Mrs Gardiner rose and came to stand beside her. “You must understand the terms fully before you bind yourself.”
“I do.”
Her aunt studied her a moment longer. “And you comprehend the clause respecting residence? It is no small thing to remove yourself for a year.”
Elizabeth’s mouth curved very slightly. “I have already removed myself.”
Mrs Gardiner did not flinch at that, but her gaze sharpened. “Lizzy, I must speak plainly. A young woman of one-and-twenty, unmarried, establishing herself upon a remote property with a man already in residence—a man of whom none of us knows the first particular—that is not a circumstance any respectable connection could countenance without provision.”
Mary, who had lifted her head from the pianoforte at the word “man,” set down her music. “It would be a scandal. Even inNorthumberland.”
“It would be talked of,” Mrs Gardiner corrected. “Which is worse, for talk does not require evidence. Your uncle and I may know your character, but the world does not know it, and the world will form its conclusions from the arrangement, not from the woman.”
Elizabeth’s hands stilled upon the letter. She had considered the distance. She had considered the isolation, the cold, the year away from her sisters. She had not, until this precise moment, considered how it would look. A single woman, alone on a headland, with a keeper whose name she did not yet know, and no relation within a day’s travel to vouch for the propriety of it.
“You are right,” she said. “It must be managed.”
Mr Gardiner cleared his throat. “I took the liberty of making enquiries this afternoon. It appears the Trustees have already anticipated the difficulty. A Mrs Hargreaves has served as housekeeper to the cottage for some years—she is, by all accounts, respectable, sober, and of sufficient standing to satisfy any reasonable concern. The Trustees have confirmed she will remain in that capacity throughout the stewardship.”
“A housekeeper,” Elizabeth repeated. “She resides in the cottage itself?”
“That is my understanding. You would share the household. It is not elegant, but it is correct.”
Mrs Gardiner considered this. “And the keeper? Where does he reside?”
“In the tower, or in rooms adjoining it. The cottage stands some distance apart—close enough for the business of the property, far enough for propriety, with Mrs Hargreaves on site.”
“Provided she is a woman of sense,” Mrs Gardiner said.
“Provided she is there at all,” Mary added. “If she should fall ill, or leave—”
“Then I shall write to you at once,” Elizabeth said, “and we shall make other arrangements. But I will not refuse this charge because of what might be said by people who do not know me, about a situation they have not seen, in a place they could not find upon a map.”
Mrs Gardiner’s mouth softened. It was not quite approval. It was the expression of a woman who recognised an argument she could not win and was deciding how best to fortify the position instead.
“Very well,” she said. “But you will write to us regarding Mrs Hargreaves within the first week. Her character, her situation, whether the arrangement is as it has been described. And if it isnot—”
“If it is not, I shall say so plainly.” Elizabeth met her aunt’s gaze. “I am not so proud as to confuse duty with folly.”
Her aunt held her look a moment longer, then inclined her head.
Mr Gardiner stood. “Very well. We shall speak to the Trustees tomorrow to inform them that you mean to accept the charge. You will need to find out what further arrangements must be made, but if you do mean to go north, we should not delay. The roads will worsen soon.”
Elizabeth nodded.
Only when she was alone later did she unfold the letter again and trace the name written upon it.
Blackscar Lantern.
She spoke it once under her breath, testing its weight. Then she folded the page and sealed it into her travelling case.
Thehousehadbeenunusually animated for a Thursday. Mrs Gardiner insisted upon marking Elizabeth’s one-and-twentieth birthday properly, though the celebration had been modest—a cake, a pair of new gloves, a book chosen with care. The gaiety had not been forced, but it had rested lightly upon them all, as though no one quite dared to disturb the surface of it.
By the following afternoon, the gaiety had vanished entirely.
The carriage waited below, the horse stamping at the curb as if impatient with sentiment.
Elizabeth’s trunk had been carried down an hour ago. The travelling cloak was fastened, the stout boots laced, the heavier gloves tucked into the side pocket where her aunt had insisted they remain. All that was left was the leaving.
