The Widow and the Warrior

by Sarah Winn

  The countess gave him a puzzled frown. “But I thought you liked teaching.”

  Gerald shrugged. “Boys today don’t care to learn dressage or parade formations. All they want to do is gallop about helter-skelter.”

  The earl nodded, but Catherine continued to look at him with a pained expression.

  Fortunately, they had reached the top of the stairs. “If you will excuse me?” Gerald said and took a step to follow the footman who was carrying his luggage.

  “Of course,” Firthley said. “But I hope you’ll join us in Catherine’s parlor as soon as you are settled. I very much want to hear what brought about this unexpected visit.”

  “It’s really Mrs. Coyler’s story. She should be present,” Gerald replied.

  “As soon as she’s settled in, I’ll fetch Mrs. Coyler,” Catherine said.

  Gerald forced a smile and hurried on to his room. Firthley and Catherine were the best friends he had, so it had hurt to admit to them that his big plans for running a riding academy for the sons of the wealthy was a total failure. He doubted they had swallowed his excuse about boys not wanting to learn the proper techniques of riding. They had probably both guessed that the wealthy were not willing to turn their sons’ care over to a one-armed man.

  * * * *

  Ellen had barely taken off her bonnet and attended to Toby’s and her own personal needs, before someone tapped on the bedroom door. Thinking it was must be a maid, she called, “Come in.”

  To her chagrin, the countess opened the door and walked into the room. “Oh, my lady, I didn’t know it was you.”

  The countess smiled. “I hope I’m not rushing you, but the men are gathering to discuss the reasons for your unexpected visit, and Gerald thought you should be present.”

  “Yes, but…” Ellen looked at Toby.

  “We can leave him in the nursery. I’ve already spoken to the staff about it. In the summer, we cut back on the children’s lessons, so he won’t be interrupting anything.”

  Toby, who was always on the lookout for other children to play with, stepped forward eagerly, so Ellen had little choice but to nod in agreement and follow the countess out into the hall and to the opened doorway of the nursery.

  The countess introduced the newcomers to her niece, Molly; to her nephew, Robbie; and to the nanny, Miss Nesbitt. The governess and the maid smiled warmly at the newcomers. The nephew, a lankly boy of about twelve, glanced up from a book and murmured, “Hello,” and then went back to his book. Molly, who must have been about seven, fastened her attention on Toby and when the introductions were completed, asked him, “Can you read?”

  Toby shyly shook his head.

  “Good!” she replied. “I shall teach you the alphabet.” She went to stand in front of a slab of dark grey slate, placed on an easel with numerous pieces of chalk in a tray below it. To Ellen’s surprise, Toby stepped forward eagerly, although he had shown little interest when she had tried to discuss the same subject with him.

  After the countess and Ellen had left the room and started toward the stairs, the countess said, “I’m afraid Molly has a strong tendency to be bossy with younger children. I hope Toby won’t grow tired of her.”

  Ellen smiled. “As an only child, he’s so grateful to find a playmate that he’s usually very tolerant of whatever they do.”

  “Molly has some traits of an only child too. Although she has a brother, there’s five years between them, so they share few interests.”

  As they started down the stairs, the countess said. “Gerald is being positively mysterious about the reason for this sudden visit, and I’m bursting to know what the big surprise is.” She smiled and patted Ellen’s arm as if she were expecting pleasant news.

  Ellen didn’t know how to reply, so they walked on in silence.

  The earl and the Captain stood when Ellen and the countess entered a beautiful parlor, with cream-colored walls and delicate French-styled furniture. Once they were seated in a circle of sofas and arm chairs, Captain Osborne said, “Mrs. Coyler was on the train going from London to Birmingham this morning when she became convinced a man was following her. She had read in the newspaper about my riding academy near Hemsley, so when the train stopped there, she got off and came to ask for my assistance.”

  The countess turned toward Ellen, “Why did you think the man was following you?”

  Ellen took a deep breath. “I had received a paper the day before telling me to come to a magistrate’s office in my borough and bring Toby, because his grandfather was challenging my right to have custody of the child. That put me in such a panic that I decided to flee to relatives in Birmingham until I could find out what was happening and how to best handle it.”

  The countess stared at her with a horror-stricken expression. “Why would his grandfather try to take the child away from you?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never met the man. My husband hated him so much that he had no contact with him. I didn’t think he even knew that Philip had married and had a child.”

  Captain Osborne added, “You remember how level-headed Sergeant Coyler was, Firthley. He would not have broken with his father without a good reason.”

  “So how can we help?” the countess asked.

  “If you could just help me get to my aunt’s home without some spy following me,” Ellen said.

  The earl looked at her with a dark frown. “Why were you going to your aunt?”

  “She is my closest relative. I lived with her for several years after my parents died. Her husband is a successful business man who knows far more about legal matters than I do. I thought he could give me advice.”

  “Do any of the people you lived around in London know about these relatives?” he asked.

  “I suppose I have mentioned them to several of my friends. But I’m sure none of them would betray me.”

  The earl shook his head. “They might not know they were betraying you. Do you know anything about your father-in-law’s financial resources?”

  The man’s serious demeanor was beginning to unnerve Ellen. “Philip said he owned a coal mine—or some coal mines.”

  The earl grimaced. “Then he has the resources to send trained investigators after you. I think the most important thing for you to do now is keep the boy hidden.”

  “She must stay here,” the countess said. “You didn’t tell anyone where you were going did you, Gerald?”

  The Captain shook his head.

  “Then no one will have any idea she’s here. We can hide her until…until—”

  The earl interrupted. “We need a better plan than to just hide her and the boy away in the attic. We need to find out exactly what this Coyler fellow is up to. I’ll send an inquiry to my solicitor first thing in the morning.”

  Ellen heard a clicking noise and noticed Captain Osborne thumping his artificial hand. He stopped suddenly and said, “If your solicitor starts making inquiries about Coyler, he might get wind of it and turn his attention toward you. What about Daniel, can’t he make unofficial inquiries?”

  “But he’s only a clerk,” the countess interjected.

  “Who can make unofficial inquiries of other clerks,” the Captain said.

  The earl nodded several times. “You may be right. Anyway, it won’t hurt to ask Daniel first.” He turned to Ellen. “I hope you won’t mind being our guest for a while, Mrs. Coyler. I can’t be sure how to help you until I know exactly what your problem is.”

  “Oh, but that’s too much to ask of you,” Ellen said.

  “Nonsense,” the countess said. “I know just how you must be feeling. My son is only three months old, and I would be absolutely frantic if someone tried to take him away from me. We’ll let the men take care of this. Firthley is in the House of Lords, and he’s very clever. He’ll figure something out.”

  The earl looked at his wife and shook his head, but he also grinned.

  The countess stood. “Ellen, would you like to come upstairs and meet Lord Jamie?”

  �
��Perhaps I should see to Toby,” Ellen, said.

  “I’m sure he’s being well taken care of.” The countess said as she started toward the doorway.

  Ellen felt she had no choice but to join the woman, but as they walked into the hallway she said, “I don’t want to upset the nursery servants by thrusting another child on them.”

  “Don’t worry about that. Now that Robbie spends most of his time in the stables, the nursery is really overstaffed. Of course, when Jamie is old enough to move up there that will change.”

  They reached the special nursery next to the countess’s bedroom where Lord Jamie resided. He was a fat-cheek baby with a fuzz of red hair. On seeing his mother, he began to kick his legs and reach out to her. The countess smiled, “I know, I know. You’re hungry again.”

  When Ellen realized the countess was going to nurse the baby, she quickly excused herself by saying, “I really should check on Toby.” Ellen had always heard that aristocratic mothers never nursed their own babies, but she guessed this was just more proof that the countess had common origins.

  After climbing the stairs up to the nursery floor, Ellen found the attendants in the process of clearing off the round table in the middle of the room so they could serve the children’s dinner there. She took Toby over to the room they shared and made sure his hands and face were clean and his hair combed. He was full of stories about what Molly had said and done that afternoon. After Ellen heard serving carts coming down the hallway, she returned Toby to the nursery, waited until the servants had placed the food on the table, and then took a seat beside her son to help him serve his plate.

  The countess came in shortly after the children started eating. She strolled around the room, spoke to everyone, even Toby, and finally managed to get Robbie to give a short report on his afternoon in the stables. As the children were finishing their puddings, she turned to Ellen and said, “I suppose we should dress for our dinner now. The gong will sound in an hour or so.”

  Ellen’s face must have reflected her concern, for the countess quickly added, “We’ll be eating in the family dining room across from my suite. Nothing fancy.”

  Ellen nodded and tried to smile although she felt sure the countess’s definition of “nothing fancy” was far different from her own. And what should she do about Toby, put him to bed now while it was still light outside or turn his care over to servants who might resent her foisting additional duties on them?

  Miss Nesbitt came to her rescue by casually saying, “Perhaps you’d like to get Toby into his night clothes, and then bring him back to the nursery. I usually read to Mollie before going down to dinner. Dulcie will see to putting them to bed.”

  Ellen smiled her gratitude toward the woman and herded Toby back to their room. She had not had time to unpack her luggage and see to the pressing of any of her clothes, so what she would wear to this family dinner was her first concern. She was surprised to find her bags standing limply in the corner of her closet, her limited wardrobe hanging on wooden pegs, and two of her bodices on rods, their wrinkles all pressed away. Ellen had never experienced such efficient servants, not even when she had lived with wealthy Aunt Sarah, who believed the young should learn self-sufficiency at an early age.

  After getting Toby into his nightgown and slippers, she repaired her own costume, switching her drab black bodice, for a slightly less drab grey one, and working to smooth any loose ends back into her swept-back hairdo. Finally deciding there was nothing else she could do to improve her appearance, she led Toby back to the nursery.

  Miss Nesbit already had a book in her lap and Molly sitting beside her. She made a place for Toby and continued to read. Ellen noticed that Miss Nesbit had formed several curls on either side of her swept-back hairdo and thought she would try the same thing tomorrow night.

  When the vibrating echo of the dinner gong sounded, Miss Nesbit, calmly finished the story, and then wished the children a good night. Dulcie assured Ellen that she would see Toby to his bed, so Ellen followed the governess out into the hallway. Downstairs, the men, including the earl’s secretary, were waiting in the hallway. As soon as the countess joined them, they went into the dining room. Footmen rushed about to see everyone was comfortably seated.

  Captain Osborne showed no signs of being discomforted by these posh surroundings, which made Ellen wonder about his background. Of course, he had been an officer in the army, so there must have been enough money in his family to buy his commission.

  The dinner conversation was pleasant. Ellen was mostly allowed to eat and listen, a condition she was grateful for. After dessert, the countess addressed the other two women, “Shall we excuse ourselves and let the men enjoy their cigars and brandy?”

  Realizing that must be the custom, Ellen said, “Of course,” and started to rise from her chair. She found the heavy, straight-backed chair hard to slide across the carpet, and half-way between standing and sitting, turned clumsily to better address the matter. Then she glanced up and saw an alarmed footman rushing to assist her. He pulled the chair back, so she could fully come to her feet. She woodenly smiled her gratitude and followed the countess out of the room, being careful not to look at the other diners for fear she would see from their expressions that they had noticed her faux pas.

  Tea was served in the countess’s cream-colored parlor. The conversation was mostly between the countess and the governess about plans for the children. Ellen began to feel tremendously sleepy, barely getting her hand up to cover a gaping yawn. Once she had regained control of her jaw muscles, she said, “Please excuse me.”

  The countess smiled at her indulgently. “You’ve had a very busy day. We should not be keeping you up.”

  “I am a bit concerned about Toby going to sleep in a room by himself. If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll say goodnight now.”

  Both of the women graciously wished her a good night and Ellen hurried upstairs, only to find Toby, in the bed they were to share, sound asleep. She quickly joined him.

  * * * *

  Ellen awoke refreshed and determined not to be any more of a burden than she was already being. She was making the bed she and Toby had slept in when a young woman in apron and mobcap entered the room and seemed affronted that Ellen was doing such a thing. “I’m the maid for this hall, ma’am. If there’s anything you want—anything at all—ask me.”

  Ellen asked her where she might do a few pieces of laundry, and the soiled garments were quickly gathered and whisked away.

  She did manage to dress herself and Toby, and after hearing the jiggle of food carts, she delivered him to the nursery where food for the children was laid out on the large round table in the center of the room. Once Toby was seated, a servant moved in to serve his plate. Miss Nesbitt stopped by the room to check on things and then invited Ellen to accompany her to breakfast in the family dining room.

  Breakfast was being served buffet style, but a footman was waiting to assist by holding up the lids of the heated dishes while the guests served themselves. Another footman waited to assist the ladies with their chairs. This time Ellen remembered to wait patiently for her chair to be pulled out.

  Captain Osborne soon joined them and then the earl strolled in. He announced that the countess was busy in the nursery and would not be joining them, reinforcing Ellen’s conviction that her presence was a burden on her hostess.

  She had finished eating and was enjoying her coffee, when the earl turned toward Captain Osborne and said, “I promised Molly I’d take her down to the stables this morning to watch Robbie have a lesson on one of the horses. His legs have gotten so long that they nearly drag the ground when he rides his pony. Would you like to come along or have you had your fill of watching boys ride?”

  The Captain smiled, “I was here when Robbie took his first ride on his pony, I’d like to see him take the next step.” Then he turned toward Ellen. “Can I take Toby?”

  “Oh, no,” Ellen said. “I couldn’t impose on you gentlemen.”

  “It would
be no imposition, and I’m sure Toby will be quite disappointed if he has to stay here while the other children are down to the stables,” the Captain replied.

  Ellen couldn’t argue with that, still she felt uncomfortable about sending her son off in the care of others. The earl suddenly chuckled. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Coyler, I had Molly down at the stables for the first time when she was just about Toby’s age, and I learned to keep a tight rein on her when the horses were about.”

  She couldn’t say no to an earl, and she did not want to deny her son the adult male companionship he so needed in his life, so she smiled and nodded.

  As Ellen took the last sip from her cup, Miss Nesbitt nodded in Ellen’s direction, and said, “Shall we prepare the children for their excursion? We wouldn’t want to keep the gentlemen waiting?”

  Ellen nodded her agreement and watched how Miss Nesbitt glanced over her shoulder to signal the footman she was ready to rise. Ellen followed the governess’s example as soon as the man was free. She might get the hang of letting servants wait on her if she stayed here long enough.

  Before the two women could leave the room, the earl said, “When the children are ready, bring them to the right portico—to save me from having to climb more stairs. And there’s no rush, I want to enjoy another cup of coffee.”

  Miss Nesbitt smiled pleasantly, “Of course, my lord.”

  Captain Osborne looked up at Ellen and said, “Make sure Toby wears old shoes.”

  Ellen nodded gratefully. She had been trying to keep Toby as nicely dressed as possible while here at Firthley Hall. He only had two pairs of shoes and his less-than best were quite worn, so she had kept them packed away, but they would be good enough to wear in a stable.

  She and Miss Nesbitt went up to the nursey floor. Miss Nesbitt told the nanny what the morning plans were and suggested what Mollie should wear and then stood aside to let the nanny redress Molly. Toby became so excited when he learned he would be accompanying Molly that Ellen was glad she had to take him over to their room to change his shoes, so she could also insist he relieve himself. To be a little safer, she also changed his knee-length trousers for an every-day pair he wore to play in at home.