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“This is nice, is it not? Seeing the cobblestones before the city of London is truly awake?” he said walking beside her.
“Yes it is my favourite time of day. There is only the smell of bread baking and a few people on the streets to keep company. It is nice and quiet,” she said.
“I like it this way as well. It reminds me of my home in the countryside. I often wake up at dawn to stroll the grounds and the trails before everyone else is stirring,” he said.
The thought of him strolling the woods and grounds alone in the early morning light seemed like a romantic notion, and not one that seemed to align what she expected a Mr. Mason Byers to do.
“Tell me of your home. Where is it, Mr. Byers?” she asked.
“It is six hours north of London by carriage. Settled between rolling hills to the east and flat lands to the west. Derbyshire is a small village and my home the Brentwood Manor estate is but a five mile walk from it.”
“Walk? You walk often then?” she said, surprised as they leisurely strolled, even now through the quiet narrow streets of London.
“Oh yes. Walking is beneficial exercise and taking in the country air is just the thing to start my morning. I walk into town as often as I can, but it is not always an option as taking a horse is faster and I have affairs to attend to in a timely manner,” he said.
“It sounds lovely, this place,” she said.
“I try to get to the parks here when I can, sir... Hyde Park, Battersea, they are vast and filled with nature,” she said taking a step urging him to walk because she could not take the penetrating stare that his eyes gave her. It was as if he could see right through her and she did not want that, in fact she feared it. This was business and only business, and that meant he was not allowed to see her inner most thoughts, feelings, and fears.
“Yes I suppose there is that,” he said, walking alongside her.
“Now, perhaps if you clarify what it is you wish me to help with, or if I know further what you are trying to accomplish, then I will know how to guide you,” she said as she could hear the docks, as they grew closer.
“May I say, Miss Proctor, you are direct and to the point. I find that refreshing,” he said.
She smiled at this statement for she thought his kind would find it rude. She simply nodded in response to him.
His tall form moved with elegance, but a strand of his dark hair fell over his brow. He pushed it back into place. Why did she want to be the one to do that for him?
“I guess to begin, you must know Miss Proctor that I have a mind to be a merchant, which greatly shocks all my relations. Madame Douvaine and Lady Catherine Debourg would say it spoils the family name, but I know that if my father were alive he would be delighted that I was finding a way to increase the wealth of the Byers name. Changing times are on the horizon, Miss Proctor. Those around us may not see it, but I do,” he said suddenly growing excited as though nothing delighted Mr. Byers more than the changing economy and the changing notion of what high society was to go with it.
“I see,” she said listening intently.
“Shipments from the East are the new currency and I plan to be on top of it no matter how much it shocks the ton of London society. Were I far removed from the social manners of London and its season, I would not mind at all. I would be quite content in the country at Brentwood Manor always. However since London is the centre of business and the ports are along the Thames, I must be here in my home in the Mayfield neighbourhood. I simply call it Mayfield Place, a comfortable home, but it could never hold a candle to my family home. For that is where my heart truly lays,” he said.
Katrina was stunned indeed by these confessions from Mr. Byers. He had been the utmost example of a snob in society and now she was starting to think that maybe it was simply because he did not ramble on as others did. His shyness could be seen as proud and disagreeable. But there was still the notion of him sneaking into Eleanor Dawson’s room at night. Could it be that she was mistaken of that too?
“Then I am happy for you,” she said, surprised that this Mr. Mason Byers was so willing to dirty his name in the name of making sure that his estate survived the changing economy. It was a smart move.
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Suddenly the small cobblestone street opened up to the bank of the Thames river. Docks were on either side of us and hefty men were busy loading and unloading goods of all kinds. The air was suddenly pungent, a mix of spices and fish, and a murmur of commotion was a constant on the wind.
“Well, here we are. Where shall we start? I am in your hands, Miss Proctor,” he said.
His words were a bit inappropriate but she let it slide. “Well Mr. Byers, down to the east is the fabric quarter of the docks so that is where most go. However, there is one boat that docks on the west that is a boat of spices from the East, and since my Douvaine has made friends with the Captain he has let me in on his secret. He always brings silks and cloth with him, but since it is not his main area of goods, he does not dock his boat in the fabric quarter. Shall we go see if he is docked now?” she asked.
“Very impressive, Miss Proctor. Yes, please by all means,” he said.
She felt a sense of pride that she of all people, was teaching Mr. Byers some knowledge. She was so drunk on the feeling that she did not notice that he was staring at her as she walked down the dock toward the ship of Captain Edwards.
“Captain Edwards, may I introduce you to...”
“Mr. Mason Byers,” Mr. Byers said suddenly finishing her sentence. She was surprised, why was he not allowing her to introduce him as Mr. Byers?
“Delighted to meet your acquaintance, sir. How are you, Miss Proctor? Always a delight to see you ma'am,” The captain bowed.
“I am fine captain, always good to see you as well. I am merely taking my friend around to share with him my knowledge about fabrics and the ships of the docks. I have told him that you bring the finest. Do you perhaps have a shipment for us to peruse?”
“In fact I do, ma'am. Please follow me,” The captain said, turning to walk up the plank from the dock onto his clipper ship. She always found it exciting going aboard a ship. She liked to imagine the exotic places that it had seen, the storms that it had weathered, and the fun adventures it had been through.
“Down here, where I usually keep the fabrics, you know your way around, Miss. I must see to my men getting the latest load off correctly,” The captain said standing near the below deck hole opening. She had been down there before and did indeed know her way around the storage area and where he put the fabrics.
“Thank you very much sir, we will not be long,” She said feeling nervous that she would be alone with Mr. Byers.
The captain nodded to both of them and then walked away. Mr. Byers looked at her surprised.
“You go down there? And often?” He asked.
“Yes I do. What is wrong Mr. Mason Byers? The fine ladies of your acquaintance do not descend down ladders into storage areas below a ship?” She teased.
“No, indeed they do not. You continue to amaze, Miss Proctor,” He said.
With that she gathered her skirt and coat into her hand. Then she turned backwards and maneuvered down the long ladder.
“All clear,” She shouted at Mr. Byers as she stepped away from the bottom of the ladder. She heard him let out a little laugh as he started to climb down and she began to move toward the fabric boxes. Suddenly, Mr. Byers was at her side. For a moment he simply stared into her eyes and she was caught in that moment. She did not know how long their eyes remained locked before she finally pulled away.
“Let us see what they have here,” She lifted the lid of a familiar trunk in which the Captain would store the fabrics.
“Oh here yes, these are very pretty and of good quality. This is a good example. Please take a look at how tight the weave is here. W
hen we go to the east side of the docks to the fabric quarter I will show you an example of poor fabrics that are not so tightly weaved together. But if you take time to look at this you will train your eye to know the difference,” She ran her hand over a green silk that was some of the finest she had seen.
“I understand,” he said reaching out and rubbing his hand over the material, and as he did so his hand touched hers. A flush of heat moved through her, causing her to quickly pull her hand away.
“These are all very fine examples of Chinese silks, the lot of them,” She dug further into the trunk trying to break the tension in the air.
“Thank you again, Miss Proctor ,for doing this. It means a great deal to me,” he said. She stopped and turned to look up at the broad towering figure. A lock of his hair fell over his brow again. She swallowed as she looked at it.
“You are welcome, Mr. Byers.”
They stood there a few more minutes as she showed him a few more tips on fabrics, before making their way back up the ladder. Mr. Mason Byers went first up the ladder and she followed, and as she reached the top, he put his hand out for her.
“Allow me,” he said, putting his hand out toward her. She placed her gloved hand in his feeling that warmth rush through her once more. His strength was evident in how easily he pulled her up and onto the deck of the ship.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling her hand from his.
“After you,” he said, allowing her to lead the way.
She walked toward the plank of the ship. “Thank you Captain Edwards.”
“Anything for you Miss Proctor,” he nodded.
She walked down the plank onto the dock. “Now we can go to the other end and see...” She turned behind her but Mr. Byers was not there. He was still on the deck of the ship conversing with the captain. Well, she was not expecting that, she thought.
Then he turned and walked down the plank to her.
“What else can you teach Miss Proctor?” he asked.
“Shall we go to the other end and we can compare fabric qualities?”
“Yes. Please do,” he said. They walked together side by side along the bank of the Thames river. It was beginning to grow later in the morning and London was starting to wake and flood the streets.
As she showed him the fabric quarter she started to feel a bit more at ease, which surprised her. He was no longer a proud and disagreeable man, they were just two people in conversation. Like this, they spent the whole morning together until noon, when he walked her back to the home of her employers.
“I wonder, Miss Proctor, if I may call on you again soon? I would like to take what I have learned here and look at some books, and after I am sure that I will have more questions.”
“You want to call on me again?” She asked standing in the foyer of her employer’s home.
“Why yes. If that is alright and you can be spared for a couple of hours here and there,” he asked.
“Yes, I believe that can be arranged... I mean, yes of course Mr. Byers,” She said correcting myself.
“Then I must thank you again for today. You do not know how much you have helped. I am forever in your debt. Until next time,” he bowed a deep bow. She gave him a curtsy and a smile.
Then he turned and walked away from her with his dark long coat swaying as he walked. He looked even taller as he walked away. She took a deep breath and stepped inside.
“Oh! You must tell me everything!” Madame Douvaine shouted as she grabbed her hand and pulled her to the sitting area, where Adeline sat with a large smile on her face.
“Madame Douvaine, there is nothing to tell really,” She said, blushing.
“Oh nonsense, child. I think that...”
But as Madame Douvaine prattled on she could scarcely listen as her thoughts were already elsewhere. They were on Mr. Byers’s smile and genteel manners. The rest of the day was spent in a fog as she went about her duties as company to her employers and sister, and indeed over the next three days it was the same fog that seemed to surround her.
But as soon as she was alone with Adeline, she was able to confide in her sister as always.
“Mr. Byers? Coming here to ask to accompany you and without a chaperone? It is all so unlike him?” Adeline said in shock.
“I know, Adeline. I wished you could have seen him. It was as though he were a different man altogether. I really do not know what has changed.”
“Neither do I. He always seems so cold. I guess there is another side to him, as Dawson had said before,” Adeline said.
“Oh Adeline, and you? How are you these days?”
“I must confess that I am still nervous about the Christmas Ball. Do you know that Robert Davis asked for the first three dances?”
“He did? Andrew asked me for the first two and Mr. Byers asked for the third, right in front of Andrew.”
“No!”
“Yes! Shocking is it not? I dare say, Adeline, that things are strikingly different here in London than in Hertfordshire.”
“Yes Katrina, perhaps it is the air that makes everyone act out of sorts.”
The girls laughed together.
“Do not be nervous about the ball. It will be so much fun and of course we will have the privilege of seeing Eleanor Dawson’s heirloom sapphire jewels!”
Adeline laughed. “Oh Katrina, how you make me laugh so. I am glad that we are here together. I cannot imagine what sadness I would have to endure had I come here alone.”
“I am glad too ,Adeline, and who knows, it might turn out to be more fun than we have ever had. For a ball in London can be nothing compared to a ball in the country. I am quite excited, despite the company that will be in attendance.”
“True, as am I. Think of the delightful treats and décor, oh, and on the Eve of Christmas. So happy indeed.”
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“I have a delivery for a Miss Katrina Proctor. Is this not the right address?” a man said with a cockney accent.
“It is,” the servant said.
“What is it?” She peeked out the door.
“Have this trunk for her from me Captain. Captain Edwards,” he said. Two men behind him unloaded a large trunk from the back of a wagon and set it just inside the door of the home.
“Thank you,” She said, confused.
They nodded and were on their way.
“What’s all this then?” Madame Douvaine asked walking to the door and coming to her side.
“I do not know. I’m just as shocked as you are. They said it was for Miss Katrina Proctor,” She opened the trunk. Inside were bolts and bolts of emerald Chinese silk. “What? She did not order this.”
A note sat on top of the material. “To Katrina Proctor. Paid in full by Mr. Byers.”
“I do not understand...” She shook her head at the note. “Katrina! Katrina, come down here please.”
Katrina and Adeline came down the stairs.
“What is it, Madame Douvaine?”
“This just arrived for you with a note from Mr. Byers.”
“Mr. Byers!” Katrina said shocked as she read the note. Then she noticed it was the silk that they had looked upon inside the ship. A smile crept across her face.
“Looks like a gift to you. Perhaps Mr. Byers wants to repay you for helping him,” Madame Douvaine said, taking the material out of the trunk and laying it on a table. “This is beautiful.”
“Oh Katrina, indeed it is,” Adeline said.
“This is too much, first the walking and now this. I cannot accept,” She said.
“How can you refuse? We are going to make you a ball gown out of this. It will be perfect.” Madame Douvaine said.
“I suppose so,” She said but she was not convinced.
The next day, after being confused for many hours by the gift, she finally sat down to write to Mr. Byers.
Dear Mr. Byers,
I was delighted to walk with you that morning at the docks. A most
peculiar thing happened, a trunk filled with emerald Chinese silks arrived. The note simply stated that - it had been paid in full by you, sir. I do pray you will write and clarify this occurrence.
Best, Miss Katrina Proctor
She stamped the letter with red wax and sent it on its way.
Waiting for the response was excruciating, but at length it came.
Dear Miss Katrina Proctor,
I am glad that you received the fabrics. I wish to clarify as you requested. I spoke with Captain Edwards before he departed London and purchased his next shipment of emerald green silks as a gift in return for your generosity in helping me. I hope that you will find use of the fabric, or do with it what you wish. I meant no offense in sending it to you and hope that I did not cause it. Please say that you are still coming to Christmas Eve Ball. Having dinner yesterday was dull, in certain company, and I immediately thought... Miss Proctor would be laughing filled with joy and it would be a fun evening as it should be. Am I wrong to think of such things and await your presence at the ball?
Best, Mr. Byers
She smiled as she read the letter and quickly responded. This was how correspondence continued. She looked forward to receiving the letters and writing in return. But then the time came to leave and attend the ball on Christmas Eve, and she had never been more nervous in her entire life.
The carriage rattled on the cobblestone road as the driver shouted, “Davis House!”
Her heart pounded and she leaned her head out the window.
“Can you see it? Is it grand?” Madame Douvaine said.
“Yes indeed it is,” She said, looking at the grand home ahead of them that they had seen before, but this time Davis House was decorated with ribbons, wreaths, and holiday cheer.
“My, it is beautiful,” Madame Douvaine said. It was so beautiful it nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“Beautiful...” Adeline said barely in a whisper as the sight was breathtaking.
“Yes it is and looks like most of the guests are arriving as we are,” Mr. Douvaine said as he noticed the long line of carriages as they entered the line out front. Each carriage stopped by the 3 in front of the house and an army of servants descended on each to unload them of passengers.
An Alone and Destitute Girl (#3, the Winds of Misery Victorian Romance) (A Family Saga Novel) Page 10
