Chapter Sixteen
Mr and Mrs Collins were gratified to find their tiny staff waiting for them outside of their parsonage, and a hot dinner ready for them as soon as they washed the dust from the road.
The parsonage was fine and rather imposing, Mary thought, compared to the small rectory abutting Longbourn’s estate.
This was a tall stone house, three stories, with six bedrooms, and her new husband conducted her upon a brief tour before leaving her at her bedroom to refresh herself.
“Beg yer pardon, Mrs Collins, but Mrs Reynolds sent me when Mr Collins asked fer a ‘ousemaid who kin ‘elp as a ladies maid. I’m Nan Adams.” A maid entered Mary’s bedroom and curtsied. “Miss Darcy sent word that she ‘opes that ye enjoyed ye visit ta the great met… metro…”
“The metropolis?” Mary supplied.
“That’s the one, ma’am.” Nan giggled. “And she says she ‘ope’s ye not too fatigued from ye journey ta dine at Pemberley for Easter this Sunday after church. And the Misses Jenks sent their regards, and some lavender that we burned in the rooms this mornin’ to freshen ‘em a bit fer ye. And Miss Poole looks forward ta meetin’ ye in church on Sunday.
And the Miss Tompkins sent a pie that cook’ll serve wif’ dinner tanight. ”
“Oh how kind, I feel as if I have friends waiting for me already.” Mary smiled at the maid. “You must remind me of all of those names tomorrow so that I may send them each a note with my thanks. Would you mind helping me with these buttons?”
“They do it fer everyone, Mrs Collins,” Nan informed her. “It’s a very welcomin’ village.”
“The ladies of my home village are similarly kind, I look forward to meeting everyone.” Mary waited patiently as the maid unfastened her gown.
“Nan, I will unpack my own things, if you do not mind. That will allow me to place everything just how I like it, and then you will know where to return it if necessary. Are you competent with hair? Very good, I usually wear mine very simply, but you may assist me with anything more complicated if we are invited somewhere. I think I will mostly need help only with buttons each day, and the maintenance of my clothes.”
“Very good, ma’am.” The maid left Mary to bathe with a promise to return in a half hour to help with her buttons and to set her hair. “After all, it is yer first dinner in yer new ‘ome, ma’am. No ‘arm in lookin yer best.”
About an hour away, Mr Darcy’s other carriage entered the property of Hawthorne Vale. “How far are we from the house now that we have entered the park?” Elizabeth asked.
“Perhaps five minutes,” Matthew–as he had asked to be called by his wife and new sister–answered.
Elizabeth and Kitty had learnt a great deal from Matthew Denny about Hawthorne Vale and his family background.
Matthew was an emergency attempt for an heir late in his father’s life after his elder brother had died in a duel.
His father, widowed and no longer in his prime, married the likeliest young lady in his village and wasted no time getting a son from her.
Matthew Denny had been raised under impossible standards, standards which his brother Michael supposedly met, at least in the eyes of their father. “I will never understand it,” he confided in his wife and her sister while traveling in the carriage.
“You might as well both know, you must live in the house with us, you will learn it all eventually. My brother was a scoundrel. He ruined numerous girls, daughters of gentlemen, to say nothing of his behaviour towards women of the lower orders. He drank and gambled to excess, ruined horse after horse with his drunken abuse. My father’s estate was still in debt from his excesses when I entered the militia, and Michael had been dead for more than twenty-five years.
According to my mother, our servants, and others who knew our family well, I excelled in every area in which Michael did not, academically, as well as in areas of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
But my father, who loved his first son more than anything, despite his faults, learned eventually to his detriment during my adolescence that I would never be Michael… and he will never forgive me for it.”
Mr Denny senior coped by sending Matthew away to school. When he came home from university a man, wishing to work with his father on their estate, he was purchased a commission and sent away again. That had been two years ago.
“To my understanding, since my mother died not long after my departure for the militia, my father has allowed the estate to fall into neglect, and the income is less than half of the four thousand a year that it was five years ago.”
“Whatever is wrong, we will fix it,” Kitty placed her hand comfortingly upon her new husband’s forearm. “We will fix it together.”
“If there is anything I may do to be useful, you can certainly count upon me,” Elizabeth promised.
“We are approaching the house now.” Matthew said.
Elizabeth rolled her shoulders and neck in anticipation of being freed from the carriage. “As much as I suspect I shall miss Mr Darcy’s carriage once it is gone, I cannot deny that I am all anticipation to escape it now for a long walk.”
“I cannot blame you. My father’s carriage is not so comfortable by half.
” Matthew smiled. “I cannot deny that such generous wedding gifts, not only the use of his London home and his carriage, but also his theatre box…well…they made me quite uncomfortable. I would never refuse, Mr Darcy is not the sort of man to which I would deny anything…but…I do not know him well. He is at least five years older than I, and our families have never been close.”
“I believe that is why.” Elizabeth nodded encouragingly as Matthew looked up at her in interest. “Your father is ill, and it is known that your estate needs work. You are soon to be another young landowner in his neighbourhood. I think Mr Darcy wishes to be your friend.”
“He is so stuffy, I adore Miss Darcy, but I should be terrified to entertain him as a hostess.” Kitty looked green at the thought.
“He is reserved, but engaging and kind when he decides he is comfortable near you,” Elizabeth reassured her sister. “I believe that he is shy, though it sounds ridiculous for such a man.”
“Well the friendship of a man like Mr Darcy is welcome. He is known to be knowledgeable about estates and tenant problems, and he seems like a good person,” Matthew finished as the carriage stopped in front of the house.
There were no servants waiting, and so the driver jumped down to open the door of the carriage and lower the step, then pounded upon the front door of the house while Matthew handed down first Kitty, then Elizabeth.
The door opened to reveal a housekeeper in middle age with a sour expression. “Yes?”
“Good afternoon, madam. I am Captain Matthew Denny, and this is my wife, Mrs Denny, and her sister, Miss Bennet. We are expected.”
“Are you sure?” the woman wrinkled her nose rudely. “The master has said nothing.”
“Excuse me, but who are you?” Matthew demanded.
“I am Mrs Chalton, the housekeeper at Hawthorne Vale.”
“What has happened to Mrs Macleod?” Matthew asked in surprise. “Have you not received my correspondence relating to the house?”
“I have, but the master gives the orders here, not relations who send letters,” Mrs Chalton replied, unruffled. “Mrs Macleod was dismissed six months ago.”
Elizabeth began to wonder if they would be admitted at all when another carriage pulled in up to the house. An elderly man stepped out and Matthew hurried over to embrace him.
“Walters! You must come and meet my wife! Kitty, this is my godfather, my father’s oldest friend, Fred Walters. Walters, my wife, Mrs Catherine Denny, and her sister Miss Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire.”
“Your wife, eh, Matthew! That is new. You will have to tell me all about yourself, Mrs Denny, it is lovely to meet you. Matthew, you were smart to come with a wife, you will need all the help you can get.” The gentleman bowed to the ladies.
“It remains to be seen if we will even obtain entrance to the house,” Matthew glared at Mrs Chalton.
“Madam, I sincerely hope you completed the arrangements that I requested three days ago,” Mr Walters addressed the housekeeper as he pushed her out of the way of the door and led them inside. A young footman appeared to take their outerwear and another went outside to help unload their trunks.
“The master requested no-” Mrs Chalton began only to be cut off by the older man.
“Damnation, woman, I told you that your future master was arriving today!” Mr Walters exclaimed.
“Now, you know as well as I that your master will be lucky to last another fortnight, and he is out of his damned mind with intolerable pain and senile foolishness! Now, cease making everything more difficult! Go and send tea to the drawing room, and make those rooms ready at once! No more games, Mrs Chalton. Prepare the master and mistress suite at the end of the east wing that belonged to Captain Denny’s grandparents, and there are family chambers in that wing that will suit Miss Bennet admirably.
Now make your future master comfortable if you wish to keep your job, woman! ”
With an expression that looked as if she were sucking lemons, Mrs Chalton curtsied and left them.
Three hours later, Elizabeth accompanied Kitty and Matthew to the master’s chamber to meet Mr Denny. Matthew had already been in earlier, Elizabeth had heard shouts all the way from the east wing. It did not sound like Mr Denny was happy that his son was returned to him.
The frail old man sat up in his stained nightshirt against his pillows as Kitty and Elizabeth were introduced to him by his son.
“So.” he said. “This is the child you brought home to help you fix Hawthorne Vale.”
Kitty curtsied perfectly. “I am happy to attend you, sir.”
“Happy?” The old man cackled. “Anxious is how you ought to feel. You have married into ruin and decay.”
Elizabeth noticed Matthew stiffen, ready to step in if his father became too sardonic. His father waved a withered, trembling hand. “You will find nothing as it ought to be here, girl…no order…no money…no respect…certainly not mine.”
“I have respect for my husband as he does for me. It will be enough.” Kitty’s chin jerked higher.
Elizabeth saw herself in her younger sister for just a moment, and felt pride as her sister’s courage rose with the old man’s attempt to intimidate her.
“I did not come to command order, money, or respect. I came to care for my husband, and for you.”
“You will not be the first to try and fail, as I have failed, as he has failed me.” The old man waved a hand, dismissing them.
“I will not fail,” Kitty promised. “He is not so very difficult to care for. I find it quite easy to respect and esteem my husband. The deficiency must be all on your part, sir. But take heart, for you have another chance, and you should not let it pass by, for time is scarce.”
“Balderdash,” the old man spat. “You still have not said why you are here, boy.”
“You know why he is here.” Mr Walters took up a chair by the bed. “I told you I wrote to him. You know that your time is short, Joseph.”
“I know? Ha! What do you know!” Mr Denny grumbled.
“I know that I have been your friend all your life and your physician for the last forty years. If that is not a tumour in your stomach, my friend, well, I hate to break this to you, but you will probably give birth to the messiah soon.” Mr Walters said in the dry way Elizabeth had seen her father interact with his friends.
She had not noticed the bulge before Mr Walters said it, it could have been the bedclothes or even a pillow for the old man’s comfort, but she realised that if that bulge was his stomach, that the man must have a terrible cancer indeed.
The four of them took their leave of Mr Denny and left to dine downstairs. Elizabeth noted Kitty’s and Denny’s tightly clasped hands as she descended the stairs behind them, and wondered what her sister was getting herself into.
The following day, the war started between Mr Denny senior, his servants, and Kitty and Matthew.
Elizabeth woke early and walked for nearly an hour before she turned back, starving.
She returned to her room and dressed, then met the others downstairs for breakfast. Except no breakfast was laid, and the breakfast room was freezing.
“Mrs Chalton?” Matthew called as the housekeeper passed by the door of the breakfast room. “Why is there no breakfast and no fires this morning?”
“I was told the new mistress was in charge, but she ordered no breakfast,” Mrs Chalton sneered.
Kitty gasped.
“Now you have done it.” Mr Walters shook his head as a vein began to throb at Matthew’s temple.
“Do you mean to tell me that my wife and I arrived just yesterday to learn that my father is dying, quite soon, I might add, of a deforming and painful cancer, and you chose not to lay fires or plan a breakfast today because Mrs Denny has not yet found the time to take over management of this house in less than eighteen hours?”
Mrs Chalton blanched. That was indeed, exactly what she had intended, though the insult had obviously not landed at all how she thought it might. She had meant to make the new mistress look childish and inexperienced. Instead she had made herself look resentful and petty.
“Mrs Chalton, you are dismissed without a reference.” Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose in anxiety as if he were suffering a headache, and Elizabeth would not have been surprised if he was.
“But sir!” The woman straightened up in alarm.
“Oh, Matthew, do not dismiss her!” Kitty begged.
“My father is upstairs dying, and our housekeeper is already making our lives difficult and miserable in an effort to make you look incompetent, Mrs Denny,” her husband returned in frustration.
“Oh dear, I can see that you are right, but it will be so difficult to manage without any housekeeper at all! I am sure that she did just as you said, and it was an appalling thing to do, but she has not learnt yet that we mean no harm! Mrs Chalton is only showing her loyalty for your father.” Kitty turned to the housekeeper.
“I should like the chance to earn your loyalty, if you would consider it, Mrs Chalton. Of course, with my father-in-law so ill, it might be some days before I can learn everything about Hawthorne Vale, but I hope you will manage things that I do not have time to oversee until you and I go over everything and come to an accord.”
“Mrs Chalton, it goes against my better judgement after your display of disrespect, but if it pleases my wife to give you a second chance, I hope you will strive to deserve it.” Matthew gestured to the cold and barren breakfast room.
“Please send someone to light the fires, and send us tea and something to sustain us in the parlour until breakfast is served. It need not be lavish, only hot and nourishing.”