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‘Gladly, my lady. There is something you could do for me in return. Would you call and bear my mother company while I am away? She is still feeling very down and I do not like leaving her.’
‘Of course I will. When do you go?’
‘I was planning to make a start tomorrow, but I will defer it until the day after to give the ladies time to pack. I mean to be on the road betimes, so I will call for them with the coach at half past eight if that is not too early.’
‘We will be ready,’ Jane said.
He bowed his way out, leaving Isabel jumping up and down in excitement.
* * *
The journey was accomplished in two days with frequent changes of horses at the various staging inns along the way and an overnight stay at the halfway point. Isabel spent much of her time looking out of the coach window and exclaiming at what she saw, while Jane and Mark discussed Jane’s fund-raising.
‘There are several orphanages in London,’ he said. ‘Some good, some downright bad. You should visit a few of them and find out how they are run and how they raise their money and perhaps learn some of the pitfalls to avoid. They might give you some ideas. Once my business is done I will be happy to escort you. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon.’
‘Yes, that will be convenient, thank you,’ Jane said. ‘It will give me time to prepare some notes in the morning.’
‘How boring,’ Isabel said.
‘You do not have to come, Issie, dear,’ Jane said. ‘I am sure Aunt Emmeline will find something for you to do more to your taste. You know what a busy social life she leads.’
‘But you will be taking Mark from me.’
‘I will make it up to you, Isabel,’ he said. ‘You must allow your sister to have her children’s home. After all, you have your wedding to look forward to.’ He smiled. ‘Already two weeks of the six months have passed.’
‘Yes. I am a crosspatch, aren’t I?’
‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘Shall you like to visit Bullock’s Museum? I believe they are displaying Napoleon’s coach captured at Waterloo. We could all go one afternoon.’
* * *
She had been mollified by this idea and had recovered her good humour by the time the coach drew up outside Lady Cartrose’s house in Mount Street. Mindful of his escort duties, he bade Jeremy take the coach on to Wyndham House and entered the town house to hand his charges and their maid over to her ladyship, who had received her sister-in-law’s letter and was expecting them. Since Jane had last seen her she had put on a great deal of weight and was now a roly-poly of a woman. She was dressed in a dark-purple gown and wore a white cap on dyed red hair.
‘Come in and let me look at you,’ she said, as the maid who had conducted them to the drawing room disappeared to fetch refreshments and Bessie was conducted up to their rooms to unpack. ‘My, you are quite grown up now and so elegant. I did not know I had such beautiful nieces. Do present your escort.’
‘Aunt Emmeline, this is Lord Wyndham,’ Jane said.
‘And am I right in thinking he is your betrothed?’ She turned a round, smiling face to Mark.
Jane was dismayed. ‘On, no, Aunt. Lord Wyndham is Isabel’s betrothed, not mine.’
‘Oh, dear, what a foolish mistake to make. I must have misread you mother’s letter. My lord, please forgive me.’
Mark bowed to her. ‘My lady, it is of no consequence.’
‘Do let us be seated.’ She waved her hand in the direction of two sofas and some chairs. ‘Then we can have a comfortable coze over some refreshments and you can tell me all about yourselves.’ She sat on one of the sofas as a maid brought in the tea tray and another appeared with two plates loaded with cakes and pastries.
It soon transpired that her ladyship was very deaf and they were obliged to repeat almost everything they said in very loud voices, while her ladyship munched her way through two large pastries and several cakes. The girls ate one cake each and Mark felt duty bound to manage more than that in order to please their hostess.
* * *
An hour later, when her ladyship had satisfied herself that she had learned all she needed to know about their lives and aspirations, Mark prepared to take his leave. ‘I shall be occupied on business affairs during the morning tomorrow,’ he told her ladyship. ‘But I shall call in the afternoon, if I may. I promised Jane to take her to visit some orphanages.’
‘Then you should go to the Foundling Hospital,’ she said. ‘It is open to the public and has raised considerable sums for its upkeep with artwork and musical evenings.’
