Mara: A Georgian Romance

by Barbara T. Cerny

  *****

  Jake awoke the next day to Calvin poking him hard.

  “There you be!” He looked exasperated. “I have saddled Python and Lightning Bolt for you and Lady Sarah as she instructed, and we have been looking for you for nigh on twenty minutes. Get out there, will ye!”

  Jake happily left his room and went out to the paddock. Sure enough, there was Lady Sarah on Bolt, wearing another lovely riding outfit, a smile on her lips.

  Looking at Lightning Bolt with longing, he mounted Python and led the way down the drive.

  Halfway down the drive he couldn’t take it anymore. “Lady Sarah,” he asked timidly, “Can I ride Bolt again today?”

  Sarah laughed and nodded her head. “Don’t worry, my young man, you will receive your chance. I just want a ride him too. Come on; see if you can keep up.”

  She took off like lightning, enjoying her ride more than she had in years. Seeing Jake on Bolt yesterday gave her a new perspective for the magnificence of her mount. The young man had taught her basic joy again, something she had lost over the past few years of her life. Jake had awakened her to the enjoyment of the moment, something that had been missing since the marriage to her late husband.

  They ended up in the same meadow as yesterday where they switched horses. Sarah also pulled breakfast out of her saddle bags.

  The two became fast friends, going out for a ride and breakfast every morning. Sarah forgot about her life back in London, the wine and the parties and began to realize she was missing the point of her life.

  Jake learned from his new mentor many aspects of the way the peerage worked, who was who, and how things worked in the English political system.

  Mara came to hate the woman and the time she was taking in Jake’s life. She couldn’t wait for the lady to leave them alone.

  *****

  On Lady Sarah’s last morning before leaving to return to London, she posed a question to her young friend. “Jake, I want you to return to London with me. I want to hire you as my stable hand. You are amazing with Bolt, and we are amazing together. I want you with me always.”

  Jake nearly jumped out of his skin. Her question caught him completely off guard. He thought a moment before responding. “M’lady, I am extremely flattered you would do that for me. But I can’t. I can’t leave the Markham family.”

  “Why not? They mean nothing to you, and you mean nothing to them. I know Evelyn well. One stable hand is as good as another. I will treat you like a king. I can bring you out; make you a member of society. We can research your great-grandfather so your true pedigree would be known. You have the breeding; you just need the right connections.”

  Jake shook his head. “Lord Markham and Lady Maureen mean nothing to me, but I could never leave Mara.”

  “Mara, that ugly fat child! What could she possibly be to you?”

  Jake winced at her words, feeling his anger flare. He stood up and walked over to Bolt, rage deepening in his chest.

  Sarah looked bewildered. His emotional reaction to her words seemed to confuse her.

  “What do you know about it?” he yelled. “Mara is the kindest, gentlest, most wonderful person in the world, and all you see is what you want to see. You people are all so shallow it’s sickening!”

  Lady Sarah stood, her own anger rising. “Why are you so offended? I didn’t mean to insult Mara, or anger you. I simply described her as I see her.”

  She watched him tighten Bolt’s saddle in jerking movements. Sarah realized she had made a mistake. She spoke again, calmly, trying to diffuse the situation. She put her hands on Jake’s shoulders. “Obviously you see her differently than the rest of us. Don’t yell at me; help me understand.”

  Jake looked down at the beautiful face of his mentor. The sincerity in her eyes made him stop wrenching on the saddle and sit back down. Sarah might be spoiled and overbearing sometimes, but she wasn’t cruel.

  He drew in a breath. “I told you half-truths during our first morning together.” He looked at her face and saw only concern in her eyes. He continued. “Mara is the reason Alvin and I aren’t in prison or dead by now.”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow, her expression encouraging him to continue.

  This time he told the truth, although he still did not mention Pete or Luke. He and Alvin protected those two at all costs. Jake told Sarah how he and Alvin had met Mara, how she had saved them, fed them, clothed them, helped them find their jobs, and educated them. He choked on his words as he told Sarah about the whipping and Mara rescuing him even then. Sarah was aghast to learn that Evelyn had been the one to whip the boy so viciously for naught.

  Jake told Sarah about Mara’s giggle, her warm heart, her intelligence, her sense of fairness. He told her about the cruelty of her brothers and cousins, and how he and Alvin protected her from them as much as they could. He told her about the fight between Alvin and Oakley. He told her the story of the rescue of the orphanage, and how Mara had led the charge.

  As Jake was relating his story, Sarah saw love in his eyes whenever he spoke Mara’s name, and felt the tenderness of his words when he described her. Jake was completely and totally in love with Mara; that was as plain as the nose on his face. And Sarah knew she could never compete with that.

  Sarah was now the one who felt sorrow. There were tears in her eyes when Jake finished his tale.

  “You are amazing, Jacob Abbot,” she said warmly, her hands lightly touching his arms. “Your soul runs very deep. You have been able to see through the shell and into the girl. That is a rare gift, and Mara is a very lucky girl to have you to love her. Unless she loses four or five stone in weight between now and twenty, you may be her only chance for happiness and marriage. I hope you can claim her as yours.” She sighed, and touched his cheek affectionately. “I think you have just taught me more than I could ever possibly teach you.”

  Jake blushed and looked at the ground. Sarah lifted his head back up by cupping her hand under his chin. “I just wish I could find someone like you, Jake. Although, I have to wonder what you think about me, behind my outer shell, a spoiled drunk.”

  Jake smiled at her. “I think you hide behind that drinking afraid to find what you are looking for. You are looking in all the wrong places, madam, for your own happiness. It comes from the heart, not from the drink and the party-life.”

  Lady Sarah Hastings only wished she could believe that.

  *****

  That afternoon, Jake told Mara that Lady Sarah had asked him to go back to London with her as her stable hand.

  Mara’s heart stopped as she reigned in Hebe. “So what did you tell her?” she asked hesitantly, terrified the answer might be yes.

  Jake stopped Python and turned to look Mara in the eye. He could see the fear in her eyes, and it tore him apart that she might think he could leave her. “I said no, Mara. I could never leave you and Alvin behind. My life is here, my family is here. I…” He stopped short of telling her he loved her. He wasn’t sure he was ready to say it, or that she was ready to hear it.

  Mara’s face broke into a smile, as relief swept through her. Lady Sarah would leave in the morning, and Jake would stay here with her. Nothing could be better.

  To hide his awkwardness, Jake turned Python back around and walked the horse for a bit before asking Mara about a matter he’d been pondering. “Lady Sarah said she’d help me trace my ancestry and bring me out if I went with her. I would still like to do that. Is it possible, when all I know is my mother’s maiden name, her mother’s name, and that my great-grandfather was a baron?”

  Mara’s mind quickly embraced this new challenge, all thoughts of Lady Sarah and her jealousy of the beautiful, worldly woman leaving her mind completely. “I don’t know. I will ask Miss Perkins when we return home.”

  “I really don’t know much,” Jake continued. “My grandmother’s name was Millie. I remember her visiting only once when I was very little.” He paused as he struggled to recall the memory, long lost in the horrors of being in the orp
hanage. “I don’t think she ever came after Mary was born. I had the feeling Grandmother Millie didn’t like my father much. So there you have it. Charles and Gloria Abbot, Millie Abrams, and some ghost of a baron as a great-grandfather.”

  Mara was now caught up in the possibilities of what lay ahead. “It might be difficult, but I promise you I won’t stop until I find him, Jake. You deserve your real family.”

  Jake turned to his best friend and smiled. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, either.

  Chapter 14

  True to her word, the minute they arrived back in London, Mara set to work. She asked Miss Perkins to take her to the library two to three times a week to do research. Miss Perkins was an accomplished driver of a phaeton, so they were able to go on their own schedule, with permission from Lady Maureen.

  The search turned out to be very difficult. The books that listed the peerage were quite disorganized, and the two ladies worked backward instead of forward. The books were organized mainly by title; however, some of the titles were buried in other titles, as they were created for already-titled peers or non-titled siblings who had done some great deed for a king or queen. New pages and entries were constantly being added, and sometimes a whole new book was created.

  The books were a jumble of words and family trees and branches that went from page to page, and then skipped several pages. Blank pages might be followed by a page that contained information from a hundred years prior. It was a ghastly mess. There was nothing more to do than start at the beginning with the Baron of Amherst and go through the books alphabetically. They hoped and prayed that the information about the Abrams family wasn’t in the book for the Baron of Walsingham!

  *****

  Nine weeks later, Mara was sure she was going blind and crazy. Pages started blurring and the family trees looked like moving snakes. She practically lost all ability to focus, and dragged herself to the library each morning out of sheer determination. Miss Perkins felt the same pain. Today the search was too much for her as she laid her head on the Baron of Porchester’s book and fell fast asleep.

  Mara slowly made her way through one of the volumes, when she finally found what they had been looking for all these weeks. She wanted to shout for joy, but stopped herself just in time before disturbing the other library clientele. “I found it, Miss Perkins!” she whispered. “Here it is!”

  Miss Perkins jerked her head off the book and blinked a few times to wake up. She was instantly alert, and moved her chair closer to Mara’s. Mara began to read, pointing out the family tree as she went.

  “Baron Petre of Writtle was created in the county of Essex on 21 July 1603. Chief seats are located in Writtle, Thorndon, and Ingatestone in the county of Essex.

  “See here, there is a William Thomas, the fourth Lord Petre. The fifth Lord Petre, Joseph Howard, died almost immediately upon receiving the title. So it went to his brother, Thomas Adam, who became the sixth Lord Petre. Thomas had three children—Millicent June, Robert Edward, and William Thomas. Robert Edward became the seventh Lord Petre.

  “Robert Edward married Anne, daughter and heiress of Philip, grandson of Henry, sixth Duke of Norfolk.” She stopped reading to look up at Miss Perkins, who was completely absorbed in the Petre family tree. “How nice, there is a duke in the family. But let me show you where it becomes most interesting.”

  She turned the page to show the siblings of Robert Edward, the seventh Lord Petre. “Here is his sister, Millicent June, who married Edward Jacob Abrams of Beckforth Castle in the county of Somerset. They had one daughter, Gloria Millie, who married Charles Patrick Abbot in 1781. See! Jake was born in 1782 to a Charles and Gloria Abbot, and his grandmother was Millie. This has to be them!”

  Mara was so excited she could barely sit still. “Jake is the great-grandson of Thomas Adam Petre, sixth Baron Petre of Writtle!”

  Miss Perkins was now just as excited as her charge. There it was in black and white, written in the ancient pages of the Petre family history—the entire ancestry of one young Jacob James Abbot. His name was missing from the page, but that could be rectified.

  “Does he have living cousins? Does the family still exist?”

  Mara turned back to the previous page and followed the trail. “Let’s see. Robert James, eighth Lord Petre, was born in 1763 and married Anne, daughter of James Ratcliffe, Earl of Derwentwater. They had four children: Robert Edward, who must be the present and ninth Lord Petre, for there is not a date of death listed. He is married to Juliana Barbara, sister of Bernard Edward, heir apparent of the Duke of Norfolk. Nothing like keeping the Duke of Norfolk in the family for a second generation, eh?”

  Mara looked up at her teacher, and they shared a small laugh before continuing. “Catherine, married to George Heneage of Hainton in the county of Lincoln, esquire; Barbara, married to Thomas Gifford of Chillington in the county of Stafford, esquire; and Julia, married to Edward Weld of Lulworth Castle in the county of Dorset, esquire.

  “Yes, he has living cousins—Robert, the ninth Baron of Petre, and his sisters Catherine, Barbara, and Julia. How marvelous!”

  Miss Perkins looked around the library for the librarian. “We should at least have them update the tree with Jake’s name, and then see if we can find out where the ninth Lord Petre lives.”

  “Let me copy all this down first so we can take it with us,” Mara said excitedly. She spent the next hour painstakingly writing down all she could find on the Petre family, while her tutor looked up the address of the town of Writtle in Essex.

  After taking the book back to the counter, they explained the family relationships and then watched as the librarian carefully wrote Jake and Mary’s names and birthdates into the book, as well as the dates that Jake’s parents and Mary had died. Mara smiled at the handiwork, proud that Jake’s name was now properly in the peerage. He could now prove he was more than a mere stable hand. She was glad she would no longer have to make the one-hour trek to the library several times a week!

  Jake, Alvin, and Mara gathered in the nursery after dinner and pored over the history of the Petre family. Jake was amazed Mara had been able to find the elusive baron his mother had mentioned.

  “We had the librarian complete your page, so your name and Mary’s have been entered into the book, along with the dates that your parents and Mary died. You are now officially peerage, or at least you are in the Baron of Petre book.”

  “So what are you gonna do now, Jake?”

  “I don’t know, Al. I never really thought Mara would succeed.” Mara stuck her tongue out at him. Jake started talking rapidly to overcome his blunder. “I mean, you are wonderfully talented and intelligent, but you yourself said it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. I just didn’t want to dwell on false hope.”

  Mara immediately gave her two cents’ worth. “I think you need to write a letter to the ninth Lord of Petre and see what happens.” She passed him the paper with the address for the town of Writtle.

  Jake took it gingerly and stared at the words on the page. There was a huge lump in his throat. He had to admit to himself that he was scared. Scared of his past, scared of his future, scared of the ninth Baron of Petre. Scared that he would once again, nine years later, be unwanted and left orphaned. He now fervently wished he had never opened his mouth and asked Mara to help him. Sometimes it is better to let sleeping dogs lie.

  “Well?” Alvin’s voice brought him back out of his reverie.

  Jake sighed. “I guess I will write a letter.”

  Mara helped him write an eloquent letter to the ninth Baron of Petre. Jake talked about being orphaned, and the long search he had undergone to discover the baron in his family. He stated that he only wanted to know his roots; he did not want to give the impression that he wanted anything other than a connection to his family.

  Mara had Termins mail the letter. Now there was nothing left to do except wait for a response and do their chores and schoolwork.

  A little over a month later, the res
ponse arrived. Termins made a big deal about delivering it to the young stable hand. Jake didn’t want to read it, so Mara agreed to do it for him. It wasn’t from the baron himself; instead, an estate manager had signed it and sealed it.

  Dear Mr. Abbot,

  Thank you for your letter to my employer, the Baron of Petre.

  I am writing to let you know that your letter was received.

  The family is well aware of your mother, Gloria, and her husband, Charles. However, you and your sister’s birth are news.

  I am sorry that your parents and sister are now gone, but there is no reason for you to reconnect with the current barony. Your grandmother, Millicent Petre Abrams, left the bosom of the family under terrible circumstances, and your letter opened up many old wounds. It is best to leave it be. Please send no more missives to this address.

  Good luck in your future endeavors.

  Sincerely,

  Gregory Egerton

  Estate Manager

  Mara’s voice trailed off as she finished reading the letter. Alvin reached out to touch Jake’s shoulder. Jake felt the tears threaten behind his eyes. His worst fear had come true, and now he deeply regretted having tried to find his family. He stood up and walked out of the stables, down the drive, and out of the gates into the streets of London. Mara and Alvin could do nothing except watch him go.

  Alvin destroyed the demoralizing letter, and it was never mentioned again.

  Chapter 15

  At sixteen, Mara had grown into a beautiful girl—her skin flawless; her long, red hair still wild but framing her round face perfectly; and her eyes sparkling with life. The little space between her front teeth added an extra aura of sensuality instead of detracting from her looks. Others outside her immediate family remarked on the beauty of her face, but her parents and brothers never saw it against the weight of her body. The orphaned boys noticed, however, and remarked to each other that it was a shame no one else recognized how magnificent their Angel was.