The Lord Chancellor—Who were these women?
The witness replied that he could not recollect their names.
Mr. Willis thereupon said that this was all the evidence he proposed to offer, but that the petitioner was in attendance to answer any questions that their lordships might think proper to put to her.
A consultation then took place between their lordships, resulting in Lady Ashton being required to offer certain explanations.
Lady Ashton was unable to say whether she had written to her husband to entreat him to reconcile with her. She was in a state of great distress following the loss of Lord Ashton’s country house and had difficulty recalling the details of her conduct whilst under the influence of this shock. In response to questions from the Lord Chancellor seeking to ascertain why she did not bring proceedings before Consistory Court before this year, the lady replied that she at first wished to spare her family the embarrassment of disclosing the circumstances of her casepublicly and that she had only learned of Lord Ashton’s adultery in 1841, upon speaking to Mr. Wilkinson.
The Lord Chancellor moved that the evidence be printed and in the meantime said it would be well if the learned counsel could procure some additional evidence to show, firstly, clear proof of adultery as no witness had provided a satisfactory account on that point, and, secondly, that Lady Ashton had been sufficiently diligent in her conduct as a wife. The second reading of the bill was then adjourned to May 2nd.
***
The Times, Tuesday, April 19, 1842
Lady Ashton’s Divorce
Mr. Willis stated that their lordships would bear in mind that this matter had been adjourned on the former occasion for the purpose of enabling the petitioner to produce further evidence. He now proposed to call Mr. John Wood, an apprentice solicitor who shared lodgings with Lord Ashton in London. He has known Lord Ashton for two years and was well acquainted with him.
Mr. Wood stated that on or about February 9 of this year, he had returned to his lodgings at about four in the afternoon to find that Lord Ashton had brought a woman to his rooms. His lordship appeared surprised to see him when he came out and was in a state of undress, with his shirt half-buttoned and without any coat or cravat on.
Lord Esterhazy—Was the woman in a likewise state?
The witness replied that he had not seen her undressed, but had heard her voice inside his lordship’s rooms with the doorshut. They both were whispering as if they did not wish to be discovered, and he considered their behavior quite improper.
Lord Esterhazy—Could it have been a maid inside?
The witness said he knew the maid’s voice well, as well as the voice of the landlady, and that he was quite sure it was neither of them. There were no other women who would have any cause to be in the house. Lord Ashton remained in his bedroom with this woman for another three or four hours, and they had not yet emerged when Mr. Wood was called downstairs to attend some business. He then looked through the window and observed the lady outside, departing the house. He believed her to be Miss Cordelia Danby, whom he had seen once before in attendance at the theater. Miss Danby had also been writing letters to Lord Ashton for some time before this event.
This concluded the petitioner’s evidence.
The Lord Chancellor, in moving the bill be read a second time, adverted to the want of sufficient diligence on the part of the petitioner. However, the fact of Lord Ashton’s gross profligacy and neglect, abandonment of his wife, and of the subsequent adultery has been clearly established and their lordships held the petitioner entitled to relief. The bill was accordingly read a second time and ordered to be committed.
***
“I simply don’t understand what would possess you to do such a thing,” Mrs. Danby said. It occurred to Della that she’d uttered similar words on the divan in Jane’s sitting room about Hannah Williams not too long ago. Of course, she’d been in tears, while her mother was not. “What will my friends say when they see this? How could you embarrass us this way?”
They were in Della’s bedroom, where she’d been eating breakfast before her mother interrupted her, her hair still tied up in paper for curling and a copy of theTimesin her hand.
“I’m sorry,” Della replied numbly. “I never meant to…”
She wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.Cause trouble?Shehadmeant to do that, she just hadn’t meant to be caught. Nor to make anyone cross with her. She’d imagined that the worst thing that might happen if she were seen leaving Ashton’s lodgings was a stern talking-to, or the creation of a troublesome rumor, notthis. Not her name printed in the papers, staining the fingertips of every person she’d ever known.
Perhaps she deserved it. Hadn’t Ashton told her a hundred times how reckless she’d been?
But why should this Mr. Wood wish to destroy my life?That was the part she couldn’t wrap her head around. It wasn’t as though Della had ever done anything to hurt him; she didn’t even know the man! Why mention her name, when he could just as easily have kept it to himself?
“We’ll have to send you away, I suppose.” Her mother paced the floor, oblivious to Della’s musings. She hadn’t asked for them. “Would you prefer France or Belgium? We’ll have to hire a companion, unless your aunt Caroline would be willing to take you.”
“What are you talking about?” Annabelle’s face popped round the doorframe. “Why is Della going away?”
“There’s a story about me in the papers.” Della motioned to the copy that still lay on the foot of her bed. She felt too tired to explain. Once she’d given her sister a moment to read it and watched her expression wilt in horror, she put on a brave face. “If I pick France, I might become friends with Miss Greenwood in exile. At least I would know someone.”
“But that’s nonsense!” Annabelle looked from Della to theirmother. “We’re not going to abandon Della just because of some…somebusybodywith nothing better to do than print gossip about people with more interesting lives than he has. You can’t!”
“Annabelle, this doesn’t concern you.” Mrs. Danby spoke through tight lips. “If your sister didn’t want this to happen, then she should’ve thought of that before she snuck off to a strange man’s house in the middle of the night.”
“It wasn’t the middle of the night,” Della couldn’t stop herself from pointing out. “I was there all day and evening; it’s only that no one noticed I was gone except for Annabelle.”
