Chapter Four
Beatrice settled herselfin the carriage. This was the day. This was the moment her whole life had been leading to. When she laid her head downthisnight, it would be in London.
They waited to set off as Juliet had just run back into the inn to retrieve her notebook from wherever she’d left it. Van Doren had called out, “Ode to Who Is Surprised? Written by Lady Forgetfulness.”
Beatrice had to admit it was rather amusing.
“Miss Bigg, Miss Catherine, and Miss Austen were so admiring of all of you,” Miss Mayton said.
“I did offer to take up a correspondence with them,” Beatrice said, “but unfortunately the Miss Biggs are shortly to travel to the Americas where they expect to live for several years and then Miss Austen recalled she is also to travel to America. She could not be certain when, but perhaps as soon as next week. They all seemed very cast down that our acquaintance must be so fleeting.”
“I did note it, of course,” Miss Mayton said, nodding. “They were very dejected over it. Especially when you offered to write them in America, but alas they do not know where they are to be settled in that vast land.”
“I thought they must be going to Boston,” Viola said, “but they all seemed certain that could not be it.”
“To soothe their disappointment,” Miss Mayton said, “I wrote outThe Terrible Goings-on of Montclair Castleby Richard Roydon so they might purchase their own copies to read on the ship. And, of course, I could not help but notice how admiring they were of Juliet’s ode so I copied that out too.”
Beatrice rather thought it had been Van Doren who’d been the one doing the admiring last evening. He’d seemed to take great pains to see that Miss Austen, in particular, had everything she required.
Perhaps all her worry that Van Doren would make himself a nuisance in Town had been unnecessary. Perhaps he would be distracted from harassing her by other ladies who took his attention.
Of course, that must be right. He was of an age to marry and as he did everything that he deemed sensible, he was likely planning on looking for a wife.
And oh, what a paragon she must be! All seriousness and facts and figures, ready to take on the duties of the mistress of Faversham Hall.
Yet, Miss Austen had not been all seriousness. Beatrice had several times heard her say some bon mot that everybody had found witty.
Why had Van Doren thoughtthatsomething to admire? He did not once ask the lady how she was at accounts or how she viewed managing a large staff or any of the other tedious matters he pestered Beatrice with.
“Beatrice,” Viola said, as Juliet climbed back into the carriage with book in hand, “you are rather quiet this morning. Are you thinking about where your one true love is at this moment?”
“I was thinking, actually, that Van Doren paid much attention last evening to Miss Austen. That makes me think he comes to Town to find a wife.”
“Van Doren married,” Cordelia said softly. “It is rather hard to imagine.”
“Somebody must marry him,” Rosalind said. “He is a lord, after all. I am certain some lady will take him on…if she has no other choices.”
“Poor lady,” Juliet said. “Just think of it, lectured from morning ’til night for the rest of your life.”
“She will have her work cut out for her,” Miss Mayton said. “Or perhaps he will find a deaf lady who shouldn’t mind at all.”
“Or at least hard of hearing,” Rosalind said. “That might work out very well. He is not terrible to look at, he is only terrible to listen to.”
The carriage began to move. Van Doren urged his horse forward.
As he passed by their carriage, Juliet took that moment to lean out the window and shout at him, “Ode to a Scolder, written by Viscount Scoldy-Breeches.”
And so, on that pleasant note, they were on their way.
*
Matthew would bevery grateful for this journey to come to an end. His legs and other unmentioned regions were aching. He thought it very lucky that the Benningtons had not been charged with discovering the new world. It would have taken them years just to make it to an English coast.
They had been only an hour on the road when one of the earl’s carriage horses had thrown a shoe. Everybody thought it very convenient that there was an inn nearby where they might seek out a farrier.
The earl, Mr. Tattleton, and Brown were speedily transferred into the carriage that carried Cook, while the two footmen were chased out of it to walk behind.
They were just now bringing the whole caravan into the inn yard and Cordelia was already calling out her window to the earl to get his opinion on ordering a plate of ham.
