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Authors: Rebecca Ann Collins
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the matter of Mr Tate's American estate, he was not at all surprised when she raised the question of Alice Grey. In truth, he had been expecting it.
"Jonathan, before we even begin to discuss the subject of my husband's money, I wonder if I might ask your advice on another matter?" she asked, and Jonathan was quite agreeable.
"Of course, please ask, and if there is any way I can help, I should be happy to do so."
Becky smiled; quite clearly he was still as kind and obliging as ever.
"I wonder, is there some means by which we can discover what has become of a young man who was accused of stealing from his employer? Alice Grey's husband was taken away by the police some two or three years ago; she says she has had no information about him."
Jonathan looked disbelieving. "I find that very hard to believe, Becky," he said. "Even felons have some rights. In fact, those who were transported to Australia were usually allowed to take their wives and children with them, unless they had committed a capital offence, of course," he explained, and Becky looked confused as he went on.
"In the case you speak of, I would point out that stealing from one's employer is a serious offence, but it is no longer a capital crime; I am quite certain his wife would have been told what his punishment was."
"She claims he was innocent."
"Of course, and it is possible there has been some miscarriage of justice. It is not unusual to hear of such cases, but nevertheless, I would still be confident that Alice Grey knows what became of her husband."
"Is there some way we could discover officially what sentence was imposed upon him?" Becky asked.
"If you could persuade Alice to give you some details--his full name, place of residence, the assizes at which he was tried, the date of the case--yes, we could attempt to find out. Anne-Marie's husband, Colin Elliott, has some useful contacts in the Home Office; I am sure he would be happy to try."
Becky thanked him and promised to do her best to get all relevant information to him before long.
As to the disposition of the moneys from Mr Tate's bequest, Becky indicated that she was perfectly content to leave all administrative matters in Jonathan's capable hands, if she could be permitted to use some of the proceeds on a few pet projects.
"May I ask what projects you have in mind?" he asked, and Becky replied with some alacrity. "I should very much like to donate some of it to the Hunsford parish school," she said. "Catherine has said nothing to me, but I do know she needs more materials and would like to hire more staff in the New Year. It would make a great difference to the work she is doing, and I should like very much to help."
Seeing that he appeared not to have any objection, she continued, "Then, there is the home for destitute women, which the church used to run until the money in Lady Catherine's benevolent fund ran out last year. Mr Jamison tells me it is likely to be closed, and there will be only the poorhouse for the women after years of work. They are mostly widows and older women with no children to support them. I should like to take it over."
Jonathan was silent, contemplating her proposition for a while. He could see she was very keen, but when he spoke, his words were measured and cautious. "I cannot see any difficulty with the school--it's an established institution, to which you can donate without any reservation. The home for destitute women, though it is a worthy enterprise, might require a good deal more work and planning before we know how much it is going to cost. I suggest we talk to the parson, Mr Jamison, and discover if he has any facts and figures for us. We may also need to see the local council."
That he was willing to accommodate her wishes and had not instantly turned down her requests seemed to bode well for their association, Becky thought. There were a few more matters to be discussed; none of them resulted in any controversy, and they were soon done.
Their
"Jonathan, before we even begin to discuss the subject of my husband's money, I wonder if I might ask your advice on another matter?" she asked, and Jonathan was quite agreeable.
"Of course, please ask, and if there is any way I can help, I should be happy to do so."
Becky smiled; quite clearly he was still as kind and obliging as ever.
"I wonder, is there some means by which we can discover what has become of a young man who was accused of stealing from his employer? Alice Grey's husband was taken away by the police some two or three years ago; she says she has had no information about him."
Jonathan looked disbelieving. "I find that very hard to believe, Becky," he said. "Even felons have some rights. In fact, those who were transported to Australia were usually allowed to take their wives and children with them, unless they had committed a capital offence, of course," he explained, and Becky looked confused as he went on.
"In the case you speak of, I would point out that stealing from one's employer is a serious offence, but it is no longer a capital crime; I am quite certain his wife would have been told what his punishment was."
"She claims he was innocent."
"Of course, and it is possible there has been some miscarriage of justice. It is not unusual to hear of such cases, but nevertheless, I would still be confident that Alice Grey knows what became of her husband."
"Is there some way we could discover officially what sentence was imposed upon him?" Becky asked.
"If you could persuade Alice to give you some details--his full name, place of residence, the assizes at which he was tried, the date of the case--yes, we could attempt to find out. Anne-Marie's husband, Colin Elliott, has some useful contacts in the Home Office; I am sure he would be happy to try."
Becky thanked him and promised to do her best to get all relevant information to him before long.
As to the disposition of the moneys from Mr Tate's bequest, Becky indicated that she was perfectly content to leave all administrative matters in Jonathan's capable hands, if she could be permitted to use some of the proceeds on a few pet projects.
"May I ask what projects you have in mind?" he asked, and Becky replied with some alacrity. "I should very much like to donate some of it to the Hunsford parish school," she said. "Catherine has said nothing to me, but I do know she needs more materials and would like to hire more staff in the New Year. It would make a great difference to the work she is doing, and I should like very much to help."
Seeing that he appeared not to have any objection, she continued, "Then, there is the home for destitute women, which the church used to run until the money in Lady Catherine's benevolent fund ran out last year. Mr Jamison tells me it is likely to be closed, and there will be only the poorhouse for the women after years of work. They are mostly widows and older women with no children to support them. I should like to take it over."
Jonathan was silent, contemplating her proposition for a while. He could see she was very keen, but when he spoke, his words were measured and cautious. "I cannot see any difficulty with the school--it's an established institution, to which you can donate without any reservation. The home for destitute women, though it is a worthy enterprise, might require a good deal more work and planning before we know how much it is going to cost. I suggest we talk to the parson, Mr Jamison, and discover if he has any facts and figures for us. We may also need to see the local council."
That he was willing to accommodate her wishes and had not instantly turned down her requests seemed to bode well for their association, Becky thought. There were a few more matters to be discussed; none of them resulted in any controversy, and they were soon done.
Their
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