Chapter 9
With winter nearing, the Darcy's of Pemberley prepared for the long winter months inside, a time of relaxation save for the holidays. Mr. Darcy would be more at home as traveling was difficult and business could be put off until a more convenient time.
And so this Sunday morning found the whole family preparing to attend the chapel for services. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were preparing them selves, and as often happens when there is no one present to keep an eye on them, the children were getting a little rowdy, as they chased each other around the sitting room.
"Bless me child! There you are!" one of the maids came puffing in to the room and caught Emma "why aren't you dressed yet! You must leave in half an hour!" she turned to the oldest "Master William, take your two brothers downstairs and see to it that the Valet helps them get dressed!"
She then hurried Emma down the hall to her room and bustled around, bringing out the freshly cleaned dress helping her into it, chattering the whole time.
"My but how you've grown! This frock was just purchased, and now it looks like the Master will have to get your wardrobe all fitted out again! Still, perhaps it can wait until summer; you'll need new things by then any way. Hold still child! I must fix your hair!" Obediently Emma let her brush vigorously at her curly locks and force them into a semblance of order.
"If only you had been blessed with your mother's hair instead of your father's wild curls! They do well enough for a man, but on a girl they are most unmanageable!"
Still the maid managed them quite well and Emma was down with the family at the door on time, waiting for the carriage to be brought around.
Mrs. Darcy had her hands full, keeping Bennet and Emma still so their clothes didn't get too wrinkled. William attempted to imitate his father calm and cool attitude, sitting up strait and stiff, but only managed to look stiff and uncomfortable.
At the chapel the family took their seats in the chief pews, as always, near the front, and Emma forced herself to sit still. There were just certain things you couldn't do in church, and wiggle was one of them. Talking was another, and looking over your shoulder when the chapel door was opened to admit late comers from the fields was also greatly forbidden, no mater how tempting it was to look and see who it might be.
So Emma sat still and listened to the Minister's words. She was too young to understand all he said, or the words he used, but she liked going to chapel, her young heart reveled in the thoughts about the love God had shown to his people, and the forgiveness He offered.
After services, her father was approached by several tenants, with some questions for him and her Mother spoke to several of the ladies of the aria. Unsupervised for the moment, Peter led Bennet in splashing in some slushy puddles. Emma was left to stand like a lady in her Sunday finery and wait.
What she really wanted to do was play with, or at least talk to the small group of little girls her age across the breezy Chapel yard. But she had tried on several occasions, and they had mostly just stared at her in awe, unable to form very complete sentences to her questions. Too excited by the honor they were receiving in being talked to by the young Miss Darcy.
The young girls whispered to each other and Emma couldn't help but wonder if they whispered about her, she was tempted to pull herself up tall and turn away, pretending not to notice them. Instead she glanced down at her dress a little self consciously, as she realized how much nicer her clothes were then theirs, the daughters of the tenants were dressed in rather rough clothing, those from the nearby village, in cotton, whereas she wore silk.
Well, if they wanted to talk about her, they might as well do it in her hearing! Straitening, Emma crossed the yard and joined them, a smile on her face "hello."
"Miss Darcy" the young ladies chorused, curtsying to her politely. The conversation would have stopped there if it weren't for the youngest of the party, no more then four-years-old, speaking up in awe. "You have a very pretty dress" the poorer little girl said, not at all envious, simply admiring.
"Thank you" Emma replied, smiling. The little girls sister, looking too be around Emma's age, possibly older, tried to shush her.
"This is my sister Mary" the younger girl beamed, "today is her birthday."
"Is it?" Emma asked politely, noting that the girls were dressed rather roughly, and were probably tenants.
"Yes Miss Darcy" the girl curtsied. Suddenly Emma wanted to give her something, seeing the girl shiver slightly in the cold wind, she took off her shawl and handed it to her. "Here, for your birthday"
"Oh no Miss! I couldn't! That's much too fine!" the girl gasped taking a step back "and you'll be cold!"
"Not at all, and I insist" Emma pressed the shawl into her hands and left just as quickly as she had come over as her mother was calling.
"Why Emma, where ever did you leave your shawl?" Elizabeth asked on the drive home, suddenly noticing her daughter was without the aforementioned article
"I-I gave it away" Emma admitted, suddenly wondering if she had done wrong.
"To whom?" her father asked.
"I don't know" Emma admitted, realizing she had never asked the girls last name "but it was her birthday and she didn't have anything pretty to wear, and I have lots more."
"That was a sweet thing to do Emma" her mother set her fears to rest, and meanwhile back in the chapel yard, much the same sentiment was being expressed as all the girls crowded round Mary, exclaiming over the article of clothing.
"Oh Mary! It's beautiful!"
"Oh, do put it on!
"She is so kind! I wish I had a shawl like this!"
"Yes, she was very kind" Mary said softly, taking the shawl and wrapping it around her little sister for warmth. With a nod to the other girls she left the chapel yard for the walk back too their home, holding her sisters hand. Knowing there was much to do once they reached their home, in getting the meal ready and caring for her poorly mother.
Though on the outside she might not seem to appreciate the gift, truly she did. Inside a soft glow was started from the kindness shown her, and she wished she could have thanked Miss Darcy better.
"Miss Darcy, there's a woman to see you" at the sudden voice of the maid, Emma looked up from the world of her book she had lost herself in.
"Who is it?" she asked, puzzled.
"One of the tenants I believe Miss, I asked her if it was Mrs. Darcy she wanted to see, but she said no, Miss Darcy it was."
"Oh, well let her in" Emma said, feeling very grown up for a minute in having a strange visitor come to see her. Who could it be?
The woman who came into the small downstairs sitting room had once been a pretty woman, but with the coming of age and a recent sickness, she was weak and a little sickly looking. "Miss Darcy" she curtsied low, seeming very nervous "I came a long way to bring this back to you" she held something out and Emma recognized it as the shawl she had said good bye to just the day before. "I thank you most kindly for the lone of it when my girls walked home and am sorry to be so late, but I have not been feeling well."
"There must have been a mistake" Emma said, not taking the proffered shawl "it was a gift to your daughter, for, well to keep, I didn't think of you bringing it back and am only sorry that you had to walk so far."
The mother looked at her surprised, partially because of what was said, but even more because of how it was said, for Emma expressed herself like one much older than her seven years of age.
"I thank you" the woman stammered out "but it's too much for us."
"Not at all, it was a gift, and I won't take it back, if you persist you may hurt my feelings, please take it, I want her to have it."
"Thank you Miss" the woman relented with a smile, and a curtsy once again as she prepared to leave.
"Wait" Emma called after her, suddenly realizing that the woman would have to walk all the way back that she had come "wait a moment and I will-" 'she was about to say ask father to send you in a carriage'but changed it to "go with you" instead.
The woman was too surprised to protest before Emma had gone out of the room and run to tell her father all, and get his consent to send them on horse back or in the carriage.
Mr. Darcy voted for horseback, as the roads might not be good where she lived, and so it was quite a party that set out, with Emma, a footman and the woman whom Emma had learned was called Mrs. Oakley.
While Emma's main concern was that the woman would not have to walk so far when she looked weak and the weather was cold, she also had a secret wish to see the girl Mary, again.
Emma didn't have very many friends, there were of course her cousins, but she didn't get to see them as often as she liked, and while she had met several other girls, none of them had been friends, most of them she hadn't liked at all. She had a secret wonder if the calm girl, and her little sister who hadn't been afraid to talk to her, might be a friend. She had no thought whatsoever to her "station."
When they reached Mrs. Oakley's home, Emma was not surprised to find that she was indeed a tenant, what did surprise her was that she was the tenant of not her father, but their nearest neighbors the Finley's. The cottage was very small and rather shabby, though it was kept clean. Emma thought it would be rude to invite herself in, and Mrs. Oakley seemed embarrassed by the houses shabbiness, so called the family out.
The family consisted of the two girls she had seen and a little baby, held in the oldest girl's arms. The father was out caring for the farming and the children looked very surprised to see her. Suddenly Emma wondered why she had come at all.
She greeted the girls, asked them how they were and several other polite questions, before deciding she must leave. It was a little awkward, had they been her fathers tenants, she would have felt it was different, but still, she hoped to see them again, and had not entirely given up the idea of friendship.