Dearest Margaret,
Thank you for your letter expressing you sympathy over Cal's untimely death. I know you were not overly fond of my brother, so your kind words mean so much to me. Please forgive Cal for his brashness he wasn't always so cold.
Caledon was a shy and introverted child, very sensitive to others feelings around him especially darling Mamma's. He was forever trying to impress our larger than life father. This however was not always successful; it didn't matter how well made his little wooden boats were if they did not win any races. Gradually Cal stopped trying to impress Papa, as he was always left feeling empty and brooding. Mamma was different though, she wouldn't think twice about sitting him on her lap and softly singing to him. She was always interested in the stories he made just for her. Whenever Papa was away on business; which was very often, Cal was content and at peace with himself.
Things may have turned out differently had Mamma not been taken ill, Papa was away as usual so it was up to Cal and myself to care for her. This was a very hard time for both of us; Cal was only 11 and I was barely 7 years old. At last Papa returned from his business trip but Mamma was gravely ill, she just couldn't stop that horrible coughing. Mamma did not make it till Christmas, a blessing for her; but for us!
Papa immediately organised a governess; Miss Brownlee, to care for us and then went to New York again. This woman was a fright, she would throw cold buckets of water over us both if our letters were not neat, we were desperate for Papa to come home. Eventually when Papa did return Cal confronted him about Miss Brownlee's treatment of us, all father said was to be a man and get used to it. The beatings continued until Cal had had enough, he knew father would not just dismiss Miss Brownlee, so he enlisted the help of his close friend Freddy. Freddy's father was often away as well, but while absent from home there was always his "man" to help Freddy out of any scrapes he had gotten into. This man, a certain Mr Lovejoy, used to work as a Pinkerton agent and was very good at finding out information about people, especially things they didn't want to come to the surface. I am not sure what methods this Mr Lovejoy used to find out his information but he was really very good at it. Mr Lovejoy turned up one day with a dossier relating to Miss Brownlee, it turns out she really enjoyed working for, how shall we say "widowed" gentlemen, looking after the children and, in the evening, the gentlemen themselves. This had led to many dismissals after other relatives were informed about her activities. Strangely though she always left with a good reference and some monetary compensation.
After Miss Brownlee left, Cal left home to go to college. I did get the occasional letter from him but it appears that the matron was every bit as wicked as Miss Brownlee. Cal and Freddy were still best friends and Mr Lovejoy in effect worked for both the boys making sure that none of their rowdy behaviour reached the society pages.
Cal did tell me that he met a lovely girl, Sarah, while at college, and they began seeing each other. He wrote that he was going to propose on Midsummers Eve and then bring her home to meet Papa. I did not hear from Cal for a while until he just turned up at home accompanied by Mr Lovejoy. He was soaking wet and in a storm of a mood. I fetched him a hot cup of tea and sat him down in Papa's big chair (he really looked like a grown man then). It was then that he told me he had been out for the evening and upon his return to his and Freddy's room he found Sarah and Freddy in a clinch. It appears they had been seeing each other secretly for months. Cal could hardly contain his anger and lashed out at Freddy, apparently they exchanged in a bout of fistycuffs before Cal stormed out into the rainsoaked night. Mr Lovejoy found him sitting on a bench in the park and brought him home, for which I am eternally grateful.
Cal changed that night, he was never the same open trusting person again. He did court a few ladies but he always tried to possess them, scared that they would leave him like Mamma or Sarah did. Even after he became engaged to Rose he didn't change, and surprisingly the loss of Rose on that terrible night did not devastate him as I thought it may. He was sorry that she was gone but that was the point; she was gone and he had to go on, so after a couple of months he began courting Anna. They eventually married but he was just like father, forever away on business. He really could not take anymore humiliation when his stocks went down, there was no point.
You know the rest, my dear Margaret.
Please think kindly of my brother and remember him in your prayers.
Miss Elizabeth Hockley
