The next morning at breakfast, Amanda felt as though a large part of the light in her life had dimmed. She’d had a proposal of marriage from a man she loved but did not want. Did she? As she filled her plate from the sideboard, she took a deep breath and attempted to put all thoughts of Nathaniel out of her mind. The Liberty Seekers needed her and her fliers. She looked forward to the rally in St. Peter’s Fields with much anticipation.
As she began planning how best to advertise for the rally, the bounce in her step returned somewhat, and she sat down to eat in much better spirits than when she had first come down. A footman arrived at her side with a letter on his tray. It was addressed to Molly, and when she raised her eyebrows in question, the footman said, “Molly asked that I bring it to you, my lady.” It was from Jonathon Taylor, of The Manchester Guardian.
Her eyes raced over the page. He knew about the rally in St. Peter’s Fields and wanted her to cover it, if she was able. That is, he wanted the Sparrow to be there. And more, he wrote that the aloof personage of Red would also be there and that if it were possible, she was to get some kind of quote from him that he could use for his paper. Her smile stretched across her cheeks. Taylor explained that Red would have on the liberty cap, but he would also be wearing a red waistcoat and have red on his watch fob. A nervous anticipation filled her.
Lost in thought, she did not hear her father enter the room. When he sat beside her with coffee and a paper in hand, she startled in her chair. “Oh, good morning, Father!”
He eyed her critically. “Good morning, Amanda. You seem in good spirits. I would have thought after last night . . .”
“Why, yes I am. I have decided not to linger on thoughts of last night. There is much to be done for good in this world of ours, and I’m excited to be about doing it.”
His mouth opened a bit in surprise, but he quickly schooled his emotions and asked, “And what do you plan to do today for this grand world of ours?”
She thought for a moment and said, “We will just have to wait and see now, won’t we?”
He laughed at this, his familiar deep belly laugh. And she couldn’t help but laugh with him. Oh, it felt so good to laugh, like she had as a little girl. And when she stopped and looked at her father, he made a silly childish face at her that had entertained her as a child, and she laughed again. She felt waves of pressure and unhappiness ease off of her as the laughter did its magic. She leaned into her father and said, “Thank you, Papa. I love you.”
His eyes twinkled back at her. “I love you too, my Amanda.” And then he picked up his paper and began to read. Amanda returned to her food with hope in her heart. Satisfaction warmed her when she noticed he was reading The Manchester Guardian.
They ate in companionable silence for a few moments and then her father said to the footman, “George.” The man started a bit at being addressed. “George, my good man. What do you think of universal sovereignty? Should everyone in this country have a vote?”
Amanda dropped her fork on her plate and turned to her father, eyes wide. Then she looked at George. The poor man needed a moment to formulate some sort of response.
He stammered, “Well, I ah, I’m sorry, Your Grace.” He cleared his throat and then stood up straighter and with a look of determination said, “I think it would be a right good thing, Your Grace.” He stared straight ahead again as was his normal habit in their breakfast room.
“Hmm.” The duke returned to his paper with a small smile.
Amanda said, “Father, are you—are you thinking about encouraging the House of Lords to give votes to the other classes in England, to everyone?” She waited, holding her breath. Could her father be motivated with the same cause as she?
He kept his eyes on his paper but said, “Oh, I don’t know that England is ready for that any time soon. I would be one small voice among many dissenters. But I will say that I agree with George. It would be a right good thing.” He turned to her and grinned, then looked up at George who was watching them out of the corner of his eyes. George nodded his head at her father and stared again at the wall across the room.
Amanda felt her heart ache with joy. “Oh, Papa, I agree! I wish things were different here for Molly and all the others. I wish they could get a formal education and own land. I wish life were better for the poor. There are so many sad, hungry people. I don’t even know about most of them, I am sure, but I want to help them.”
The duke laughed.
She leaned back in hesitation. Had she said too much? Would her father continue to make her walk around with two footmen? But when she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but kindness.
“Your generosity does you credit. You sit here with every privilege England has to offer, and yet you are thinking of those without. You will be a most excellent mother. I feel it is your future son, not I, who will have a great ability to vote in the change that England most needs. Raise him to care for others as you do, and he will make us all proud. And maybe I’ll be in heaven smiling down upon you all.”
Amanda leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck in an awkward side hug. She squeezed him as best as she could. He leaned his head to the side to connect with hers. “I’m proud of you, Lady Amanda Alexandria Cumberland.”
She squeezed him even harder. “And I’m proud of you, Papa.”
Amanda nearly skipped to her bedroom after such a lovely morning with her father, but as she opened the door, she found Molly sitting at her dressing table in tears, with a letter in her shaking hands. Amanda ran to her and kneeled at her side. “What is it, Molly? What has happened?” Amanda anxiously searched her face.
Molly said, “Oh, my lady! It is such bad news. I don’t know what to do, I’m—oh, what is there to do?” She wailed and covered her face with her hands.
“What is it, my dear? Tell me. Let’s see if we can make this better.”
Molly swallowed and began the letter, “Dearest Molly,” but had to stop with sob after sob racking her body. She handed the letter to Amanda and gestured for her to read it.
Amanda looked at the bottom of the letter. It was signed by Molly’s mother. “‘Dearest Molly, I am sorry to bring you news of the most distressing nature, but I know you would want to know as soon as possible. And I also hope there is some way for you to intervene in your father’s behalf. An incident of the gravest nature occurred here last night.’” Amanda glanced at the date on the letter. Already a week had gone by. “‘I am sorry to bring delicate news to your attention. Much of this is unfit for the ears of an innocent, but there is nothing to do but to share it, and I would not want you to hear the truth about your father from any other person.’”
Amanda looked up with a worried glance at Molly, who gestured for her to continue. “‘There is a maid working in Lord Landown’s home.’”
She stopped reading again and asked, “Your father is the butler for Lord Landown, is he not?” Molly nodded.
“‘This maid has found herself in the family way, and every servant in the house is convinced the father of this unborn child is Lord Landown himself. But she has come forward claiming the father is not Lord Landown, but in fact your own father.’”
Amanda gasped and looked into Molly’s face before continuing. “‘But I assure you, my dear Molly, that he is not the father of that baby, nor anyone else’s but your own and your siblings’.’” Amanda sighed with relief and reached out to grab Molly’s hand. She squeezed it. “‘But the Landowns have chosen to believe the words of the maid and have dismissed her and your father without any letter of reference. It is our suspicion that Lord Landown has pressured her to name any other man and that he has paid her handsomely to do so. She has been shipped off to some distant cottage with a midwife in tow.
“‘As you can imagine, we have no recourse. No one would believe us over the word of an earl and without a letter of reference, where will your father work? How will we eat? And what of the respectability of our family? It is a blight on our name, to be sure. I write as a small warning. I know you have good standing in your own home of employ, but if word of this reaches the duke’s family, your very livelihood could be in jeopardy as well. This reminds me, and embarrassed I am to ask it of you, but could you send us whatever of your wages you can spare? Ours will soon run out and with the young ones still to feed, I am sure we will need it. We love you, Molly dear.’”
Molly had stopped her tears, but her face held such a lack of hope that Amanda nearly burst into tears of her own. “Oh, Molly. Surely we can make this right. There has to be something my father could do.”
Molly shook her head. “It will just spread the gossip to tell him. He may never hear of it if we say nothing. I don’t want to be let go, my lady! And now with my family needing my wages . . .”
Amanda shook her head. “No, Molly, you will not be let go. You will stay here as long as you have need. I could not do without you. You make me look like the veritable angel I am not.” She laughed, and she was pleased to see a smile from Molly as well. “I will talk to Father.”
When Molly shook her head again, Amanda said, “Trust him. He is a reasonable man and has a great love for you and your family. I am sure we can make this right.” And with that, she headed straight out of the room and back down the stairs to find her father in his study.
She knocked on the door and immediately walked in.
He must have noticed her distress and the letter she was carrying. “Now, what’s this? A bit of bad news? Come, tell me all about it.”
“Molly is in the worst way. She cried so much she couldn’t speak.”
The duke frowned in concern. “What is wrong with the girl? Surely nothing too terrible.”
“She has received the most grievous news from her mother. I’ll read it straightaway and you will see. I have heard stories of her father almost my whole life. He is a good man and is being used unjustly, I am sure of it.”
He reached for the letter and read it himself. While he read, his frown deepened.
When he finished, he rubbed his chin in silence for several minutes more. After what felt like an hour, he rested his hands on his desk and said, “We must help the family, that is sure.”
Amanda exhaled in relief. “Oh, thank you. That is what I knew you would decide. They are the best of people, and Molly is quite my closest friend in the world besides being a wonderful maid—”
The duke held up his hand for her to stop.
She smiled apologetically and held her tongue.
“Situations like this have to be carefully maneuvered. I will call for our steward, and we will work out a solution soon, don’t you worry.”
Amanda ran around his desk and squeezed him for the second time today. “I can’t wait to tell Molly. She will be so relieved.” She ran up the stairs to the sound of her father chuckling.
Nathaniel’s heart beat with excitement as the details of the St. Peter’s Fields rally came together. He, Charlie, and Brooks were deep in the planning and locked together in his study.
Nathaniel clapped his hands together and stood up. Charlie and Brooks paused in their work.
“This is all so important, gentlemen. I cannot stress enough how much rides on this event being carried out as planned. If I can carry news of a peaceful demonstration back to the House of Lords, then some of them will be open to discussion. Some of them will join me.
“If we appear to be uneducated ruffians, the rally could be a disaster. Let us tell them to bring no weapons. And to wear their finest apparel. Let us impress upon everyone the importance of a peaceable assembly.”
Charlie nodded and Brooks said, “Very good, sir.”