Page 11

Four Months Later

Elizabeth heard Mary come into her room just as Elizabeth was adding the last few items to her trunk. Mary asked, “Are you ready?”

Elizabeth looked up and grinned, giddy with the excitement of what was to come. “That was the last thing,” she said. Then she turned to Millie, her new lady’s maid and said, “Will you fetch one of the footmen to tie this up and put it on the coach?”

“Yes, Miss,” Millie said as she curtseyed. She then scampered off to find a footman while Elizabeth and Mary headed downstairs to Braydon Hall’s drawing room to finish waiting for the coach to be ready.

Along the way they passed several guest bedrooms which Elizabeth and Mary had spent many delightful hours redecorating.

The oddest thing about the redecoration was that instead of making them grander, Mary chose to make them simpler, though she did not stint on anything that would make them more comfortable.

Those bedrooms were a prime example of one of Mary’s greatest oddities, which Elizabeth had no notion of before coming to live with her.

Mary seldom spent money on herself, and she never spent money on anything that could be called uselessly grand.

In fact, several times in the last few months, Elizabeth had to point out to Mary that one of her gloves was wearing thin or that she could use a new mobcap.

Each time, Mary waved it away, saying that her maid, Anna, had said the same thing.

Since the problem was always quickly rectified, Elizabeth had to assume that Anna was very good at her job.

On the other hand, any time Elizabeth even hinted that she might like something, Mary acquired it for her almost immediately.

The day after Elizabeth joined Mary’s household, Mary had asked her if she liked the piano.

Elizabeth replied that it was a good instrument but that there wasn’t much in the way of sheet music in the house.

She had intended to fetch some from Longbourn the next time they visited, but before she could, Mary had ordered an entire box full of various music sheets and books full of songs.

Another time, Elizabeth mentioned in passing that she had always wanted to learn to drive a gig since she was terrible at horse-riding. The very next day, Mary took her out to the coach house and showed her a beautiful white phaeton with a red leather seat.

“It’s yours,” said Mary shortly.

“You mean, I can use it whenever I want?” asked Elizabeth.

Mary shook her head. “No, I mean that it belongs to you. If you ever leave to live somewhere else, you may take it with you, unless doing so would cause hardship. I…I don’t want it, but I didn’t have the heart to sell it. Please take it.”

Before Elizabeth could reply, Mary rushed out of the coach house.

It was up to Elizabeth to ask the coachman to teach her how to drive.

Elizabeth later learned that the phaeton had been Mary’s last gift from her husband.

Even so, Elizabeth didn’t fully understand her sister’s antipathy for the vehicle.

Nevertheless, she very much enjoyed learning to drive it.

The light, swift vehicle made it very easy to visit Jane at Longbourn as often as she wished.

The two sisters waited in the drawing room for about ten minutes before a footman came in to announce that the carriage was ready. Elizabeth and Mary headed outside while Millie and Anna followed holding blankets for the journey.

The coach had four horses, and the inside was delightfully warm from the several heated bricks that were on the floor.

Elizabeth knew that Mary wished to get to London with her own horses instead of changing them halfway, but she also wished to get there as quickly as possible, which is why she had splurged on taking four horses instead of just two.

Once all the ladies were settled, the horses set off, and they were on their way.

There was silence for a while. Elizabeth was bursting with excitement, but Mary seemed to be a bit more reserved than usual, so Elizabeth respected her silence. It was often a sign that Mary was remembering the past or mourning her departed husband.

Eventually, Mary came out of her reverie by saying, “Thank you for coming with me, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth looked at her in surprise. “I should be thanking you,” she said.

“Though I have enjoyed visiting Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in Cheapside in the past, I have never dreamed I would be visiting London and staying in a Mayfair mansion. I have been looking forward to this since you first brought up the idea a month ago.”

“To be honest,” said Mary after a pause, “It will be my first time staying in Mayfair as well. Last year, Mr. Allen and I stayed in a less fashionable neighborhood.”

“Were you unable to get a lease on the same house this year?” asked Elizabeth.

“Not exactly,” said Mary. “I just wanted to stay closer to where my friends are staying to make it easier to call on them. Besides, the house on Grosvenor Street, where we will be staying, is closer to the best places to shop.”

“You’ve mentioned your friends quite a bit, but it’s always in a rather general sort of way. Will you tell me more about them?” asked Elizabeth. She was curious how Mary had become such good friends with ladies who were at least three decades her senior.

As they chatted about Mary’s friends and her experiences in London the previous year, Elizabeth began to realize that, though Mary’s friendships had begun simply because the ladies’ husbands were friends with Mary’s husband, they had grown into something quite strong.

Even after Mr. Allen’s death, Mary had maintained a consistent correspondence with all six of the ladies.

Eventually, their conversation waned, and Mary drifted off to sleep. The rocking of the speeding carriage and the warmth of the blankets made Elizabeth a bit sleepy as well, though she was too excited to truly fall asleep.

She gazed out the window and let her mind wander. Mary had changed quite a bit in the last year and a half. Despite the fact that she was still only seventeen, she was a full-grown woman, fully capable of taking on all the challenges that a woman can face.

Elizabeth looked back at Mary. Most of the time, Mary gave the impression that her looks had improved dramatically, but seeing her asleep, Elizabeth could see that she still had the same sallow complexion, the same thin lips, and the same thin frame.

Her apparent improvement had more to do with the confidence she exuded and the way she always seemed so full of life and purpose.

Mary seldom spoke of Mr. Allen, but Elizabeth was sure that her sister’s vast improvement was primarily due to him.

Yet, she couldn’t fathom what he could have done to inspire such growth in a girl who, only eighteen months ago, had been entirely subservient, insecure, and downright mousy.

If he had inspired such growth and such change, it was only natural that Mary would miss him a great deal.

Elizabeth’s gaze shifted back out to the scenery that passed her window. She recalled the series of events that had led to her living with Mary.

Beginning the day after Mr. Allen’s funeral, Mama had begun pressuring Mary to come back home to Longbourn, saying it wasn’t seemly for Mary to live all alone in such a big house and that she was far too young for such responsibility.

Though there were many arguments on the subject between Mary and Mama, Elizabeth was privy to only two of them.

Throughout the arguments, Mama became increasingly shrill and demanding, but Mary maintained an air of calm assuredness that told Elizabeth she believed firmly that what she was doing was the best choice and that she would not be swayed.

Mama also would not be swayed, however, and she eventually pulled Papa into the argument.

Elizabeth didn’t know the details, but Papa visited Mary to insist that she come home.

However, when he returned from his visit, he declared that Elizabeth was to go live at Braydon Manor with Mary to keep her company.

Elizabeth had no objections to the plan. Though she would miss Jane, the two of them had been apart before when one or the other had gone to stay with Uncle Gardiner in London. At least this time, they would still be in the same neighborhood.

Mary had later confided in Elizabeth that she had wanted Kitty to come stay with her, but Papa had declared that since Kitty was just barely sixteen, she would not make a suitable companion.

When Elizabeth inquired as to why Kitty had been Mary’s first choice, she said that Kitty was often overlooked by their parents, much as she had been when living at home.

Elizabeth admitted that such was the case, but she could not see anything she could do about it.

Kitty was, indeed, too young to be away from home for long, and there was no power on earth that could change her parents’ behavior.

Elizabeth’s thoughts turned to happier subjects, mostly anticipating what fun she and Mary would have while in London. Though Mary was in mourning, they could still go shopping and even visit the theater. Elizabeth knew Mary would also be visiting her friends as well.

Papa had given Elizabeth half her pocket allowance for the year, so she would have plenty of spending money, though she suspected Mary’s generosity would outstrip their father’s gift.

Though she would not ask for such a thing, Elizabeth suspected Mary would buy her several new dresses and any other little thing Elizabeth admired, much as she had done for the last four months.

After only three hours on the road, they arrived in front of a very grand-looking townhome. They had passed several that were even bigger and grander, but this one was quite impressive enough, and for a moment Elizabeth was intimidated.

Two footmen came out of the front door and assisted Elizabeth and Mary out of the carriage as well as Anna and Millie.

They then proceeded to untie the trunks from the carriage while the ladies proceeded into the house where they were met by another footman who took their outerwear for them.

Anna and Millie took the pelisses, cloaks, bonnets, and muffs and headed upstairs while Elizabeth and Mary proceeded to the parlor where a roaring fire awaited them.

Elizabeth was astounded by such elegance and by the presence of so many servants. Longbourn only had one footman. The rest of the indoor servants were female. Elizabeth supposed a house as large as this one would need more servants, but it still seemed a bit overwhelming.

The sisters sat and warmed themselves by the fire. Mary asked, “Would you like to see your room? If you’d rather, I can ring for some refreshments, or we could even take a tour of the house. I will need to do the latter soon anyway, for this is my first time here as well.”

“I think I would like to just sit here by the fire for a bit,” said Elizabeth. “It is quite pleasant to be still after such a hasty journey. A cup of tea would be delightful, however.”

Mary made no answer. She simply rang the bell nearby. When a maid appeared, she ordered some tea and biscuits to be served. They sat in silence until the tea was brought.

Once the maid departed, Elizabeth said, “I don’t wish to pry too much, Mary, but I was wondering if perhaps you are spending your inheritance a little too freely.

” When Mary opened her mouth to reply, Elizabeth hastily added, “I know Braydon Hall’s income is twice that of Longbourn, but even so, I wouldn’t think you could easily afford such a large home while staffing it so thoroughly.

I just worry that you might run yourself into debt or some other trouble. ”

Elizabeth expected her sister to be affronted or to vehemently deny any such thing, but Mary just smiled serenely.

“Do not worry, Elizabeth,” she said calmly.

“While I appreciate your concern, you should know that Mr. Allen taught me everything he knew about finances before he left this world. It was because of this that he left everything to me. Otherwise, he would have left his estate to his cousin and only his investments to me.”

“His investments?” asked Elizabeth.

Mary grinned, a rarity for Elizabeth’s most serious sister.

“Yes, his investments.” Mary paused to let the implication sink in.

Apparently, she had more income than anyone knew.

Then she added. “Despite everything I have spent since you came to live with me, rest assured I am in no danger of overspending.”

Given that Elizabeth had helped her sister fully renovate six guest bedrooms, and she had seen how well-kept and well-staffed Braydon Hall had been; given that she had witnessed the extravagant use of four horses where two would have been sufficient and she had had a brief glimpse of the possible number of servants in this house as well, Elizabeth could only imagine that Mr. Allen must have had rather extensive investments.

As Elizabeth was comprehending all the implications, Mary said, “I do not wish it to be generally known that I inherited his investments as well as his estate. I am only telling you this so that you do not worry. I am well aware of what I can afford and what I cannot.”

Elizabeth understood. Mary was telling her that she wished this information to remain between them. Mary continued. “In that vein, if I offer to purchase something for you, you need not demure. Doing so will give me great pleasure and cause me no hardship.”

This thought brought a smile to Elizabeth’s lips.

“Now that I understand, I assure you I shall do no such thing. You have my permission to buy me as much as you wish,” she said grandly.

After a pause she added with an exaggerated air of indifference, “Or as little as you wish. It makes no difference to me.”

Elizabeth’s small attempt at silliness succeeded in lightening the mood, and they began chatting about what they would like to do while in London.