“Of course, it must be done straightaway. Each day lost is a girl corrupted!”
“But who do I appoint?” inquired the colonel, “Do you have a person in mind who is suitable for the position?”
“Mrs. Paterson tells me there are none in the colony, for most women are emancipated convicts without the education or morals for such a role. Such was the previous matron who, unfortunately, showed true to her base nature.” Mrs. Macquarie turned to Mr. Darcy. “I believe, sir, you are acquainted with a lady who, from my conversation with Mrs. Bent, would suit admirably. She’s a gentlewoman, well-educated, caring of women—she saw to the comfort of the regimental wives on theHindostanon the journey from England…”
Darcy and O’Connell laughed, and almost simultaneously both cried out, “Miss Bennet!”
“Of course, an excellent lady. She was held in the utmost esteem and deference by all on theHindostan,women and men alike. The girls of the orphanage will come both to love her and, if they misbehave, to regret losing her respect.”
The evening, their first onshore in the colony, was particularly convivial and productive. Much was resolved as to how to further the lawful and just administration of the colony. On his return to theHindostan,where Darcy was staying until he acquired appropriate apartments in town, he mused about the coincidences seen of the evening: that three governors of New South Wales should dine at the same table and that three of the wives, Mrs. Macquarie, Mrs. Paterson, and Mrs. Bent, should be namedElizabeth,the same as Miss Bennet. Perhaps, with a modicum of luck, he would see her chestnut curls at breakfaston the morrow.
***
Elizabeth stood at the end of the Government Wharf and gazed around her. To the south stood Government House, situated most delightfully on rising ground; to the west, St. Phillip’s Church rose at some greater distance, seated on an eminence, its tower standing taller than the windmills that crowned the hills surrounding Sydney, giving the whole an appearance peculiarly English. She sighed. When would she see Albion’s shores again? And dear Papa and Mama, Jane, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia—and, of course, Uncle and Aunt Gardiner and her sweet cousins? ‘Twas best not to dwell on it. She was busy, if truth be told, too busy, but such activity would assist her in returning to England. She had not thought of her return when she fled from Mr. Collins—at the time, what else was she to do?
“Miss Bennet!” The call came from the beach where the wharf joined the shore. Walking towards her was Captain Antill. Though Elizabeth enjoyed the solitude of her early morning strolls along the shoreline, the presence of the officer was not unwelcome. He had travelled out to Sydney on theDromedary, and their previous acquaintance was at the Cape.
“Well met, sir. I didn’t know before that you ever walked this way.”
“With the return from Van Diemen’s Land of thePorpoise, having Commodore Bligh on board, I am much occupied. This morning, before my official day begins, I decided to take a tour of the park surrounding Government House. From the gardens I perceived you on the wharf. Are you going much farther?”
“Yes, indeed. I intend to walk to Bennelong Point.”
And accordingly, they walked along the shore towards the battery that stood at the point.
“How do you find Sydney?” he asked.
“Viewed from theHindostan, the harbour of Port Jackson is extremely pretty and has the appearance of being well wooded, though the shapes of the trees are quite strange, with branches at all angles, which leads to a great loss of symmetry, unlike the oak, elm, and chestnut of England. But, in truth, sir, like yourself, I’ve been much occupied and seen little of the town, though I’m told it’s larger than the Cape.”
“Why so? Surely your duty to the regimental wives ceased upon our arrival. There’s a midwife, Mrs. Sims, assigned to the hospital who should be able to look after their concerns.”
“You may not be aware, but Colonel O’Connell is trustee of the female orphanage—it’s a position normally under the disposition of the lieutenant governor, so it fell naturally to the colonel. Thereupon, knowing my care of children and my education as a gentlewoman, he requested I take on the position of matron, it being vacant. So my day starts early, before the sun rises.” Elizabeth paused, brushing an insect off her sleeve.
“Unfortunately, there are rumours that many of Mrs. Sims’s patients succumb to childbed fever, so the enceinte wives continue to visit me.”
The shoreline became rocky, so they made their way onto the path that wound through the woods near the battery. Elizabeth continued, “The girls are now at breakfast, then must clean their rooms—I’ve some time before I’m needed. I treasure this walk; it gives me time to reflect upon the day ahead.”
Captain Antill looked back along the way they had come. “There’s a sergeant following; is he your guard?”
Elizabeth laughed. “Sergeant Monogan—I’ve known him since Madeira. Yes, before I took up the position, I inquired as to the standing of the orphanage within the community. Mrs. Macquarie feared the girls’ close proximity to the harbour, the dockworkers’ vulgarity, and other influences, such as thedisreputable inns of the Rocks, would put them at risk of moral corruption. I told the colonel I required three good married men from the 73rd to protect the orphans and staff—such are assigned to Sgt. Monogan’s command. Furthermore, Sgt. Monogan takes it upon himself to see to my protection wherever I go.”
At once, the boom of a cannon ricocheted across the cove. Looking towards the ships lying at anchor, they saw cannon smoke billowing from thePorpoise.
“Oh, dear,” muttered Captain Antill, “the commodore’s awake and early to shore. I must away to the wharf to greet him. The wind is southeast, so it will take some time for him to be rowed ashore. Dare I ask, Miss Bennet, that you return via the gardens and Bridge Street and tell those at the Guard House that an honour guard is required, unless, of course, it has already been dispatched?”
Elizabeth had never seen Captain Antill so agitated. He of the steep ascent of Table Mountain and the perilous descent; then, he always remained calm, in control. Ah, she thought, I heard the commodore is somewhat of a termagant, but to discompose Captain Antill so? He may be a tyrant, as those who supported the rebellion assert, but having not met the man, I must hope for the best and that his character has been misunderstood.
They parted company, he hurrying to the Government Wharf, she back to the orphanage by way of the Guard House.
Over the following days, more than once did Elizabeth, in her rambles within the Governor’s Park, meet Captain Antill. His address was truly that of a gentleman, and his manners she very much admired. She wondered at this new intimacy, of conversing so pleasantly and so easily with such a man. These were new sensations that she had not felt before, and these aroused in her some longing that she could not name. Idly, shewondered what it would be like to be admired, respected, and, perchance, favoured by a gentleman. She knew Mr. Darcy admired her—he had said as much—but that admiration, she was sure, only resulted from her care of the regimental wives on board theHindostan. Could she dare wish for admiration for her person, her character, or even her impertinent wit? But the chores of the day beckoned, and she cast aside such ruminations.
***
At the orphanage, she reviewed the accounts. She would need to send their cart to the commissariat for the rations due to the girls and staff, in addition to some clothing and cotton longcloth, for many of the girls were poorly attired, almost naked to her eye, but, as she saw on the streets, many others were similarly clad. Although she initially thought the government stipend allocated to the institution to be generous, she since found common goods and foodstuffs to be very expensive. With boots at two shillings sixpence a pair, her girls, as she thought of them, would remain barefoot—at least, winters here in New Holland were mild, and there would be no snow. How strange, now in January the temperature ofttimes reached five and eighty degrees or even higher, whereas at Longbourn the shutters would be closed and fires blazing to keep the ice and snow from creeping under the doors and leaking lintels.
Ha! she laughed.Theyhad taken the seasoned firewood to the dower house; Mr. Collins could either buy at great expense good, dry wood or more expensive coal or do with a slow-burning, smoking fire reluctantly combusting unseasoned timber just cut from the woods. The thought was uncharitable, but of Mr. Collin’s sensibility, she cared little.
Behind the orphanage, a large garden ran down to the TankStream in very nice order, having been planted with all kinds of vegetables, such as peas, beans, broccoli, cabbage, turnips, carrots, and potatoes. The gardener, an elderly emancipated convict, was a kindly man and more than willing to supervise the girls in tending to his delight. There were also fowl, geese, and ducks, and a neat yard in which a Berkshire sow, currently in pig, was installed. Of the fowl and ducks, they collected the eggs, which were added to the porridge each morning to make a nutritious repast. Eggs from the market outside their door were two shillings a dozen and butter five shillings a pound: too expensive for the orphanage. They kept six cows, which the governor allowed to graze on some pasture near his House—they were supervised by some of the girls aged ten to twelve years, a much coveted assignment that was rostered so all could take time outside of the building.
