Charlotte: The Practical Education of a Distressed Gentlewoman (19 page)

It made for a long and wearying
day. After supper, back at the hall, when Elizabeth and Sam
suggested that a walk by the Avon would do them well, Charlotte
decided that she should talk to Freddy. The gambler buried deep
inside her insisted that she throw the dice one more time. She
began “Mr. Frederick?”

“
Yes?”

“
You've been working so hard, why
don't we join your sister and Major Travers for a stroll by the
river?”

Elizabeth joined Charlotte in
asking him, “Please, Freddy, you look so tired and it would do you
so much good to take the air.” She had an ulterior motive as well,
it would be much easier to slip away from her brother's chaperonage
than her maid's. Especially if Charlotte was distracting him with
conversation of her own.

They strolled the short distance to
the river, then followed the footpath upstream. At first they
walked in silence, but Charlotte finally had to speak.
“Freddy?”

“
Miss De Vere?”

“
Please call me Charlotte. I just
want to thank you for what you're doing.”

“
It's nothing.”

“
No it's not. You could just leave
me to go to the poorhouse.”

“
I made the mess. It's my
fault.”

“
No it's not! Freddy, my
spendthrift father and brother made the mess. You've been patient
with me from the beginning. I've been very rude to you, and you
were still patient. Why?”

If she was expecting a heartfelt
declaration of love, she was disappointed. Freddy stopped walking
and said, “I don't know. You've been haunting my thoughts since the
day I met you, but so have our shares in that blasted
canal.”

“
You want to get rid of the canal
shares, don't you?”

“
Some of them. Not you though. I
guess that's the difference.” She smiled and suggested they sit on
a convenient log some farmer had pulled up as a seat for his
fishing.

A faint, but pungent, whiff of pig
wafted over the breeze, and cast a pallor over the romantic sunset
downstream.

“
This is too much, We're going to
have to get father to move his blasted piggery. Where do you think
it should go?”

Charlotte was not to be distracted,
“Freddy, you've been haunting my thoughts too. I don't understand
it. Maybe that's why I've been so rude at times. I'm
sorry.”

She reached for his hand and held
it. “Those mortgages. What's the difficulty with them?”

“
They total more than your land is
worth. I can't clear them without redeeming them and you can't pay
even if you sell everything.”

“
Just tear them up!”

“
What! I can't do
that.”

“
Why not?”

“
It's not legal. I can't destroy a
contract.”

“
Can you hold a mortgage against
yourself?”

“
No. I guess technically you
could, but it's meaningless. You'd be paying yourself
interest.”

She squeezed his hand and turned to
face him. There was a mixture hope and fear in her face when she
whispered to Freddy, “Then tear them up in three, four weeks,
however long it takes to post banns.”

For once in his life, Freddy did
something unplanned and spontaneous. With his free hand, he reached
around Charlotte's far shoulder and pulled her to him placing her
into a firm embrace. Kissing her firmly, a kiss which she gladly
reciprocated, they sat locked in each other's arms for a few
minutes. He broke for a breath and asked, “Does that mean you would
marry me?”

“
Yes, my love, of course.” They
resumed their embrace.

It was a few minutes later that
Elizabeth and Sam, returning downstream on the footpath, found
them. Charlotte blushed as she retreated from Freddy. Elizabeth
laughed with joy, while Sam joked, “I never thought I'd see that,
old man, Freddy falling for the divine passion. When is the
wedding?”

Freddy dryly replied, “We hadn't
discussed that yet.”

“
I can see, you had better things
to do, didn't you. Not saying you weren't justified.”

The four of the walked back to the
hall. Charlotte asked Freddy, “That just leaves my wastrel
brother's 'post-obit' bond, doesn't it?”

“
Yes, it’s a might inconvenient,
but I could just pay it. It's just there are a lot of other things
I could do with the money.”

“
Like moving the
piggery.”

“
Yes.”

“
Why don't you do a debt swap? Was
that what you called it? Give the bank fifty-thousand pounds of
shares in the canal company and take the bond for the estate from
them.”

“
It's the company's shares, not
mine. I could go to prison if I did that.”

“
When is the bond due?”

“
In a few years. It's just you
couldn't pay the premium, and they won't hesitate to foreclose on
you.”

“
Your father could, couldn't
he?”

“
Easily.”

“
In a few years, if he keeps at
it, this estate will be worth far more than fifty-thousand. So it
would be a reasonable investment for the firm wouldn't
it?”

Freddy stopped, pulled Charlotte to
him again and kissed her. “You're right my love! I'm so glad you
understand these things.”

As Charlotte
with Freddy and Elizabeth with Major Travers emerged from the path
to the Avon into the yard, they were greeted by a young man dressed
in the scruffy remains of an officer's uniform.

“
Hello sister!” He effused to
Charlotte, “Good to see you're in full bloom.”

“
John?”

“
The same.” Charlotte ran and
embraced her brother. “What happened? We heard you were dead, that
you had.” She paused.

“
That I had shot myself in Paris.
Interesting story, that. Old Marceau, the maitre'd, a fine chap if
ever there was one, helped me fake it. All it took was a few pounds
in the right places.”

“
But that's
dishonorable.”

“
So bloody what. Honor's for the
stupid and the dead. I'm alive aren't I?” He looked at Freddy.
“You're this Mr. Talbot everyone is talking about, aren't
you?”

Freddy almost audibly ground his
teeth. “Yes, Mr. De Vere.”

“
Lord Staverton, please. I like
what you've done to my place, except for the pigs. Soon have them
out.”

“
Your place? I bought it from your
sister, she needed the money to survive. You and your father left
her destitute.”

“
That's a shame. Sorry about that
sis. Anyway since I'm alive, she didn't have the right to sell it.”
Then he asked Charlotte, “So old girl, did you get a good price
from him? I'll want my share.”

“
Your share. What
share?”

John turned back to Freddy, “Sorry
about that old boy, but it's not for sale. Give you a week to
vacate. That's fair, say what?”

“
Say nothing doing.” Freddy was
white with rage. “You two have been running a fraud against me,
haven't you?”

Charlotte stood there silent in
shame and shock. This couldn't be happening, not now.

John just smiled, then added, “I
wouldn't let you marry my sister in any case. She's destined for a
better class of man. Thanks for the down payment on her
dowry.”

Charlotte found her voice and her
anger ran through it as she told him off, “John, you lazy good for
nothing sot, there isn't any better man for me than Freddy. You'll
spoil my best chance of happiness!”

It didn't help, Freddy wasn't
listening to her. He simply pointed, “Out, both of you.
Now.”

John unhelpfully added, “Looks like
I came a few weeks too soon. Tough luck sis.”

Charlotte asked, “Can I pack
first?”

Freddy pointed with a hand shaking
from his all-consuming rage, “Lizzy, take her to her room and watch
her. Then see that she goes.”

Charlotte and Elizabeth headed into
the house.

John smirked then said, “I shall
repair to my office, at the Royal Oak to await your company.” With
that he sauntered down the yard towards the gate and Holt beyond
it. Freddy internally stormed for a few moments, then yelled for
Henry. “Henry, Henry, Come Here, Now!”

Henry came running. “Henry, get the
carriage ready. You and Bayliss will be driving to London
tonight.”

“
Sir?”

“
We're foreclosing on those
blasted De Vere's, starting first thing tomorrow.”

“
Sir?”

“
You heard me. Now just get on
with it.” Freddy impatiently strode into the hall and searched for
Bayliss. He had retired with a comforting and informative book.
Freddy thumped on his door. “Bayliss get up!”

The door creaked open and Bayliss
peered out. As an old-fashioned and precise lawyer he wasn't about
to let the iniquitous tax on hair powder stop him from dressing
properly for the law. He was wearing a night cap over his shaved
head, while his wig sat on its stand. “Sir, What is it?”

“
Those damned De Vere's, the two
of them. They've run a dirty fraud on us. The young Lord Staverton
wasn't dead. He faked his death in Paris, then skipped town to
avoid paying his debts. They'd have waited until we voided the
mortgages and taken the whole property back.”

“
Sir? Even Miss
Charlotte?”

“
Even her. Bugger the pair of
them, damn it.”

“
So what do you want me to
do?”

“
Get packed, Henry is harnessing
the carriage. You're going to London. I want the foreclosure
started as soon as the courts open tomorrow morning.”

“
Yes sir.” Immediate and correct
legal action was why the Talbot's paid him a big retainer. “I'll be
ready in a few minutes.”

“
Good, Thank you, I know this is
exceptional. I wouldn't ask you if it weren't
important.”

“
Sir, if I'm to go soon, I'll need
to get ready.”

“
Sorry.” Freddy left. He needed to
take a long walk.

In the meantime, Charlotte and
Elizabeth headed up to Charlotte's room. “Lizzy, please believe me,
I had no idea my brother was alive.”

“
I don't know what to believe
Charlotte.”

“
Please believe me, I didn't. That
bastard, he didn't have the courage to do the decent thing in
Paris, but he had plenty of bottle-inspired courage to come here
and ruin my life.”

“
Charlotte, I'd like to believe
you, but I can't go behind Freddy. I just can't.”

“
Lizzy, that's what I love about
you Talbot's, you're hard as iron when you bargain, but
fundamentally decent and honest. Please don't forget
me.”

“
I won't.”

“
And believe me, please, I didn't
have anything to do with my brother's plans. I thought he was dead,
until this evening when he turned up and ruined everything. Now I
wish he were.”

Elizabeth looked at her friend.
“Charlotte, you've never misled me, have you?”

“
No. I haven't always behaved well
to you, and said things that I meant to hurt, but I've never lied
to you.”

“
Not this time either?”

“
No. Please believe
me.”

“
I do, but you still have to pack.
I'm sorry.”

Charlotte started to pack in
silence, while Elizabeth watched her. Charlotte wasn't quite
silent, but cried quietly to herself. She was nearly done when
Elizabeth spoke up. “Charlotte, you've refused this twice before,
but this time you have to take it. I won't let you live in a
ditch.” She handed Charlotte a bank note. Charlotte started to
reply, “I can't,” then realized that she really didn't have much
choice. She had reached bottom, and Elizabeth's offer was one of
genuine friendship and not misplaced pity, “Thank you.”

“
Where will you go?”

“
Tonight, the Royal Oak. I have a
few choice words for that rotten brother of mine. Afterwards, I'm
not sure.”

John was entertaining in royal
style when Charlotte entered the Royal Oak. She yelled at him, “You
slimy bugger, what the hades did you think you were doing?
Everything was finally going to work out for me, I was going to
marry a man I respected and loved. I was even going to be able to
stay in the hall, no thanks to father and you. Then you have to
show up and try to pull one of your little games.”

“
That tradesman's son. He stinks
of the shop. What makes you think he was worth it?”

John's popularity took a dip, a
chill seemed to fill the room, not that he noticed. He continued
his remarks, “Sure he has money, but this is our domain, these are
our people. It's been that way for generations. We don't need
jumped up interlopers from the city.”

One of the farmers put down his
beer, the beer John had bought, on credit for him, and spoke up.
“Them Talbot's are more than twice the man you are, My Lord. Even
the old man. He's done more for this parish in the last few months
than either you or your father did for years.”