“How did you come to lose the marriage lines?” Arabella questioned.
“One night it was particularly cold, and I put one too many logs on the fire,” the woman said. “We were lucky that we were able to escape with our lives.”
“What of the parish clerk?” Arabella asked. “Have you asked to see the parish register book to prove that you were legally wed?”
“I have tried, but the clerk claims he has no record of our wedding.”
“How is that possible?”
“I know not,” the woman replied.
“Do you have no family or friends who could vouch for you?” Colin pressed.
The woman shook her head. “My husband grew up in a neighboring village, but he is the son of a migrant worker. He grew up sleeping on the streets and begging for food. No one glanced his way, much less learned his name.”
“What of you?” Arabella asked.
“I was disowned by my parents when I agreed to marry Sam,” the woman revealed. “My father owned the general store and I used to sneak food out to him. We struck up a friendship and fell in love.”
“Surely someone could verify your union?” Colin questioned incredulously.
“I’m afraid not, milord,” she replied. “Fate has not been kind to us, but I do swear to you that I was legally married before God and witnesses.”
Arabella stepped forward and smiled. “I believe you.”
The woman let out a sigh of relief. “That makes me so happy to hear,” she said. “You have no idea how unkind people can be to me and my son.”
Colin glanced around the cottage. “Have you informed Mr. Brown of all the repairs that need to be done to this cottage?”
“I do not wish to complain,” the woman said. “We are lucky to have a roof over our heads.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
The woman gave him a sad smile. “It is still far better than our last home.”
Colin blinked. “That is impossible.”
“It had a dirt floor,” Peter interjected, “and we shared it with animals.”
Arabella turned her gaze towards Colin and gave him a look. They needed to help this family. If they didn’t, they might not last through the winter.
“If it would help, I could speak to my solicitor and see if there was a way to prove you were legally wed,” Colin offered.
The woman gave him an appreciative look. “That would be exceptionally kind of you, milord.”
“You mentioned you came from a neighboring village,” he remarked. “Which one was that?”
“Langham,” she replied.
“I see. And I’m afraid I did not catch your name,” he said.
“Ellen Burkard,” she responded.
He eyed her curiously, unsure if he heard her correctly. “Did you say Burkard?”
“I did.”
“And you mentioned your husband was named Sam,” he said in a voice much more forceful than he had intended.
