Heart's Desire

Chapter Two

Mere moments before...

News from Charity's brother came with the morning post. Eight and a half years had passed before she forgave him the part he'd played in her hasty marriage. Only at their father's funeral a year prior she heard Charles's version of events. The telling had helped to mend the rift between the siblings. They'd even spent this past Christmas together at Chadwick Hall.

To atone for the underhanded part he played in her marriage, Charles vowed to help Charity find a way out of being the cast-aside Lady Wrotham. The key to this promise was that he come into wealth. Their father had managed to deplete the Chadwick coffers with one mad scheme after another. The baron's man of business made a tidy sum off their sire's dementia.

The only other avenue open for Charles had been to find himself a bride with a large dowry. It'd proven to be an impossible task. All of society seemed to know of the previous Baron Chadwick's diminished mental capacity. No noble wanted their bloodline tainted with such madness.

For her part, Charity had the idea early in her banishment to save enough funds so she could become independent. At first, she'd squirreled away the money because of a girlish dream. She'd wanted to arrive in London in a state of high fashion and surprise Lord Wrotham. In her mind, with the help of beautiful clothes and stylish hair, she'd strike him mute with her beauty. Then, he'd repent for how he'd treated her. She'd make him suffer as much as he had her. But eventually, she would forgive him.

Whenever she thought back on that young bride, Charity cringed. The war and Lord Wrotham's enlistment in it had put an end to those childish hopes. A fact which she was ever thankful for because it saved her from certain humiliation.

As the years passed, it became apparent Charity would be no great beauty, fashionable clothes or no. Her goal changed to one of traveling the continent - sans husband. Before her reconciliation with Charles, she'd dreamt of finding some distant shore on which to settle. Never would she step foot back in England where she'd only known loneliness and misery. This time, it would be she who cast Lord Wrotham aside.

Now, with Charity and Charles reconciled, she no longer wished to live a life of an outcast. Becoming a mother had further banished those dreams. The raising of children, especially when one did not want one's husband to find out about them, cost a great deal. Her secret fund was growing light at an alarming rate. But Charity still wished to be free, and that's why her brother's letter had come at just the right time.

Eagerly, Charity read Charles' missive. He stated he was close to achieving his original promise. This happy news came with the sad departure of their distant fourth cousin thrice removed, the Marquess of Bodham. He wasn't known to either of the siblings, so it was something of a shock to find Charles was the closest surviving male. Her brother had inherited the title, the estates and the funds generated by them.

The letter continued, outlining how Charles had petitioned the ecclesiastic court with a suit for annulment. It further detailed the reason given to the court was that of impotence. Her brother delicately explained this to mean Lord Wrotham was unable to perform his husbandly duties.

A crumb of toast lodged in her throat causing Charity to cough as she read the last part. Clearing her throat, she scanned the paragraph again. Hope that with the backing of the new Marquess of Bodham she'd soon be rid of an unwanted husband rose. Yes, it'd make her a social pariah in England, yet she already lived as such. Being the cast-off Lady Wrotham for nearly a decade, in such a small community, caused rumors to run rampant. Some even doubted she was who she claimed. They'd never actually seen Lord Wrotham in town or on the estate.

Putting the letter aside, Charity took a sip of tea, then buttered another piece of toast. With a smile, she handed it to her daughter, Phoebe. The poor child was often mistaken for a boy with her short, fair hair. But she was pretty, taking after her father in looks. At just over a year old, according to Nurse Hollings, she spoke well for her age.