A Rogue's Courtship: Clean Regency Romance Collection

by Madeline St. James

  Charlotte nodded and smiled to Claire, whose eyes twinkled mischievously. She then said, “you’ll like Madame Kinston. She’s fair. She took me in when my brother lost our inheritance. She let me work in the position that Sarah is currently in.” Charlotte did all she could not to let her shock and surprise show on her face. “It’s true, I was a woman of ill-repute. That’s how I met Lord Briarwood.” Charlotte really couldn’t keep the look of shock from her face this time. It made Claire giggle. “It always amazes me with as stuffy as Society is, how so many of us have little secrets, don’t you agree?”

  Charlotte nodded and smiled. She was glad to be back in town, if not for the sole purpose of seeing Lady Claire, Lady Catherine, and Lady Sophia again.

  As they were leaving, she thanked the group for their help and hospitality. Charlotte wondered if Lord Briarwood would allow Lady Claire to associate with her despite soiled reputation, but she felt if Lady Claire had a firm say in the matter. Just as the ladies had assured her those weeks ago, they all had checkered pasts. It was nothing to be ashamed of. Charlotte and Daniel climbed back in the carriage and had the driver take the long way to the District to confuse anyone who might be watching or following them.

  When they arrived, Daniel ushered Charlotte to the side of the building rather than the front, and she kept her eyes forward to avoid looking at whatever nocturnal acts were happening around her.

  Daniel knocked on the back door. After a moment, someone began clicking the locks and the door swung open. A woman with wild hair, a face that was aged and hardened by a tough life, and eyes that were just as kind as any Charlotte had ever seen, opened the door.

  “Commander Richards?” The woman’s voice was raspy like she had one too many ales and was forever stuck with a husky, gruff tone.

  “Madame Kinston, I’ve come to inquire after Sarah.”

  Madame Kinston nodded and stepped aside, letting them in. She looked Charlotte up and down and her eyes twinkled even brighter as she guessed at who she might be.

  “She’s in the kitchen,” Madame Kingston said. “She’s a knack for ordering Girl around.”

  “Girl?” Charlotte couldn’t help but ask. Madame Kingston laughed.

  “Oh yeah, I get all sorts round these parts. Had a woman went by the name o’ Cook and nothin’ else. Nastiest old hag ye ever did meet, but she could cook a mean pot o’ stew on them cold nights.”

  Charlotte grinned. Lady Claire had been right about this woman. “Lady Claire sends her regards. She also sent this.”

  Charlotte reached into her pocket and retrieved the envelope. She handed it over to Madame Kingston and noticed the fancy seal on the front. She thought it was peculiar, but said nothing.

  “Thank you. I have a response for my cousin, if you wouldn’t mind giving it to Claire.”

  “Oh, Claire is your cousin?” Charlotte was surprised.

  “Oh heavens no! But she helps me get the missives to her.” Madame Kingston searched her own pockets with gnarled fingers. “Ah, there it is.” She handed Charlotte a plain piece of paper, folded with a simple seal.

  “I can’t afford all the fanciness like she can, but we enjoy conversing just the same,” Madame Kingston informed her.

  Charlotte nodded and tucked away the letter with care. Madame Kingston led her to the kitchen where she found Daniel and Sarah conversing quietly, and Girl bustling about the kitchen. Charlotte could hear the raucous laughter coming from the other door on the far side of the kitchen.

  “Girl, why don’t you go and see if any more rounds need to be filled?” Sarah said softly, although she hadn’t taken her eyes off of Charlotte since she had entered the room.

  Girl nodded and she too escaped out the door, leaving the three of them standing there staring at one another awkwardly.

  Charlotte cleared her throat. “I realize what I am about to propose seems...well, it seems lubricous, but as none of the circumstances we all find ourselves in are entirely one or the others fault, it only makes sense to…” Charlotte searched for the right word, “band together in the aftermath I suppose. Lady Richards, I would like for you to come and stay at my house with my housemaid, Ms. Chauncy and myself. Bitty was once a midwife and can check you over. It would be a far more suitable place to bring a baby into the world than here.” Charlotte’s words came out in a rush. Sarah stared at her in utter shock before turning to Daniel.

  “I didn’t come up with this. She is insisting on it, Sarah,” he explained. Sarah turned back to Charlotte and felt like she had to continue.

  “I realize you don’t know me. Chances are is you probably loathe me as well, but…”

  “I don’t hate you, Ms. Rose,” she injected. “I envy you.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I envy that you could love Daniel and I could not.” Sarah turned to Daniel. “I sometimes wished I could hate you, too. But I don’t. In some ways it makes it so much worse. If we had fought, then maybe knowing that there was no emotion there would have been easier to cope with.”

  Daniel seemed to consider this before slowly nodding. “I shouldn’t have held onto the marriage for so long thinking it was the proper thing to do. I’m sorry we have both been miserable for so long, Sarah. I truly am.”

  Sarah nodded and turned her attention back to Charlotte. “You’re an unusual woman, Ms. Rose.”

  Charlotte wasn’t sure what to make of this, and stood waiting for her reply. It seemed Sarah was at a loss for words, too. Charlotte noticed when she held her back and tried to stretch the cramps out. “At least consider the child, Lady Richards. You both can stay as long as you like. I’ve got two bedrooms. They’re modest, but you are welcome to one. Bitty will share my room and the child won’t be born in a brothel.”

  It was the last plea Charlotte could think of. Sarah considered this and then after looking back at Daniel, nodded slowly. “I’ll thank you for letting me stay until the baby is born. Then I will move on. I hope you can understand that whatever happens tomorrow, I won’t be able to sit by and watch you and Daniel.”

  Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. “Of course, I can understand that. For what it’s worth…”

  Sarah held up her hand and Charlotte nodded. Some things were just not going to be spoken of.

  “Very well. I will have Girl go and collect my things and inform Madame Kingston,” Sarah said.

  It only took a few moments for these events to occur. Charlotte stood next to Daniel as Sarah said her goodbyes, but she didn’t try to touch him. That somehow felt rude in Sarah’s presence. She may never have the chance to apologize, and it was quite possible that Sarah may never apologize to Daniel. Either way, both women understood the apology on Charlotte’s behalf was opening up her home to the woman still presently married to her lover.

  It was a twisted world they lived in, but somehow, Charlotte felt she was doing the right thing by Sarah. Women needed to band together in a male dominated world, and despite what Society said, she felt that this was the right decision.

  It was a silent trip back to her house with the three of them. When the carriage bumped along the roads, Charlotte stared out the window; figuring idle chat would be futile. She was grateful when it at last pulled up in front of her home and they got out. Daniel helped Sarah up the rain-slicked walkway, and Charlotte trailed behind. In their absence, Bitty had finished boarding up the windows and righting the furniture. She had begun scrubbing some of the linens and Charlotte found she had corrected the bedrooms above stairs. She had Bitty show Sarah to her room, and she wasn’t surprised when they shut the door gently and left Daniel and herself alone.

  “You are an uncommonly kind woman,” Daniel whispered, pulling her close. Charlotte sighed when she felt his arms circle her waist. Her hands gripped the lapels on his waistcoat.

  “Perhaps. It just feels like the necessary thing to do,” she told him. When she looked up, he was smiling at her.

  “Be that as it may, I know of no other woman who would do such a thing
as this.”

  “As much as ruined reputations, illicit love affairs, and wayward spouses are common within Society, it seems this is an unusually unique circumstance.” She leaned up and offered her lips for a kiss, which he readily bestowed on her and she felt herself relax in his arms. She broke the kiss off and asked, “do you think everything will be alright tomorrow?”

  “I honestly can’t say, Char. I’m sorry, I wish I could offer you all the reassurances that I can, but I don’t know.” He shook his head.

  “It’s alright. I suppose what’s important is that we are together, safe in this moment.” She kissed him gently once more and then let go as she heard footsteps in the hall above stairs.

  When Bitty came down she asked, “is the baby alright?”

  Bitty nodded. “Yes, hale and hearty. I suspect Lady Richards will deliver any day now. It’s fortunate you got her out of there when you did.”

  Charlotte nodded and turned back to Daniel. “Will you be staying?”

  “I can’t. I should return to Commander Balfour’s residence. As much as I dislike the vandalism that has gone on here, I feel certain the house is secure again and I will send someone in the morning to bring Sarah to the courthouse.”

  Charlotte swallowed hard. She wondered what a trial would be like, and then she tried to rid the image from her mind. They weren’t going to see Sarah or Daniel tried and hanged, but she was sure the shame and humiliation they were about to face would be equally as devastating.

  Charlotte walked Daniel to the door where he turned and waved farewell to her, and she wondered when she would get to see him after the trial. Was it possible for Parliament to dictate that he never see her again? Would he be shamed for coming to her after? Would his father permit it? It seemed to Charlotte that Daniel had given up concerning himself with what his father thought regarding the matter, but he could certainly make things difficult for Daniel to be happy.

  Charlotte went with Bitty to the kitchen where she worked into the wee hours of the morning, scrubbing linens and then mending them by hand. She was tired and her back ached by the time they went to bed. She slept fitfully next to Bitty and was afraid she kept the older woman awake, but Bitty snored softly in the bed next to her.

  Charlotte woke the next morning groggy and sore. When she went down stairs, she found Bitty and Sarah sitting in the kitchen having a bowl of porridge.

  Charlotte moved cautiously into the room and Bitty slid a bowl over to her, and then she slid a missive towards her as well. “That arrived a few moments ago, Ms. Rose.” Bitty’s lips were pressed thin. Charlotte reached for the envelope and opened it, recognizing the scrawling handwriting of Her Grace, requesting her presence for morning tea.

  Chapter 12

  Charlotte prepared for morning tea as Sarah readied herself for the trial in the next room over. It felt as if Charlotte too was about to be on trial as she went to face the most powerful woman in all of London. Where Parliament decided the legality of the matter concerning Daniel and Sarah, Her Grace decided the status of the matter concerning all three of them.

  Charlotte had the same sinking feeling in her stomach as she had when Her Grace first reported the news about Daniel and Sarah. She pinned her hair back with her butterfly clip, determined to accept her fall from grace with as much dignity as possible.

  Charlotte and Sarah exited their rooms at the same time. Charlotte was dressed in the finery the Duchess had gifted her, and Sarah wore a simple, plain dress that had been let out to accommodate her girth. It was terribly unfair that Sarah be forced from her fine things and Charlotte had been gifted them instead. But she supposed that would change soon enough.

  Sarah’s eyes went to the butterfly in Charlotte’s hair, and she did all she could not to reach up and touch it. She wondered if Daniel had ever given Sarah such trinkets, but judging by how they both describe their relationship, there had never been any affection there. She hoped that after today, she would still be able to see Daniel. She didn’t know what she would do if she were forced to give up their relationship yet again.

  Charlotte found it peculiar that she and Sarah had so much in common, despite being so different. She wondered, even if the court ruled that she and Daniel could not be wed, would she concern herself with what the rest of the ton thought of her affair?

  Charlotte gestured for Sarah to go ahead of her on the stairs and waited patiently as she held her belly and went down carefully, one step at a time. They found their way back to the kitchen and Bitty handed Sarah a small bundle, which Charlotte assumed was a lunch of some kind. Sarah accepted it, thanking Bitty and then she turned to Charlotte. Neither woman knew exactly what to say to the other, so Sarah turned and walked out the door, letting Charlotte breath a sigh of relief.

  “I’ve never felt so much tension in one room in my life. We need to consider what’s to happen after today and after the baby is born,” Bitty remarked.

  “Yes, you’re right.” Charlotte said. “What do you think we should do?” She looked at Bitty for advice but she simply shrugged.

  “I don’t rightly know. I’ve never been in this sort of a position. Perhaps we could find her a home to work as a Governess?” she suggested.

  Charlotte immediately thought of Rebecca and her children, but Mr. Davenport would never have it. “We could consider that I suppose, yes.”

  “I’ll ask around today whilst you’re at tea. I’ll go to the market. We are going to need a few things, anyway. The stores were ruined with the pigs blood.”

  Charlotte nodded. She had considered making inquiries into who might have vandalized her home, but she figured that might invite more trouble. She would just need to let it go.

  When she was done eating, she walked to the door with Bitty and tried waving a carriage down. She soon discovered none of them would stop at her curb and pick her up. She was forced to walk with Bitty towards the market until she found a carriage far away from her home enough to be hired.

  Charlotte climbed inside and Bitty squeezed her hand. “Just stay true to yourself, Charlotte.”

  The carriage pulled away before Charlotte could respond to Bitty calling her by her familiar name. She sat in wonder at Bitty’s familiarity and it warmed her heart. Friends like Bitty were extremely hard to come by.

  Charlotte took a deep breath when they pulled up to the Duchess’ home, where she was immediately ushered inside into a sitting room. Charlotte waited a bit longer than the last time, but she supposed the Duchess was making a statement. She didn’t mind, though. It gave her the opportunity to study the paintings on the walls. She considered the various brush strokes and techniques as she observed the different paintings.

  After almost an hour, a butler came in and ushered her once more into the informal sitting room where she found the Duchess already sitting. Charlotte curtseyed low and waited to be addressed. For a while she wondered if she was ever going to.

  It seemed another ten minutes passed until the Duchess finally said, “I don’t like to be kept waiting, Mistress Rose.” Her tone was cool, but Charlotte remained silent. “I can understand not feeling well under the pressures of Societies opinions. I expected there to be a few days of worry and coping, but then I find you’ve run off to Wales, of all places.”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” Charlotte answered. She wondered at the strength in her own voice; the Duchess barely had an effect on her today. Inner peace and calm washed over her, and she felt like nothing the Duchess could say would dishearten her. No matter what happened, she was the fortunate one. She was alive, and more importantly, she was in love. She couldn’t think of a force more powerful than that.

  “What, pray tell, is there in Wales that was so important to attend to at a time like this?” Charlotte looked at the Duchess and instead of keeping her head bowed, she took a step towards the table and pulled a small plain note sealed by a simple signet ring from her pocket.

  “A visit to family.” She slid the note across the table towards the Duchess. When she did
n’t say anything, Charlotte went on. “Your cousin sends her regards.”

  The Duchess smiled and reached for the letter, slipping it into her pocket before she looked into Charlotte’s face. “Family is a tricky business, is it not? Cousin?” she inquired.

  “Sister. Rebecca. She and her husband, Mr. Davenport, have five children. The youngest is only a few months old,” Charlotte informed her. After a moment of consideration, the Duchess waved her hand towards the seat and Charlotte took that as her cue to sit down. When she did, someone came forward and poured her tea and offered her a biscuit, which she accepted gratefully.

  “Family is an interesting dynamic. Am I to understand you have quite the eclectic household in your own home presently?”

  Charlotte smiled politely. “You would be correct, Your Grace.”

  The Duchess looked wistful for a moment and then sipped her tea. “It’s certainly an interesting scenario. I will be curious to see how it plays out after the child is born.”

  “It is my understanding that Lady Richards will seek alternative accommodations after the child is born.” Charlotte didn’t see any harm in informing the Duchess of Sarah’s intentions. If she already knew Sarah was staying at her house, it was reasonable that there wasn’t much the Duchess didn’t know before anyone else when things happened that were of interest to her in the ton.

  “I suppose today will dictate exactly how that will be determined,” the Duchess replied.