Chapter 63

Early Wednesday-morning, as Eric dresses to accompany Mr Manners to what he expects to be a rather naughty party, he is surprised by a knock on the door. It's Simon, who excuses himself for disturbing Eric this early.

'I thought you might like some help dressing, I can show you how to tie those cravats. Frankly, I should come with you, Mr Manners has his valet, and you should have one, too. But it's too late now to ask the master, he doesn't like to be disturbed this early in the morning. Busy times for a married man.'

That does seem to be a rather sore point for Simon, apparently he is not married himself, and would like to be. Strange, for he is incredibly handsome and very nice, it shouldn't be too hard for him to find a girl to marry. Oh well, from what he lamented a few days ago when Eric was having a hard time with jealousy of Mr Manners, Simon seems to have some unhappy love that he cannot escape from. Pity.

Though Eric's love is also still troubling him. Georgiana is certainly giving him every sign of caring for him, but of what use is that but to make her as unhappy as he is? They'll never be allowed to marry.

'Eric, take some care around Mr Grenfell, the friend in question. He's not a kindred spirit, if you get my meaning, though Mr Manners and his friends obviously like him a great deal. They are the only ones who can handle him, and they are sorely mistaken in his character.

Do not trust him, do not tell him anything pertinent, and do not get angry if he says anything disrespectful of your new patron and especially his sister. Let Mr Manners deal with that, and to this end do not be caught alone by the master of the house. He does not respect Mr Darcy, has reason to be angry with him, and also with Miss Darcy.

Ignore slights, pretend to be stupid or ignorant of the concept of honour, or you will regret it.

Mr Grenfell has no respect for your sensibility or your gift, he will find out your ancestry and treat you like a servant. Please avoid him.'

'How do you know all this, Simon? Why does he worry you so much?'

'I was involved in the gross violation of honour and decency that got him banished to his own house for two months by his friends, chief among whom Mr Manners.

I have a high opinion of Mr Manners, but he really seems blind to Grenfell's faults. If that man finds out how much Mr Darcy and especially Miss Darcy value you, he may try to hurt you, either physically or through your place in society.

You are on your way up, Eric, don't let some foolish sense of honour spoil everything, for believe me, if it's one of their own against a cow-herd's son, no matter how gifted you are and how intensely useless Grenfell is, you're done for, and Mr Darcy will only be able to save the remnants of your career.

Frankly, I wish you hadn't consented to go, but I suppose you didn't know, and couldn't have refused anyway. I wish I could come with you to keep an eye on you, but I suppose that wouldn't be possible anyway from the back of the house. Just be very, very careful, and trust Mr Manners. He is honourable, just blind to his friend's true nature.'

'That sounds pretty awful, Simon. Is there something else I should know about?'

'Mr Lascelles will be there, maybe you can keep him from lowering himself on spirits and loose women? He's engaged after all. But be subtle, or don't do anything, do not risk your career.'

'And Mr Manners? Is he in danger?'

'Mr Manners rules the roost, it will be interesting to watch him and learn, Eric, he is so incredibly subtle. He looks like your parish priest, but there is so much more to him than meets the eye. Watch, listen, and be as amazed as I was when I found out.

If you can win his friendship, you'll be set forever. But again: do not criticise Grenfell or any other of his friends, he loves them so much they cannot do anything amiss in his eyes. He accepts anything and everything from them, as a fond parent overindulging his children.

Simon seems to know Mr Manners rather well, which is not entirely strange since that gentleman seems to skip the boundaries of class very easily.

'I will heed your warning, Simon, and be watchful. And should I see anything that upsets me, I'll not take action, since that would be harmful to my career. Is that it?'

'That's it. Now I'll be less worried over you. Mr Manners can take care of himself.'

After this information, which frankly makes Eric even more nervous than he already was, Simon gives him advice on what to wear, what not to wear, and some innocuous subjects of conversation, should that become an issue.

They check out the stuff he is planning to take, and Simon wonders about a soft leather case that is rather heavy for its size.

'Tuning instruments, Simon, some may find the sound of an out-of-tune piano charming, I cannot stand it for even a minute. It grates on my ears, and I can tune an entire piano in half an hour, not perfectly, that would take much longer, but adequately, and I do it free of charge. I do it for myself after all.

And I'm taking some sheet music, I never go anywhere without it.'

Set to go, Simon helps him carry his stuff downstairs, where Mr Manners is already waiting.

'My valet is fetching my carriage and driver from my own town-house, they'll be here in a few minutes. Glad to find you so punctual.

Simon! So good to see you, I wish you could come with us, had I thought of it I'd have asked Mr Darcy, though I suppose you have duties here. And you may not like where we're going, considering what happened at Netherfield.

Don't worry, my man, I'll return Mr Fielding in one piece, as handsome and as gifted as he ever was.'

Georgiana says Simon never knew his place, and he proves it now by replying to Mr Manners' familiar remark as familiarly, and rather critically.

'I sure hope you know what you are doing, sir, taking him to such an occasion. You're not going to tell your friend whose house he lives in, are you?'

'I most certainly am not, I'm going to even keep Mr Fielding's name a big secret. He'll be someone I found in a pub and had dressed for the occasion.

But thanks for the tip, Simon. If you can look a little uncomfortable in your outfit, Mr Fielding, that would be perfect. And if you know how to act less sophisticated, so much the better.'

'My patron entertained people of all classes willing to buy one of his instruments, Mr Manners, I can be anyone with enough money to afford a piano.'

'That is good enough for me, and good enough for my friends. I hear a carriage coming, I suppose that's ours. Is there anyone in particular you should say your goodbyes to?'

Since Eric did that last night just before he went to bed, he shakes his head, though he does wonder what that question is about. Mr Manners cannot know about Georgiana, can he? There was that damned article in the paper, of course.

'I'm all set, and looking forward to an exciting trip, Mr Manners. Thank you for your help with everything, Simon!'

'My pleasure, Mr Fielding.'

'Oh come on, Simon, you don't have to Mr Fielding him before me. Look around you, there's no-one else here.'

'All right then, enjoy yourself, Eric, and see you tomorrow.

And you too, Frederick, enjoy yourself and take care of him.'

Simon receives a playful cuff around the ears for his trouble, and is left behind smiling.

'That fellow really doesn't know his place,' Mr Manners comments on their way out, both carrying their own luggage, 'but you know, I did ask for it, and he's the best valet in town and beyond. If it weren't so damned impolite, I'd lure him away from Darcy to work for me, God knows I need the effort, whereas Darcy always looks perfect. That guy's talents are wasted on him.'

As they sit down in the carriage, Eric notices it is much like Mr Manners' dress style, very simple at first glance, but when one takes a little more time to really look at it, finished to perfection, priceless crushed velvet seats, walnut inlays, bronze lamps in a flowing organic style, even a little hearth that smells less than usual in such a small space.

The dampers must be of an excellent quality, for there are no bumps at all.

'I've opted for insulting my valet by having him sit on the box with my driver, to have a little privacy inside, he's getting too soft anyway, too little work and too many parties these days. Since I'm rarely at home I have only a basic staff, and he has to serve himself, but in these large houses even the personal servants are spoiled rotten.'

That is certainly strange, calling his own valet spoiled, and allowing Simon to call him by his first name, but of course these rich gentlemen can do whatever pleases them.

Soon, Mr Manners explains Eric what the New Year's Eve charity will be like, and what will be expected of him.

'Of course you can join the guests before and after your show, and there will be a little room for you to prepare in peace and quiet. If Miss Darcy wants to join you there to keep you company that is fine. Being your pupil and very talented herself she will understand not to talk to you while you prepare, and help you get into the right mood.'

Eric cannot comment to this, the very thought of Georgiana makes him shy, exhilarated, love-sick and desperate at the same time. Better put her out of his mind for a day and a night.

'It's about an hour's drive to my friend's house.

Since Simon probably thought it necessary to warn you against my friend Grenfell, I'll be frank and tell you exactly what to expect at his house. It may shock you to hear, but I hope you'll understand we cannot just cast off our friend.

After the wedding-party of Mr Bingley and Miss Bennet, Grenfell tried to rape a servant girl, of course you probably know her, for she's Mrs Darcy's personal maid, a very pretty and well-behaved girl.

She was saved by Darcy's brother-in-law, the army man, who was not present at Christmas because he used to be, and still is, Darcy's worst enemy. But that's not my tale to tell, it's Darcy's, or even Miss Darcy's.'

Eric remembers, she promised to tell him, but he never offered her another chance at intimacy, afraid to drag her along in his love for her, afraid to cause her grief and disappointment.

'Darcy wanted to call Grenfell out, but no-one would understand a gentleman fighting over a servant girl. I do, you've noticed I'm not for formality at all, but the rest of the world would not.

Therefore I thought we'd better punish him ourselves, and Darcy and Bingley agreed, so we did, our old group of college friends, we banished him from public life for two months. But he cannot abstain for so long so we thought we'd throw him a party at home to spare his maids, give him what he needs in a relatively decent way. Which is where Lascelles comes in with some arrangements he's made, and you will be there to liven things up a little.

If Grenfell is hopeless, we'll have to ostracise him, but that'll set him loose on the world. We prefer to marry him off and keep an eye on him. We feel responsible for him. That's it. You're not, so if anything happens, send for me. Or Lascelles, he likes you a lot, and do not be mistaken, he's tougher than he looks.'

With such excellent company, time flies by, and before they know it the carriage slows down to ride along a beautiful avenue lined with large trees. They're bare of leaves, of course, but from the smoothness of the trunks Eric guesses they are beeches, hundreds of years old.

The house is surprisingly modern, not to Eric's taste for it is rather squat, but it's sure large and the situation isn't bad at all, it's halfway up a long slope, with a truly stunning formal garden at the front of the house.

The sheer size of the garden amazes Eric, he's mostly lived in the city, and this garden must be so much work to maintain, it's nearly the size of a city park, with box hedges and yews shaped like geometric figures or animals, a labyrinth, a sizeable pond lined with seats and little nooks and crannies, and a long straight path connecting the various entertainments, all displayed right before him because of the slope they're built on.

'That somehow doesn't look like a bachelor's garden, Mr Manners, it must take ten gardeners to keep it in such perfect condition!'

Mr Manners replies dryly, 'I'd guess more like fifteen, working full-time all through summer. What does he have them do in winter?

Anyway, you're right of course, that is not Grenfell's garden, it's in fact his mother's. She's a widow, and still living with him on the estate, she says she doesn't like city-life.

Mrs Grenfell is part of the reason I wanted so much to have you part of this.

We're pretending to have a quiet, cultural party, with serious music, which is why I have had the pianist I supposedly found in a bar fitted up with decent clothes, pretending to be an ambitious young player trying to work his way up.

Will you allow me to introduce you by your first name? I do not want them to know who you really are, as Simon suggested, that would be very unwise and possibly harmful to your career.'

'You may use my first name whenever you like, Mr Manners, you know where I come from originally, but in this case, maybe it's better to use my second name, Philip? Philip Fields, that has a nice sound to it.'

'As you wish, Philip. Too bad you're a mere bar-pianist here, I'd love to have you address me less formally, but that wouldn't be credible. We'll save that for later.

Now listen up, Grenfell has bought a new piano, he is eager to marry and expects a visit from an eligible lady soon. The piano is to convince her Grenfell is a cultural adept.

I'll have someone take you to it as soon as we're settled, and you can get to know it and probably adjust its tuning. Miss Darcy told me you taught her to tune her own instrument, because an off-tune piano grated on her ears. I suppose that's worse for you.

Then after dinner you can play your own concerto for the old lady, plus some other not too virtuous pieces with plenty of feeling, remember, you're a bar-pianist, no sonatas or you'd have to pretend to struggle through them.

After that, Lascelles will instruct you on the rest of the entertainment. I'll keep you close, that's not entirely in line with our story, but I don't want you relegated to the servant's part of the house by accident.

By now they have reached the house and are received by the butler, who takes their coats and shows them their rooms on the first floor, Eric finding to his relief he has a room right next door to Mr Manners. It's very old-fashioned, with heavy, embroidered velvet curtains, and a four-poster bed with even more fabric.

It's perfectly aired though, no stuffiness at all, and perfectly serviceable for one night, in which he probably will not see much of his bed anyway. How they will keep the widow from finding out about their pleasures is a mystery to him, and something he probably wants to keep that way.

After a quick inspection they go to the drawing-room to meet their host and the other friends of this clique.

Walking a pace behind Mr Manners when they enter, Eric feels very comfortable, this man really does exude familiarity and trustworthiness.

The halls and the drawing-room are also old-fashioned, much like the formal dining-room at Mr Darcy's house, walls painted a rich colour, stuffed with valuable hard-wood furniture with nacre and contrasting wood inlays, the chairs and sofa's elaborately carved with intricate shapes, with stiff horsehair-stuffed seats.

A large contrast to Mr Darcy's elegant, airy style of furnishing, which is as rich but so much easier on the eye.

Eric supposes the old widow must have quite some influence on this household yet.

Mr Grenfell is very imposing, handsome, tall, well-dressed, but somehow he seems to shrink a little when shaking hands with Mr Manners. That fellow sure has an overpowering influence on his large friend, Eric almost expects Grenfell to kiss Mr Manners' hand. How can this be?

Why does Mr Manners' presence have this effect on a man of Grenfell's calibre, look at the estate, he must have a considerable income, why does he let himself be put upon by a relatively nondescript man like Mr Manners? Eric certainly doesn't feel a need to lower himself towards Mr Manners, the opposite actually, he is so familiar.

There will be plenty to see tonight, that much is clear.

Mr Manners of course greets his friend heartily, with a well-meant hug, he obviously loves him a lot. After that, Mr Grenfell's hesitation is gone, and he is totally at ease, until a lady in her late middle years enters the room and demands to be introduced to any new arrivals.

That must be the widow, she's so much younger than Eric expected! She can be Grenfell's mother, but just barely, she must have been very young when she got him.

She doesn't dress her age, though, but at least ten years out of fashion, and her hairstyle is very conservative. It's clear poor Mr Grenfell is not the master of this household by far, not yet, nor will he be as long as his mother is still alive and well.

How will they get her to stay in her room while they feast?

How will his future wife cope with her mother-in-law living in? She probably will not have to, doesn't the mother get her own establishment when her son marries? Maybe that is why Mr Grenfell is so eager to marry, to be rid of his mother.

Though the widow will not leave that garden voluntarily!

After shaking hands with everyone, being introduced to a motley assortment of men who apparently make up Mr Manners' college clique, and to Mrs Grenfell senior, who openly admires Eric's looks, and holds his hand a tiny bit too long, Mr Manners comes to his rescue, offering, 'Do you want to check out the piano, Philip? Let me take you to the room we've designated to use for the party.'

'Yes, please, I'd like to get a feel for the room and the instrument.'

Grenfell forces his opinion on all of them.

'Lascelles is still busy with the party delivering it. It's a fine instrument, but why make such a fuss about the delivery? One would think it's made of porcelain the way that guy carried on about drafts and the bumpiness of my lane.

Some people just don't know their place in life.'

Mr Grenfell is clearly put out with a tradesman showing little respect for a land-holder, the transport-firm must be from London, townsfolk generally have little respect for class, especially for country-people.

'Lascelles said he came highly recommended, and Grenfell, if you think about it, a piano is much like porcelain, it damages easily. Now you just let Lascelles and me handle everything and enjoy yourselves, we'll make sure the piano is ready tonight.'

Mr Manners soothes his high-strung friend easily, and signals Eric to follow him.

'I thought the instrument would have been delivered weeks ago, Lascelles must have been very much distracted by having his heart stolen. How easily love turns our heads around until we can no longer think right, doesn't it, Philip?'

With a little more feeling than he intends, Eric replies.

'It certainly does. Mr Lascelles looked very happy to have secured his lovely young fiancée. I can imagine he was a bit distracted from organising the piano.'

'Will it be a terrible problem, getting it in tune so soon after transport?'

'Frankly, with any other pianist you would have been in trouble, after such a long trip in this cold weather one usually leaves it for a week to acclimatise before even trying to tune it.

But I can tune it myself, and do it again if needed, as many times as necessary until it sounds to my liking.'