Notes and Trivia : Almack's was an exclusive club in London that really did exist for the purpose described. Lord Byron was considered both a gifted poet and a notorious womanizer in Jane Austen's time. (More on Lord Byron (who was also played by JLM in a BBC production) to come in a later chapter…)
As always, thank you in advance if you have time to review.
###
Chapter Two: Gruel for Two and Almack's for Four
Emma marveled that the impossible had happened. Dr. Perry had not only approved of her father's trip to London, he had practically insisted that it was best to go as soon as Mr. Andrews was able to receive visitors, lest Mr. Woodhouse's heightened worry over his business interests adversely affect his health. Thus, her father had agreed to venture to London, and Mr. Knightley had arranged for the two of them to stay with his aunt, Mrs. Catherine Winthrop, who resided in the elegant neighborhood of Mayfair. Mr. Knightley had also arranged to assuage her father's fears of travelling, even on a journey of only sixteen miles: What if the carriage were to lose a wheel? What if they were to be accosted by highwaymen? Mr. Knightley had travelled with them and had tethered his horse, Bessie, to Mr. Woodhouse's carriage for the journey, so that while in London, the younger man could freely travel between in his aunt's home in Mayfair and his brother's home in Brunswick Square, where Mr. Knightley would be staying.
So the three travelers arrived at Manning House without incident, almost to Mr. Woodhouse's amazement, and were quickly swept into the main parlor where Mrs. Winthrop greeted them warmly.
"Mrs. Winthrop, my old friend, how nice it is to see you again! It has been too long!" exclaimed Mr. Woodhouse.
"Henry Woodhouse, when you call me your 'old' friend, pray tell, are you referring to my age or to the duration of our acquaintance?" Mrs. Winthrop said sternly, then broke out into a big smile and chuckled, and her three guests laughed with her. Emma had forgotten what a wonderful sense of humor Mrs. Winthrop possessed. Then Mrs. Winthrop continued, "How nice it is to see you, as well. And Miss Woodhouse, please do come here and let me look have a look at you. My, what a lovely young woman you have become, as beautiful as your dear mother, God rest her soul. How graceful you are! What an exquisite complexion! And I have always loved hazel eyes!" Emma smiled demurely at this string of compliments and told herself that she was quite certain she was going to enjoy her stay at Manning House very much, indeed. For his part, Mr. Knightley half-feared that if Aunt Catherine continued with such flattering remarks, Emma's vanity would be inflated to an insufferable level, but he held his tongue, and merely smiled and nodded in agreement.
Mr. Knightley then accepted his Aunt Catherine's invitation to stay for an early supper. He felt it was his duty to visit with his aunt for a time, but more important, he must be sure that Mr. Woodhouse was well settled before he left for Brunswick Square. He could tell that Emma and his aunt were going to get along splendidly, but even though Aunt Catherine and Mr. Woodhouse were "old" friends, Emma's father was so secure in the comforts of Hartfield, that Mr. Knightley worried that the change from his usual routine might do him ill.
###
After supper, Emma played from a Haydn concerto on her violin. As always, she was quickly absorbed in her music, but she could not help but notice Mrs. Winthrop nodding her head in time to the notes, her father smiling contentedly, and Mr. Knightley leaning back comfortably in the large wing chair, his hands folded across his chest and his eyes closed, but a satisfied grin on his face. Emma knew that her talent on the violin was her one true accomplishment, as even Mr. Knightley acknowledged on occasion, so while she feigned modesty when Mrs. Winthrop showered her with praise afterwards, privately she basked in the lady's admiration. The four then played an enthusiastic but serious game of whist, until promptly when the clock struck half past eight, Mrs. Winthrop announced it was time for her nightly serving of gruel and abruptly left the game table for her favorite chair in front of the fire. Of course, Mr. Woodhouse was delighted to join her, so he moved to the other chair near the fire. Emma and Mr. Knightley were left facing one another at the table, their cards still in their hands, fighting off astonished laughter. "Well, I guess this means our game of whist is over, Mr. Knightley," Emma whispered with a giggle.
Since the evening had turned unseasonably cool, as the two elders settled in to wait for a servant to bring in their bowls of gruel, Emma placed a fluffed pillow behind Mrs. Winthrop's back, and Mr. Knightley brought her a lap blanket to keep her warm, just as they would next do for Mr. Woodhouse. Mrs. Winthrop reveled in the attentions she was receiving.
"Thank you, Miss Woodhouse and George," said Mrs. Winthrop, with a gleam in her eye, "for going out of your way to take care of bothersome ancients like the two of us."
"Oh no, Mrs. Winthrop! You must not say such things! You are neither bothersome nor ancient. And Mr. Knightley and I do as much for Father practically every day, so it is no trouble at all."
"Do you, now? Well then, Mr. Woodhouse, you are a lucky gentleman, indeed, so have two such lively and able-bodied well-wishers to attend to you."
Just then, a servant arrived with their bowls of the unappetizing, watery repast, and while Mrs. Winthrop and Mr. Woodhouse exchanged commentary over the benefits of gruel on one's health and constitution, Emma and Mr. Knightley exchanged sly looks, each willing the other not to laugh at the contented musings of the two older people. Mr. Knightley then excused himself for the short journey to Brunswick Square, but vowed to return early in the morning so he could escort Mr. Woodhouse to meet with his agent and Emma to Brunswick Square, where she was to spend the day with Isabella and the children.
Emma followed him into the entry and called after him, "Mr. Knightley…" He turned around just as the doorman handed him his hat. "They are two peas in a pod, don't you think?" she giggled, and he laughed and agreed with her. "I just wanted to thank you so much," she continued, "for bringing us here, and for arranging everything. Father and I do appreciate it. Good night and safe journey. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You know that it was my pleasure, dear Emma. Sleep tight. Until tomorrow, then," he said, then placed his top hat on his head and stepped out the door. She could see Bessie, his horse, being held by the groom at the bottom of the steps. Mr. Knightley confidently strode out in the night, as it were, and turned around at the bottom of the steps and tipped his hat to her. Emma smiled contentedly and waved back.
###
After Mr. Knightley had left for Brunswick Square, Mrs. Winthrop said, "Emma, my dear, I am so happy to have you here at Manning House at last. You are as delightful as my nephew George says. He has told me many times that you have grown into a beautiful, charming and accomplished young lady, and I am so glad to see it for myself."
"Mr. Knightley has said that? About me?" Emma said, in wide-eyed astonishment.
"Yes, of course. Why do you seem surprised?"
"Well, it is just that … well, it is nice to know that he said as much to you." Mr. Knightley had never been generous with his praise of Emma, and she knew full well that it was because she rarely did anything to deserve it, despite his constant stream of corrections and encouragement. Emma presumed that Mr. Knightley was just being polite to his aunt when he had offered such compliments, but she could not help but be pleased; perhaps he did not think her as indolent as he always led her to believe. And later, as Emma snuggled under the inviting bedcovers in the cozy guest room, she could not help but sigh with happy anticipation at the adventures that might await her in London.
###
Emma's first full day in London was simply perfect. Mr. Knightley, John Knightley and her father ventured to his agent's home and then to the financial district for their various business dealings, while Emma spent a leisurely day with Isabella and the children, among them, Emma's infant niece and namesake, whom she met for the first time that morning. At noon, they ventured across the way to the park at Brunswick Square, where the three boys looked for frogs in the stream and little Bella sat contentedly with her mother and aunt, carefully holding and caring for her doll, exactly mimicking everything her Aunt Emma did for her baby sister. In the afternoon, Isabella, who had not left the house often since the arrival of baby Emma, was delighted to take her sister to her dressmaker's establishment, where the array of fabrics was almost more than Emma could comprehend. "I'll never again be contented with the selection at Ford's!" she said to Isabella with a laugh.
Emma marveled that she had only been in London for one day, and yet there was still so much more to come – between arrangements already made by Isabella and Mrs. Winthrop, she would hardly be bored, and that did not even include the plans that she and Mr. Knightley had made!
###
That evening, Isabella and John hosted an intimate dinner party for eight. The host and hostess were joined by Mr. Woodhouse, Emma, Mrs. Winthrop, Mr. Knightley, and two close friends, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Preston.
Mr. Preston had been a schoolmate of Mr. Knightley at Oxford, and the two had taken their Grand Tour of the continent together. And when John Knightley had moved to London in furtherance of his career as a solicitor, to be joined later by his bride, Isabella, Mr. and Mrs. Preston had graciously taken the young couple under wing and introduced them to London's society and amusements. Mr. Preston was a tall and fine-featured gentleman with an outgoing personality, though he was not as handsome as Mr. Knightley, in Emma's biased view. Emma had met Mr. Preston twice before: once, when she was a very little girl, just before the two gentlemen had taken their Grand Tour, and the second time, shortly after he and Mrs. Preston had married, when they had come to Donwell for a brief visit. Mrs. Preston was petit and elegant, and despite being rather soft-spoken, she seemed to have no trouble voicing her opinions to her husband. Emma liked her very much.
After supper, when the guests were having their tea, Mrs. Preston spoke to Emma. "Miss Woodhouse, lest it slip my mind, I am happy to advise that I have secured vouchers for four to Almack's on Wednesday evening. Mr. Preston and I were wondering if perhaps you would like to join us? Mr. Knightley might act as your chaperone for the evening. What do you say?"
Almack's Assembly Hall was a well-known and exclusive social club, controlled, as it were, by seven illustrious ladies whose collective place in society was unparalleled. An unofficial purpose of the club was to establish a suitable venue at which young ladies of society and eligible bachelors might become acquainted. Even for those without matrimony in mind (particularly those gentlemen who were merely curious as to which young ladies were "coming out" into society that year), it was an assembly at which one's social standing was confirmed.
"What do I say to a ball at Almack's? Why, that would be marvelous!" gushed Emma. "I say yes, of course!" Then she paused, self-consciously. "That is, if neither Father nor Mr. Knightley has any objections?" She eyed them imploringly, willing each to say he had none.
Mr. Woodhouse responded, "As long as I do not need to venture into such a drafty assemblage myself, I am content that Mr. Knightley would see after you, Emma."
Emma then looked quickly to Mr. Knightley, who was seated next to her on the sofa. He smiled and said, "Well, surprisingly enough, I am not engaged that evening, so I will be your escort, if you wish it so."
"Thank you, Father, and Mr. Knightley. And thank you for your kind invitation, Mr. and Mrs. Preston. I shall very much look forward to it," said Emma enthusiastically.
Isabella then said, "You can wear your new gown, Emma - your birthday gift. And they say that Lord Byron is in London now, and that Lady Jersey has given him an annual voucher to attend the balls at Almack's. Perhaps he will be there."
"Why should Emma care if Lord Byron is there? He is just an over-rated poet," said John Knightley, in a rather temperamental manner.
"Well, because he is a famous and well-regarded author, John," Isabella replied.
"Yes, he is the toast of London these days," said Mrs. Preston, then she added mischievously, "And they say he is very handsome. I can vouch for that, as we saw him at Ascot this year."
"Byron may be a genius when it comes to the verse, but he is known as a scoundrel when it comes to the ladies, so I cannot countenance such commentary from these fine gentlewomen!" laughed Mr. Preston. "What do you think, John, are we at risk here?"
Emma could not hide the smile on her face – this interchange between the ladies and their husbands struck her as quite humorous. Mr. Knightley leaned over to her and whispered, "You seem to be enjoying this discussion regarding the rather infamous Lord Byron, Emma." He must have read her mind, which Emma supposed was not unusual.
As the couples' banter continued, she whispered back, "Well, I think it is rather amusing to see your brother and Mr. Preston react in such a way over a mere poet." She couldn't help but giggle. It did her heart good to see John, who was never demonstrative, reacting rather possessively towards her sister. She was lost in this thought and did not hear the question that Mrs. Preston had put to her; she only heard her ask, "Miss Woodhouse?" at the end.
"I beg your pardon, Mrs. Preston?"
"I asked which of Lord Byron's works is your favorite? I assume you have read at least some of them?"
"Oh, indeed, I have." Emma recited from memory: "'She walks in beauty like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies and all that's best of dark and bright …,' That is his most beautiful poem, I think." In response to the somewhat curious look that Mr. Knightley gave her, she said to him, "Oh, I trust you do not object to my reading Lord Byron's works, Mr. Knightley. You are no romantic, that is clear, and Byron's poems may be a far cry from the classics of which you are so fond, but they have been highly acclaimed."
"You'll get no objections from me, Emma. I should say I am pleased to have you reading anything at all," he said in jest.
"Oh, such cheek! John, your brother gives me no credit! And now the rest of you see the scrutiny I must endure!" Emma spoke good-naturedly, raising up her hands in mock exasperation, and everyone laughed with her.
"I assure you, Miss Woodhouse," said Mr. Preston, "that Mr. Knightley's praise of you when you are not in attendance has been far greater than his scrutiny of you when you are." The remark caught Emma by surprise, and she looked down at her lap so her hot cheeks would not give away their blush.
Mr. Knightley cleared his throat. "Ahem, enough talk about Byron. Tell me, how is your son doing, Gordon?"
The subject having been changed, Emma and Mr. Knightley both relaxed, and the conversation continued lightly. Mrs. Winthrop thoroughly enjoyed hearing the various bits of gossip that were offered, but what interested her even more was the regular banter between her nephew and Miss Woodhouse. Yes, it was very interesting, indeed.