The Companion Page 3

  When Elizabeth left the breakfast table, the Lucas sisters followed her to her room, Charlotte to help her pack, while Maria’s intentions seemed to consist more of questioning Elizabeth, with the requisite amount of awe, as to her decision to go to Rosings.

  “I am shocked you would consider such an appointment, Lizzy,” said the young girl. “I would have thought you valued your independence.”

  “I do, Maria,” said Elizabeth. “It is only for a short time, and only as a favor to Lady Catherine. I have no intention of searching for employment in the future.”

  It was clear the girl had no true understanding, but at least she became silent, nominally assisting Elizabeth in packing her personal effects, though in reality, she was little help. She was much more engaged in looking at Elizabeth, studying her as if she had never met her before.

  “I am sorry to be leaving you, Charlotte,” said Elizabeth to her friend as they worked. “I came to Kent to visit you, after all. It seems like I am abandoning you.”

  “Do not concern yourself, Lizzy,” replied Charlotte. She smiled and laid a hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “I know you well enough to deduce that you accepted Lady Catherine’s request with great reluctance. I am aware of the lady’s character, and I do not doubt there was little option of refusing her.”

  “I would never dare refuse anything Lady Catherine asked of me!” squeaked Maria. Elizabeth and Charlotte looked at the girl and then burst out laughing.

  “No, Maria, I cannot imagine you would. You should be grateful that Lady Catherine saw fit to ask me. I cannot imagine what you would have done had you been singled out for this honor.”

  It was quite beyond Maria’s capacity to say or hear anything against Lady Catherine, but a moment’s thought on the matter brought her to the correct conclusion, and she nodded slowly.

  “I believe you are correct, Lizzy.”

  A knock sounded on the door, and Elizabeth called out permission to enter. Charlotte’s maid entered and curtseyed.

  “If it please you, mum, a carriage has arrived from Rosings and is waiting outside.”

  Elizabeth shared a look—which in Elizabeth’s case was more of a grimace—with Charlotte, before she turned and addressed the girl. “Tell the driver I shall be down directly.”

  With a curtsey, the maid left the room.

  “Then let us see you to the carriage, so you may be on your way.”

  “Oh Charlotte!” said Elizabeth, engulfing her friend in an embrace. “I shall miss you, indeed! I should never have agreed to this.”

  “Nonsense! At the very least, I think it will be educational for you, and I cannot help but think Miss de Bourgh will benefit from your disposition. We shall still see each other frequently.”

  Though a little misty eyed, Elizabeth smiled at her friend. “I shall make it a point to come to the parsonage frequently when I am out on my walks.”

  Charlotte frowned. “Are you certain Lady Catherine will not take offense at you walking out so far?”

  “She does not have a choice,” replied Elizabeth with a laugh. “I have already told her so. Since I will be attending her daughter, I will curtail them to a certain extent and not range nearly so far as usual, but I will not give them up completely. Lady Catherine may accept that, or she may find someone else.”

  “Only you, Lizzy,” replied Charlotte, shaking her head.

  The manservant was called, and Elizabeth’s trunks were conveyed downstairs and loaded onto the waiting carriage. When Elizabeth stepped out of the house, she was met by a young woman in Rosings’ livery, who curtseyed and greeted Elizabeth with evident respect.

  “Miss Bennet. My name is Tilly, and I have been sent to accompany you to Rosings.”

  “Hello, Tilly,” replied Elizabeth. “Thank you for this civility. I know you were pulled from your usual duties to be of use to me.”

  “Oh, no!” said Tilly, her eyes widening. “I have been assigned to be your maid while you are with us. It is my pleasure and duty to accompany you today.”

  “My maid?” asked Elizabeth.

  “Yes. Lady Catherine has made it clear that you will be required to attend Miss de Bourgh, and that your needs must be seen to in order to allow you to uphold your duties.”

  What had seemed like a generous and thoughtful offer to see to her needs while she was at Rosings was revealed to be Lady Catherine’s way of assuring that Elizabeth would be able to do little but spend every waking moment in Miss de Bourgh’s company. A glance at Charlotte revealed that her friend had come to the same conclusion, but they did not voice their suspicions, instead allowing rolled eyes and smiles to pass between them. There was nothing further to be said.

  Elizabeth said good bye to the sisters, promising to visit them frequently, and stepped into the carriage for the short ride to Rosings. As they were traveling, Elizabeth was pleased to note that Tilly seemed to be a little in awe of her and was content to remain silent, which suited Elizabeth well. The fields passed by too quickly, and soon they were pulling to a stop before Rosings. Elizabeth had always allowed it to be a handsome building, but she thought it suffered from a sense of overdone formality demanded by its mistress.

  When they stopped, the footman reached into the carriage to hand Elizabeth and then Tilly out, and they stood on the front drive, Elizabeth noting that the servants were efficient, as her personal effects were already being unloaded from the vehicle. There was nothing to do but go inside, the estate stairs looming up before her like the climb to a high peak, while the inside of the house seemed dark and dreary, a dungeon, rather than the house of a high-ranking and wealthy woman.

  “Miss Bennet,” said a voice, and Lady Catherine stepped from one of the hallways, approaching her, straight-backed and proud in her gaudy finery. “I see you have come. If you will follow me, I will show you to the room you will occupy while you are with us.”

  With a softly spoken word of thanks, Elizabeth followed Lady Catherine up the stairs, determined to avoid thinking of the reason why the lady might have chosen to perform this task herself rather than delegating it to the housekeeper. The curved stairway was as fine as any Elizabeth had seen, but when she reached the second floor, she was surprised to note that though much of the wood finish was carved into ostentatious ornamental patterns, there was little in the way of décor which she might deem as grandiose as much of the first floor was. In fact, it appeared more like a normal home above stairs—large and with more to show than a smaller house like Longbourn, but at least it would not hurt the eyes to look on it.

  “You have been housed in the family wing,” said Lady Catherine as they walked. “Anne is situated in one of the family suites as is her right, but I have chosen to place you in the apartment next to hers. There is no adjoining door between them, but it should be no bother for you to walk a short distance down the hall to reach Anne’s rooms.”

  “Of course not,” murmured Elizabeth. “I am certain I shall be quite comfortable in the apartments to which you have assigned me.”

  “Very well,” replied the lady. Then she continued in an almost offhand tone: “I have always felt the distinction of rank should be preserved, and as such, it might have been more proper to house you with the servants. Mrs. Jenkinson was housed in very fine rooms below stairs, but I assume you would not be accustomed to such surroundings. Thus, I judged the chamber next to Anne’s to be the best.”

  Whatever good will Lady Catherine had accrued with the implied kindness of housing Elizabeth next to her daughter was undone by the suggestion that she might have been relegated to the servants’ quarters. Elizabeth could only shake her head and bite her tongue to prevent herself from letting loose a caustic retort. Such incivility would have caused Elizabeth to depart the estate forthwith, and no amount of cajoling would have induced her to return.

  When the door was opened—Tilly had scurried after them and darted forward to open the door when they approached—Lady Catherine stepped into the room wi
th Elizabeth following. She found herself in a sitting-room which was not expansive, but still comfortable, small enough to heat efficiently with the lone fireplace, set into the far wall between a pair of windows. The room was decorated with a green wallpaper which had hints of yellows and blues in it, and while it was perhaps a little too dark for Elizabeth’s taste, it was still acceptable. There were an armchair and a sofa sitting near the fireplace and a desk against the left wall, all made of heavy dark woods and carved with filigree.

  “This is your sitting-room, Miss Bennet,” said Lady Catherine, quite unnecessarily in Elizabeth’s opinion. “I hope you will find it quite comfortable while you are here.”

  Elizabeth dutifully replied that it was a lovely room, to which Lady Catherine responded by leading her through the door on the right wall into the next room beyond. It was decorated much the same as the sitting-room, the furniture being the same, heavy style, though the wallpaper was a lighter shade of green. The late morning sun shone in through the large windows, illuminating all in its bright light, and Elizabeth thought the room was quite handsome in that it gave her lots of sunlight, which illuminated the soft colors.

  “I trust this meets your satisfaction?”

  A note of asperity in the lady’s voice alerted Elizabeth to Lady Catherine’s annoyance, and she realized she had not said anything yet in response to what she had seen. In Elizabeth’s defense, she had become accustomed to the woman speaking without requiring a response, but she nevertheless hastened to correct her incivility.

  “Of course, Lady Catherine, I thank you. They are handsome rooms, indeed, and I have no doubt I will be quite comfortable in them.”

  The lady huffed, though the severity left her demeanor. “I am happy to hear it. Now, Miss Bennet, you should take the rest of the morning to become familiar with your surroundings. As you have no doubt already learned, Tilly is to attend you while you are with us. She may see your dresses are hung and your effects distributed as appropriate. I have ordered a light luncheon to be served at an hour after noon, and I will expect you to be punctual.”

  “I understand,” said Elizabeth.

  “Tilly can show you the way if you are yet unfamiliar with the house. After luncheon, I will ensure you are shown the principle rooms, and I will expect you to learn how to navigate your way through my domain quickly. It will be essential for you to know where everything is in the house for you to be an effective companion for my daughter.”

  “That will not be any trouble, Lady Catherine,” replied Elizabeth.

  “Then I will leave you to it. Remember that if you require anything, or if you need directions for the nonce, Tilly may provide it. I will see you in the dining room for luncheon.”

  Then the lady turned on her heel and departed, Elizabeth contemplating her as she left. She turned and looked about the room, thinking that in this, at least, she would be comfortable. The coming month would no doubt be lacking in other virtues, but she would make the best of it, as she always did.

  The memory of Charlotte’s words concerning Mr. Collins returned to Elizabeth’s mind, and she shook her head. Perhaps it was time to soften her opinion concerning Lady Catherine. That was certainly preferable to expecting the worst, and less hazardous to her good humor, as well.

  With that thought in mind, Elizabeth turned to speak to Tilly, who was already stowing her belongings.

  Chapter III

  At the appointed time, Elizabeth descended the stairs and sought the smaller parlor Lady Catherine used for the breakfast and noon meals. Though it was near to the larger dining room Elizabeth had seen on prior invitations to dinner, Elizabeth had not seen the room previously, and she looked about with interest when she entered. It contained the same heavy, ornamental furniture Elizabeth by now knew Lady Catherine preferred, but it was a brighter, sunnier room than the dining room, as well as being much smaller.

  On the way to the parlor—Tilly had accompanied her, seeming to think it was her responsibility to ensure Elizabeth arrived unscathed—Elizabeth made the comment that the parlor must be more agreeable for smaller gatherings which consisted of only Lady Catherine and her daughter. Tilly had surprised Elizabeth with her answer, though after the fact she knew she should have known it in advance.

  “Oh no, Miss Bennet,” said the girl. “Though Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh usually eat their early day meals in the parlor, dinner is reserved strictly for the dining room.”

  “That seems unnecessary,” replied Elizabeth. “Surely using the dining room must be more difficult for the staff.”

  “I do not know,” replied the faithful maid, “for I have been an upstairs maid since I came to Rosings. But I believe Lady Catherine considers it her duty and that of her daughter to maintain formality during dinner.”

  Elizabeth had no response to that. It seemed like Tilly was quite in awe of the great lady and would not take well to anything even remotely unflattering being said about her, so Elizabeth simply changed the subject. She asked about the girl herself, and though Tilly seemed a little embarrassed, she chattered on readily enough about her family having been retainers at Rosings for many generations. Thus, she learned that the girl’s father was the head stable hand, her mother worked in the kitchens, and her elder brother was one of the gardeners.

  “Miss Bennet,” greeted Lady Catherine when Elizabeth stepped into the parlor. “I see you have joined us punctually. That is well, for one who forgets the time is almost always deficient in many other ways.”

  “I have always tended toward promptness myself,” replied Elizabeth, deciding there was nothing else to be said.

  “Excellent. Then we shall not be at odds in that respect.”

  Though Elizabeth was a little concerned at the inference that they would be at odds on other subjects, she was given no time to think on the matter, as Lady Catherine gestured toward her daughter, who was seated close by.

  “Come here, Anne,” said the lady. As Anne approached, she turned back to Elizabeth and nodded. “Though I know you were previously introduced, I would like to do so again properly. Anne, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who will be your companion for the next several weeks. Miss Bennet, this is my daughter, Anne, who will rely on you for companionship.”

  The two women curtseyed to each other, and when Miss de Bourgh stood up straight again, Elizabeth attempted to gain a better understanding of her. She was thin and pale, it was true, her hair pulled back in the usual style, though that style seemed a little severe to Elizabeth. She was dressed in the same kind of costly elaborate dress which Lady Catherine herself wore, and as she was small of stature, she was almost swallowed up in it. Though Elizabeth’s first impression had been of a girl who was thin, almost to the point of being emaciated, this introduction told Elizabeth that she could not really determine the woman’s figure, as the dress she wore was far too voluminous. Her arms were quite slender, though, indicating that she was not blessed with an excess of curves. In addition, her skin was fair and pale to the point of being translucent, leading Elizabeth to believe that she almost never ventured out into the sun. Moreover, she was quiet and spoke only in monosyllables, though whether that indicated reticence or overwhelming pride, Elizabeth could not say.

  “Come,” said Lady Catherine, turning them toward the table, “let us eat our luncheon. There are many things we need to discuss.”

  They sat and Lady Catherine motioned to the attending footman to begin serving. Elizabeth sat across the table from Miss de Bourgh, with Lady Catherine at the head as was her custom, and for a few moments nothing of substance was said. That changed as the younger lady soon spoke to Elizabeth.

  “I wish to thank you for your assistance, Miss Bennet,” said Anne “I know your purpose in coming to Kent was to visit with Mrs. Collins, and I am sensible that agreeing to stay with me will curtail your time with your friend. I am grateful for your sacrifice.”

  It was by far the longest speech Elizabeth had ever heard from the taci
turn young woman, and she was forced to mask a certain level of surprise that she could be so verbose. Then Elizabeth chastised herself—no one could possibly be silent and uncommunicative at all times, and though Miss de Bourgh was coddled and kept in a gilded cage by her mother’s domineering ways, she was just another woman.

  Furthermore, though it seemed as if Lady Catherine was about to say something, likely a rebuttal of her daughter’s assertions, she checked herself at the last moment, no doubt wishing to hear how Elizabeth would respond.

  “It is no trouble, Miss de Bourgh,” said Elizabeth. Though she had not much reason to think well of Miss de Bourgh, there was no reason to be unkind. Perhaps she could provide some relief to the young woman from her mother’s force of will. “I am certain there will still be many opportunities to visit with Charlotte.”

  Lady Catherine’s lips tightened at Elizabeth’s words, but she declined to say anything—for the moment, at least. The footmen produced the meal at that time, so for a short time the three women busied themselves with filling their plates. The scents of the fare put before them was tantalizing, and whatever else Lady Catherine was, Elizabeth was forced to acknowledge that her kitchens produced foods as tempting as any she had ever experienced. They ate in silence for several moments, and Elizabeth thought it was the most pleasant time she had ever spent at Rosings.

  “Now,” said Lady Catherine after they had sated their immediate hunger, “there are some things you must understand about my management of this house and my expectations from Anne’s companion. You would do well to take heed to what I say, Miss Bennet.”

  It was too much to ask, Elizabeth supposed, for Lady Catherine to be silent for more than a few moments at a time. Though she had little desire to listen to the woman’s instructions, she decided there was nothing to do but attend her.