Elizabeth, after the disappointment of the fine view of Funchal from the sea, which bore little resemblance to the actuality of the rough housing therein, knew well that first impressions were not always reliable and determined to learn more of the town once she herself went ashore. In this, she was well content, for the town was clean and neat in stark contrast to the Portuguese towns of Madeira and Rio de Janeiro; not asingle house but presented an extraordinary degree of cleanness and neatness. She could discover no such thing as a shabby house, and there were no beggars on the streets, which were laid out in an orderly fashion.
Mr. Bent had a letter of introduction to the Colonial Secretary, Mr. Alexander, but as this gentleman’s house stood within the Castle, it was small and unable to accommodate another family. Although, traditionally, the Dutch of the colony were willing to take strangers into their houses and provide them with lodgings, such was no longer the case. The English had so much abused and laughed at them for this custom that they now required to be coaxed into it.
“Meneer Brand, goeie gaan dit met u? Ek is Juffrou Bennet.” Elizabeth curtseyed to Meneer Brand, who had graciously agreed to accommodate the Bents. In the Dutch style, he formally shook hands with her. He continued in Afrikaans, the Dutch dialect spoken in the Cape.
“You are Dutch, Miss Bennet, but possibly Flemish. How do you come to travel with the Englishman, Mr. Bent?”
Elizabeth laughed, “Oh no, Meneer, I was taught by an émigré living in Hertfordshire, England—Mynheer Meyers, though he would call himself Flemish rather than Dutch! We spoke Dutch, West Flemish, and German, although he also knew French, Spanish, and Italian. A wonderful gentleman from whom I learnt to admire Dutch culture and traditions.”
He introduced Elizabeth to his wife, a very genteel lady with three young children. Because they primarily spoke in Dutch, and their English was poor, her facility with their language was a great boon to Mr. and Mrs. Bent as guests of the family. The children were introduced, and, as with all so young, their lack of shared language did naught to diminish their games, play, and general good cheer. Mevrouw Brand employed a Khoikhoi girl who acted as a nurse to her children; she was very sweet and shy. Her care of the children wasexemplary, and Elizabeth could assure Mrs. Bent that Henry and Beth would be well looked after.
***
Elizabeth was to attend a ball! This was her very first; she had not been able to attend the assembly in Meryton, which, she acknowledged, was not the same as a private ball with those of high society in attendance. Meneer Brand took the invitation from a servant at his door and turned to his wife, speaking in Dutch.
“The governor is giving a ball, and we are invited. What a distinction!” He turned to Mr. Bent, switching seamlessly to English. “We have you to thank for this, sir. His Excellency, who, I believe, is an Irish earl, would not honour us otherwise.”
“Nonsense, my dear Brand. You are high in the community. The ball is on Colonel Macquarie’s behalf, as he is of equal rank, and you’ve been of much use to us. I’m sure the governor recognises your service to the British Crown.”
Elizabeth noticed the slight downward turn of Meneer Brand’s mouth. The annexation of the Cape in ‘06 was still resented by the Dutch. She knew English replaced Dutch as the language of administration, and the British pound sterling replaced the Dutch rixdollar, which, though still in circulation, fell rapidly in value. Furthermore, the abolition of the slave trade by Britain in ‘07 contributed to a labour shortage and reduced income for the Boers, the Dutch farmers who settled inland from the Cape.
“Oh, Mevrouw Brand,” she said in Dutch, turning the conversation, “is the ball to be held at Government House? I’m sure it will be enchanting.”
“Yes, indeed, Miss Bennet. The gardens will be lit with lamps, and the walks will be delightful. Have you a gown? I see you wear a practical woollen day dress, which is wise here, asthe climate from day to day can vary so widely. But at the ball, there will be much muslin.”
“Dankie, Mevrouw. You’re so thoughtful. My gown’s been packed in my chest for the past five months. I must air it and brush out the creases.”
“Is that necessary, Miss Bennet?” said Mrs. Bent acerbically, having taken the gist of the conversation. “Henry and Beth will require your attention—they are sleeping ill of late.”
“But Mrs. Bent,” Meneer Brand interceded, giving her an ingratiating smile, “Miss Bennet is a guest of my house, and the invitation includes all who reside here. Miss Bennet must attend; otherwise, my neighbours will think my hospitality deficient. She is, as we say in Dutch, een jonkvrouw, a younglady.”
Elizabeth smiled; indeed, she was a gentlewoman—her father was untitled but a landholder—yet she was not aladyin the English sense or in the Low Countries, as the honorific was used there. Meneer Brand was being subtle in his use of language. Although Mrs. Bent had married a barrister and was therefore the wife of a gentleman, Elizabeth, being the daughter of a gentleman landholder, would rank at least her equal in society. She hoped Mrs. Bent would remain oblivious to the implied slight.
***
Until the Governor’s Ball, Darcy attended many dinners, but they consisted only of English people, even though the parties were very large. The dinners were badly cooked in the Dutch style, which meant stewing and boiling everything. He supposed the British employed Dutch cooks or the local Khoikhoi, who knew no better. There was never a roast, and after the ship’s fare—which was reduced in variety a week after leaving port—he found the food of the Cape even more bland,and no better than that provided in an English workhouse. During this time, he saw little of Mr. Bent’s party and nothing of Miss Bennet.
“Mr. Bent, how are your family—Mrs. Bent, young Henry and Beth, and Miss Bennet?” inquired Darcy, after joining the man following yet another dinner of poor fare and little conversation.
“Mrs. Bent has been rather ill—the cold weather out from the Cape brought both myself and my lady low. But Miss Bennet has proven a very useful young lady. She tended to the children and to Mrs. Bent and, dare I acknowledge it, to myself, securing broth from the galley and seeing to our comfort when we were both fevered.”
“Indeed, she’s a kindly, caring woman. Does she attend the entertainments with Mrs. Bent? It must be tedious for someone as vivacious as she to devote all her time to the children.”
“Of course,” Mr. Bent dissembled, “but having no official role in Governor Macquarie’s party, her remaining with Henry and Beth is expedient whilst Mrs. Bent and I attend to our duties.”
Something more was at play. Miss Bennet was an attractive woman who had gained much respect on board theHindostanfor her attention to the regimental wives. In conversation with Ellis Bent, Darcy learned his wife, Eliza, was born the daughter of a sea captain out of Falmouth. Whilst well educated and the wife of a barrister, she would be outranked in society by Miss Bennet, who was agentlewoman—whereas Mrs. Bent could claim onlyrespectability. This displayed a certain jealousy in her treatment of Miss Bennet, who was all ease, friendliness, and comfortable intercourse. Yet once arrived in Sydney, Mrs. Bent, as wife of the judge-advocate, would gain consequence as the lady of the third-highest officer of the colony, after the governor and lieutenant governor. This showed a pettiness of character with which Darcy could not agree.
***
The ball was held at Government House. The ballroom itself was very long but somewhat narrow. Perhaps, mused Darcy, it seemed narrow because it was lined with rows of Dutch ladies. They were all tolerably well-dressed, with much white muslin about and a good deal of colour. He had been told that the Dutch ladies were handsome as to their faces, but he saw no real beauty, though they were fresh and wholesome-looking.
Following his party into the room and being introduced to some of the gentlemen and ladies, he decided that, as for manner, the ladies had none or very little, and that graces and charms were sadly lacking—they possessed a sort of vulgar smartness, which he supposed passed for wit. In contrast to a London ball, they danced without halting at all: a sort of pit-a-pat little step, which he thought they had probably learned from some Lady of rank on her way to India. They reminded him very much of the women one might find at an assembly in a country town.
He stopped himself. He was out of sorts, and any display of poor temper would be taken ill by the host, Lord Caledon. He decided these people would improve on acquaintance and needed only to be better understood. He resolved to be pleased with everything and all smiles, for honesty would be by no means the best policy.
There were not many Dutchmen present: the Fiscal, or head officer of Justice, the President of the Court, and several other men in public positions. They appeared for a short time and then mostly vanished, as if they were almost afraid of being seen there by each other. He concluded they could not divest themselves of the opinion that the English would be obliged to cede the Cape to the Dutch or to France on a peace, and therefore did not want to be known as partisans of theEnglish government. As for young Dutchmen, he saw hardly any; they preferred smoking their pipes outside—at least, not inside the hall, as Dutch tobacco smelled most intolerable.
And there she was!At once the ambience of the room changed; her smile was brighter than the hundreds of candles illuminating the place. Almost by themselves, Darcy’s feet took him towards her. As he came closer, he saw Miss Bennet was surrounded by a covey of young Dutchmen, who had abandoned their pipes for her company. Of course, she was speaking their language so fluently they would not know she was English rather than Dutch. Her chestnut hair had been arranged in the English style, no doubt by Mrs. Bent’s maid, who had tied it up with elegant pins, but a few restless curls managed to escape and frame her handsome face. The contrast between her and the ladies lining the hall was, to Darcy’s eye, all in Miss Bennet’s favour.
