"The purpose of life is to contribute in some way to making things better." Robert F. Kennedy 

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Chapter Fourteen

The Hadley's door was opened by a smartly dressed servant who took their coats. Kit and Olivia were then led into the Hadley's dining room, their company having already arrived and taken their seats.

The men all rose as soon as Kit and Olivia entered. Olivia saw that the Mr and Mrs Hadley were joined by two other couples. She recognised Mr Roger West. He, like Mr Hadley, was one of the wealthiest men in Hertford. As a landed gentleman, he made his fortune from dozens of rents, and held a position of power over the greater population.

The other couple was one that Olivia had not been expecting to see. Lawrence Powell had joined them for dinner. Of course the sitting member was present. These men wanted to compare their options. Their current puppet, or Kit.

Olivia began to realise that this dinner was a lot more important than they had originally thought.

"Sir Christopher Kensington and Miss Olivia Pendleton," introduced the servant.

Olivia put a smile on her face, hoping to mask her nerves. She stole a glance up at Kit and saw that he was doing something similar.

"Kensington," greeted Mr Hadley, "so good of you to join us this evening." He beckoned Kit and Olivia in, though Olivia noticed that he did not acknowledge her presence. Mr Hadley gestured to a chair for Kit, while Olivia was guided to a chair on the opposite side of the round table, sitting in between two of the wives.

Kit's eyes flashed to Olivia's, as he regretfully watched her be removed from his side. What annoyed Olivia most was that a large floral centrepiece was blocking her view of the men opposite her. It was as though the arrangement was specifically placed there to keep her out of the conversation.

Olivia knew that she needed to make the best of this evening for Kit. If she could not partake in the men's conversation, then she needed to use the influence that these women had over their husbands.

"Hello," she greeted nervously.

Two ladies were seated to her left, while the last was on her right. The lady on her right had red hair, like Olivia, but it was perhaps a little more golden. Olivia liked the colour. She was very pretty, but her fine bone structure, combined with a disapproving expression on her face, made her seem very severe.

"Lovely to make your acquaintance, Miss Pendleton. I am Mrs Virginia Hadley," she introduced herself. "Next to you is Mrs Margaret West, and Mrs Nancy Powell."

"It is a pleasure," said Olivia.

"What are your thoughts on the bill, Kensington?" Olivia heard Mr Hadley ask Kit. "Powell here has some interesting opinions. I would like to know what you think."

What bill were they talking about? Olivia craned her neck but she could not see them from around the irritating foliage.

"Your dress is ... very pretty," Margaret West complimented half-heartedly, taking Olivia's attention away from the men's conversation. Margaret was also an attractive woman, perhaps around her Aunt Faith's age. Though her skirt concealed it well, Olivia could tell that Margaret was with child.

"Thank you," murmured Olivia. "My mother had it made for me a few years ago."

"Oh yes, we could tell by the sleeves," interjected Nancy Powell. Nancy looked the most bitter of the three women. Her hair was light blonde, and her eyes were a cold blue. The lines on her face told Olivia that she scowled a lot, and with good reason knowing her husband's reputation.

Olivia frowned. These ladies did not approve of her. It was not a foreign phenomenon, and it did not hurt her feelings. It took a lot more than a nasty comment to hurt Olivia. Ordinarily she would ignore it, or make a nasty comment back. It was common knowledge that Nancy's husband kept other women, but Olivia could not stoop to that level. She needed these women on her side.

Olivia quickly searched Nancy's person to find something to compliment. She gasped. "But that brooch is divine," she lauded. "Wherever did you get it?"

Nancy was taken aback, and placed her hand over the sapphire brooch she wore on her gown. "It was my mother's, thank you."

"Now that we mention parents, yours are the Earl and Countess of Runthorpe, is that correct?" asked Virginia.

Olivia's parents were a soft subject for her. She nodded. "Yes, they are," she confirmed. "Though I am not sure they wish to be associated with me." There was no point lying to these women.

"I would imagine not," agreed Margaret, "knowing that their daughter is a glorified mistress."

Olivia recoiled and stared at Margaret West. "I beg your pardon, Mrs West?"

"Come now," said Virginia. "No one believes this nonsense of you being Sir Christopher's political advisor! What a joke!" she laughed lightly.

"What is so funny about it?" Olivia demanded to know.

At that moment the servants began to set the first course in front of them. Olivia waited for the vegetable soup to be ladled before continuing.

"Why shouldn't Kit seek advice from me?"

Margaret frowned. "Men do not take advice from women, dear," she said with pity. "If that is what he is telling you in order to make you feel as though you are not merely his mistress then I am afraid you are terribly naïve."

"Mrs West, I have been called many things, many things that are entirely true, but I am not Kit's mistress. I would never lower myself in that way. I am a woman with a brain in my head and a voice in my lungs and I have found a friend, a man, who will listen to me. It has taken a long time for someone to listen to me, but Kit does. I am helping him to become the sort of MP who votes for the benefit of the people, advocates for them, and enacts change that creates a better society then there was before."

"But Miss Pendleton, the world does not work like that," Virginia said critically. "The only thing that matters is money, and how much and how quickly one can make it. No amount of schoolgirl idealisms is going to change the way men think. You might think that Sir Christopher listens to you, but I would wager his mind is somewhere far more scandalous," she whispered.

Nancy and Margaret nodded in agreement. It seemed they did not think very much of Kit either, or they were simply used to less than agreeable men. It then occurred to Olivia that these women, just as she was, were blocked from the conversation on the other side of the table.

They were excluded, too. They felt as though their opinions were unwanted because they were.

"Does is bother you when your husband's neglect to solicit your advice on a decision?" Olivia pondered to the group. "Does is bother you that we can be speaking of them as we are and they have no idea, and yet were are sitting mere feet from them?"

"But at what price?" Mr West demanded to know, proving Olivia's point. What they were discussing, Olivia did not know, because she had not been included in the conversation.

Virginia, Margaret, and Nancy seemed to be seriously considering Olivia's question. All four bowls of soup were practically abandoned.

"It bothers me," continued Olivia. "It bothers me that I am considered less intelligent purely because of the fact that I wear a skirt. It bothers me that men with less intelligence than a drawing pin can sit in university lecture halls while the best education that I could hope to receive would centre on the proper way to curtsey. It bothers me that there are people of great integrity who lack opportunity purely based on their income." Olivia looked Virginia Hadley right in the eye and said, "It bothers me that you would assume first that I was Kit's mistress because no woman could advise a man on politics. Does it bother you?" she asked again.

The three women exchanged glances of knowing. Olivia was unsure if that was a good or bad thing.

"Well, Miss Pendleton," said Virginia, "I no longer believe you are Sir Christopher's mistress." She picked up her soup spoon and began to eat.

Olivia frowned. "What do you believe then?"

"You are the type of woman who would scare many men," said Margaret.

"You scare my husband. You and your candidate," added Nancy.

Olivia tried her hardest to not smile triumphantly. Lawrence Powell was scared of them?

"I still think you are naïve, Miss Pendleton, very naïve. Tonight will be the first of many where you will find yourself cut off from the conversation, but if a woman like you can respect a politician, then perhaps he is decent," Virginia decided.

Olivia was glad to have what seemed like the gradual respect of these ladies, but she was determined to never be cut off from the conversation like this again.

The conversation shifted to the upcoming winter parties as the meat course was brought out. Olivia tried her best to listen to what was happening on the other side of the table. From what she could make out, Kit was doing well. He was speaking confidently about reform, while answering the concerns of Mr Hadley and Mr West with consideration.

Lawrence Powell seemed to be growing considerably more frustrated. Olivia could hear his panicked comments and retorts, but she had not been expecting what he said next.

"You know his mother is a whore, don't you?" he announced loudly.

All conversation, even between the ladies, stopped. The sound of cutlery hitting plates and drinking glasses being abandoned followed.

Olivia gasped in shock. Nancy paled in response to her husband's thoughtless attack.

"What did you just say?"

Olivia had never heard such fury in Kit's voice, not even when he was arguing with his father. His voice sounded like he was about read to hurl his knife at the MP.

"You all remember the big scandal in the newspapers years ago, about Anne Pendleton returning from the dead. Well, it turned out she was living as a whore with a soldier, and had a bastard child! Anne Pendleton is this man's mother!"

Olivia balled her hands into fists and closed her eyes. She could practically feel the anger that was radiating off of Kit. She could only imagine the shade of red his face was turning.

"Powell, really, that is not dinner conversation," chided Mr Hadley.

"Isn't it?" challenged Mr Powell. "Is his background really the sort we want representing us? The son of a whore, raised alongside a bastard sister. Who knows what he might want to sanction? Perhaps bigamy? Perhaps he wants us all to be like his mother and live in sin. He is already doing so with that girl!"

Olivia could not see him, but she knew Mr Powell was pointing at her.

"Everyone knows she is his whore, just like his mother is his father's whore!"

Kit threw back his chair and stood up from the table. Olivia could now see him over the top of the centrepiece. He was as red and as furious looking as she had predicted. But the ire in his eyes was truly terrifying. "That is enough, sir!" he bellowed. "My mother is the best woman I know. She would quite literally give even you her very last penny if it would help you. She is kind and generous, and has the character and patience of a saint. She has raised my sisters and me to be good people, and so help me God, if you utter another derogatory word in her direction I will challenge you to a duel, don't think I won't." Kit then looked at Olivia. He was still furiously angry. "The same goes for Miss Pendleton. I will not have her reputation tarnished by your disgusting accusations. I say she is my political advisor because that is what she is. I would wager you would not find fifty minds in the House of Commons who are quite as bright or enlightened as she is. I would be a fool not to take advantage of her wisdom. If you would have taken the time this evening to get to know her, instead of judging her, you might have realised just why I value her as I do. John 8:7 says 'He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone'. Can you honestly tell me, sir, that you are in a position to be saying such accusations?"

Lawrence Powell had no response. He had too much pride to apologise, and not enough courage to counter argue. Instead he announced that he and Nancy would be leaving immediately.

The last thing Nancy said before leaving the table was, "I hope you win," under her breath.

"Simpkins, take this display away, I cannot see my guests," ordered Mr Hadley as soon as the Powells were away.

The servant removed the floral arrangement and the table was suddenly open. The ladies were involved in the conversation for the rest of the meal, however the conversation remained light after Lawrence Powell's display.

But from the way Mr Hadley and Mr West were looking at Kit, Olivia could tell that he had won their respect.

"I do not think you comprehend the level of influence you have over young Mr Kensington, Miss Pendleton," remarked Mr Hadley to Olivia quietly as the guests were saying their farewells. "He has a wonderful moral compass, but I would wager good money that if you asked him to jump, he would leap up onto the dining room table. A man so easily manipulated is very intriguing to me."

Olivia merely arched an eyebrow and decided to say nothing. Let him think that Kit was easy to manipulate. They would learn that he was quite the opposite when he was in power.

Kit's moral compass was stronger than anything.

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I hope you enjoyed!

I have been so affected this week by the March for Your Lives movement. I was accused once of being too political in my Author's Notes and I never forgot it, but this story is all about politics and standing up for what you believe in, not matter what others say. I watched Emma Gonzalez's speech and I have not been so captivated by someone's words in a long time. 

I am so proud of those kids. They, and so many before them, are standing up for what they believe in, and are demanding change. Just like those who fought for marriage equality not that long ago, then going back to civil rights, and the suffragettes. People standing up for people are the kinds of people we need to lift up in this world.

No matter your opinion on the subject, as everyone has a right to think what they do, I just think it's wonderful that the next generation isn't sitting back. We have a voice to hold those in power accountable. That is why I am so passionate about using your voice on election day. 

I weave my thoughts and passions into my story. Obviously this story has a theme of women and empowering them. As a woman I have been demeaned. I have been sexually harassed in the work place. I have been paid less for the same work that a guy was doing right next to me. Enough is enough. 

It's not my intention to preach. I just hope each and every one of you knows your worth and doesn't settle for anything less. 

But this is what has been going through my mind this week. The future is bright. 

Xxx