Quarantine
Elizabeth’s father was such a confusing man that she vacillated between loving him intensely and hating him with the same fervour.
An excellent question, Lizzy! I manage to spend most of my time in my library with no steward without the estate falling into ruin, because I know who to trust and how far to trust them.
I will admit I could have done much better.
I should really have left you girls with bigger dowries, and better educations, but that is a different matter.
Think on this! Your mother spends an hour or two with Hill to get one of her dinners.
I can get the same in five minutes by simply telling Mrs Hill what I want to eat and getting out of her way.
Subordinates thrive on trust and responsibility in just the right amounts.
Too much and you can be overwhelmed or cheated.
Too little and they will not strive for you.
Learn that balancing act and you shall know how to act.
Mr Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character.
Twenty years had left Elizabeth with better understanding than her poor befuddled mother, but only marginally.
Mr Bennet had not done what was considered a father’s duty by providing dowries for his daughters, but was it possible he considered that akin to selling them to the highest bidder?
Did he want to weed out the inevitable fortune hunters in advance?
Might he have some money set aside that nobody knew about?
It was certainly the wrong time to be thinking about such things, so Elizabeth resolved to take the good and disregard the bad in her father’s advice.
She pulled Miss Darcy aside. “That was badly done! You place me in a very awkward position. I will ascribe this to your youth and inexperience, and I will help you, but you need to accept that I am helping you. I am not the mistress of this estate.”
She felt just a touch guilty when she saw the look of mortification on Miss Darcy’s face and saw her pale and shake a bit in fear.
“Courage, Miss Darcy—courage. I am not especially angry; I just want you to understand. I am happy to be of help, but you must learn from the experience.”
Returning to the crowd, Elizabeth raised her voice to carry over the din.
“I am Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and I am assisting Miss Darcy because I have some experience with measles and the management of large groups. I also need to tell you that much of Sudbury has burned a few hours ago, and we expect fifty or sixty visitors. We need to prepare for them. We shall also need to deal with the measles cases you have seen, and they are not likely to be the last. Shall we begin?”
Everyone nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm and looked to her.
“I am new here and do not know anybody, so may I ask who the leaders are outside the house?”
A handsome man of about five-and-twenty stepped forward. “Robert Breton, ma’am. I am the stable master.”
A rugged man of fifty stepped forward. “Johan Smith, ma’am. I am kennel master.”
A third man, perhaps forty, bowed. “James Barrington; head gardener.”
Elizabeth asked curiously, “Where is the steward?”
“Our luck is dreadful,” Georgiana replied. “Mr Knight went to visit his family for a week. It is unusual for Fitzwilliam and Mr Knight to be gone at the same time, but not unheard of for short periods.”
“These things happen. Your family has held this land for centuries. I have no doubt your brother left plenty of capable people to manage his estate. If I were not here at all, someone would step forward who knows what to do. If you chose one of these men by lot, you would be fine.”
Georgiana looked at her sceptically but lacked the courage to contradict her new friend.
Mr Barrington, the gardener, said quietly, “If I may make a suggestion?”
“Pray do.”
“I’ve six gardeners, ma’am. Breton and Smith have perhaps a dozen or so between them. I suggest we defer to Breton for everything outside the house. Should be simpler for you, ma’am.”
Elizabeth looked at Georgiana. “Miss Darcy?”
At first, Georgiana looked frightened; then she swallowed hard, straightened, and laughed nervously. “I believe Mr Breton was practically tossed into Fitzwilliam ‘s cradle as a babe. They have been nearly inseparable since. I concur with Mr Barrington.”
Elizabeth sighed at having the first problem solved, for she was only a fingers-width less nervous than Miss Darcy; one of the smaller fingers at that.
She was very tempted to tell her to just put Mr Breton in charge, but it seemed unlikely he would know what needed to be done inside the house or with the ill.
She looked around. “Downstairs? I understand the butler and housekeeper are upstairs with the measles?”
A woman and man, both around thirty, came forward. “I am Jason Lovel, the head footman. This is my wife, Martha Lovel, the cook. I believe we can manage affairs.”
Elizabeth looked to Georgiana, who nodded, then tried to signal her to speak but abandoned the effort after a few seconds.
She sighed resignedly and got down to business.
“We will have much to do over the next several days. The most important task is ensuring measles does not spread to anybody else, especially the villagers. To do that, we must quarantine the sick and keep them from the rest. I have read quite a lot about measles, and nearly died from it myself, so I know what to do.”
She turned to Miss Darcy and asked loudly enough to carry, since everyone would hear it either firsthand or through gossip, “Has the apothecary or a physician been by?”
“There are cases in several estates and villages, but he did manage to visit, and is satisfied with our quarantine.”
“Very well, let it remain so. Did he suggest anything else?”
Georgiana started listing his instructions for caring for the invalids. Elizabeth was content that they were mostly sensible—though a bit timid, in her estimation—and already being implemented.
“Pray raise your hands if you have known measles and are willing to care for the invalids.”
Perhaps a dozen raised their hands; she was satisfied with the numbers.
Georgiana added, “There are two maids upstairs tending them now, and a footman doing the fetching and carrying.”
“Good, good—” Elizabeth nodded and addressed the group.
“This situation is unusual, but not unprecedented. Those of you who have been here for decades, I am sure, have seen worse. For safety’s sake, those of you on nursing duty must go to the guest wing and stay there.
Miss Darcy, might we organise some of the guest rooms as quarters for those doing the nursing? ”
“Of course!”
“Very well. Let us mark the passage clearly. Nobody goes in or out of that wing for a week or two… at least while the villagers are here. We shall dedicate the entire wing to nursing. Agreed?”
Everyone agreed, and the half-dozen who had volunteered for the duty left to go about it.
A maid of forty stepped forward. “If you please, ma’am.
I did some nursing in the war. If you allow it, I shall take charge of those in the sickrooms. I have known measles and treated it from time to time. It was common among the soldiers.”
Elizabeth breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked to Georgiana, who nodded enthusiastically. Elizabeth thought the woman should have been on task two days earlier, but better late than never.
“What is your name?”
“Jenny Humphries, ma’am. I am widowed, and my children grown. I shall do my best.”
“Very well, Mrs Humphries. Keep the windows open, and the fires going. The idea that shut-up rooms are healthy is foolish. Make sure everyone has clean linens and night clothes. Change them regularly; either burn the old ones or place them to be washed by staff who have known measles. Make sure everyone gets water and broth and is kept as clean as you can. Beyond that, they must fight the disease themselves. If a physician arrives with bleeding tools, set the dogs on him, but draughts from the apothecary might not be amiss. They have to fight the disease themselves, so all you can do is keep up their strength.”
Mrs Humphries smiled at both the humour and the trust she was being shown.
“I shall assign footmen to carry wood, food, and water to the border. Disposing of waste could be a problem, though.”
“There is an outside staircase at the end of the wing,” Georgiana said. “It is rarely used, being awkwardly placed. Perhaps Mr Breton could dig a latrine back there just for the waste from the invalids?”
Elizabeth nodded. Mr Breton had quietly joined them.
“I shall see to it, ladies,” Breton said calmly. “There is time, so on to more pressing matters.”
Elizabeth gave further instructions before excusing Mrs Humphries.
Nothing must be shared between the invalids and the rest of the household.
Between them, they determined that everything from cooking pots to water buckets to chamber pots would never be shared between the groups unless boiled first.
Finally satisfied the decisions were well in hand, she sent Mrs Humphries to her duties, while Mr Breton delegated tasks for the stable or garden staff.
“Now, we must prepare for the villagers,” Elizabeth said. “Mr Breton, I assume you can send someone to purchase supplies on credit?”
“Of course,” Georgiana answered. “Spend as much as necessary. My brother will not begrudge the funds.”
Elizabeth surprised herself with her sharp, instinctive reply. “Of course he will not!”
Georgiana, not quite content, said, “Do not be timid. He will be most cross if we have not done all that is proper for a man of his consequence. Spend freely. We would not wish to appear miserly, would we?”
Elizabeth enjoyed the small smile Miss Darcy added to that last bit of impertinence; the young lady might be recovering from her shock. She turned to Mr Breton, who nodded vigorously.
“Very well, Mr Breton. Let us set to work. Send some wagons to the village… ah… Lambton, I suppose?”
He nodded again.
“Assume the villagers will have nothing. Get bedding: as much as you can, of any quality available. Have you straw to lay down?”
He nodded.
“Very well, then sheets and blankets. If one of your men can bring a wife or mother, have them fetch the other necessities. Nightclothes for adults and children, but only what is available quickly. Any ready-made gowns or trousers you can find. Perhaps some bolts of cloth and sewing materials so they can make what is lacking. Some simple medicines from the apothecary, especially for coughs and burns.”
“Easily done, Miss Bennet. My mother is quite sensible, and lives in Lambton.”
“Food, then. Get a side of beef or a hog, unless you can butcher one from the home farm. Some grain for porridge. Flour and sugar. Speak with Mrs Lovel and get what she needs. I believe all of us except those nursing can eat with the villagers. I recommend simple food, and plenty of it, and the cooking must begin soon.”
“I can make a list for your man, Robert,” Mrs Lovel said. “Give me a quarter of an hour.”
“With your permission, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth added, “perhaps some treats. Sweetmeats for the children. A few inexpensive toys or books. Wine, brandy, and tobacco for the adults. Fresh bread. Bring whatever the baker has left and bid him deliver more each day.”
Georgiana nodded enthusiastically. “Do not stint, Mr Breton. Let us be generous.”
Elizabeth raised her voice.
“One final matter. You know the invalids. The disease can be hidden for up to a week, so if you have been near anyone sick in the last week, you must not come into contact with the villagers. Do not work in the kitchen or get within two paces of them. Is that understood?”
Everyone nodded or murmured assent. They had done all they could.
“Shall we inspect your ballroom, Miss Darcy?”