Among the Darkness Stirs

by Nicola Italia

  “Anytime.” He winked.

  She took a seat with them. “I met the strangest lady just before I came out. You must know her.”

  “What’s her name?” Joseph asked curiously.

  “Marguerite Shirley.”

  Joseph hummed in recognition. “She’s the stuff of fodder for a magazine like The Illustrated London News. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was actually in it back in the day.”

  “Really?” Audrey said, surprised.

  “I don’t know truth from fiction, but she’s been here a long time. Far as I can tell the longest inmate here.” Joseph leaned back. “And the Master before Meacham gave her that room, which she doesn’t share. That’s rare in itself.”

  “It is. I wondered about that,” Audrey said. “What’s her story?”

  He smirked. “You won’t believe it.”

  Now she was intrigued. “Tell me.”

  “She was the mistress of William IV,” he said simply.

  Audrey frowned. “King William?”

  Joseph shrugged. “So, she says.”

  “But she could say anything,” Audrey said. Just because someone said something, that didn’t mean it was true.

  Joseph inclined his head. “She could. Apparently, she was on the stage and in her prime quite beautiful. She had a string of lovers, and one of them was the king. It’s really not so farfetched. Then she fell on hard times and could no longer make do and came here.”

  Audrey thought of the older woman dancing barefoot and singing in her little room and wondered at the truth of his words.

  “She seemed quite nice, if a little eccentric,” Audrey recalled.

  “I don’t think she’s ever given anyone any trouble,” he said. “She keeps to herself, and I believe does embroidery and stitching to pay her way.”

  “If it’s true, what an interesting life she must have led.” Audrey stood and brushed off her skirt. “I must return to the workhouse. Good night, gentlemen.”

  Audrey lay in bed. Light from the small window outside flickered inside the room. She was settling into the life at the workhouse and hoped in a few weeks’ time she could send for her mother and sister. She would ask the Matron and Master for a larger room, and once they arrived, they would be a family again.

  She was looking forward to speaking at Theodocia’s club meeting and had written down some preliminary words for the event. She wanted to impart some knowledge to the ladies of the group and hoped they would be interested in her experiences.

  She closed her eyes and saw Marguerite dancing in her small room to the music only she could hear. She wondered if what Joseph had said was true. Had she been an actress on the stage and mistress to a king of England? It seemed fanciful. If she had been, how sad that she had fallen so far from being a king’s mistress to an inmate in the workhouse. But she supposed that was exactly the purpose of the workhouse. For people who could not make it, to enter the workhouse and hopefully get back on their feet. Only some, like Marguerite, would never leave.

  She turned onto her side away from the window and the light. Tomorrow would be another day to help educate the children inside these walls and prove to everyone that she could do the job.

  Chapter Ten

  The next day went smoothly, and Audrey was beginning to feel that she could make this a success. The children were relating to her more, and she was able to have quality time with them, using it to learn the alphabet and begin to write simple sentences. She taught basic Christian principles, and though the chaplain never visited her classroom, she left him periodic notes on her progress.

  Matron had visited her classroom one morning, sat in the back of the room, and watched everyone’s movements like a hawk. Luckily, there had been no mishaps, and after an hour, she had left. Audrey had given the children an extra ten minutes in the yard for not making her look and feel stupid.

  She had written herself some simple notes to discuss with the society women’s club, and at the end of the week, when the time came for her to attend the club and make a decent presentation of the workhouse schoolroom, Audrey was ready.

  It was a cool evening when she set out for the evening club meeting. Mrs. Ryland preferred evening meetings, though the reason behind it versus a leisurely Saturday or Sunday afternoon was unknown to her.

  After being admitted into the grand house by the river, she was taken to the large back parlor, where several women were already seated drinking tea and chatting. Several looked up at her and took in her appearance before resuming their conversation.

  “Ms. Wakefield!” Theodocia said warmly as she entered the room, followed by a maid who carried a tray of teacups and sandwiches.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Ryland,” Audrey greeted her in turn.

  “Place those cups there and the sandwiches next to them,” she directed the maid, and then turned her attention to Audrey. “I am so pleased you could join us. Especially on an evening when I know you’ve worked a full week. That must be tiring.”

  “Not at all. I am pleased you asked me. Though I did wonder why you don’t meet on a Saturday or Sunday,” she said honestly.

  “I’ll tell you the truth,” she said in a whisper. “We used to meet Saturday afternoons. And the afternoons would drag on, and these women would never leave. Now they have about two hours to bore me to tears before I can pleasantly say good night.” Theodocia winked, and Audrey smiled. “Help yourself to a cup of tea and sandwiches, my dear. We’ll get started shortly. We have some housekeeping business to discuss as a club and then you’ll speak.”

  Audrey did as Theodocia suggested and helped herself to a cup of tea and a cucumber sandwich. As she ate the small sandwich, she realized she’d had very little to eat that day. She took another sandwich and then found an unoccupied seat in the back row.

  “Are you the new schoolmistress at the workhouse?” an older lady asked her, coming to sit beside her.

  She eyed the woman. “I am. I’m Audrey Wakefield.”

  “Theodocia said she had an intriguing woman to speak at our club meeting and mentioned what you do. How tiresome it must be to work all day long in such a filthy place.” The woman said it as if it were a terrible thing to endure.

  “It can be very tiring,” Audrey admitted, “but also rewarding.”

  “Rewarding? How so? Teaching dirty urchin children from the gutter? Hardly what a lady would or should do.” Her tone was condescending.

  Audrey took a deep breath. “Perhaps a lady would not. But I’m merely a woman who must make her way in the world.”

  The woman smiled coldly. “Indeed.”

  Audrey sighed as the woman left her and sipped her tea. Class distinction was a real issue, and she was looked down upon for holding a job. No one in the room knew she was a vicar’s daughter or that she had been educated better than most of them. All that mattered was that she worked for a living as a schoolmistress, which meant she was a small step above the inmates and a step below the people here.

  “We’ll begin momentarily,” Theodocia whispered to her as she passed by to greet another club member who had entered the room.

  Audrey placed her teacup and saucer to the side and brushed down her black skirt. In her small purse, she removed a page of handwritten notes to help guide her presentation and was reading them to refresh her memory when she heard a murmur sweep through the group of ladies.

  “Henry,” Theodocia said happily as her son entered the large drawing room. “What brings you here?”

  He greeted the women in the group. “I thought I would pay my respects to you and your club. As you have our new schoolmistress speaking and as a board guardian, I thought it proper to attend.”

  “Of course, darling. You are most welcome,” she said, signaling the maid to bring him a cup of tea.

  Audrey looked about her and realized that the women were now focused on Henry, who seemed to dazzle them all.

  “He’s the most eligible bachelor in Norwich,” she heard one society matron whisper to anoth
er.

  “In Norfolk most likely,” said the friend returned.

  “He’s so handsome,” one younger woman said as she took a seat near Audrey.

  Henry took a seat near the back as the ladies assembled. “Please don’t let me disturb your meeting.”

  He didn’t acknowledge her so she returned to her notes. She read the words to herself, and when she felt certain she was ready, she looked up and saw Henry Ryland staring at her. She smiled politely at him, and he nodded in return.

  Theodocia clapped her hands twice, and the room settled into silence. “Ladies, let’s come to order,” she told everyone. “Please take your seats.”

  Theodocia took a center position and looked out among the chairs that were situated in rows in front of her. “I’m so pleased you could join us this evening for tea and sandwiches and a little bit of education. We have a special guest tonight, but before we begin, let’s go over some housekeeping items.”

  Audrey looked over the small group of women that had come together that evening for the society matron’s club. There were a few young women, but the majority were Theodocia’s age or older. They were all dressed in silk, velvet, and satin, and their attire spoke of wealth and status.

  As Henry’s mother, Theodocia enjoyed a certain status as well. Henry was a successful solicitor and a member of the Board of Guardians with property, so she also had a standing in the community. The women in the room were most certainly daughters, mothers, and wives of prominent men in the community.

  She listened as they took care of club business and glanced at Henry. He was sipping his tea and paying attention to his mother as she spoke. Audrey quickly returned her attention to what was being said.

  When the business concluded, Theodocia introduced her to the group. “As you are aware, we have a guest here today. Audrey Wakefield is the new schoolmistress at Bowthorpe. She comes from Kingsdown in Kent and attended Queen’s College. I am so pleased to welcome Audrey to our meeting. Please join me in a warm welcome.”

  As Theodocia clapped, Audrey took her place in front of the women. “Thank you so much for inviting me to speak today, Mrs. Ryland. I’m afraid I’m used to speaking in front of children who don’t always stay on topic with their questions so I hope this evening will be enlightening for us all.”

  She spoke about her life as a vicar’s daughter, her time at Queen’s College, and her subsequent move to Norwich as the schoolmistress for the workhouse. She mentioned her father’s death briefly and her excitement in joining the workhouse staff. When she completed her brief biography, she asked if the group had any questions for her.

  “Remarkable story,” said the woman who had called the workhouse children dirty urchins from the gutter. “You were able to get the position of schoolmistress without experience?”

  “Yes. Dr. Thomson, a family friend, was able to help secure it for me. He’s been a longtime family friend,” Audrey explained.

  “Helpful to have such friends,” the woman said.

  “Yes. Especially as my father had just died and the need was great,” Audrey said, hoping the mention of her father’s death would shut the woman down, and it did.

  When Audrey finished answering the questions, she accepted the light applause before she took her seat. Once the meeting was over, she sighed with relief. She had never moved in such circles as these women, and as a vicar’s daughter, she had enjoyed a simple life in the country. The women here had wealth and their husband’s names for protection and prestige. Many had probably traveled the continent and perhaps even been presented to the queen. She felt slightly out of her depth and wasn’t at all certain that they were interested in her story except for the kind Theodocia.

  Moving to the long table set with sandwiches and tea, she took another cup and drank it quickly. She had a slight headache. She was about to move into the foyer when she heard two voices speaking and stopped to listen.

  “I’m only saying that it was quite generous of the board to allow her to work in the schoolroom with no experience, Henry,” a woman was saying. Audrey recognized the woman’s voice as the one who had called the children dirty urchins.

  “I also put in a good word for her,” Henry said softly.

  “Did you? Why would you do that? You hardly know her. Or do you?” the woman asked. “Perhaps there’s something between you and the schoolmistress.”

  Audrey inhaled deeply at the insinuation. How dare that woman.

  Henry scoffed. “I hardly know her, Nanette.”

  “Then why help a young woman who you hardly know?”

  “To help her,” Henry said.

  The woman abruptly changed the subject. “I spoke to Guy. He saw you in London.”

  “Yes.”

  “Della is back in Norwich. I thought you’d like to know,” she said.

  “Does that concern me?” he said coldly.

  “Everyone makes mistakes.”

  He said nothing to that.

  “You had plans. Didn’t you?”

  Again, he said nothing.

  “Ah, here you are, Nanette,” came Theodocia’s voice. “Let me have the servant get your coat.”

  Once the coat was fetched, Nanette was escorted to the front door and bid them a good night.

  After Nanette left, Audrey came from the drawing room, flustered. How dare that woman make such insinuations about she and Henry! It was absurd. He had been kind to her, nothing more. He had helped her with a job. Yet here she was suggesting that they were what, lovers? She flushed at the word.

  Henry spotted her and came over to her. “Ms. Wakefield.”

  She acknowledged him coolly, in no mood to talk. “Mr. Ryland.”

  “You did a superb job explaining the workhouse and what you do. It was well done.”

  “Thank you.”

  Henry frowned. “Is something wrong?”

  “A slight headache.” It wasn’t a lie. She did have a headache.

  “Let me see you home,” he offered, motioning to the door.

  “There’s no need. I can manage.” She didn’t want to be around him just then, but he didn’t relent.

  “Please. Allow me.”

  Audrey tried to think of a way to escape his presence, but suddenly Theodocia was upon them, thanking her for her time.

  “Henry, please see Ms. Wakefield home,” she asked him before Audrey could stop her.

  “Of course, I will.”

  They entered the foyer, and a maid returned with her coat. Henry placed it about her shoulders, and when their fingers touched, she moved back from him as if burned. He frowned slightly but said nothing.

  “Thank you again, Ms. Wakefield. It was a delight to hear you speak of your experiences,” Theodocia told her.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Ryland, for inviting me. Good evening.” Audrey couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

  Inside the carriage, she sat across from Henry and said nothing to him. She kept replaying the woman’s words inside her head. Perhaps there’s something between you and the schoolmistress. The words made her throat dry. She was being gossiped about like some common nobody.

  “I did want to thank you for coming this evening. You’ve impressed Mother. Not an easy feat,” Henry said.

  Audrey glanced at him in the dark carriage and then looked away. “I’m glad it was a success, for her sake.”

  Henry continued, oblivious to her sour mood. “The women that attend these clubs are very isolated. They don’t know much about what goes on in the world outside of their homes. It’s good that they should know what is happening in the world at large.”

  “Indeed,” Audrey said coldly. That much had been made clear to her.

  Henry frowned. “Ms. Wakefield, you seem distressed. Has something happened?”

  Audrey took a deep breath. “I don’t wish to discuss it.”

  He eyed her closely. “Something has happened.”

  Audrey stared at him and then squared her shoulders. “I don’t wish to be the subject of gossip.
I’m a respectable woman.”

  He didn’t seem to catch on to what she was talking about. “Has someone said the opposite?”

  Audrey looked at the window, twisting her fingers together. “I overheard your conversation with—I believe you called her Nanette.”

  Henry still looked like he didn’t understand the problem. “Yes?”

  Audrey refused to look at him. “You mentioned that you put in a good word for me as I have no teaching experience. She responded that there was something between us.”

  “Yes,” Henry said slowly. “And I recall I told her that I hardly knew you and that I wanted to help you.”

  Frustration flowed through her. “Yes. But she’s insinuating things. Insinuating that I—that you helped me—because of some sort of—” She didn’t finish the sentence.

  “It seems as if that was her intent,” he agreed. “But I believe I explained why I helped you and that should be the end of it.”

  “The end of it?” Audrey finally looked at him. “It’s fine for you. You’re a man. You can do whatever you like. As a woman, my reputation is important. I don’t want people saying things about me, untrue things. I’ve seen how gossip works. In the vicarage, there was always someone being talked about.”

  He didn’t speak immediately, instead taking a moment to study her. “What else can I do for you?”

  “Don’t seek me out,” she told him. “Don’t offer to take me home.”

  “I didn’t realize speaking to you was a crime. As for the carriage ride home, I was merely being a gentleman as my mother asked me to do so,” Henry said.

  “I know that. You’ve been very kind to me. I appreciate everything you’ve done.” Really, she did, but she was still upset about what that woman had said about her.

  “You give me too much credit. I put in a good word. Everything else has been you, Ms. Wakefield.”

  Audrey sighed. “I’m saying stupid things. It’s been a long day. I’m tired. Forgive me. Of course, we can speak.”

  Henry eyed her. “I’ll do whatever you wish. I’ve no desire to make your time here in Norwich more difficult. If anything, I would like to ease your burdens.”