Chapter 4 Arrangements #2
Either unaware, or more likely uncaring, of the consternation his words caused the mistress, Knight continued, “For this quarter, I feel it only fair to add seventeen shillings sixpence for the eight days you have already been married.”
Elizabeth huffed at the sheer pettiness of the statement and spoke with an edge to her voice. “Is it your contention that an estate that brings in a reputed ten thousand per annum needs to budget the mistress’ allowance to the penny?”
Not liking her surly tone, he said, “There is no other way to look at it. What do you suggest I round to? The nearest pound? The nearest shilling? I was instructed that your pin money is forty pounds, not forty-one, not thirty-nine. If you take offence with simple arithmetic, I cannot satisfy you with anything other than a suggestion you consult your husband.”
“My husband may as well not exist, for all the good he is likely to do me,” Elizabeth said, proving the steward was not the only one who was not wise while angry.
Knight was clenching his own teeth by then. “Your dealings with your husband are your business, Mrs Darcy. Your dealings with this estate, until his return, are mine.”
Elizabeth abruptly stood and spoke in an icy voice. “Very well! You obviously know my husband better than I do, as I cannot account for any other reason for you to show such insolence to the mistress.”
Knight stood up and took a deep breath to defend himself, but he at least had enough manners not to interrupt a woman who was speaking.
Said mistress continued, “I am aware you do not think me to truly be mistress of this estate, and to be honest, you would not be wrong. Be that as it may, I swore a vow till death us do part. I would hope that time is a long way away, and for your sake, I suppose you should hope that I either remain in a position of helplessness when my husband returns, or that my forgiving nature forgets this conversation.”
Knight once again started to speak, but Elizabeth held up her hand to dissuade him.
“We are chasing shadows. To be honest, after a single meeting, I have not the slightest desire to speak to you ever again. You are free to think me unreasonable, grasping, greedy, silly, or whatever other adjectives come to mind—but I would strongly recommend you keep such thoughts either inside your head, or at least not spoken in a place where they could be repeated and damage my reputation. Keep in mind that damaging my reputation will likewise damage my husband’s reputation, and I am not entirely certain you want to rely on my husband’s current tendency to simply take your side on every discussion.
Like it or not, he is stuck with me for life. You cannot boast that security.”
Elizabeth was not certain exactly what made her say all that.
Partly it was the pressure of the last month coming to a head, and like a boil that needed to be lanced, Knight might have just been unlucky to be present when she finally lost her temper.
Partly it was the sheer pettiness of calculating her pin money to the penny, and the gloating, superior way he presented it, as if he were being magnanimous with the extra seventeen shillings and sixpence.
Perhaps—well, that was all speculation, and she would have several months for all the speculation she could stand.
For the moment, she just wanted the hated man out of her sight.
“Mr Knight, we are off to a poor start, but that is of no importance. I do not care about the pin money so much as the pettiness you seem to delight in, but that is also of no significance. What is important is that we do not spend our time butting heads, so here is what you will do. Assuming Pemberley is solvent enough to advance me the few pennies for a letter, I will pay all my own postage with the butler. You need not worry about it. Put a ten-pound banknote in an envelope and give it to Jennings before the first day of the quarter. He will give it to me on the first, and you and I need not speak again—ever!”
Knight bit back the response that came to mind.
He thought that anything he said was likely to make the mistress even angrier than she presently was, and the fact was, she was a beautiful woman, and the master was likely to notice that eventually.
The best thing would be to try to repair his disastrous start, but he had no idea if that were even possible at that point.
He was not even certain where things had gone so disastrously wrong, but only a fool would believe he had not killed his own prospects that day.
“I shall do as you say, madam. I offer my apologies and hope we may one day get along better.”
Elizabeth, still furious over everything concerning her marriage, snapped angrily, “We shall get along fine so long as you remain in your world and I in mine.”
With such an inauspicious beginning, Knight decided a retreat was called for.
He would certainly have to apologise more fulsomely to the mistress at some point, but knew he should think on the best way to do that and try the approach when she was less angry.
Anything he said that day would cause more harm than help.
He bowed. “I shall do as you ask, madam. Just know that you may call on me for anything you might need.”
Elizabeth just scoffed at the idea, but at least managed to keep it silent, and decided to at least finish the conversation in a ladylike manner.
“Any need seems unlikely, but I shall bear it in mind.”
Knight left the room, and Elizabeth wandered into the hall. She had not taken Mrs Reynolds up on her offer of a tour and was not very inclined to. She felt much closer to a prisoner in the house than its mistress, and she would worry about learning all about it when she was in a better mood.
She found Noah in the hallway awaiting her. She idly wondered if he had any other duties but was not concerned.
She smiled at the man nervously. “I should like to meet a few more of the maids and footmen, Noah. Not too many! Would you object to escorting me to my quarters, and you can introduce me to whoever we meet along the way? I believe I will go for a long walk now.”
Noah did not know how to react to the question, but he thought that he certainly liked Mrs Darcy more than any other lady of his acquaintance.
Fortunately, he did not need to understand any more than that the new Mrs Darcy was the kindest lady he ever met, and she had given him instruction.
He would obey, then fully report the interactions to Mr Jennings.
That way, everyone would either be happy, or at least unable to fault his compliance.
He introduced the mistress to three footmen and two maids before she arrived at her chamber.
Mrs Darcy thanked him for his escort, then entered the suite, calling for Molly. Apparently, she was to walk for a time.
The two women dressed warmly, with sturdy boots, and Elizabeth began her exploration of the Pemberley woods, which she expected to continue for some months. She could hardly wait for spring.