When a Duke Loves a Governess (Unlikely Duchesses #3) - Olivia Drake Page 0,73
from the stark surroundings that funding was scarce.
“You mustn’t think ill of us, Your Grace. That bad apple is long gone, thank the Almighty. We take good care of our dear orphans now, and their schooling is of the utmost importance. Of course, there are always books and chalk and slates to purchase, but I do my best on what little we have.”
Guy hadn’t needed that hint to empty his pockets, giving Mrs. Plunkett a handful of gold guineas and promising to dispatch additional moneys in the future. Her effusive thanks had stirred only shame in him for having neglected charitable works until now. Although he’d always been aware of the poor, it had struck him deeply to actually witness children suffer such scarcity when his own daughter lived in the lap of luxury.
Now, seeing Tessa’s anxious expression, he felt a powerful wish to erase all her bad memories of growing up in that place. “As you will have guessed,” he said, “I visited St. George’s, and you’ll be happy to hear that it’s under new directorship. It is no longer a workhouse where the girls are forced to stitch clothing from dawn until dusk. Now it is a proper school.”
Hopeful disbelief lit her face. “Truly?”
“I saw the children in their classrooms myself.” Mindful of how she would react to the rest of what must be said, Guy softened his voice. “I also saw the records book. Your name was in there, Tessa, with the notation that you had run away to escape an apprenticeship.”
She blinked, then glanced toward the fire. “Yes.”
Seeing that she needed a nudge, he went on, “You might also be interested to learn that the previous matron was arrested five years ago. She was convicted of peddling the older girls for nefarious purposes.”
Her stark gaze flashed to his. “Good!” she said fiercely. “I sent an anonymous letter of complaint to Bow Street as soon as-as I was able. I hope Mrs. Cobb is rotting in prison. Hanging is too quick for the likes of her.”
“I wholeheartedly agree. Will you tell me what happened to you?”
She regarded him with haunted eyes, then lowered her gaze to her lap. “After Mama’s death, I was taken there at the age of six. Though St. George’s was called a foundling home, it was really a workhouse where we sewed cheap clothing. In time, it became my job to train the younger girls, to make sure they met their daily quotas while I also completed my own. The worst part was trying to keep their spirits up when they were sad or exhausted.” She looked at him again. “Even the little ones, girls no older than Sophy, had to sort threads and fold clothes. They should have been in school or playing with friends.”
At the anguish in her voice, he reached out to clasp her hand. It felt small and delicate in his, and for the first time, he noticed the slight calluses on her fingers from years of hard work. Now he could understand better why she had succeeded with Sophy where others had failed. Tessa’s affinity for children was deeply rooted in the sufferings of her past.
Not wanting to distract her, he reluctantly drew back. “And then?”
“When I was fourteen, Mrs. Cobb informed me that I was to be apprenticed to a modiste, a dressmaker. Though I disliked leaving the other girls, especially the little ones who needed me, I was happy for the chance to escape the drudgery, to work with pretty fabrics instead of coarse fustian, and so I went willingly enough. But she took me to a house on the pretext of needing to speak to the landlord. And…” Shuddering, Tessa stopped.
A frustrated anger gnawed at him. If only he could have been there to rescue her! Although Guy burned to know the full story, he said gruffly, “If it’s too painful, you needn’t go on.”
“You might as well hear the rest,” she said in a subdued tone. “I-I glanced into the parlor and saw several gents who were … fondling women in scanty garb. Mrs. Cobb was gripping my collar while she haggled with the procuress. That’s when it struck me that … I was being sold. This was the apprenticeship, and I would be forced to behave like those women. When Mrs. Cobb let go of me to take her cash payment, I seized my chance to run. There was a big bruiser guarding the door, but I managed to duck past him.” Tessa