Page 41 of The Baron Takes a Wife

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As they drew closer to Annamaria’s, Elena reflected that she had not been to this part of London before, just north of Covent Garden. It was close to the hospital, so she had likely seen and met many from this part of town, but she had never actually been there before. She was grateful to get to see a different side of life from the glittering ton, though some of those in the streets begging for coin broke her heart, reminding her of her time without home or food.

Elena’s heart twisted further as they slowed after rounding a bend. This street was dirtier than the ones before, with a squalid smell that filled the air. David had told her how the smell from the Thames was now and had been dubbed “The Great Stink” by papers like the Illustrated London News. Elena could certainly understand the epitaph as she tried to breathe through her mouth to keep from casting up her accounts. She was closer to the Thames than she usually was, and the smell in the summer heat made the air feel heavy and unmovable. She hated that people had to live like this. David had mentioned that they had coated Parliament in a certain chemical to protect themselves from the stench, but it seems the leaders of the country had forgotten the people of St. Giles.

As they stopped, Elena squinted at the building in front of her, which looked to be slowly crumbling apart. They exited the carriage, leaving Goliath, and followed Annamaria’s directions to her flat. Annamaria poked her head out from behind a ramshackle door.

“Oh, I, um, I should have probably just met you at the hospital.”

She opened her door to invite them into the smallest drawing room Elena had seen, smaller than the rooms of many of the poorest families in her village in Dobruja, and unfortunately, Dobruja knew its share of poverty. As she took in the parameters of the room, Elena realized that it was not a drawing room but Annamaria’s entire living space. Because of her daughter and the change in circumstance, she likely could not live in one of the women’s boardinghouses Elena had heard about, which might have been safer.

Annamaria nodded to the crib. “I’m sorry, I think we’ll have to whisper.”

Elena glanced at Sophie, whose expression was unreadable.

“Please have a seat. W-would you like some tea?”

“Do not trouble yourself. We are quite well without it,” Elena said quickly. She did not want to have Annamaria go through the bother, and she knew how Sophie felt about tea.

“This is my aunt by marriage, Miss Sophie Plemmons.”

Annamaria gave a small curtsey.

“Ma’am. I’m Annamaria.” Elena sensed something odd about how Annamaria said her name without her surname. It was not how the English introduced themselves.

“How did you come to live here, Annamaria?” Sophie finally asked as she looked around the room. As Elena expected, Annamaria responded with her usual blunt honesty. Mayhap she and Sophie were well-matched.

“My family put me out. I fell in love with the wrong kind of man.”

“Which is?”

“According to them, an Irishman, ma’am.” Sophie sat on the too-small loveseat. Elena squeezed in next to her.

“And where is this Irishman now, may I ask?”

“Transported, ma’am. Australia, I think, but I don’t know.”

A flash of something, possibly pity, crossed Sophie’s face. They sat in silence for a moment until Elena felt compelled to move the conversation along.

“Annamaria speaks and writes in multiple languages. My aunt,” she turned to Annamaria, “manages part of the family business, which is mostly importing wine and spirits.”

“Oh, how, uh, in-industrious.” Annamaria stumbled over her words briefly as if unsure how to respond.

“Can you do mathematics, Annamaria?” Sophie asked.

“I can add and subtract and do some basic arithmetic. I’ve had to manage my own finances all alone these last few years.”

Sophie looked reluctantly impressed.

“And if I were to take you on as a secretary, what would you do with the child during the day?”

“Well, my neighbor—”

“But surely you would want to move from here.” Coming from Sophie, it was a statement, not a question.

“Well—”

“I will help her,” Elena said firmly. “If she cannot leave her daughter with a neighbor, I will hire her help. And we will find a new place for her to live. On some occasions, she could leave her with myself and Irene.”