An Unexpected Governess

Lelia M. Silver

 

Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet’s being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralise over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters’ beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance. –Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 1

A man could only take so much squealing.

Thomas was positive the noise level was going to drive him to insanity before he was thirty. He would never have believed little girls could be so loud. His carefully managed household had disintegrated into chaos in the past month.

There were stains on the dining room chairs where the children had spilled their food when he had mistakenly believed they could all sit round the table for a family meal. He had learned his lesson with that one. Now, they took their meals in the nursery. The four of them ran roughshod over the house, sliding down banisters and climbing the curtains. On the bright side, his banisters never needed polishing. But his curtains were in tatters.

So were his nerves.

He was looking forward with unbridled and unusual glee to a visit to his attorney that morning, a Mr. Phillips in Meryton. How he longed for adult conversation! To be somewhere quiet and peaceful! To complete a discussion without interruption!

It was all very much to be longed for and looked forward to with the greatest of expectations.

The door burst open and two little girls, followed closely by their brother, ran into his study.

“Uncle Thomas! Uncle Thomas! John pulled my hair!”

“I did not! You are lying!”

“Did too!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

Thomas rubbed his temples. Yes, a visit to the attorney was definitely in order. He was past ready to escape this madhouse for some civilized company!

*****

Mr. Philips was shocked speechless when the normally staid Thomas Bowen entered his office whistling merrily. He had never seen the man so at ease. He actually lounged in the armchair across from him.

He raised his eyebrows at the silly grin that spread across the younger man’s face.

“If I did not know better,” Mr. Phillips remarked, “I would think you in the midst of an infatuation. Has some young lady caught your eye at last?”

Thomas laughed, too pleased to be out of the house to let his attorney’s assumptions bother him. “No. I am simply thrilled to be among adults. I never thought to be so glad for silence in my life. Those children have taken over my house, plain and simple, and I have no idea how to gain control again.”

“They have been with you how long? A month? Surely it cannot be as bad as you say.”

“If not, it is surely worse.”

“Have you no governess to care for them while you carry out your business?”

Thomas sat straight up in his chair. “A governess? I had not thought of that! It is just the thing!” He looked thoughtful for a moment as hope briefly lit his face. But then he slumped back in his seat dejectedly. “Where am I to find a governess in Hertfordshire?” he bemoaned. “And quickly at that!”

Mr. Phillips took pity on the poor man. “Surely my wife would know of some suitable young lady. We are hosting a small dinner party this evening. Perhaps you might ask for suggestions there? If my wife cannot think of anyone, I have no doubt one of the other ladies present must know of someone.”

Thomas frowned at the invitation. He normally avoided such social engagements as if they were a deadly disease. But desperate times called for desperate measures. He could place an ad in the papers, but that might take weeks, and he did not have the time to waste interviewing candidates.

No, one evening of discomfort was far more preferable. “I believe that would be most satisfactory.”

Mr. Phillips informed him as to the details of the gathering and then they turned their attention to the business that had brought them there to begin with.

*****

Thomas checked his appearance one more time in the looking glass. His skin tingled with nerves and anticipation. He cleared his throat loudly and slid one finger under the collar that was suddenly choking him. Just as quickly, he tried to smooth his cravat back down. His valet would not be happy if he ruined all his careful work before anyone had seen it. The poor man had been thrilled at the opportunity to display his skills and dress his employer for a rare dinner party. Thomas had felt slightly guilty under the man’s ministrations. His talents were sadly underutilized on him. He had almost wanted to reassure the man he would attend more social functions, just to make the poor chap feel his efforts were appreciated.

But he had stopped the words just in time, as he remembered the last fiasco of a ball that he had attended. He shuddered to think of his stammering replies and stilted dances. He had regaled one young lady with the entire history of the quadrille during their set, only to overhear her later making fun of him to her friend.

It had not been an enjoyable night. His only consolation was that he had not been the only one who had made a fool of himself at the Netherfield ball. It had seemed the whole of the Bennet family had subjected themselves to ridicule. Even their cousin, Mr. Collins, had made a complete idiot of himself, speaking so presumptuously to the illustrious Mr. Darcy, when he had not even been introduced to the man!

That had been almost four years ago now, and he had rarely ventured into society since.

He had tried to prepare himself for the evening to come, but already any confidence he might have possessed had dwindled into awkwardness. He sighed. Best be on with it. Waiting only made the task seem that much more formidable.

He descended the stairs to the waiting carriage below.

*****

Mrs. Phillips had been horrified by her husband’s announcement that he had invited Mr. Bowen to their dinner party. “Why on earth would you invite that man to our home?! He can hardly be considered agreeable, and he is certainly not handsome! Even though he does have five thousand a year, all he does is drabble on about nothing at all!”

Mr. Phillips chuckled at his wife’s effusions. “That man, as you so eloquently put it, is in desperate need of some female advice. I believed that you, with your extensive knowledge of the society in these parts, could be of assistance. Was I wrong to assume so?”

Mrs. Phillips puffed up at his words. “No! No! You are quite right. If there is anything to be known I shall know it. There is nothing that passes that escapes my notice. All of Meryton is aware that!”

“Then I was quite right to invite him to dine with us. You shall be of the utmost assistance to him.”

“Of course I shall be!” she huffed. “He would not find better information in all of Hertfordshire!”

*****

Mrs. Phillips had put forth special effort to make Thomas feel welcome upon his arrival. She was pleased to have her opinion sought, and the compliment to her vanity far outweighed her prejudice against the man.

There was no time for private conversation before they all went in to dinner, so Thomas had to content himself with biding his time until tea was served. It was a difficult thing to do, given his dislike for social engagements in general, but he sought to make himself agreeable by conversing with Miss Long, who was seated to his right.

“Did you know, Miss Long, that the word dinner, as we know it now, is derived originally from the Latin word disjējūnāre, which meant to break one’s fast? Of course, that is also where we derive the word breakfast. Not from disjējūnāre, I mean, but from breaking one’s fast. I think breakfast is a decidedly boring word, do you not agree? It means exactly what it sounds like. There is no enjoyment in the discovery at all.”

Miss Long looked up from where she had been prodding her peas about her plate. “I had no idea you were so, er… knowledgeable… on the matter, Mr. Bowen.”

Thomas warmed to his subject. “Oh, yes. I find linguistics and etymology to be quite fascinating. The word etymology is itself quite diverting. It originates from two Greek words: étymo, meaning true, and logos, meaning word or reason. So, when put together, they mean true word or true reason. You see, then, how that clarifies the word, since you are looking for the true reason of the word, not a false or an assumed basis. Etymology therefore requires quite diligent study if you are to uncover the complete meaning and history of the word, because all one’s assumptions must be pushed aside and the truth only must be carefully sought.”

Thomas concluded his monologue enthusiastically, as it was one of his favorite subjects, only to come to the realization that Miss Long’s eyes had long since glazed over, and although she was diligently nodding along to everything he said, her attention had drifted. Almost as soon as he had stopped speaking, she turned decidedly to her other dinner companion, engaging him with some town gossip she had overheard.

Thomas turned his attention to the lady on his left, hoping to converse with her, only to be met with the back of her head, as she was firmly engaged in speaking to the gentleman on her other side.

His cheeks flushed with two bright spots of pink as he came to the conclusion that both young ladies were pointedly avoiding talking to him. He lowered his head and applied himself to his meal in an effort to cover his embarrassment. He had done it again, despite his best intentions.

He should have known better than to bring up etymology. He had simply been trying to find a common ground to converse about. Surely, any accomplished young lady, as those around him claimed to be, would have been interested in acquiring knowledge. But, if the conversations around him held any evidence, the young ladies were more interested in acquiring and spreading the village gossip than pursuing knowledge.

He sighed and fiddled with his roast beef. He would never learn how to fit in with polite society.

After that debacle, dinner was just something to be endured and got through as quickly as possible. There could be no real enjoyment in the meal. Thomas felt some relief when the ladies adjourned to the parlor, leaving the gentlemen to their port. But even here, he was afraid to open his mouth, lest he should commit some further social gaffe, especially as the conversation drifted into topics he would prefer to leave untouched.

He shifted uncomfortably as the alcohol flowed liberally, loosening too many tongues. He sat stiffly through the men’s ribald jokes and knowing winks, coughing at the cloud of cigar smoke that fogged the room.

When they were finally able to rejoin the ladies in the parlor, Thomas had developed a pounding headache and had no desire to do anything but obtain the information he needed and politely excuse himself. Even the noise at home was preferable to this.

To his delight, he was able to accomplish his objective with very little effort on his part. Mrs. Phillips, once tea had been served, sought him out.

“I have been informed, Mr. Bowen, that you have need of a lady’s opinion,” she said proudly, batting her eyes and preening. “How may I be of service?”

Thomas, while repulsed by her vain display, was not about to let the opportunity pass him by. He cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. “Yes. Well. About a month ago, as you are probably aware, my sister died, and her husband being at sea, I, umm, inherited her children. I have found that I have no affinity for the children, and your husband suggested to me, just this morning, that I should acquire a governess. I at once agreed, but I have not the slightest idea where to obtain one on such short notice. I was hoping you might know of some suitable young lady in the neighborhood. Just someone to come during the day and see to them.”

Mrs. Phillips leaned back in her chair to ponder this perplexity. She tapped one long finger against her lips and tried to put on a brooding air. Immediately, a young lady sprang to mind, but she pretended to think a little longer, to make it seem like she had really given the matter serious thought.

“One of my nieces, Miss Mary Bennet, is said to be the most accomplished young lady in the neighborhood. She is not perhaps as beautiful or as gregarious as some of the other young ladies, but I believe she should suit your purposes exactly. You will find her most amiable and I believe she would appreciate an excuse to get out of the house.”

Thomas thanked Mrs. Phillips for her valuable assistance and took his leave. As his carriage pulled away from the entry, he turned his mind to Miss Mary Bennet. He knew very little about the young lady in question.

He remembered briefly passing through the room as she played the pianoforte at the Netherfield Ball. Her choice of music had perhaps been a little off for the venue, but he remembered being impressed with her level of skill at the instrument. Other than that, he only had a vague impression of a quiet brunette, overshadowed by her more vivacious sisters.

But it was a start. For the first time, he felt hope that he could stop the downward spiral that had begun when his sister’s children had first stepped foot into his home. He thought wistfully of a return to his structured lifestyle and harmony within the four walls of his home.

If Mary Bennet could give him that, he would be eternally grateful to her.

 

© 2013 All Rights Reserved Lelia M. Silver