Rose Beaumont - £10 monthly for rent and groceries
Rose Beaumont - £5 for medical expenses (Doctor Hartley, lying-in care)
Aubrey stared at the entries, his mind refusing to process what he was seeing. Rose. Rose Beaumont. With payments dating back nearly two years, made regularly every month without fail.
And a babe.
Rose had a child.
He flipped backthrough the pages with trembling hands, finding the first entry. September 1866. Just after she had left London. Just after his parents had paid her family to relocate.
Rose Beaumont - £30 initial settlement for relocation expenses
The amounts weren't small. Thirty pounds was generous—more than a lady's maid would earn in an entire year. Five pounds monthly was substantial support. And medical expenses...
Lying-in care. The term used for a woman giving birth.
Rose had been pregnant when she left London.
Aubrey's mind reeled. She had told him his family and his betrothed were forcing her out. She had wept in his arms about the injustice of it all.
She hadn’t mentioned a babe.
And then she had taken his parents' money, Eleanor’s money, left town, and given birth.
Whose child?
The dates... he counted back rapidly. If the baby had been born in the summer of 1867, it would have been conceived three months before her departure... while they were courting.
But that was impossible. He had never… they had never…
Had Eleanor been lying after all? Had she known about Rose all along? Was this guilt money, some kind of payment to keep Rose quiet about... about what?
Or was there another explanation? One that made Eleanor look less like a villain and more like a saint.
He needed answers.
Aubrey reached for the bell pull and rang it. A maidappeared within moments. "My lord?"
"Send for Lady Madeley. Immediately."
"Yes, my lord."
The minutes stretched interminably while Aubrey stared at the ledger entries, his mind churning through possibilities, each one more disturbing than the last.
Finally, the door opened. Eleanor entered, her expression cautious. She must have sensed something in the summons because her hands were already clasped tightly at her waist, her shoulders tense.
"You wished to see me, my lord?"
"Yes." Aubrey's voice came out colder than he intended, sharp with suspicion and confusion. "I have been reviewing the household accounts."
"Yes?"
"There are regular expenses listed for someone named Rose Beaumont." He kept his eyes fixed on her face, watching for any sign of deception. "Twenty pounds a month for wardrobe and baby necessities, rent, groceries, medical expenses. Substantial sums. Can you explain these entries?"
Aubrey's hands stilled on the ledger. His heart began to pound, a sick feeling spreading through his chest.
"Rose Beaumont. She was my lady's maid for eight years. My companion, really. We were friends." Eleanor's voice was carefully controlled. "She left my service just before our wedding. Said she needed to return to her family urgently."
