Chapter 20

LADY ADELAIDE'S STORY

Many people wish that they could live their lives again; correcting the bad decisions, the chances to make good and to make amends for the evil of their actions. I often dwell upon the decision I made and find that my life would be exactly as it was; I would take the same path. I can forgive my reprobate of a husband for all his hateful actions. I am proud of my children, Danbury, Rose and Robert and weep for my daughter Alice who died at six months from the Croup. My father I view with admiration and love; his forbearance of my choice, which cut him to the quick and his support of me in spite of his inhibitions. Then of course there was Rupert, my darling, my lover, the husband in everything apart from the ceremony that would have made us partners in the sight of the Lord. I know the words that others will attach to me, Mistress, Doxy, Whore, Paramour, Courtesan, Inamorata, Moll, these words do no hurt. I knew that with or without the Church I was the wife of his heart, as he was the husband of my heart.

Our little town of Braintree was becoming quite the place. The railway came in eighteen forty-eight, before I was born and had put vigour into our sleepy little town. My father's drapery business became quite busy and with that we led a comfortable life. From the age of fourteen I was always working with my father in the shop my dear mother having succumbed to consumption when I was ten. My first job was to polish the counters. They were solid slabs of oak, sanded and stained dark brown. They were three feet wide and ten feet long. Imbedded at the serving side were brass yards so my father could measure off the yardage the customer wanted without having to use a yardstick. I polished those counters, making sure that no beeswax remained which could spoil the fabrics as it slipped along the counter. The brass rules were also polished with a paste which had to be well rubbed to remove all traces of the unguent. With that done I would address the shelves behind the counter. The shelves were partitioned into sections that would just take the half-blocked rolls of fabrics. These needed to be dusted, it is amazing how much dust these fabrics could shed. I would work in the shop until eleven o' clock when I would repair to the our living accommodation upstairs. I would tidy the bedrooms and dust and sweep after which I would prepare our midday meal.

I was of eighteen years in eighteen seventy-two and young gentlemen would come calling, as I was supposedly a handsome girl. My father would turn them away, telling me that none of them were fit to court me. "Farmers boys, clerks and counter staff are not fit for you, Adelaide." Indeed it seemed that in his judgement there was no young gentleman in Braintree that would suit. In my occasional bitter moments I could even believe that my father rejected suitors in order to keep me as his cook and housekeeper. I would scold myself later for such an unworthy thought. The event that upset our pleasant but unexciting world came when I was but one and twenty years.

Upton Lodge was a rather impressive house just a mile south of Braintree. We were all agog when news came that the Lodge, which had been uninhabited for a couple of years had been sold. The rumours had the purchaser was a rich industrialist, another had the new owner as a merchant from London. The reality was even more exciting, the new inhabitant was an Earl, a Peer of the Realm. Braintree, our sleepy little town was now the seat of a Noble! However no one set eyes upon him for many weeks. This was not unsurprising, Peers do not mix with commoners, nor do they frequent traders' premises. My father was favoured though, when an imperious footman called one day. His purpose was to order my father to attend at Upton Lodge, the purpose to make and fit new drapes. The footman didn't wait to see if my father would accept the contract, he merely demanded that my father attended "immediately".

Father worried as he could not leave immediately. He told the footman that we would attend that afternoon. The sniff from the footman told us that he thought us ungrateful for the honour bestowed. My father was in a tizzy as he went about collecting swatches to take. The worry spoiled his midday meal to the extent that I took it back and covered the plate with another and placed it in the oven on a low gas, telling him that he could dine later when we had completed this work.

The walk calmed him and we arrived at Upton Lodge shortly after two o' clock. Being trade we made our way around the house and knocked on the scullery door. The same footman showed us the way and pointed out the rooms that needed new drapes. We were left in peace for a moment and I started to measure the windows. I had a yard stick for this purpose. My father said he would measure one of the other rooms. The room I was measuring appeared by the many books; more books than I had ever seen, to be the library. This window was quite tall and even on tip-toe and with my full stretch I could not reach up to the shelf that would support the swags. Looking around I noticed some library steps. I was thus able to take the measurement. To my fright as I descended the steps I trod on the hem of my skirt. Thus unbalanced I started to fall when two strong arms caught me and carried me away from the steps and then set me on my feet. My saviour smiled and asked if I was uninjured.

"No, Sir. Perhaps a little shocked but uninjured." The truth of the matter was that my heart was bumping along in my breast, not because of fright, but from the smile he gave me. He dressed very well, a dark gray drape coat over black trousers, a waistcoat of dark green and a cravat at the collar of his white shirt. To my mind the cravat was always better to the tie that some men were now wearing.

"Good. Pray tell me who have I the pleasure of rescuing?"

I bobbed a curtsey. "Adelaide Smith, Sir."

He bowed his head. "Grantisbury. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The footman came in at that moment. He gave me a look of disdain. "I am sorry my Lord, I didn't realise that you were in here else I should not have allowed Mr. Smith and his helper to come in." I blanched. This was the Earl!

"Shelton, it is of no matter. I am sure that Mr. Smith and his daughter will take tea with me. Serve it in the drawing room."

The footman retired giving me yet another black look as he did so. "Do forgive me, My Lord, for addressing you incorrectly." I was distraught for not realising who he was.

"Well, Miss Smith, as we were in such a close embrace for a while I do believe that we could dispose of silly titles and with your permission I would like to call you Adelaide, which is a lovely name and perhaps you would call me Rupert. What do you say?"

"Surely, My Lord that would be inappropriate."

"Only if we were not to meet again. I would count my life most empty if we do not meet again."

"My Lord ... Rupert, you are forward."

"Ha-ha. You called me Rupert. How can it be forward when you call me by my given name."

He had caught me in word-play and he had caught me also with my emotions. His features were so handsome, but his eyes! His eyes shone from deep pools. Therein all emotions, love, tenderness, honour, laughter and sadness were displayed in equal proportions. I wanted at that moment to wipe that sadness away. Here was something that I had not believed could be true. An aristocrat who treats someone like me with courtesy. He helped me with taking the measurements as being taller than I could easily reach up with the yardstick to the top of the window. I wrote down the measurement he called in my notebook. He escorted me to the drawing room where my father waited. Another footman stood ready to serve tea. "Mr. Smith. I thank you for your prompt attendance, the morrow or the next day would have been quite sufficient."

My father bowed slightly. "My Lord, it is a pleasure to be of service."

"Please sit down." The Earl nodded to the footman who began to serve tea. I of course instead of sitting went over to help in pouring the tea. "Adelaide." The Earl called me. I turned. "You are a guest here and you should allow Banthorpe to do his job." He rebuked me gently.

Flustered I went to the settle and sat down. "I am sorry, My Lord."

"I thought we had settled on Rupert." My father looked aghast at this presumption. " Mr. Smith. There is no discourtesy here. Your daughter allowed me to help with the measurements. Being an apprentice to your trade, so to speak, I insisted that she call me Rupert." He could see that my father was not happy with that and went on quickly. "Ah! I see you have brought some samples. What would you suggest, Mr. Smith. As I have no talent with furnishings I must concede to your superior knowledge." He easily diverted my father's attention.

In the weeks following Rupert would send a carriage for me supposedly needing my advice and to measure other rooms for new drapes. We would discuss the spurious reason so that I had something to tell my father, and mollify him with yet another order. With that topic disposed of within a few minutes we would talk and with our conversation I would find myself becoming further attached to Rupert. I believe that he also became more attached to me. His courtesy was seemingly inbred, but his gentlemanly behaviour to a woman so decidedly of a different class betook of another emotion. This came to a climax when one day we had taken a turn around his garden. It was quite a large garden with many shrubs and trees. At one point we could not be observed from the house. He stopped walking and I had taken a few steps onward and away from him. I stopped and looked back. His expression was a soulful unhappiness. "Adelaide." His voice was broken. "Much as I would love to see our friendship flower, I cannot go on with our meetings." He took a deep breath. "I enjoy our converse so much that I now feel a deeper emotion for you. So much so that if the situation was different I would seek a more intimate relationship with you. As it is I cannot offer you anything and that pains me. You know that I am married." I nodded, he had told me early on in our friendship. A marriage urged upon him by family, uniting his Earldom to the daughter of a Duke. The son of the marriage would be a Duke and an Earl at the same time. "That being the case it would be improper of me to seek a closer relationship with you. I would ruin your reputation and with that tarnished it could be hard for you to make a good marriage."