~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Sam Hodges was disgusted by the boy that his new mistress kept locked up. He did not know all of the details but evidently after murdering his father Wickham had tried to kill a young girl and failed. Killing a child was a line that even he, whose morals were very relaxed, would not cross.
Hearing about the attempt that young Wickham made on the life of a child made Hodges question what had happened to crazy Fanny’s daughter, Eliza or Elsie or something, who he had deposited in Sherwood Forest. Had the conveyance that had caused his flight stopped and picked her up or had she died of exposure to the elements and wild animals in Sherwood? Strangely, the thought of her perishing not by his direct hand did not prick his conscience. The fact that had she might have perished because of his discarding her there did not register as murder on his part.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It had not escaped the notice of any of the ladies that Lady Marie Rhys-Davies held atendrefor Andrew Fitzwilliam and he seemed to return it. They would be celebrating Andrew’s one and twentieth birthday after Easter as it fell on the same day this year. Andrew would graduate Cambridge in May and not long after Lizzy’s ninth birthday, he would take up residence at the seat of Viscount Hilldale in Staffordshire, just across the Derbyshire border and less than ten miles from the boundaries of Snowhaven.
The Duchess happened to mention that, as far as she knew, her husband wanted his daughter to have a full season after she came out when she turned eighteen before he would consider any requests for courtships or more, and that any such request would be entirely dependent on his daughter’s wishes. It happened that none of the families at Rosings believed in arranging a marriage for their offspring, allowing them their choice in the matter. That did not mean there would not be opinions expressed if a son or daughter were leaning in an inappropriate direction, but all knew their children well enough to believe that such would not be an issue.
Those not familiar with the story were well and truly impressed at the petite Elizabeth’s recovery after the attempt on her life. They found it hard to believe that her only outward scar was the one on her arm. They were told about the more prominent scars on her leg, but for obvious reasons they were not seen by many. Elaine opined that as Lizzy would be nine going on ten by the time they hied to Town for the little season, that she would start the process of looking for a lady’s maid for her daughter.
Lady Jersey shared the news with her friends that there was a new modiste who had opened a store on Bond Street, a Madame Yvette Chambourg, and that already she was only accepting clients by referral. The Duchess of Bedford informed the ladies that she had seen the new modiste’s work and had been most impressed and that she been commissioned to make Marie’s coming out wardrobe.
Elizabeth liked her new friend Amy Ashby very well. Amy was two years younger than she was but was already a little taller than Lizzy. She was also becoming fast friends with Loretta De Melville, who they all called Retta, who was a year younger than she was. Anne was the oldest of the group of girls, but she deferred to Lizzy who had become thede factoleader of the group. Georgiana, called Gigi by all of the girls after hearing Lizzy and Anne call her such, was the youngest of the five girls, but was never made to feel that she was too young to be with them.
Andrew’s big birthday was celebrated on the sixth of April after the holy days of Easter had passed. He was presented a new jet-black stallion, except for three white markings in a row down his forehead that looked almost like stars, by his parents on behalf of themselves and his siblings. The Darcys gifted him new tack for the thoroughbred. He was informed that the horse had been acquired from a very sought-after breeding programme at an estate by the name of Bennington Fields in Hertfordshire that had come to his notice through the man the Earl invested with, one Edward Gardiner. Andrew took one look at the magnificent specimen of horseflesh and named him Orion after the newly-discovered Orion’s Belt by the famous astronomerWilliam Herschel.
The next morning, Andrew, with his siblings, cousins, and friends looking on, mounted Orion for the first time and took him for a ride. He was accompanied by the older males in their group, and they had a good two-hour ride. He gave his new stallion his head in an open field as they exited the groves near the parsonage. Orion had taken off like a shot from a cannon and had easily outrun any of the other horses and riders. Andrew was already most pleased with his gift, and he was even more so after he left the others in his dirt.
Close to the stables on their return they came across the girls taking a walk with Lady Marie and under the watchful eye of Biggs and Johns. Andrew knew that although she would deny she was afraid to get on a horse again and he also knew that the only way for her to overcome her fear was to do just that. The groups of riders stopped next to the walkers who were on their way to the pond in the grove.
“Lizzy, would you like to come try out Orion with me?” Andrew asked hopefully.
“Ehm, I mean, I am not sure,” Elizabeth hedged.
“I will be with you, Lizzy. I promise that I will be holding you the whole time,” he assured her. He could see her warring with herself; in the end her sense of adventure won out and she nodded her agreement. Everyone present knew what had happened to her, so they all understood what a huge step this was for her. Andrew bent as low as he could in the saddle and reached down to his sister and then swung her into the saddle in front of him in one easy move.“I will not go above a trot, sprite, you have my word,” he whispered in her ear. Elizabeth nodded nervously.
Now that she was sitting atop the huge beast, she was not so sure that she had made the correct decision. Just then Aggie barked, and Elizabeth firmed her resolve as if her dog were telling her to let her courage rise. She nodded and with a flick of the reins they were moving. At first, she shut her eyes and was about to tell Andrew it was enough when she felt the breeze in her face and she was reminded at how much she loved to ride. She remembered that what happened to her had nothing to do with her ability or the horses; she had been attacked and that was the only reason for her trauma.
Elizabeth opened her eyes and all of a sudden all of the pleasant memories that she associated with riding came flooding back. There were some tears as she thought of her Astraea who had been taken from her by the deranged Wickham. Andrew noticed the tears and thought that he had pushed his sister too hard and stopped Orion.
“I am sorry if I pushed you Lizzy; would you like to get down?” he asked, when she looked surprised, he added,“I saw you crying, sprite.”
“I was remembering Astraea and how much I loved riding her. No Andrew, I do not want to stop, rather would you let Orion canter?” she asked her brother.
“If that is what you want, I will.” Andrew flicked the reins again and they entered an open field, and he allowed his mount to canter. Elizabeth loved the feel of the powerful horse below her and the wind buffeting her as they rode. Orion’s canter was as fast as Astraea’s gallop had been.
It was there in the field at Rosings with her big brother holding her tightly around her waist and cantering freely that Elizabeth’s final recovery was complete. Now she knew that above all else she wanted to ride again. It was time to talk to her father about a new horse. She would never forget Astraea as long as she lived, but she was ready to move on.
Chapter7
June 1800
Elizabeth felt so old as she prepared for her birthday. She was about to turn nine. She knew from when her parents explained how she joined the family that her birthday was in fact the day that she had been rescued by her brothers, that she could be older than nine, but she had nothing to repine about her chosen birthdate so to her, the twentieth day of June was her real birthday.
She thought back to the end of April when her parents gifted her with her mare, Saturn, an early birthday gift. Little did her parents or Elizabeth know that it was in fact a belated gift.
On the way home from the enjoyable time at Rosings Park, she, her parents, and Anne had made a stop at an estate in Hertfordshire called Bennington Fields, where Orion had been procured from, to choose her new mare. It was not far from where the Bingleys lived. They had been shown to a paddock that had a half dozen two-year-old fillies. Five of them were grazing and paid no heed to the people who were led into the enclosure. A light chestnut filly, at fourteen hands on the smaller side compared to the others, walked up to Elizabeth, and whickered and nuzzled her shoulder. Elizabeth turned and held the horse’s gaze and then she held out her hand palm up. The mare sniffed her hand and then licked it. Lizzy had been armed with a carrot and offered it to the filly, who gently removed it from her hand with her lips before making short work of it.
That was more than enough for Elizabeth, who chose the mare. She named her Saturn almost immediately for two reasons. Elizabeth noted the rings around her fetlocks and as her big brother had named his horse after a celestial body, or bodies in Orion’s case, she wanted to name hers in a like manner, so she chose Saturn.
They were helped by the steward of the estate, who had replaced his predecessor two years previously who explained that the estate’s master, a Mr Thomas Bennet, sent his regrets that he could not see to them himself. The Earl was not aggrieved that the master of the estate was busy and soon the paperwork was complete, and the bank draft filled out and handed over to the steward.
They were soon back in their carriages with Saturn tied to behind the servants’vehicle and tended to by a groom and some outriders. On the way back to the Great North Road they went through the little market town of Meryton, not dissimilar from Matlock or Lambton. As they traversed the main street, Elizabeth noticed a group of children entering one of the stores following a blond girl. She did not see the girl as her back was to the carriage, but Elizabeth could not shake the feeling that she had seen the girl somewhere before. As she searched her memory, she remembered the blond girl she met that day at the Gardiner and Associates warehouse, Jane Bennet. Elizabeth remembered that the master of the estate where her parents purchased Saturn was Bennet, but she felt it must be a coincidence that she had met a Jane Bennet some years previously. She believed that she solved the mystery why the blond girl triggered a memory.
The family had proudly attended Andrew’s graduation ceremony at Cambridge a few weeks earlier in the middle of May. He graduated along with his friend, the Marquess of Birchington, and they would take their grand tour together to the continent, departing close to the end of June. Richard would be starting his second year at Cambridge while William and his friend Viscount Westmore would start at the university in September. Andrew’s friend Ian Ashby was one year behind, otherwise he would have joined the two on their tour. Charles Bingley would be in his final year at Eton and ironically would be a house captain, the first son of a tradesman to be granted that honour. Understandably, Lady Elaine Fitzwilliam had shed not a few tears as her eldest received the scroll that proclaimed that he had graduated Trinity College with distinction.
