“Esther, will you help me with writing this letter?”
Esther and Mary were sitting at desks in the morning room in their father’s home. It was mid-morning and the ladies were reading their correspondence and writing letters as they waited to break their daily fast. Esther was sipping on a cup of tea and reading a letter from a former orphan she had worked with a couple of years ago.
“What do you need help with?” Ester asked her sister.
“It doesn’t sound right to me,” Mary responded. “I want to write a letter to Lady Booth, and I want to ask her and her daughters to attend a dinner party after I am married. However, I am new to all of this.” She giggled and slid the half-written letter over to her sister. Like Esther, Mary was tall with chocolate brown hair, though she was very thin. The sisters resembled each other, and when they were young, could almost pass as twins.
“What makes you think I can help?” Esther asked, as she reached out to pull the letter towards her. “I don’t have any experience being the lady of the house.”
“You are quite smart, though,” said Mary, as she reached for a small piece of toast brought to her by a footman. “And you write a great many letters.”
Esther smiled. “Yes, I do tend to write many letters.” With Esther’s work with charities, she was often reaching out to the fortunate to fund her efforts with the poor.
“See?” said Mary. “You can be quite persuasive. There is no telling how much you have raised to help your orphans.”
Esther cringed. She hated when people referred to the children and families she helped as “her orphans.” To her, they were simply children and families who needed help. Calling them orphans made them seem as less worthy than others, which bothered her.
“Quiet,” she said to her sister with a bit of annoyance in her voice. “Let me read.”
Esther began to read through the letter that Mary had written. It began with the common niceties that are always exchanged and mentioned that it would be an honor for Mary and her new husband to host her guests. It ended quite abruptly, however, and Esther knew that Mary needed a good closing.
“Why do you want to invite these people to your home?” Esther asked. The truth was, she greatly cared for her family and close friends, yet when it came to strangers, she was a bit cautious. She simply didn’t trust people very much, as she had seen in her chosen line of work that some people could be very bad.
“Lady Booth is one of the most prominent ladies in the area, and though I am marrying a Duke, I think it would be prudent to get into her good graces,” explained Mary.
Esther rolled her eyes. Her sister was always wanting to fit into the mold that society had created for her, so it didn’t surprise her one bit that Mary would be greatly interested in becoming more friendly with the likes of people such as Lady Booth.
“Well,” said Esther, very uninterested in the musings of class, “I suppose you could add something a bit less blunt about getting into her good graces. If she is like most ladies of standing, she probably enjoys others flattering her.”
“Esther!” said Mary in a shocked tone. “Don’t say things like that. Besides, what do you think you are?”
“You know as well as I do that the statement is true,” replied Esther quickly, ignoring the part where she too, was a lady of standing.
“Maybe some of them,” said Mary, conceding to her elder sister. “But that isn’t very nice to say, either.”
Esther smirked. Her sister Mary was always the “nice one” of the three daughters of the family. Esther was known as the passionate and opinionated one, while Ruth was always the fun sister.
“Since you are marrying a Duke, I wouldn’t imagine that you need people in your life like Lady Booth,” said Esther with a smile. “But if you insist, you should follow my advice.”
Esther pushed the letter back across the desk to her sister, and Mary pulled it towards her. Esther watched as the soon-to-be-bride turned her attention to the letter.
“As soon as I finish this letter, I must focus on final plans for the wedding celebration,” said Mary to Esther. “Do you have any interest in helping?”
“No,” said Esther, “though you only have two days before the wedding. I would hope that most of your planning is done.”
“Well, you know how it is. There is a bit more planning involved than I thought,” replied Mary. “Only family and a few friends will attend, but we have invited several people to the wedding breakfast following the ceremony.”
“It sounds lovely, Mary,” said Esther. “You have a lot to be happy about.”
“Yes,” agreed Mary, as she finished up her letter, “and we are joining a family with ours, which is beneficial to all of us.”
“I suppose that is true,” Esther responded. Though her father was the Duke of Aishling, that didn’t necessarily mean that all was well in their world. Even Dukes have their struggles, and her father was no exception. The marriage would be very advantageous to their family.
Esther finished her tea in silence and watched as Mary finished writing her letters. She glanced at the clock and knew that she would be needed at the district orphanage soon.
Several days a week, Esther would take a carriage to the district orphanage and make sure that all was well with the children. Though she grew up far from the dingy walls of those places, there was a big part of her that really cared about what happened to the children who had nowhere else to go. In fact, she cared for them so much that she had dedicated her time to helping them instead of dedicating it to things that normal ladies in her position would do, such as painting, singing, gossiping with like-minded ladies, or, of course, finding a husband.
Esther turned to Mary with a smile and said, “I am leaving for the day. Good luck with your planning. I am very happy for you, and I am looking forward to your wedding celebration.”
Esther then stood from the desk and placed the linen napkin that she had draped over her lap next to the empty tea cup. She turned to walk out of the door of the morning room and a footman opened the door as she passed. She knew that her carriage would be ready for her outside of the front door, so she made her way through the hallway that connected with the entryway. There, she met her lady’s maid, who would chaperone her.
Esther approached the door and she and her maid walked out into the sunny day. As expected, the carriage she would take was waiting, and the coachman was standing next to it, holding open the small door.
“Good morning, My Lady,” he said with a smile.
“Good morning,” Esther responded. The coachman held out his hand to assist her into the carriage, and she took it to keep her balance. She crouched down and entered the carriage, settling down next to the small window, which allowed her to watch the countryside as she traveled to the orphanage. The coachman closed and secured the door, and she could hear him walking around the back of the carriage. The vehicle lurched gently as Ester’s maid climbed into the front and sat on the bench. One more lurch, and the coachman had taken his seat. There was one final lurch, and the coach was in motion with a footman on a horse on either side.
It was about fifteen minutes in the carriage to get to the orphanage, so Esther had time to think. She always liked to reflect before seeing the children. They lived in tough conditions, and Esther, living on her father’s estate, was surrounded by a luxurious environment.
Esther and her sisters had grown up very differently from the orphans she would soon see. Her childhood had been filled with learning how to paint and sing, while the children she watched over at the orphanage had childhoods filled with work and tears.
There were many sad stories about the children she met. Some of them were true orphans, whose parents had tragically died in terrible accidents, often sent by their families. Some were foundlings, who were simply brought in…or found. Yet…the saddest cases were children brought in as babes, who never knew any sense of family. That’s what happened to Julia.
Julia was a young girl, only fiv
e years old now, who was brought into the same orphanage that Esther was on her way to visit. In fact, Esther was there the day the infant appeared, simply left on the doorstep. Over the past five years, Esther had watched Julia grow from a small babe into a young child. Though she cared about all of the children she worked with, Julia was certainly her favorite.
Esther was a bit worried about Julia, though, as she knew that now she was five years of age, she would soon be learning a trade. Many of the children ended up in the workhouses doing dangerous jobs, and she certainly didn’t want that for Julia. Instead, she hoped that the sweet child would start learning a trade such as domestic work.
As the carriage got closer to the orphanage, the buildings became closer together and Esther could see people walking around and working. Her father’s estate was on many acres of land outside of the town, in contrast to the hustle and bustle of these roads. She was used to this scene, as she had come here for so many years, but still enjoyed the views from the window.
The orphanage was located near the heart of the mid-sized town of Westery, and it only housed girls. As the carriage got even nearer to the center of town, people began to notice the ornate transport, and Esther could only deduce that they were wondering about the occupant. Most people in the town knew of Esther’s charity work, but were also curious about the upcoming wedding of her sister, which she was sure most people were aware of.
Esther knew that this marriage was an important one, and for a brief moment, she wondered if she should have, perhaps, focused more on finding a husband for herself. As the eldest daughter, she was groomed to marry a well-bred man, but so far, life hadn’t brought anyone special to her, and she was so focused on her work that she wasn’t much interested in looking.
The carriage pulled up in front of the orphanage and stopped. Esther waited whilst a footman pulled down the steps attached to the carriage, and then opened the door. He held his hand out to her.
She took his outstretched hand and stepped out of the carriage onto the street. It was dirty and dusty, and there were people milling about as they went through their day-to-day lives. None of them paid much attention to Esther, short of a couple of stares. The orphanage stood in front of her, a large, imposing building with multiple windows and a large door.
She nodded to the footman and began walking through the courtyard and towards the door of the orphanage, accompanied by her maid. As she got closer, she could hear the dim sound of children crying and yelling. She always paused a bit when she heard it, as it made her heart feel sad knowing that these children didn’t have a proper home nor family.
Esther was almost to the door of the orphanage when it burst open and two young girls ran out. They darted across the courtyard chasing each other, and Esther was a bit surprised by their behavior. However, she knew that they didn’t have much discipline, and they certainly were not raised with the rules of society in place.
Almost at the same time Esther approached the door, a rattled and wrinkled looking woman, one whom she was not familiar with, ran out following the two girls who had seemingly escaped. The old woman passed Esther, and then turned quickly towards her. She looked at her briefly and a sense of recognition crossed her face.
“You must be Lady Esther Nott?” the old woman asked.
Esther nodded. “Yes, I am here to see Miss Sophia.” Sophia was the administrator with whom Esther had always worked with at this orphanage.
“She’s not here,” replied the frazzled woman in a raspy voice, her mob-cap crooked on the top of her head. “She has been reassigned to a different district.”
“What?” asked Ester with surprise. “But why?”
“Don’t know,” said the woman, and it didn’t seem as if she cared, either. “I was just told to tell you when you arrived.” She seems a bit rough.
“Who will be my contact here?” asked Esther, still shocked that Sophia was gone without a trace.
“Don’t know that, either,” replied the woman.
“What did you say your name was, Miss?” asked Esther.
“I didn’t,” responded the woman. “But since you asked, it’s Anne. Miss Anne, of course. I’m sorry, I don’t know how to speak with a Lady such as yourself. I was raised on a farm and didn’t have interaction with your type of people.”
“My type of…people?” asked Esther, a bit confused.
“Yes, you know, rich people. Titled people,” said Anne with annoyance in her voice.
“Oh,” said Esther. “I assure you that I am the same type of person as you are.”
Anne laughed heartedly. “Sure. Yes, I’m sure you are. No disrespect, but I know your type.”
Esther looked at Anne with furrowed brows. “My type?”
“Yes,” replied Anne. “The type of person who spends a couple of hours with the children, and then goes back to their estates in the countryside. No disrespect, My Lady, but I have seen it all before.”
Suddenly, another woman came through the open door to the courtyard, and Esther recognized her immediately. It was Grace, a staff member she was very familiar with.
“Miss Anne!” Grace said in shock. “As your superior, I demand that you treat Lady Esther with the respect she deserves.”
Anne chuckled, shook her head, and sauntered in the direction the girls had run, not paying a bit of attention to Grace’s words. She adjusted her dress as she walked.
“I am so very sorry for her behavior, My Lady,” said Grace. “She is not the best representation of our staff. She’s old, and it seems she just doesn’t care.”
“It’s perfectly fine,” replied Esther with a smile.
“No, it’s not.” Grace responded. “She had no right to say those things to you. You have always been a wonderful asset to our asylum.”
“I appreciate that,” said Esther. “I thoroughly enjoy working with the children.”
“And we appreciate you, Lady Esther,” Grace replied. “Please, follow me, and I can show you to the reading room.”
Esther often would read to the children when she spent time at the orphanage. She suspected that listening to her read might be the only pleasure that some of the children had, living in this place.
Grace entered into the doorway and Esther followed. The hallways were dark and dank, and there was a strange odor that seemed to get more pronounced the deeper the women got into the building. Esther still heard the sound of crying and yelling, though it was muffled through the walls. I hate that these children have to live like this.
As they walked through the winding hallways of the orphanage, occasionally, they would pass a child or another woman caring for the children. It was a sad sight to see. Most of the children were dirty, though Esther did feel some comfort knowing that they were in an orphanage and not living on the cold, wet streets.
Grace led Esther into a room and lit the lamp. There was a chair in the center and Grace motioned to it.
“Is that chair acceptable, Lady Esther? Grace asked.
“Yes, thank you,” Esther replied.
“I will go collect the children,” said Grace.
“Before you go,” said Esther. “What happened to Miss Sophia?”
“Miss Anne was correct. She was transferred to a different district,” said Grace. “To be honest, My Lady, all of us will be transferred.”
“What?” said Esther, surprised.
“The district is closing the orphanage, so all of us will be reassigned to different areas,” explained Grace.
“What about the children?” asked Esther. Especially Julia.
“They will be sent away,” said Grace with marked sadness in her voice.
Chapter 3
Allan was sitting alone in the carriage as it moved swiftly down the road. He was on his way to his cousin’s wedding. He had left approximately an hour ago, and he had been watching the world pass in silence. He had brought a book along to read, but he hadn’t yet opened it. His valet, Samuel Harley, was sitting with the coachman.
The time passed slowly, and Allan still had approximately an hour in the trip. His cousins were close enough to where they could see each other regularly, but it was still a bit of a distance to travel.
After seeing Oliver, Allan had almost constantly been thinking about the war, the fighting, and of course, his injuries. Sometimes he really dwelled on it, and though he knew he shouldn’t, the thoughts tended to come into his mind.
As always, his flashbacks brought him back to his recovery, and he once again began to think about Bridget. When he was deep in thought, he could see her dark eyes staring into his, and her long dark blonde hair pulled back to frame her face. She was beautiful.
When it came to Bridget, things were always a little cloudy, but sometimes, when he concentrated really hard, he could remember new details. He was hoping that would happen again.
Lusting For The Broken Earl (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 2
