“I have no notion of what to do with a child at my age,” tutted Mrs Darlington. “Major Bartholomew, I have always relied on your good sense. What shall I do with this girl?”
Mrs Quinn looked on skeptically as the man in the mismatched regalia and boots regarded the child in consternation. He bent over and looked her long and hard in the eye, straightened up, and declared, “If I were you, I would open the master’s apartment directly!”
“Oh Major Bartholomew,thank you! Iknewthat I could count on your excellent advice!” exclaimed Mrs Darlington.
“Beg pardon, but that made not a lick of sense,” said Mrs Quinn.
“It most certainly did!” declared Elizabeth.
“Precisely, Miss Bennet! It most certainly did; Mrs Quinn, what do you know?” Mrs Darlington declared. “I thank you for bringing Edith to us. Will you require a room for the night?”
“As long as you keep the girl, you all can be as dicked in the nob as you like,” Mrs Quinn replied, unruffled. “I’d like to press on for Bath, even in the rain. My sister may not last, unfortunately.”
“You are kindness itself, bringing Edith to us under the circumstances, Mrs Quinn,” said Darcy smoothly. “Your driver is in the kitchens, taking some refreshment. Allow us to show you to a room where you may refresh yourself and take some tea and a meal beforeyou go. My aunt’s stable is tending your horses, though our butler reports that our head groom says it appears that your team has already travelled too far today. I will send you with a driver and horses of my own to speed your journey. My driver will return my horses to me tomorrow, and your driver and horses can follow you later.”
“That is very kind of you,” Mrs Quinn said stiffly. “I am much obliged.”
Darcy took her to the housekeeper’s assistant. His aunt had already abandoned them to set the housekeeper to open the master’s rooms. When he returned, he asked Elizabeth and his sister, “Why, exactly, was opening the master’s rooms such sensible advice?”
“Because the master’s rooms are the only available rooms in the family wing,” Elizabeth informed him. “Edith could hardly go on the third floor with the men!” At this she turned away and encouraged Edith and Georgiana to follow her to her rooms. Elizabeth, being the most petite of the guests, would be the one to loan Miss Darlington a gown and nightwear. She ordered a bath and a tray sent up to her room, and with Georgiana’s assistance, set to putting Edith at ease.
CHAPTER 36
The next few days brought more rain, so much of it, in fact, that even Elizabeth avoided her morning exercise. These days also brought a number of announcements and progress amongst the guests. The house party guests remained indoors, in the drawing room and music room mostly, and there were party games and a great deal of shrieking and laughter.
Elizabeth and her sisters joined the group in the evenings, but they had been at Ever After End long enough to have become bored of spending all day every day in frivolity, gentlemen or no gentlemen. Jane set about putting their host’s still room in order, with the assistance of Mr Bingley and a maid.
Mary spent her days closeted with Mr Elwood discussing a local orphanage. Mr Elwood had received a letter from a friend, asking him to visit an orphanage near Bath of which his friend was on the board. Mary and Mr Elwood toured the place only to find it in far worse shape than expected, and spent their afternoons either visiting the orphanage to speak with the woman in charge of the daily running, or in writing correspondence to Mr Elwood’s friend about the matter.
Elizabeth spent her days either with Georgiana, Mrs Darlington, and Edith, or in the library with Darcy, reading aloud to one anotheror debating the merits of different books. They also spoke a great deal of their homes and families. Elizabeth learned a great deal about Pemberley, which lit up Mr Darcy’s eyes when he spoke of it. Darcy learned about Longbourn, Meryton, and Elizabeth’s family, who sounded as if most of them were progressing by leaps and bounds since the fortunes of the two eldest girls had improved.
Mrs Darlington was still a little shaken at the idea of inheriting the burden of a young girl to raise. She wanted children in her youth, but now she was uncertain that she was fit to raise a young lady. Elizabeth spent a great deal of time with the child, and found that though she was slightly behind in her lessons, her education had not been terribly neglected, and that she was pleasant, obliging, and appropriately learned in Bible studies for her age. Edith was also well spoken and respectful.
Elizabeth assured her host that all she needed to do was give the girl a home and see to her education, which ought not be too difficult, considering the number of learned persons living in the house. What the child needed most of all was kindness, support, and above all, love, if her aunt could muster it. Georgiana sent to Pemberley for some clothes that she had grown out of when she was Edith’s age, and upon learning that the young lady had not yet received instruction on an instrument, Miss Marmaduke set about acquainting the girl with the pianoforte straight away.
One morning,Miss Bingley approached Miss Elizabeth outside the library. “Miss Elizabeth, if I may be so bold, would you assist me in selecting some reading material?”
“Certainly, Miss Bingley, what do you like to read?” Elizabeth asked her as they made their way into the book room.
“I fear I do not know.” Miss Bingley laughed self-consciously. “I have never been a great reader, but I have recently decided that I wish to improve my mind; I will admit that I have no notion of where to begin.”
“In that case, we will get you started with a stack of volumes that contains a bit of everything.” Elizabeth began to browse the shelves. “Have you any other interests? I know you are good at archery, so this book on form and execution might interest you. Here is another about the history of archery in the sixteenth century. Did you know that when lawn bowling was invented, that Henry VIII was so concerned that it would replace archery as a form of entertainment that he banned anyone who was not nobility from playing the game? He feared that the common man might lose their skills in archery, which were needed for war. The nobility were only allowed to play lawn bowls on their own property, and one was obliged to pay a special tax to the king in order to maintain a bowling green.”
“I did not know that, but how on earth did you know it?” Miss Bingley laughed.
“I was excessively interested in Henry VIII and his wives when I was thirteen.” Elizabeth smiled at the other lady as she pulled down another volume. “I read everything in my father’s library about him.”
“Youdoimprove your mind by extensive reading!” Caroline exclaimed, impressed. “Mr Darcy spoke of your intelligence, and I see that he is not wrong.”
“That was kind of him to say.” Elizabeth blushed. “Have you an interest in botany perhaps? Or butterflies? Or is there a historical figure that interests you?”
“Hmmm… Perhaps Charles II?” answered Caroline. “We did not study much history at the ladies seminary I attended.”
“Ifind the histories of the kings and queens to be fascinating.” Elizabeth pulled down two more volumes. “Charles II is more interesting than most, I positively devoured the accounts of him and his brother James fighting the Great Fire of London side by side with his subjects. He was a terribly romantic figure. You need gothic romance and novels; do you like adventures? Here isRobinson Crusoe. Hmmm, what else… I do enjoy Mrs Radcliffe, and the anonymous one,A Lady. Let us see what is here, oh, Mrs Darlington hasSense and Sensibility, you will enjoy that one, I think, and just for fun, we should add somepoetry. You cannot go amiss with Wordsworth, and perhaps some Byron.”
“I believe Lord Chesley claimed an affinity for Wordsworth,” Caroline mused as she opened the book and flipped through it.
“See what you enjoy from this pile of books, and should you like to discuss what you have read or select more, I shall be happy to oblige you.” Elizabeth pulled down the copy of “The Italian” she had been reading the day before, intending to do some reading of her own.
