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Authors: Margaret Brazear
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CHAPTER
SIX
The first I heard about Uncle Stephen’s death was when a lawyer arrived at the
house to tell me that he had left nothing but debts. His
own house in Holborn would be sold and the house that I lived in, my
home, would be all that was left. There would be no money for its upkeep, nor for the servants nor even for food. The
house would have to be sold as I would not be able to afford to keep it.
I was desperate. How was I to tell the servants that there would be no
more wages, that their home would be gone. Some
of them stayed long enough to find another position, and I was able to sell
some jewellery to pay Harry to make a trip to Suffolk to seek help from Richard.
I knew he was my only hope and even though I should have known better by then,
I gathered my courage, wondering what he would ask for in return. Imagine
my dismay when Harry returned to tell me that Lord Summerville was not at home,
that he had gone to France
on family business and could not be reached. I thought of making a trip
myself, perhaps asking his wife for aid. She knew who I was and even if
she believed me to be one of his mistresses, it would not really distress her
very much. But of course, she would have no means of her own, even if she
felt inclined to help, and I did not even know if he had succeeded in annulling
the marriage, if she was still his wife.
The jewels that I sold were all we had and I had to budget carefully until I
could find out what to do. Lucy was the only one who remained with me,
bless her heart. She refused to move from my side, even though there was
no money with which to pay her. I hung on for weeks, hoping that a
message would find Richard, but nothing was heard except confirmation that he
was in France.
He had been my last hope and now there was only one option left, and it was not
one I was looking forward to.
“Lucy,” I said. “I will have to appeal to the King. There is no
other way.”
“The King? Will he help us?”
I smiled at her use of the word ‘us’. She never once varied from the
united front she had set up for us.
“He might, given the right incentive,” I replied with
a shudder.
“My Lady, is there no other way?” She asked quietly. “Surely Lord
Summerville can be reached somehow.”
“I daresay, if I had the funds to send people to France to find him."
I thought then how ironic it was that this beauty that had caused me so much pain, could have saved us had it not already caused my
destruction. I am quite sure that many beautiful women had happily sold
themselves rather than starve but that option was not open to me.
“I will venture into the street myself, My Lady,” Lucy declared firmly, “see if
I can find some work to help us.”
“Lucy, why would you do this for me? You can go, find work, keep your pay to yourself. I will appeal to the King;
perhaps at long last this face will help me survive.”
“I daresay, My Lady, but that is not what you want is it? I would have
starved or frozen to death were it not for your kindness. I will go now, see
what I can find. You must let me help.”
But Lucy found no work, at least not enough to help us. Even if the house
were sold, according to my uncle’s lawyer, the money it fetched would go toward
his debts. The only reason it had not been sold over my head was because
of a special entail he had set up. There was no help for it; I would have
to throw myself on the mercy of the King.
My message to the King’s private secretary produced a response that I neither
wanted nor expected, but it seemed it was the best I could hope for. I
had steeled myself to offer myself to him, despite my revulsion, but it seemed
that he was besotted with yet another woman. While I had appealed to the King,
it had not escaped my notice that he was presently
CHAPTER
SIX
The first I heard about Uncle Stephen’s death was when a lawyer arrived at the
house to tell me that he had left nothing but debts. His
own house in Holborn would be sold and the house that I lived in, my
home, would be all that was left. There would be no money for its upkeep, nor for the servants nor even for food. The
house would have to be sold as I would not be able to afford to keep it.
I was desperate. How was I to tell the servants that there would be no
more wages, that their home would be gone. Some
of them stayed long enough to find another position, and I was able to sell
some jewellery to pay Harry to make a trip to Suffolk to seek help from Richard.
I knew he was my only hope and even though I should have known better by then,
I gathered my courage, wondering what he would ask for in return. Imagine
my dismay when Harry returned to tell me that Lord Summerville was not at home,
that he had gone to France
on family business and could not be reached. I thought of making a trip
myself, perhaps asking his wife for aid. She knew who I was and even if
she believed me to be one of his mistresses, it would not really distress her
very much. But of course, she would have no means of her own, even if she
felt inclined to help, and I did not even know if he had succeeded in annulling
the marriage, if she was still his wife.
The jewels that I sold were all we had and I had to budget carefully until I
could find out what to do. Lucy was the only one who remained with me,
bless her heart. She refused to move from my side, even though there was
no money with which to pay her. I hung on for weeks, hoping that a
message would find Richard, but nothing was heard except confirmation that he
was in France.
He had been my last hope and now there was only one option left, and it was not
one I was looking forward to.
“Lucy,” I said. “I will have to appeal to the King. There is no
other way.”
“The King? Will he help us?”
I smiled at her use of the word ‘us’. She never once varied from the
united front she had set up for us.
“He might, given the right incentive,” I replied with
a shudder.
“My Lady, is there no other way?” She asked quietly. “Surely Lord
Summerville can be reached somehow.”
“I daresay, if I had the funds to send people to France to find him."
I thought then how ironic it was that this beauty that had caused me so much pain, could have saved us had it not already caused my
destruction. I am quite sure that many beautiful women had happily sold
themselves rather than starve but that option was not open to me.
“I will venture into the street myself, My Lady,” Lucy declared firmly, “see if
I can find some work to help us.”
“Lucy, why would you do this for me? You can go, find work, keep your pay to yourself. I will appeal to the King;
perhaps at long last this face will help me survive.”
“I daresay, My Lady, but that is not what you want is it? I would have
starved or frozen to death were it not for your kindness. I will go now, see
what I can find. You must let me help.”
But Lucy found no work, at least not enough to help us. Even if the house
were sold, according to my uncle’s lawyer, the money it fetched would go toward
his debts. The only reason it had not been sold over my head was because
of a special entail he had set up. There was no help for it; I would have
to throw myself on the mercy of the King.
My message to the King’s private secretary produced a response that I neither
wanted nor expected, but it seemed it was the best I could hope for. I
had steeled myself to offer myself to him, despite my revulsion, but it seemed
that he was besotted with yet another woman. While I had appealed to the King,
it had not escaped my notice that he was presently
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