As I read the note, the servant waited patiently. He wanted a response to take back to my aunt. I thanked the servant for his coming and said that I would appreciate it if he could tell Ms. Tilney that I had thought of nothing else or had no greater pleasure than to think about the ball that she had spoken of at the lunch party. Once I had spoken the words the servant bowed and left, I was alone once again in my quiet lodgings to re-read the note that had just been delivered.
The letter which was delivered to me remained in the room and once the servant took his leave I studied my aunt's letter one more time. I didn't need to re-read the contents of the message as it was brief enough to understand after one viewing and it did not contain any real warmth within it as the intended recipient was a foreign national who she had only met twice and not her beloved nephew. Instead, I wanted to look at the handwriting of my aunt. In the past, she would send many letters to my family's house in London to keep us up to date with the events happening in her life and also to enquire about ours. Her letters were always expected and always welcomed in our house. They brought warmth, but never much news. I studied the handwriting and how my aunt's writing style had not changed throughout the years. She always curled the last letter of each word and made the periods of each sentence a drawn outline rather than a dot. It was always something that my siblings and I laughed at as we were growing up but as I studied the letter again it brought a smile to my face and a feeling of happiness inside of me.
Once I was satisfied with the letter and excited to see my aunt the next day, I left the rented lodging and walked along the streets of Bath. I mounted the pavement to avoid the moving carriages on the roads and browsed through shop windows and greeted the people I passed by. I wore one of the three identical suits that I had bought in Plymouth as well as a fashionable top hat that I had purchased during my time in Bath. I tipped my hat gently in response to the people who wished me a good day to return the kind gesture.
As I walked through the streets that I had now begun to reacquaint myself with, I was glad that they were taking me towards the green parks which had become a necessity to me during my stay in Bath. Each day, normally in the morning or early afternoon when most people were doing their daily tasks I would go to the park and just admire the serenity and easiness of nature. While I was a student I had no time for such distractions and while I was a captive I had no means of seeing something so simple and beautiful as blooming flowers or ladybugs at work. Even the lingering smell of moisture in the air and dew on the grass was something I had never appreciated before.
On this morning, the day before the scheduled ball was arranged to commence, I walked through the park along the same path as I did each day. I found a seating area near some well-maintained flowerbeds and sat down. Once again the weather was cloudy but the bright clouds let the sunshine through them occasionally and when they did I could feel the sun's gentle warmth on my face. I breathed in the fresh air and momentarily felt content with life.
Later that day I dined alone in a restaurant and then made my way to a watering hole. With an ample amount of money in my pocket and no errands to run I had a lot of free time to do whatever I wanted. I was truly free from duty, responsibility and any choirs that I did not want to do. This new-found freedom was both a blessing and a curse. Firstly, it was a blessing and it truly did seem that my prayers were answered because, for the last three years I had to work night and day to fulfil the impossible task of making functioning muskets without the correct resources, during which time I always prayed for even a minute of freedom and peace. However, it was also a curse because it left me idle. I had my book to write in and I could go for long walks, but apart from those two activities, I was motionless. I had planned to research James, Charles and Edward's family connections that I knew existed in Bath, but when I got around to it I discovered that there was no meaningful information to be retrieved from those sources. I had already learned everything that I was going to learn about the affair from the lunch party at Aunt Tilney's house.
"I shall leave for London immediately after the ball. I shall depart the next morning, or the evening the day after the ball, but no later than that," I said to myself.
On the eve of the ball, when I returned to my lodgings, I inputted my feelings of restlessness in the newly purchased book which acted as my journal so that I could read my emotions back and be certain in my headstrong desire to quit Bath for London without delay.
When the day of the ball arrived, I skipped my daily activities which consisted of my usual walk and writing an entry into my book. I found myself growing more anxious as the time to the ball grew shorter. I dressed and made myself presentable, as I intended to appear at the ball, five hours before the festivities were even scheduled to begin. In a mirror, I saw my reflection and although I looked well dressed and calm on the inside, I felt like a cyclone was raging inside of me. The tie that was knotted well around my neck felt more like a noose than a piece of attire to be complimented on, it felt tighter and tighter as the time to the ball wore down from hours to minutes.
Despite my protests, Aunt Tilney's servant had been to my lodgings two times throughout the day of the ball. The first visit was to ensure that I would be in attendance at the ball and the second time was to offer me the use of Aunt Tilney's carriage to retrieve me from my lodging and deliver me to the location of the ball. First, I confirmed that I would attend the ball in the evening, then I politely thanked the servant for my aunt's kind gesture but I kindly declined and said that as the distance between my house and the hall in town, which would be used to host the ball, were so close to each other, the use of a carriage was unnecessary. The servant, however, convinced me to accept the offer, because if I had declined it then perhaps my aunt would take some offense to the refusal. After careful reflection, I agreed with the servant and told him to thank my aunt for the use of her carriage and I looked forward to seeing her and the carriage later that night.
When the carriage eventually arrived that evening to escort me to the ball I found it empty and the driver told me that Ms. Tilney had arrived at the ballroom earlier in the day to organise the final arrangements of the ball and to ensure that everything was ready for the night's events. With no further words spoken between the driver and me, we quickly set off to the destination and the driver directed the carriage there within a few minutes.
Upon arriving at the ball, Mr. Campbell and another gentleman were there to greet me. I stepped out of the carriage and they escorted me up the few concrete steps into the building and made idle chat with me about the weather and the guests who had so far arrived. It was their role to wait for the guests to arrive and usher them inside.
"Of course you'll know Mrs. Campbell and Ms. Tilney who is just past this door. They will be happy to see you again as they have done nothing but speak about you whenever they meet. My two sons, Phillip and Christopher are inside too. If you could instil some courage in my sons to pluck up the courage to ask the beautiful ladies to dance then I would be most grateful," Mr. Campbell said to me as we both walked in through the front door together.
“I thought you were not keen on balls?” I asked Mr. Campbell, as I was perplexed on the role he was taking in greeting and leading guests into the ball.
“I detest them,” Mr. Campbell responded strongly. “But Ms. Tilney has shown my family great hospitality, so I feel obliged to take on some role in this evening's festivities to help her friend’s party succeed.”
The host of the ball was a woman named Mrs. Ramsey and upon entering the ballroom I was introduced to her and I presented myself politely and thanked her for her invitation. We both spoke with polished manners that sounded rehearsed and void of all sincerity. I used the same repeated lines many times when I was introduced to somebody new. The responses, in turn, were all similar. From the fake sincerity and uninteresting questions that passed between my mouth and many others, I learned that Mrs. Ramsey put on the ball for her close friends in Bath and it was all don
e on account of her single daughter who was now nearing the prime age for marriage. In short, the ball was a way for the girls to meet boys and the boys to meet the girls, and connections to be made.
After Mrs. Ramsey left me to talk to other newly arrived guests, I looked for Ms. Tilney and Mrs. Campbell, but I couldn't locate them to greet them. Instead, I found a seat at a table and watched all of the guests arrive at the ball. There were many guests invited, but of course, I knew none other than the few I had previously met.
Jane was the last guest to arrive and she was accompanied into the room by Mr. Campbell who I could see was speaking to her in a friendly manner. I overheard him commending her appearance and saying that she looked very elegant in the dress that she came in. Not long after her arrival, Mrs. Ramsey declared that the ball should commence and people should begin dancing. A few young people began dancing in the centre of the room in rhythm to the music, while the rest of us lined the seats and stood close to one another along the walls, and at the tables, and away from the dance floor. Unintentionally, I found myself standing next to all the older men, the fathers of the single boys and girls. Their faces were worn and their shoulders and posture were slumped by age. Being mingled in among these men, I knew that I must have stood out as being exceedingly handsome.
"It seems like Christopher is getting the courage to ask Miss Jane to dance," Mr. Campbell said to me with a smile on his face, as he appeared by my side.
"Yes, it appears so," I said as I watched Christopher Campbell speak with Jane. They both wore happy smiles on their faces. I had not had the chance to speak to Jane as of yet so I was happy that she was not being neglected.
"She has worn a beautiful dress tonight and she is so simple and honest a creature that I feel sorrow for her position in society. She deserves higher connections through marriage than she will ever be given. It is sad to see and know that such a beautiful rose will wither," Mr. Campbell said openly, a little to my shock.
"Why is that? Is she not well off?" I enquired. Mr. Campbell's words piqued my interest as too did how he addressed the issue.
"She is not well off, nor destitute. Ms. Tilney has taken care of her over the years to raise her to be a woman of sophistication by seeing her study, sing and learn an instrument. However, her talents and personality are not enough to secure her position and in autumn she will go to London to work as a teacher. I fear in London she will not stand out as much in the crowd as she would in Bath. She will never be accepted in London’s high circles and she will not have Ms. Tilney’s influence to help her."
"She is to become a teacher? It is a good profession," I stated, regarding the teaching profession.
"True enough, it is a noble profession," Mr. Campbell confirmed. “But it is not what elegant ladies do, nor is it what eligible young men of prominence seek in a wife.”
At this juncture in the conversation, Jane and Christopher walked to the dance floor and began dancing. Having found a partner in one another, I looked closely at Mr. Campbell's face to see his response at the unfolding events. He was smiling.
"She will go to London, where you live. She will be in the same city as Christopher. Perhaps we are witnessing the beginning of what could be a flourishing relationship," I said to Mr. Campbell.
"We will be in the same city, but we will be in different circles. The calibre of ladies in London, Monsieur Levasseur, is quite different from that of Bath. They are both wonderful, but there is a significant difference," Mr. Campbell responded.
"I see." I simply said.
"You will go to London soon, too, I believe you said during Ms. Tilney's lunch party," Mr. Campbell said, slightly changing the direction of the conversation.
"Yes, I set off tomorrow for London. There is much business that I must attend to that I've been putting off."
"Is that so? If I had known that you were to exit Bath so soon, I would have tried to arrange a dinner or something before your departure. I guess we will have to make up for it in London if you are to stay in town long enough."
"Seeing you in London would be a great pleasure. I hope our paths do cross in that wonderful city."
After speaking with Mr. Campbell and several others throughout the early evening, I had not had to dance or do anything too strenuous. However, when Mrs. Ramsey announced that supper was prepared in another room and that we should all go there at once, all of the roles and responsibilities that had been assigned to Monsieur Levasseur were soon re-established.
Mrs. Campbell and Ms. Tilney were found in the room adjacent to the ballroom where the supper was being served. Upon my entering the room they swarmed on me like locusts, although the feeling was pleasant. They asked me if I had danced many dances and if I had spoken to the esteemed guests. My responses were not satisfactory enough for the two ladies and then they began to take matters into their own hands.
"Don't let the evening pass by in the company of my husband," Mrs. Campbell said to me.
"No, certainly do not. Miss Jane is here and I am sure she is eager for a dance with you. You were ever so pleasant to her at my house and you said you would accompany her here. That involves at least a dance. Did you not ask her to dance when you spoke with her?" Ms. Tilney spoke.
When Ms. Tilney heard that Jane and I only shared glances at one another but not words she immediately led me over to where Jane was sitting to begin a conversation between us. Aunt Tilney held my arm as she led me over to Jane in an almost authoritative way, but I found charm in her relentlessness.
"When the dancing begins again, you two will share the first dance. It is to be expected, as many of us have looked forward to seeing how the French compare with our male dancers, Monsieur Levasseur, and Jane dances remarkably well."
Jane and I said no words to dissuade Aunt Tilney, as we both knew her well enough to know how stubborn she was. When the supper was consumed and the music resumed, the instructions of Aunt Tilney were carried out and I shared the first and second dance with Jane. During our shared dance, I tried to speak to Jane but the conversation was rusted and did not flow freely. I could tell she was nervous and instead of looking and talking with me she glanced at the other people who lined the side of the dance floor and watched on as the two of us, and other couples, danced. After the second dance ended she bowed and thanked me for the pleasure of dancing and I responded in kind. After that, she removed herself from the dance floor claiming that the room was too warm, that her feet were too sore and her throat was much too thirsty to continue. Out of chivalry, I told her I would fetch her some water, but she refused my polite gesture and said that she was able to get her water by herself.
I thought Jane was a queer creature after this encounter and although I had tried hard to be courteous and make her feel relaxed, she did not warm to me. It seemed likely that her brother, Thomas, had tried to make sure that she would not like my company and that I should be avoided when possible.
The ball proceeded for another hour after I shared the two dances with Jane. Those were the only two dances that I took part in and they were enough for me. As soon as the first carriage arrived for a person to take their leave from the night's events, then all the guests deemed that it was time to put an end to the ball. Ms. Tilney offered me her carriage to drive me back to my lodging, but I refused the kind offer. Instead, I said I wanted to get some fresh air. This she readily accepted. I said my goodbyes to everyone, with a special thanks to Mrs. Ramsey for organising and hosting the ball. I then made my way back to my rented lodging where I prepared my travelling trunk for my departure to London.
Chapter 11 - Journey to London
The weather remained clear and dry throughout my travelling over the next series of days. My exit from Bath took place the morning after the ball and although I felt a little ashamed of not saying a proper goodbye to the very few acquaintances that I had formed in Bath, primarily Aunt Tilney and the Campbell's, I knew that I could not delay my journey to London any further. There was an impending task at hand and on
e that I was eager to begin carrying out. Instead of saying goodbye directly to the two parties that had shown me great hospitality and friendship throughout my time in Bath city, I wrote personal letters telling them that I was quickly whisked away on account of the business that I needed to attend to. The letters contained my sincerest thanks for the hospitality they had shown me and a promise that I would write to them once more when I had a fixed accommodation so that an established line of communication could be properly established. I addressed both letters to be delivered to Aunt Tilney's house as I knew her address but not the address of the Campbell's residence in Bath, and I was certain that she would forward the letter on my behalf.
My journey to London was different than my trip from Plymouth to Bath had been in many ways. Although I took stagecoaches again as my mode of transport, there were no highwaymen or dangers that bothered me along this route. Instead of driving night and day until I reached the destination, I stopped at different stages along the route to rest and eat and get a good night's sleep. However, there were some similarities too. Most of the passengers that I shared the stagecoaches with kept to themselves and eyed me suspiciously, they did not want to talk. However, there was the occasional passenger between different stages of the journey that was in a chatty mood which was sometimes pleasant. I tried to keep to myself as much as I possibly could but when I shared a stagecoach with a person who was in a mood for speaking, I would try to oblige that person as long as they were friendly.
"It is fine weather for travelling. No hail, no rain, no snow. You can't say fairer than that," one man said to me as we travelled in a stagecoach between Newbury and Reading.
"No, if only all travelling could be as comfortable," I responded.
Revenge of an Englishman Page 10
