Charlotte House Affair 01 - My Particular Friend

beauty in her time, but it was obvious that she had been under a great strain of late. She held a small linen that she twisted and untwisted while talking.
    ‘I am so very glad to meet you and I am sorry that I have been so remiss in paying you a call, but after the announcement of my daughter’s engagement, I have been … I have been so busy. And so many kind things have been said of you, Miss House, that I felt I must … I hoped that you might …’
    ‘My dear Mrs Ashby, it is obvious something is troubling you. Please, if we may be of service,’ Charlotte said. ‘You are among friends.’
    Mrs Ashby dabbed her eyes with her linen. ‘My friend Mrs Willoughby said I should call, that you had been very kind to her.’
    ‘Of course, it was very good of her to suggest it.’
    ‘And then I saw that I had your card,’ Mrs Ashby said, casting her eyes downwards and dropping her hands to her lap. #
    ‘Yes. It was providential,’ prompted Charlotte. But Mrs Ashby continued to stare downwards.
    Charlotte sighed and turned to Mrs Fitzhugh. ‘Margaret, would you please call for some tea?’
    We waited awkwardly for the tea. Mrs Ashby occasionally repeated her gratitude and again mentioned Mrs Willoughby and the fortuitousness of our call. It was not until she’d had some tea that we could progress.
    ‘Mrs Ashby, please tell us what has happened,’ I said.
    ‘Letters. Horrible letters.’
    I confess I leant forward with interest, as did my friend. Even Mrs Fitzhugh stopped with her cup halfway to her lips.
    ‘What do these letters say, Mrs Ashby?’ Charlotte asked.
    A sob of anguish escaped the poor woman. ‘They accuse my daughter Sophia of indiscretions. They say that she is not … she is not a maid.’ #
    Charlotte sank back in her seat and I saw that the accusation had affected her deeply. Mrs Fitzhugh left her seat to comfort Mrs Ashby, but I noticed that she too seemed more interested in our friend.
    Charlotte then let out a long breath, brought her shoulders up and then slowly relaxed them, and I saw detachment steal her expression before she addressed the poor woman. ‘Mrs Ashby, I do not wish to be unkind and you can be sure of our sympathy and help however you answer, but I must know, is there any truth to this accusation?’
    ‘No!’ cried Mrs Ashby. The clarity and strength of her reply startled Mrs Fitzhugh. ‘My daughter may not be the model of discretion, but she is a good girl.’
    ‘And why is your daughter not here with you?’
    ‘The strain of it keeps her at home. She is excessively upset, as am I.’
    ‘I quite understand,’ Charlotte said, ‘but I need to know more if there is to be any hope. Have you the letters?’
    ‘Yes, I brought them.’ She opened her reticule and produced the letters, much folded to fit in the bag. #
    Charlotte took the letters and examined them quickly. ‘A woman’s hand,’ she said. ‘Left-handed I think. The paper is fine. No watermark. Cut from a larger sheet.’ She passed them to me and I saw that they were identical:
    We read that Mr Hickham seeks fallen fruit. Is it not wiser to take the apple from the tree? For fruit that has fallen may already have been sampled, perhaps by Mr Howard? Best to put it back and chuse another before it is too late.
    ‘To whom were they sent?’ Charlotte asked, wearing now a bemused expression.
    ‘To myself; my sister, Mrs Landsdowne; and my cousin, Mrs Mapplethorpe.’
    ‘And you are sure there are only the three?’
    ‘That is the matter! How would I know for sure?’ Mrs Ashby wailed.
    ‘Precisely,’ Charlotte said. ‘Now, how were they delivered? Were they in the post?’
    ‘They were found in the morning, slid under the door.’
    ‘And your sister and your cousin immediately brought them to your attention?’
    ‘Of course,’ Mrs Ashby answered.
    ‘When was this?’
    ‘Two days after the announcement,’ replied Mrs Ashby.
    Charlotte paused in her questioning, and Mrs Fitzhugh used the opportunity to refresh Mrs Ashby’s cup, which she gratefully accepted.
    Charlotte resumed. ‘You are very close to your sister?’
    Mrs Ashby nodded.
    ‘And to your cousin?’
    ‘Yes,’ Mrs Ashby answered, ‘she is a widow with no children and has always taken a special interest in my daughter.’
    Charlotte asked, ‘And it is well known that you are close to your sister and cousin? You are frequently seen together?’
    ‘Yes, of course, but what bearing can that have?’
    Charlotte ignored the