Page 36 of Lady Charlotte and the Lending Library
Her voice was the slightest bit unsteady as she asked him, “What brings you to Thorne’s today, Lord Ashford?”
* * * * *
Ashford was in the entryway of his townhouse putting on his greatcoat when a footman admitted Lord William Beaumont to the house.
“So sorry to disturb you, Lord Ashford. Are you on your way out?” the young man asked, removing his hat.
“I can give you a few minutes of my time,” he replied politely, and the footman proceeded to remove his employer’s coat. “Come along.”
Ashford exited the entry hall and walked down a corridor to the drawing room. He sat down in one of a pair of matched club chairs and waved a hand for the young man to take the other.
“To what do I owe this pleasure, Lord Beaumont?” he asked.
The boy took a seat. Clearing his throat, he said hesitantly, “I have come here to tell you the truth of what you saw that day at Eton. To explain my behavior and ask your advice on how to make amends.”
“I see.” He was impressed by the boy’s directness. “Go on.”
William sighed. “I never felt like I fit in at Eton. All the other boys in my year seemed so confident, and mature. I wanted to be liked, you see.”
Ashford nodded but remained silent. He had always had Cecil and Nathaniel by his side at school. Whenever he’d seen William, the boy had been alone.
“There was a small set of first years. A clique. I followed them around a bit, and they teased me.” He paused. “One day, the leader told me if I took something from Lord Hay’s room, I could join their circle. I wasn’t to take anything expensive. Just a letter or book to prove I had been in the boy’s room.”
Ashford raised a staying hand and said, “You had my friend’s pocket watch in your hand when I found you in his bedchamber.”
William nodded. “I was going to put it back. I couldn’t find anything personalized to prove I had been in the room. I did know I couldn’t take the watch. I’d convinced myself I wasn’t stealing, but taking something of value would have put paid to that lie.”
“Did you stop this activity after I caught you?”
William replied eagerly, “I did. I was ashamed of myself, you see. How pitiful to be bullied into stealing keepsakes just for a few lads to like me. Not that they really would ever like me.”
“And you really want to make amends?” He studied the other man’s face.
William nodded. “I do, but I don’t know how.”
“Did you keep any of the items you took?” he asked.
“No. I gave them all to Lord Caven- I gave them to the leader of the group.”
“Aha. I remember Cavendish well enough. He is still shockingly loose in the haft. Better that you didn’t become part of his inner circle.” He paused. “Unfortunately, you can’t return the items you took.”
“No. I can’t.” The expression on William’s face looked as glum as his tone of voice.
“It was brave of you to tell me the truth,” he said and meant it. “Did you tell your sister all of this?”
“I did. But I won’t be able to make amends.”
“Sometimes we have to live with our mistakes. Sometimes we can’t fix them. If you go forward in life as an honest man, I think neither your sister nor anyone else could ask for more.” As he said the words, he found he believed them. He realized he’d been much too hard on the young man. Perhaps because he was disappointed in himself for the way he’d handled Diana’s past outrageous behavior.
The boy sighed. “I have been honest since then. No stealing. What I did has weighed on me for a long time.”
“Then it is time to put it behind you and be the man your sister believes you can be,” he said as he got to his feet.
“That is a tall order,” William replied awkwardly.
He put out a gloved hand. “If you have half the determination your sister has, I’m sure you can do it.”
After the men shook hands, Ashford led the way back to the entry hall. As he donned his outerwear again, he bade farewell to William. It was remarkable how much he’d revised his opinion of the young man after he’d told the truth. He was still convinced the boy had a weak character, but it was encouraging to know William was aware what he’d done at school was wrong.
