Behind the Rake's Wicked Wager(24)

‘At first we had no idea other than to take them in and give them somewhere safe to stay until the baby was born, but it soon became clear that more was needed. These are gently bred girls, they are not educated to be anything other than a gentleman’s wife. They need more skills than that before we can turn them out into the world again. We teach them housekeeping—some are good with a needle and can earn their living as a seamstress, others have a talent for lacemaking.’ She raised her eyes to his. ‘We give these young ladies hope, my lord, and the opportunity to be independent.’

‘And their families, their parents?’

‘Most of these girls have been abandoned by their kin—some are in danger of being packed off to an asylum, as if...as if their predicament is some kind of mental affliction. When they come to us they are assured of anonymity. They come here and we treat them as guests, not inmates to be punished. At present only those involved in Florence House know of its existence, and I need that to continue for now, until I have control of my inheritance and can set up a trust fund to support it.’

‘But if that is the case, how do those young ladies in need know where to find you?’

‘We find them,’ said Susannah. ‘After that first unfortunate case, Mrs Logan heard of two more. And household servants gossip a great deal. A maid will know her mistress’s situation almost as soon as the lady herself. My own maid is always ready to listen to the gossip, and if a young lady’s family is not prepared to support her, then she offers an alternative. We have already helped about a dozen young women.’

‘I did not know Bath had so many.’

‘Word spreads, my lord. Some of them come from surrounding villages.’

‘All very laudable,’ he remarked. ‘And how successful are you at finding employment for your, ah, guests?’

‘Very. That first young lady had a remarkable eye for fashion. Kate and I purchased a house in Henrietta Street. She is now able to pay her rent and is quickly becoming established as a modiste.’

‘Ah, would that be Madame Odesse?’

She nodded, smiling a little. ‘The very same. I wear her gowns and the fashionable of Bath flock to copy me, but of course that will only continue as long as I maintain my place in Bath society. Odesse employs several of our young ladies as milliners and seamstresses, and she purchases lace from a little group we have established in another little house in Bath. They all earn enough to make a modest living.’

He looked about him.

‘But a house like this does not come cheap.’

‘No, indeed. And it is in need of repair. We have made a start, but much more is required. Once I have control of my uncle’s fortune I will be able to do more, but for now...’

There was a knock at the door and Morton looked in.

‘Beggin’ yer pardon, m’lord, but it’s started to snow again, and the wind is picking up. We had best be going.’

‘Yes, very well.’ Jasper looked at Susannah. ‘Shall I order your carriage to be prepared?’

‘I cannot leave.’

Jasper looked at the window. For the first time he noticed the howling wind rattling the frame and the soft white flakes swirling around outside.

‘You must, I think, or risk being stuck here, possibly for days.’

She shook her head.

‘There is no one here to look after the girls. Mrs Gifford, the housekeeper, was obliged to go away on Tuesday to nurse her sick sister. We engaged a temporary housekeeper, but I am afraid we were sadly deceived in her. When I arrived this morning I learned that she had packed her bags and left yesterday, as soon as the weather began to turn.’

‘But you cannot stay—surely that was not your intention when you came here today?’

‘No, I planned to visit with Mrs Logan.’ She frowned a little. ‘Only when I called for her I was told she was not at home. These young ladies—girls—are my responsibility, my lord. There are only three of them in the house. The eldest is but nineteen. I cannot abandon them.’

‘What of the other servants?’

‘There is Bessie, the scullery maid who opened the door to you.’

‘That is all, no manservant?’

‘Only old Daniel, who lives next to the stables and does a little of the outside work. We decided that the girls would feel more at ease if there were no other menservants in the house.’ She glanced at the window. ‘You had best be gone, my lord. I would not have you snowbound on my account.’

* * *

Susannah shifted in her seat, no longer facing him. She had enough to think about without the viscount being here to distract her. The defection of Mrs Jennings was a blow and she had arrived at Florence House to find the household all on end. Jane had opened the door to her, looking desperately tired. She explained that Lizzie and Violet were too frightened to sleep in their own rooms, so they had spent the night huddled together in one big bed, with Lizzie’s baby in its cot beside them. Susannah had helped Bessie to prepare a simple breakfast for them all before sending the girls back upstairs to rest and bringing the baby downstairs to make sure Lizzie’s sleep was not disturbed. She had been walking up and down the little parlour, trying to decide what to do next, when she heard the imperious knocking on the front door and looked out to find Lord Markham standing in the hall, his broad shoulders made even wider by the many-caped driving coat so that he appeared to fill the small space.

For one dizzy, heart-stopping moment she thought he had come to rescue her, before common sense reasserted itself. She did not need rescuing, and Lord Markham was more her nemesis than a knight in shining armour. The sooner he left the better, then she could concentrate on the problem of what to do here.

‘If you are staying, then so, too, am I.’

‘Nay, my lord!’

‘You cannot do that!’

Susannah’s voice and the groom’s protests were immediate but had no apparent effect upon the viscount.

‘Morton, go back to the stables and make sure the horses are bedded down for the night. I take it there is space for my groom to sleep somewhere?’

He addressed this last question to Susannah, who answered distractedly, ‘Yes...yes, there is plenty of sleeping space above the stables—my coachman will show him where to find straw to make a comfortable bed—and Daniel will arrange to feed him, too, but...my lord, I cannot, cannot put you up here.’

He dismissed his groom before turning back to her.

‘You have no choice.’ He looked faintly amused at her consternation. ‘Pray do not look so alarmed. I am not expecting you to wait upon me.’

‘But, last night—’

‘We will forget that, for now.’

His smile grew, and with it her embarrassment. The baby stirred in her arms and she got up, murmuring that she must take him back to his mother. The viscount opened the door for her and with a mutter of thanks she fled from the room. The young ladies were gathered in the upstairs sitting room, but Bessie had informed them of the viscount’s arrival and they looked anxiously to Susannah for an explanation.

‘Who is he, Miss Prentess?’ asked Lizzie as Susannah gently handed over the baby. ‘Has he come to fetch you away?’

‘He s-spoke to me at the ball once.’ Violet Anstruther’s voice quavered. ‘Perhaps Papa sent him to fetch me...’

‘You may all be easy, the viscount has not come to take anyone away. He is an acquaintance of mine and a perfect gentleman.’ Should she have crossed her fingers against the lie? Despite all that had happened between them it felt like the truth. ‘He is stranded here in the snow, as are we all now.’ She hoped she sounded suitably reassuring. ‘You are at liberty to come downstairs and join us, if you wish.’

This suggestion was quickly rejected, the girls declaring that they would prefer to remain above stairs.

‘Very well, I believe there is a little soup left, so I will ask Bessie to heat it through and bring it up for you. I will ask her to bring more coal upstairs, too, so that you may keep the fire built up in here. Then we must think what we can do for dinner tonight.’ She looked at the three girls. Lizzie was confined to her bed and had her baby to nurse. Jane was leaning back in her chair, her hands rubbing over her extended stomach. Only Violet Anstruther looked fit enough to help with the cooking, but when Susannah suggested it, she immediately shook her head and admitted that she did not know how to do anything more than boil a small kettle to make tea. She looked so frightened at the prospect of venturing into the kitchen that Susannah did not press her.

‘I will help,’ offered Jane, ‘when my back has stopped aching.’

‘No, you must stay here,’ said Susannah quickly. ‘Bessie and I will manage.’

‘At least the larder is full,’ observed Jane. ‘I made sure Mrs Jennings sent Daniel for the supplies yesterday before she left the house.’