The Compassionate Countess

By Robin Bell

Two years after arriving in England in 1886, to discover that she had inherited the hereditary title of Contess, twenty year old Australian fram girl Mary Evans has adjusted, in her own way, with the authority, wealth and privileges bestowed on her. Mary has a passion to help those less fortunate than herself, and uses her position to improve th

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorUnit
• Release date: Jul 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781958895054

Robin Bell

ROBIN BELL, is a retired teacher who now lives on and manages the family dairy farm in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia purchased by her grandfather in 1910.

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The

compassionate

Countess

The

compassionate

Countess

Robin Bell

By

Contents

Chapter 11

London

April 1888

Chapter 24

Lewes,

May 1888

Chapter 311

Longmire Estate,

May 1888

Chapter 416

Everton Manor Sussex, England

May 1888

Chapter 522

Sussex & London

June 1888

Chapter 630

Buckingham Palace, London

Early August 1888

Chapter 736

Windsor Castle Train journey from York

August 1888

Chapter 844

Longmire Estate Sussex, England

September 1888

Chapter 953

Longmire Estate Sussex, England

October 1888

Chapter 1056

Southampton, England

November 1888

Chapter 1163

Lewes,

November 1888

Chapter 1271

Longmire Estate,

November 1888

Chapter 1375

Lewes,

November 1888

Chapter 1483

Longmire Estate Sussex, England

Late November 1888

Chapter 1587

Everton Manor

Sussex, England

December 1888

Chapter 1691

Brighton,

December 1888

Longmire Estate,

December 1888

Chapter 18104

Longmire Estate Sussex, England

December 1888

Chapter 19112

Longmire Estate,

End of December 1888

Chapter 20119

Longmire Estate,

January–May 1889

Copyright © Robin Bell. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

While actual locations and events are referred to, all the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-958895-04-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-958895-05-4 (e)

Printed in the United States.

Section

Pages

Chapter 1

London

April 1888

Hugh Watson, the Longmire and Oakdale estate supervisor, was seated in the boardroom with eight of the countess’s business managers, when Lady Mary Evans entered the room with her solicitor and friend, Gordon Lyons. The men all stood and waited for the twenty-year-old countess to be seated at the head of the table, with Mr. Lyons beside her.

‘Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you all for attending this morning’s meeting. I hope that you will be interested in the details that Mr. Lyons is about to discuss with you. I will leave you to listen to and debate our proposal. Mr. Watson, will you please accompany me outside?’

As the door shut behind them, Mary heard Mr. Lyons begin to speak, then she turned to Hugh and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. ‘Oh, Hugh, I have missed you so much during the past three weeks.’

Poor Hugh, desperately wishing to sweep her into a loving embrace, blushed, then took her hand and gave it a quick kiss. ‘I have missed you too, Mary.’ He offered her his arm, and they walked out of the building and entered the tea shop next door. Understanding Hugh’s embarrassment, Mary smiled over the lip of her tea cup. ‘Please tell me about your trip up north, Hugh.’

Once Hugh began to tell her about the people he’d met, the businesses that he had visited, and the brief visit that he had made to his family at the Oakdale Estate in Yorkshire, Mary was pleased to see him relax and become his usual good-humoured self.

An hour later, after Mary had updated Hugh on the information that Mr. Lyons was imparting to the managers, they returned to the boardroom, to find the men chatting away so keenly, that at first they didn’t realise that Mary had entered the room. When they resumed their seats, Mary remained standing. ‘So gentlemen, do I take it that you feel as enthusiastic as I am, about my proposal?’

Mr. Jenkins, manager of the china clay mine in Cornwall, stood up, a frown on his face. ‘Your Ladyship, are you seriously proposing to offer each of us a five percent share in the new shipping company that you recently purchased?’

‘I am, Mr. Jenkins. Are you interested in the proposal, gentlemen?’ All eight men agreed that they were.

‘Very well then, we will meet here again in three weeks’ time, after you have spoken to your families and your bank managers. This is a risky business that you are looking to enter into, although steamships now tend to be safer and more reliable than sailing ships.’

During the previous two years since her arrival in England, as Mary became more interested and involved in the many businesses that she owned, she had become acutely aware of how dependent her numerous mining and manufacturing businesses were on various shipping companies, to move raw materials and finished goods around Great Britain and overseas. The costs were high, and at times, it was difficult to ensure that the goods were dealt with efficiently and honestly.

Earlier in the year, Mary had made enquiries about the possibility of owning some ships, and whether owning her own shipping company would enhance, or be detrimental to her businesses.

A month ago, Gordon Lyons had been informed of a small family shipping company in Southampton, about to be sold following the death of the owner. With no close male relative to take over the company, his widow wished to sell up as quickly as possible, and move back to America.

The company owned six relatively new steamships: two 3,000-ton ships, with facilities for 300 passengers and some trade, at present sailing the Australia route in 60 days; two similar-sized ships, with limited passenger facilities, trading with America; and two trading vessels plying India and the East Indies.

After rigorous investigation and serious negotiations, a price had been settled, and Mary had become the owner of the Rushmore Shipping Company. She agreed to continue to employ the manager, Charles Browning, who had practically run the company for a number of years, as the owner rarely visited the office.

Mary had decided to offer her senior managers the opportunity to be shareholders in the shipping company, and the eight men who attended the meeting were the ones who had shown the greatest interest in the proposal for the purchase of the shipping company.

Hugh had been away when the final papers were signed, but was aware of the proposed purchase, so it was no surprise to him that Mary now owned the shipping company.

When Hugh first met Mary, nearly 18 months ago, he had held similar views to most men of his time; that men were both physically and intellectually superior to women, who were best suited to just be wives, who oversaw domestic duties, brought up the children, as well as being available for whatever pleasures her husband desired.

He had rapidly changed his views as he came to know Mary, soon realising that it wouldn’t be wise to comment on what he had been brought up to think a woman’s role should be!

Mary was a quick learner, who knew as much about the running of the estate as he did. Her accounting skills were well developed, and she had no qualms arguing the point with either men or women. Whilst her title gave her the liberty to do this, she did so in such a manner that most people didn’t take offence.

But more than that, Hugh had found Mary to be a great companion on their regular rides around the estate, and during the evenings, when they sat together in the study, doing the books, or discussing not only the estate, but all manner of subjects.

After a quick lunch, Mary and Hugh caught the train to Lewes, leaving Mr. Lyons to finalise the share arrangements with the managers. They were met at Lewes Station by Robert, the head groom, with the countess’s coach. To their surprise, he was accompanied by Mary’s four wards, Alfie, Jack, Jane, and Sally, who excitedly hugged both Mary and Hugh.

The children chatted constantly while the luggage was loaded, until Robert told all four to get up on the driver’s seat. Although it was a bit cramped, he sat with the boys to one side, and the girls on the other. Sally, who was blind, sat beside him, with her hand on his hand so that she could feel him controlling the horses with the reins.

Chapter 2

Lewes,

Sussex, England

May 1888

Two weeks later, Mary was in Lewes, attending an afternoon tea at the residence of Lady Edith Pridmore, the wife of Sir Harold Pridmore, a London banker seeking election to Parliament.

While Mary and the other five ladies in the sitting room were sipping their tea, and discussing the upcoming Charity Ball, there was the sound of a scuffle in the garden outside the French windows, followed by a high-pitched voice, shouting ‘No, no, leave me alone,’ then a scream and a thud.

Sitting nearest to the French windows, Mary was the first out into the garden, to find a young man, with his trousers down around his knees, struggling with a girl lying on the path. Mary bent down, grabbed the adolescent by his coat collar, hauled him off the girl, and swung him face first into a large rose bush, where he struggled and screamed as the thorns ripped into his face, and the lower part of his anatomy exposed to the elements!

While Lady Pridmore ran to her sixteen-year-old son Phillip, and tried to disentangle him from the rose bush, before too much damage was inflicted on his person, Mary helped the young girl to her feet. She was dazed, and had a bruised cheek, with one eye rapidly closing. Her blouse was ripped open, so Mary placed her own jacket around the shivering girl’s shoulders.

With her snivelling son now curled up on the lawn, hastily covered by his mother’s stole, Lady Pridmore turned to the girl. ‘What have you done to my son, you stupid girl?’

‘Master Phillip grabbed me and took my purse, Lady Pridmore.’

Lady Pridmore slapped the girl across the face. ‘You have no right to accuse my son of such a gross untruth, Amy. Go to your room, pack your bags, and leave immediately!’

Mary was appalled at such callous treatment of an employee, so, ignoring a ferocious glare from Lady Pridmore, she looked at Amy.

‘Tell me what happened, Amy.’

Amy sobbed. ‘Master Phillip grabbed me when I was on my way to the shops, m’lady, and demanded that I give him my purse. Cook gave me two shillings to buy some material for an apron, plus I was taking my own three pounds to put in the bank. Once Master Phillip had my purse, he attacked me.’

Mary turned to Phillip, who was now standing and hastily adjusting his trousers. ‘Do you have Amy’s purse, Phillip?’

The boy glared at her. ‘Mind your f***ing business, you interfering bitch!’

Before he knew what was happening, Mary grabbed his right wrist, swung him around and pulled his arm so high up his back, he screamed. ‘Enough of that foul language lad, or I will break your arm! Lady Pridmore, please take the purse from your son’s coat pocket and count the contents.’

Initially, the shocked woman hesitated, but with the other four women intently watching the drama unfold, she extracted a soft leather purse from the boy’s pocket, before Mary let go of his wrist, and counted out exactly three pounds and two shillings. Humiliated, Lady Pridmore tried to cover up for her son’s behaviour. ‘This maid has been flirting with Phillip and leading him astray.’

Taking her lead, Phillip embellished the story. ‘That’s right. That little slut is always flirting with me when I’m home from school.’ Amy exclaimed ‘We have never met before you grabbed me!’

Phillip smirked. ‘You won’t be able to prove that I’ve done anything wrong, you stupid girl. Any charges you might make won’t stick. My father has ways to make sure that you will change your story.’

Listening to the last sentence of his rant, Mary decided that she had heard enough, and for once opted to use her titled status. She glared at Phillip. ‘Do you know who I am, Phillip?’ She wasn’t at all surprised by his foul-mouthed response.

His horrified mother, well aware of Mary’s reason for asking the question, tried to apologise on her son’s behalf, while attempting to push him towards the open French windows.

‘Please let your son go, Lady Pridmore! Phillip Pridmore, you will be charged with theft and attempted rape. As a local magistrate, and witness to your actions, I will ensure that justice is served, and I will also make sure that your father does not interfere with the legal process.’

Mary had trouble keeping a straight face when the full impact of her statement dawned on Phillip. A footman, who had appeared in the garden, was sent to the stables to summon James, Mary’s groom, who hurried to the nearby police station, with instructions to request police attendance as quickly as possible.

‘Lady Pridmore, please take Phillip into the sitting room, and make sure that he stays there until the police arrive.’

Mary then followed Amy up to her small room in the attic, and watched the maid sob, as she packed her meagre belongings into a pillowcase. ‘Where will I go, m’lady? I’m scared that the master will make me disappear, like two other maids did after they accused his other son of forcing himself on them, until they became pregnant. No one has seen or heard of them since they were told to leave.’

Mary decided to take Amy to stay at Longmire Hall until things settled down. They descended the stairs to the entrance hall where James was waiting. ‘Amy, go to the stables and stay with James. I will be along soon.’

Just then, two constables who knew Mary arrived and bowed as they greeted her, then listened intently while she described what had just occurred. Neither constable seemed surprised, when Mary said, ‘Phillip believes that his father will arrange for any record of his indiscretion to be erased.’

However, they showed more interest, when Mary added, ‘I am going to do all that I can to ensure that Phillip pays for his misdemeanours.’

When the policemen entered the sitting room, Lady Pridmore initially tried to tell them that it was all a misunderstanding, but stopped when she saw Mary standing in the doorway. The four other ladies gave their statements, then hurried off, no doubt keen to spread the news of the scandal.

Phillip was arrested, and as he was marched out of the house and up the street, each arm gripped by a burly policeman, his mother sat slumped in an armchair sobbing. ‘My husband will be furious. A scandal like this will ruin his chances of being elected to Parliament.’

Mary rang for Lady Pridmore’s maid, then went to the stables, where James was waiting with Amy, ready to take the coach straight back to Longmire Hall.

By the time the coach had travelled the six miles to Longmire Hall, Mary’s residence on the vast Longmire Estate, Amy had lost some of her embarrassment from sitting in a coach beside a countess, and Mary had found out that Amy was fifteen, had been in service for a year, since leaving the orphanage where she had grown up, and that she was thrilled to be out in the countryside for the first time in her life.

‘I can read and write, m’lady, and was really