Page 20 of Lizzie’s Spirit

Until the Governor’s Ball, Darcy attended many dinners, but they consisted only of English people, even though the parties were very large.

The dinners were badly cooked in the Dutch style, which meant stewing and boiling everything.

He supposed the British employed Dutch cooks or the local Khoikhoi, who knew no better.

There was never a roast, and after the ship’s fare—which was reduced in variety a week after leaving port—he found the food of the Cape even more bland, and no better than that provided in an English workhouse.

During this time, he saw little of Mr. Bent’s party and nothing of Miss Bennet.

“Mr. Bent, how are your family—Mrs. Bent, young Henry and Beth, and Miss Bennet?” inquired Darcy, after joining the man following yet another dinner of poor fare and little conversation.

“Mrs. Bent has been rather ill—the cold weather out from the Cape brought both myself and my lady low. But Miss Bennet has proven a very useful young lady. She tended to the children and to Mrs. Bent and, dare I acknowledge it, to myself, securing broth from the galley and seeing to our comfort when we were both fevered.”

“Indeed, she’s a kindly, caring woman. Does she attend the entertainments with Mrs. Bent? It must be tedious for someone as vivacious as she to devote all her time to the children.”

“Of course,” Mr. Bent dissembled, “but having no official role in Governor Macquarie’s party, her remaining with Henry and Beth is expedient whilst Mrs. Bent and I attend to our duties.”

Something more was at play. Miss Bennet was an attractive woman who had gained much respect on board the Hindostan for her attention to the regimental wives.

In conversation with Ellis Bent, Darcy learned his wife, Eliza, was born the daughter of a sea captain out of Falmouth.

Whilst well educated and the wife of a barrister, she would be outranked in society by Miss Bennet, who was a gentlewoman —whereas Mrs. Bent could claim only respectability .

This displayed a certain jealousy in her treatment of Miss Bennet, who was all ease, friendliness, and comfortable intercourse.

Yet once arrived in Sydney, Mrs. Bent, as wife of the judge-advocate, would gain consequence as the lady of the third-highest officer of the colony, after the governor and lieutenant governor.

This showed a pettiness of character with which Darcy could not agree.

** *

The ball was held at Government House. The ballroom itself was very long but somewhat narrow.

Perhaps, mused Darcy, it seemed narrow because it was lined with rows of Dutch ladies.

They were all tolerably well-dressed, with much white muslin about and a good deal of colour.

He had been told that the Dutch ladies were handsome as to their faces, but he saw no real beauty, though they were fresh and wholesome-looking.

Following his party into the room and being introduced to some of the gentlemen and ladies, he decided that, as for manner, the ladies had none or very little, and that graces and charms were sadly lacking—they possessed a sort of vulgar smartness, which he supposed passed for wit.

In contrast to a London ball, they danced without halting at all: a sort of pit-a-pat little step, which he thought they had probably learned from some Lady of rank on her way to India.

They reminded him very much of the women one might find at an assembly in a country town.

He stopped himself. He was out of sorts, and any display of poor temper would be taken ill by the host, Lord Caledon.

He decided these people would improve on acquaintance and needed only to be better understood.

He resolved to be pleased with everything and all smiles, for honesty would be by no means the best policy.

There were not many Dutchmen present: the Fiscal, or head officer of Justice, the President of the Court, and several other men in public positions.

They appeared for a short time and then mostly vanished, as if they were almost afraid of being seen there by each other.

He concluded they could not divest themselves of the opinion that the English would be obliged to cede the Cape to the Dutch or to France on a peace, and therefore did not want to be known as partisans of the English government.

As for young Dutchmen, he saw hardly any; they preferred smoking their pipes outside—at least, not inside the hall, as Dutch tobacco smelled most intolerable.

And there she was! At once the ambience of the room changed; her smile was brighter than the hundreds of candles illuminating the place.

Almost by themselves, Darcy’s feet took him towards her.

As he came closer, he saw Miss Bennet was surrounded by a covey of young Dutchmen, who had abandoned their pipes for her company.

Of course, she was speaking their language so fluently they would not know she was English rather than Dutch.

Her chestnut hair had been arranged in the English style, no doubt by Mrs. Bent’s maid, who had tied it up with elegant pins, but a few restless curls managed to escape and frame her handsome face.

The contrast between her and the ladies lining the hall was, to Darcy’s eye, all in Miss Bennet’s favour.

“Good evening, Miss Bennet.” He came close, and she turned to him.

“Mr. Darcy, it’s so pleasant to see you again. I believe the last time was a month ago in Rio de Janeiro.” The lady switched to English, causing some scowls amongst the Dutch boys—for that is what they were, mostly eighteen years or younger—standing near her.

“Mevrouw!” exclaimed one in the local language, which Darcy could not understand. “He’s English; we shouldn’t be seen talking to him . Come, it’s rather hot and stuffy in here; let’s take some air in the garden.” He took her arm and began to move towards the open doors.

Observing closely, Darcy saw Miss Bennet was somewhat flushed and acting a little careless.

She was forced to follow, but then turned to him, and he could see some puzzlement in her eyes; an expression of unease clouded her face.

This was so unlike her usual demeanour that Darcy was at once confused as to her disposition.

One boy, in his eagerness to depart the ballroom, grasped her arm.

She threw him off, but in doing so, a little of the clear liquid from her glass splashed onto the bodice of her gown.

The scent of juniper wafted into the air.

Genever! He knew Miss Bennet only drank watered wine—what the deuce was she doing drinking gin, a drink that should only be sipped, and never by respectable ladies?

He moved quickly to block the path of the young Dutchman and leant towards Miss Bennet: “Il tuo drink è stato arricchito di liquore— your drink has been spiked by liquor! ” She paused as her mind switched languages: from Afrikaans, to English, to Italian.

Her hand went to her mouth; she blushed and blushed again with shame and dismay.

She had been saved embarrassment from his speaking a language not used at the Cape, but the glass fell, shattering on the polished floor, the scent of juniper now spreading strongly, mixing with the acrid smell of tallow candles.

Darcy took her arm and led her quickly away; she stumbled, but let him guide her. An older Dutchman—one of the few who remained in the ballroom—came hurriedly towards them.

“Sir, I am Meneer Brand. What is wrong? Miss Bennet is a guest in my house. How can I help?”

“Mr. Darcy, of Colonel Macquarie’s party. Sir, take Miss Bennet where she can compose herself. Those boys spiked her drink with strong liquor. She’s an English lady, not some Dutch floozie. Attend to her , and I shall deal with them !”

Meneer Brand frowned. He would intercede if he could, but the gentleman’s angry mien would not allow his purpose to be gainsaid, at least by a Dutchman.

He led Miss Bennet to his wife, quietly told her of the lady’s distress, and asked that they take the coach back to his house.

He would follow after with their other guests.

He looked across the hall and saw Mr. Darcy stride towards the boys who were standing about laughing to themselves.

They were sons of the leading Boers of the district, attending by virtue of their fathers’ invitation, resentful of the British, and puffed up with their own consequence. This would not end well.

Darcy sought out the boy who had attempted to pull Miss Bennet from the room. “ Boerenpummel!” he used the worst profanity he knew in Dutch. The boy grew angry and stepped forward; his friends tried to restrain him, but he shook their arms away.

“She is a British whore,” he exclaimed in heavily accented English. “She dresses like a harlot, her hair done up with no cap; she dances unmarried with strangers; she wears slippers and not boots; she is wanton.”

Darcy looked disdainfully at the group. “Be warned, sirs…” The music and dancing ceased. The attention of the room was now wholly on him, whereupon he spoke with his most chilling cadence, that used to freeze the hearts of fraudsters, that which brooked no dissent.

“I am Judge-Advocate for the British Colonies. You assaulted an English lady using poison—for strong liquor, such as your Dutch gin, is nothing but that. This is the governor’s residence—the governor is the King’s representative in this land—thus you trespass against the Crown.

Under English law, I can hang you. I assure you I would feel no remorse. ”

“But surely, sir,” cried Meneer Brand, “you cannot mean this. The boy does not know English ways; he made a mistake. You cannot hang a man for such a small offence!”

“No, I’ll not hang him, for good English rope has better uses.

” Darcy turned and was surprised to see Lord Caledon standing nearby, but the governor made no attempt to intervene.

“Let him spend the night where he wished to importune the lady. Indeed, it’s a chill but pleasant evening.

Perhaps a night and a day in the stocks would cure him of his disrespect. ”

Darcy looked to his Lordship, who nodded almost imperceptibly, and moved away, indicating that the musicians recommence the dancing.

Two ensigns stepped up and marched the protesting youth away.

The Cape governor understood the exercise of power and recognised Mr. Darcy had shown the Colony that the British ruled, and not the Afrikaners—even one as powerful as the father of the foolish boy.

These were staunch Calvinists, seeing themselves as the children of God in the wilderness, a Christian elect divinely ordained to rule the land and the backward peoples therein.

Against British policy, the Boers were hostile towards the indigenous African peoples, with whom they fought frequent range wars, and towards the government of the Cape, which was attempting to control their movements and commerce.

“Meneer Brand,” Darcy spoke to the gentleman.

“I apologise for the discomfort you must feel. You live here, but I’ll soon move away, leaving you to placate the Boers who I know despise the British.

That’s their choice, but it will surely end ill—there’s no benefit to their attitude, for it is either us, the French, or a bankrupt Netherlands.

I assure you, British law is preferable to that of the continental countries.

“Nevertheless, Miss Bennet deserves respect; she extended her friendship and was repaid with contempt. That I will not countenance. But I’m in your debt for your care of her. You have my good wishes and my thanks to your lady.”

Darcy began his return to the governor’s party, but before he had gone two paces, he turned back to Meneer Brand.

“Sir, can you keep Miss Bennet’s place in this episode confidential?

Few here know her name, apart from yourself, so her reputation should be safe.

Perhaps, if asked, you could say merely that the farmer’s boy insulted a lady and I, as judge-advocate, took umbrage at his behaviour.

Speak of me as an arrogant and haughty Englishman. ”

Both gentlemen parted company in agreement.

Darcy was impressed by Meneer Brand’s concern for Miss Bennet’s welfare, and Meneer Brand was aware the outcome would have been much worse if a military officer or a member of Lord Caledon’s staff had used the boy’s malfeasance to seek retribution against the Boers—who had become increasingly disgruntled with the liberal policies of the British, particularly regarding the restrictions placed upon them in their dealings with the Africans and expansion across the frontier.