The Street Orphans

by Mary Wood

  ‘Do you think that necessary, My Lord?’

  ‘Yes, I do. Any other action would continue to place you in a bad light. Others saw that Henrietta was upset, and witnessed my fury as I sought you out. Besides, you indicated that you would look favourably on any proposal from me, regarding Henrietta?’

  ‘I did, My Lord, and I would – very much so. I adore her.’

  ‘Right, so be it. We will sort out the niceties of it all later. In the meantime, I will let folk know how you and she have been duped. After all, Miss Katrina must have known how Henrietta felt. Her aim in using her as a chaperone must have been to finally spoil her chances with you, and to discredit you. Once my daughter has been told the truth and has had time to put herself together again, her mother will obtain her consent to us making an announcement. I know that will make her very happy and will finally lay to rest any ideas that Katrina may have, of ruining things for you both. Well done, my boy. I’m proud of the way you conducted yourself, even when you must have known you were being shown in a bad light. As you say, anyone would lose their temper under such provocation. It is a wonder you didn’t go even further and reveal the truth of what she’d been up to, in front of Henrietta. It must have taken a lot of self-control not to do so.’

  ‘It did, but my consideration for Lady Henrietta’s feelings was paramount.’

  ‘That is good to know, but . . . well, speaking of self-control, your way of conducting yourself in your private life is well known. Oh, don’t protest. I have been getting reports for some time. I didn’t want to, but my daughter’s welfare is my only concern. I haven’t told her, mind, but it will have to stop. I will not have my daughter hurt, nor will I have her subjected to any humiliation – not to mention what you might pass on to her, from one of your dubious escapades.’

  Lord Bellinger knew there was no answer to this. He more than deserved it; his reputation wasn’t good. He was lucky even to be considered as a husband, let alone to be in line to land the much sought-after connections Lord Parvoil’s daughter would bring. Not saying anything, he nodded, with just enough depth to the bow of his head to give a respectful affirmation, which was all that would be expected of him. All in all, he felt himself lucky to have got off this lightly, and that Lord Parvoil was willing to overlook his past. Not that he had any intention of changing, but he would be much more discreet. Trips to London would have to be frequent, as he could no longer play on home ground. But that would be no sacrifice. His experiences of the London whorehouses had always been far superior to those in Blackburn. Yes, things could work out very nicely. And who knows, maybe my Lady Henrietta will turn out to be a sex goddess. I’d certainly enjoy teaching her. But if not, I won’t have to bed her often – only as long as it takes to make her pregnant.

  ‘I’m glad that’s out of the way. Now, will you join me in another of those excellent brandies, before we go back to the party?’

  Lord Bellinger stepped forward. ‘Certainly, My Lord. Let me do the honours.’

  This time the tinkle of the liquid hitting the crystal glass was music to Bellinger’s ears, as it seemed to signify the sealing of a deal. Life was good. Very good indeed.

  ‘Henrietta, forgive me for touching on such a delicate subject, but do you still have feelings for Lord Bellinger?’

  They were back at Katrina’s home, and had been for half an hour or so. During that time Henrietta had been very quiet. The way in which she lowered her head gave Katrina the answer she sought.

  ‘I – I’m so sorry that I – I put myself in the position I did. None of this would have happened if I hadn’t—’

  ‘It is of no matter, and it isn’t your fault. Lord Bellinger has shown himself to be what I have always known he is. It is a good thing that I know. But yes, I am attracted to him. Well, more than that. Daddy was going to proposition him tonight on my behalf.’

  ‘Oh, Henrietta, how can you forgive me? I should never have—’

  ‘Please forget it. It doesn’t matter really. I am almost as fond of Lord Weckstone, and he has offered for me. I will take his offer and know that, in doing so, I will be very happy. He is handsome, well-connected, rich and nice, too – everything a girl could want. A bit like your Earl, who despite his lack of wealth is a very good catch, darling, more so than his brother! That did worry me. Frederick will make you happy, I am sure.’

  ‘Oh, Henrietta, tell no one that I was meant to marry Bertram. It will all look so bad, if that comes out. But do you really think Frederick and I will be happy? You weren’t swayed to a different view by what Lord Bellinger said? I mean, well, what did you think about what Lord Bellinger said about Frederick being in love with . . . with a cripple?’

  ‘Utter nonsense! When would the Earl of Harrogate ever come into contact with such a person. He just wouldn’t.’

  ‘But he did. He told me about it. He told me that Lord Bellinger took him . . .’ As she progressed through the story Katrina wished she’d never started it, as Henrietta looked even more hurt and not a little shocked. But she must know how Lord Bellinger conducts himself, surely? The tear she saw Henrietta hastily wipe away told her that she didn’t. But did it matter now? Henrietta had already made her mind up that she wasn’t interested in the vile Lord Bellinger any longer. But then her next words showed that she was.

  ‘I’m very hurt by what happened tonight, Katrina, and by what you have just told me. I would like to go to bed now. I have a thumping headache.’

  ‘Oh, my dear. I’ll call your maid. My maid will help her. I will get her to fill a tub for you and bring you some warm milk. Once you’re settled, I’ll come in and say goodnight, then tomorrow—’ Katrina’s mother entering the room cut her off from outlining her plans. ‘What is it, Mummy? You look very upset.’

  ‘Lord Parvoil has sent a carriage for Henrietta, and a most distressing letter saying that you lied, to put Lord Bellinger in a bad light, Katrina. He says he has now heard the truth from Lord Bellinger and it doesn’t sit at all with what you have told Henrietta.’

  Katrina listened in astonishment to what Lord Bellinger had said to Lord Parvoil about the whole incident. Her mother’s voice shook as she read the letter out, and there were tears in her voice when she finished with: ‘Oh dear, Lord Parvoil has said that when and if the wedding takes place between yourself and the Earl of Harrogate, would we kindly refrain from inviting him and Lady Parvoil! Good Lord, what is all this about, Katrina?’

  ‘I – I don’t know. I didn’t lie, Mama, I didn’t. He insulted me; he tried to lure me into a room where he had his paintings, and he made insinuations . . . He – he did! And then he did it again when he sent for me to apologize, only I asked Henrietta to come with me. Henrietta heard what he said about the Earl and—’

  Henrietta stood, looking from one to the other of them. Her face held an expression of incredulity. When she spoke, dread wove its way into Katrina’s heart, as she couldn’t deny the truth of Henrietta’s words, and it was only now that she realized how clever Lord Bellinger had been, in the way he had chosen his own words.

  ‘Katrina, what have you done? I heard Lord Bellinger say that he had been wrong and hadn’t meant to respond in the way he did, to the impression that you conveyed to him. No, don’t deny it. You even tried to apologize just now, almost admitting it all. And actually, now I come to think of it, you did twist his words about what he said on offering for your hand. I can’t believe this of you. You knew I had a leaning towards Simon – Lord Bellinger. How could you!’

  ‘Henrietta? Mama?’

  ‘Please get my things, Mrs Arkwright. I will leave immediately.’ With this, Henrietta walked out of the room and Katrina’s mother followed her.

  Katrina sat down. Her heart thumped in her breast. Will no one believe me? I meant to say that I shouldn’t have gone, not . . . Oh dear, will Lord Frederick believe me? Oh, why did I go to the blessed ball? But then she knew why. It had flattered her to be considered worthy to take her place amongst the high-born, and by Lord Bell
inger, with whom she had to admit she felt a certain fascination. The damned, pompous . . . Ooh, I could slap his face! She sank back into the chair as the realization hit her: I’m no longer worthy.

  Not only that, but she knew she would be the talk of society, thanks to Lord Bellinger’s lies and her own stupidity in not making herself clear to Henrietta. And what that would mean for her future, or the future of her family, she dared not imagine.

  She would write to Lord Frederick immediately and tell him exactly what had happened. It would be a test of his affection for her. If he believed her and did something about it, well and good – she would marry him. If he didn’t, then she would give him a chance to get out of their arrangement. And though it might not be correct to do so, she’d try to help her case by telling him how Lord Bellinger had said that Frederick was in love with the girl who was wanted for the unlawful killing of his brother. And she would tell him how Lord Bellinger had sent the girl’s young sister packing. This part frightened her more than any of it. What if he admitted some feeling for this cripple?

  Oh, why has life suddenly become so complicated?

  13

  The Earl of Harrogate

  A Feeling Not to Be Denied

  Three letters sat on the silver salver awaiting his attention. One the Earl knew the contents of, as it was a formality that he had been expecting, but he still felt a tinge of delight as he looked at the royal crest sealing the envelope. With him now formally in place as the Earl of Harrogate, it was customary for Queen Victoria to ask him to attend an audience with her. It was a way of introducing him to the court.

  Thrilled, he began to plan in his head how the event would go. He would have Katrina by his side, and Mother, of course – now so much better and almost back to her old self. The Queen would glide over to them, and he would be introduced as the new Earl of Harrogate, and Katrina as his intended; and Mother would be greeted and might even be singled out for a chat with the Queen, as she had always been a favourite in those circles. It would be a magnificent occasion.

  Leaving the royal letter till last, when he could savour the moment, he picked up one of the two stamped as having come from Blackburn. The one he opened first was from Katrina. The contents had him reeling between anger at Lord Bellinger and sympathy for Katrina. His anger wasn’t all directed at the way Simon had treated Katrina, as some of it concerned Amy. Katrina told him about Bellinger kicking Amy out. What must her life be like now? How could Simon go against his word and not keep Amy in his care, as he promised to do until I returned, when I would have taken her in and given her a job? Did Bellinger even take her to her brothers before they left? Or at least tell her that I had been successful in arranging for them to go to Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight, in the first instance?

  It had been very satisfactory for him to know that the boys would, once they eventually sailed to Australia, be assigned an apprenticeship, rather than going to a penal colony – a special arrangement in place for boys from Parkhurst Prison. Further to that, he intended to contact the Governor in Australia and make sure that the boys were given his address, for them to write to their sisters. That’s if they were able to, but he assumed the boys would be schooled in the art of reading and writing as part of learning a trade.

  Something told him that Bellinger wouldn’t have taken Amy to her brothers. Simon had been very disapproving of Frederick’s involvement with the family, as it was, and particularly of him thinking of taking care of them and looking for Ruth. Oh, Ruth, what made you run away? And why do you haunt my thoughts? Oh God, it’s an impossible situation – the more so because I know I can answer that question, and the one posed by Katrina. The answer doesn’t sit well with me, but I am in love with Ruth. She is in my very blood, and I can’t rid myself of her . . . Never! I must find her. Mentally he scolded himself; Stop being so bloody ridiculous.

  The reality was that he was going to marry Katrina, and should try to put Ruth out of his mind. But now, to his horror, that bloody Simon Bellinger had undone things for him by telling Katrina of his infatuation, for that must surely be what it was. What was Bellinger playing at? Did he want Katrina for himself? If he did, then he’d shown no signs of any feeling for her, and he didn’t need her money. So why then – why?

  Lord Bellinger’s letter threw Frederick into confusion, giving a very different side to the tale and an altogether more believable one, for some reason. But he must remain loyal to Katrina. She was his intended and he should not doubt her. It would be disastrous to do so. Besides, he’d been friends with Bellinger for long enough to know his ways. And many times he had wanted to break ties with him, but that wasn’t an easy thing to do in society. One had to tolerate certain traits amongst one’s acquaintances or risk becoming ostracized by many, or finding oneself among those small groups of people who were laughed at, as they disapproved of all that wasn’t Christian or godly. That wouldn’t have suited at all.

  Frederick recognized that he needed the Bellingers of this world to keep himself afloat, even though he knew Bellinger’s cunning and how he would play every dirty trick in the book. But that wasn’t so any longer, now that Frederick was a lord and was going to be rich in his own right.

  It beggared belief, but Bellinger had almost admitted to his own cunning and conniving when he said that he had landed a good prize out of the unfortunate happenings – more like he’d been offered a fatter fish, and needed to put a different light on things to assuage his future father-in-law. Good God, the man was despicable – Bellinger himself said that he now felt Katrina wouldn’t be accepted in some quarters, and was only tolerated because of who she was to marry. The words appalled Frederick as he read them through again:

  If, dear Frederick, you go ahead with the marriage after this, you will need your head examining. She will drag you down with her. You won’t be accepted in certain circles. After all, Lord Parvoil has already said he won’t attend the wedding, and that could mean the event is a social disaster.

  The man was downright wicked – that was, if he was to believe Katrina’s story, which had become the one he felt sure he could set more store by. It looked to him as though not only had Bellinger tried to compromise her, but when he couldn’t get his own way he’d ruined her slim chances of being fully accepted and had turned them into a near-impossibility.

  Seething, he went through to his office. He’d deal with the matter immediately. He would send a letter to the Lord Parvoil. He must stop this getting out of hand.

  ‘Frederick? Is everything all right?’

  ‘Oh, good morning, Mama. How are you, dear?’

  ‘I am fine. I slept very well and am refreshed. Thank you for inviting me back here. I rest well in my own bed, but it is something we must discuss.’

  ‘No. I am not having it any other way. This is your home, Mama. I won’t hear of you living in the dower-house. I argued with Bertram over him putting you there.’

  ‘I know. But when you bring Katrina here—’

  ‘If.’

  ‘Oh?’

  In the telling of it all to his mother, any wisps of doubt that he still harboured were dispelled, along with a firming of his resolve to clear Katrina’s name. And as he listened to her, confidence built in him that he could achieve this.

  ‘I am sure Parvoil will retract his decision, Frederick. You have a good reason to expect a favour from him. I don’t think he thought this through or considered you or me – or the standing our family has at court – when he said he would not attend your wedding. Look at how soon the Queen has invited you. Oh, I dare say when you open her letter you will find that she has allowed the proper amount of time for mourning. And when you answer, you will have to inform her of your forthcoming marriage. But it does show that she is eager to welcome you. Parvoil has never had such standing, even though he is popular with her – and would dearly love to have it. You could extend an invitation to him to the informal after-party. After all, Queen Victoria may drop in on that. And another possibility that y
ou could mention in passing is that she might ask for an invitation to your wedding. If she does, and Parvoil has caused the most influential people to refuse to come, it will look very bad for him and Lord Bellinger, because I will personally inform her that they are responsible for smearing Katrina’s reputation. Katrina is a darling girl and is incapable of the behaviour Lord Bellinger has accused her of. I will speak to his uncle. I am very cross with the boy. He is the vilest of creatures!’

  Sitting back after penning his letter, Frederick felt better. Lord Parvoil had conceded a massive loss at the card table to Frederick a few years back and had written a promissory note to cover his debt. It had included shares in his business portfolio, but, not taking it up immediately, Frederick had eventually let the man off, even though he’d needed the money – an action he’d often regretted, as the shares had gone on to restore Lord Parvoil’s wealth and re-establish his standing. Now it was time to remind Parvoil of that good deed and inform him of all Mother had said might happen, regarding the Queen.

  This task achieved satisfactorily – and, he hoped, with a successful outcome to follow – Frederick penned a further three letters, one accepting the Queen’s gracious invitation, and the other two to Katrina and Lord Bellinger; in Bellinger’s he threatened to expose him fully to Lord Parvoil, whom he knew would accept his account – or, rather, Katrina’s account – if it came to it.

  So, please do not force my hand. I have approached Lord Parvoil and given him a way of retracting his earlier statement about not attending my wedding. I want you to put it around that it was all a misunderstanding. And, as much as it is abhorrent to me now, I want you to continue to consent to be my best man!