Pride and Prejudice

AU

No Common Lady

Previously

Mr. Bennet said nothing. He only listened and watched. It was something Thomas had been doing ever since Mrs. Thatcher had arrived, and his observations about her speech, and mannerisms, were causing enough questions in his mind that he knew a trip to an old friend, a brother in arms, was called for. One he would make alone, with no offspring, or associate by his side.

Private Talk

Ch. 8

No sound, other than the echoing of Thomas Bennet's boots, filled Chichester Cathedral as he walked down the aisle. It had taken him two hours to get to his destination. 'I hope this is not a wasted trip. I did not know he had converted to Catholicism after our time in the army. If my old friend is not here as I was told, I will not get the answers I am seeking.' Mr. Bennet sat down on the front pew with Mrs. Fletcher very much on his mind. A door opened and a tall, dark-headed priest walked out along with a gentleman wearing a cloak; a look of surprise came onto the priest's face when he saw who sat in his oratory. The other gentleman went and sat in a pew further back saying he would wait for Father Browning until his visitor was gone. He might have caught Mr. Bennet's attention only he was in the shadows.

"Why, hello, Mr. Bennet. It has been a long time since we have seen each other. I believe I was an army chaplain at the time, was I not? Have you come to confess your sins?" His question was asked with a twinkle in his eye as the priest knew full well his old military comrade was not Catholic, nor was he interested in converting.

"You do not have that much time." Mr. Bennet laughed and then grew serious. "I came to inquire about a young widow by the name of Aurelia Fletcher whose family once lived in Brighton and moved to West Sussex. You mentioned the name before, talked about the Fletcher family quite a lot from what I recall. I wondered - hoped - it was the same family and thought -perhaps- the same lady of which you spoke."

"What about her?" Thomas heard the clergyman's relaxed tone, but he also saw him stiffen without even thinking about it. It made him wonder if Lydia's friend was hiding something and did not beat around the bush in asking about Father Browning's reaction.

"It is nothing about Mrs. Fletcher herself that made me stiffen." Thomas's old friend shook his head. "No, she is as honest, kind and tender-hearted a woman as any lady I have ever met. She is a class unto herself, Aurelia would give the poor her last cloak, her last meal, if they needed it. She is no common lady."

"So, why did you act as if you had been pushed against these walls?"

"Tell me why you are making your inquiries first, and then I will take my turn."

"Fair enough." Mr. Bennet explained about Lydia, about Brighton, Mrs. Fletcher's actions and of her coming to Longbourn. "She asks no money, which makes me feel extremely awkward. Bad investments which put me into debt are now paid off so, it is not like I cannot afford it. I feel as if the dear lady is being taken advantage of as she has done far more than what was expected. Most families take someone like her in, but hers seem nowhere around. I have attempted to pay her, but the kind lady has refused all of my efforts. So, I have resorted to hiring some extra help and giving her small things through my second to eldest daughter. Aurelia is a common laborer and yet her mannerisms suggest she is more. Lydia was told by Mrs. Fletcher she was only a governess for a short period of time and yet the lessons my daughter is being given indicate there have to be years involved. And then something will happen, and it is as if she were the one to whom was given the governess -not the other way around. It makes no sense to me…especially since you have stated what I feel…Mrs. Fletcher's words shoot as straight as her family name."

"Aurelia…" Father Browning let out his own long sigh. "Is one of my younger cousin's oldest childhood friends; one of the few that will still speak to me and my family after we converted to Catholicism. Mrs. Fletcher, out of a desire to keep me safe from the likes of her 'good' upstanding cousin, Ambrose kept our communications quiet. That, however, has nothing to do with the matter at hand. I cannot tell you much... for what I know was told was under the strictest of confidence or ordered not to repeat; however, what I can say is Mrs. Fletcher has always had a knack of making friends of all classes. Her mind is sharp and takes in what others seem to miss. Her ability to learn- and teach-is just as high as was her mother's. I will say her parents did have more money than most were aware of; however, that is not the point. Unfortunately, they lost the majority of it. Past that I can give you no real answers. Aurelia holds all of your answers, and she may not ever reveal those, I have no real idea as to that." He then leaned forward. "I am free to tell you one thing, and it involves her cousin Ambrose Preston."

"That would be?"

"To not believe a word he says. If he appears to be on your side, run in the opposite direction. Do not give him an ounce of your money as did her parents. He has poisoned the minds of people in this area against Mrs. Fletcher, even her own relatives which is why none of them came to her aid when she needed them. Ambrose did it by casting his own shortcomings onto her. Now..." The priest folded his arms. "Back to Mrs. Fletcher's parents. Ill health, and the list goes on as to their dire situation. It happened shortly after her marriage to her late husband. That man was nothing but a rascal, and that is a more polite name I could call him. Mr. Fletcher wasted the majority of her what dowry her parents had put together for her. He left her to live in squalor while he slipped out with anything in a skirt. She would not talk about it, but - other than what he viewed as necessary - I do not think he ever touched his own wife. He wanted her to keep her 'doll-like' appearance so he could take her off the shelf and show her off anytime he wanted." He then told Bennet her maiden name and her married name were the same. "He was a distant cousin, wore two faces. Convinced her father he was a gentleman of honor, but his true colors appeared as soon as they exchanged their vows."

"I am amazed she did not turn bitter."

"As am I. She has held her head high and has looked and planned ahead very well when it comes to employment. If she sees signs that her place of living is going to be terminated, she looks elsewhere before it even stops. As for money, the word alone has left a sour taste in her mouth. And I think, deep inside, she believes that if a man marries her, it will be for what she is inside and not for what she can give him in monetary value, so she purposely leaves herself penniless." Father Browning kept his attention on his old friend. "We do not share the same theology; however, please promise me, keep her in your employment or - at the very least- make sure she has employment somewhere close by, make provisions for her when you die if possible. You do not have to tell her about them. I know for a fact that there is no place for her here or in Brighton. Her family did nothing to mar their name, but society now looks down their noses at her simply for the loss of what money they did have. Her sisters were saved from the so-called shame as they were fortunate to marry men of ... let us say very deep pockets. It is to their credit that they helped their sister when their parents fell ill. That is until they moved." It was all Father Browning could do to remember and keep his own vows. "Personally, I think those moves were unwarranted, but they had no choice; it was their husbands' decision to take new employment. I am convinced Ambrose was behind it all though I cannot prove it; he never has wanted Mrs. Fletcher around nor did he want her to have support. Aurelia Fletcher makes Mara look bad without even trying."

"I will not turn her out; I have already informed Mrs. Fletcher that she may stay for as long as she wishes." Thomas stood up, having even more respect for Lydia's friend than he had before. "I simply had questions that I was hoping would be answered. And checking up on some accusations in a recent letter I received. Ones which suggested she was a sponge."

"No, she is not." Father Browning smiled. "And if anyone is claiming such thing?" His mouth fell flat. "They are lying through their teeth and, as mean and Un Christlike as it is, I hope they will burn and rot for it." He did not have to ask who the letter was from; to him, that was obvious.