by Pamela Prim
“Your uncle speaks true, my dear.” The old master of the House Crabtree nodded gravely. “That carriage is the last good thing we have... from the days when the Crabtree name was one to reckon with.”
“Then what happened?” Lauren asked with a scowl. “Why are we now no better than the help?”
“Times have been hard on us, my dear.” Her father replied. “Our lands have gone barren and our coffers have run dry.”
“After your mother’s unfortunate passing, Lauren.” Marston Crabtree said to her. “Our fortunes suffered a dismal slide.”
“If it were not for the gambling tables that you and father indulged in, uncle, we would now be riding around in a new automobile.” She glared at the fat faced man. “And your wife would not have run off with the Frenchman.”
“Lauren!” The housekeeper, Mrs. Sutcliffe, rebuked her. “That’s no manner to speak about your uncle and father. Apologize at once.”
“I will not, for it is the truth.” Lauren stood up and pushed back her chair.
“Where are you going?” The plump housekeeper demanded. “Dinner isn’t finished yet.”
“For me it has, ma’am. You are not my mother, so don’t pretend to be.” Lauren replied haughtily. “And my appetite died even before we sat to eat.”
“Such impertinence.” She heard her uncle say as she walked away.
“She takes after her mother, god rest her poor soul.” Her father sounded livid. “I must have her wedded soon.”
“A man to wed her will be hard to find.” The matronly Sutcliffe snorted.
Lauren could bear it no more. She ran up the stairs to her bedchambers. Closing the door behind her she sat on the bed. The good comfortable mattresses were gone, as were the satin sheets and soft, fluffy pillows. The ones replacing them were from the servants’ quarters, now that they could only afford a third of their staff from before. Anger filled her heart and her head pounded. Why did this happen to her? And why was that fool of an uncle of hers and his dimwitted daughter even there? They had arrived a fortnight ago and never seemed to want to leave. She feared that they might just live there in the old manor with her father and her.
Lauren missed her mother, and the times when it was a matter of pride to be a Crabtree. She was just thirteen when her mother had passed away, and it was hard on her. The last six years, their family fortunes went down a steady decline with no hope of ever recuperating. And all that time it was her father and uncle steadily wasting away the family fortune on games of chance.
A soft tap sounded on her door. Her cousin, the blonde blue eyed Melinda peeped into her room. What the stupid cow wanted now, she wondered. Melinda was a year older than her and a more full figured at that. She was also much prettier than Lauren, but lacked everything else that she had, namely a thinking mind.
“Lauren.” Melinda sounded anxious. “You made your father quite vexed.”
“It was about time.” She retorted. “He’s been making me feel anxious for the last six years.”
“Oh, but you shouldn’t have said all those things.” Her cousin shook her head with a look of dismay.
“What do you want now, Melinda?” She asked the blonde tersely.
“Oh, yes. After you left the table… we had dessert and then Papa and Uncle Harry got to talking.”
“About what?”
“About you, silly.” Melinda laughed. “Uncle Harry wants you to be married, but he wants you to be a proper lady first.”
“The nerve…” Lauren almost exploded.
“Oh, Lauren.” Melinda gushed. “I’m so excited. We are to leave tomorrow for the Langdon Estate.”
“The Langdon Estate?” She looked at the other girl blankly.
“Oh, do you know nothing, you silly girl.” Her cousin laughed at her. “The Langdon estate is where naughty young things like you are sent for correction.”
“I don’t need to be corrected. If anything, they do… your father and his brother.”
“Oh, don’t be silly, Lauren. It’s going to be fun.” Melinda clasped her hands together and swayed from side to side like a giddy child.
“How is it going to be fun?” Lauren could almost slap the silly faced girl across her flushed face.
“Lord Nathaniel Langdon, oh, he’s quite the dashing devil.” Melinda replied with a distant dreamy look in her wide blue eyes. “Many a young woman would gladly give their all to be corrected by him.”
“Who the fu… um…” Lauren almost leapt at her cousin but checked herself. “This lord, he is a corrections officer?”
“Yes, that’s what he is?” Melinda looked very excited. “And I’ve heard some things… about his methods. Oh, I am so eager to do this.”
“Why are you so eager, if I’m the one being sent?”
“Oh, you silly girl.” Her cousin’s face grew more cheerful. “You won’t be going alone. I’m going to be there with you all through this.”
“But how is father going to afford paying for this?” Lauren exhaled deeply and shook her head.
“Uncle Harry isn’t the one paying, Lauren. Lord Langdon does this as a service to society, and sometimes he pays hapless parents to send him their daughters.”
“So that’s why father is doing this, that insufferable bastard.” She felt the heat rising up behind her ears. “Why I ought to just run away from home just to spite him.”
“Oh, Lauren. You say the funniest things.” Melinda’s stupid smile infuriated her, but she decided to calm down. There wasn’t anything really she could do than go through with it. How bad could it be?
*****
The next day, they were out in the early dawn. The overnight rain still came down in a steady torrent. The old carriage lurched and shook as Lauren and Melinda climbed onboard. Only the one horse, a tired old beast, was harnessed to the carriage and the driver cracked his whip over the animal’s ear. The road was wet and carriage slowly moved forward. The Langdon Manor was a good hundred miles away and it would take all day to get there. Lauren sighed and stared angrily out of the window. She did not even say goodbye to her father before she stormed out with her packed trunk. They were going to be there for a week or even a month, however long it took for her to be corrected. She contemplated on doing the worst she could, and never get corrected or come back home.
The hours dragged by and on several occasions Lauren suppressed the urge to strangle the excited and talkative Melinda. The only stop they made was for lunch beside a tavern and then it was on again for the next few hours. Then almost after sundown, the imposing gates of the Langdon Estate appeared before the lumbering carriage. The carriage passed through the unattended gate and rolled along the winding pathway up to the impressive manor up ahead in the distance.
When they reached the manor, no one was there to greet them. The driver helped them with their trunks and then proceeded to the great door. He lifted the large iron knocker and knocked twice before walking back to the carriage.
“I shall take my leave now, Miss Crabtree.” The driver doffed his cap at Lauren. “It’s a long way back.”
“Yes, off with you.” She snapped at the man, aggravated that their host had not bothered to come out and greet them.
The carriage rolled away and they waited outside the door of the manor. Even Melinda seemed at a loss for words by their host’s apparent apathy. Lauren had a good mind to run back after the carriage and return home to Crabtree Manor, but anywhere was better than there for her at the moment.
“Should we knock again?” Melinda finally spoke, in a small voice.
“No, I think someone’s coming.” Lauren’s sharp hearing picked up the telltale sound of footsteps approaching the door.
They heard a few locks being turned and a few heavier sounds of levers being released. Then the huge door opened slightly inwards and a face peered out. It was a woman, round faced and stern eyed.
“Yes, my ladies?” The woman asked them.
“We are here on Lord Langdon’s invitation.” Melinda
answered with some urgency.
“The master is away…” The woman, quite evidently the caretaker of the manor, or perhaps just a maid, said with some irritation.
“And are we to wait out here in the cold and rain until he arrives.” Lauren’s patience got the better of her. “Do let us in, my good woman, lest Lord Langdon have to very ill patrons on his conscience.”
“Oh… er.” The woman stepped back in and opened to door wider. “Come in, my ladies.”
“Have someone fetch our trunks.” She told the woman as she stepped up to the door.
“Er… there are no servants, my lady.” The caretaker replied casually. “I’m afraid you must carry your own luggage, or leave it outside.”
“This is no way to treat a guest…” Lauren began hotly, but the woman was already walking away.
“Please hurry.” She called after her. “And close the front door after yourselves. I must go see to your lodgings and evening meal.”
“The nerve of that woman.” Lauren gnashed her teeth as she struggled with her trunk. “Who does the bitch think she is?”
“She must be the housekeeper.” Melinda stated the obvious as expected.
“Thank you for that observation.” Lauren shook her head. “Now help me with this god-awful trunk, we can’t carry them by ourselves. We have to together take them in one at a time.”
After stumbling and huffing for a while, she and her cousin managed to carry all four of their trunks inside and shut the door behind them. The plush chairs in the waiting room looked very inviting and Lauren flopped down on top of one. Her cousin did the same beside her.
Barely had they sat down, the woman who opened the door returned and looked at them as if they were something that crawled out from under the furniture. Lauren had a good mind to tell the woman a thing or two, but she was too tuckered out from hauling the heavy trunks. The woman should have at least offered them something to drink. Instead she pursed her lips and stood before them with her hands on her hips.
“The Master will not appreciate his fine carpets being muddied that way, my ladies.” The woman told them. “But never mind, I will have that mended before he returns. I am Jane Peabody, the housekeeper for this fine manor. Your rooms are ready, please proceed upstairs… with your luggage.”
And with that the housekeeper turned and walked away.
“What nerve!” Lauren said under her breath. “We are expected to carry these heavy trunks up to our rooms… if this Lord Langdon is so wealthy, where are the servants?”
“I think this is part of the correctional course.” Melinda said and stood up with a sigh. “Come on, dear cousin… one trunk at a time.”
By the time they had managed to haul all four full trunks up to their rooms, Lauren was ready to collapse on the bed and fall asleep. Melinda seemed to fare no better. They were given separate rooms, but her cousin had flopped down next to her on the bed.
A rap on the door made them jump up. Jane Peabody pushed open the door and announced. “Dinner will be served at eight sharp, please be ready and at the table five minutes before. The Master does not tolerate tardiness. He will be arriving in time for dinner and will expect to see you at the table in your finest gowns.”
“Are there no servants to help us with anything?” Lauren glared at the haughty woman.
“I’m afraid not.” Peabody looked back at her coldly. “You can take that up with the master if you wish… and you are to be in your own rooms at all times, until the master requires of you.”
“What? Is this a prison of some manner?” Lauren stood up and resisted the urge to hurl something at the housekeeper.
“In a manner of speaking…” Peabody’s thin lips curled up in a smile. “This is a correctional.”
“This is prepos…” Lauren almost screamed when Melinda stepped up in-between her and the housekeeper.
“I apologize, ma’am.” Her cousin said in a most aggravatingly syrupy tone. “We are quite tired from the long journey and from carrying our heavy luggage… I will retire to my room and we will be down before eight for dinner.”
“Very well, miss.” Peabody nodded and turned away.
Lauren waited until the woman’s footsteps faded away before she turned on her cousin. “What in the name of sanity is this place? What did we ever do to warrant this kind of uncalled for punishment?”
“You don’t understand, Lauren.” Melinda smiled stupidly. “This is all part of the correctional, it will be better if we do as they say.”
“That may be fine and dandy for you, Melinda.” Lauren pushed her cousin away. “You were always ready to be someone’s cow for the milking… get out, go to your room and leave me alone.”
“Don’t be like that, dear Lauren… you’ll only be making it harder for yourself.” Melinda pleaded as she pushed her out of the room and closed the door.
She waited for a while. Then the soft footfalls of her cousin moved away from her door and down the hall and Lauren flopped down on her bed. The room was not that bad, in fact, it was much better than the room she had in their own depressing manor. The room was smaller but it had been quite lavishly set up. The window was large and had iron bars on it, and the attached bathroom had a large tub in it and another washbasin. The bed was the best feature, with thick bedding and quilts and more pillows and cushions she would ever need. She decided to get cozy in bed and not bother with her trunks at all. She could always unpack later, since she made up her mind to not be compliant at all. And she would start by not being down for dinner in time, if at all. The bed was so comfortable that she immediately felt drowsy.
“Yes, that’s what I’ll do.” She said aloud and laughed. “Fuck the great lord Langdon and his correctional. Let that idiot Melinda get corrected as much as she wants from some lecherous old man. I’ll just curl up in here and have a good night’s sleep.”
And that’s exactly what she did. The warm embrace of a comfortable bed and all the fatigue from travelling had her asleep in no time. A peaceful dreamless sleep.
*****
When she opened her eyes again, it was quite bright. The large window let in the brilliant light of the rising sun, making her wish that the curtains were drawn full. Then she realized there were no curtains at all. Was that an oversight, or done in purpose? It didn’t matter as a tapping on the door made her look away.
“Lauren!” She head Melinda call. “Come on, Lauren, let me in. You had me worried by not coming down for dinner last night. Open the door. Lauren.”
“Go away!” Lauren yelled back. “Leave me at peace.”
“Lauren! You can’t behave this way… they will surely send you away.”
“Let them.” She replied through gritted teeth. “That’s what I want.”
“Open the door.” Melinda urged and her rapping grew more insistent.
“What do you want?” Lauren opened the door slightly and glared at her flushed cousin.
“You should get dressed and come down for breakfast.” Melinda said as she pushed her head in. “Lord Langdon asked about you at the table last evening… oh, I was so embarrassed. He will be waiting for you at breakfast… you have to meet him, Lauren. Why, he’s such a devilishly handsome man.”
“Isn’t he over fifty years old?” Lauren reluctantly let her cousin inside.
“Oh gosh, no… not in the least.” Melinda’s blue eyes went wide. “He is older than us, but surely not fifty… why, he doesn’t look a day over thirty five.”
“That’s still older than us, by over fifteen years.” She snorted as she washed her face.
“Oh, do stop being silly and come downstairs.” Her cousin grabbed her hand. “Once you see the man, you’ll never want to leave here.”
Lauren shook her head. Poor stupid little Melinda, there was no hope for her. She had always been this way, ever since she was twelve years old, swooning and gushing over this lord and that duke and what not. This was no different for the love stricken blonde and Lauren was sure that once this foolishness
was over, Melinda would soon forget about Langdon and her attentions would be on the next handsome lord or duke to come riding her way.
“Come, let’s go and meet this handsome lord or yours.” Lauren stepped out of her room, not having bothered to change her travelling clothes, the ones she had also slept in.
“But you’re not dressed.” Melinda gave her a wide eyed look of disbelief.
“Am I not now?” Lauren laughed. “Is this not better than being naked?”
“Oh, Lauren.” Melinda shook her head in dismay. “Lord Langdon will not like this.”
