Chapter 14

This brought a very response from Aunt Roberta who explained that in her opinion William had been forced into a very unhappy marriage by his parents against his will. He had tried to protect his father’s business who was facing ruin because of his investment into the development of Bristol as the main shipping port in England. There were several competing factions at the time and the Hudson family sunk much of their accumulated wealth into creation of a port that was deep enough to accommodate large sailing ships and steam driven vessels.

Aunt Roberta explained that investors in the ports of Southampton and Liverpool tried to slow down the progress the Hudson family were making but William was unaware that his wife’s family were involved in the development of the Port of Liverpool. William had ignored the financial pressures and his success in business ventures in London and the respect he had gained enabled him to settle his father’s debts. He travelled regularly to London and he had several successful business ventures using Aunt Roberta as his partner.

Aunt Roberta then stated quite categorically that William’s life had been threatened and he was advised to leave his wealth in totality to his wife. But he had anticipated the threats and his investments in London, including his investment in the Gentleman’s club were to be left to Aunt Roberta and their daughter.

In unison Adele and Robert replied ‘What daughter?’’

Then it registered fully with both of them that the pictures of the couple with a young child they’d seen was indeed a family portrait. Why hadn’t Roberts father mentioned this daughter or the relationship between William and Aunt Roberta?

There was a period of quiet whilst plates were cleared from the table and the carafe of red wine was replaced with a bottle of imported Port. A taste that was welcomed by the gentry of London and particularly enjoyed by Aunt Roberta.

Robert looked at Adele and felt it was more appropriate he asked Aunt Roberta what she had meant. It seemed the shares in the Gentleman’s Club had passed legally to Aunt Roberta or been promised to their daughter.

‘Does this mean that I have a cousin Aunt Roberta. Did you give birth to a daughter?’

‘No you don’t have a cousin my dear. I lost my daughter a long time ago.’

‘But you and William had a child together didn’t you?’

Aunt Roberta waited until her glass of port was replenished before answering and Robert looked towards Adele for support. As Arthur she was ready to give support but as Adele she felt it better that Robert exploit his growing relationship between Aunt and niece.

Adele then feigned the role of bored male by treating the discussion as if it was women’s talk with no relevance to Arthur’s objective to seek confirmation of the shareholding in his Grandfathers Club. A club that had been under Judge Flemings direct control due to the confidence of fellow investors.

Robert approached Aunt Roberta and consoled her with a delicate feminine arm around her shoulder. For the first time it mattered not that this was a frail old woman just a dear Aunt who had lost her true love at a time when she had everything to live for.

‘But what of your daughter dear Aunt Roberta? Where is she now?’’

‘Her name was Elizabeth and she lived with me here in this house and was the most beautiful child who was the image of her father. He doted on her during his visits to London even though he had two children of his own with this woman he married in Bristol. Our love could not be broken.’

‘But there is no record of Elizabeth that I know of and as I said my father has never mentioned her.’

Aunt Roberta took Robert by the hand and looked into his eyes. ‘ No sweet Roberta after William was killed I feared the same would happen to me and especially to Elizabeth to remove all traces of Roberts indiscretions. The family knew William and I were in business together and they learned of the birth of Elizabeth after William was followed and because he made a will in London. He used the same lawyers who drew up the shareholders agreement for the Gentleman’s Club with shares passing to her or to be placed in trust until her 21st birthday.

‘So where is she since Arthur would surely like to meet her as a fellow shareholder.’

‘I moved Elizabeth out of London for her safety and placed her right under the family noses in Bristol where she was educated as best as is possible for a young woman in this unfair society in which we live. At the age of 18 she formed a relationship with a young man who was connected to the family where she lived. A sweet young man who fell in love with her. So much so that she too became pregnant so I brought her back to Tavistock Square.’

Adele intervened and asked what became of Elizabeth and the child.

‘She died in childbirth leaving a son who survived. The father wanted to take him back to Bristol but there was no way for him to protect this young child from this evil family and those who wanted Williams shares in our businesses and investments and also the shares in the Gentleman’s Club that Elizabeth was due to inherit had she reached the age of 21.‘

Adele spoke again ‘So where is this boy and who cared for him.’

Aunt Roberta looked at each of them in turn before answering ‘ I agreed it was better if he was moved quickly into the care of others who I could trust in case anything happened to me so to protect him as best I could from the clutches of these vultures.’

Robert was unable to ask the question that Adele asked next as her own female compassion from her male persona. ‘But you lost a daughter and your one true love. Surely to lose a grandson was a mistake.’

‘It is easy to say young man but I made the right decision and William lives on and so does Elizabeth. I don’t have long on this earth but I’ve ensured Elizabeth’s child will be secure and happy as best I can. Better we leave this topic for now since a little bit of knowledge of this history could be a dangerous thing.’

The dinner was concluded and Arthur bade them goodnight to arrange his carriage after promising to call on Miss Roberta in the morning to her for a tour of the sights in London and a trip on the river. Adele winked as he kissed her hand suggesting she wore something suitable for the day requesting that she look beautiful.

The very thought of such a day with Adele brought a feeling of excitement as well as some apprehension to Robert but deep down he relished the opportunity being presented to him. He was so excited that he couldn’t resist enticing Adele to stop and kiss him on the lips rather than being satisfied with the kiss on the back of his hand.

Polly was waiting in his room as he arrived and everything was prepared for him to remove his dress and restraints that held his waist and lifted his bosoms that had caught the attention of Adele. They were happy to be free as he slipped between the sheets and he had fallen into a deep slumber within minutes. Polly hadn’t even finished tidying and she smiled as she closed the door behind her since this beautiful young woman was such a positive influence on her mistress.

When Polly returned the next morning Robert was still sound asleep and hadn’t disturbed the bed clothes. She touched Miss Roberta gently on the shoulder and her eyes fluttered open to search for some recognition of the surroundings and then she stretched before sitting up to accept a fresh cup of tea served in a China cup. Polly pulled her nightdress together at the front to cover Roberts freshly ripening breasts that were searching for the morning sunlight that filed the room. His nipples were firm and erect but no longer sore thanks to the creams that Polly had provided the first afternoon. He caressed them between his index and middle fingers as Polly busied herself preparing a bowl of warm water and fresh towels.

They discussed Robert’s planned itinerary for the day so that Polly could offer suitable dress options that would be comfortable yet elegant and warm enough in case of a cool wind. Robert selected a bright blue off the shoulder dress with a tight waist since he felt it appropriate to show some cleavage to ensure any gentlemen with inquisitive glances were left in no doubt about his gender. Polly produced a matching cape to wear whilst on the river even though it was already a warm day. She then styled Roberts hair with ringlets and a bun to ensure it was tidy through the day.

At breakfast Aunt Roberta greeted him with a smile commenting that she was impressed with her nieces choice and recollecting how much William had liked this dress that was still in perfect condition.

Robert sat down with as much grace as he could muster in the dress that he arranged to spread evenly and it required him to sit forward on the chair that Polly’s daughter presented to him. He was becoming very comfortable in the life of an Upper Class young woman with servants at his beck and call but at the same time he acknowledged their support and was happy to chat with them. They enjoyed freshly cooked eggs with ham and freshly baked bread.

Roberta was in total presence by now and she thanked her Aunt for her kindness in welcoming Arthur to dinner and for her complements to him which brought another smile to her face. Aunt Roberta asked if Miss Roberta was smitten by this charming young man and if he was polite and courteous to her. Roberta blushed and nodded saying that they were really good friends and enjoyed being in each other’s company. She told her that Mr Arthur was trying to deal with some significant financial pressures and that he visited London regularly to deal with banks and shareholders of the Club trying to force him to give up his equity that would mean he lost his Grandfathers prize asset in an attempt to save the family business. The aggressors were virtually blackmailing Arthur and Roberta felt that he’d even been threatened with his life.

Aunt Roberta said that Miss Roberta should invite Arthur to dinner again since she wanted to understand his intentions with Roberta and if she felt comfortable then she would offer some information that might bring about a solution but it was not without risk.

Robert puzzled at the possible meaning behind Aunt Roberta’s comments but he was excite and could hardly wait for Adele to arrive. She was punctual as ever and dressed in a freshly tailored suit and boots greeting Robert with a bow and kissing his hand. ‘Beautiful Miss Roberta come with me please. Your carriage awaits.’