Chapter 8
Juno had not felt any improvement when LizE returned to her a little guilty for having taken so long with Rowan's care. Juno was nestled with pillows under a mound of blankets and said she had not noticed; she had slept the whole time.
LizE ate lunch with the others. Caro and Lois mentioned that they would sort through their wardrobes and find a few pieces for LizE and Juno. The two women asked about Juno and LizE reported that Juno still felt quite ill. They moaned about how bad it was to ever be ill, how awful you always felt, and then dropped the subject. LizE could only silently sit and consider how much she disliked them and their hypocrisy.
The discussion at the luncheon table ranged about on topics which seemed to have been long-discussed and heightened her sense of being an intruder. Darcy and Caro had business affairs to tackle and talked almost in a different language of numbers, shipments and schedules. Lois and Kai discussed people LizE knew nothing about, but Chaz, at least, made her feel welcome by including her as far as he was able. He was anxious about Juno (and not anxious about the quarrantine as the others were) and attentive to her as a guest though she could also imagine she was particularly welcome as Juno's sister. LizE cut her meal short having nibbled in the kitchen with Cassandra, and went back to her sister.
"Really, to be saddled with two guests and to be in quarantine! And to have such a one as LizE Ben. So impertinent, no style, no taste in anything worthwhile. What is this wilderness? Riding up on a horse, such a germ-ridden thing! It was such an odd excuse to come just because Juno is sick. And such an appearance—I doubt very much if she even combed her hair," declared Caro as soon as LizE had run back up to Juno.
"She has nothing but being an excellent horsewoman to recommend her; and that does not count for much these days," added Lois. "It is almost as if this were the Wild West!"
"That outfit was so thrown-together I think she may have slept in it," smirked Caro.
"She was half covered in mud, did you see her boots and her trousers?" continued Lois.
"Perhaps that is an exact picture of her appearance this morning, but still…" said Chaz. "I thought she looked very well this morning. The dirt escaped my notice."
"You noticed, didn't you Will?" asked Caro. "You would never want your sister to do such a thing for all that I believe you both learned to ride once upon a time."
"No I would not," replied Darcy.
"Really, I wonder if there is not some other motivation for her coming," and Caro looked over at Darcy, "related to the Netherfield Institute."
"I think you've been watching too many conspiracy theory movies. I just think it shows an affection for her sister that is delightful," said Chaz.
"What do you think of her fine eyes now?" whispered Caro to Will. "I suppose that this little adventure of hers has affected your admiration for them."
"No," he replied, "they were brightened by the adventure."
"I suppose Juno is great at her job but she is only a scientist and there does not seem to be any money in the family," remarked Lois.
"She said the whole family is thus employed," observed Caro. "Her one uncle was an engineer before he died. His widow lives on a pension somewhere near here, and the other aunt and uncle are scientists as well. They have been in South America apparently."
"Sounds hot, buggy and far too lowly a thing for me, think of my hands," Lois showed her husband them but he had his nose in his comm screen.
"Their relations nor their professions in life do not make them any less agreeable women; I think them both remarkable," said Chaz.
"They are far out classed by the likes of us," replied Darcy. Chaz did not say anything more. Lois and Caro laughed in agreement.
Juno rested the bulk of the afternoon. LizE read on her comm trying to keep up with work as best she could. Her manager at the Institute was understanding enough about her inability to come in but there was enough work to be done on-screen, that she could work even while in quarantine.
Lois peeked in at one point having felt somewhat guilty for the discussion at lunch and sat with Juno while LizE ran to get loaner clothes from Cassandra.
She ate dinner with Juno but once her sister was asleep, LizE went downstairs again in Cassandra Nicholl's borrowed clothes. Caro raised an eyebrow when she appeared, "those do not look like my clothes."
"No, they are Cassandra's," replied LizE.
"Who is Cassandra?" asked Caro with a furled brow.
"Your cook/housekeeper?!" answered LizE looking from Caro to Lois to Chaz.
"Ms. Nicholls? However did you meet her?" asked Lois in surprise.
"I walked into the kitchen," explained LizE. She was met with more raised eyebrows. "Her clothes are more my style. I fear I would tear yours or get them muddy," she explained to Caro.
An obvious relief spread on Caro's face.
"Would you care to join us?" Kai raised his hand. He had found an old card deck, real old-fashioned playing cards in a drawer. "All fifty-two cards accounted for!" He smiled, waving the pack above his head.
"They are probably seventy or eighty years old. He is teaching us to play poker," said Lois with pride in her voice.
LizE, having played poker on gaming tablets, knew it involved betting money and was not sure what these people would consider a "small" bet, so she declined. She said she would continue to work since she had missed work in the morning.
"No cards, how odd!" replied Kai Hurst.
"LizE is quite the worker. She has her comm with her always; can use her F.I.D. band to communicate; she is always reading, always working. Quite the little busy bee," remarked Caro as she sat down at the table with Darcy, Chaz, Kai and Lois.
"I am not a workaholic; I enjoy many things," cried LizE.
"You obviously enjoy caring for your sister," said Chaz. "I hope she will be well soon, and able to come join us." LizE thanked him.
She found she could not concentrate on her comm screen and instead stood and began to slowly exam the shelves and contents of the room. There were various knickknacks and objects d'art. She turned to Chaz, pointing at some small figurines, carved of some unidentifiable stone. "Are these yours?"
"Yes, I am a bit of a nomad but it is comforting to have some things of my own whenever I am in a new place, be it for a month, or six months. Nicholls is wonderful at packing and unpacking items. I never take over a whole house but it's nice to have a room or two with your own stuff," and scrunched his face up to let her know he was laughing at himself.
She returned to her perusal of the shelves. Chaz even had a few old-fashioned, bound books which she flipped through with delight. "This is a nice collection."
"I should have more but I only seem to collect them, not read them," he said sheepishly.
LizE replied that they were all wonderful as she only had one "real" book, an original copy of Peter Pan that had been in the family for over 150 years. "My family have not been curators of books over the years. As soon as digitized books became available, I'm afraid we never considered paper again. Such is the way scientists think."
"You should see Darcy's collection at Pemberley. He has an extensive collection, of real books," cooed Caro.
"It is one of my first loves. I could never neglect it; though there was an extensive collection there to begin with," said Darcy.
"It greatly adds to that noble place," cooed Caro again.
Lois added "Chaz you should buy a place as delightful as Pemberley. I don't know why you have never bothered to buy a house. You are always moving about."
"I would buy Pemberley if I could, there are not many places like it left in the world, so many urban places are not livable, and many country places are too wild, too far out. Have you not considered what a great residence Pemberley is? Not located too close to any urban center to have been in danger and yet close enough that your modern needs are met. Exquisite!"
"I would think by your logic, that our little town of Meryton and its surrounding area is an ideal place to live," argued LizE.
"You have me, Ms. Ben," and he gave her a little formal bow from his place at the card table, "Meryton is a quite an ideal little blend that makes it an enchanting location."
LizE put down the book and stood watching the poker game. She was glad she had not played as their antes were out of her league but it was amusing to watch people hold the little cards who were so unused to such an action. As when a single person is suddenly handed an infant by a mischievous parent and she holds the baby as if he is likely to break.
"How is your sister, GEO?" asked Lois. "Has she grown at all since she went away?"
"She is probably about LizE's height, or taller," answered Will Darcy looking at LizE standing near him.
"How long it has been since we've seen her," said Caro. "It is so difficult to have her away overseas."
"She's studying abroad? Where?" asked LizE.
"She's in London," he answered. "It has been a bit of a family tradition, to study abroad; to study business but to also be able to study European rail systems."
"Will was there seven or eight years ago, lucky duck," said Chaz. "I had to do the Uni thing here in the States."
"I would have thought you'd traveled since you have the money to do it," remarked LizE.
"Passports and travel are harder to come by these days than you think," said Chaz. "The government tightly controls overseas travel. I've never been able to get a passport or a visa."
"I guess I didn't know that travel was that difficult. My aunt Meg and Uncle Ezra travel extensively for work. Perhaps travel is easier when it is considered for scientific purposes than it is if it is for business or for pleasure," said LizE.
"Perhaps, Ms. Ben," remarked Darcy, "scientists do have the advantage on us persons of business in this instance."
"How goes GEO's studies? Is she able to keep up?" asked Lois.
"She has quite a load."
"What is she studying?" inquired LizE as she walked to another spot near their table.
"She has a specialized study so she can have a complete understanding of the background of the business and be able to step into a vice-president role for Darcy Rail when she finishes Uni," said Darcy.
"What sort of subjects is she studying?" asked LizE.
"She needs to study economics, political science, management, organizational behavior, PR, research methods, real estate, and entrepreneurship to have a good grounding. Of course there are always inter-personal skills that can never be taught in school and must be learned on the job," he remarked.
"I cannot fathom such studies,"cried LizE. "I am surprised at you knowing any person with such knowledge under her belt or who could handle such a school workload."
"Really LizE there are many who have studied such topics in school," cried Caro.
"Yes, it sounds like what Charles did at Uni," answered Lois.
"I think I had more fun at Uni," was Chaz's noncommittal reply.
"I know, for sure that Will did it," challenged Caro, looking at LizE. She clenched the cards in her hand too tightly and they went springing out of her hand landing face up on the table.
Kai exclaimed in exasperation at the ruination of that hand in-play. LizE took that as a cue to leave.
"LizE Ben is one of those who seek to recommend themselves to the other sex by undervaluing other people to make themselves look good. With many men it succeeds, I suppose, but in my opinion, it is an under-handed thing," cried Caro.
"Certainly," replied Darcy to whom this remark was addressed, "there is nastiness in all the arts which women sometimes use. Anything resembling cunning is despicable."
Caro was not as entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.
LizE sent Lois a comm to say that her sister was worse. Chaz was concerned and felt that Dr. Balakrishna should be sent for again but LizE forestalled another visit by saying they would see how Juno fared in the morning and could they see what Fancy thought of her? Years of childhood illnesses times six in the Ben household meant that Fancy could often take one look at a child and know the seriousness and extent of an illness. So it was agreed that a video comm would be set up for Fancy Ben to examine her daughter the next day.
