Daisy looked at her mistress, and froze as if she’d been struck. She glanced at Alex and shook her head, then dropped her gaze to the floor.
Having subdued Daisy, Frederica turned to glare at Alex with shocking malice. “You will pay for this.”
Alex recoiled. Frederica had always been selfish and difficult, but now she looked almost deranged. Reminding herself that the other woman had no power to injure her, she repeated, “Remember, Daisy, 42 Berkeley Square, any time of day or night.” Her voice dropped. “Please let me help you.”
Daisy turned away. Frederica smiled triumphantly. “Now that you’ve admitted you were a slave, people can imagine what your life was like. Though you’re far past your prime, there must have been some men desperate enough to buy you.”
“What an unpleasant mind you have, Lady Pierce.” The Duchess of Ashburton was the most easygoing of peeresses, but she’d once been an actress and she could pitch her voice to a note that would freeze glass. “I can’t imagine that good society will welcome you in the future.”
As Frederica turned white, the duchess pivoted on one heel, giving the cut direct, and walked away. Catherine gripped Alex’s wrist and they followed Rosalind out into the street as a path opened up between silent customers.
Alex was shaking. When they reached the relative calm of Piccadilly, she said, “I’m sorry for embarrassing you both.”
“I have never been more proud of you, my dear,” her mother said quietly.
Rosalind added, “I’ve never liked that young woman. It doesn’t reflect well on me, but I enjoyed demonstrating my opinion of her character.” She smiled wickedly as she signaled for the Ashburton coach to pick them up. “In the future she will find that her social life is not what she would like.”
“It will damage her social ambitions to be cut by the Duchess of Ashburton,” Alex agreed. “But I failed to convince that poor girl to leave, and surely Frederica will punish her for everything that happened.”
“Perhaps she will come to you later,” Catherine suggested as she climbed into the coach. “I doubt that she knew she is legally free here. I’m sure Lady Pierce didn’t tell her so. When she has time to think, she may very well run away from her mistress.”
Alex hoped so, but she doubted that would happen. Neither of the older women could know how slavery broke one’s will. Six months of bondage had nearly broken Alex; Daisy had probably been born a slave and treated as one her whole life. As the carriage rumbled through London, Alex closed her eyes and prayed the girl would have the courage to break free.
Then she thought about slavery. The fact that it was now illegal in several European countries was a start, but slavery was one of the most ancient scourges of humanity, and there was still much to be done. What could one lone woman do at long distance?
It was time Alex found out.
Chapter 28
THAT EVENING Alex went in search of Suryo. Though they’d been living under the same roof since the Helena had sailed, she almost never saw him. She suspected that he could cross sand and leave no footprint.
Invited to come in when she tapped on his door, she entered. “Tuan Suryo, may I speak with you?”
He stood and gestured her toward the one chair in the simple, meticulously neat room. “Of course, my lady. How may I be of service?”
Sitting down, she said bluntly, “What is your opinion of slavery?”
A muscle jerked in his jaw. “I think it is an abomination.”
She caught her breath, recognizing the note in his voice. “You have had personal experience?”
“I have. I do not speak of those years.” After a pause, he added, “But it was the captain who freed me. I pledged myself to him that day.”
Fascinated, she asked, “Isn’t such a pledge a form of slavery?”
“I serve him of my own will. Never has he asked anything of me that was against honor or humanity.”
Alex guessed that was a veiled warning to her that he would not do anything he thought was against Gavin’s best interests. That was no problem; she would never ask him to. “Today I met a young female slave who has been brought here from America and is kept in bondage, not knowing she is free. I failed when I tried to get her to leave her mistress, but now I am wondering. I never expected to see a slave in England. Is slave trading still going on here in Britain?”
“Swift ships still sail from Africa to the Americas with illegal cargo. The Royal Navy tries to blockade such traffic.” He shrugged. “With limited success. Britain was the greatest slave trader in Europe, and there are still those who will risk the law in return for great profit.”
She frowned as she thought. “You know the docklands and the sailors’ taverns. In such places, might news of illegal slave dealing sometimes be heard?”
“There might be an occasional mention of a ship, a captain, a sailing date. But what can be done with such information? The navy will not listen to scraps of barroom boasting.”
“Perhaps they will if it comes through the right hands.” She leaned forward. “My stepfather’s family is connected to many of Britain’s most influential men. As a woman, I could never gather information in sailors’ taverns, but you could, and perhaps you might find others who would help. What do you think?”
“Some good might be done,” he said slowly.
“Then you’ll help?”
A light came into his eyes that she had never seen before. “It is work worth doing. But why do you discuss this with me rather than the captain? Do you intend to keep this secret from him?”
“Only for a little while. He carries many burdens now. I’d rather wait until I have some results to show him.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
She offered her hand. “Then let us work together for freedom.”
He took her hand. “For freedom, my lady—and because justice is the best revenge.”
Alex loved the Elliott House offices. Located on the top floor of the firm’s warehouse, the area was scented with tea and spices, and high, arched windows overlooked the docks and river. The quiet, freshly painted rooms hummed with activity that sent ripples around the world. Obviously primed by Gavin, the four regular employees greeted her without so much as a blink. She was going to like working here.
The office Alex was assigned to already contained the Seabourne documents Gavin had received. He hadn’t exaggerated the amount. Happily she settled down to the task of organizing and comprehending the complexities of the estate. At midday, Gavin came in with a basket of food the cook had packed that morning, and they discussed business over sandwiches and good English ale.
As she finished the last of her ham sandwich, she said, “This is great fun. I was born to be a land agent, I think.”
“Better you than me.” Gavin bit into an apple. “Do matters seem to be in order?”
“Yes, Finn does a good job. Philip became a bit giddy when he inherited and outspent the estate’s income, but there seem to be no major problems. Next year there will be money for improvements.”
“Are improvements required?”
“Improvements are always required on an estate. Drainage, better breeding stock, newly developed seeds and equipment, tenant and laborer housing. It is the nature of farmland.”
“I leave it all in your capable hands.” Gavin scanned several documents she’d set aside for his signature before lifting a pen to sign. “You’re a godsend.”
She returned to her work with a smile. It was wonderful to be useful.
As Alex finished her bedtime reading to Katie that evening, her daughter said, “Soon Anne and Maria will be off to the country. Does that mean I won’t have to take more lessons?”
Alex laughed. “You know better than that. Miss Thompson, the Ashburton governess, has recommended a friend to me. I’ve talked to Miss Hailey and she’s very nice, so she’ll start as your governess next week.”
Katie made a face. “I’d rather go into the office with you and learn about teas and spices a
nd china. I want to be a trader like the captain.”
Alex hid her smile. “If you want to be a trader, you’ll need to know numbers and penmanship and geography and foreign languages.”
Her daughter looked appalled. “You mean there’s a reason for all those lessons?”
“There is indeed. Knowledge is power, Katybird.” She kissed her daughter good night. “And a woman needs all the power she can get.”
As she doused the lamp, her daughter was looking thoughtful. By the time Katie was grown, might women study at universities and run businesses as men did? No, not so soon, but surely some day….
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her butler, a footman promoted from Ashburton House, said, “My lady, there is a young person here to see you.”
“At this hour of the evening, Bard?”
“A most unusual young person. She is in the small drawing room.”
Curious, Alex entered the drawing room—and gasped to find Frederica Pierce’s young black slave standing by the window. “I’m so glad that you’ve come, Daisy!”
She crossed the room and took the girl’s hands. They were ice cold. Breaking away from everything she’d ever known must be terrifying. “Would you like some tea, and perhaps something to eat?”
“Oh, no, my lady.” Daisy looked shocked at the suggestion of eating with her. She was neatly dressed in the same gray gown she’d worn the day before, and beside her was a small lumpy bundle of her possessions.
“I’ll just order tea then. Please sit down.” Alex took a seat. “Lady Pierce was a difficult mistress?”
Daisy sank into the opposite chair, one hand going to her bruised cheek. “Sir Barton bought me in Charleston. No one told me I was free here. Yesterday she beat me after we came back from Hatchard’s. She said you lied, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. Is it true she can’t send slave catchers after me?”
Alex swallowed, remembering beatings and how she’d feared pursuit if she tried to escape. “No slave catchers. Neither Lady Pierce nor her husband have the right to compel you to do anything ever again.”
Daisy buried her face in trembling hands, her shoulders shaking. Though her lovely musical accent was of the American South, her demeanor and use of language were refined, like all good lady’s maids. Sir Barton must have chosen her for her skill, and hoped that a young woman raised in slavery would be docile and never think to question her status. He’d been right, too.
Thank heaven Alex had been in the right place at the right time. “You’re safe now, Daisy. Do you know what you’d like to do with your freedom, or is it too soon to decide? I’ll help you find whatever you choose.”
“You are too good, my lady.” Daisy blotted her eyes with a handkerchief, then raised her head. “Please, can I work for you? I’m a good lady’s maid, but if you don’t need one, I can clean or work in the kitchen. I’ll do anything, as long as I do it as a free woman.”
“I do need a lady’s maid.” Alex had been meaning to hire one, so Daisy’s arrival was perfect. What had her mother said was a good salary for the position? “You’ll have a room of your own, bed and board, thirty pounds a year, plus clothes I no longer wear, which you can keep for yourself or sell as you choose. Does that seem acceptable?”
Daisy’s eyes widened. “Thank you, my lady. I swear I’ll be a good maid.”
“I’m sure you will. By the way, what is your full name?”
“Daisy Adams, my lady.”
“Do you prefer being Daisy, or Adams? Lady’s maids are often called by their last names.”
“I would like it if you call me Daisy, my lady.” She looked as if no one had ever asked her preference about anything.
“Very well, Daisy it is.” Alex studied her face. “Is there anything special that you would like? Something you’ve always wanted but couldn’t have?”
Daisy caught her breath. “Would it be possible…? Could I learn to read and write?”
Startled, Alex said, “Of course. You were never taught?”
Daisy shook her head. “It’s illegal to teach slaves to read.”
Alex felt a wave of fury directed at a system that denied bright young minds like Daisy’s the chance to learn. “I’m hiring a governess for my daughter. I’ll ask her to teach you as well. Her references say that she loves teaching, so I’m sure she’ll be happy to have another pupil.”
“Thank you.” Tears gleamed in Daisy’s eyes. “You are so kind. I…I don’t deserve this.”
“Of course you do.”
The butler entered with a tea tray. Alex said, “Bard, meet Miss Daisy Adams, my new lady’s maid. Will you ask the housekeeper to prepare a room for her?”
Bard’s brows lifted, but he’d been well trained at Ashburton House. “I shall take care of it directly, my lady.”
After he withdrew, Alex poured them two cups of tea. “The room should be ready soon. If you’d like something to eat before you go to bed, the housekeeper will show you to the kitchen. I’m sure you’ve had an exhausting day.”
Daisy nodded, her expression haunted. “May I ask something, my lady?”
“Of course. And you needn’t call me ‘my lady’ all the time. ‘Ma’am’ will do.”
“Were you really a slave, ma’am?”
“Indeed I was.”
“And you aren’t ashamed to admit it?”
Alex had been, but no longer. “The shame of slavery belongs to the owners, not the victims. In the sight of God, we are all equal. The day will come when that is also true in the sight of man.”
Daisy looked as if she wanted to believe it, but didn’t. Give her time.
Alex sipped her tea, thinking that her attempts to collect information about slave trafficking on the high seas might never produce results, but at least she’d helped one young woman to freedom.
Chapter 29
COVERING A yawn, Alex entered Gavin’s office and placed several documents on the corner of his desk. “We seem to be the last ones in the office tonight. I thought my helping with the estate business would make you less busy. Instead, now we’re both busy.”
He grinned and pushed his chair back so he could stretch his legs. “I swear it won’t be this way forever. I’m training Peter Spears to manage Elliott House. He has good experience, and by the end of the year he’ll be handling everyday affairs. With you running the Seabourne estate, I’ll be a man of leisure.”
She laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
She drifted across the office to stand by the window that overlooked the London Dock. In the previous fortnight, she’d made her mark in ways large and small. His private office now sported a fine Oriental carpet and a massive carved chair with lion feet, elegant Chinese paintings, and a vase of fresh cut flowers to brighten his desk. He hadn’t realized how attractive an office could be.
He asked, “Do you mind that because I’m a merchant, we’ll spend more time in London than most of your friends and family?”
“No, I like London, though I’ll be ready for that country holiday after Michaelmas.” She pivoted in a swift wing chun move, body and hands briefly poised for action. “But I miss Troth’s lessons. Doing the exercises alone may be good practice and mental discipline, but it’s not the same as working with a partner.”
A pity that Gavin couldn’t spar with her. Troth and her husband practiced wing chun together, but Gavin and Alex couldn’t do anything that involved so much touching. There was too much mutual awareness, too many barriers.
A flood of disturbing thoughts made him look away from the alluring sight of Alex silhouetted against the early evening sky. He still hadn’t recovered from the searing failure that had left them both sleeping alone again. His mind understood that when she panicked, her reaction had nothing to do with him. But even for a man who prided himself on fair-minded detachment, that level of rejection hurt, especially since he had become optimistic about the intimate side of their marriage. No longer.
In some ways, it was
easier to be celibate. He didn’t have to wonder how she would feel if he kissed her, or worry that she was suppressing revulsion in a gallant attempt to be a good wife.
In other ways, celibacy was hell. The original haunting memories of coerced intimacy were now overlaid by happier ones of discovery and mutual pleasure. It was painful to look at her and not think about what might be—or might never be.
Yet he was happiest when she was nearby, which meant accepting, and hoping. He took a deep breath and began to read the documents she’d given him. “I’ll take care of these so we can go home.”
The first paper included her summary on why she thought the money must be spent now rather than later. Her judgment and arguments were good, so he signed. The same for the next two documents. So far, his grand inheritance was costing him more money than it was returning.
The last paper made him stop and reread. “Alex, I don’t understand this. Why do you have shipping notes and so many question marks?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to show you that yet. Suryo and I are collecting information about illegal slave trading. It’s disgraceful how many of the ships involved in the trade are British. I’ve talked to Uncle Stephen, and he has agreed to give the Royal Navy anything that might help them intercept slave ships.”
Frowning, Gavin got to his feet. “This is a very dangerous business to meddle with. Slave traders are ruthless—quite capable of violence to protect their profits.”
“Suryo is merely listening for scraps of drunken gossip. Nothing to bring trouble down on us.”
He caught her gaze, wanting to impress on her the seriousness of the situation. “Alex, you underestimate the explosive potential of such information. I wish you’d consulted me before embarking on this.”
She pivoted from the window to stare at him. “It never occurred to me that you might object to fighting slavery in whatever small way I can. You didn’t object to me helping Daisy.”
“That’s different. She is one person, not an abstraction.” He gestured toward Alex’s notes. “But these are very murky waters. You can’t know what beasts may lurk below the surface.”