I implore you to vote for a Special Commission Inquiry … tour factories & mines
Reduce their hours and improve conditions
The fact that we, as a society, are used to something doesn’t make it morally right. Immanuel Kant argued that…
ALL CHILDREN DESERVE A CHILDHOOD
The last sentence was written in capital letters and underlined three times, like Colin was reminding himself as well as everyone else, like he wanted to scream that often forgotten truth out into the cold, unfeeling world.
Elizabeth had trouble breathing through her nose from all the crying. She ran out of the study, Aristotle and her husband’s book long forgotten. She retired to her bedroom without even wishing Colin a good night. She was certain her face would betray what she had seen. She cried herself to sleep, all the while thinking:
All children deserve a childhood.
Chapter 30
“What are you frowning at, wife?”
Elizabeth looked up from the letter in her hand and realised that her husband had joined her in the morning room.
“Good morning,” she said, feeling flustered by his intense stare.
Things were…betterbetween them these days. Nowhere near as good as they had been in Norwich, of course, but she no longer avoided rooms he was in, and they managed engaging and polite conversation at mealtimes, as well as after Elizabeth’s lessons. Doctor Cooper still didn’t consider Talbot to be well enough to join them on Wednesdays, and despite his disappointment, Colin encouraged Elizabeth to continue going without him. Knowing how much he had grown to enjoy these outings, Elizabeth patiently recounted the visits to him and served as a messenger between him and his favourite patients.
“It’s a letter from Nicholas,” she continued, looking down at the letter again, “he writes that Sophie was brought to bed of a boyand that both she and the baby are well and healthy. He doesn’t mention his name, though, how odd.”
“Ah,” her husband said. “Congratulations.”
“He is inviting us to come visit with them for a while.”
“Do you wish to go meet your new nephew?” Talbot asked carefully, wisely omitting the boy’s father from his question.
Lizzie sighed and put the letter down. “I cannot decide. One of my concerns is your health. I’m not certain whether you could handle such a trip. It’s only been a month since your…injury,” she said, pursing her lips in disapproval.
Talbot dropped his head, but she could still see him smile. Men.
He is probably proud of his foolishness, she thought, once again terrified by the knowledge that he could have easily been lost to her that day.
One night, after her initial, anger-led, emotional turmoil in the aftermath of Colin’s injury had died down, she was getting into bed and trying to hear him shuffling around with Stevenson in the room across the hall, when, out of nowhere, the following thought hit her like a brick in the head:He could have died.
Elizabeth frantically tried remembering what she had been thinking about when Doctor Cooper had been busy digging out the pieces of lead from her husband’s flesh, whether she had prayed, whether she had worried, but all she ultimately pieced together was that she hadn’t fully understood the gravity of the situation then. Now she suddenly did.
That episode had marked the beginning of the absolute anguish she’d experience for the next ten days – flashes of terror, visions and nightmares of standing over Colin’s grave; his body rottingin the ground; wearing mourning attire; never hearing his voice again…
The images of his bloody clothes kept her awake at night, and not even all theMilk of Rosesin the world was able to improve her fatigue-induced pallor.
“We can always consult Doctor Cooper,” Talbot offered, thankfully jarring her from those dark thoughts. “I would rather like to spend some time in the country, and Ashbury, though a much inferior estate, is closer than Norwich.”
His familiarhauteurcoaxed a smile from Lizzie and strengthened her faith in his recovery. She considered the idea for a moment. Being away from the filthy air of London would be good for both the convalescent and Mary.I have to ascertain whether it is safe for both of them to travel, she thought.And cancel my lessons.
She had already been planning to take the entire household to Norwich for Mary’s delivery and lying-in, so she wanted to ask Doctor Cooper’s advice on that as well. In her mind’s eye, she could already see Mister Ed and Mrs Barlow playing with their granddaughter in the cool shade of the arbour in the manor garden.
She frowned again as she returned to reality, “I’m not too keen on spending time with my brother, though.”
“I understand,” was all that he said, his voice very obviously restrained in order not to betray any hint of feeling.
“Either of my father’s children, actually. Charlotte also wrote to invite us to a house party at their estate in Basingstoke.”
Talbot, after brief consideration, said, “Should you decide to accept their invitations, it would be a geographically soundchoice, for Basingstoke lies between London and Ashbury in a way which would help split our journey in two legs, with a week’s rest between them, thus rendering it far less taxing.”
