Charlotte felt it too, but not as acutely. She did not vocalise it at any rate. She had her husband and her home. Much as she did not like it, she still had that support network around her. Mary no longer had anything. It was her that would suffer. Right now, they both needed to focus all of their attention on her.
“No one will want to marry me now,” Mary continued, spiralling into sadness. “Not even His Grace, Duke Smith. Everyone will know that I have been foolish, that I have been robbed. Word about this will get around very quickly. I would not be surprised if everyone already knew. They will know that I have been foolish, that I have lost the family fortune.” She glanced up at Charlotte apologetically. “This will affect you too. It might make things worse ... for you.”
“Do not worry about me,” Charlotte insisted, now taking on the role of trying to be strong. “I know it does not seem alright at the moment, but we shall find a way to make it work. Somehow, we will make all of this not so terrible.”
Charlotte reached out to embrace her sister, but Mary did not want anyone to hold her. She was trying her hardest to hold herself together, and any sympathy would send her right over the edge.
“No, I think I shall go to bed,” Mary said sadly. “I think I just need some time alone in my room if that is alright. I just need some time and space to think.”
As Charlotte watched her sister walking away, determination swirled inside of her. She was not sure how, but she wanted to help Mary. She thought that she was the one who needed help, but as it turned out, she was the one who was needed to help.
What can I do? she thought desperately as she walked through the house. How can I help Mary? Who can I turn to?
There was one person, but Charlotte could not tell whether or not it was a good idea. There were many arguments in her head for and against the plan. On the one hand, the girls could not deal with this alone, and without any direct family surviving, there was not anyone else ... but he had also hurt their family, and Mary might never want to see him again.
It was a dilemma, but Charlotte needed to figure something out.
With a burst of determination, she decided to head to her husband’s writing desk to pen out a letter. Maybe she would send it; maybe she would decide against it, but doing something felt much better than doing nothing. She had spent the last six years of her life doing nothing, and it had not gotten her anywhere. She would not let the same happen to her sister.
Mary felt numb as she collapsed onto her bed sheets; she was utterly stunned by the events of the day. One moment, she was having a normal conversation with Charlotte, and the next she was having the foundation of her life pulled out from underneath her. Everything that she had depended on was gone, and now she had absolutely nothing to look forward to.
Could there be some other explanation? She still searched desperately within for something other than a shattered life. Could Walter be up to something much more innocent?
But deep down, she knew. Things like that did not happen. Now, she would be the centre of gossip, and everyone would be talking about her. Everyone would know about her terrible situation.
For some reason, the person whose opinion about all of that which bothered her most was Edmund’s. It should not have been; he certainly did not care what she thought when he kissed another Lady, but she could not help herself. She just did not want him to find out ever. She could not stand his pity, maybe his bemusement since she had been so dismissive of him; she did not want him to learn of this.
And now I cannot escape London, at least not without great difficulty. It seems that I am stuck here, with all of my mistakes around me, for a very long time.
Chapter 22
‘Your Grace,
I apologise for writing to you in this way, especially since you do not know me, but I feel that it is important that you are aware of what is going on.
My name is Charlotte Jones (nee Roberts). I believe you know my sister, Mary Roberts, well, and I am also fairly certain you are aware of Mr Walter Thompson who was in charge of the will and my late father’s estate. If you are not, I shall fill you in on the details.
When my father passed away five years ago, he left a clause in his will for my sister. He wanted her to inherit the family home, but only if she married first. I believe that the person our father wanted her to marry was you because he worked with you at some point. I am terribly sorry if this is wrong, I am only giving you the knowledge that I am aware of.
You have met my sister, and you have had your ups and downs. Of course, I have only heard one side of the story, so I am not passing judgement here at all. I still think that you would like to know what is going on. If so, then please continue to read.
Because of the complications, Mary asked Mr Thompson to sell the family home and to give her enough money for her to get started. It appeared that would happen, but since then things have gone very wrong. Mr Thompson sold the house, and he left with the money, leaving my sister with nothing.
I understand that this is not your problem, and I know that you might not care about what I have told you, but I need to tell someone. We do not have our father anymore, so there is no one to ask for help. I do not know where else to turn.
I shall write my address on the back of this letter if you wish to communicate with Mary. She does not know that I have sent you this letter, but I do not think she will be angry.
Yours sincerely,
Lady Charlotte Jones (nee Roberts).
“Why does she not turn to her own husband for help?” Iris asked Edmund curiously. “I mean, I do think it is very nice that she has come to you for help, but she is wed to a Lord. Could he not help out her sister?”
“I do not know,” Edmund answered a little helplessly. “It is all so very strange. I have never spoken to Lady Jones in my life, so as you can imagine, even receiving this letter was a surprise.”
Iris narrowed her eyes at Edmund and examined him closely. Her son had not been acting like himself for a while now, and she had been struggling to get to the bottom of it. She assumed it had something to do with the situation with Mary, but since he would not talk to her about anything, it was hard for her to work it out for sure.
Well, it was time for him to start talking.
“So, if the contents of this letter are to be believed, which in my opinion, I would think so, then Mary has suffered a very terrible time recently. She has had her whole life turned upside down. Have you been in touch with her for a while?”