A Woman of Influence (15 page)

After they had dined and retired to their room, she brought out the note she had received and asked, "Dearest, do you suppose Becky is in some trouble? Could it be she is in need of some legal advice, perhaps?"

Mr Wilson, formerly an attorney at law and now a judge, smiled indulgently at his wife's anxious expression.

"If Mrs Tate was in need of legal advice, she could purchase the best in the land, my love. I understand from your brother Jonathan that Mr Tate has left her very well provided for. No, Emma, I do not believe it is a legal question that brings her to Standish Park; from my own knowledge of Mrs Tate, I would venture to suggest that she is probably seeking your support for some new scheme--a school for girls, a home for orphans, or some such worthy enterprise. Mrs Tate's enthusiasm for such activities does not seem to have abated at all," he said.

Happy indeed to have her dear husband home, for she missed his company when he was away, Emma had no wish to contradict him, but she was not so sure that he was entirely right.

Becky Tate, arriving around mid-morning at Standish Park, noted even as she alighted from her vehicle that the grounds were some of the finest she had seen anywhere in England.

She had visited Standish Park on a previous occasion, together with Mr Tate, but that had been in Winter, when the park and its environs could not be seen at their best. She stood for a moment at the entrance, her eyes taking in the beauty of vivid green lawns and trees clothed in the soft hues of early Autumn, before Emma Wilson herself came out to greet her and take her indoors.

The house was as she recalled it, a gracious building, whose elegant furnishings and accessories spoke of the excellent taste of its owners.

Friendly and hospitable, Emma Wilson made Becky welcome and conveyed her husband's excuses; he was attending a council meeting at Cranbrook and would join them at dinner, she said, and was interested to note that Becky did not appear at all discomposed by this information.

It suggested to her that Mr Wilson was right and Becky's visit was not designed to seek his advice on a legal matter.

After the initial courtesies, Emma led the way to a private sitting room upstairs, where they were served a light luncheon and tea, before Becky was finally afforded the opportunity to speak with Emma alone.

She began by apologising for her letter requesting a meeting.

"Emma, I must ask you to forgive my seeming impertinence in writing to you as I did. It must have looked as though I was fishing for an invitation to your home... Please let me explain why I--"

But Emma Wilson, whose kindness of heart would not allow her to listen to such a recital, interrupted her.

"My dear Becky, there is no need to apologise. I most certainly did not regard your letter as an impertinence. Why would I? I confess I was a little puzzled as to the reason for such an urgent request, but I think I know you well enough to be certain that it would not have been made without a very good reason. Besides, we are neighbours now, since you have moved to live in Kent, and we ought be visiting one another. Indeed, I feel I have been remiss in not calling on you in your new home; Jonathan tells me you have acquired a most attractive property not far from Rosings Park."

Becky smiled.

"You are very kind, Emma. Yes, I am very happy with Edgewater, and you must visit me there soon, but it is a modest place, nothing when compared to the splendid estate you have here."

While Emma agreed that Standish Park
was
a beautiful estate, she was quick to point out that it was her husband's family property, refraining modestly from any boastful display, even as she acknowledged Becky's appreciation.

Happy that Emma had not resented her visit, Becky proceeded directly to

its main purpose. But once again, she felt the need to ask for her forbearance, as she began her story, promising that while it may seem a long and complicated tale, all would soon be explained.

Through the afternoon, Emma listened quietly as Becky narrated the facts as she knew or had discovered them concerning the girl Alice Grey, her husband William Rickman, and their son Thomas.

She seemed shocked at some of the incidents and yet unsurprised by much of what Becky revealed. Emma Wilson had seen several instances of exploitation and betrayal before, and in her charitable activities had helped many young women like Alice Grey find work or homes for their children.

However, when Becky mentioned for the first time Mrs Bancroft and the manor house at Blessington, Emma sat up, alert and eager for information.

"Mrs Bancroft, how is she involved?"

Becky, whose intention in coming to Standish Park had been mainly to discover something of the background of the Bancrofts, was happy to oblige with a brief summary of Mrs Bancroft's connection with Alice Grey, including some detail of the persecution of the girl by one Mr Danby and her timely rescue from the workhouse by Mrs Bancroft.

She then asked, "Are you well acquainted with the Bancrofts, Emma?"

Emma's reply surprised Becky.

"No, not very well acquainted at all; indeed I have never met Mr Bancroft, but Mrs Bancroft has occasionally worked with my group of ladies, who have tried to help abandoned young women and their children.

"Some are left in dire circumstances, rejected by their families and ostracised by the communities in which they live, which is why I am not entirely surprised by your story. However, the matter of the girl's husband being convicted as a result of false testimony is new to me. I am shocked that the magistrate would have permitted such a thing to happen. Tell me, Becky, did you learn of this from Mrs Bancroft herself?"

"Indeed no; I am not at liberty to divulge the source of my information, but I can say it was certainly not Mrs Bancroft. But why do you ask, Emma?"

Becky was curious, and Emma's reply inflamed that curiosity to a much higher degree.

"Because," said Emma quietly, "the magistrate for the district which includes Blessington is Mr Bancroft. I may be wrong, but I don't think I am. James would certainly be able to confirm this when he returns this evening."

The expression of utter shock upon Becky's countenance convinced Emma that her guest knew little or nothing of the Bancrofts. An idea began to form in her mind then that Becky had come to Standish Park to seek information about Mr and Mrs Bancroft.

It was quickly confirmed when Becky said, "Emma, I should have been frank with you at the outset. I wish to help Alice Grey find her husband, who we are led to believe was falsely accused and convicted some years ago in Ramsgate, and to that end, I have approached Mrs Bancroft. Alice tells me Mrs Bancroft rescued her from the workhouse, gave her work and a place to stay, and then helped her escape the unwelcome advances of a certain Mr Danby, a friend of Mr. Bancroft.

"Mrs Bancroft has invited me to dinner on Saturday week and, in her letter to me, mentioned that she had heard of my work for charity from you. My intention in coming here today was chiefly to ask your advice on how best to deal with the Bancrofts. I had thought that you and Mr Wilson were probably acquainted with them, and I have to admit that I had no inkling at the time that Mr Bancroft was the magistrate for the district.

"Now, once more, let me apologise, Emma, for not revealing my intentions when I wrote, but I am very much in the debt of someone who has obtained this information for me and have promised to use it with the utmost discretion. I am not at liberty to say more."

Becky was very embarrassed, wondering what Emma would say if she knew it was her brother Jonathan Bingley and his son-in-law Colin Elliott who were her informants. Still, she had no other course open to her--she had given them her word. She hoped fervently that Emma Wilson would not persevere with her inquiries.

However, it seemed Emma, having been sufficiently astonished by Becky's revelations, did not seek to discover their source. She asked no more questions on the subject, but as was her wont, seemed more interested in the matter of the girl Alice Grey and the Bancrofts.

Admitting that she had not heard Mrs Bancroft mention the case at all, she said, "I am not entirely surprised, Becky, that Mrs Bancroft should be reserved about a matter that may have involved her husband and one of his friends. I do not wish to speak ill of anyone, but if the truth were known--and you do need to know the truth if you are to deal with them--the Bancrofts, and in particular Mr Bancroft and his friends, are not very well regarded in the community. Mr Bancroft, although he is a magistrate, has been known to indulge in rather riotous behaviour when he is in his cups--which is quite often, I understand, and as for his friends, the less said of them, the better.

"I had not heard of a Mr Danby, James may know of him, but I do know that two others--a notorious gambler called Knowles and a young tearaway from the militia, a Colonel Hackforth--were noted for their outrageous conduct in the town and have been before the court on more than one occasion, with very little consequence.

"They had become accustomed to getting away with it because the magistrate Mr Bancroft would send them off with a rap over the knuckles, but when they came before a judge of the County Court, they were taught a severe lesson and transported to Van Dieman's Land," said Emma with a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Transported to Van Dieman's Land?"

Becky was amazed.

But Emma was quite sanguine.

"Indeed, and I have to say there was not heard a single voice raised in support of them nor anyone who expressed any sympathy for them. Their crimes were so heinous and so frequent that it is said the villagers would lock and bar their houses and barns when they were known to be in the area, to secure their daughters and their livestock."

"And Mr Bancroft tolerated all of this?"

"He did, because they were his friends--Knowles had been at college with him, and Colonel Hackforth was his cousin."

"And Mrs Bancroft? How was she culpable?" Becky asked.

"Oh more by omission than commission, I believe," Emma explained. "She was for many years a rather timid woman, having married her husband when she was quite a young girl. I understand he was handsome and rich when they met, and she, having married him, remained loyal to him. I daresay, Becky, she would not be the first young woman to make such an error," said Emma, whose own life experience would not let her censure Mrs Bancroft or any other young woman for lacking judgment in her youth.

Becky concurred and listened as Emma continued.

"You would not believe it now, but James says Mr Bancroft read Classics at Oxford and graduated with honours before taking up the law. But greed and a total lack of self-discipline seem to have destroyed his character, and Mrs Bancroft has probably discovered to her cost that he was no longer the man she had married."

"Do they have any children?" Becky asked, beginning to feel some sympathy for the unfortunate Mrs Bancroft.

"Two daughters--Hermione and Diana--classical names as you can see, but, I am informed, both rather self-willed and more like their father than Mrs Bancroft. To the best of my knowledge, they have very little in common with their mother and are not inclined to participate in her charitable work. I understand they spend most of their time with their relations in London, enjoying the dubious delights of the city," said Emma, leaving Becky in no doubt of her opinion on the matter.

The arrival of the maid with news that Mr Wilson had returned brought their conversation to an end, but not before Emma had promised to ask her husband for more information about Mr Bancroft, if it would help.

Grateful and more surprised than she had expected to be, Becky retired to her room to rest awhile before preparing to dress for dinner.

Becky Tate's diary went everywhere with her.

Each night, before she retired to bed, she made the entries for the day just gone. Her writer's instincts acted as an excellent discipline whenever she travelled, for she would make copious notes of everything, no matter how trivial, and record them together with her own observations and feelings.

Over the next few days, during her short but significant visits to Standish Park and later Blessington Manor, Becky's diary made engrossing reading.

This is such a delightful place,
she wrote that night as she enthused over the hospitality and comforts she had enjoyed at Standish Park.