“In that case Martha, you may call me Lady Anne,” Anne granted.
“And me Lady Elaine,” Elaine added.“Before I forget, where is your older daughter?”
“She is staying with two of her friends in Hertfordshire for Easter,” Martha informed her hostess and her sister.
When the three ladies returned to the drawing room all smiles, Oscar Bingley knew that his wife had been forgiven.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
George Wickham rued the day that he had been thrown into the power of the vindictive Mrs Fitzpatrick. Things had been getting a little easier for him until the lady of the house had given into her inquisitiveness and had sent one of her footman spies to glean information on her ex-family. The man had sent back a report that the mongrel foundling was well on her way to a full recovery, and then he was never heard from again. The lady had no idea if he had run away or, worse yet, been captured meaning that he would give her up.
The truth was that the man had been spotted by the beefed-up security personnel at Snowhaven. They had given chase and, in his eagerness to escape, the spy had not noticed that he was galloping toward a sheer cliff, but his mount had. While he was looking back at his pursuers, holding the reins in one hand, the horse planted its legs and came to an abrupt halt. He was not prepared for the sudden stop and flew over the horse’s head and fell to his death down the deep ravine.
When after a few weeks no one came looking for her, the older lady became less nervous about imminent discovery but took her frustration for her bad decision out on the boy who was approaching his sixteenth year. She had him beaten a few times, blaming him for her woes. For once in his life, George Wickham was actually innocent.
In March Mrs Fitzpatrick had sought out a new footman with questionable morals. She found a man who had worked for a smuggler in Fowey, Cornwall, and had left as the sea did not always agree with him. He parted on good terms with his former shipmates, so he had the advantage of being able to contact his friends for support if needed. His name was Sam Hodges.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Life was just not fair, Caroline Bingley told herself. She was, at fifteen, left alone at the school that she hated with a passion. Even that silly Miss Thatcher had, in Caroline’s opinion, broken. The last time that the two had spoken, Miss Thatcher had been vastly different from her usual exuberant self. Her erstwhile loved had been killed by the brother of one he dallied with, so it had finally sunk in that her father and everyone else had not been jealous of her; but rather they cared about her and did not want to see her throw her life away for no good reason.
Caroline had still not learnt that lesson. The only thing that she cared about were her wishes and desires, and she cared not a whit who she hurt to achieve her aims. She had written to her mother, alternating in one letter from trying to emotionally manipulate her to cajoling and demanding in others. She just could not grasp why her mother had not responded to any of her demands; she and had only written back to say that she hoped her daughter was well.
The family had not written to inform her of their invitation for Easter, and Mrs Gilbert was in full agreement. If Caroline knew that they would be in the company of a Duke and three Earls, they were certain that in her blind rage she would hurt herself or attempt to harm others around her. She had not learnt the lesson her mother had, that it is not one’s desires that gain position and friends, but actions and behaviour.
She thought that the fact that she had been placed in her own chamber, isolated from the rest of the girls, was recognition of her innate superiority, when in fact it was because none of the girls, not even her former friend, Miss Thatcher, wanted to share a chamber with her. Like so many things that she thought that she knew, the truth was the opposite of what she believed it to be.
Caroline had no idea that her wish to never see the Dark Hollow School would be granted in a matter of months, but had she known where she was to be moved to, she would have been happy to stay at the crone’s school. Before the end of June, she would be moved to the Greenlake School for Troubled Girls on the Isle of Man, which made Dark Hollow look like a holiday village in comparison.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Jane Bennet was only eleven, but she felt older. She certainly exhibited responsibility far beyond her years. She was still calm and serene most of the time but anyone that knew her was well aware than behind the calm façade lurked a fierce warrior who would defend anyone that she felt needed it with anything at her disposal. Even though her brother William was five months older, Jane was the leader of the Bennet brood. In addition, both Long girls looked up to her as an older sister and, Mandy who would be eight soon, and Cara now six, looked to Jane as an authority second only to their own mother.
Louisa and Charlotte were both seventeen and spent more and more time together. Charlotte had come out on her seventeenth birthday and Louisa would after she turned eighteen the following year. The three friends were sitting under the large oak in the centre of Longbourn’s park that had benches under the big boughs of the ancient tree. As they were sitting, they were approached by the pastor, Mr Pierce, who bowed to the ladies and then requested a private audience with Charlotte. When she looked questioningly as him, he informed her that he had already requested permission to speak to her from her father. Jane looked toward the footman guard that was stationed where he could see her and shook her head letting him know that he was not needed. Ever since Lizzy was stolen from them, her papa insisted on all of the family being guarded, even when they were in Longbourn’s park.
Jane and Louisa remained as chaperones as the two moved to where they could be seen and not heard. They saw their friend blush a deep crimson and then after Mr Pierce spoke for a little while, they saw her nod her head as if her life depended on it. They watched as he lifted each of Charlotte hands and placed a lingering kiss on each of her wrists, and then he was gone resolutely marching in the direction of Lucas Lodge.
When Charlotte returned to her friends, she had a dreamy look on her countenance.“Well?” Louisa asked excitedly.
“Well what?” Charlotte teased.
“Charlotte!” both of her friends chorused.
“He requested a courtship and has gone to see my father after my answer,” she strung them along.
“What was that answer,” Jane asked exasperatedly.
“Please do not be coy Charlotte; what was your response,” Louisa chimed in.
“What was your answer?” both asked at once.
“Yes, I said yes.” Charlotte had the dreamy look again.
“Do you love him, Charlotte?” Louisa asked. As mature as she was, romantic love was not something that Jane understood yet, or wanted to.
“You know I never believed that love would be necessary to a happy union. I used to tell myself that felicity in marriage was a matter of chance and the less you knew of your partner before the wedding the better,” Charlotte related as she remembered her former opinions.“However, I love Mr Pierce, Christopher, very dearly and could not imagine marrying someone without loving him as I love my Christopher.”
Almost an hour later a groom from Lucas Lodge arrived to hand her a note from her mother summoning her home.
