Hope for Tomorrow (24 page)

“
Goodbye, Lucien.”

She climbed into the carriage and watched him from the window until he was out of sight.

Chapter Twenty Two

Life back in Penchester continued almost as normal, although everyone seemed to notice how well Martha was looking; they all said she had a glow about her these days.

Martha tried to convince Gus to retire but he refused, asking what he would do with all that time on his hands. Finally though, she managed to convince him to cut back on his hours and spend more time at home.

Once the cloaks were finished and sent to the Duke and Duchess of Wessex, Lucien visited to celebrate with them since the Duchess had worn her cape to a cousins christening and it had caught the eye of a journalist who wrote that while still in mourning dress,
'she managed to look elegant without appearing imprudent'
.

The orders didn't flood in as they had with the gloves but there was a trickle of interest that slowly grew. This business was separate from Gus's and although he was happy to help them, Martha didn't want his shops to become outlets for the cloaks; she just felt that was a complication that he didn't need at the moment.

Once word began to spread, their off-the-peg designs also proved popular with middle-class establishments and Martha hired a salesman who could travel the country offering their wares to vendors all around the country.

Martha visited as many ladies as she could to design their cloaks and capes for them but she couldn't travel all over the country so Lucien and the head seamstress took that mantle on and went to meet those who were not local. They had a  lot of Martha's sketches to work from and Miss Morgan was quite capable of adapting them to suit any gown.

Lucien visited Penchester approximately once a month and stayed with the Aldercotts at Martha's suggestion so that he could get to know Hope. His bedroom was at the far end of the hall from hers, as decorum dictated but once she was certain that everyone was asleep, Martha stole along the corridor and spent a few hours with him. If anyone in the house noticed, they hid that knowledge well.

When Lucien's mother discovered his new venture, she was thrilled to find him working with Miss Aldercott and immediately asked for her to visit her in Blackpool so that she could commission some designs.

Lucien had half a mind not to go, for it seemed that no matter how bad their finances were, his mother would not curb her spending. Still, she had become acquainted with a lot of wealthy people in Blackpool so he knew that her orders would be good for the business. He decided to go with Helen Morgan so that he could see his father.

Helen was now spending so much time away from the workshop that it probably wouldn't be very long until they needed to hire someone else to oversee the seamstresses.

Miss Helen Morgan was a middle class girl, albeit from the lower middle classes, and as such her manners and etiquette were impeccable. With the purchase of a few better quality dresses, she looked every inch the society lady.

Lucien and Helen spent a week with his parents both because Lucien wanted to spend some time with his father and because they received a lot of requests for bespoke orders thanks to his mother's recommendation.

The house his parents had rented had plenty of room for them both and of course staying with them cut down on costs. Lucien had always thought that he was thrifty and not overly indulgent when it came to both money and running his estate but now that he was building a business, and using someone else's money to do so, he found that he had a much greater respect for every shilling.

It was a fine line to tread though. For example, staying with his parents or friends whilst on business was fine, that was combining business with pleasure, which the upper classes throughly endorsed. Renting a cheap hotel wasn't because that sent the message that the company wasn't high class.

The expense of shipping garments by canal to Liverpool or by horse to Stockport before being sent around the country also galled him. Both methods were slow and expensive compared to the railways and he could quite see why the canning factory had moved. At least Beaumont & Aldercott didn't have the expense of transporting their raw materials to them, only shipping the end product out of town.

Lady Beaumont was thrilled to see him, though saddened that Miss Aldercott could not also attend and she questioned him relentlessly about how the partnership came about. Lucien avoided her questions as best he could so she began making plans to invite Miss Aldercott to visit. Perhaps a week in Blackpool would do her good? Or maybe she might like to attend their summer party once they returned to Marchwood?

Lucien soon tired of trying to dissuade her and instead spent time with his father, who his mother all but ignored.

Lord Beaumont was now a shadow of his former self, though he seemed happier in Blackpool even if the sea air didn't appear to be helping his chest.

His bedroom was on the ground floor and every day his nurse transferred him from the bed to a bath chair which could be wheeled out into the garden. When he felt like it, she would also take him for a walk around the local streets.

The rest of the time she sat with him and read to him from a book of his choosing.

The real tragedy was that his mind was as sharp as ever, though sometimes dulled by the effects of the laudanum, while his body was failing him. This sedentary lifestyle and his inability to do anything under his own power was making him miserable. He was short with anyone who spent much time with him taking his misery out on them. The nurse seemed nonplussed by it but the other servants kept their distance, as did his mother.

Lucien had done his fair share of sniping in his time and he could understand how difficult this was for his father. As such, he could tolerate his outbursts, though the bouts of coughing that often followed were painful to watch.

“
This business... isn't taking you... away from... the estate... is it?” His father asked haltingly, unable to take a proper breath any more.

“
No, Sir. Aside from visiting you and Mother, I'm never away for more than three nights. The estate is doing well and if the weather holds, we should all have a good harvest this year.”

“
Good,” he puffed.

“
The business will be good for us too; it will give us another source of income so we aren't reliant on the estate.”

“
Very good,” Lord Beaumont puffed, then broke down into a fit of coughing.

At the end of the week Lucien didn't want to return to Marchwood as he suspected that his father didn't have much time left but he had responsibilities and he couldn't stay any longer.

There wasn't much love lost between Lucien and his father but it was still sad to see such a proud man reduced to this.

Lucien was surprised to hear from Martha that she had taken his mother up on her offer and that she, Gus and Hope would be spending a week in Blackpool in late June. They had declined to stay with his family though and had instead booked into the
Higher Royal Hotel
on the sea front.

Lucien couldn't pass up an opportunity to see her and managed to organise two days in Blackpool at the same time.

When he arrived at his parent's house, Martha, was there taking afternoon tea with his mother. He paused in the hallway to listen to their conversation.

His mother's general stance seemed to be that Lucien was the next best thing to an angel while Martha seemed to be deferring all responsibility for the new business to Lucien, stating that 'I just draw some pictures'.

That wasn't true of course. Lucien asked her advice and sought her approval on everything related to their product and while he could handle the administration side of the business with little help, he still often wrote asking what she thought about various issues.

He considered going in to see them but thought that it was probably best to leave them to it. He headed to his room and unpacked then went to see his father, who to his surprise was sleeping.

The nurse opened the door to him when he knocked and stepped out into the hallway.

“
He's not out of bed,” Lucien said softly after the nurse had closed the door.

“
The pain is constant now,” she told him. “The doctor increased his laudanum dose which helps with the pain and the coughing but it makes him very drowsy. He hasn't been out of bed for three days now.”

Lucien nodded stiffly, realising this meant that his father didn't have much time left.

“
Is he ever lucid?”

“
Not often. Your best chance is to see him first thing in the morning, before about ten o'clock. After that he drifts in and out of consciousness. It's the kindest way, at least he is not in pain and I have been told that the effects of laudanum are very pleasant.”

“
Thank you,” Lucien nodded and turned away so the nurse went back into the room.

As he came into the entrance hall he was in time to see a maid close the front door behind Martha. Lucien went into the parlour to see his mother.

“
Oh, you just missed Miss Aldercott.” She sounded exasperated.

“
No matter, I shall call on her and her father later.”

“
She is a lovely girl, Lucien, you really should consider settling down with someone like her. She's pretty, well mannered, rich, what more could you ask for in a bride?”

“
I'm more concerned about Father. Did you know that he hasn't been out of bed for three days now?”

“
Oh, I leave that sort of thing to his nurse and doctor. The doctor comes every other day to check on him so he's in good hands.”

“
Mother, he's dying. Doesn't that bother you at all?”

“
Why should it? I have been an excellent wife to him and provided him with a son and two daughters. I cannot also be expected to save his life.”

“
I'm not asking you to nurse him, I'm asking you to give a damn!”

“
He married me for my dowry,” she said her expression hardening. “I cannot be expected to show feeling where there is none. I am sorry that he is suffering but I cannot deny that I am looking forward to a little peace after his death.”

“
Peace?”

“
Yes, peace. I have performed my wifely duty whenever he has asked but I do not enjoy it and I never have. I cannot be sorry that those days are finally at an end.”

“
Why didn't you tell him 'no'?” Lucien asked. “He would have respected you and looked elsewhere.”

“
Like you and that tramp of a housemaid? Thank you but it is a wife's duty to do such things for her husband and I did not want him making our family the subject of scandal.”

“
Mother...” he shook his head, unable to believe that two people who had spent their lives together could know so little about each other. “Allowing someone to have sex with you is not the same as making love,” Lucien said, ignoring his mothers shocked expression at his language. “You obviously couldn't give him what he wanted because he has had a mistress for these past fifteen years.”

“
You're lying,” she spat, looking ugly in her anger.

Lucien sank onto the sofa opposite her, feeling nothing but sadness for this whole situation. He didn't want to hurt his mother but she had a right to know the truth.

“
Mother, how many times does he go down to London to gamble at his club, and yet he never loses any money?”

“
Because he is wise, he doesn't gamble too much and he knows when to stop.”

“
Or he isn't gambling at all while he's there but seeing his mistress.”

“
He doesn't have a mistress.”

“
I can assure you he does, Mother, now that I run the estate, I pay her rent every month.”

Lady Beaumont gasped and clutched her chest.

“
Lies.”

“
Truth.” He insisted. “That is why I don't want to marry a woman who sees marriage as her duty. I want a wife who loves me and cares about me. No offence but the idea of having the same relationship that you have with father is repugnant.”

“
You are an evil boy!”

“
Because I want to marry someone I love? That makes me evil?”

“
No, it's because you spread such lies about your father!”

“
You believe what you will,” Lucien sighed and stood up. “I'm going for a walk.”

He didn't like being cruel to his mother, truly he didn't but sometimes she was so cold that making her angry was the only emotion that he could provoke. It proved that she was human at least. He had never known her to be affectionate with anyone, including him and his sisters.

She hadn't even seemed very disturbed when her parents died; she had dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief at all the right moments but he never saw any tears.

As a child he and his siblings saw their mother for a few minutes most days but they were raised by their nanny and governess. The governess was almost as cold as their mother but their nanny showed them genuine affection.