Her Grace in Disgrace (The Widows of Woburn Place) (29 page)

“That
is wonderful news,” said Mrs. Endicott with a brief smile, but she remained
jittery.

Just
then Lady Whitcomb entered and beamed at the visitors. “Well, well! You have
finally come. Come and say hello, Miss Charis.” Charis ran to Lady Whitcomb and
grabbed at her fuchsia satin gown . “Hewo, wady!” Lady Whitcomb sat on one of
the couches and Charis climbed up to join her, and began playing with the huge
silver buttons that adorned Lady Whitcomb’s colorful gown.

“I
just left Lady Tyndale sleeping soundly. Anna is keeping an eye on her. Now,
tell us how you get on.”

Mrs.
Endicott opened her mouth to speak and abruptly dissolved into tears. After a
moment, during which Isobel did her best to comfort the woman, she attempted to
explain through her tears. “I am so sorry Miss Kennilworth, Lady Whitcomb. I am
truly glad that Lady Tyndale is recovering. It is just that…” she stopped,
hesitant to continue.

“Please
tell us your difficulties, Mrs. Endicott. We cannot help if we do not know what
troubles you,” Lady Whitcomb said sincerely.

“You
see, that is my dilemma. Why should you help me? You barely know me. And I have
sunk below the confines of Polite Society, so you should not even associate
with me.” Mrs. Endicott renewed her weeping. Thankfully, Charis was easily
amused and paid her mother little mind.

Isobel
looked at this very young girl, who was most probably very alone in the world.
“Why do you not tell us all and let us decide whether to help or not.”

Mrs.
Endicott drew a breath, gathered her composure, and with very few interruptions
told her story. Her name was actually Lady Serena Leighton, daughter of the
Earl of Leighton, and she had been sixteen when she had met Lord Henry Endicott.
He had come to her home in Sussex to attend a house party given by her parents.
Though everyone thought him to be a charming gentleman he was not. He did charm
the young debutantes that attended the house party, but he had become enamored
with the beautiful, but underage Lady Serena. He composed sonnets to her, wooed
her, and kissed her illicitly in the garden, in the stone folly, and in the
barn. It was the barn that had been her undoing, for Lord Endicott could not
seem to stop at kissing. The naïve Lady Serena believed herself to be in love
and she assumed that he would offer for her. He did not, but left Sussex
without so much as a goodbye.

Two
months later, she had found herself with child. Her parents were incensed and
blamed her, calling her names she had never heard before. Her father, Lord
Leighton went to London to try to force Lord Endicott to marry his daughter,
but it was too late. Endicott had come to the house party already engaged,
though secretly, to the heiress Lady Penelope Rivers. By the time Lord Leighton
reached London, they were married. Lord Leighton, at wit’s end, had hastily
arranged another match with Baron FitzHugh, who was fifty, fat, and fatuous.
Lady Serena was appalled. She could never do what she had done with Lord Endicott
with that disgusting old man. Her parents insisted and she held her ground.
Then, the ultimatum was given: marry FitzHugh or leave their home. A few days
later, with every valuable she owned, she had left Sussex and fled to the
outskirts of London to live with her former nanny, Miss Pike and her sister
Mrs. Tibbins.

Until
Charis was five months old Lady Serena lived there quite happily, though Mrs.
Tibbins was none too pleased to have her. Then, Nanny had gotten sick and
shortly thereafter died, leaving Lady Serena one hundred pounds in her will. This
did not make Mrs. Tibbins like Lady Serena any better, having only been left
fifty pounds by her own sister. Mrs. Tibbins had flung the mother and child out
into the cold, hard world the day after the funeral. With the hundred pounds in
her wallet, Lady Serena had felt she could survive for a while, but knew enough
to change her name to Mrs. Endicott. Carefully husbanding her hundred pounds,
she had managed to make ends meet, living at the house on Webber Street. She
had found sporadic work at the local milliners, cutting ribbon and the like for
the bonnets, but it had been difficult with Charis. Then Lady Tyndale had come
and they had become friends. They had shared meals and laughter and Lady Tyndale,
now Laura, would care for Charis from time to time if Serena had any work at
the milliners. Then Laura became sick.

“After
you left a few days ago, Mrs. Bigelow was very angry with me for telling you
about Laura’s having paid her rent. She has already rented out Laura’s rooms
and yet she blames me for losing her money. She ranted at me mercilessly and
finally decided that I should pay the ten pounds that you did not pay her. She
claimed I owed it to her! She hounded me for days, and finally, this morning, I
refused and she tossed me and Charis out. I have nowhere to go, and very little
money. And so I came here.” Exhausted from her tale, the young woman fell
silent.

“You
did the right, thing,” said Lady Whitcomb as she held the sleeping Charis in
her arms. Serena, as she had given them leave to call her, had inadvertently
lulled her child to sleep with the sad story of her life. Serena looked to
Isobel for confirmation.

Isobel
considered the situation. Under her roof, she housed her darling, but sometimes
exasperating, Aunt Maude, who had a total income of 300 pounds per annum. And,
of course, there was the incapacitated non-brother-in-law, who had no income
whatsoever and owed thousands of pounds to the moneylenders. She had purposely
added Lady Tyndale to the household, who had not a sou. And now, Serena and two
year old Charis? And they all had 800 pounds to live on; her five hundred and
Aunt Maude’s three hundred. Isobel shook her head and smiled. Why not? The more
the merrier.

“You
are welcome here. Would you like to see your room?” Serena nodded her assent. “
I shall introduce you to the housekeeper, Mrs. Riggs, and you can get settled
in while Charis and Aunt Maude doze on the couch.” For indeed, Lady Whitcomb
had joined the child in slumber. “I will take you in to see Lady Tyndale a bit
later.”

Serena
was thrilled with her room, and while her daughter slept in the parlor below,
she got to work getting established. Mrs. Riggs and Serena instantly became
thick as thieves, and they were rearranging furniture, or directing Renfrew to
do so, and unpacking the Endicott’ bags. Isobel left them to it and went to
check on Lady Tyndale.

Lady
Tyndale was awake and sitting up in bed. She was feeling better, but was becoming
anxious about returning home and worried about Serena and Charis, not knowing
they were safely ensconced in this very house. She was also determined to set
things straight with Miss Kennilworth. Until now she and Isobel had avoided any
serious conversation, but had talked of fashion and books and the foibles of
the
ton
. Isobel had also read to her and played cards with her. And now,
she was much stronger. She would not have the conversation put off any longer.

Isobel
came into her room in the early afternoon, Anna behind her with the tea tray.

“I
see you have woken up from your nap. It is a bit early for tea, but I thought
it would be nice.” Anna placed the tea tray on the table by the bed and Isobel
took her usual chair.

“Tea
would be lovely, Miss Kennilworth, but while we have tea, I would really like to
have that talk.”

“Of
course,” said Isobel brightly, but inside she was dreading this conversation.
She felt she should begin, but did not know how. Lady Tyndale, whose curiosity
had been percolating since she first awoke from her fever, spoke first.

“Why
have you suddenly taken an interest in me? And if this has anything to do with
what happened six years ago, why do it now?” Lady Tyndale was surprised at her
own plain speaking.

Isobel
thought for a moment and then began to speak. “A friend of mine pointed out to
me that I had been playing God. And so I took a hard look at myself and saw the
grasping, haughty person I had become. This did not happen overnight, I assure
you, and I highly doubt that I am permanently cured. I plan to have relapses.”
Isobel gave her ailing guest a little smile. Isobel’s guest returned the smile,
but she remained silent hoping Isobel would soon get to the heart of the
matter.

“I
suppose it began with the shock and the humiliation of what Reginald had done
to me to open my eyes. Of course, I have since realized that, while he was not
blameless, I had done most of the harm to myself. But it was what I did to you,
the life I condemned you to that has bothered me all of these years. Of course,
I would not admit to myself that I was troubled by it. I tried to justify my
actions for years. Nonetheless, almost every day I have thought of it at least
once and cringed at the thought of my actions, but I quickly tamped down the thought.
Until a few days ago. I could not live with the guilt anymore and decided to
find you and try to make it right.” Isobel paused, not sure if she should
continue.

“I
was angry with you, I will not deny it. But bitterness and blame are not
comfortable bedfellows. They consume one and I did not want to live that way,
with resentment eating at me from the inside out. I have long since forgiven
you,” said Lady Tyndale

“But,
I was directly to blame, Lady Tyndale.”

“Perhaps,
but I always wonder had I married Michael, the man I was so in love with six
years ago, would I have been any happier? He died in battle just months after I
married Tyndale. He would have left me as just as alone and penniless.”

“But
you would have had love, even though just for a short while.”

“Yes,
I would have had that and so would you, had you married Andrew Stafford.” She
paused, looking at the surprised Isobel. “Yes, I remember how you spoke of him
early in the season. There are so many things that could have happened, but I
think it best to let them go and look to what might happen.”

“You
sound like Aunt Maude.”

“She
is a wise woman.” Laura laughed again. “So, tell me, what is it you want? Do you
want absolution? Let us be done with it. As I have said, you are forgiven.”

“Just
like that?” asked Isobel.

“What,
do you want me to wait a certain number of days to consider it and make you
squirm? I am sorry, Miss Kennilworth, it is my nature, I cannot hold a grudge.”
Lady Tyndale laughed.

Isobel
joined her. “I know it seems silly, but I feel I need to earn your forgiveness.”

“Grace
is a gift, Miss Kennilworth. It cannot be earned, only freely given.” Lady
Tyndale’s teasing tone had gone completely.

They
were both silent for a moment and Isobel finally spoke. “Thank you. And please
call me Isobel. We were friends once. I would love to be again, Lady Tyndale.”

“Then
I must be Laura. And friends we shall be.” Laura smiled, and Isobel’s heart
sang.

“We
shall have lots of time to rekindle our friendship,” Isobel said, beaming.

 “I
look forward to it, Isobel. However, I am feeling much better and should be
ready to return home within the next few days.”

“Oh,”
was all that Isobel could manage. Her face must have shown her dismay, for
Laura stiffened in reaction.

“What
is it, Isobel? What is wrong?”

Isobel
decided nothing but the truth would suffice from now on. “I had planned…I had
hoped that you would stay on here. There is plenty of room and I think it would
be pleasant for all of us.”

“I
see. That is a very generous offer.” Despite her words, Laura did not seem
pleased. “Well, as lovely as that sounds, for Bloomsbury is a rather large step
up from Lambeth, I cannot. I am concerned about my young neighbor. I do not
care to leave her on her own.”

“As
to that…” began Isobel.

“Laura!”
exclaimed Serena as she entered the sick room. This was followed by, “Wady Tindy!”
as Charis bounced into the room, fully rested. Lady Whitcomb trailed behind the
energetic toddler.

“Serena!
Charis! How lovely to see you, but whatever are you doing here?”

“We
live here!” said Serena triumphantly.

The
next few moments were a chaotic mix of questions, on the part of Laura, and
wildly divergent answers, on the part of everyone else. After enduring several
minutes of this muddled interchange, Isobel was able to able to explain the
situation clearly to Laura.

“So
you propose that I live here and pay nothing. And since my rooms on Webber
Street are gone, I have no option, but to stay or find other accommodations.”
Unlike Serena, Laura was not rejoicing.

The
collective faces of all the others in the room fell, except for Charis, who was
pulling on Laura’s hand. “Wady Tindy! I have a new woom!”

“Perhaps,
Aunt Maude, you would be kind enough to show Serena and Charis the rest of the
house,” suggested Isobel. Lady Whitcomb led the subdued Endicott’s out of the
room.

“Put
like that, Laura, it does sound a bit presumptuous of me,” Isobel conceded. “I
simply hoped to offer you the chance at a better life.”

“I
do not question your motives, Isobel, just your methods. While I agree that it
would be much more pleasant in many ways to live here, I would have preferred
to have been consulted on the matter.” Laura’s voice was firm, but gentle.