Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

R obert watched the rain pour outside his window as he shrugged on his greatcoat. It was old and worn, and had been his father’s, but it still served as a worthy protection against rain and snow.

“Are you certain it was for today?” Robert asked his daughter.

“Yes, Kitty agreed. We still need to practice for Mrs. Fezziwig’s ball.”

He didn’t want to traipse his daughter around in the poor weather in case she caught cold, and he didn’t know if Fred could come sit with the girls for their music lesson, but he didn’t want to let Martha down, not if he could help it. “Very well. Cover up tight with your coat and scarf. I’ll get the umbrella.”

“Tim and I will stay here,” Mrs. Rosemont said, patting the lad on the shoulder. “We’ll do just fine on our own, won’t we?”

Tim nodded firmly, waving as they walked out the door.

“And we’ll be able to go visit the Dilbers afterward, won’t we?” Martha asked.

“I do not know. Perhaps not in this weather. But I must go to check on this little boy in the next town over who broke his leg, so it might be too late in the day when I return.”

Martha simply nodded, holding onto the umbrella to shield her from the elements.

It was only a light rain that dampened their path and created puddles in the lane before them, but it was cold and windy enough to miss the warmth of their home.

After the mile walk, they passed Longford Manor and arrived at the rectory, knocking on the front door. Kitty answered almost immediately, but Fred was nowhere to be seen.

“Is your father home, Kitty?” Robert asked, glancing inside.

“No, he’s off visiting Mr. Sims,” she answered.

Robert cringed. He had been expecting to drop Martha off with them so he could sit with the girls.

“Everything all right, Robert?” Lily spoke up, appearing behind the door with a hand on her large belly.

“Well, I… I didn’t realize Fred wouldn’t be at home. I thought he would go sit with the girls today for their music time, as I have other visits to make as well.”

Lily shrugged. “Perhaps I can go.”

“No, not in your condition. I would not have you exert yourself for something like this. And especially not with Hannah in tow. Caroline is not the patient sort with children.”

“I suppose not.” Lily spoke slowly, then looked up again. “Even if she isn’t, perhaps she can learn. Can she not watch the girls herself?”

Robert ground his jaw. He didn’t want it to come to this, but it seemed he had no choice. “I suppose I will have to ask.”

Lily reached out, placing a hand on Robert’s arm. “Perhaps it would be good for both of you, and it could lead to some of the change we spoke of before.”

Change? Robert had noticed changes in Caroline, but he couldn’t give it too much value or let it mean anything, or his entire perspective of her and the world would be changed as well. He had to protect his heart, didn’t he?

Robert shook his head without offering a response. “Fred said I could borrow a horse for my trip to the neighboring village, so I’ll deliver the girls and return for the horse.” Then he wrapped his arms around Kitty and Martha and said, “Come along, then.”

He escorted them around the corner to Longford Manor and up the long walkway to knock on the door. The butler opened the door and welcomed them inside from the cold, but Robert lingered, pulling off his hat in the doorway. “Is Mrs. Marley at home?”

Caroline appeared in the corridor then, her eyes brightening when they fell on him. “Good day, girls. Do come in, Robert.”

He swallowed with difficulty before letting a breath out through his nose. “Actually, I can’t stay. There’s a patient I need to check on, and Fred is out on visits of his own. Would it be a problem for you to sit with the girls instead?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I was curious to know how they fared with preparation for Mrs. Fezziwig’s ball.” She gave the girls a teasing side glance, making Kitty and Martha giggle.

Relief softened his tense shoulders. “Thank you, Caroline. I do not mean to impose on your time, but… at least for the afternoon, I’m entrusting them to your care.”

She did not miss his word choice. Realization dawned as her dark eyes widened and her lips parted in a small O. Then she gave a light smile. “Thank you, Robert. I will see that your trust is not misplaced.”

Robert bowed in parting. “I don’t know when I will return, but depending on the rain and the travel, it shouldn’t be long.”

“But what about the Dilbers?” Martha reminded him.

“If you like,” Caroline said, “I can take them to visit the Dilbers myself, and see the girls home in my carriage to keep them safe from the elements.”

This was quite a generous offer, and more unexpected activities from her. “Are you familiar with the Dilber family? They are less fortunate—”

Caroline waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, I know who they are. I will see it all handled. Do not worry yourself.”

An unfamiliar burning blossomed in Robert’s chest, one that he quickly discerned was not from heart failure or indigestion. This was an emotional reaction to Caroline, her sudden smile and her eagerness to help. She was not reverting to the old Caroline he used to know but becoming someone new altogether. Perhaps the change Lily mentioned had begun taking place. He needed to tread carefully now, lest the feeling in his chest turn into something more vibrant and real than he could handle.

“How does it sound, Aunt Caroline?” Kitty asked with wide, desperate eyes.

Caroline pursed her lips, uncertain how to best deliver her judgment without discouraging them. “Well, I do think the piece does require more time and effort, but I must say, I am impressed with how quickly you have learned the music. It is far beyond your age, that much is certain.”

Both girls beamed up at her from the piano, and Caroline found she could not stifle a smile herself.

The grandfather clock sounded the hour, announcing the end of their practice.

“Does that mean it’s time to leave?” Kitty asked.

“It does indeed. I have my carriage already prepared for the journey home.”

“But we can still go visit the Dilbers before we see Kitty home?” Martha asked. “Clarice is a friend of the both of us, and she has not come to church in some time.”

“Yes, of course,” Caroline said with a nod. “Only bundle up first. It’s still wet and chilly outside.”

The girls followed Caroline to the front entryway and readied themselves with coats and scarves, then stepped out into the cold, hurrying toward the carriage. They both admired the interior with awe, and Caroline suppressed her amusement as she instructed the driver where to go.

However, upon arriving at the Dilber residence, Caroline gasped. The sight of their home was not just distasteful, but terrifying. The shack of a house had missing windowpanes and holes in the thatch roof, and the overall status of the property was left severely wanting.

Despite the desire that had brought her here, Caroline found she could not leave the carriage. As the girls stepped down, she fiercely whispered after them, “Be sure to cover your mouth with a kerchief if they’re ill!”

And sure enough, after they knocked on the door, two young children answered, dressed in patchy longshirts, without stockings or shoes, and more ill-favored and desperate than Robert’s or Fred’s children to be sure.

They did not need mere baskets. They needed massive interference just in order to survive.

Caroline’s first reaction was that of disapproval. How could a family let their circumstances come to this? Especially with six children that required sustaining. She felt as she always did when looking down at the poor—from a position of superiority. It was just the sort of thing that was below her, below people like the Duke of Rothes. She could imagine just what he would say if he saw their situation, or if he saw her here.

But that perspective was quickly squashed when she thought of Robert and Fred. How often did they run to the aid of others, regardless of how it came to be? She thought of Mrs. Fezziwig, who despite having a fortune to spend on herself, was instead constantly looking for opportunities to serve, to give.

To love, as her aunt had said.

Was this not the sort of thing that would change Robert’s perspective of her? Would this sort of thing help her earn back his good opinion?

His doubts of “to what end” marched around in her mind, but she didn’t linger on that. She wanted to try. To become the sort of woman that he would admire. Her money and confidence did nothing to impress him. But if she could learn to see beyond herself, truly and not just to check off Aunt Fanny’s list, and not just for show as so many in London did, then perhaps she could win back his respect. That would be more satisfying than any amount of inheritance.

But it wouldn’t start today. No matter how she willed herself to step outside the carriage and look upon the Dilber family with some sort of compassion, it was not in her. At least, not yet.

Eventually, Martha and Kitty returned to the carriage, waving to their young friends standing in the doorway.

“Good evening!” Martha called.

One young girl smiled with a sparkle in her eye and shouted something that Caroline could not make out before she ducked back into the house and closed the door.

“What did she say?” Caroline asked.

“She said the carriage is very beautiful,” Martha explained, looking around the interior with admiration. “And it is very fine, indeed.”

Something about their assessment left Caroline uncomfortable, but she decided to ignore it. “How fare the poor dears?” she asked instead, and to her own surprise, her voice was not full of judgment or disdain.

“As well as can be expected,” Kitty said with a sigh. “Papa asked that I check on them and let him know how they can be supported by the church fund. Most of them have recovered from the illness, but they likely won’t be able to attend Mrs. Fezziwig’s party, for they have nothing to wear.”

Caroline nodded. It was a dismal situation indeed.

The carriage delivered Kitty home first, and then Martha to her house, leaving Caroline to wonder when Robert would return. He had entrusted her with the care of these girls, and she had followed through on her part, but the deed was not accomplished yet. This one small act would not be enough in order to finally be in good standing.

But she couldn’t think on that now, not with how the Dilber’s situation weighed on her. She had multiple thoughts flitting through her mind, and she didn’t know if they would be appropriate or acceptable. This whole idea of giving was still so foreign, and she didn’t know what to do with it. But she knew there was one woman who could help, the most giving and charitable person she knew, so just before reaching home, she had the driver turn the carriage around.

Once they arrived at Mrs. Fezziwig’s house, Caroline knocked on the door and was shown into the drawing room. Upon greeting Mrs. Fezziwig after her surprised welcome, Caroline said, “I have an idea.”