Postscript from Pemberley

by Rebecca Ann Collins

  He was particular that she should not be “of the old school,” pointing out that outdated ideas in educating girls would be a waste of money.

  “I believe, Jessica, that we should aim to do more than prepare these young women for marriage or domestic service. I should like to think that at Pemberley we would teach them to aspire to better things,” he had said, and Jessica agreed without reservation, deciding to place advertisements in the Matlock Review and further afield in the Courier.

  She was determined to have it done before the end of Summer, in case her hopes that Julian would return in Autumn were fulfilled. It would not do to be unprepared for such an eventuality, although she could not possibly reveal that to Mr Darcy!

  Armed with a list of the desirable qualifications and a description of the duties of the position, she went in search of Mr Darcy, before setting out for the offices of the newspaper.

  She found him in the library and placed before him her material.

  “Will that do?” she asked simply.

  She was hoping for his approval or, at the very least, his advice. She was not ready for his response, when he, having read the document, leaned back in his chair, laughed, and said, “My dear Jessica, where do you suppose you are going to find this paragon?”

  Taken aback and not a little hurt by his riposte, she drew away and said, “You did ask that she be of exemplary character and experience, sir.”

  Whereupon, hearing the injured note in her voice, he relented, “Of course I did, and I am sorry, Jessica; I did not mean to vex you—I was only teasing. You have done well to define your high expectations; I hope you will find someone who fits them. She will need to be a very special lady. I cannot help wondering if such a person may be found in the county, much less in the district.”

  Relieved, Jessica smiled and agreed that she had set a high standard.

  “It is only because I sincerely believe we must get the best possible teacher for the children at the Pemberley school. I am determined we shall find her.”

  Mr Darcy had always valued the commitment of Jessica's parents to their community; now it was clear his regard had to extend to their daughter as well. There was certainly no doubting her dedication.

  “Well, my dear, when you have found her, I assure you we will assist you to keep her by offering an attractive salary. I believe that a good teacher is a valuable asset and should be well rewarded.”

  Jessica thanked him and went away delighted with his response.

  THE FAMILY OF O'HARE had been settled for several years on the freehold property of Colley Dale, situated on the far side of the Great Common, within a reasonable walking distance from the village of Kympton, on the Pemberley estate.

  The O'Hares had moved to England after the end of the war with Napoleon and before the great potato famine in Ireland. Mr Daniel O'Hare, then a boy of fourteen, had found work at the Rushmore Stud, first as a strapper and later as horse trainer. Several years later, he had married a young woman from Chesterfield, who had been the children's governess at Rushmore Farm, and together they had purchased Colley Dale farm, where they now lived in retirement.

  They had three children, two of whom were now young adults.

  The eldest, a daughter, Kathryn, had shown early promise in her studies, and when sent to a ladies' seminary in the south of England to continue her education, she had so exceeded the expectations of her teachers, they had selected her to receive a scholarship to attend a college for young women in Belgium. There she had pursued further studies in French as well as art and music, with a view to becoming a teacher herself.

  Their son, Stephen, was apprenticed to a firm of transport engineers in Birmingham and had spent many years overseas, working on building bridges and roads in the colonies.

  Elena, their youngest, had been born several years after her siblings and lived at home, where she had the benefit of being the sole object of her parents' attention for most of the year. Taught chiefly by her mother, she was a bright, cheerful girl who spent most of her mornings helping her mother in the house and around the farm and all the rest of her time reading anything she could lay her hands on.

  “Elena, you will surely ruin your eyesight,” her mother would warn, finding her daughter reading in fading light, and Elena would promise faithfully not to read for much longer, but she would soon forget the time and go on until it was too dark to see the words on the page.

  A regular borrower of books from the community library established by Mr Darcy, young Elena O'Hare was well known to Jessica Courtney, who helped out at the library twice a week. Indeed, it was through her that Jessica learned that the elder Miss O'Hare was returning permanently to live at Colley Dale.

  Handing in two books, which she had finished reading in less than a fortnight, Elena was borrowing two more. When Jessica, surprised at the speed with which she had read them, remarked upon it, she had said, “I must have twenty on my list before my sister Kate arrives next week, else I shall be mortified, for she reads so well and knows so many books, I shall never catch up.”

  Jessica had tried to point out that reading was not some kind of competition in which the race was to the swift, but it had no effect. Determined, Elena had carried away two large tomes by Mr Fielding and Mrs Gaskell, vowing to read them within the fortnight.

  Before she left, she revealed that her elder sister Kate would be arriving by train on Saturday, by which time Elena hoped she would have got at least halfway through Joseph Andrews. She had to, she insisted, if she was to impress her sister, declaring earnestly, “She is a teacher and knows a great deal more about books than I do.”

  Jessica was all ears. “Is she a school teacher? Where does she teach?” she asked.

  Elena was a mine of information. “Yes, ma'am; that is, yes, she was a school teacher, ma'am, at the convent school at East Grinstead. She then went to Lindfield to teach the daughters of Lord and Lady Denny, but she didn't enjoy it, ma'am, and she has given it up now and is coming home to stay.”

  If these were not the mere ravings of a thirteen-year-old, they could be quite interesting, thought Jessica, who made a mental note to make further enquiries about Miss Kathryn O'Hare. A school teacher, considered suitable to tutor the daughters of Lord and Lady Denny, had to be worth investigating. Especially if she was returning to live in the district.

  The O'Hares did not always attend the church at Kympton.

  In fact, Mr Daniel O'Hare, being somewhat inconvenienced after a riding accident which had left him with a painful limp, hardly came to church at all. Mrs O'Hare did, though, and when Jessica accompanied her parents to church on the Sunday, she noticed Elena and her mother occupying a pew some little distance from their own.

  With them was a lady, whose face was half hidden from view by a very pretty hat and whose gown was of an elegant simplicity that bespoke a woman of taste and fashion.

  “That must be Kathryn O'Hare,” Jessica whispered to her mother, and Emily Courtney, who had noticed the little group as she entered the church, nodded.

  “Yes, it is. I met Mrs O'Hare in the village and she did mention that her elder daughter was coming home after several years away. I understand she's a very clever young lady and highly educated,” she said.

  Jessica could not wait to see what Kathryn O'Hare looked like; she hoped they would meet outside the church, when the service was over.

  Impatient, she waited only until her father had left the sanctuary after the customary blessing before slipping out into the vestry and thence through the side door and around to the front of the church. There, Reverend Courtney was greeting members of his congregation.

  As Jessica waited, she saw first Mrs O'Hare and Elena emerge from the church and then Kathryn, who was introduced to the rector. They spoke briefly, and as the ladies moved down the steps and into the churchyard, Jessica moved towards them, and catching Elena's eye, she smiled.

  Elena, who obviously adored her elder sister, could not resist the opportunity to introduce her,
and when Kathryn turned to her, Jessica was struck by the remarkable brilliance of her smile and the easy friendliness of her manner as they greeted one another.

  Having exchanged the usual pleasantries, they were about to part, when Mrs O'Hare, clearly proud of her daughter and happy to show her off to the notable families of the village, invited Jessica to join them for afternoon tea at Colley Dale.

  “If you are not busy, we would be honoured, if you are able to come, Miss Courtney; I am sure Kate and you will have a great deal to talk about. Kate dear, Miss Courtney is in charge of the parish school at Pemberley,” she said, at which Miss O'Hare regarded Jessica with new interest.

  “Are you really?” she asked, probably wondering at Jessica's youthful appearance. “That must be very interesting indeed. I understood from Elena that you worked at the library, Miss Courtney.”

  Jessica admitted that she did help at the library, but added, “That is only a hobby; my chief preoccupation is with the school. Elena tells me you are a teacher; would you like to visit our school? It is probably not as grand as the schools in the south of England…”

  Miss O'Hare laughed, “They are not very grand at all—especially those like the convent school of St. Margaret's that takes in the children of the poor and the orphaned. I should like very much to see your school, Miss Courtney; perhaps when you come to tea we could arrange a convenient time?” and so saying, she said good-bye and slipped away to join her family, leaving Jessica to wonder at the fortuitous circumstances that had brought them together.

  There was something about Kathryn O'Hare, a vivacity and energy, as well as her elegant appearance, that immediately appealed to Jessica. She was quite certain Kathryn would be an interesting and rewarding acquaintance and had accepted Mrs O'Hare's invitation to tea with pleasure.

  Rejoining her family, Jessica related the detail of her conversation with Mrs O'Hare and her daughter, declaring that she intended to get to know Miss Kathryn O'Hare better. Her mother, who had always wished that her daughter would make more friends outside their family circle, encouraged her to do so.

  “She seems a very agreeable and pleasant young person, and seeing you are both interested in teaching, I do believe she would be a good companion for you, Jessie,” she said, adding, “She cannot have too many acquaintances in the district—she has been away so long in Europe and then again in Sussex.”

  “Well, I am pleased she is back, and I mean to get to know her well. She looks and sounds both intelligent and amiable, and that is a good start,” said Jessica, to which her mother replied, “It certainly is. Besides, she is bound to be interested in your school.”

  Jessica nodded, and though she said nothing of her hopes, she saw Kathryn O'Hare as much more than an engaging companion.

  That afternoon, she left the rectory earlier than usual to return to Pemberley and made her way across the common to Colley Dale.

  A picturesque place set in a broad meadow with the river behind it and the house built upon rising land backed by woodland, it was an attractive and valuable property. Jessica was quite familiar with the farm, although she had never been inside the house. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was both more spacious than it appeared from without and quite tastefully appointed. There was none of the clutter that characterised the usual farmhouse parlour, and unusually, there were several glass-fronted cabinets well stocked with books. Clearly there were other members of the family who shared Elena's passion for reading, she thought.

  Mrs O'Hare, a pleasant woman, well known and respected in the village, had greeted Jessica, and in the parlour, Kathryn presided over the tea table. She rose and came towards Jessica, welcoming her warmly and inviting her to occupy the chair beside the fireplace, for which Jessica was grateful. Though it was not a particularly cold day, there had been a brisk breeze blowing as she crossed the common, and it was good to feel the warmth of the fire. Sensing this, Kathryn hastened to pour out a cup of tea, and Mrs O'Hare pressed upon her a piece of dark fruit cake of her own making.

  While they were taking tea, Mrs O'Hare left them to take her husband a cup of tea and some cake, explaining that Mr O'Hare did not always come downstairs to tea.

  “I hope you are not offended, Miss Courtney,” said Kathryn. “My father has not fully regained the use of his leg since his accident; he tries to avoid going up and down stairs too many times a day. He joins us at dinner every evening, but prefers to take his breakfast and tea upstairs. It is hard for my mother, but there is not a great deal to be done; he is often in pain, and she will not press him to come downstairs.”

  Jessica noticed a gentleness in her voice when she spoke of her father's pain and her mother's efforts to care for him, which suggested a degree of sensibility and compassion. There was simultaneously a marked softening of the expression upon her handsome countenance as she spoke.

  “I understand completely, and I am not at all offended,” Jessica said quickly, wishing only to reassure them. “We do not stand on ceremony at home, my father is frequently out doing parish work, and we would rarely see him when he leaves after breakfast until he returns at dinnertime. My mother complains that he is often too tired to appreciate his food.”

  “Mama tells me that you live at Pemberley,” said Miss O'Hare, and Jessica felt the need to explain.

  “I do, ever since I was appointed by Mr Darcy to take charge of the parish school at Pemberley. Mrs Darcy and my mother are cousins,” she said. “Besides, it is more convenient—being only a short walk from the school, it enables me to spend more time there. However, I return every Friday night to Kympton and stay over Saturday with my parents, and I help Papa with his parish work, too.”

  By this time, Mrs O'Hare had returned and settled into her own chair with a cup of tea, and Jessica had the opportunity to ask if Mr O'Hare was well. Having assured her that he was, Mrs O'Hare proceeded to hand the plate of cake around again and sent Elena to get a fresh pot of tea.

  While Jessica commented on the excellence of the cake and took another cup of tea, Kathryn turned the conversation to books.

  “With your work at the library and the parish school, you must do a lot of reading, Miss Courtney,” she remarked, and Jessica confessed that it was, apart from music, her chief pastime.

  Rising from her chair, Kathryn went over to one of the bookcases, from which she extracted a slim volume bound in leather. Putting it in Jessica's hands, she said, “Tell me, Miss Courtney, have you read this?”

  Jessica saw it was an unusual book indeed, though one she had certainly heard of before. She recalled hearing Mr Darcy and Julian discuss it with her father, but had not paid much attention at the time.

  Published in 1859, it was Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species.

  Looking up at Kathryn, Jessica shook her head. “No I have not, Miss O'Hare, though I have heard of it. My cousin, Julian Darcy, who is himself a scientist, has spoken of it; but it is not widely read, is it?”

  “Indeed it is not, except among men of science, and that is a pity, since it is the kind of book of which many people speak without understanding it and, even worse, not having read it at all. It is only recently being read more widely and understood by people other than scientists and scholars,” she said very decidedly, and Jessica was again surprised by the intensity of feeling in her voice.

  It was quite plain that Kathryn O'Hare had strong views and was not reluctant to express them. Whether they extended to subjects other than books was not immediately clear to her.

  Meanwhile, Jessica was delighted to discover that Miss O'Hare was as enthusiastic a reader as herself and, on asking her opinion of Mr Darwin's work, received an answer given in very clear terms.

  “It is a most absorbing document, Miss Courtney, albeit one that the church and some others have condemned out of hand, in most cases without fully understanding its purpose. I can find no harm in it; it records Mr Darwin's observations of creatures that many of us have never seen and his conclusions as to how much of the natural w
orld came to be as it is today,” she explained, adding generously, “Should you wish to read it yourself, I should be happy to lend you my copy.”

  Jessica was unsure how much she would comprehend of the scientific work, but eager not to appear indifferent, said quickly, “I should like that very much, thank you,” and then not wishing to sound ignorant, but wanting to acquire a better understanding of a work of such obvious importance, she made a suggestion.

  “Perhaps, when I have read it, we could talk about it together, and I may discover more about it and understand why it is of such great significance.”

  To her surprise and delight, Miss O'Hare readily agreed. “Certainly, that would be a very good scheme. There is nothing better to improve one's understanding than a good discussion. When I used to teach at St Margaret's convent school, there was a nun, a woman of great intelligence and perspicacity, who used to organise the recreational activities for the staff. They were always very interesting, thought-provoking ideas—often we would read a book as a group and discuss it together between evensong and dinner. I looked forward so much to those evenings; surprised at the varying views of my fellow teachers, it taught me to look at things from more than one point of view and to consider the reasons that lay behind another's opinion.”

  “It must have been very enjoyable,” said Jessica.

  “It certainly was and I think it greatly increased my appreciation of literature.”

  “Do you believe that to encounter contrary or opposing views is beneficial to one's understanding?” asked Jessica, beginning to enjoy this discourse. Miss O'Hare responded without hesitation.

  “Indeed, I do. I think the more open one is to new ideas and the more opinions one hears on a work of art or literature, the better will be one's understanding and ultimately one's appreciation of it. It stands to reason—if one sees a work only from one point of view, one may well miss the great richness of interpretation that comes from sharing other perspectives. It is easily demonstrated when admiring a vista from a window,” she said, moving to the window and looking across the dale to the woods beyond.