Arc One: Courtship and Marriage: Prologue & Chapter 1
- Erin H
- Mar 15, 2025
- 9 min read
Updated: Jan 24
Updated: 9/29/2025
The Watsons
The Reverend Robert Thomas Watson was the only son of Samuel Nottingham Watson, from an old Yorkshire family, and Margaret Davison, the daughter of Thomas Davison, Esquire, of Blaikstone in the same county.
Samuel had studied law and through his marriages increased both his fortune and his connections. His first wife, Miss Davison, brought a dowry of two thousand pounds and together they had three children: Robert, Theophila, and Susanna. Two years after Susie’s birth, she and her mother both died in a smallpox epidemic. Samuel later married Miss Mordaunt, daughter of a Warwickshire baronet, who brought him another three thousand pounds and helped him gain a place in parliament at which time the family moved to London. Their only child, Penelope, was born before Robert’s eleventh birthday, but her mother died soon after. Six months later, the family was in Yorkshire when Samuel married the widowed Mrs Turner, a cousin of his first wife with four thousand pounds. The couple had only one surviving child, Margaret, just a year and a half after Penny had been born.
The third Mrs Turner, being a distant relation as well as his step-mother, treated Robert as her own son, as did her father and brother, Misters William and Charles Turner whom he was bade to call “Grandfather” and “Uncle Charles”. In 1757, William Turner inherited his family’s estates, increasing his income exceedingly and enabling him to support Robert at Cambridge.
In 1762, while Robert was still a student, Theophila married Mr John Mordaunt; however, she passed away two years later in childbirth, leaving the family grief-stricken. Robert left university to mourn and never returned as he had already finished the courses he needed. He was ordained the following year and received the living under his “Grandfather’s” patronage upon the retirement of the incumbent.
In 1768, Robert’s father chose to step down from parliament due to health reasons. He then settled in Bath with his wife and daughters. It was there that he passed away in December the following year, but not until after Penelope met and married the wealthy Mr Francis Parker of Lyndrygge Manor in Devonshire.
Robert was deeply affected by his father’s passing. While he shared many of his sire’s physical traits, he was more reserved, and they often had clashing views on both religious and moral matters. However, he understood how much his father cared for him when the will was read. Samuel, knowing the living would not be enough for Robert to start his own family, and since all his daughters had inherited their mothers’ fortunes, had left the whole of his wealth to his son. Robert offered to take in his step-mother and youngest sister, but they chose to remain in Bath. So, Mr and Mrs Parker, who had purchased a house on Pulteney Street, allowed the widow and her daughter to reside there.
Robert returned to Yorkshire alone. With a humble income of around one hundred twenty pounds per annum plus the interest on his near three thousand inheritance in the four percents, he lived a very modest lifestyle. He managed his affairs prudently and even slowly increased his income through investments and improvements to his glebe lands. He was satisfied with his life, yet there were moments when he realized how isolated he was from his remaining family and loneliness set in.
The Willoughbys
The widowed Mrs Cassandra Beauclerk, née Willoughby, was the youngest of nine children born to a prominent family with several estates across England. Her father was the second son of Lord Middleton, and her mother was the sole heiress of Briddhalh Estate in Yorkshire.
By the time Cassandra was old enough to come out into society, her parents had both passed away. However, her eldest brother, Henry, had married the previous year, and he and his new wife became her chaperones. Cassandra was a very pretty girl, and, in her first season, attracted the eldest son of Lord Vere, who was himself the second son of a Duke. Her family was thrilled, and she married the Hon. Mr Beauclerk partly to please them and partly because such an advantageous marriage was sure to allow her to live in style.
However, the marriage was far from happy. Her husband was a drunkard and a gambler who frequented houses of ill repute. His reckless spending drained not only his fortune but also Cassandra’s small dowry. When their union remained childless, she was unfairly blamed, and her husband began to show a darker side to his personality. Because of this, eight years later, when the Honourable Mr Beauclerk was found dead in the Thames one cold winter morning, she felt no grief—only relief for the end of her suffering.
Cassandra—now repulsed by the idea of marriage—returned to her family in Yorkshire to live out the rest of her days teaching her nieces to embroider poorly and read more than society deemed proper for young ladies.
Chapter One: New Acquaintances
The Turner and Willoughby families were not quite neighbours. Their estates were upwards of forty miles from each other across the moors. However, they were both very influential families involved in parliament in North Riding; and both Henry Willoughby and Charles Turner, the only son of Mr William Turner of Kyrkelidun, were of a similar age and had attended Cambridge together from 1745. While one attended Jesus College and the other Trinity, the two schools were an easy distance and the two boys met as members of The Zodiac Club, which met infrequently at the Three Tuns—an Inn quite far from their colleges which made it easier to avoid being caught by their proctors. This common club led to a long friendship between the two young men. They often crossed paths again in Yorkshire’s public sphere, sometimes as cordial rivals—both having served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire, and other times as allies at civic events.
Since his father’s death, Robert had been taken under his “Uncle William” and “Cousin Charles’s” wing. In the summer of 1770, he was visiting York with the latter when they ran into Charles’s friends. Turner introduced him, saying to the other man, “You remember my brother-in-law, the late Samuel Watson, no? This is his son, the Reverend Mr Robert Watson. I believe it’s the first time you have met?”
They agreed, and Turner continued. “Robbie, this is my old schoolmate, Henry—Mr Willoughby to you. And this is his lovely wife and his sister," he paused for a moment to think, “Mrs Beauclerk, I do believe? It has been some time since we met, young lady,” he said with a bow and a kiss over her hand.
She smiled, and Robert felt his heart skip a beat. “Sir, I believe we both know that, as a widow who was married for some years, I can no longer be considered a ‘young lady’.”
Robert could not account for the fluttering in his chest at the sight of Mrs Beauclerk, for the pang of sadness that came at hearing her referred to as a Missus, nor for the relief he felt when she said she was a widow. It was very wrong to feel thankful about the death of someone else’s spouse, but he could not take his eyes off the lovely widow.
The rest of the party all spoke and laughed together which kept them from noticing Robert’s discomfort. As a clergyman, he knew that he should not judge one on their appearance alone, but he was sure there was something about this woman. Her dark brown curls were peeking out from her matrons bonnet while her blue-grey eyes shone with good humour. She did not wear mourning colours, but he could not be sure if he had any chance.
She glanced at him as their companions spoke and offered him a smile before turning away again, but it was enough. Mr Robert Watson, at the ripe old age of thirty, had felt Cupid’s arrow for the first time in his life.
Cassandra was the first of her party to see Mr Turner coming their way. She was about to call her brother’s attention to his arrival when she was distracted by the man at his side. He was a good-looking, though not overly handsome, young man. His hair was a dark blonde, his eyes a honey-brown colour, and he was taller than Mr Turner.
He was soon introduced to them, and she found herself thinking that, for a clergyman who appeared near her own age, he was in surprisingly good shape and must spend a good deal of time exercising—perhaps to meet his parishioners? She considered this as she eyed him surreptitiously and noticed him watching her in return.
She decided to try and meet his gaze. Turning around, she did just that. She smiled at him and enjoyed the blush that quickly overtook his features. He swallowed hard but did not look away from her. She turned back to the conversation before she could no longer hold in her laughter. She had not spent much time in society before her marriage, and it was a new thing for her to leave a man so dazed in her presence before she had even had a chance to frighten them with her ‘independent thoughts’ and ‘unconventional opinions’.
She was not displeased to find she could still draw the notice of a handsome young man, yet she had no wish to encourage him; her late husband had left her with little regard for married life. Her family, friends, and indeed much of the tonne knew of his general activities when he was alive, but she did not inform them of his lesser-known habits.
Cassandra had been grateful when the lady’s maid who had served her throughout her marriage agreed to take a lower-paying position to stay with her. Some of the wounds her husband had inflicted on her in his drunken rages would never fully heal, and she was glad that she would not have to expose her shameful past to another. Even though her maid insisted that she was not to blame, that it was to her husband’s discredit, society believed otherwise.
No. The widowed Mrs Beauclerk had no intention of putting herself at the mercy of another man.
When the two groups had separated in York, Turner had informed Robert that they would be needing to add an extra day to their journey as they had been invited to dine and stay the night at the Willoughby’s on their way home the following day.
As their carriage moved onto the lane leading to Briddhalh Manor, Robert wrang his hands in nervousness. He had never been good at speaking to women. Of course, as a clergyman, he must speak with his parishioners—male and female of all ages—but that was different. Speaking to a woman whom one was attracted to was another matter altogether.
He was so lost in his musings that he didn’t even notice Turner speaking to him until he heard the man’s laughter and tore his eyes away from the window.
When Turner finally stopped chuckling, he asked, “Robert, dear boy, what has gotten into you? You act as if you are on the way to an inquisition. It is simply dinner at the house of a family friend.” Turner stared at him as a slow smirk spread over his face. “Or is there a reason for your discomfort? A pretty young widow, perhaps?”
Robert was shocked. Had he noticed? Had he seen Robert’s feelings? Had the others? Had she?
Turner laughed again at the fear showing on his face until Robert began to look chagrined. Then he leaned over and patted the younger man on the knee. “Fear not, my boy. Mrs Beauclerk is used to the admiration of others by now, I have no doubt. She is still an attractive woman—perhaps becoming more so with age, and it was such beauty which allowed her to marry so well in her first season. Had her husband survived, she would have one day been a baroness.” He looked out the window at the house which was coming up quickly, and Robert listened eagerly for whatever else his cousin Charles might share about the lady.
“I fear that her marriage was not a happy one. Her husband’s proclivities became well-known in London after their marriage.” He was silent for a moment as they pulled up to the front of the house, and, before the door opened, he shook his head and said, “Thinking on it, I am afraid there is not much hope for you there, my boy.”
Robert was confused about what was meant, but, as they exited the carriage and were introduced to the larger family party who met them outside, he thought over what was shared. When he greeted the lady in question, he took the chance to observe her more carefully. Cassandra had a lovely smile and a good sense of humour, but he thought he may have detected some reserve and melancholy in her eyes now that he got another look after hearing Turner’s earlier comments.
Or was it simply his imagination?
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction unless otherwise indicated. Some names, characters, businesses, places, and events are used in a fictitious manner or inspired by real historical figures. The author does not speak for or represent any real individuals, companies, corporations, or brands mentioned in this book.
Copyright © 2025 Eireanne Michaels (Erin Michelle Harris)
All rights reserved. No part of this book, except for material derived from the original fragment and manuscript, may be reproduced or used in any manner without prior written permission from the copyright owner, except for brief quotations in a review.
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