Follies and Nonsense

by Martin Hunnicutt

  “When it started last fall, we thought it was one of the maids but Mrs. Hill watched the girls like a hawk and they were blameless. Mama has punished her time and time again when we catch her with Kitty’s bonnets or Mary’s gloves but nothing seems to make a difference to her.”

  Elizabeth frowned, “Does Mrs. Hill keep the household money in the jar in the pantry still?”

  Mary shook her head, “No. We do not know where she keeps it since Lydia found it and spent it all on two new gowns in one afternoon.”

  “What did Mama do?”

  “She cried for two days and we made Lydia apologize to Mama and to Mrs. Hill,” Jane said.

  “What was done with the two dresses?”

  Jane turned away and Mary’s frown grew even darker, “Mama allowed her to keep one of them and she gave the other one to Kitty.”

  “Oh no,” Elizabeth groaned. “Lydia is learning that her behaviour has no consequence I see.” She nodded to her sisters. “We must guide her until she learns but I shall speak to Mr. and Mrs. Barrow about guarding my purse. Will Lydia pilfer in the servant’s quarters?”

  “Mrs. Hill keeps the door to the attics locked all day so Lydia can’t slip into their rooms. We lock our doors and keep the key close,” Jane explained.

  ++**++

  Elizabeth excused herself to speak to her servants immediately. When she climbed the stairs to the upper floor, she found Mrs. Brice in the nursery with Matthew napping in his small bed.

  “Mrs. Hamilton, how can I be of assistance this afternoon?” asked the nanny. Elizabeth frowned, unsure how to share her news.

  “My older sisters and I were just sharing our news and they told me that my youngest sister is having a difficult time with our father’s absence.”

  The nanny paid close attention to Elizabeth’s next words.

  “I suggest that you keep the door to your bedroom locked whenever you are not in the room. And lock the nursery door when you leave the room with Matthew.”

  “I do not have any monies with me, Mrs. Hamilton,” Brice replied. “And I doubt your sister would be interested in my faded bonnets.”

  “Still, if my youngest sister is in any of our rooms without our presence, please let me know,” Elizabeth said.

  “Very good, Mrs. Hamilton.” The woman smiled kindly at her employer and added, “Many times young people go through difficult stages. When Mr. Bennet returns, he will set the young lady on the right path.”

  ++**++

  Elizabeth found Sarah Barrow in the bedroom, sorting through the gowns from the trunk.

  “Mrs. Hamilton, I believe that this white gown has enough length in the hem that I could fit it for your eldest sister.” Sarah nodded toward the bed where three other gowns lay. “And I think I could fit these to your other sisters. Miss Catherine has asked for sewing lessons already and I believe she will make an excellent seamstress.”

  “Thank you, Barrow.”

  The maid looked up at the tone in Elizabeth’s voice. “My lad… Mrs. Hamilton, is anything wrong?”

  “My elder sisters just informed me that my youngest sister is going through a difficult stage and she is pilfering through the belongings of others.”

  “Like the niece of Mr. and Mrs. Jones back at Rose Briar? Nancy stole pennies, ribbons and combs from all the maids before Mrs. Jones caught her. She promised she would stop but then she began telling stories on the footmen pestering her and she stole their money too. Mrs. Jones sent her home to the farm the second time it happened and refused to allow her to come back even when we were short of hands for the hunting parties.”

  “I had forgotten about the footmen being accused of impropriety,” Elizabeth admitted. “But yes, like Mrs. Jones’ niece.”

  “I will speak to Mr. Barrow and we will talk to the coachman and the stable boys. We will not allow any of the men to be alone with your sisters and keep our money hidden.”

  “Thank you, Sarah,” Elizabeth said. “Promise you will tell me of any problems – of any gossip in the kitchen concerning my sister.”

  “Do you want to hear the servant’s gossip Mrs. Hamilton?” Sarah asked but when Elizabeth nodded her head, the maid nodded once in understanding.

  “In a few days we shall venture into Meryton and purchase material and thread to begin new gowns for my sisters. There is a dressmaker in the village but I want my sisters to help sew their new gowns.”

  “If we continue with these lessons Mrs. Hamilton, you will not need me!”

  “Sarah!” Elizabeth protested. “I shall always need you – you know I cannot sew a seam without some tuckers and splits. And who else can I trust with Matthew but Mr. Barrow? He grew up at Rose Briar and when Matthew is older, Mr. Barrow can tell him stories about his father as a boy.”

  “Thank you, My Lady,” Sarah replied.

  ++**++

  Elizabeth returned down the stairs, sad that Longbourn was not the same place as when she left three years before.

  “But I am not the same person,” Elizabeth decided before she turned the handle and returned to the parlour. She returned to her mending while Jane mended a curtain and Mary read aloud to her sisters from the newspaper about the war with the French. At some point, Mr. Hill came to the quiet parlour and announced Mr. Smyth.

  The three sisters rose when the man came into the room. Elizabeth observed that Oliver Smyth was in his late twenties, of average height, florid in complexion and wearing clothing that was dirty from working on the farm but it was well-mended.

  “Welcome Mr. Smyth,” Mary greeted the steward.

  “Miss Bennet and Miss Mary, I have met with the last tenant,” the young man reported after bowing. “The crops in the fields promise to do well this summer and the grain harvest is only weeks away and I would like to start cutting hay as well. Tomorrow I’ll begin clearing brush with Jacobs and his sons to enlarge the pasture on Brookside Farm.”

  Jane nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Smyth. May I introduce you to our sister, Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton?”

  Smiling broadly, Smyth approached and bowed to his future employer. In turn, Elizabeth curtsied.

  “Lady Hamilton, I am most pleased to meet you.”

  “And I am pleased to meet you. His Lordship’s steward had many good things to say of your performance in Kent. I look forward to becoming acquainted with you and your good wife this summer.”

  “Thank you, my lady.”

  Elizabeth blushed and asked, “Mr. Smyth, may I ask a favour.”

  Surprised but pleased that his employer would already ask for his help, Smyth replied, “Of course my lady.”

  “While we are at Longbourn, I wish to be addressed as ‘Mrs. Hamilton’. It is an affectation but I will feel more at home if everyone isn’t referring to me as ‘Lady Hamilton’. At Longbourn, there aren’t footmen holding every door and maids scampering out the door of every room as I enter.”

  “And when we move to Mount Pleasant?” the man asked carefully.

  Elizabeth replied, “Once we are established at Mount Pleasant, I shall be ‘Lady Elizabeth’ again.”

  “Very good ‘Mrs. Hamilton’,” the steward agreed.

  ++**++

  Chapter 7.

  Invitations Arrive in London and Meryton

  The atmosphere at the Darcy home in London was sombre. The knocker was off the door and Mr. Darcy was not receiving any guests other than a few individuals known to his butler, Horace Banks, including his cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, and his friend, Charles Bingley. Two footmen stood ready at the door to enforce Mr. Darcy’s privacy.

  “Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Annesley wishes to speak to you,” Mr. Banks announced from the door and Darcy signed for the woman to be admitted.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Annesley,” he said standing upon the lady’s entrance.

  “Good morning, sir.” The older woman stood before his desk with a sad look on her face.

  “What is your news?” he insisted to know.

  “Miss Darcy has asked to ret
urn to her lessons and her music,” she reported and suddenly Darcy had to sit down. He covered his face for a moment and took a ragged breath.

  “She will recover now sir,” Mrs. Annesley insisted. “Time will ease her painful memories of the man.”

  “Does she ask for him still?”

  “Sir, she understands that he used her and then deserted her when you appeared,” Mrs. Annesley deflected the man’s question. “If she wishes to speak to you concerning her feelings at some point in the future, I hope you remember that she blames herself for the situation. She was lost to his seduction. It happens entirely too often in this world.”

  Nodding, Darcy said, “I shall come see her this afternoon.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Again, he nodded, thanking his sister’s new companion. He intended to retain her services for how many ever months or years it took for Georgiana to forget George Wickham and to have a formal coming out into society.

  “I need a wife to help Georgiana,” he thought and then shook his head. “I need a wife to help me with Georgie and all my family!”

  Turning his attention to the day’s business, Darcy sorted through the mail on his desk including letters from attorneys, business men, and acquaintances. The day passed slowly with letters concerning Lady Catherine’s income, construction of a barn at an estate in Devon, and a new factory in Birmingham. At the bottom of the day’s correspondence he found an elegant envelope that he opened last.

  “Viscount Lyndon Rutherford to be married,” Darcy mused after glancing through the invitation. “Lady Gwendolyn Howell… I know the Howell family and her mother Lady Mary.”

  Darcy debated how best to decline the invitation when his butler announced the arrival of Charles Bingley.

  “Bingley!” Fitzwilliam greeted his friend. “I am glad to see you!”

  “How are you?” Bingley asked. One of two men who knew of Georgiana’s misfortune with Wickham, Charles had remained at Darcy’s side these past weeks.

  “I am well and Georgiana will begin to recover now,” he said and Bingley’s sharp mind understood the implications of Darcy’s statement.

  After stepping forward to shake hands across the desk, Bingley took a seat as Darcy glanced at the clock – mid-afternoon was too early for brandy, so he turned to the butler and asked him to send to the kitchen for refreshments.

  “Which do you prefer Bingley – coffee or tea?”

  “Tea and some shortcake please,” Charles replied.

  “Very good sir,” Mr. Banks nodded his head and closed the door leaving the two gentlemen alone.

  “What brings you to Mayfair today, Bingley?”

  “Last fall, I learned a great deal working with you at Pemberley and now I want your assistance leasing an estate.”

  “Are you planning to manage the tenants yourself? It will take a year complete to see if you can prosper as country squire?”

  “Yes,” Bingley admitted. “I want to make certain that I enjoy the seasonal demands of a squire’s life before I invest a portion of my fortune.”

  “Have you made inquiries?”

  Bingley nodded, “My agent found an estate of suitable size in Hertfordshire that I would like to examine, but I want your opinion. It is only three hours distance from London, near a small village called Meryton.”

  “A short distance indeed,” Darcy admitted. “When did you want to ride out and inspect the property?”

  “The current tenant will vacate the property during the first week of August. I thought to tell the steward that we would arrive on Thursday the 13th but arrive on Tuesday the 11th instead.”

  “The house would not be ready for overnight guests that quickly,” Darcy stated. “It will take at least two days for a complete inspection – we must look at every farm and acre, as well as go through the house from cellar to attics.”

  “We shall stay at the inn in the village and ask questions of the locals regarding the house, the crops and prices they bring.”

  Darcy smiled. “Arriving early will put the steward and housekeeper on their guard but I approve. Once you are master, they can discover that you are easy-going.”

  “Once I am in residence, they will discover that I work as hard as any man in my employ,” Charles insisted.

  Darcy considered Charles’ request and the invitation in his hand – the wedding was to be held on August 12.

  “I believe a few days absence will be good for me and for Georgie,” Darcy told Charles. He glanced at his desk and added, “There is nothing pressing on my schedule. I think we should travel to Hertfordshire to inspect this estate. What is the place called?”

  “Netherfield Park.”

  Darcy and Bingley waited quietly when the door opened and the butler escorted a maid carrying a tray with tea pots, cups and plates holding biscuits and small sandwiches.

  “Mrs. Evans never fails to offer a refreshing tea Darcy.”

  “When you are honest and respectful with your staff, they give you exemplary service. I was taught that intelligent servants are worth every shilling and my personal experience agrees with what my father taught me.”

  “Is everyone in your family as wise?”

  “No. My aunt in Kent has trouble keeping staff and tenants. She constantly interferes with the steward’s work.”

  “I thought you were the executor of the estate?”

  “I am but Lady Catherine spends her income as she sees fit. I must travel to Kent tomorrow to resolve a new problem she has created with her tenants on the home farm.”

  “What is the ‘home farm’?” asked Bingley.

  “It represents the fields and pastures immediately around the manor house. The meats, fruits and vegetables served at Lady Catherine’s table come from this land. The steward wrote that my aunt desires to expand her formal gardens at the expense of pasture for her cattle. It would require hiring at least one additional gardener…”

  “Lady Catherine does not sound that different from my sister. Caroline has to hire a new lady’s maid every season. I do not allow her any interference with the housekeeper at my house here in town.”

  “Miss Bingley would do well to learn the value of loyal servants,” Darcy said.

  “I hope that Caroline reaches an understanding with an eligible suitor this summer. Louisa and I have introduced her to several men in the last month but she does not give them any encouragement.”

  Darcy frowned and Bingley nodded his head, “She still mentions how highly she esteems you and hopes to see you at our table again soon.”

  “I should not have danced with her in March.”

  “Or paid attention to her at Leighton’s ball last month.” Bingley grimaced. “She followed you home that night expecting you to propose!”

  “Please, do not tell her you came to see me today,” Darcy pleaded.

  “I shall not tell her about today’s visit, nor our plans for August.”

  ++**++

  At the morning table, Charles Bingley enjoyed his coffee and meal with yesterday’s paper. When his sister entered the room, the morning’s paper in her hands, he complained, “Caroline! Let me read today’s paper before you begin to separate the pages and spread them around the table.”

  “Charles! Charles! It will be the social event of the decade!” Caroline said excitedly as she waved the paper at her brother.

  “What will be the social event of the decade, Caroline? The ball at Lady Maynard’s?”

  “Hardly! The ball at the Maynard’s was a great disappointment – half of the ton did not attend after they heard the Prince Regent sent his regrets early in the week.”

  Charles smirked as Louisa and Geoffrey Hurst joined their brother and sister to break their fast.

  “Lady Gwendolyn Howell is marrying a viscount – Ruther-something-or-other. The wedding is in August and I must attend. Mr. Darcy will be invited I am certain,” Caroline insisted. “This is the most important social event in London this year. If I attend the wedding, I shall be
invited to every important event next year!”

  “Caroline, I am certain if Mr. Darcy receives an invitation, it does not include friends,” Charles said. “And I doubt Darcy will attend in any case.”

  Struck by inspiration, Caroline asked, “Would Mr. Darcy give you the invitation? You and I could attend as his particular friends.”

  “When is the wedding?” Charles asked.

  “It is in August,” Caroline said. “I mentioned that not a minute ago.”

  Rolling his eyes, Charles asked, “What day in August?”

  “August 12.”

  “I shall be in Hertfordshire looking at an estate on that day,” Charles explained.

  “Hertfordshire? Why on earth would you go to the country?” Caroline exclaimed.

  “I believe you…” Charles looked between his sisters, “You insist that I become a member of the gentry – it takes time and effort to find the proper estate. And Hertfordshire is close to town.”

  Caroline frowned. “There is to be a ball to celebrate the wedding on Monday night. Perhaps, you could ask Mr. Darcy for the invitation and Mr. Hurst can take us to the ball.”

  “No, Caroline.” Charles rose from the table and left the room without another word.

  “How shall I ever become Mrs. Darcy?” Caroline asked her sister. “You didn’t say anything to help me!”

  Louisa glanced at her husband and Mr. Hurst reached out his hand to reassure her.

  “Caroline, we have told you that Mr. Darcy is not going to make an offer of marriage to you this year or any year. He is not…”

  “Louisa, you know nothing. Mr. Darcy always asks me for advice for gifts for Georgiana,” Caroline argued. “Why would he single me out for attention if he did not think highly of me?”

  “Darcy asks Louisa’s advice for gifts for his sister as well,” Hurst interjected. “Does that mean he will make an offer to my wife?”

  Caroline frowned. “You are tiresome Mr. Hurst. When I am Mrs. Darcy, you will sing a different tune.”