Chapter 7 #2
Oscar and Martha Bingley knew that it was the day that Caroline would be removed from the school she had been at for the last year.
They had not seen her in that time. They still loved their daughter, but they were convinced that she had become unhinged.
Sending her to Greenlake was the last resort before they took the drastic step of having their daughter committed to a facility that catered to women with incurable hysteria.
Martha had finally come to accept that, although her daughter had got some of her wrongheaded ideas from her, she was not responsible for the fact that no matter what, Caroline could not change.
Charles was home from Eton and Louisa had graduated from the finishing school at Miss Pettigrew’s Seminary for Young Ladies at almost eighteen.
Louisa would have her official coming out during the upcoming little season.
Lady Anne Darcy had agreed to sponsor Louisa, so it would be that she would be the first in their family to make a curtsey before the Queen.
It saddened Martha to think that had her youngest displayed genuine contrition and been open to correcting her ways, she would too have gained that which she so craved, but now would never attain.
Oscar could not have been happier with the growth of his income since Gardiner and Associates had become partners in the Bingley Carriage Works.
The new concern in London had more orders than they knew what to do with and there were already plans to expand to a second location near the Gardiner warehouses off Gracechurch street near Cheapside.
In addition, he could not remember a time of more felicity in the family.
Yes, he was sad that it did not include his youngest, but he knew that she had been given every possible chance to correct her ways and had resolutely refused to do so.
He was once again actively involved in the business overseeing the London operations while his brother did the same in Scarborough.
The connections that were made last Easter at Rosings Park in Kent had led to some orders for equipage and very soon those members of the Ton let it be known how happy they were with the coaches from the Bingley works. The order floodgates opened.
Gardiner had just taken a townhouse on Berkley Square for his expanding family as his wife was with child again, so Oscar had purchased the townhouse on Gracechurch street from him.
Even though it might not be in the most fashionable area of Town, his wife, son, and daughter were well pleased that they had a home in London now.
During the long holiday from school, Charles would accompany his father to London for three days each week and was learning all about the Bingley’s business and how to run it at his father’s side.
He would be away for three weeks when he would join his friend Darcy at a new property his father had purchased near Brighton in July.
At sixteen going on seventeen he had begun to notice the fairer sex, and the more that he got to know her, the more he came to like one Miss Jane Bennet.
He knew that he could not act on his attraction for some years yet as she was not twelve yet, but in the meanwhile they had become friends as part of the neighbourhood’s larger group of friends that spent much time together.
As much as she was chagrined to admit it, Louisa knew that her life was much better without Caroline’s vitriol and venom in it.
She grieved for her sister and hoped against hope that she would one day see the error of her ways and be welcomed back into the bosom of the family, but she doubted that her sister had the capacity to see that which she did not desire to.
She had a best friend in the form of the courting Charlotte Lucas and a good friend in the younger Jane Bennet who she acknowledged was mature beyond her years.
Louisa was dreaming about her curtsy and come-out as young debutantes are wont to do; as the first in her family she felt the responsibility to be above reproach and to never shame the family in any way.
She would not look for social status when she considered a man after she entered the marriage mart, but rather compatibility and she hoped love.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Darcys had arrived two days previously and while their offspring were playing in the maze, the two sets of parents were relaxing on the wide veranda that overlooked the maze.
There were large sunshades to protect them from the sun as they sat and sipped the freshly made lemonade that the housekeeper had dropped off for them a few minutes previously.
“We would like you to join us at our holiday home we just purchased near Brighton in July,” Anne extended the invitation to her brother and sister.
“Holiday home?” Reggie inquired.
“Yes, you remember that two summers ago Anne and I got away for a few weeks while the children were hosted here?” George reminded the Fitzwilliams. Both nodded.
“We stayed at a wonderful cottage, Seaview Cottage, on a bluff with a good view of Brighton. It is close enough to visit when we want to but still a good distance, so you know you are in the country.”
“It has a wonderful private beach,” Anne continued the tale as she blushed, “it is a cove that cannot be seen from the sea and is part of the cottage’s property. Do not be fooled by the word ‘cottage’ as the house is the size of a good-sized manor house with twenty bedchambers.”
“We had planned to go back there last summer and take the children before that demented youngster attacked Lizzy,” George explained.
“Have you rented it again for this summer?” Elaine asked.
“Not rented. As we both enjoyed it so very much, George secretly bought it and presented it to me as a birthday gift this year,” Anne beamed with gratitude.
“It is open to any of you to use anytime that you want it, as long as it is not already occupied,” Anne blushed again remembering the time that she enjoyed with her husband on the secluded beach.
“Well, the timing is excellent as Elaine and I just purchased a similar sized holiday home in the Lake district. It overlooks the largest lake in the district, Lake Windermere, and has a clear view of both the small Esthwaite Water and the larger Coniston Water. We were about to invite you to join us there in July,” Reggie grinned.
“We can go there in August, Reggie,” Elaine suggested, “Some sea bathing will set me up very well and I am sure that our sons and daughters would live to spend time at the sea, especially as the younger ones have never seen the ocean.”
“I think that Elaine’s plan is a fine one; we can go to Seaview for three weeks in July and then spend a fortnight in the Lake District after,” Anne agreed. The husbands nodded their agreement.
“Elaine have you and Reggie named the house yet?” George asked.
“We did not need to,” Elaine smiled, “it was already named Lakeview House!” the similarity in their holiday homes’ names amused all four.
When their sons and daughters were informed, there was wholehearted approval. William informed his cousins that he had invited Bingley to join them at Seaview and he had accepted. As Master Bingley was liked by all there was universal approval of his joining the party that would be at the cottage.
A few days later the family celebrated the ninth birthday of the daughter that they had been gifted.
Cook had outdone herself with the biggest chocolate cake that Elizabeth had ever beheld, as her eyes widened like saucers when it was carried in with the ten candles burning on the top layer of the four-tier cake.
After she blew out the candles and the family all wished her a happy birthday, Elizabeth ate an enormous slice of cake.
A little later after she had given her stomach time to settle, the cousins all met at the stables.
William led Alex by the hand to his pony that he was gifted when he turned three earlier that month.
His young brother clapped his hand in excitement when he saw Jonty waiting for him.
Alex did not care that he was only allowed to ride in the training circle with a groom leading Jonty; he was on a mount like the rest and that was all that was important to him.
Elizabeth walked toward Saturn who nickered as soon as she spied her mistress.
Once Elizabeth was close, Saturn sniffed her pockets in anticipation.
She was rewarded as Elizabeth extracted an apple from one pocket of her riding jacket and a carrot from another.
Saturn munched her treats happily while she was mounted via the mounting block.
Star was ready for Georgiana. As much as she loved her pony, she was ever so excited as she would be graduating to a cob on her seventh birthday.
Star’s gallop was like the slow canter of the larger horses but that did not detract from the fun that she had riding her pony.
Anne too had a new mare, chosen the same day that Saturn had chosen Elizabeth.
She named her Callisto to keep with the celestial body theme that Andrew had begun.
Callisto was fifteen and one-half hands, larger than Saturn, but the latter could out gallop the former in both speed and endurance; in fact, Saturn would sometimes give Orion a run for his money.
Aggie, who was not above a year old and full grown, would happily run alongside her mistress as she rode.
For whatever reason, Aggie had taken to Saturn and could sometimes be found resting in her stall.
All worries that Aggie would be possessive and jealous of the attention her mistress gave to other animals was for naught.
Aggie was now fully trained by the head gamekeeper to detect threats, so woe betide anyone that tried to attack Elizabeth with Aggie at her side.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After four miserable days trussed up in a carriage followed by four more at sea, Caroline had been lowered into a longboat and rowed ashore under the watchful eyes of the two footmen who had collected her from Wiltshire.
After two days in the carriage bound and gagged, Caroline had given up screeching each time the gag was removed to feed her, so the men left it off.
Once she stopped trying to strike or scratch them on the fourth day, the irons were unlocked and removed from her arms. Those on the legs were left in place so she would not have the ability to run if she had the inclination.
As she sat in the tiny cabin with the uninterested looking maid that had joined them in Liverpool, she could not comprehend how she had come to this state.
She blamed everyone except herself and still refused to even consider that a genuine change in her behaviour was needed.
At least once on the ship and out to sea, the leg restraints had been removed as she had nowhere but the depths of the sea to run to.
She had been sick a number of times on the crossing so when they finally made land, it was somewhat of a relief.
They arrived at a jetty that the boat was tied to and then she was lifted out of the boat along with her trunk.
She was placed in the bed of a cart, the maid on the bench and the two footmen sitting in the bed with their legs hanging over the back.
After an hour and a half’s plodding journey, the cart entered big wooden doors in the high wall of an imposing edifice.
The maid indicated that Caroline should follow her which she did, as she saw no alternative.
She was shown into the headmistress’s office.
It was sparsely furnished and a thin hawkish woman with a severe bun sat behind the desk.
“Sit, Miss Caroline,” the woman pointed a wizened finger at a hard wooden chair.
“I am Mrs Johnson, the headmistress, and you are here as a last resort as all measures to correct your behaviour have failed and now you have been sent to me.” Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but before she could utter a syllable, the woman gave her the gimlet eye.
“Did I give you leave to speak? You only speak when given leave, do you understand?” For once in her life intimidated, Caroline nodded her understanding.
The woman explained that although there were guards, if she wanted to run away, Caroline was welcome to try.
They were surrounded by the sea on three sides with a long drop to the rocks below and a ravine on the last side.
She pointed out that the only bridge was a drawbridge that was lowered and raised from the other side, and when lowered it was well guarded so there was nowhere to run to.
The chambers had no home comforts; there was a straw mattress on the ground and no bed. The more that the woman spoke, of how all of the cleaning was done by the students and on and on, it finally hit Caroline that she was now in hell on earth.