Chapter Fourteen

"A carriage ride into the village was just the thing to entertain your guests."

Henry sniffed and looked out of the window. "Mayhap. Some of them were a little disappointed at the rain, though I cannot do much about that." He continued to gaze out of the window, waiting for his betrothed to come and join them in the carriage so they might all return home. She, Lady Eaveswood and another of the house guests, Miss Grifford, were standing together talking about what they had found and purchased from the haberdashery. It was only a small place but Henry knew that the proprietor would be delighted at what had been purchased. He found himself smiling at that, glad that his betrothed had encouraged the other two ladies to step inside. Perhaps she was as aware as he was just how much such a thing would mean to those who had these small places of business.

"I do not know how they can stand out there and talk when it is raining," his mother muttered, clearly a little frustrated that Miss Tidemore had not yet returned to the carriage. "They will get very damp and then they will, no doubt, catch cold!"

"It is only drizzling, Mother," Henry answered, quietly. "And I shall be out in the rain and the cold this afternoon when I go hunting. Are you going to complain about that also?" He arched an eyebrow but his mother only huffed out a breath and then looked away, leaving his question unanswered. Turning his attention back to the window, Henry continued to watch the ladies talking, only to see a rather ragged, bedraggled child come up to them. The boy said something that Henry could not make out, though he immediately saw the compassion which flooded Miss Tidemore's expression. She crouched down, speaking to the child with a gentleness in her eyes which softened Henry's heart. The boy was nodding and Miss Tidemore smiled – only for his mother to let out a loud exclamation which made Henry start.

"Do you not see this, Fairglen?" With one sweeping motion, she threw out her hand towards the scene unfolding before them. "Will you not do something?"

" Do something?"

"Yes! You cannot permit her to continue on doing such a thing as this! This cannot continue. It is not seemly for a Duchess."

"Mother, I have nothing of concern here," Henry answered, quietly. "Leave Miss Tidemore to do as she pleases."

"As I have said to you already, this sort of thing cannot continue," his mother said, all the more firmly. "You should be putting a stop to this rather than encouraging it! It is not right for a Duchess to be giving out alms to those who ask for them. You will be overrun with the poor coming to ask for this and that, knowing that the Duchess is much too soft-hearted and – "

"Enough, Mother!" Henry cut her off with a little more sharpness than he would have otherwise spoken with, leaving her mouth to fall open in surprise, her eyes wide. Letting out a small breath of exasperation, Henry spread out his hands. "I do not see a problem with what Miss Tidemore is doing."

His mother tilted up her chin, her eyes flashing. "Then if you do not want to say anything, I shall."

Before Henry could say or do anything to prevent her, his mother had made her way out of the carriage and was hurrying across to where Miss Tidemore and the other two ladies stood. Filled with exasperation, Henry climbed out after her, only to see his mother grasp the child by the shoulder and push him roughly back.

"You should not be anywhere near us, you filthy urchin!" the Duchess cried, just as Henry drew closer. "And you, Miss Tidemore, have no need to even be speaking with such a child. Do you not know that they will take advantage of you?"

"I – I do not see that," Miss Tidemore said, her voice quiet but her eyes filled with a sympathy which made Henry's heart soften also. "I see a hungry child who sought out a little sustenance from us."

"Pah!" The Duchess exclaimed, swiping the air between the small boy and herself who was now beginning to creep backwards, his eyes rounded and filled with fear. "You clearly do not understand what such children are like, Miss Tidemore! They come to steal and to take whatever they can from the likes of you, for you are much too tender-hearted!"

Miss Tidemore dropped her head and something in Henry's heart tore. "Enough, Mother." Seeing her turn to him, he shook his head. "I do not agree with you in this, as I have stated. Let Miss Tidemore show any kindness she wishes." So saying, he pulled out a small bag of coins from his pocket and, after a moment, turned to the small boy. The child looked utterly terrified, perhaps afraid that Henry was going to berate him further, was going to strike him with great anger, but Henry quickly bent down so he did not appear so intimidating.

"Here."

He did not know what had possessed him to give such a great amount of coins to this small child but the look of wonder and then joy on the boy's face made his heart cry out with happiness. He smiled as the child reached out one grubby hand to tentatively take the bag from him and, with a nod, Henry handed it to him. The boy clasped it to his chest, his eyes now wide with astonishment – astonishment that he had been given such a great and generous gift – and looked back at Henry as though he could not quite contemplate what he had been given.

"On you go, now," Henry said, rising to his feet. "Take that to your mother and father. I hope it will go some way to help and, if there is anything further that they – or you – need, tell them to come to the Duke's estate and that I shall aid them in finding work or in repairs to their home. You shall not have to go hungry again."

The child nodded, a slight sheen coming into his eyes. He whispered a thank you, then turned and began to run away from them all, no doubt going straight home to share with his parents what he had been given.

"You are just as foolish, Fairglen," his mother snapped, showing not even the smallest amount of respect for Henry nor awareness of the company they were in. "No doubt that boy's father spends too much time in the tavern rather than looking for work as he ought. You have just given him cause to continue on in such a fashion."

"Miss Tidemore?" Henry ignored his mother completely, then smiled at his betrothed who was staring back at him with the very same astonishment in her eyes as the small boy had held in his. "Shall we return to the house now?"

She nodded and glanced to her friends, though Lady Eaveswood and Miss Grifford smiled and said they would also return to the house. After a moment, and a glance towards the Duchess, Miss Tidemore stepped forward and took his arm and Henry immediately turned to lead her back towards the carriage.

"I thank you for your kindness towards that boy, Your Grace," she said softly, though she did not look up at him. "He told me that his father fell from the roof and has yet to recover from his injuries. His mother has a fever also, so that is why there is a lack of food for the family. He says he is afraid that he will have to, one day, go to the orphanage." A question filled her voice and she glanced up at him. "Is there an orphanage here? Near your estate?"

Henry nodded. "Yes. The vicar and his wife have a very small orphanage here and do the best they can for the children." He cleared his throat, glancing behind him to where his mother was following after them, her face a mask of anger. "They receive funds from the estate to continue caring for the children."

"Oh, how wonderful to hear!" Miss Tidemore's voice was suddenly filled with a great excitement and Henry looked at her in surprise. Seeing his look, she flushed but then smiled as he helped her up into the carriage. "I spent time in one of the orphanages back in London, one which is sponsored by my aunt and uncle." Her voice grew softer still, her expression a little wistful. "I look forward to returning there so I might see Lilly again. I did tell her that I would return soon."

"Lilly?"

Miss Tidemore's eyes caught his, a flush in her cheeks as though she had only just realized how much she had expressed. "One of the children there. They are all precious, of course, and I was very glad to be able to be of aid to them in even a small way but Lilly was very special to me." Her shoulders dropped just a little and she looked away as the Duchess was then handed up into the carriage, the conversation between Henry and herself coming to a very swift end.

"I think that was handled very poorly," the Duchess stated, as she sat down. "I have already made my feelings on this very clear, have I not?"

Seeing the way that Miss Tidemore's shoulders dropped all the more and recalling how she had hung her head when she had been berated by his mother only a few minutes prior, Henry's anger began to bubble. This was not a situation that his mother needed to speak into and neither was it something she ought to continue speaking about, given what he had already said and done.

"Mother, if you continue speaking about this, I shall have no other choice but to stop the carriage and remove you from it."

The shock which leapt into his mother's eyes was so great, Henry almost wanted to laugh.

"I asked you to leave the situation as it was, telling you that I had no great concerns over Miss Tidemore speaking as she was to that child but yet you insisted on stepping out of the carriage and forcing your demands upon her," Henry continued, catching the way Miss Tidemore's head lifted as he spoke. "I was then forced to speak to you in the midst of that group and now, you continue to insist that your view of things is the correct one and that not only Miss Tidemore but also me myself should be railed against for it! Now, I will state this one more time and have no further discussion on the matter: I am grateful to Miss Tidemore for reminding me of what it is to be generous and kind-hearted. That is something I have forgotten and, truth be told, something that I ought not to have let fade from myself. To show generosity to those less fortunate is a blessing and a generous, considerate heart is something I should certainly hope would be present in the lady I call Duchess. Therefore, Mother, I shall not hear another word against Miss Tidemore's actions and nor shall I hear it against myself either." So saying, he turned to Miss Tidemore and smiled, seeing how a red flush was beginning to spread out across her cheeks. "Miss Tidemore, if you should like, I would be glad to take you to the orphanage and introduce you to the vicar and his wife." He heard a slight squeak of obvious protest from his mother but ignored it, looking to Miss Tidemore with a slight lift to his eyebrow.

"Now?" she asked, as he nodded.

"Yes, it is on the way home and the carriage can continue to the estate to take my mother there before it returns for us. That should give us ample opportunity to see the orphanage."

A tiny smile lifted the edges of her lips, her eyes sparkling with an obvious delight. It made Henry's heart lurch, her beauty becoming all the more evident to him. "I should like that very much."

"Good." A little disconcerted by what he felt, Henry moved to speak to the driver before settling back into his seat again. Rapping on the roof, he waited for the carriage to begin its journey towards the orphanage before daring a glance at his mother.

The Duchess was not looking at him. Rather, she was looking steadfastly out of the window opposite, her hands clasped tightly in her lap – so tightly, in fact, they had gone white. The icy anger which came from her was almost palpable though, when Henry's eyes went to Miss Tidemore, he felt that feeling fade. She was clearly delighted at where they were going, her eyes still filled with joy and her lips still curved into a smile. As Henry watched her, he felt something shift within him, something coming to life again which had laid long dead for a very long time indeed.

What it was, Henry could not quite say but it was as though a fresh heat had begun to fire through him, seeking to burn up his anger, his distrust and his fears.

The only question was whether he would let it.