The Cater Street Hangman - Anne Perry [8]
Charlotte had no answer for that. She drank the last of her tea and stood up.
“Thank you for the tea. I’m quite warm and refreshed now. I must return home before the evening begins to chill. I shall inform my mother of your satisfaction with the mufflers, and I’m sure she will be most grateful that there is more we can do. Children’s clothes. I shall begin tomorrow. I expect we shall do well.”
Martha Prebble came to the front with her. She put her hand on Charlotte’s arm in the hallway.
“My dear Charlotte, don’t mind the vicar; he is solicitous for our well-being, and doesn’t mean to sound so harsh. I’m sure he was as distressed as anyone that—that tragedies should happen.”
“Of course. I understand.” Charlotte loosened herself. She did not understand at all. She thought nothing but ill of the vicar, but she was sorry for Martha. She could not imagine living with such a man. Although he was perhaps not so different from many men. They all tended to be pretty severe with girls like the Misses Madison, and in truth they were more than a little tedious. But not sinful—just incredibly silly.
Martha smiled.
“You are very gentle, my dear. I knew you would.” And she stood on the doorstep watching Charlotte down the path.
Two days later they were all sitting in the withdrawing room sewing the children’s clothes Martha Prebble had requested, when Edward returned home as usual.
They heard the front door close. There was a murmur of voices as Maddock took his coat and hat, but a moment later, instead of Edward, it was Maddock whose face showed at the door.
“Madame,” he looked at Caroline, his face flushed.
“Yes, Maddock?” Caroline was surprised, not yet aware of anything wrong. “What is it? Was that not Mr. Ellison?”
“Yes, Madame. Would you be so good as to come into the hall?”
Now Charlotte, Emily, and Sarah all stared at him. Caroline stood up.
“Of course.”
As soon as she was gone they turned to look at one another.
“What’s happened?” Emily said immediately, excitement in her voice. “Do you suppose Papa has brought company? I wonder who it is, and if he is wealthy—a man from the city perhaps?”
“Then why doesn’t he bring him in?” Charlotte asked.
Sarah frowned and looked at the ceiling in exasperation.
“Really, Charlotte, he would naturally consult Mama first, and introduce him. Maybe he is not suitable for us to meet. Perhaps he is only someone in trouble, someone who needs help.”
“What a bore,” Emily sighed. “You mean a beggar, someone in reduced circumstances?”
“I don’t know. Papa may be having Maddock take care of him, but he would naturally tell Mama about it.”
Emily stood up and went to the door.
“Emily! You aren’t going to listen?”
Emily held her finger to her lips, smiling.
“Don’t you want to know?” she asked.
Charlotte got to her feet quickly and went over to Emily, standing almost on top of her.
“Well, I certainly do,” she joined in. “Open the door, just a crack.”
Emily had already done so. They crouched over it together, and a moment later Charlotte felt the warmth of Sarah right behind her, her taffeta afternoon dress rustling a little.
“Edward, you must destroy the newspapers,” Caroline was saying. “Say that you lost them.”
“We don’t know that it will be in the newspapers.”
“Of course it will!” Caroline was angry, upset. Her voice quavered. “And you know that—”
Charlotte drew in her breath sharply; her mother was about to betray her.
“—that it might get left where one of the girls could see it.” Caroline went on. “And I won’t have the servants read it either. Poor Mrs. Dunphy sometimes uses newspapers to wrap kitchen refuse, or Lily might use them in cleaning. It would frighten the poor things out of their wits.”
“Yes,” Edward