
“My
name is Robin Willard, Sir,” the man replied, his voice deep and his accent displaying
his heritage. “The Earl of Eversley. I noticed your arrival, I noticed your
family. I expect you paid a high price for this estate.”
Ah, here it comes. Now he would offer a
higher price for them to leave.
“I
did, but I was happy to do so. Lord Sutton was kind enough to sell it to me, having
learned of my thwarted attempts to build.”
There
was a note of sarcasm in Master Wallis’s voice and now Charlotte saw the Earl
grin sardonically.
“I
have heard about your problems in that direction,” the Earl said. “I have to
admit to some amusement myself and I admire your determination.”
Master
Wallis bowed his head and lifted his goblet.
“That
is kind of you to say,” he said. “But I find it hard to believe you have come
here to welcome me and my family to the neighbourhood.”
“I
have a proposition for you, Sir,” said the Earl.
“I
will not sell, no matter what you offer.”
“And
I have no interest in buying,” the Earl replied. “But you will not be left in
peace. I anticipate you will receive many offers to buy this place, but I may
have a way to save you the inconvenience, to give you some sort of acceptance
among my peers, if a tenuous one.”
Master
Wallis raised an eyebrow.
“I
cannot imagine that I have anything which you might want,” he said.
“Then
you would be wrong. I have, as I said, been observing your family and I have
noticed you have a very lovely young daughter.”
Charlotte
caught her breath, covered her mouth with her hand to prevent an audible gasp
from escaping and revealing her presence, while her father frowned
suspiciously.
“What
of it?” He said.
“Simply
that I am in need of a wife and I would be honoured if you would accept my offer
for her hand in marriage.”
Charlotte
was sure her sharp intake of breath must be heard by the two men. She sat
rigidly, watching to see if either were looking toward the stairs and had
perhaps discovered her hiding place. This man wanted to marry her? Not only was
he temptingly handsome, he was an Earl!
She
swallowed hard and peered once more through the gaps. Her father could be
obstinate at times and he might take
pleasure in refusing such an offer in the hope of establishing himself, to let
these lords know he was not to be bought; she hoped not. Surely he would not
allow his stubborn nature to get in the way of such an offer, would he? In
truth, she could not have said for certain. She hardly knew her father; he had
spent most of her life away making money for his family and having got to this
stage, where he could afford this grand house and estate, could afford the
fabrics his class were not permitted to wear, to her it was almost akin to
having a stranger in the house.
She
listened carefully, waiting for either one of the men to speak; neither did,
not for many minutes until Charlotte thought she could stand the silence no
more. She felt sure she would burst if one of them did not say something soon.
At
last it was her father who broke the silence.
“Forgive
me, My Lord,” he said, “but I am at a loss to know your intentions with this
offer. Surely there are many ladies within your own circles from which to
choose a bride.”
No! Please do not try to talk him out of it!
“That
is true,” the Earl replied. “But I grow tired of noblewomen. They are mostly very
pretentious and rarely honest.”
“You
have a low opinion of your own class, My Lord. How can I know you will not have
an even lower one of mine? Judging by your age, I am guessing you must be a
widower. Are there children involved?”
The
Earl frowned, looked a little surprised at Master Wallis’s question.
“I
will tell you all of that when I have your consent, Sir.”
Charlotte
wished she had a better view of their expressions.
“You
will have my consent, My Lord, when I have my daughter’s,” her father said.
“Oh,”
murmured Lord Eversley. “Forgive me. I was not expecting that.”
“No?
Well, you are unaccustomed to our way of doing things. You are a good deal
older than my daughter, My Lord, and if you are not a widower, I think I am
entitled to know how you have reached this age without marrying.”
Lord
Eversley was thoughtful. He had most certainly not expected this tradesman to
question his motives in asking for his daughter. What he had expected was that
the man would be grateful, happy with the opportunity of a door into
aristocratic circles. After all, he had spent a long time trying and failing to
buy land on which to build his grand house, he had gone to a lot of effort in
refusing to be intimidated into giving up the idea and building something
smaller to please a lot of noblemen who were unknown to him.
Robin
felt bemused by this outcome, that feeling being quickly followed by a dart of
shame for his presumption.
There
were many large estates in this part of the country and each one was ruled by
its own Lord of the Manor, be he an earl, a baron or even a duke or a marquess,
but each of these men had a vested and determined interest in keeping the lower
classes in their place. That was becoming more difficult since free trade with
the east had opened up to all who had the guile and the ambition to take the
opportunities presented to them.
Most
of these noblemen had joined together to pursue their common goal of stopping
Master Wallis and others like him from building new estates to equal their own
and they had succeeded until Lord Sutton approached the merchant, with no prior
consultation with his peers, and offered to sell Willowside. It was true he was
heavily in debt and needed the money, but his fellow lords would have bought it
from him. Robin knew why he had not told them of his intention; it would have
hurt his pride too much to have to go to them for help.
So
Master Wallis had bought Willowside and moved in with his family and the lords
had made many attempts to persuade him to sell to them. He had refused each and
every one. It was not that they wanted to prevent him building a house at all,
that was not the case. What they did want was to prevent him building a large,
self sufficient estate, with tenant farmers and a village of its own, all the
things that made up the sort of estate only a titled gentleman should own.
While
Willowside had little in the way of land, Master Wallis had also bought the
adjoining acres which Lord Sutton had allowed to lie fallow over too many years
and he had the wealth to build a bigger village and to restore that farmland.
As
a last resort, they had presented Robin with the task, since they had all
failed. What they could not know was that his heart was really not in the
project and he had taken his time about it, so much time in fact that he had
been able to observe the family and take a fancy to the Wallis daughter.
She
was very beautiful, very young too. Her hair was dark, as dark as his own and
she had a pleasing figure. But what attracted him more than anything else was
her laughter. He had watched her with her little brothers and sisters, playing
some sort of game in the grounds, and when he first heard that laugh, he
thought it must be coming from one of the children. But no, it was young
Charlotte whose laughter reached out to him and brought a reluctant smile to
his lips.
He
had been sent here to try to persuade her father to sell the estate and move
his family elsewhere, not to become attracted to this young maid. She was a
grown woman, even though a young one, and by this age all the maidens of his
acquaintance would be taught that it was unladylike to laugh in public so
openly and loudly like this. Was it in public? She was on her own father’s
land, after all, so perhaps things would be different in the town. But he
doubted it somehow. Her laughter was spontaneous and joyous, as though she was
having the most enjoyable time of her life. She obviously loved these younger
siblings of hers and would likely make a fine mother.
That
thought was followed by an image of his own daughter, a girl of six years whose
mind had never grown. She was the main reason he had discarded her mother, his
first wife.
Now
he turned back to Master Wallis, who was still waiting for an answer to his
question.
“I
was married, Sir,” Lord Eversley said. “I had the marriage annulled.”
“Why?”
Once
again, the man’s forthright way of speaking took Robin by surprise. He was not
used to such outspoken manners. He sighed, deciding that honesty was likely the
most expedient way to deal with this man.
“I
was not the firstborn son of my father, Sir,” he began. “My brother disappeared
and after the appropriate time, my father had him declared dead. He was
betrothed to Lady Annabel Fairfax; my father did not want to return her dowry,
so he decided I would marry her instead. It was not a successful union and we
both felt it was incestuous, being as she had been promised to my brother. We
were relieved to part company.”
“Ah,
so you claimed a prior commitment. Were there any offspring? My daughter is
very young; I do not want her given too much responsibility.”
Once
more his words took Robin by surprise. He had always been of the opinion that
there was little difference between his own class and that of a merchant, that
they were separated only by wealth. Now his opinion was changing. If his
daughter was anything like him, she would need instruction on how to behave
like the countess he intended to make her. But in that case, she would be no
different to all those noblewomen he had decided he did not want.
“I
have one daughter, Sir,” Robin said. “Her name is Genevieve and she is six
years old. But I fear her mind is not growing as it should. I have observed
your daughter with her younger siblings and she seems to have a fondness for
children.”
“You
are right, My Lord. Charlotte enjoys the company of her younger siblings.”
“Well,
Sir,” Robin said. “Do I have your consent?”
“You
have my consent to ask her, certainly. Whether she will agree is entirely up to
her. Perhaps you would like to take a ride about the grounds while I talk to
her.”
Robin
did not know whether to be angry or amused. This was most certainly not what he
had been expecting, not at all. He recalled his own brief betrothal to Annabel,
how both their fathers had told them they were to wed and should they refuse
they would be turned out to starve.
He
got to his feet, shaking his head in puzzlement. Master Wallis’ voice stopped
him.
“Tell
me, My Lord, were you sent here in a further attempt to persuade me to sell?”
“I
was, Sir, but really my heart was not in it. If you want to build a grand house
and can afford to run it, who am I to naysay you? I began to watch your family,
just to see what sort of neighbours you might make, and I became enamoured of
your daughter.”
“From
what I have gathered from village gossip, there is one earl who has not shown
his face, who has not tried to buy land out from under me nor to buy
Willowside, yet I have heard people whisper his name with a shudder.”
“Ah,”
Robin replied. “You speak of Lord Christopher. He does have a fearsome
reputation.”
“Then
why has he not been here wanting to be rid of me and my kind?”
“Lord
Christopher is a law unto himself, Sir. I have no idea whether he would agree
with the others, as no one really knows him well enough to ask. He recently
lost his wife in childbirth, so likely has more important things on his mind.”
“Like
whether to allow her to lie in the family vault?”
Robin
raised an eyebrow and gave a slight smile.
“So
you have heard? As I said, he is not a popular man nor an amiable one. He has
indeed buried his late wife and her child in the pauper’s section of the
churchyard, but nobody knows why nor are they likely to. If there is one thing
you should know about Lord Christopher, it is that he trusts no one.”
***
Lord
Eversley had no idea that the object of his interest watched him leave the hall
from her hiding place beneath the upper stairs. If he had known, he would have
been surprised by her behaviour and might also have been amused. There was not
a lady of his acquaintance who would sit on the floor under the stairs to
eavesdrop.
Now
Charlotte got awkwardly to her feet, her legs having stiffened from being
squashed into her small space, and walked slowly down and into the hall to
greet her father. He was watching through the window as his guest departed and
he turned when he heard her movements.
He
was not in the least surprised to see her there. He laughed.
“I
suppose you were listening?” He said.
“How
else am I to learn what is happening?”
“If
it concerns you, you will be told. You know that.”
“Ah,
but not the whole story. Besides, I would have known nothing about these lords who
tried to frighten you away had I not eavesdropped, would I?”
“I
kept that to myself to protect you and your mother from worry. She is enjoying
her new found wealth and I know she will be thrilled to have a daughter called
‘countess’. But you must not allow that to influence you; not that you would.”
Charlotte’s
heart began to race and she went to the window to watch Lord Eversley as he
rode away into the distance. His horse was a fine animal, a huge, black stallion,
and he cut a fine figure sitting astride the creature.
“Why
do you think he has offered me marriage, Father?” She asked. “Do you think he
is really as kind as he pretends, that he does it only to appease his peers?”
“I
am not sure about that, my dear, but he has a child, a daughter. It seems to me
he has watched you with your brothers and sisters and feels you might be a good
mother to her. He said her mind had not grown, whatever that means.”
She
felt a little disappointed with his suggestion, but she consoled herself.
“Surely
if that was his only interest, he could employ a nurse for her,” she said. “I
think perhaps he cannot persuade a noblewoman to join with him because he
annulled his first marriage. It might make a lady feel insecure, do you not
think?”
“You
could be right.” Master Wallis paused, went to stand behind her at the window.
The
Earl stopped and turned back toward the house now and as he came closer
Charlotte could not help but notice his fine features, his glossy black hair,
the strength in his figure. She felt a little pulse deep inside, an unfamiliar
feeling of excitement but not like the stomach fluttering excitement she knew when
anticipating an event or a dressmaker’s visit. This was different; this was a
sort of physical excitement which she could not explain.
She
began to consider how this man would look without his heavy leather jacket and
she blushed.
“Well,
Charlotte,” her father said, squeezing her shoulder. “The decision is yours. I
would like you to meet with him before you make that decision though. It might
be the custom for lords and ladies to marry someone they have never spoken to,
but it is not my idea of how to begin a lifetime together.”
“How
did you meet my mother?” She asked.
Now
why had she never considered that before?
“Our
marriage was arranged by our parents, but not like this. We went to her
parents’ home where we were formally introduced and had time to get to know
each other. I certainly did not ask her father for her hand and expect it to be
granted without a word to her. Very odd if you ask me.”
“It
is to us, yes. But I doubt it is the only difference I shall have to get used
to.”
“So
you have decided then?”
“He
is very handsome,” she said. “And he has a kind smile.”
Master
Wallis laughed, pulled her close, then turned to see his visitor returning to
the hall.
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