We are slowly getting to Edith and Richard. 😊
Btw 51 year old habits are stubborn, but I am even more pigheaded… 😉
~~H~~
Frustrations
Everyone at Longbourn, Netherfield and Purvis Lodge heaved a huge sigh of relief when the guests departed.
Even Mr Gardiner returned to his business until Christmas, but since the holidays were already close, his wife and children opted to stay at Longbourn. This was a blessing for Mrs Bennet since the cheerful children distracted her from the fact that two of her daughters had gone to lives of their own.
The other resident of the community who was thrilled that the Gardiner children had arrived early for their annual Christmas visit was James Farrington.
Each morning, weather permitting, he hurried through his breakfast and then pestered his nurse or his mother to take him to Longbourn. As the only local child amongst the family, he was the resident expert at the best places to play hide and seek or any other game they could devise.
By the time he returned for dinner, he was generally only too happy to retire immediately afterwards.
~~H~~
Edith was grateful for her son's distraction since it allowed her to arrange for his Christmas present.
'As a cavalry officer, I expect that you know something about horses,' Edith asked at breakfast a couple of days after the weddings.
'I do, but I thought that you had a full complement of horses already.'
'For myself I am well provided, but a little bird told me that my son is ready for his own pony. I have made enquiries and there are two possibilities. I thought that you might like to come and help me choose the right one.'
'I would love to help.' Richard grinned as he imagined the delight the boy would feel at receiving his own mount. 'I remember how proud I was when I received my first pony.' His face fell as he also remembered the last horse his father had gifted him, which he had lost to a stray bullet in Spain, the day he had been wounded.
The Colonel could feel the tension mount as that thought threatened to overwhelm him. He unclenched the fist which he had unconsciously balled and took a deep breath. To distract himself asked, 'where are those ponies you wish me to inspect.'
'One of them is local, the second one is at a stud near St Albans.'
'In that case I suggest we check out the local one first. That way we can immediately decide if you wish to purchase the one at St Albans or not.'
Edith smiled her thanks but confined herself to asking, 'can you be ready immediately after breakfast?'
~~H~~
As Fitzwilliam was getting ready, his mind was on the young Earl, who was still unaware of his heritage.
During his stay at Purvis Lodge, when Richard had occasionally needed to escape the company in the house, he had sought refuge in the stable as he found the horses to be soothing company. He also hoped that regular contact with the animals would help him get past the loss he had experienced.
Before the Gardiner children had kept him busy, James too had often come to the stable to pat the horses. His particular favourite was the mare which Blake usually rode.
The first time they encountered each other, James, who had been introduced to the rather intimidating Colonel before, had been concerned. 'Please, do not tell mama that I was here.'
'Since you obviously know that you should not be here, where does your mother think you should be?' Richard asked in amusement.
'I am supposed to have a nap, but I am not a baby anymore and I am not the least bit tired.' James drew himself up to his full height which had the top of his head reaching as high as Richard's waist.
Richard sat down on a straw bale as he looked the boy up and down. 'I quite agree. You are much too tall to be a baby,' he replied with a straight face although his eyes twinkled suspiciously. 'But I think you have another reason as well.'
'I wanted to bring an apple to Arabelle.' James nodded towards his favourite.
'I thought that her name was Arab?' Richard questioned the name.
James' eyes widened in horror as he clapped his hand over his lips. 'Oh, I was not supposed to tell anyone what her full name is. Mr Blake does not think the name is suitable for someone as fearsome as he is.'
'Rest assured. No one would ever consider making fun of Blake because of his horse's name. Everyone is much too scared of him to upset him.'
'I think he is nice and not scary at all,' James defended his friend.
'He is not scary to people who like and respect him, but he can be quite fierce to anyone who makes fun of his horse,' Richard conceded.
To the Colonel's delight, they discussed horses and life in general, until James had to return to his room to avoid being found out.
After that day, James would often try to come to the stables when he knew that he would encounter his new friend.
~~H~~
Edith fell in love with Snowflake, the pony for sale at the St Alban's stud. Fortunately, Richard agreed with her that the animal would be perfect for James, since it was gentle and well trained, yet lively enough to be fun for the boy.
The purchase was arranged on the spot and Edith's groom led the pony to Netherfield, where the stablemaster was expecting them.
'I promise that Master James will have a real surprise come Christmas day and I have just the saddle which will suit them both,' Mr Brown declared with a fond smile.
'Blake has offered to come and collect him on Christmas Eve,' Edith informed him and was told, 'I'll make sure he is ready for you.'
~~H~~
Edith, Charlotte and Richard spent a quiet evening in the small parlour and Purvis Lodge. Charlotte was working on some embroidery which was to be a Christmas present for her mother while Edit and Richard were playing chess.
The Colonel had been pleased when he discovered that Mr Bennet was not the only good chess player in the family. He and Edith were quite well matched although their styles differed. He planned his strategy while Edith relied more on instinct. In the end they each won about the same number of games.
This evening Edith had the advantage. Richard acknowledged her victory and suggested, 'I think after this defeat I deserve some more of your excellent brandy. Shall I pour you one as well?'
'That would be lovely, thank you.' Edith turned to her companion, who was just putting her sewing away. 'What about you, Charlotte, will you indulge as well?'
'No, thank you. I think I shall retire instead unless you need me for anything?'
'Suit yourself, my friend.' Edith smiled and wished her a good night.
As Charlotte was leaving the room, Edith noticed the fire had burnt down. She rose and added another log. She had just picked up the poker, when Richard was suddenly beside her and took it out of her hand.
'Allow me,' he said politely.
'Stop interfering. I am perfectly capable of stoking the fire by myself,' Edith snapped as she rounded on Richard, trying to snatch back the poker.
He was taken aback at the ferocity of her response. 'My apologies. I had not meant to imply that you are incapable. I was merely trying to be the gentleman who I was raised to be and offering assistance to a lady is second nature to me.' He gave her a rueful smile which gradually changed into a mischievous grin.
He changed his grip on the poker and bowed, presenting the handle of the poker like a sword. 'I beg you will not use it to part my hair.'
'Damn,' muttered Edith as she took several deep breaths. 'I must apologise for snapping at you. I know that you meant well. As you may have noticed, I react badly to being told what to do or if anyone implies that I am not capable of looking after myself.'
'So, I am learning. Will you tell me what caused this?'
Edith's shoulders stiffened as she focused her attention on the fire as if she could see the past in the flames. 'A husband who belittled me at every opportunity. Who treated me like a child incapable of independent and intelligent thought. A man who insisted on making every decision for me and never allowed any opinion but his own to count. You would not understand this. Women are driven by their emotions and unable to think rationally. Now be a good child, run along and do not worry your pretty little head about it.' Edith mimicked her husband's words as her hands balled into fists at her side.
'I can see how that would be irritating.'
'Irritating is not the word I would use. Soul destroying would be more apt. Can you imagine what it is like to be treated like an incompetent child?'
Fitzwilliam grimaced. 'I recall an incident when I was a brand-new Lieutenant.' He related the experience during a planning session before a battle where he thought that his Colonel was not considering the latest intelligence they had received.
The Colonel objected to being contradicted. 'Be a good chap and run along. These discussion are for experienced officers who know how to plan a battle.' Fitzwilliam tried to protest, but he was cut off. 'Stand down, Lieutenant, or I will have you charged with insubordination.' When he still would not be silent, the Colonel ordered his aide to remove Fitzwilliam with a parting shot, 'I do not have time now to deal with puling children, but I will have your guts for garters when I return.'
Richard remembered the frustration as he watched his comrades march off an hour later. He gained no pleasure when he was vindicated the next morning as the news arrived that the regiment had been wiped out to the last man.
He sighed. 'While I cannot fully comprehend what you experienced, I had a small taste of that helpless frustration when my superiors refused to listen to me because of my youth and lowly rank.'
'I am grateful that you can empathise even in a small measure how it feels to be ignored.' Edith smiled tentatively as she turned back to look at Richard.
'At least you were in a position to improve your situation. All you had to do was to get older and more experienced. Whereas I could not change being female and a wife who had no rights whatsoever. I was in the unenviable position of anticipating a lifetime of frustration and misery.'
'But surely not all men are like that,' Richard exclaimed.
'They may not be deliberately cruel, but many men are just as bad simply by being protective or helpful.' She gave him a pointed look and Richard had the grace to colour slightly.
'When I married, I was young and naïve and did not realise that protectiveness could go too far. By the time I learnt, it was too late. I was a wife and property with no option but to obey.'
'Property? Surely you exaggerate.'
'Perhaps you should read the Marriage Act where under the principle of coverture, which deems women to be one with their husband, they do not even own the clothes they wear.' She gave him a challenging look. 'Did you know that horses have greater protection under the law than wives? A man may not beat his horse, but he is within his rights to beat his wife.'
'You sound… bitter.'
'I would say, tired, distrustful and exasperated rather than bitter.'
They sat in thoughtful silence for a little while as they both considered the ramifications of Edith's experience.
Eventually Richard bowed to Edith. 'May I apologise for the stupidity of all my sex. I will do my level best not to protect you unless you request assistance.'
Her eyes lit up. 'I accept the apology and have to confess that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.'
~~H~~
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The Colonel and the Heiress (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2022