Chapter 2

We Must Go

As soon as they returned, Mr. Sanders informed Muriel that Lady McDonnell was inquiring after her, so she went up the stairs and knocked on Mama's bedchamber door; then entered. "Muriel, where did you go?" She was in bed. Muriel saw no book, no food stuffs, and wondered was she only now waking from a nap or was she preparing for one? It seemed that was all she did while they were at Willow Bend Estate.

"Mama, I told you I would be going to go speak with the solicitor today. I don't like him, Mama. Papa could not have known him. Do you know who recommended him? I would like to speak with them."

"Oh, darling, I am unable to recall that sort of thing. I am unsure if Papa even mentioned it."

Muriel should have known better than to even ask. Mother was such a beautiful woman. She was petite as Muriel, with beautiful blue eyes and luscious long blonde hair. Mama had always prided herself on maintaining her appearance but since Papa died, she has been disinterested with her person. Muriel thought that since they had returned to Town, perhaps she and Amina could convince Mama to reach out to some of her Bosom Bows.

"Mama, would you come down to the drawing room with me? I am about to order tea. I will find Amina and Rosa and have them come down. I think I would like something besides scones and biscuits. What about meat cakes or fruit tarts?"

"Will you see to it, darling. I am utterly too exhausted from the trip.

"Mama, the solicitor is going to come by this evening to discuss the will." She walked over and sat down next to her. She reached for her mother's hand. "Mama I want you to meet with him. I think he may be more apt to discuss the will with you in the room. He feigned that he did not recall the particulars which I failed to believe."

"Oh, Muriel, I think I need to rest. I am not ready to discuss the will with anyone. Now, will you kindly have the maid bring the tea to my bedchamber? Thank you dear."

"Yes, Mama." Muriel hoped Mama would be able to get back to normal by returning to Town. It was only the first day.

She went downstairs to the small drawing room and used the bellpull. When Mr. Sanders entered, she asked if he would have someone go upstairs and request Rosa and Amina to come down for tea. "Please tell Cook we would like fruit tarts as well as biscuits and scones." She turned to sit down, then stopped Mr. Sanders. "Lady McDonnell would like her tea sent to her bedchamber." As she went to sit down, she heard a ruckus toward the front door. "What is happening?"

She heard a young male voice. "Mama! Sister! Where are you?" It was her brother, Curtis. She heard him as he ran up the stairs to Mama's bedchamber. Muriel went back up to Mama's bedchamber. As she approached the room, it sounded like she was sobbing. Oh, dear.

Curtis was sitting on the bed next to Mama with his arms around her. "Mama, I did not come home to see you cry. Please Mama." She had her head on his shoulder and continued to cry. When Muriel walked into the room, Curtis looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders. He needed help.

"Mama, here." She reached in her pocket and handed her a kerchief. "Here, Mama. Look, take this." She finally raised her head and took the kerchief.

"Thank you darling. It–it was such a–a shock." She put her hand on Curtis's face. "You look so much like your–your father."

"Mama, I am sorry. I would not have come if I knew this would be your reaction." Curtis was unaware his mother had continued to be emotional.

"No, no. I'm so sorry. It was such a shock." She attempted to calm herself. "So, you are supposed to be at school. What are you doing here?"

Curtis almost bolted off the bed and walked over to Muriel. "Do you know who is at the Drury Lane Theatre Royale?" He gave her no chance for a response. "It is John Kemple! John Kemple! He is performing the Shakespearian play, Coriolanus. I got tickets! Two tickets, Sister. And it is the grand opening of the new theatre. You have to go with me." He was ecstatic. "You must accompany me. You must!"

Muriel was happy to see her brother so excited. As she looked at him, Mama was right. He was beginning to look much like Papa. He was growing tall with blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes. He had the same smile and exuberance that Papa had. It was good to see him home even if he left school to be here.

"Curtis, are you going to be in trouble for leaving? I would not want that." When she first saw him, she feared he had been expelled from school. They were behind on the payments to Eton, She worried at some point; the credit would be cut off. She wished to ignore it for now. Her brother was home, and she wanted to enjoy his company.

"No, no." Curtis shook his head. "It is Friday. It is alright that I left. I must be back Monday in time for class. Worry not, it is fine if I occasionally leave for the weekend." Muriel was glad to hear that. She did not need anything more for Mama to worry over.

Rosa and Amina walked into Mama's room. "I thought I heard your voice!" Amina held her arms out for Curtis. Curtis walked into her as she enveloped him with her arms. She was with Mama when both Curtis and Muriel were born. If anyone was a second mother, it was Amina. She was short, like Mama, a bit more stout, and she loved Curtis and Muriel as much as she loved Rosa. It was a unique but beautiful little family. And it was all because of Grandpapa.

Years ago, Grandpapa had gone to Jamaica to investigate the

possibility of investing in sugar plantations. When he realized the deplorable conditions of the workers, who were actually slaves, he refused to put a quid into such a business. He was sitting on the porch at the main house where he was staying, waiting until it was time to catch the next scheduled ship for home when he spied a little girl that was hiding behind a tree close to the house.

"Hello! You are a pretty little girl. What are you doing hiding behind that tree? Please come close and talk to me." He smiled at her and she must have thought he was a nice man because she walked closer to the porch. "What is your name?" He had a better view of her and could see she was dirty with scant clothes and bare feet.

"My name–I think it is Amina. That was my mama's name." He caught her word, ‘Was'. "Where is your mama?"

"She is with the angels. She is happy now. She wanted me to be happy too."

He was beginning to feel very disheartened. "And are you happy? Perhaps, your Papa is caring for you and will make you a happy girl."

"My papa is gone." Was she alone? "Where did he go?" He almost dreaded to hear.

"They took him. He wanted to stay with me." She paused. "They beat him and he had to leave." Oh, my god. What was to happen to this little girl? As he looked at her, he saw his little daughter Marie.

This little girl was about Marie's age. What would happen to Marie if her mama died, and he was beaten and taken from her. "Who takes care of you?"

"Takes care? I don't know that–what is that?" His heart wanted to break. "Who feeds you? Who puts clothes on you? Where do you sleep?"

"Sometimes other ladies feed me. I don't know about clothes. I sleep on the floor in one of the cabins. If someone will let me."

It was a quick decision. He had no need to check with his wife, Josaphine. "I live in a very nice house in a beautiful country. It lets little girls eat at a table, get new clothes with shoes, and sleep in a comfortable bed. Would you like that?"

"I would like to eat. I have never had things for my feet and I have never heard the word ‘bed' so do you think I would like it?"

He smiled at her. "I think you would love it. You would have another little girl to play with. You would never have to sleep on the floor. Would you like to come with me? I would love for you to come with me. I think I could fulfill your mama's hope for you to be happy." He could see her thinking it over. It had to be difficult to leave a place, even this horrible place for someplace she had never seen or even heard of. "I think you would like it very much."

"If you think it will make my mama happy, I will go." He found himself feeling relieved. When he looked at her, he realized he would never be able to get her on a ship with her looking like that–he would have to find clothes for her.

Grandpapa never explained how he got her out of Jamaica. He took Amina with him. Once he got her home to Norwich, and introduced her to Grandmother Josaphine, Amina was immediately accepted as another child.

The five of them sat in Mama's room and enjoyed the tea and fruit tarts while Curtis talked about everything that was going on at school. He was enjoying the subjects he was taking and doing well with his studies. "So, what time does the play begin?" Muriel was thinking about the solicitor that would be coming.

"The play starts at seven o'clock, so we must leave by quarter after six. The queue will be long because the actor of all actors is performing. And since this is the first performance, it will be a crush. We must leave early."

"Oh, dear, brother. I have the solicitor coming tonight. He said he would be here between six and seven o'clock. I must meet with him. I think it would be helpful for you to meet with this man as well. I don't trust him. His payments to us have been delinquent or not at all. It has caused multiple problems for the Willow Bend Estate and here, as well. I think it would be very helpful for you to meet with him along with Mama and me." Curtis was fourteen, old enough to marry with parents' consent, but is not old enough to oversee Papa's will. It was beyond ridiculous to Muriel that Mama was not allowed the position. As it currently was in a male-dominated society, that was the law, as absurd as it was. So they were going to have to deal with this Herbert.

"I tell you what I will do. What time is it now?" Curtis looked at everyone in the room with blank stares looking back at him. "Mr. Sanders!" Curtis called out.

"Yes, Lord Curtis? May I be of service?" It was as if Mr. Sanders was right outside the door.

"Yes...what time is it?"

"'Tis three-thirty, my lord."

"Alright, sister, you have this solicitor's address, yes? "

"Yes, what are you thinking?"

"I'm going to write a missive to this man. I will sign it and use my signet telling him he must be here by five o'clock or we must cancel the appointment until tomorrow afternoon at teatime. I will have the footman wait for a response. How does that sound? And we shall go to the theatre!"

"Excellent idea, Curtis. Go downstairs and into Papa's study, and address it to Mr. Herbert Trenchard, 107 Cheapside. And make sure you sign it ‘Lord Curtis McDonnell, Fifth Earl of Norfolk'." Muriel's opinion of the solicitor was not hidden from Curtis.

"Should I address the man as Herbert?" Curtis laughed at Muriel's emphasis on the man's first name. "I take it he did not make a very good impression."

"He most certainly did not." Rosa agreed. There was something about the man that gave her a very bad feeling.

"Curtis, do you have any idea who recommended this solicitor to Papa? He knew so many barristers I would have thought he could have had a friend write the will for him."

"I think he did tell me. Let me think about it. I will try to remember. Worry not, sister. Let your brother take care of it." He winked at her, then left the room to go to Papa's study .

Chapter 3

Drury Lane Theatre Royale

It was as Curtis predicted; coaches were lined up for a mile. "Do you think we should walk the rest of the way?" Curtis was worried they would be late for the first act. He had spent four shillings to see the premier performance, and he did not want to be late. That was more than he could afford with his paltry monthly allowance.

She felt a bit guilty for leaving Mama, yet she knew Mama would have refused to attend and Amina was there to look after her and keep her company.

This was the opening of the new Drury Lane Theatre Royale, owned in part by Richard Sheridan, the famous playwright. They pulled up to see a rather expansive saloon leading to the entrance. There were sixteen Doric pillars supporting the back boxes which led to staircases on each end.

"This is the most opulent place I have ever seen. Are you well impressed, Sister?" Curtis was too busy noticing all the surroundings to pay heed to her response. "We need to find our seats. I think the lights are going to be dimmed any minute."

"Well, lead the way, Curtis. I have no idea where we are going." Muriel held on to Curtis' hand, too busy looking at the theatre itself to realize she was also the object of observation.

"How did you talk us into this? It is crowded and there is such a cacophony of voices, I can hardly hear myself speak." Martin was rarely a theatre goer and only going if there was a comedy, which he knew this play was not.

"If you are unable to recall, perhaps I should remind you that I promised to pay for your drinks after we took Mother back home." Henry wondered if Martin and Fred remembered the agreement.

Martin leaned to Henry. "You failed to mention the ‘entertainment' as well." He elbowed Henry, knowing well that Henry had held that part back due to his mother's presence. Martin would not have forgotten the ‘entertainment'.

"Damn, I knew you would remember that part of the agreement." He gave Martin a sly grin. Henry was not going to welch on his agreement. Martin would never forget anything related to Temple of Venus. Henry was also sure that Martin would get into a card game and sweep the table. In which case, Martin would most likely pay for the evening. Henry owed Martin and Fred so much. They had helped him build up his wealth through their advice. Martin and Fred had a largesse nature that had supported him with the financial advice that most in the peerage would not.

"What is everyone looking at down there?" Henry asked as he searched for the object of attention. Martin and Fred looked down at the gallery. "I see! Wow! No wonder!" Henry began to ogle. "Do you see her?"

"Where? Henry, get your Mother's lorgnette." Henry spoke to his mother, took the lorgnette and pointed it in the direction of the men's eyes.

"Oh, she is beautiful. I have never seen her before.

"Give me those." Martin focused the lorgnette and there she was...almost ethereal; sylphlike. She had on a powder blue empire dress with puffed sleeves and a most impressive décolletage with ample bosom. As Martin watched her struggling to get through the crowd, he was able to better appreciate the beauty of her hair; it was alluring, angelic. He wondered what would it look like with all the pins out and her hair down around her shoulders and back. He considered that it would look even better wrapped around him. "Who is she? Who is that young man she is with?"

"Give me those before she disappears into the gallery." Fred wanted a better look himself. "I have never seen her before. If she is sitting in the gallery, she must not be of the peerage. Then, it is interesting, for the way she is dressed, she must be from some wealth." When he lowered the lorgnette, he was aware that Henry, Martin, and he were not the only ones admiring her frame. "Martin, whoever she may be, she has certainly gained the attention of the males in the theatre."

"I think she may be some kind of apparition. No one looks that–that–what?" Martin was unable to even think of a word to describe her.

"Beautiful, Martin. The word is beautiful. And I really don't think she is an apparition. How would you explain her companion?" He swatted Martin with the program. "You seem smitten with that apparition, Martin. I have never seen you so fascinated with an unknown lady. Let me feel your forehead." He reached over and put his hand on Martin's forehead. "No...no fever. Maybe you are becoming delusional."

"Merely intrigued, Fred. Merely intrigued." He wondered how he could find her. Martin was tall enough to see over a crowd. It could still be problematic as she was rather petite. If he left early and stood by the gallery exit, perhaps he would be able to find her. "Henry, I'm going to leave the box early. I want to get downstairs."

"So, you are going to look for her." Fred had known Martin since they were tykes. When Martin was interested in something, he would doggedly pursue it.

"Damnit, Fred. Must you know me so well!"

During both intermissions, Martin, Fred, Henry, and a majority of the males at the theatre watched for Miss Apparition. The sad thing was that no one saw even a trace of her.

"Sister, would you like something to drink? I'm unsure if I can bring anything back. If you want something, I can try."

"No, Curtis, I'm fine. You go ahead. Do you have enough money to purchase a drink?"

"I have enough." He gave her a little pat to her shoulder with a big grin.

"Go on then, before it is too late. You may never find your seat again." While he went for a refreshment, she enjoyed the surroundings. She looked up to notice a turret through the high roof, which she assumed was for ventilation. She heard noises going on behind the curtain. She read that the new theatre had machinery to change the scenery and sets. Very likely, that was the cause of the noise. She looked around at the people that had attended and found it interesting to see such a wide variety. People in boxes seemed to be much better dressed than the audience in the gallery. She knew it was due to the disparity in income. She could easily see that many seated in the gallery were likely dressed as nicely as they were able.

She saw Curtis struggling to get through the row to get back to his seat. She could hear him. "Excuse me." Excuse me, please.' "So sorry." She had to look away so as not to laugh.

"You made it. Was it very crowded downstairs?"

"It most assuredly was– I was fearful I would be crushed before I could get something to drink." He sat down. "Did you entertain yourself?"

"I did. I was admiring the new building. And the people."

He sat down and took a breath. "You know what happened to me while I was downstairs?"

"I can hardly imagine." She watched his eyes. So like Papa's.

"I had two different men, at two different times, come up and ask me if I was with the lady in the powder blue dress. Can you imagine? I was taken aback when the first gentleman approached me. I was most befuddled when the second gentleman approached."

"That is all they asked? That was peculiar.

"If you were with me."

"I think that is rather curious." Muriel could not imagine what would possess a gentleman to approach a stranger and ask such a question. "How gauche."

"That was my thought. The first gentleman asked if we were betrothed. I told him I would most certainly not respond to the questions of a complete stranger."

"You did the right thing, Curtis."

"There are all kinds of people that attend the theatre. My roommate told me that many come to the theatre to meet, see, and be seen. I never heard that before. Have you ever heard that?" That sounded more like vanity.

"No, of course not." What a waste of money to come to the theatre only to see and be seen. "It sounds most superficial." The thought that men were asking of her was disconcerting. She knew that she was an attractive lady, yet never thought she was anything special. Her mother was the beauty, so Muriel knew quite well what a beautiful woman looked like and it was not her.

Martin almost fell asleep through the play. He could not think of anything he would want to do less than sit through a Shakespearian drama.He knew it was almost over as he leaned over to Fred, "I'm going to head toward the exit. Tell Henry." Fred nodded.

"Martin, this is not fair. I must stay with Mother while you go in pursuit of Miss Apparition." Henry was stuck with Mama.

"I can't be blamed for you bringing your mother to the play. Sorry, my friend." When he stood, Fred stood with him.

"You won't go to find this ethereal beauty without me." Martin wondered how many men would be standing at the exit from the gallery. It mattered very little to Martin. He was taller, stronger, and much more persistent. He had every confidence, if she was coming down to the exit from the gallery, he would find her.

Curtis whispered to Muriel. "After the play, I would like to at least try to get backstage to meet Mr. Kemble. It would be so exciting to meet him."

"That is fine with me, Curtis. Tomorrow is Saturday. The only thing we have to do is meet with this Trenchard fellow."

"We need to get through the crowd. Once we get to the end of the row, we can head towards the front. I'm unsure how to get there. I would think if we start walking toward the front, we will find the way to backstage."

"Curtis, there is probably going to be quite a crowd of people backstage. You are sure you want to try?"

"Yes, of course. Keep moving, Sister." They were moving against the crowd so it was much more difficult to get through them.

"I think I would like to see the actors up close while they still have their make-up and costumes on. How fun." He held tightly to her hand.

"Are you sure we are going in the right direction, Curtis? I think we need to go down and then to the front."

"Keep walking." By the time he figured that they were going the wrong way, most of the crowd had made it out of the building. They went down, then walked toward the front.

As they walked, they heard someone calling from one of the boxes. It was a male voice. "Hello?" Muriel and Curtis both looked up. "My friends and I would sincerely love to meet you. Could we do that?"

"Muriel, don't look up there. Keep walking. You hear me?"

But Muriel did look up. She thought the gentleman amusing. She smiled at him. He was standing with an older woman, probably his mother. She smiled, waved, and kept walking. "I shan't say anything to him. Besides, he seemed friendly enough. It is sweet that he brought his momma to the theatre. She probably likes that same actor, John Kemble, you do."

"Sister, I can't help but worry over you. Being a female in a man's world is very difficult. The older I get, the more I see the disparity."

"Well, thank you for that. Even though, I like being a lady."

"Ah, here are the steps to the stage." He was so excited at the possibility of having a chance to see the great John Kemble, he was paying very little attention to anything else. They were behind the curtain when Muriel heard that same sound she heard during intermission. She recognized that machinery was moving the sets and scenery.

"Curtis! Look out!" The scenery swung in the direction of Curtis. It hit him hard and he went down. "Curtis, Curtis!" Muriel bent down by him. Curtis had passed out. Stagehands ran towards Muriel. "It is my brother. The scenery knocked him down. He has passed out. Does the theatre have a doctor?"

"No, Miss. Can we do something to assist?" With no physician on-site, the only alternative she had was to find their coach.

"Is there an exit in the back?"

"Yes, Miss."

"If I can find our coach and get it around to the back, could you be so kind as to carry him out so I can get him home and message our family physician. If he should regain consciousness, please tell him I have gone to get the coach."

"Yes, Miss. We will be happy to help you with that." She looked over to notice three men that were standing back while the one man spoke with Muriel. "Michael, go open the back door so the coachman will see it when he pulls around."

Muriel was so relieved to have the help. "Thank you so much. I will be back as soon as I find the coach. You have been very kind to help my brother and me." The four men smiled and nodded their heads in unison. She ran down the steps, up the aisle, and out onto the large saloon. By the time she got outside, there were only three or four coaches. As soon as she stepped out, her coachman immediately rode up to fetch her.

Before Jimmy could say anything, Muriel was short of breath. "Curtis has been injured. We must go around to the back of the theatre to get to him. There are stagehands that will carry him out. We must get him home."

"Yes, my lady. Right away." He helped her into the coach, then got back up on the coachman's seat and quickly moved the coach to the back of the building. It was maybe a minute; Muriel was so worried about Curtis, it felt like hours before they noticed the open door and Jimmy stopped. "Do you want to wait here?"

"No, please, Jimmy, assist me out." He helped her out and followed. "Come quickly." She ran to the back door and through the backstage to find her brother still unconscious. "Gentlemen, has he moved or spoken, anything?"

"No Miss. Is your coach by the back door?"

"Yes, thank you so very much for your help. My coachman is strong but I don't believe he could have carried my brother by himself."

"My Lady, you should go ahead of us so we have one less person to worry over. It is getting too chilly for you to be standing in the cold." Jimmy saw Muriel had no heavy wrap.

"Yes, you are right. I will go down and open the coach door."

"That would be very helpful, Lady Muriel." Muriel ran out the back door and had the cabin door open, ready for her brother. As they brought him down toward the coach, Jimmy spoke to Muriel again. "Please step aside, Lady Muriel. We need to get him inside." One of the men entered the coach and helped to pull Curtis inside as two other men held his body and legs. "He is in, Lady Muriel. We need to get him home."

"Gentlemen, thank you again. I could not have done anything without your generous help."

They had heard her coachman use her name a few times. "We were pleased to be able to assist you, Lady Muriel. We hope it is nothing serious."

"I hope that as well. Thank you again." Jimmy helped her into the coach, got up on the coachman's seat, and they rode through the streets with expediency.

Martin was standing by the Windham coach with Fred when Henry and his mother finally came out. "You missed her, Martin. I spoke to her."

Martin wanted to kick himself. How was it that Henry spoke to Miss Apparition and he was not even able to get another glimpse of her. "What did you say to her? What did she say to you? Out with it."

"Calm down Martin. Mother and I were still in the box when I spied her with the young man going toward the stage. I called out to her and she looked up at me. I said that my friends and I would love to meet her and where might we be able to do that. I heard the male say something to her. She smiled at me and waved. That was it."

"Damn! I wonder if she might have known someone backstage." He was turning around with a vacuous look. They were waiting for him to say something. "You go on. I'm going to go inside and see if the actors are still backstage."

"Martin, seriously? Come with us. She is very likely not even there. We can take Mother home, then go to our club," Henry winked at Martin at the word ‘club,' "and enjoy a scotch."

"No, you go on. I will hire a hackney and meet you at the club. " He turned around and walked back toward the entry. He looked around. Walked down the aisle. Toward the stage. He walked up the steps and went around the curtain to hear men talking. As he got closer, he overheard them speaking about a beautiful lady. "Hello, gentlemen. I overheard you speaking about a beauty. Did she have beautiful blonde hair. Wore a powder blue dress?"

"Oh, yes. She should be on the stage. I don't care if she can act or not. I would pay to see her if she stood there for an hour." The spokesman was quite impressed by her.

"And she was so nice, polite. She called us gentlemen like you did. Man, she was pretty. I couldn't even talk. I was too afraid to say anything." Evidently, all four were impressed.

"Was she here to meet someone from the play?" He was hoping she was not. She could not be an actor's lady.

"We don't know why she was back here. Her brother got hit by one of the sets that was on a pulley. It hit him and he went down. She asked if we would help her. Hell, I woulda' helped her if she asked me to dig her a ditch. And she had a nice set, you know." He raised his hands to his chest and moved them both up and down. God, how disgusting. Martin was not going to say a word as he wanted to get every bit of information from them.

"Did she introduce herself?" Give me a name, give me a name.

"No, my lord, she did not, but when her coachman came in to help us carry her brother out, he kept calling her Lady Muriel."

"Nothing else?" He thought for a second. "What of her brother. Did she tell you his name?" The smallest one spoke up. "She might have but I was so taken by her, I couldn't tell you if she did."

"Yes–we were all taken with her. Wow!" The three others all said they never heard her brother's name.

"I thank you gentlemen, for the information. It is greatly appreciated." With that he gave them a short bow, turned and left.

Martin made it to Temple of Venus, shortly after Fred and Henry had arrived. He tried the bar first and there they sat, drinking a scotch. "Did you order one for me?" He kicked Fred's chair before he sat down.

"That can easily be done." Fred waved his hand at the bar wench. "Did you find Miss Apparition?

Talk to her?"

"No, however, I did get a name. Lady Muriel."

"Lady Muriel what?" Henry leaned in. He was most interested in the apparition; as were many others at the theatre .

"That was all I could get out of the stage hands, Lady Muriel."

"Bloody hell, Martin. A most unusual name. Even with that, there are almost a million people in Town. I fear your information is not much help." Henry flicked his wrist. "It matters very little to me. I find I'm in need of more personal attention. Gentlemen, I will see you on the morrow. Just put the charges on me." Henry stood to walk in the direction of the private rooms, then quickly he sat back down "Damn–look who has graced us with his presence."

Martin turned in his chair to see an Eton foe, Michael Crumb. He was rather tall, rather thin, with dark brown hair and green eyes. He was a nice looking man. There was no need for him to be a...crumb, except he was. His father was a lowly Baron, which made Michael Crumb...an idiot. His name could not be more germane. He would cheat on tests, steal books and essays, and spread lies about fellow students he wished to harm. He would not confront anyone or fight because he was absolutely not good at it. What he was good at was spreading lies. He was careful not to spew his smut around the Four Horsemen for fear of confrontation. None of the four initiated any physical altercation. The four always ignored Crumb. The ‘incident' that graduated Michael from an irritation to an unscrupulous bastard was during their last year at Eton. Ralph Sloan, the Marquess of Wessex had a lovely younger sister, Ada, that came to visit Ralph one spring weekend. She wanted to see the Royal family's weekend home, Windsor Castle. She had traveled from London with her chambermaid for the visit. When Ralph took his sister around Eton to introduce her to some of his Eton comrades, Michael Crumb walked by and ogled her. Michael asked to be introduced to Ada. Ralph flatly refused. Ralph told his sister that Crumb was exactly that; he did not want Ada to make his acquaintance.

Ralph decided to walk Ada to the local village bakery. Crumb, having spied them, decided to follow. As it was a lovely day, Ada said she would wait outside while Ralph went in to pick out the pastries. Before she knew what was happening, Michael grabbed her, pulled her around to the side of the building, pushed her against the wall, roughly kissed her, pulled her dress up, then assaulted her. When Ralph came out and Ada was gone. She knew nothing about the area. She would not have wandered off. He started calling for her. When he walked to the side of the building, he could hear someone crying. He walked the length of the building and saw her behind the building, on the ground. He ran to her. She was dirty, shoes had small heels that were broken off, her hair had come down, her dress was hiked up, and it looked like her mouth was bruised. He asked who attacked her. She was too overset to speak. Ralph thought he could not have been in the bakery more than five or six minutes, at the most.

He helped her up. Took her back to the inn where she was staying and her chambermaid cleaned her up. When the chambermaid came out to speak with him, she reported that a boy from school had pulled her around the side of the bakery. He was rough. She had never been kissed and he had hurt her mouth. He had raised her dress and put his hands ‘down there'. He was unbuttoning his fall when Ralph started calling for her. He pushed her down and ran away. She recognized the attacker, yet she refused to tell her brother until he graduated. She feared what her brother would.do. By the time she identified Crumb, he had left school.

He was found in Town late one night, coming out of one of the less reputable houses of ill repute. Oddly, to Crumb's recollection, two men surprised him, beat him, and told him he deserved worse. Crumb told the magistrate that the men were tall and strong, however, that was all he could remember. He was extremely foxed. Fred and Martin were very sure Crumb had abused other women since the time he assaulted Ada.

Crumb eyed Fred and Martin at the table and sauntered over from the bar, sloughing ale from his stein as he approached them.

"Well, it is Crumb, the younger. You don't even rate a true title, Crumb the younger ." Fred wanted to taunt him.

"Crumb, I don't like you. If you walk away from the table now, I shan't hurt you. If you say one word, it will be my pleasure. Do as I say, Crumb. Walk away." Martin never even looked up as he spoke.

Fred and Martin resumed their conversation. Michael stood there, weaving back and forth while he considered his options. Even as far into his cups as he was, he had enough sense to listen and heed Martin's words. He staggered back to the bar, then became abusive to one of the bar wenches. Martin could hear the girl try to be diplomatic in her continued requests for him to let her go. As Crumb's words became more abusive, her voice raised and went from a request to pleas. Martin continued talking with Fred. Loudly, the girl told him, "Please!" Martin stood so quickly, the chair he was sitting in fell backward. He walked over to Crumb and put his hand on his neck.

"Let her go, you Crumb."

Crumb looked away from Martin and began groping the girl. Martin had one hand on Crumb's neck and grabbed his ear with the other. "Let her go or I will break your neck." He let her go.

"You don won me to hav aanny fun. Tha's right. Well, fuuck you."

Martin let go of Crumb's ear, grabbed a handful of hair, as he kept his hand on Crumb's neck. He led him to the front door. Every step or two, Martin would knee him in the arse. Martin used Crumb's head to open the front door. The doorman, Ernie, looked around, less than surprised. "My lord, I can take him from here. Thank you."

Martin still held on to him. "Give me a moment to say good night." Martin let go of him, then kicked him so hard, Crumb flew off the frontage and landed face down in the gravel. "Now, you may escort him to the sewer, or whatever he crawled out of."

Martin walked back into the bar area to a round of applause. He responded with a bow and walked back to the table, picked up his chair, and sat down.

Chapter 4

Oh, My Aching Head!

The footmen and Jimmy helped carry Curtis to his bedchamber as Muriel, Mama, Amina, and Rosa all hovered. Mama was already weeping as Amina put her arms around her and patted her. Muriel looked at Jimmy. "Go to Dr. Haynie's townhouse and bring him here. Tell him Curtis was hit hard and has been unconscious for approximately one hour."

"Yes, my lady. Right away." With that, he was gone.

"We need to get some of his clothes off of him. I was unable to see if he had a wound on his head. There was no blood on the floor when they lifted him at the theatre." Muriel wanted to, at the very least, get his topcoat, waistcoat, and cravat off of him.

"Lady Muriel, allow me to assist." Mr. Sanders did not wait for an answer. He went to the other side of the bed and began to remove his cravat. "We will have to lift him a bit to get his topcoat and waistcoat off. You hold his head and I will put one hand on his back. We will get these off of him.

"I'm very concerned. He has been unconscious much too long. I hope Dr. Haynie is home. I'm unsure what to do if he is not." She felt of his head. He had no visible bump. She had no idea what else to do.

"My baby–my baby." Mama was sobbing. After Muriel and Mr. Sanders had gotten Curtis's coats off, Mama suddenly hung on to him. Muriel patted her gently.

"Mama, come and sit. Curtis is not going anywhere. He is going to be fine. Dr. Haynie needs to see him. He will know what to do." Mama continued to sob over Curtis. "Please Mama. Come sit." She looked over at Amina who was standing back. Amina nodded; understanding.

"Come, Marie. Come over here and sit down with me. We will sit until Dr. Haynie comes." She took Marie's hand and led her to the couch that was against the sidewall. "There, now. This is better." She sat down with her and put her arm around Marie, trying to calm her.

Time always seemed to crawl when things like this happened. It felt like hours before Muriel heard the front door open and footfalls on the staircase. "My lady, the doctor." Jimmy was speaking to Muriel while looking at the bed. Curtis had not moved.

"Muriel, what has happened?" Dr. Haynie was a big man; tall, large, with thinning reddish hair and a heavily marked face, likely from chicken pox. He had a kindly, loving disposition, and a glorious hardy laugh. He was always affectionate with the McDonnell family.

"Oh, Dr. Haynie." She turned and laid her head on his large chest as his wrapped his bulky arms around her. He was still holding her as she looked up at him and began to explain what had happened .

"And he has never regained consciousness?"

"No...he has said nothing, nor moved, nor cried out. Nothing."

"Alright, you calm down, Muriel, and let me exam him." He walked over and began looking after Curtis. Everyone else in the room, save Mama, was completely quiet. The doctor asked Curtis to open his eyes with no response. He got down close to his face and shouted for him to open his eyes. He pinched him and received no response. He took a knuckle and rubbed hard on his chest. Curtis did react. They prayed he would be alright. It took about twenty minutes for Dr. Haynie to do a thorough examination. He walked over to the couch where all the ladies and Mr. Sanders were congregated. "His pupils are normal, breathing normal, he has some reaction to pain. He has not responded to commands and he has failed to move at all. He has a hematoma on the right side of his head. I would think by tomorrow, he should have some serious bruising along that side of his body. The major concern is him not waking. I think the smartest thing to do is to continue to talk to him. Not cry." He looked at Mama. "I'm sorry Marie, if he can hear you, crying won't help at all. Perhaps Muriel, Amina, and Rosa can sit with him. Take turns. Even Mr. Sanders, if he is so inclined. I will come first thing on the morrow and exam him again. Besides talking to him, you might want to pray. There is not much more I can do tonight. I'm sorry, ladies." He held his arms out, and they all stood and walked over to him to get a huge hug. He stepped back and repeated that he would see them on the morrow. Mr. Sanders walked him downstairs. Muriel heard some conversation downstairs between the two men, then Mr. Sanders called for Jimmy and the doctor left.

"Mama, you should go lay down. I will come to get you the minute Curtis does anything. Amina, you want to go with her. Maybe have some tea?" Muriel gave her no choice.

"Come Marie, we can put on our bed clothes and I will read to you. I think that sounds very good. Perhaps we can stay in your room and sleep together tonight. Would you like that?" Amina had a wonderful soul.

"Yes, I suppose you are right. I would like it if you stayed with me the night." Marie took Amina's hand and they stood. "Muriel, if anything changes, Amina and I will be in my bedchamber. " She walked over to Curtis and kissed his forehead. She squeezed Muriel's hand and left the room with Amina.

"Would you like to lie down here on this couch and I will read to Curtis for a while. We can take turns." Rosa loved to read. "You sit for a minute while I go down and find a book. What are his favorites? My mind is a bit muddled at the moment." They both pondered a moment. "I know–he loves Shakespeare. Let me go get one of the Shakespearian plays."

"Wait, Rosa. See if we have Coriolanus. That could be just the thing to stir him."

"Grand idea, Muriel." And she left for the library. Muriel stood and walked over to Curtis. "Curtis, you must awake. We are all so worried. You must wake and take care of this crazy family of women. Maybe, if you awake, we could go and seek out John Kemble. You could meet him and speak with him. We could go to the theatre again. We would purchase box seats. Would that not be wonderful! So, wake up brother. I'm at a loss. What could I say to wake you?"

Rosa returned with a book. "The library has a volume of Shakespeare. There are three plays, one being Coriolanus. With three plays, we can be reading for quite some time. Muriel, did you enjoy the play tonight?"

"Well, to be honest, that is my least favorite of Shakespeare's plays. Curtis was so anxious to see John Kemble, he did not care about the play as much as he wanted to see the actor. And I have to concur, he was very good. I rather enjoy Sheridan's plays, comedies, perhaps even a few dramas. For the most part, comedies are my choice."

"My choices as well. So, I will begin, brother Curtis. You hear me? Otherwise, I would not read this at all." She looked back at Muriel and smiled. "Sorry Curtis." She cleared her throat. "Ahem. ‘Aufidius, though I can't make true wars, I'll frame convenient peace'." As Rosa read on, Muriel laid on the couch and Curtis continued to do nothing.

The morning came with darkness in the room. And darkness in the hearts of the women in the McDonnell house. Curtis had done nothing throughout the night. Rosa had read the entire play of Coriolanus, and had started on Caesar, before Muriel woke up and took over. "Rosa, why did you not wake me? It must have been my turn hours ago. Give me the book and you lay down." Rosa did not argue. She immediately laid down on the couch.

"Muriel, you have the couch nice and warm. I will fall right to sleep."

"As you should." Muriel was unsure how long she had read to Curtis. It was difficult to tell with the drapes tightly closed. She yawned and continued. She wondered when Dr. Haynie would return, worried what he might say as Curtis had done nothing since he lost consciousness last night. It might have been twelve hours since he was hit yet it was still too long. She dozed in and out, found her place in the play, and resumed, very likely she read the same lines from Marc Antony several times. It was then that she heard the front door, male voices, and footfalls on the stairs.

"Good morning, Muriel. How is our patient this morning?" It was dear Dr. Haynie. She rubbed her eyes and stood.

"He is no different at all. We have been reading to him all night without any response. What should we do?"

"Well, darling girl, first, you need to find me some light. It is impossible to examine him with only your lamp. Could you open the curtains, not all the way; enough for me to be able to see him? Thank you, Muriel." He pulled the bedclothes back, took a pin out of his waistcoat and stuck the bottom of Curtis' foot. There was slight movement in that leg. "That is better than last night." He pulled his shirt up and with his knuckle, he drove it into Curtis's chest. He heard a groan. "That is much better than it was last night. He slapped his face, not hard; enough that Curtis slightly moved his head. "He is in there. He must come around within the next twelve hours or we may have an issue. We won't worry about that now. Is your mother still asleep?"

"Yes, doctor, I believe she must be or she would have been in here by now."

"Well, let her sleep. She must not worry about this--not yet. And you need to keep her calm. Curtis shan't be helped by her continued weeping. It is most stressful – for everyone; am I right, little one." It was not a question.

"Yes, sir. Quite stressful, indeed." Dr. Haynie had known the family for a long time. He could see how Lord McDonnell's death had put such a burden on Muriel. She had been worried about her mother and now Curtis. She was taking on too much; trying to keep the estate afloat, and get the money straight with the solicitor.

"At some point soon, we are going to have to talk about how to care for him. He can go without eating for some time. He will need water soon. He is reacting. We need him to wake. I'm going to see some other patients. Go home, see my lovely wife, eat, and I should be able to return before noon. We need to continue to watch him closely. Alright?"

"Alright, Dr. Haynie." She looked up at him. "I know he is in there. I think I hear him. It is only that he is not ready to wake. "

"I'm sure, Muriel." He hugged her.

"Thank you so much for coming. Is there anything else I can do besides reading to him?"

"Talk to him. Perhaps you and Rosa, when she wakes, can both talk to him about the things you all used to do when you were young. Anything that might reach him. I know you will continue to do the best you can. Now, save your worrying." He gave her another one of his bear hugs and gave her that great, endearing smile. "You remember to take care of yourself, little one." He released her from his grip and walked out the door. She sat back down by Curtis and reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Brother, I'm so tired. I need to sleep. I can't until you wake up, so would you please wake up? I promise I will take you to the theatre again. We can go ride through Rotten Row. The cool temperatures are perfect for a nice ride. We love riding together. What did you say?" She waited. "Alright, I will pay for you to go to Angelo's, or even Jackson's. I know you would love that. You could get some of your Eton friends to come home with you and box a few rounds with them for fun." She waited again. "Well, of course, Jimmy would take you. He would probably want to go in with you and box a few rounds himself. He is a good man. He is worried about you. I think he would probably take you anywhere you wanted to go, even without Mama's permission." She sat and looked at him. "Yes, it is getting cooler now. We could go to feed the swans like we did when we were tykes. You know the Thames smells too bad to go during the summer. Phew! So, now would be perfect. Oh, do you remember when Papa took us fishing?" She laughed. "Yes, exactly. I cried because I was afraid to hurt the worms." She laughed again. "You called me a sissy, then you were scared to hook your worm. You said the worms felt too icky." She looked at Curtis and squeezed his hand. She noticed that he began to lick his lips. "Curtis! Are you waking up? Are you thirsty?" She quickly walked over to the bowl and pitcher and dampened a washing cloth. She took it back to the bedside and dampened his lips.

"M-m-m." Oh, wonderful. He made a sound. She knew he had been talking to her.

"Are you waking up? Curtis?"

"Shhhh." What was that supposed to mean? Perhaps he had tired of their conversation. He was making noise though. He responded – out loud. Did he not?

"Curtis? Can you look at me?" Please Curtis. You must wake." He turned his head toward her voice.

"Shhh." What?

"Curtis? Am I talking too loud? Am I bothering you?"

He was barely audible. "I'm trying to sleep, Sister. I'm tired. Quit talking to me."

"Curtis! Wake up, open your eyes, and tell me to be quiet. Please."

"Hm?" He was a bit more loud. "What?"

"Open your eyes, Curtis. Right this minute." She thought if she sounded upset with him, perhaps he would respond in kind. She noticed little slits from his eyelids.

"Open your eyes, Curtis. Papa wants you to get up. You need to wake up. You will be in trouble if you don't listen to Papa. You had better hurry and get up."

"Oh, no." He very so slightly opened his eyes. He seemed to be looking at the ceiling.

"Curtis?"

He turned his head. "Papa is here?" He attempted to raise up. Attempt failing, he dropped back down. "Curtis! You are awake –you are awake. Oh, Curtis. Please tell me you are alright?"

He was slow to answer. "My head hurts. Did someone hit me?" He lay there, staring at the ceiling. "What did you say about Papa? He passed? Right? "

"Yes, Curtis. Papa is gone now. No one hit you. It was an accident backstage."

"Sister, what the hell happened? We were going back stage to meet John Kemble and I wake up in my bed." He looked down to see his shirt was on. Lifted the bedclothes and saw his dress pants were still on. "Why am I still in my dress pants?" He sounded groggy but – fortunately coherent.

"It is a long story. I'm so relieved to see you awake." She smiled. "Curtis, do you remember anything about last night?"

"I remember going to the theatre. John Kemble was amazing. We were going to backstage to try to meet him. That is the last thing I remember until right now. So, what did happen?"

She tried to remember what the doctor asked Mama when she swooned. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Sister, please."

"I mean it. What day is it?"

"Yesterday was Friday. Have I been here one day? That would make it Saturday. Did I pass?"

"Yes, silly. I only wanted to make sure you were here. I need to have Mr. Sanders send a footman to Dr. Haynie."

"Was he here? What the deuce! Who else was here?"

"Let me think. Hmm, the neighbors came by. Margaret and Helen were here. Mama invited her Bosom Bows –"

"Alright, alright. I'm curious about Mama. How is she? Seeing how she reacted to my coming home so unexpectedly, I would suspect she did not take this well. And you still have not explained exactly what happened."

Muriel stood up and bent down to hand-kiss Curtis on the cheek. "I love you brother. You stay in this bed and rest. I'm going to use the bellpull." She looked over to see Rosa sleeping soundly with a soft purr of a snore. What would she do without her sister? She went back and sat down by Curtis. He had his eyes closed. Muriel was finally a little more at ease. Mr. Sanders entered.

"How is he, Lady Muriel?"

Curtis still had his eyes closed. "I think I'm alive? Am I not?"

"Oh, my lord, you had the whole house concerned." He walked over to the bed. Curtis was so still with his eyes closed. "Lord Curtis?"

"Yes, Mr. Sanders, I'm here. My loving sister here tells me I must rest. It seems to me, although I'm not sure, I have been doing nothing but resting. She seems to want to keep from telling me what happened. I may have to get up and push her around like I did when I was little."

"No, my lord. Please, do as Lady Muriel asks. My lady, what may I do for you?"

"Mr. Sanders, have a footman go and tell Dr. Haynie that Lord Curtis is awake. I won't allow Lord Curtis to get up until Dr. Haynie comes to exam him. I don't think the footman needs to wait for a response."

"I will take care of that for you. My lady, would you like tea? Scones?"

"I would. It would make Curtis hungry and so it is best not to eat in front of him. And Rosa, dear girl, is still sleeping. She read to Curtis for most of the night, so I would like to break my fast with her. Thank you, Mr. Sanders."

"I will send the footman now."

Curtis closed his eyes again. Muriel looked over to see Rosa moving – waking. Muriel walked over to her and touched her gently, "Rosa, Curtis woke. I'm so relieved." Rosa reached up and took Muriel's hand.

"I'm so glad. It was a difficult night; well worth it to see you awake." She looked over and saw Curtis's eyes closed. "Is he sleeping?"

"I'm awake Rosa girl, come kiss me on the check." Rosa and Muriel shook their heads. Typical Curtis .

Rosa walked over, grabbed his hand, and kissed his forehead. "I said cheek, Rosa – now you must kiss me again."

Rosa laughed. "I see you are back to your stripling behavior."