Chapter 11: The Turners

April 1833

After six weeks in London, Ellen was satisfied that she had seen most of her friends and acquaintances. She had quickly grown tired of relating her adventures and volunteered information only when friends asked her explicitly. What she enjoyed were the sessions with Colleen and Melissa. The three women worked together writing about the journey, with a focus on the Overland Route and with Melissa making an effort to transform Ellen’s awkward sketches into simple etchings. Every day they worked for one or two hours and then Colleen would work with Maddalena for another hour teaching her English. The young girl was gaining proficiency in English and she was able to make herself understood albeit with a still heavy accent. Colleen worked on her pronunciation but also on teaching her to read and write in English. Colleen’s reward was that she received a firsthand account of life inside a harem, and in her mind she was already forming a concept for her next novel. Of course she would never use Maddalena’s name or make her identifiable.

In the meantime Ellen was also waiting for something to happen, or rather not to happen. She had missed her first period after returning to England and now she was due again. She was feeling definitely different too. She was upbeat even beyond her normal optimistic disposition and she felt more emotional when she was with Richard. It was too early yet to be sure, but Ellen thought she might be expecting again and the possibility made her giddy.

She also met with Eleanor on an almost daily basis. The two young women were rebuilding their friendship after more than a year of separation. On most days, Eleanor would visit Ellen. This allowed her to see her grandmother too and Old Lady Lambert enjoyed seeing her two great-grandsons on a regular basis. The old woman had recovered somewhat, but at her age any weight gain was painfully slow. Eleanor confessed to Ellen that Antonio was feeling restless. He had always had tasks to perform, but now, after relinquishing his office to his successor, there was almost nothing for him to do.

Since Richard was at loose ends as well, the two young men ended up spending time together. Antonio introduced Richard to a few compatriots of his, men of wealth and proud ancestry, who had moved their European interest to England. These men had fought for the independence of their countries against Spain, and Spain regarded them as traitors. King William’s ministry had been sympathetic to their cause, and it was natural that many of the former Spanish grandees were attracted to London.

The key event was when one of these men asked Richard and Antonio for financial advice. The man had been cheated in several instances when he bought into enterprises that went bankrupt shortly after. The traditional bank houses often did not have enough entrepreneurial expertise to advise him. The man even offered Richard a healthy compensation and Richard promised to look into possible venues for him to invest in. A few days later, he and Antonio had lunch with Sir Robert Norton. Richard had thought about the whole matter and when the men sat after lunch drinking port, he made his proposition.

Sir Robert’s keen business sense found a few small faults with the plan that were easily corrected, but voiced his agreement and support. He even asked to be a partner, and of course Richard agreed, knowing that adding Sir Robert’s name to the enterprise would give it an immense boost from the start. They agreed on further talks.

That evening in bed, Richard approached Ellen about his idea.

“Ellen, darling, I need your opinion on an idea that Antonio and I developed.”

Ellen’s warm smile encouraged him to plunge into the middle right away.

“We think about founding a bank. Not your normal bank. More like an institution that advises people on how to invest their money most wisely. Evaluating enterprises, arranging for financial transfers, issuing the shares of new enterprises. Sir Robert is supporting us and may even lend his name as a partner.”

Ellen thought about this.

“You want to become a businessman?”

“Strange idea, isn’t it?” Richard laughed. “I would like to try my idea though. Antonio is with me too.”

“It’s hard for me to form an opinion, Richard. You know far more about matters of commerce. If you want to do that, you will find my full support as always.”

“So you would not mind? Some people in the circles in which you move might look down on me for entering into the money business.”

“Darling, whatever anybody thinks of us, I shall never feel anything but pride for you.”

“Why is it that I always feel blessed after having such conversations with you?” Richard smiled.

Ellen smiled back at him with a touch of smugness.

“Because I feel blessed too. Even more than you know. I talked to Lucy today and she agrees with me. Richard, I am with child again!”

“Really?” Richard’s face showed the battling emotions of concern, happiness and pride. “How can you know so soon? We’ve been back for less than two months.”

Ellen shook her head, still smiling smugly. “It must have happened en route, Richard, likely in Valletta.”

Suddenly, she was pulled into Richard’s arms and his kisses rained on her lips, her nose and her eyes. Then he held her face a few inches from his own.

“Wherever, whenever we started this new life, it will be a wonderful child. Because you will be its mother. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you.”

“Perhaps, if you were to show your appreciation more convincingly?” Ellen suggested, kissing him back.

“Can I, I mean with our child growing inside you?”

“Oh, Richard, of course. I need your love more than ever, and every aspect of your love.”

“Then, by all means, it will be my pleasure,” Richard smiled back.

In June, the drive to abolish slavery in the United Kingdom and its colonies was gaining traction. The Reform Act of 1832 had reordered the boroughs nationwide, eliminating the pocket boroughs or rotten boroughs entirely. Large cities such as Manchester, had been without parliamentary representation before, and now their working class population could send representatives to the House of Commons, drastically altering the majorities. The slave holder faction, sometimes called the sugar interest, had fought the abolition of slavery tooth and nail, using small boroughs, which they owned, to send tame members to parliament. Now, this came undone.

Richard reported that in the Lords, too, a majority was forming for the Slavery Abolition Act, and the Commons was overwhelmingly in favour.

Harriet Carter, a life-long abolitionist, even hosted a large gathering of friends and allies to gather more support. Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Grey, GCB, KML, OLH, a prominent proponent of abolition, would give a reading of his latest historical work about slavery. Of course, Richard and Ellen were ordered to attend by a Harriet who brooked no nonsense in the matter. To Ellen’s surprise and delight, Melissa Martin, without regard for possible repercussions, also asked to be invited, since her Boston family had always been vocal abolitionists.

The Carters’ large mansion had never been crowded like on that evening. Mister Wilberforce, the leading voice for abolition in Parliament, had begged off citing sickness, but this did not diminish the fervor of the anti-slavery sentiment.

Sir Thomas Grey was an old friend of the Carters, but Ellen had not met him very often. He read from his book for a quarter hour, meticulously delineating the unholy alliance between slave traders, plantation owners and London merchants that was profiting from human misery for monetary gains. He was an excellent speaker, never polemicising, but trying to educate his audience, and Ellen found his reasoning without fault.

She had a longer talk with the Lady Grey, too. She was of an obvious Caribbean extraction, tall, slender and pretty. She had to be in her late thirties, but she exuded youthful enthusiasm for the cause she shared with her husband. She questioned Ellen about the situation of servants in India, and Ellen had to confirm that house servants such as Neeta were de facto slaves.

The soiree at the Carters’ was deemed a great success, encouraging the abolitionists, and together with other likeminded social events, it helped the cause. The Slavery Abolition Act passed Parliament on July 22 1833, an event that spawned another large celebration at the Carters’ mansion.

Three days later, Ellen sat at her tea table in the garden room, reading some of the accumulated letters and writing a few of her own. Richard had gone to confer with Antonio, and Ellen enjoyed her leisure. A clearly distressed butler Oldroyd showed shortly after eleven o’clock.

“Milady, there’s a young gentleman and his wife who enquired about poor Mabel. A Mister Turner, milady, Esra Turner.”

Somehow, the name was familiar to Ellen. Yes, of course! Mabel had told her about the son of the family where she had worked before, the young man who had got her with child. According to Mable, he had promised to look after her as soon as he came into his own means.

“Show them in, Oldroyd,” she said, curious to learn about the nature of this visit.

The young couple was clearly flustered as they were ushered in by the butler.

“Good day. How may I be of service?” Ellen asked.

“Hrhm,” the young man started. “My name is Esra Turner, milady, and this is my wife Ruth. We came to inquire about Mabel Thomas. I am ... I was ... Mabel was...”

“You mean to say that you and Mabel committed an indiscretion, with which she had to deal alone,” Ellen said uncompromisingly.

The young man blushed.

“That is true, milady, too true. I had no means of my own and my parents did not allow me to come to Mabel’s assistance. Now that I am of age and I, I mean we, are independent, I wish to make good on my promises. Could we speak to her, please?”

He seemed earnest enough Ellen thought. She dreaded what she had to say next, but their was no way around that.

“I am afraid that this is not possible anymore. I regret to inform you that poor Mabel perished in India from the bite of a venomous snake. She was interred in Calcutta.”

The young man turned pale and swayed.

“I failed her,” he gasped.

His young wife put her arm around his shoulder.

“He has tried so long to find her, milady. That was why he agreed to ... marry me. My dowry ... it made him independent. Now it was all in vain.”

To say that Ellen was perplexed was an understatement. The young woman had spoken with perfect calmness and acceptance.

“Missus Turner, did I understand you correctly? Your husband married you to have the money to get his ... paramour back?”

She looked at the man. His face was buried in his hands. Ruth Turner looked back.

“You don’t understand, milady. I love him and I am his wife. It is enough for me; it is more than I could hope for.”

“To each his own,” Ellen muttered weakly.

Ruth Turner had one more urgent question.

“Milady, Mabel Thomas had a daughter. Could you name the orphanage where she was placed? My husband will want to assume responsibility for her.”

“Sally lives with us. My husband was appointed her guardian the day after Mabel’s burial.”

Missus Turner looked crestfallen.

“Oh, I had hoped...”

Suddenly Ellen was apprehensive. Was there a possibility that Ruth Turner wished to raise the daughter of her dead rival? Little Sally, or Sarah, as she was officially named, had grown on Ellen. Of course, the natural father had certain prerogatives, but she would fight the Turners tooth and nail to protect the girl against an upbringing without love. Ellen sighed.

“Do you and your husband wish to see Sarah?” she asked more nicely than she felt in this moment.

The young man looked up at her. “If that is possible, I should be very grateful, milady,” he answered.

Ellen rose to ring the bell. When Oldroyd showed, she asked him to notify Neeta to bring ‘Miss Sarah’ down. She also asked him to have some tea brought into the reception room. With a measured bow, the old man limped from the room.

Ellen sighed. Oldroyd had become an old man. He was fiercely loyal to Old Lady Lambert, yet he had the tact to treat Ellen with all the respect she could ask for. She would have to ask him how he planned to spend his old age. Perhaps, he could supervise and train a young man to fill the butler position. That would allow him to remain in his position without running around the house. Ellen decided to speak with Richard’s grandmother about this.

She was torn from her musing when Neeta showed. The temperatures in wintery London had quickly convinced the young woman of the advantages of European clothing and she wore a conventional nurse’s outfit. Her only concession to her own style was the head scarf she wore instead of a bonnet. She led Sally by her hand and bowed to Ellen.

“Memsahib asked for Salih?”

“Yes, thank you, Neeta. Please, wait for a moment whilst our visitors can meet with Sally.”

Esra Turner stared at the little girl and Ellen saw that he had tears in his eyes.

“She is so pretty, just like her mother!” he said.

Ellen shook her head at this gaffe and quickly looked at Ruth Turner. The young woman had flinched at his words and a pained expression passed over her features. She was by no means ugly Ellen thought, but she was dressed in a most disadvantageous way, and she was so sombre! With a little make up, a smile on her face and dressed in a formfitting dress, she would be called pretty. An idea formed in her brain.