Leonora's Journal Volume Two

The Sequel to 'Ring of Stone' and 'Leonora's Journal Volume One' by Bronwen Welsh

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Chapter 28 A wrong righted
Monday 29th November
This afternoon, following my regular meeting with Mrs Danvers and Mr Anderson, followed by a light luncheon, I was sitting in the drawing room applying some water colour paint to one of my sketches when there was a tap on the door. Mrs Danvers entered. She has a disapproving look on her face, and after her usual formal curtsey, said: “There is a young woman at the door, madam. She says she has come from London and begs permission to speak to you regarding your brother Mr Bolton.”

I confess the words ‘young woman’ and ‘Mr Bolton’, gave me some cause for concern. It is an accepted fact that young women of the ton go to their marriage beds as virgins, but such is not the case with young men. It is equally accepted that prior to marriage they will ‘sow their wild oats’. In some ways this is not a bad thing since I cannot imagine the situation if both the husband and wife were virgins and had no idea what they should do. Thus it is that although new wives expect their husband to have experience they don’t ask and the husband doesn’t tell.
I suddenly realized that Mrs Danvers had spoken.

“I’m sorry, Mrs Danvers, you were saying?”

“Shall I send her away, madam?”

Tempting though it was, I needed to know the reason for her making such a long journey.

“I will see her alone Mrs Danvers, but please keep within earshot in case I need assistance in dealing with her.”

“Very well, madam,” she said, and again I could feel that I detected a note of disapproval, perhaps of me this time. But I felt that I really needed to know what this visit was about. A minute later, the door opened and she returned with a young woman.

“Miss Betty Burke, madam,” she said to me, and turning to the young woman, ”Curtsey and address Mrs d’Anglais as ‘ma’am’.” She then did her formal curtsey and left the room.

I had glanced up when they entered the room, but now turned my attention back to my painting, leaving Miss Burke to stand there, looking around the room. I could tell she was nervous, and I wanted to do nothing to dispel that nervousness. She was a pretty young girl and I feared what she might be about to say to me. Finally, I finished what I was doing and looked up.

“Miss Burke, you have travelled all the way from London to see me; how can I help you?”

She sketched a curtsey, probably the second one. I could tell from her dress that she was from London’s poorest community. “It’s regarding your brother, Mr Bolton … ma’am.”

“And what makes you think that Mr Bolton is my brother?”

I saw a letter he 'ad addressed to you sitting on his desk, ma’am.”

“So you can read!” I exclaimed without thinking. This is not an attribute that many of the poorest in society can lay claim to.

“Yes ma’am, and write a little and do me numbers,” she replied with a touch of defiance. “My Pa thought I should get educated, so sent me to school for a year, but then he died in an accident down at the docks, and Ma couldn’t afford for me to go no more. Besides she needed the money I could bring in to support the family.”

“Do you have siblings?” I enquired. She paused for a moment looking puzzled.
“If you mean brothers and sisters, ma’am’, yes I have two younger brothers and three sisters.”

I was finding it difficult to maintain a cold demeaner. “So, tell me what has happened. Why have you come to see me?” I asked in a softer tone.

“I was working at Gray’s Inn, cleaning the rooms of the young gentlemen scholars, ma’am. One day, I saw some money on Mr Bolton’s desk, but I didn’t touch it, I swear. The next morning when I came to work, I was taken into the common room of the young gentlemen and accused of stealing the money. They wouldn’t listen but said it must have been me as nobody else could get into Mr Bolton’s room. He was the only one who stood up for me and said that perhaps it had been thrown out by mistake, but he was outvoted by all the rest and I was dismissed on the spot and without paying me the five shillings I was owed. They said I was lucky not to be reported to the sheriff as I’d probably be transported to New South Wales if I wasn’t hanged. I was so scared I ran from the room and didn’t stop until I got home.”

“Did they say how much money was missing?” I asked.

“They said it was ten pounds, ma’am. I never seen that much money in me life.”

“And were they right that you were the only one to have access to Mr Bolton’s room?”

“Most of the young gentlemen leave their rooms unlocked, ma’am. The porter gives me a key but most times I don’t need to use it. Mr Bolton never locks his room and anyone could have gone into it.”

The more I thought about it the more I became convinced that she was right. Anyone could have taken the money and it was too easy to blame the cleaner.
“Do you have any money left?” I asked. “How will you get back to London?”

“I’ve just thruppence ma’am. I suppose I’ll have to beg for the rest.”

“That won’t do,” I said. “I need to discuss this with my husband, Mr d’Anglais. He is a lawyer too. I want you to come back here tomorrow morning and I will tell you what we have decided to do.”

I reached for my reticle where I keep my pin money, and extracted some coins.
“Here are three shillings. That will cover your coach fare to London but also buy you a bed for the night and something to eat.”

Betty stared at me. “Oh ma’am, thank you so much. I’ll come back tomorrow, I swear.”

I picked up a small silver bell on my table and rang it. Mrs Danvers instantly appeared. She must have been just outside the door.

“Mrs Danvers, I have asked Miss Burke to return tomorrow morning, after I have spoken to Mr d’Anglais. In the meantime, would you be kind enough to direct her to a nearby inn where she can get a bed and meal, please?”

“Yes ma’am,” said Mrs Danvers, with an unusually stiff curtsey. Her expression suggested she wondered what on earth I was doing, and had I lost my mind? Then she showed Betty Burke out.

After they had left the room, I sat for a while and considered her story. To be honest, when she explained what she had come about I was greatly relieved, since I thought it possible that John had been foolish. He is my brother and I love him dearly, but for all that, he is a man and men sometimes do things without thinking of the consequences.

This evening, after dinner, I told Richard about Betty Burke’s visit and her story.

“Do you believe her?” he asked.

“Yes, I do, and it’s not just female intuition” I said with a smile.

Richard smiled too. “Pretend I am a judge, how would you convince me of her innocence?” he said.

“Well, My Lord, to start with, Miss Burke is quite a bright girl. If she had taken the money, she would never have dared return to Gray’s Inn the following day. Indeed, with ten pounds in her pocket, she would have put as much distance as she could between herself and London. She said herself that most of the rooms are left unlocked, so anyone could have entered John’s room, seen the money and on impulse pocketed it. I think that’s what happened. Most of those young gentlemen must be as short of money as John is, until they are called to the bar. John might even have suspected one of them, but it was not possible for him to make a general accusation. I also wondered why they didn’t take Betty to the sheriff. They didn’t seem to want him involved. Perhaps he would have asked the same questions I am asking?”

“Good, good,” said Richard. “So, what do you propose to do?”

“I propose to write to John, tell him about Betty’s visit and how we are convinced of her innocence. I will send him ten pounds which I’ve saved from my pin money as I’m sure he must now be short of money. I will also suggest he keeps it securely under lock and key, since I believe the real thief is still at large. I will ask him to send Betty a note saying that she is an honest and trustworthy person, so that she can use it as a reference to get herself another job. As for Betty, tomorrow I would like to give her a pound in small change to make up for the pay she was not given, and to help her family while she seeks another employer.”

Richard smiled. “I think you have covered everything very well. I totally support your proposed actions, except in one regard; there is no need to dispense your own savings as I will provide the ten pounds to send to John, and perhaps it would not be excessive to give Miss Burke two pounds?”

I walked up to him and kissed him. “Thank you my dear,” I said. ”What a generous man you are and how was I so lucky as to marry you?”

He smiled. “It’s a pity that women aren’t allowed to become lawyers. You argued Miss Burke’s defence so eloquently, I’m sure you’d be as successful practicing law as many men.”

“Perhaps one day it will happen, but I doubt it will be in our lifetimes, my dear. Women aren’t even allowed to become university students,” I said. This is a sore point with me, and Richard knows it.

Tuesday 30th November
I expected Miss Burke early and was surprised to hear the clock had just struck ten when she arrived looking breathless and was shown into the drawing room, this time by one of the maids.

After she almost fell over curtseying, she gasped “I’m so sorry ma’am, what must you think of me? I expect you thought I wouldn't return, but that bed was the most comfortable I’ve ever occupied, and I overslept.”

“Not at all, I knew you would return,” I said, although the thought had crossed my mind that she had taken the money and run off, thinking I had not believed her. I then explained to her what Richard and I had decided and how I would write to my brother and inform him.

“I am sorry that it will be impossible for you to return to Gray’s Inn, but I hope that his recommendation will enable you to find some other suitable employment.”

I then gave her the two pounds in small coins that Richard and I agreed, and she was so grateful she almost wept. Indeed her thanks were so profuse they were almost embarrassing. I wished her good fortune in the future and guessing correctly that she had not stopped to breakfast at the inn, rang for the maid and asked her to take Miss Burke to the kitchen and ask Mrs Walker to give her something to eat and also something to take with her during her trip back to London. I then sat down to write to John, enclosing the draft for ten pounds and told him of Richard and my conclusions on the case. I finished off by suggesting that if one of his colleagues was a compulsive gambler, that might be where the money had gone.

Thursday 2nd December
A letter arrived from John in London today, and the contents were in some ways a surprise and some ways not. After thanking me for the ten pounds, since he was in dire straits financially, he told me that yesterday he had received a visit from one of his fellow students, who, as I correctly surmised, is a compulsive gambler. He continued as follows:

‘This fellow, I won’t name him since if it were noised abroad it would be the end of his legal career, had been drinking and visited me full of remorse to admit that he had called in to see me a few days back when I was absent. It seems some rough fellows to whom he owed money have been making certain threats and he had hoped to borrow from me. Upon seeing the money on my desk which I had foolishly not locked away, upon an impulse he picked it up. He now begs my forgiveness and promises, which I doubt if he will keep, to pay the money back.

‘I told him it was of more concern to me that an innocent girl had lost her employment and reputation for honesty due to his actions, and that he should feel even more guilt because of that, a point upon which he humbly agreed. ‘You must understand that I could not admit it in from of all the other fellows,’ he said. I said that if he showed genuine remorse then he would do his best to find her another position. You can imagine my surprise when he returned this morning to tell me that he has obtained another position for Betty. He is very convivial and were it not for his gambling, a thoroughly good fellow. He has a number of good friends studying at the three other Inns of Court and discovered that Lincoln’s Inn requires the services of an honest woman cleaner after the previous incumbent was caught stealing. I don’t know what story he gave them about her leaving Gray’s Inn, but he personally vouched for her honesty. I had difficulty in keeping my composure upon hearing this. I will call upon Miss Burke later today and inform her of the good news without telling her who was responsible for it. If it requires me to accept thanks for good works which were none of my doing, so be it.’

I must say that this is very good news indeed and it will give me great pleasure to show John’s letter to Richard.

To be continued