Degrees of Hope Read online

  “Indeed I am not.” Martha smiled at him as the memory amused her. “I am the eldest daughter of a local family. My mother lives in a cottage on the estate, and my father died many years ago of alcohol poisoning. Most of my siblings perform manual labour, although I do have one sister who is now a teacher, and another who is in debtors' prison.”

  “Why didn't you pay his debt off?” he asked, although that was far from the most salient point at the moment.

  “Because the debt he owes is to me. It's a complicated story but suffice to say, he was complicit in hurting a member of my family. I paid him and my father to leave, with the penalty of 100 pounds should either of them ever contact their family again. My father died long before the money had run out, but my brother came crawling back when it was gone.”

  “So you jailed him?”

  “He had chances, James, but he never took them, seemingly determined to follow in our father's footsteps, causing pain and misery wherever he went. I did not take the decision lightly but in all good conscience, I couldn't allow him to prey on anyone else, my family or otherwise.”

  “So why does everyone think you are descended from royalty?”

  “Because Lucien's mother once tried to halt our relationship, by letting it be known that I was a former housemaid. A good friend of mine circulated the erroneous rumour in the hope of saving my reputation. Illegitimate daughters of nobility are far more interesting than housemaids, so his story was believed over the truth.”

  “I don't know quite what to say,” James admitted.

  “I'm not asking you to say anything,” Martha replied. “I merely ask that you not only look at the world around you, but also see what is truly there. The work of a housemaid was there for you to see, if only you had chosen to look, and the true intelligence of women, from any class, is there for you to discover, if you are open to it.”

  James' neat little world view was being turned on its head and he didn't know how he felt about that. Martha's revelation that she was working class had truly shocked him, for although some of her behaviour was unladylike, her whole attitude said that she was of noble birth.

  “Perhaps you might like to visit the estate school before you leave,” Lucien suggested. “Martha's sister is a teacher there, and you can see for yourself what children of both sexes can achieve, when given the chance of a proper education.”

  “Yes,” James agreed. He still wasn't willing to believe that women were his equals, but he was willing to question his beliefs, just to be certain that he was correct. “I think I might like that.”

  Chapter Nine

  Hope was fuming, not only because she missed out on seeing James eat humble pie, but her mother had also told her that she must show him the estate school. No matter that he had failed the challenge her mother set him, Hope still wasn't looking forward to spending an hour or more in his company. Anyone that prejudiced must surely be flawed in many other ways too, she thought.

  It also meant that she wouldn't get a chance to ride today, which did nothing to improve her mood.

  Nevertheless, she had finally agreed because her mother seemed insistent.

  She took the gig to pick James up, since using a carriage and a driver seemed excessive; there was no need to put anyone else out. MacDuff trotted alongside the gig, though if she hadn't been picking James up, she would have allowed the dog to sit beside her for the journey.

  To her surprise, James was waiting for her as she pulled into the driveway. He tipped his hat in greeting and climbed up next to her.

  “Miss Beaumont, how wonderful it is to see you again.”

  “And you,” Hope managed to say, for she had promised her mother that she would do her best to be polite.

  “So, where is this school?” he asked.

  “On the main road into Marchwood.”

  “Is it large?”

  “Reasonably. It has around 60 pupils.”

  “Who is the headmaster?” he asked.

  Hope gave him a sidelong glance.

  “Headmaster?” she laughed. “This is not Eton or Harrow that you are going to see, Mr Ashdown. This is a charitable school for children whose parents would not otherwise be able to afford an education. There are only two teachers, so I suppose you could say that the headmistress is Miss Dawley since she has been at the school the longest.”

  James lapsed into silence then, and Martha was quite happy to encourage that.

  The school building had five rooms, one where all the pupils were taught, one where they ate a simple lunch, and three smaller rooms where smaller groups of students could be taught.

  They had timed their visit so that they arrived in lunch hour and they headed into the dining hall, which had three rows of trellis tables and benches set up for the children to eat at.

  James was fascinated by the pupils he saw, for they were all rather poor and ragged looking. He drifted closer to those queuing for food, so that he might see what they were eating. The food was simple, stew and bread, but it looked edible.

  Hope was content for James to look about on his own, so she looked for Mary and smiled as she spotted her aunt.

  “Mary, how are you?” she greeted the other woman with a kiss on her cheek.

  “Very well,” Mary smiled. “Is that your visitor?” she asked, having noticed the man who was hovering over the children as they got their lunch.

  “Yes,” Hope sighed. “Come on, I'll introduce you.”

  James turned as he noticed them approach and smiled.

  “Mr Ashdown, I'd like you to meet Miss Dawley, Mary, this is Mr Ashdown.”

  “Very pleased to meet you,” James said as they shook hands.

  “And you.” Mary looked to the cook, who was dishing out the stew and held up three fingers, indicating that they wanted three portions. When they were ready, Mary thanked her and handed one plate to Hope and another to James. She directed them to the cutlery table, then to the end of one of the long tables, where they sat to eat. As usual, Hope's dog had accompanied them inside, and now curled up behind the table.

  James was a little suspicious of the food at first and wondered briefly if he didn't like it, if there was any way he could discreetly feed it to the collie that followed Hope everywhere. First he tried a small piece of bread, and then when that proved palatable, dipped another piece of bread into the gravy and tasted it.

  “It's not poisonous,” Hope chided, rolling her eyes at Mary, who smiled a little.

  “No, I didn't... I apologise.” He had not considered that his distaste for the food might be insulting to those who ate it daily. He summoned up his courage and took a mouthful of stew, which was actually very nice. It was plain, lacking the herbs and spices that he was used to, but certainly edible.

  Mary smiled.

  “So, Miss Dawley, it seems like a fine school that you run here.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How long have you been teaching?” he asked.

  “Twelve years now, ever since the estate school was set up.”

  “And do you enjoy it?”

  “Very much so.”

  “So how does it work?” he asked.

  “It's simple really. The school is open to children aged from five to ten, although those who show particular promise can stay on as assistant teachers, in exchange for additional lessons. We are mainly funded by the Beaumonts but the pupils have to pay a few pence per week.”

  “And does everyone on the estate come here?”

  “Not all, I'm afraid. Lucien, I mean, Lord Beaumont, is very keen on education but he cannot compel his tenants to send their children to school. I believe that well over half of the local children come here though.”

  “And what do you teach?” he asked.

  “The usual things; reading, writing, arithmetic, spelling and drill. The older pupils study a little geography, Latin and history.”

  “And how many pupils do you have?”

  “Sixty four,”

  James looked around t
he room.

  “Forgive me, but-”

  “Some pupils go home at lunch time,” Mary explained. “That's why we have two hours for lunch, so that they have time to get home and back again.”

  “Why do some stay?”

  “Because many have mothers who work and aren't at home to meet them. Those families pay a small amount for the children's dinners, although Lord Beaumont also subsidises lunches.”

  As their conversation deepened, Hope looked around the room at the children here. They were all well turned out, although their clothes were mostly old, probably hand-me-downs. She wouldn't be surprised if more than a few had holes in their boots either.

  She listened with half an ear as James and Mary began discussing education reform and the possibility of making education compulsory. Hope had discussed these topics with Mary before, so already knew her thinking. She wasn't inclined to believe that James had anything worth listening to.

  “And what of the girls?” James asked and Hope's head whipped around as she suddenly became interested in the conversation.

  “What of them?” Mary asked.

  “Does an education also benefit them?”

  “Doesn't education benefit everyone?”

  “Well... hasn't Miss Beaumont told you of our discussions on women?”

  Hope hadn't had a chance to yet.

  “No,” Mary looked confused.

  “Do you really think that I have so little to occupy me that I would spend my days gossiping about a man I hardly know?” Hope asked him.

  James blushed a little. “No, of course-”

  “Still I should hardly expect anything else from you.” Hope turned to Mary. “Mr Ashdown is of the opinion that woman are weaker intellectually. He is asking you if you have found the girls to be harder to educate than the boys.”

  “Not at all!” Mary sounded surprised by the idea. “Why, of the top five students at this school, three are girls. It is a shame that many won't get to really make use their education as they will become housewives but then, many of the boys will have little use for their education if they become factory workers or farm labourers.”

  “But a man must be educated if he is to make informed decisions,” James argued. “How can we give men the vote if they can't read a newspaper?”

  “And what makes you believe that even educated men make the right decisions?” Mary asked. Hope was surprised that Mary was able to discuss this in such a calm way, but then Mary had always been a cool customer.

  “I'm not sure I understand?”

  “Your father is a very well educated man, is he not?” Mary asked.

  “You know who my father is?”

  “I read newspapers too.”

  “Of course. And yes, I suppose he is.”

  “And yet, despite his very expensive education and his 'better' intellect, he has made some shockingly bad decisions and lost most of your family's wealth. Do you really believe such a feckless man to be above women?”

  “Well...” he didn't quite know how to answer that.

  “I have met many men in my time, Mr Ashdown. Some are good, God fearing gentlemen. Others are mean, nasty and full of such depravities that it would probably turn your blood cold. My own father was one such man, seemingly determined to ruin our family for his own pleasure. Thanks to my sister, Martha, he did not succeed. Why should I, by accident of birth, be considered the property of such a man?”

  “Because that is the way it has always been.”

  “Yes, but it has also always been the case that the aristocracy rule over the masses by divine decree, and yet you want to give the vote to all men. Just because something is traditionally done a certain way, does not mean that it is the right way.”

  “You are right, of course, but the Bible-”

  “Is full of examples of strong women, as well as weak men, and Genesis states that men and women were created equal, that both man and woman were created in God’s image and shared the responsibilities of rearing children. He gave both sexes dominion over every living creature in the world.”

  Hope was captivated by the conversation and desperately hoping that her aunt could finally make James see the error of his ways.

  “There are a few examples, I will grant you, but God repeatedly says that a woman should look to her husband and obey him. Ephesians 5 for example, says, 'Wives, submit to your own husbands'.”

  “Ephesians also says that a husband should lay down his life for his wife, as Christ did for his church. I know of many men who would not be willing to do that, so in that instance, are women to disobey their husbands?”

  “You are wilfully misunderstanding-”

  “I don't think so. Galatians says that, 'There is neither Jew nor Gentile, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus'. All human beings are equal in the eyes of God, so I think it is you who are wilfully misunderstanding Christ's teachings, and interpreting them to mean that women are somehow lesser in the eyes of God.”

  James could quote scripture all day but he knew that it would not win him the argument in this case. He smiled.

  “You know your scripture.”

  “I am an educated Christian woman, why shouldn't I? Why shouldn't other women be allowed the right to an education, so that they too might learn the scriptures for themselves?”

  “It's a fair point, and I will concede that education should be available to all.”

  “But you still believe that women are inferior to men,” Mary stated.

  “I do.” He glanced sidelong at Hope and almost sounded sad as he spoke.

  “Well, I can assure you that I have noticed no real difference between the girls and the boys in my class.”

  “What do you mean by 'real difference'?” he asked, seizing on what he thought might be a weakness.

  “I mean that each year is slightly different. In this year's new class for example, the girls seem to be surpassing the boys in their ability to do the times tables and basic maths problems, but last year they were about equal in aptitude.”

  “What about reading and writing?” he asked.

  “I have not noticed any significant difference.”

  “What do you mean by significant?”

  “I will tell you what,” she said. “This afternoon, you can give the youngest a spelling test. They are given 10 words a week to learn; you can pick any 10 words from the lists they have already been given and see for yourself how well they do.”

  “That sounds fair,” he agreed.

  When the children had finished eating, they were allowed to go outside and play and Mary showed James around the rest of the school, introducing him to the other staff, which totalled only four other people. A second teacher, two cooks who prepared the lunches and one assistant who was learning to become a teacher.

  When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, the children filed inside and took their seats in the main classroom. They went in age order, youngest at the front, and were divided into boys on the left and girls on the right. Each child had a slate that they wrote on, although Mary had explained that the older ones were allowed to use a nib and paper when practising their penmanship.

  Already written on the blackboard were a number of sums, those on the left for the older children and those on the right for the younger ones to copy down and solve.

  Mary ordered the first two rows of children to take their slate and chalk and go to the classroom next door. Mary left the other teacher to supervise, whilst she went next door with Hope and James to conduct his spelling test.

  James was quiet on the ride back to his sister's house and Hope couldn't help but smile occasionally, although she did her best to hide her mirth.

  It seems that in choosing some of the longer, more difficult words for his test, James had hoped to catch the girls out. Unfortunately, it backfired. Both sexes did well but the end results were that the girls had two incorrect answers among them, whilst the boys had four. />
  It wasn't a huge difference, and it wouldn't be enough to convince Hope that women were in any way superior to men, but it certainly didn't do James' argument any good.

  As they approached Arundell Hall, James turned to Hope, although he still looked grave.

  “Miss Beaumont, I realise that you and I did not get off to a very good start,” James said, “but I want to thank you for the friendship that you have offered my sister. I was worried about how she would cope, away from her family and friends, but she speaks of you in such glowing terms that... well, you mean a great deal to her, so thank you.”

  Hope wondered if he was being facetious but he certainly seemed sincere. Clueless he may be, but he did seem to genuinely care for his sister.

  “You are very welcome. She means a great deal to me also.”

  Hope drew the horse to a stop outside the house and James stepped down from the gig.

  “I will not be here for very much longer, but I should very much hope that we can become friends before I leave.”

  Hope wasn't willing to go that far.

  “We'll see,” she said, urging the horses on before he could answer.

  Chapter Ten

  Hope saw James twice more before he left and on both occasions, she did her best to be accommodating, more for Honoria than anything else. She felt that Honoria had endured enough, and Hope didn't want to cause her any more worry.

  To give James his credit though, he had been defeated twice now and had taken both instances with good grace. Hope admitted that perhaps he wasn't completely irredeemable. Still, that didn't mean that she wanted to be his friend.

  The first occasion when he visited was for dinner with the Beaumonts. Malcolm was still in London and so it was just Honoria and James. They avoided talking about any sensitive issues and the evening went well.

  The second visit was for afternoon tea, and because the weather was good, they had it served in the orangery. James was leaving in two days and Honoria was a little down-hearted, since she was going to miss him dreadfully.

  “I will be back,” James assured his sister. “If not before, then once your baby comes. I promise.”