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But then the ones who had passed a few years without an offer were not those he would choose to spend his life with, either. For the most part demanding, petulant, and pretentious. Somewhat like unfortunate Lord Mulgrave’s wife, sister to Addie’s friend, Lady Pamela. He’d seen the couple out and about a few times and the encounters always left Marcus shaking his head. That woman would drive any man to his liquor bottle.
Yes, he’d become somewhat jaded of late. Despite his hard work, the bill he’d fought so hard for would die a peaceful death in the House of Commons. It was time to wrap up whatever business he could and visit his sister. Get the devil out of London.
2
Lizbeth looked around the cozy room Mrs. O’Leary had given her and smiled with contentment. This was the first nice thing to happen to her in a few years. The room had a warm feel to it, with pale rose and green walls and bed covers. There was even a soft carpet beneath her feet.
She finally had everything moved in and would meet the other boarders at dinner that night. Mrs. O’Leary told her she could rest from her move and didn’t have to help with dinner until tomorrow. Lizbeth took the gifted free time to drag out her latest painting and analyze what was wrong with it, since she knew it felt off-balance, but didn’t know why.
A slight tap on her door drew her attention away from the canvas. “Yes?”
The door opened a bit and a pretty blonde woman stuck her head in. “H-hello. Are y-you the n-new resident?”
Lizbeth stood and smiled. “Yes. I am. Won’t you come in?”
The woman entered the room and leaned against the closed door. “I am Lady P-pamela M-manning. You c-can probably g-guess I h-have a problem with s-speech.” She blushed slightly, and Lizbeth immediately took to her visitor. She had a feeling they could be friends. Something she hadn’t had in a while.
“It is quite nice to meet you. I am Miss Lizbeth Davenport. And your stutter doesn’t trouble me.” She waved to the only chair in the room as she made her way to the bed. “Won’t you sit for a minute? It’s nice to have a vi
sitor.”
“I h-hope you stay l-longer than the l-l-last few residents,” Lady Pamela said as she settled back in the chair. “Just as I g-got to know Miss S-spencer—the last occupant of this r-room—she up and m-moved.”
Lizbeth climbed onto the bed, tucking her legs underneath her bottom. “Is there a lot of coming and going here? It seems like a really nice boarding house.”
“It is a l-lovely place t-to live. I’ve b-been here for th-the past th-three years. Y-you will m-meet the other l-ladies at d-dinner. It’s just th-that this room s-seems to have a l-lot of coming and going.”
“I hope to change that. It would be wonderful if I could stay here after I get a job.” She stopped for a moment, and feeling an infinity with this young woman, she added, “I guess I should tell you that I was fired from my job for stealing.”
Lady Pamela’s brows rose but she didn’t say anything.
“I will also add that it was a mistake. I worked there for three years and had no problem.” She shook her head, again puzzled at how the entire debacle came to be. “I would never steal anything.”
“T-that’s strange. Wh-what happened?”
Lizbeth told her the entire story, along with how Mrs. O’Leary came to her rescue by offering her the room for free until she could secure new employment.
“That was v-very nice of h-her. She has d-done that b-before.”
“I think the woman is a saint. I have no idea what I would have done if I hadn’t met her.”
They chatted for about a half hour. Lady Pamela insisted she drop the title and just call her Pamela. Eventually, the bell to summon the residents to dinner sounded and Lizbeth and her new friend descended the stairs together to the dining room.
Once they settled around the table, Mrs. O’Leary introduced the other women. Mrs. O’Reilly, Miss Dawson and Mrs. Grady all nodded at her and offered their warm welcomes.
The meal began and the boarders chatted amicably. When they questioned her about her background, she left the part out about being fired for stealing. Although she’d felt comfortable with Pamela to admit that, she didn’t think it was wise to spread that tidbit with the other boarders, lest they begin to lock up their jewelry. Or, even worse insist that Mrs. O’Leary toss her to the street.
Lizbeth glanced at the calendar hanging on her wall, taking note that she’d been at Mrs. O’Leary’s boarding house for two weeks. She was quite settled in, helping Mrs. O’Leary with the housework, then spending time applying for jobs. As she’d feared, with no references, she was having a difficult time finding employment. When she mentioned it to Mrs. O’Leary, the woman would just pat her hand, tell her not to worry about it, and offered tea.
Unfortunately, with a lack of free time, her artwork was once again put aside, but at least she had a roof over her head and a full stomach.
Having finished her kitchen duty, she slowly undressed to put on her favorite nightgown. This one had been given to her by her mother the Christmas before her family had been taken from her. It was beginning to show signs of wear, but she would never let it go. She crushed the nightgown in her fists and sniffed. The smell of her old home had long since vanished with all the washings, but she still tried every night to bring back the security she’d felt—and hadn’t realized she had—one more time.
She slithered into the nightgown and was just climbing into bed when there was a knock on her door. She padded across the room and peeked her head out. Mrs. O’Leary stood there with a glass in her hand.
“My dear, I noticed you were sniffling a bit at dinner. I think it would be a good idea for you to drink this down before you sleep. It will help with the sniffles and allow you to rest easier, too.”
Lizbeth smiled and reached out and took the glass. “Thank you so much. That is very kind of you.”
