In the Wilds of Derbyshire Read online

  “But my father said there are some large estates in the vicinity.”

  “That is true.” Mr. Drummond paused and seemed to consider the matter for a few moments. “Though not all of them attend events at Lambton, there are a number of affluent families in the district. The closest to us are our neighbors to the north, the Darcys. At present, the family consists of naught but the master and his much younger sister.”

  “They are far too proud to associate with the likes of us,” said Mrs. Drummond with a derisive sniff.

  “I have always found Darcy perfectly unassuming,” contradicted Mr. Drummond. Elizabeth did not miss his wife’s annoyed glare, but if her uncle did, he ignored it. “His father before him was an excellent man, and Lady Anne Darcy was everything genteel and polite.

  “He does, however, possess connections to the nobility, as his mother was the daughter of the old Earl of Matlock. The Fitzwilliams live further to the south, and I have always found them to be excellent people too.”

  “It seems we have a little knowledge of your neighbors, Drummond,” said Mr. Bennet. “As you know, our Jane married a Mr. Bingley in January, and Mr. Bingley claims this Mr. Darcy as one of his closest friends. It seems Mr. Darcy was to come to Hertfordshire to assist his friend before a sudden change in plans kept him in Derbyshire.”

  “Then Jane has made a fortunate alliance,” replied Mr. Drummond. “Darcy does not bestow his friendship lightly, but when he does, it is immovable. He is highly regarded in London society, from what I understand, and his influence is extensive.”

  Elizabeth shared a glance with her father, and she was certain they both knew what the other was thinking. It may have been a fortunate alliance, but with Jane’s unforeseen behavior since her marriage, it was uncertain just how fortunate it was to the rest of the family.

  “As your father no doubt informed you,” continued Mr. Drummond, looking at Elizabeth, “I hope you will take Olivia under your wing and assist her transition into society.” Mr. Drummond paused, and she witnessed the first hint of self-consciousness in his manner. “Kingsdown is a small estate, and we must fend for ourselves to a large extent. Thus, Olivia has not had the opportunity to attend school, though we have educated her to the best of our abilities. If what my brother Bennet says is true, he considers you the most intelligent of his daughters, the most widely read, and the most educated.”

  Elizabeth looked down, feeling a little self-consciousness herself. “I do like to read, Uncle, though I cannot speak to my own education. Do you have a pianoforte?”

  “We do,” replied her uncle, “though it is an older instrument. Olivia plays a little, but she has not had masters, nor the opportunity for much practice.”

  “I would not consider myself a proficient,” said Elizabeth, “but I do like to play. Perhaps we may play together. I would be happy to help wherever required.”

  “Before you begin to plan to waste your time while you are here,” interjected Mrs. Drummond in a severe tone, “you should remember that this is a farm, and we all do our part. If you mean to while away your hours here on nothing more than the pianoforte and other such frivolous pursuits, then you may as well return to your idyllic existence with your father.”

  “Claire,” said Mr. Bennet, his eyes narrowed, “my Lizzy has never shirked her share of responsibility, but I did not bring her here to be your scullery maid.”

  “Of course, you did not,” added Mr. Drummond. His glare at his wife was even more pointed than his previous looks were, but she returned it with a mutinous glint.

  “I apologize, Bennet,” said Mr. Drummond, turning to Elizabeth’s father. “I did not bring you here under false pretenses. My primary motivation is to provide a good example for Olivia, as I have stated. There may be some occasion for Elizabeth to assist in the running of the farm, but I have no desire to fill her day with chores.”

  “I am capable of assisting, Uncle,” said Elizabeth, speaking hurriedly to relieve the tension. “I have assisted in the stillroom at Longbourn, and I visit the tenants regularly.”

  “There are only two tenants at Kingsdown, child,” sniffed Mrs. Drummond with disdain. “And they are well able to fend for themselves. We do the work of the farm here, and I have no doubt that your pretty little hands have never seen the kind of work we do. If you do not mean to help in the real work, then you should return to your home.”

  “That is enough, Mrs. Drummond,” growled Mr. Drummond. “We have already discussed this, and I will not have you plaguing our niece with this nonsense.”

  Though the tension in the room was thick, Elizabeth noted the lack of any reaction from the children. Edward, the eldest, watched behind a passive façade, while Olivia seemed almost annoyed. The younger boys were engaged in a game of their own and were not paying any attention, while Leah continued to cling to her sister’s side, watching all through wide eyes. Clearly, the Drummonds’ marriage was not any happier than Elizabeth’s own parents’ marriage was. But while Mr. and Mrs. Bennet tended to hide their lack of felicity behind her nerves and his sardonic amusement, it appeared the Drummonds often descended into open conflict.

  “I am certain it will all work out,” said Elizabeth. “As I said, I have no objection to assisting. If Olivia means to become comfortable in society, then we must have a certain amount of time to attend to those things she must learn.”

  Elizabeth turned to her aunt. “You might consider them frivolous, Aunt, but there are certain skills which are expected of a young gentlewoman, and Olivia must at least possess a passing familiarity with them.”

  “Olivia is not a gentlewoman,” snapped Mrs. Drummond.

  “I own an estate, do I not?” replied Mr. Drummond. Though he was a genial man, Elizabeth could see that his patience was almost exhausted. “I have tenants. Though I farm part of the land myself, that does not make me any less of a gentleman.”

  “You are as much a gentleman as any,” said Bennet. His own gaze at his sister warning her to cease her comments.

  It seemed like Mrs. Drummond realized that her husband and her brother were not to be pushed any further, for she looked away and did not speak again.

  “Then it is settled,” said Elizabeth, eager to leave the argument in the past. “I am very much looking forward to our time together.” Elizabeth looked at her young cousin warmly, gratified when Olivia returned her smile with a timid one of her own.

  “Excellent!” said Mr. Drummond. “Then perhaps we should all go in to dinner. There will be time for more conversation later.”

  They did as he suggested, and for a time, there was peace and harmony. Mrs. Drummond, however, was watchful, and Elizabeth thought that she herself was the primary target. There was, however, a liberal sprinkling of reproachful, even approaching disdainful, glances at her brother during the course of the meal. There was something strange happening, but Elizabeth, not knowing the whole of the history, could not understand it. Mrs. Drummond seemed to hold some sort of a grudge against her brother. Elizabeth hoped her time here would not be too uncomfortable, for if Mrs. Drummond continued in such a manner, it might very well be.

  Chapter IV

  Mr. Bennet did, indeed, stay in Derbyshire for a week complete. It was during this time that Elizabeth came to understand more of the family’s routine and was able to gain a certain insight into their characters, though much remained hidden.

  As it turned out, Elizabeth’s duties with respect to the house and its operation were less onerous than she thought Mrs. Drummond would have wished. Though she assisted in the gardens with the weeding and digging, most of her responsibilities revolved around the children, primarily the youngest girl. With the gardens, Elizabeth assisted without a hint of regret, for though they were vegetable in nature, rather than the flowers she and Jane had cared for at Longbourn, it was familiar work, and something she enjoyed. The seeds had only recently been planted, so there was little to do besides a little weeding, as most of the plants were in the
early stages of growth.

  Similarly, Elizabeth’s care of the younger children was not at all arduous, and she found that they were dear children. The boys were, confirming Elizabeth’s first impression, rambunctious and active, and part of her duties were to assist them in their studies, drilling them in math and reading their books with them. Mr. Drummond, she soon discovered, insisted that his children receive as much learning as he could provide, and when he discovered that Elizabeth was conversant with those subjects he had been teaching them himself, he was happy to cede their instruction to her.

  As for Leah, Elizabeth soon discovered that the girl was shy, but intelligent, sweet, yet with a mischievous streak of her own. She also seemed to view her mother with some hesitation, which was far from a normal healthy relationship between parent and child. Elizabeth could not quite understand a parent behaving in such a way as to make a child wary, but she soon came to understand that it was her aunt’s usual behavior.

  Elizabeth also soon learned that what her aunt had said when Elizabeth had first arrived was nothing more than the truth—everyone on the estate assisted with the work which needed to be done, even down to little Leah. The boys all assisted their father in the fields—Edward shouldering much of the work as the eldest—while Olivia and Leah helped in the house, whether it was cleaning, in the kitchens, or whatever else needed to be done.

  There actually were servants in the employ of the Drummonds, though not as many as Longbourn boasted, and they all performed several tasks. The maid, for example, also served as the housekeeper, in that she answered the door and planned much of the menus for their meals in addition to her duties cleaning and assisting the ladies when they dressed. They had a cook, but the girl who handled the cooking also helped in other aspects of the running of the house. There were also two farmhands who helped her uncle in the fields, the stables, and the other work such men often did, but one of them also acted as her uncle’s coachman, and the other did much of the carpentry and other assorted work which was done on the estate. And contrary to her aunt’s assertions, Olivia and Elizabeth visited the two tenants within a few days of her arrival, finding them to be pleasant people who seemed to be content with their lives.

  “You are different from what I expected,” said Olivia.

  After their visit to the two tenants, the two girls were walking back toward the manor house. Elizabeth had been thinking of the mystery of her uncle’s family when her cousin spoke and interrupted her thoughts.

  “Oh?” asked Elizabeth. “What did you expect?”

  The girl seemed a little embarrassed, but she lifted her chin and met Elizabeth’s eye. “My mother said that young gentlewomen are insufferably proud, and consider themselves to be quite above those beneath them.”

  “You are not beneath me, Olivia,” said Elizabeth. “Your father is a gentleman, though his estate is small. You must remember that my father is not a wealthy man either. By the strict interpretation, you and I are both the daughters of gentlemen, which makes us equal.”

  “I can see that now,” said Olivia. “I sometimes think . . .”

  “Yes?” asked Elizabeth when her cousin trailed off.

  Olivia ducked her head. “It is just that Mama is so very angry. She has been as long as I can remember. But are we not more fortunate than the tenants we just visited?”

  Elizabeth sighed. She did not wish to speak ill of her aunt to her aunt’s daughter, but she did not wish to speak falsehood to Olivia either.

  “I do not know what has happened in her life to make her so, Olivia,” said Elizabeth. “I do not understand it. If it is a matter of her station in life, I cannot see that it is very much lower than it was when she was living at Longbourn with my grandfather.”

  “I shall no longer listen to her about you, Elizabeth,” said Olivia, with all the confidence a young girl of seventeen can muster. “I would like to be your friend, as well as your cousin, if you will allow it.”

  “I would like that too,” said Elizabeth. “But my friends call me ‘Lizzy.’ If you are to be my friend, I should like you to do the same.”

  A shyness settled over her young cousin, but she nodded. “I shall, Lizzy.”

  “But what shall I call you?” mused Elizabeth, a hint of teasing in her voice. “Livy, perhaps?”

  “Oh, Lizzy!” giggled Olivia. “If you do that, then we shall simply confuse each other, as they sound so very much alike.”

  “Then I suppose you shall be bereft of your own nickname. Olivia it shall be.”

  The two girls returned to the house in high spirits, and though Elizabeth recognized the pinched look of displeasure from her aunt, she decided it was best to ignore the woman’s ill humors. She could hardly be here for months without befriending her cousin. Was that not why she had come in the first place?

  By contrast, her uncle was delighted. “I see you girls have become good friends.”

  “Yes, Papa,” said Olivia. “Elizabeth is so very interesting. I am glad she has come.”

  “So am I, my dear.”

  Mr. Bennet spent most of his time with Mr. Drummond during his stay in Derbyshire. The two men it seemed were completely at ease in each other’s company, and that led to a camaraderie that Elizabeth did not think she had ever seen between her father and any other man, except, perhaps, for Mr. Gardiner and maybe even Sir William. They spent time together in the fields, and Elizabeth even saw her father assisting with the work.

  Though he was not in company with his sister much, other than at mealtimes, Elizabeth saw him speaking to her at times and in places where she suspected he thought it unlikely they would be overheard. He did not share the contents of those conversations with her, but she was certain he was warning her about her behavior toward Elizabeth herself. He might not have bothered—Elizabeth thought she was well able to care for her own concerns—but she was still grateful that he thought enough of her happiness to take a hand in it where his sister was concerned.

  Elizabeth had little direct interaction with her aunt. Mrs. Drummond often directed her when she thought that something needed to be done, but she did not speak with her in any other fashion. Given Elizabeth’s impression of Mrs. Drummond’s character, she was quite happy with this state of affairs.

  While Elizabeth had her chores and her cousin had hers, Mr. Drummond insisted that Elizabeth take some time to begin educating her cousin in some of the skills he knew she would need to move in society with a degree of credit. Although Elizabeth could not call herself an expert in all these subjects, she endeavored to instruct Olivia as best she could and soon discovered that her cousin was an intelligent girl and a quick study.

  Though Elizabeth had a good knowledge of French and Italian, Olivia had not much talent for languages. Consequently, they did not spend much time in those studies. But her playing, though unrefined, as could be expected since she had had little instruction, was good for someone who had learned through her own study. She had a good notion of fingering and could pick out a tune by sound alone. Elizabeth thought she would be more proficient than Elizabeth was herself, if she practiced and received some instruction.

  They also practiced dancing, and Elizabeth found that her cousin anticipated the upcoming amusements with an excitement which reminded Elizabeth of her younger sisters. The girls spent several pleasant hours going through the steps, laughing and giggling among themselves. They also had, for company, Leah, who was determined to learn to dance herself.

  “What are assemblies like, Lizzy?” asked Olivia one day during one of their sessions. Since there was no one to play the pianoforte while they were dancing, they practiced by means of Elizabeth keeping a beat which she encouraged Olivia to follow.

  “I believe you might end up disappointed,” said Elizabeth, flashing her cousin a mischievous smile. “Assemblies can be dull affairs, especially when the number of young ladies exceeds that of young men, as is typical in Meryton.”

  “But surely they are not all
like that,” protested Olivia.

  “Of course not,” replied Elizabeth with good humor. “I quite enjoy dancing as a rule. There is something freeing in moving about a floor with nothing in mind but the next steps, and it can be agreeable, indeed, with a partner who is kind and amiable.”

  “I can hardly wait.” The girl was staring off into the distance, seemingly alight with dreams of a handsome prince come to take her hand for a set.

  “It is great fun. But do not forget your position in society and your status as a young gentlewoman. There is a certain level of behavior expected, and though we dance to have enjoyment, among other things, we must always remember to uphold that expectation.” Elizabeth grimaced. “My youngest sisters, who are entirely too exuberant for their own good, often forget to behave with decorum.”

  “I will not forget, Lizzy,” said Olivia. “I wish to make both you and my father proud of me.”

  Elizabeth put an arm around her cousin’s shoulder. “I know you do. And I have no doubt you will be successful. If there is one thing I can impress upon you is that you must always be aware of your behavior and that of those around you. We, neither of us, possess a large dowry to induce young men to propose to us. That can be a blessing, as it will deter those who marry with only fortune in mind, but it can also be a curse, as many perfectly acceptable young men will not even look in your direction.”

  “What do you see it as?” asked Olivia, her curiosity evident.

  “A bit of both,” said Elizabeth. “I have always wished to marry for the deepest of love, and the lack of a dowry keeps fortune hunters at bay. I have striven to remember that I have only my charms to recommend me, and I hope there is a man in the world who can see that I am worth all the wealth in the world. But in our society so much is made of fortune that I fear it may be difficult to find that one man.”