The Redemption of Lady Georgiana

  Chapter 14. Elizabeth & the Shire of York

  Yorkshire

  Daniel, Noah, Wesley and Josiah had matured since her visit with Benjamin to see them. Rosalie was shy and sweet, almost four years old. Everything had changed. Elizabeth and her husband had done a fine job of maturing the boys.

  The journey had taken nearly three days but they’d spent each evening at an inn along the way and stopped frequently to rest. The coach sped through Hertfordshire and much of Bedfordshire the first day. The next day the coach went over many a bumpy road as they travelled through Northampton, Leicester and some of Nottingham. On the third day they finally entered county York. Georgiana tried to prepare Selina and the maids for meeting her sister’s family, warning them cautiously about four rambunctious boys.

  The drive was long and there was little else to do other than read or attempt needlework in a coach that sometimes jostled the four ladies in spite of the new highway. It was hot and dusty and when the coach pulled up to the front door of her sister’s rural home on the outskirts of the city of York, they were ever so glad.

  Beth had embraced her for what seemed forever. “Bonjour! Ma souer, ma souer!” ¹ She held her hands up to Georgiana’s face and said, “At long last, you are here! Let me look at you ‘Georgie!’ It’s been too long… too long! Thank the Lord above you are on English soil and safe at last!”

  Georgiana laughed and beamed. It was truly good to see her sister standing there before her on the spacious terraced front porch to the house. Beth was thankful for the extra servants who had accompanied them and set about making everyone feel at home at once. She asked a parlor maid to lead Jenny and Molly to the servants’ quarters while she led her sister and charge to two spare bedrooms upstairs. Simon and another footman from among the Hadley staff brought in trunks and soon Beth’s ladies’ maid had them unpacked.

  Lady Selina was welcomed as if she had been Georgiana’s own daughter. Richard, Sir Hadley, wearing breeches tucked into tall dark boots and a long brown overcoat and crisp white linen shirt, was beaming to see their happiness. He had made apparent strides in the discipline of his boys and they appeared to be in the process of becoming fine young men. She hoped this visit would be much more tolerable and remained neutral and observant, hoping for the best in this regard. They were sure they had seen the boys learning to repair a fence on the way up the long drive to the house as they passed by several barns and sheds, circled around a stone well and eventually pulled to a stop near the front porch. Selina thought how much Edmund would have enjoyed meeting them as the boys dropped their tools to make their way to the porch to greet the coach, abandoning a servant attempting to school them in the ways of sheep farming.

  ¹Bonjour! Ma souer, ma souer! = Hello! My sister, my sister!

  The Hadley’s lived in a comfortable country manor with a few servants, on a comfortable income. There were chickens, horses, cows and sheep in pens near the barns… and sheep wandering on hills and meadows. A noisy goose and her babies had the run of the yard, retreating towards a pond some distance from the porch when anyone walked through the front yard. When the inhabitants had been deposited at the steps to the porch, Jeremiah, riding atop the coach in the driver’s seat with Simon at his side, wearily pulled the coach around to the side of the manor as directed by Sir Hadley. There he drove under a massive stone arch and into a courtyard running along the rear of the house with more barns, sheds, stables and clacking chickens running amuck.

  Sir Hadley had shoulder- length, dark hair and tan, leathery skin from spending a good deal of his time managing the affairs of his estate. It was considerably smaller than Bridesgate Park and with fewer resources and less help; he kept very busy despite having four sons. They were still rather young to be of much assistance but they were learning; and so was Sir Hadley. He had finally learned to keep his boys equally as busy learning about various aspects of farming when they weren’t studying under the guidance of a strict tutor. As it was summer, the boys had no lessons. Georgiana told herself she would stay for three days, maybe four, depending on how the visit went. She loved her sister dearly but she hoped the behavior of her nephews would not fray her nerves entirely. She also had Lady Selina to consider.

  Elizabeth had two spare bedrooms readied for her guests and a hearty stew that had been prepared by her cook. One thing about Elizabeth’s cook: she was the best in ten counties! They would certainly eat well while in Beth’s household. Her nephews and niece were amazingly well behaved during dinner, listening with great interest to all that the adults discussed. Beth, Lady Hadley, was efficient as a hostess and knowing they were weary travelers, managed to usher them upstairs to rest. All further visiting could wait until her guests had a good night’s sleep in her opinion, for which Georgiana was extremely thankful. After dinner, Selina and Georgiana were additionally thankful for hot baths and clean sheets on comfortable beds. She fell asleep and despite an odd feeling that there were no bumps, bouncing or views of barns and farmhouses, she dreamt the bed was moving on endless roads.

  The next morning, Lady Selina was attended by Jenny and Lady Georgiana, by Molly. Molly tried a new and fashionable hairstyle on Georgiana from something she’d seen in a newspaper advertisement while they were in London. Georgiana rather liked it but urged her to look in on Jenny (since ordinarily Jenny functioned in the role of a kitchen maid and not a hairdresser). “Perhaps you could see if she needs any help and make certain Lady Selina is pleased with whatever Jenny has been able to provide in the way of a hair style.”

  “Yes my Lady, I’ll look in on ‘em,” Molly promised. “Jenny plans to help in the kitchen today ‘til needed.”

  “Thank you. That sets my mind at ease. I’m certain Lady Hadley’s cook has her hands full with all of these extra mouths to feed.”

  “I promised to make up the beds in both rooms an’ tidy up, ‘n lay out an’ iron clean frocks for ye and Selina before dinner.”

  “Excellent. That will take some of the weight off of Elizabeth’s other house servants.”

  Georgiana and Selina thoroughly enjoyed the next few days. They were filled with all sorts of happy memories, which meant changing into dresses for morning, afternoons and dinner. Large breakfasts with the whole family around the formal dining room table, morning walks in the garden where they found long stem fresh flowers to make summer bouquets in vases to spread about the house and afternoon horseback rides through scenic meadows. They had a picnic outing one day and swam in the pond when it was exceedingly hot another afternoon. Evenings were filled with hearty, four and five course meals with cook’s excellent cooking, followed by musical evenings of dance and song. Elizabeth played lively tunes on the piano with Sir Hadley turning the pages of her sheet music while everyone else danced quadrilles until they were too tired to do anything else.

  Selina thoroughly enjoyed all of the activities and got along amazingly well with all of the boys. She was especially delighted to receive a letter from Cole on their second day in Yorkshire and a letter from her father on the third. She contented herself to write in her diary each day and to write a lengthy letter of response to her Baron and another to her father. There was also a letter for Georgiana from the Earl but she tucked it into the pocket hidden in her gown to read when she was alone.

  Elizabeth and Georgiana found plenty of time to have long chats with refreshing lemonade on the hottest afternoons in the shade of the porch. They enjoyed tea in Beth’s sitting room and talked about nearly everything.

  “The boys have matured so much since I was here last.” Georgiana stabbed her needle through the sampler in the hoop she was stitching. They were seated in comfortable chairs beside a little round table that functioned as a sewing table and a place to set a tea tray between them. They were happily situated in the sitting room that faced the front porch where they could keep an eye on all of the comings and goings of the household as well as see out into the ha
ll near the front entrance. The gray stone house stayed fairly cool indoors and the heavy drapes provided more insulation from the glare of the summer sun. The drapes were tied back on each side of the windows, revealing sheer lace panels which flowed to the floor, allowing some light in the room for sewing. The scent of the lilac shrubs and large stone pots with bunches of stems of English heather (like that of the northern moors) along the length of the front porch occasionally wafted in through the windows and doors, doors which were constantly opened with a steady stream of children coming and going.

  “Indeed, aye, they have.” It was nice to hear Beth’s voice. She hadn’t realized how much she missed that. “I’ve a letter from Uncle Henri. He seems busy and well.”

  “I’m glad to hear that he is well. I haven’t seen him in a long time but I do write to him from time to time.” Georgiana paused to thread her needle. “I don’t know how you manage with so many children…”

  “It wasn’t easy at first. Some days I almost gave up and packed my belongings. I was ready to return to France several times. You know Daniel and Noah were a little obstinate when their mother had passed away and then a few years later Richard married me! They didn’t have enough structure or love in their lives. They needed a mother but they weren’t ready for a stepmother for some time long after we married. With a lot of prayer, they gradually grew to understand that they had more love in the end and not less.”

  “You’ve done remarkably well with them. They really seem to have embraced you. I guess I’ve just always thought of all of them as your very own biological children. They seem to accept each other as siblings and the boys call you Mama.”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t always so. It sort of happened naturally, over time, little by little.” Beth held up the tiny, lavender dress she was hemming for Rosalie to view her progress.

  “It’s lovely Beth,” Georgiana said, pausing from her own sewing to admire her work. “You always did sew well!”

  “I think it was great therapy for me after Mama and Papa…” her voice trailed off. There was no need to finish the sentence. Georgiana knew what she meant.

  “Rosalie will be the best dressed girl in all of Yorkshire.”

  “If I have anything to do with it she certainly will be.” Beth tilted her head to one side as she resumed sewing the stitches for the hem. “Lady Selina adores you.”

  “How can you be certain?”

  “She watches everything you say and do.”

  “I hope I can live up to all of the Earl’s expectations in that regard.”

  “You will… and more. I have a deep down sort of knowing…” Beth, smiling, tilted her head to one side to look at her sister, the lace and thin streams of ribbon on her matronly cap following her movement.

  Georgiana kept her eyes fastened to her stitching. She wasn’t going to discuss the Earl with her sister. It was far too early and there was really nothing to tell or share. As much as her heart wondered and hoped that a future with the Earl was the will of the Lord, she felt she should chasten herself to the strictest of silence on the matter.

  Beth must have surmised Georgiana had little to say from the firmly closed mouth and look on her sister’s face. “I just want to encourage you to … well, oh never mind. Every situation is vastly different than the next. You are such a beautiful and fine lady. I don’t think you will ever have to be lonely. Some fine gentleman somewhere will capture your heart, if one hasn’t already…”

  Georgiana, keeping her head bent down over the hoop containing the sampler, did not reply-- but Beth detected a slight smile at the corner of her tightly closed lips which spoke volumes. It was all Beth needed to see to know her sister was indeed going to be more than well cared for. She would be loved, hopefully soon. Or at least Beth hoped so. She did not want her sister’s heart broken. Georgie, as she sometimes called her, was too young, too beautiful and too lovely in nearly every respect to remain a widow for long.

  The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Psalm 126:3, Authorized King James Version