Chapter Text
Dear Mrs. Heywood,
I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and ready for the spring after this arduous winter. While you may barely remember our meeting, the kind service you and your family offered me last autumn is still fresh in my mind. Never before had I found myself in such need and consider it a true blessing to have come across deeply caring friends, especially your eldest daughter, Miss Charlotte Heywood.
At the time of our meeting, your daughter expressed a keen interest in seeing more of the world, and if she is not yet attached I would like to invite her to join me as my guest and special companion for the upcoming London season and, if all goes well and is to her liking, accompanying me in my travels north to our family estate as my husband will be entirely occupied on matters of business leaving me on my own.
I am certain this letter must seem rather strange and please forgive any disruption I have caused with this unexpected invitation. I believe since our meeting last year, our husbands have engaged in some business dealings and write regularly. I apologize this being my first letter to you considering all your earlier compassion for which, again, I am eternally grateful.
I eagerly await your reply. With deepest regards,
Mrs. Eliza Parker
Mrs. Heywood read the letter twice and then pushed it across the desk to her husband who was totaling up the tenants’ rents for the quarter. “Did you have anything to do with this?” she asked, her tone one of pure astonishment. While she most certainly wanted the eldest of her eleven children to one day see the world, she hoped it would be on the arm of a husband who would ensure her headstrong daughter long-term security and not as a lady’s companion.
Considered a respectable landed family in Willingdon—a day’s carriage ride from London when the roads were dry, which they rarely were—the Heywoods had already successfully married off three of Charlotte’s younger sisters and five of her brothers. At twenty-seven, Charlotte remained the outlier—the only Heywood who had surpassed marrying age but had yet to do so.
Mr. Heywood read the letter then removed his spectacles and leaned back in his leather desk chair. “I didn’t but it could be just the thing. Maybe Charlotte will meet someone or perhaps after her travels she’ll finally appreciate everything she’s failed to see in the men of Willingdon. She might just accept one of our local bachelors who still seeks her hand,” he said, considering his daughter’s depleted options. Mr. Heywood absolutely refused to force his daughter into a loveless marriage but was a practical man all the same. He knew whatever inheritance he could afford to leave his eldest daughter would not be enough to see her through life in the modest but respectable manner to which she was accustomed.
“Are you certain about the Parker family? My interactions were brief at best. Charlotte spent more time with Mrs. Parker than I did after she fainted last fall at the harvest festival,” Mrs. Heywood rose and stood before the fire. “And when Mrs. Parker finally came to, the poor woman seemed terrified and barely knew where she was. She had completely forgotten that she came to the festival to pass the time while her husband remained at the waystation to have the crack in their carriage wheel repaired.”
“I remember,” Mr. Heywood said, tapping his spectacles on the desk. “She was a bit out of place—posh London finery and all in our little Willingdon, but he fit right in. Everyone found the husband very practical from the start.”
Mrs. Heywood rubbed her hands together to warm them. “Such a wisp of a thing, and those elaborate feathers in her hat and that coat. When Charlotte rushed to help Mrs. Parker, her dirt-stained fingers left a smear across the exquisite golden silk. Such regalia and Charlotte ruined it because she was yet again playing cricket in the field with her dog and the village children. How could Charlotte be a companion to such an accomplished lady? They are much too different.”
“Well, her husband, Mr. Sidney Parker, has shown himself to be a very grounded and honorable man. Because of the assistance Charlotte offered his wife, he’s provided invaluable guidance to me about our business and even arranged for us to reach a broader market for the harvest. He’s an excellent advisor,” he said as he stood to join his wife. He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “You know Charlotte will adapt as she does to any situation. You just don’t want her to go, do you?” he asked, giving her cheek a tender peck.
Mrs. Heywood smiled weakly. “I know she is smart and strong but what does she really understand of the world beyond Willingdon? All she knows is what she’s read. Charlotte is such a special girl…woman…and I feel like I failed her,” she said, thinking on those few years when Charlotte was their only child and how quickly they turned her into an adult once the other children began to arrive. “Maybe I…we…asked her to do too much with the farm, helping run the business…deal with the tenants…I should have educated her more on finding a husband like I did her sisters...her embroidery is atrocious…”
“Pshaw,” Mr. Heywood interrupted as he smiled broadly. “You know she’s the best one of them,” he admitted quietly. “It’s just unfortunate she wasn’t a son,” he whispered, both of them knowing it was true as Charlotte’s wit and skill far excelled any of their cherished boys. “Let’s see what Charlotte thinks and then you can respond to Mrs. Parker.”
Mrs. Heywood nodded, already wondering how she’d survive the spring without the common sense and good humor of her beloved Charlotte.
*****
“And you should move in with us. Once the baby comes I will most certainly need the help. Who could have imaged, five healthy babies in under six years!” Allison smiled at Charlotte as she admired her again pregnant belly in the mirror’s reflection.
“Considering our mother had eleven children and your husband has eight brothers, I would think it would be somewhere in the realm of possibility,” Charlotte said softly as she fixed the silk sash on her younger sister’s new dress. The gown was yet another expenditure that Charlotte couldn’t fathom how the young couple afforded or really needed.
“Seriously Charlotte, you’d have much more of a chance of meeting a potential husband if you stayed with us,” she counseled, turning to face her sister. “And, if worse comes to worst, you can gain some experience as a nanny and governess. You know we’d give you a lovely recommendation and our nanny here could use the help,” she offered with a bright smile paired with somewhat condescending eyes. While Allison did love her sister, for much of her life she lived in Charlotte’s accomplished shadow. When she was married just a few months after reaching an acceptable age to the only son of a very reputable land manager, Allison felt she had assumed the upper hand in all.
“I’ll think about it. But now I really must head home,” Charlotte said with a forced smile as she turned to glance at her golden retriever, Butter, who met her with an appropriate eye-roll at Allison’s rather insulting invitation. “Come on girl, we better go,” she said trying not to smirk at the dog’s reaction. She motioned for her girl who quickly rose, eager to leave. “I’ll give your love to mother and father,” Charlotte said as she headed for the bedroom door.
“Good, good,” Allison said dismissively, returning her attention to the mirror. “You’ll see yourself out, yes?”
“Goodbye Allison,” Charlotte smiled with only the slightest tinge of jealously as she wondered what it must be like to look at one’s reflection with such satisfaction and contentment, never feeling a hint of self-doubt.
“We have about forty minutes of light so no dawdling this time…and absolutely no hunting rabbits,” Charlotte ordered Butter as she walked through the back gate of Allison’s garden. “Any later and we’ll be fumbling around in the dark,” she said as she picked up a sturdy stick and threw it far into the field, an excited Butter running after. Charlotte let down her long hazelnut hair to enjoy the breeze and watched as the dog happily bounced about without a care, smiling at the pure joy before her.
Steadily Charlotte and Butter made their way across the meadow—throwing and fetching. Charlotte loved this time of day and enjoyed it all the more when she could experience it in companionable silence with her dog. The Heywood house was not known as a quiet retreat—with the laughs and sometimes cries of children echoing from dawn to dusk and beyond. That’s why, even when a child herself, Charlotte spent as much time as possible out of doors with her thoughts or those of others, always carrying with her a book from her father’s library. Today’s volume was Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature, which she read between tosses of the stick, contemplating the value of personal experience.
A sense of peace always washed over her when she crossed onto her father’s land. But now, as she soon approached another birthday, that peace was followed shortly by a sense of unease, knowing soon she would need to decide some path for her future since remaining with her parents—as a few of her siblings often reminded—was not a long-term solution.
The last glimmers of light from the already set sun faded from the sky just as Charlotte reached the kitchen door of the Elizabethan Heywood home, a tired and muddy-pawed Butter several paces behind, the treasured stick in her jaw. After washing paws and preparing a quick meal in the empty kitchen for her most trusted friend, Charlotte sought out her parents and younger siblings, hoping she hadn’t entirely missed her own dinner as Allison had, per usual, failed to offer tea or any refreshment.
“Charlotte, is that you?” her mother called from the dining room.
Charlotte quickened her step, hoping to find dinner on the table but instead discovered her parents seated side by side, only half-empty glasses of wine remaining of dinner.
“We ate early. Cook needed to set out for her sister’s and the others are upstairs. I’ll make you up a plate,” her mother stood, ignoring Charlotte’s motions for her to remain seated. “Your father has some news for you. Oh, and Charlie stopped over while you were out. He said you never responded to his wife about staying with them—you may want to write tonight,” she added before hurriedly leaving the room.
Charlotte most certainly had not responded to her younger brother who was eager for her to spend a month teaching his noisome and again pregnant wife the “Heywood way” to run a household before he again set off with the Army. If Charlotte was ever forced to choose between caring for Allison’s brood or her brother’s family, she was certain she’d instead run off and join a traveling animal show.
Her father patted the chair next to him and then poured his tired daughter a glass of wine. “Well, I can tell by the look on your face that Allison has a new dress—and I’m gathering it’s quite expensive and excessive,” he said with a teasing smile.
Charlotte reached for the glass and shook her head. “I have no words upon the matter,” she smirked and took a long sip.
“Let’s see if this sparks some words,” he offered and pushed the letter from Mrs. Parker toward her.
Charlotte looked down at the fine penmanship and gently lifted the thick, embossed paper in her hand, her eyes widening as she read the words, suddenly transported back to that crisp fall day when they met.
Charlotte had just finished diverting the town’s very rambunctious children with a cricket game and was browsing the row of festival stalls in search of someone selling cakes to award the winning team when she saw the most elegant woman she’d ever laid eyes upon begin to slowly crumble to the ground. Charlotte had never run so fast in her life, thankfully catching Mrs. Eliza Parker right before her head hit against a large rock then cradling the lovely woman in her arms while she attempted to gently stir her.
After Eliza woke, Charlotte escorted her to the refreshment area and kept a mother’s watch over her while the children went in search of Mrs. Heywood. Until Eliza’s letter, Charlotte had forgotten how much she’d shared about wanting to see the world—her attempt to keep Eliza awake, wary she might again fall unconscious. Charlotte stayed with her charge until Mrs. Heywood arrived with a cold compress, sending her daughter off to oversee a boys’ rowing contest in her sted.
“Is this genuine?” Charlotte asked raising her eyes to her father then to her mother who entered with a warmed plate.
“It appears you made quite the impression—even so many months later,” Mrs. Heywood said, placing the reheated dinner on the table, her eyes anxious for an inkling of what Charlotte intended to do.
“And what is this with Mr. Parker? You’ve been doing business with him?” Charlotte questioned, thinking herself in full knowledge of her father’s business, not liking to be out of the loop.
“Just a little, nothing to note,” Mr. Heywood replied then refilled all the glasses.
Charlotte took a deep breath. “I’m sure this must be a mistake and…and…how could we really afford London…,” she said, remembering how elegant Mrs. Parker was in her gold coat.
“Perhaps Allison might lend…” Mrs. Heywood began but Charlotte’s look made it clear that was not a suitable path forward and immediately changed course. “I think we invest in a few good pieces, maybe rework some of my things that I wore when I was younger,” she offered, surprising herself that she was so quick to come up with solutions to enable her daughter’s departure. After seeing Charlotte’s exhausted demeanor when she returned from Allison’s and hearing Charlie’s request, Mrs. Heywood had suddenly grown fearful that her beloved daughter would somehow end up a servant to her other children if she did not seize this incredible opportunity now.
“Who would help with the tenants…” Charlotte started.
“I will arrange it all,” Mr. Heywood interrupted. “Don’t think of any responsibilities here—not to us, not to your brothers or sisters. You must only think of yourself now. What do you want to do, Charlotte?”
Charlotte looked down again at the letter, the paper so smooth between her fingers. A thousand questions ran through her head about her family, her lack of experience outside Willingdon, but only one mattered and the words…my husband will be occupied on matters of business leaving me on my own…eased what she knew were silly, unfounded concerns.
“If you want to go, go…and know you’ll have all of our love and support. And when you return, we want to hear every exciting detail,” Mrs. Heywood said, her eyes glassy as she surmised her daughter’s answer.
“I would very much like to go,” Charlotte responded quietly with a nervous yet excited smile, feeling somehow her entire life was about to change.
*****
“Do you think these will be suitable?” Charlotte looked at Butter who lay on the edge of the bed, eyes closed.
The dog opened her eyes slightly, glanced out at the rain, then back at Charlotte with a look that simply told her mistress to “think” before falling back asleep.
“Yes, I suppose Mrs. Parker will have a large, fine library,” she said, closing the lid of the trunk that contained her books, suddenly very aware how much bigger it was than the one containing her clothing.
“Charlotte, are you up?” Mrs. Heywood’s voice through the door was followed by a soft knock.
“Yes,” Charlotte replied, then stood and opened the door.
“Sweetheart, Mrs. Parker’s coach will be here in only a few hours. You need to get some rest,” Mrs. Heywood said, ushering her daughter toward the bed.
“I know, I know,” Charlotte replied, stepping away from her mother’s intended path to check the top of her bureau to ensure she’d packed her essentials.
“Sweetheart, come, please,” Mrs. Heywood held up the covers for Charlotte to climb into bed. “I’ve not been able to sleep either,” she admitted as she took a seat next to her daughter, Butter shifting to provide her room then beginning to snore lightly.
“Do you think I should go?” Charlotte asked. Over the last two weeks, the house was busy with preparations—Mrs. Heywood arranging a wardrobe, Mr. Heywood assigning tasks to the children who still lived at home. While they were very happy to help their sister have her adventure, all repeatedly asked when she’d return and resume her responsibilities. Mrs. Heywood had insisted Allison host her younger siblings for the night to avoid unnecessary tears in the morning and the house had been unnaturally quiet since late afternoon.
Mrs. Heywood nodded and took her daughter’s hand. “Charlotte, there is so much more to life beyond this village and if your father and I could, we’d give you the world. Go and experience everything…try all the food, go to the museums, and if you go to a ball, dance every dance—preferably with an available beau.”
Charlotte smiled as she rolled her eyes. “I’m hoping to go to lectures. It seems as if they are everywhere according to the papers.”
“Do that too—but don’t deny yourself a possible romance and potential husband,” Mrs. Heywood squeezed Charlotte’s hand as she considered her next words. “I know you are strong but you need to understand that there are people who can be unkind, cruel actually for their own amusement. Your father has spoken kindly of Mr. Parker and her letter was most certainly generous but we know little of Mrs. Parker and…”
“…And she may be inviting a girl from Willingdon to play her fool,” Charlotte finished her thought.
They were quiet for a few moments as they understood they had both considered that possibility. “You know who you are, Charlotte. Believe in yourself and you will be just fine,” her mother said and kissed her gently on the forehead.
Charlotte laid back as her mother rose and blew out the candle. “Stay true to yourself, always,” Mrs. Heywood whispered and closed the bedroom door.
For nearly an hour more, Charlotte stared at the ceiling as she considered exactly who she was and what she believed before she finally fell asleep.
*****
“Where did you send the new coach?” Sidney asked as he rubbed his tired eyes. He had just arrived home from a fortnight evaluating the northern mills and was surprised to learn it was unavailable for his journey to visit his business partners in the south tomorrow. At thirty-one, Sidney was well aware this rapid pace was aging him—his curly black hair beginning to show slight specs of grey at the temples—but he was very much aware there was little waiting for him at home and believed his only best alternative was to continue to travel the world and increase their fortunes.
“Ah, you’re back,” Eliza looked up momentarily from her scandal sheet. “Is that any way to greet your wife of nearly ten years?”
Sidney gave Eliza a weary yet loving smile, hoping that his repeated absence had somehow finally warmed her heart. The manner in which she quickly pulled away when he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek confirmed things were still the same and he wondered only briefly when he should finally give up hope. Instead of addressing the slight, Sidney performed their well-worn ritual and retrieved a small velvet box from his breast pocket and placed it on the seat next to his wife.
Eliza quickly picked up the jewelry box and opened it with great expectation, then let out a disappointed sigh. “These are Scotch pearls,” she said, examining the intricate gold earrings with the perfectly paired pearls before her.
“I’m sorry—according to my colleagues they are much valued by the ladies in the area. Are they not to your liking?” he asked, hating how he seemed to consistently fail her as he walked to pour himself a port.
“They are beautiful.” Eliza snapped the box closed. “Thank you.”
Sidney sipped his drink, suddenly wishing he’d arrived home after Eliza had retired. Committed to marrying only for love, his relationship with Eliza had not turned out as he’d expected. What he realized shortly after the wedding was that he’d in fact married for infatuation, not love and so wished he’d heeded the advice of his now-deceased father to take more time to better know Eliza before committing. With Eliza being the prize of the season given her beauty, wit, and wealth, Sidney was terrified of losing her. After all, he’d already lost the only two women he’d ever loved—his mother and sister both drowning just a few months before he met Eliza.
For Eliza, marriage had turned out even better than she expected and she well-liked the arrangement except for when Sidney’s gifts failed, in her opinion, to meet the bar. Under her clever husband’s management, her inheritance had grown more than ten-fold and Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Parker, while not of the nobility, most certainly enjoyed solid footing at the top rung of the ton.
“Unless you would like to dine together, I may just take a tray in my room. Early day tomorrow,” he said, already knowing Eliza would decline. It had been nearly four years since they’d taken dinner together other than when out in society and even longer since he’d been allowed to visit her bed.
“I’ve eaten,” she replied quickly.
Sidney nodded. “Good night then.” He walked toward the door. “Oh, Eliza, about the coach…”
“Yes, yes, I almost forgot,” she said and in a very unfamiliar move, stood and faced him. “I’ve sent it to Willingdon. Business is always so much on your mind, I felt I needed a companion and I could think of no one better than that farm girl who helped me last year—it is our duty to show charity, after all, isn’t that what you always say?” she paused, her smile broad. “She is coming to stay with us, accompany me through the season…and possibly after if all goes well. I expect her to arrive by dinner tomorrow.”
Sidney looked at Eliza in disbelief. Charity was most certainly not her play and that she’d invite a “farm girl” was beyond comprehension. “Let me understand…you invited Miss Charlotte Heywood…from Willingdon…a village not known by anyone… to stay here…as your guest and companion?”
“She must be of a good family,” Eliza walked over and poured herself a quarter glass of port. “After all, you do business with her father, yes? I thought it would be a proper, Christian thing to do.”
“The Heywoods are very good, very respectable,” Sidney replied, utterly confused by his wife’s actions. “I guess…I…she doesn’t seem your…type.”
“Well, maybe you don’t know me all that well,” Eliza turned and took a sip of her drink. “Perhaps you might want to delay your trip tomorrow to welcome our new guest. I would like us all to get off on the right foot.”
“I…I’ll need to see,” Sidney replied, noncommittal. “Good night.”
*****
Sidney quickly gathered the correspondence that had been laid out in his study and headed up to his bedroom to sort through the various letters, tossing them on the bed until he found one from Mr. Heywood. It was dated just after he left on business two weeks earlier.
Parker,
I’m writing with much appreciation for the kindness you and your wife are showing my daughter by inviting her to join you in London and perhaps up north as well. I do not believe you had the chance to meet Charlotte that day in Willingdon and if so, I’m sure it was only a forgotten passing with all that occurred.
I thought it may be wise to let you know that my Charlotte is not a trivial sort. She is curious, well-versed in business, and very eager to learn the ways of the world beyond our small part of it. I wanted to warn you in advance of her inquisitive nature as I am positive she will try yours and even your wife’s patience with her questions but please know, they are always asked with such positive intent. In all honesty, my Charlotte, well, she is my pride and joy. I place her safely in your hands as she looks to experience all that London has to offer.
That said, you have been a very generous partner and a trusted advisor to my business. I know I have received the kind side in our dealings but I do not expect for Charlotte to be a burden. Please direct me to an established bank where I might deposit a sum for her essentials and keep.
I look forward to meeting again soon, always,
Heywood
“Oh, Eliza, what have you done,” Sidney breathed as he collapsed back on the bed, letting his tense muscles relax against the soft mattress. In all his years with Eliza, he had been wholly faithful to his vows—the thought of straying never entering his mind, that is until last year.
“Idiot,” he muttered as he looked at the letter again. Months ago he convinced himself he was simply entering a profitable venture by partnering with Mr. Heywood but he now had to admit it was a burning need to keep some connection to the woman who instantly stole his heart. “Control yourself,” he ordered and sat up. “You are a married man with responsibilities—you took an oath.” Sidney tossed the letter to the side, the butler suddenly appearing with his dinner tray.
“Sir, will there be anything else?” he asked, not expecting a word.
“Let the men know we leave at dawn…have the horses ready. Thank you,” Sidney ordered, knowing the best thing was for him to avoid Miss Charlotte Heywood at all costs.