From Ruin to Riches

*

An hour later she was profoundly grateful Will had gone out. Henry was pale, distracted and seemed almost on the verge of despair, however hard he tried to cover it up.

Eventually Julia gave up on the accounts, put down her pen and demanded, ‘Henry, what on earth is the matter with you?’

For a moment she thought he would deny anything was wrong, or refuse to answer her, but he slammed the ledger closed and said, ‘It’s Mama. She is matchmaking again, only this time she’s invited Mary…this young lady and her mother to stay. She’s never done that before and it is so marked an attention when there are no other guests that I know they will be expecting a declaration from me!’

‘That is somewhat obvious, I agree. Have you shown any interest in this girl?’

‘No!’ Henry looked positively flustered.

‘Is there someone else? You must tell your mother if you have formed an attachment elsewhere.’

Henry got to his feet and went to look out of the window without answering. The tips of his ears had gone red.

‘So there is someone? Someone unsuitable,’ Julia guessed. She got up and went to sit on the window seat, close, but not crowding him.

‘God, yes.’

‘Has it been going on for long?’ He turned his head away so she added, ‘I swear I will not mention a word to a soul. You know I keep my promises, Henry.’ It would not do, of course, this attachment to an ineligible woman, but there was no need to add to his misery by telling him that, he obviously already knew it perfectly well.

‘A year.’

Serious, then. ‘Is it a courtesan, Henry?’ Perhaps he had sought to deal with his shyness with girls and had become attached to the professional he had gone to. A vehement shake of the head. ‘An older woman?’ He shot her an incredulous look. ‘Someone not of your station?’ He bit his lip. Ah, that was it. ‘Someone of the merchant class? A servant?’

He had gone white now. ‘A servant. I cannot tell you, Julia. You will be shocked.’

‘No I will not, truly I will not, Henry. I have not led a very sheltered life, you know. Tell me about her, do.’

Henry sat down abruptly next to her, his hands fisted on his thighs as if to stop them shaking. He seemed unable to speak and a suspicion began to creep over her. ‘Henry, is it a young man?’

‘How did you—?’ He broke off, his face stark with the realisation that he had given himself away. Julia managed to keep the shock out of her voice. Henry was confessing to something that could, at the worst, see him go to the scaffold.

‘I just guessed. Henry, is this serious? Who is he?’

‘A valet. I met him at the Walsinghams’ house party and then… Well, you don’t need the details. But it is serious, Julia. I love him and he loves me and I don’t know what to do. Mama keeps on about me marrying.’ He seemed to run out of words.

Yes, it was serious, she could see that. Lethally serious, if not for him, a gentleman, but certainly perilous for his lover. And Henry looked desperate enough to do something foolish. This was no time to be shocked and uncomprehending—she had to help him.

‘How often do you go up to London?’ she asked, thinking aloud. ‘Quite a lot, don’t you?’ He nodded, bemused. ‘Where do you stay?’

‘Hotels, sometimes with friends. But what—?’

‘It would be more economical, and an investment, if you bought a small apartment,’ she suggested. ‘You would need a manservant, of course, to maintain it while you were not there and to look after you while you were in town. Many young men do just that and no one thinks anything of it. A young man trained as a valet would be ideal, don’t you think?’

‘Julia, that is brilliant!’ Henry took her hands and beamed at her. Then his face fell. ‘But Mama keeps on trying to pair me off with girls.’

‘Learn to flirt,’ Julia said with sudden inspiration. ‘Cultivate a reputation for being dangerous and the mamas will flee at the sight of you. Become a rake and a ladies’ man. Your mother will be furious with you, but it should disarm all suspicion.’

‘Will you show me how?’

‘Certainly not! You’ll have to be observant and work it out for yourself. Oh, Henry, don’t—’ There were tears in his eyes despite his smiles. ‘Just do be careful, my dear. It will be more than just a scandal if you are discovered.’

‘Thank you. Oh, thank you, Julia.’ The next thing she knew she was in Henry’s arms and he was hugging her with desperate affection, his cheek pressed against hers.

The door banged closed. Henry started and clutched her tighter. ‘A touching scene,’ Will remarked. ‘Henry, get your hands off my wife and come here.’

‘Will—’