by Fiona Hill
“So he locked them away,” Jacob took up. “The devil of a lock on that chest,” he remarked, “but I picked it. Just took a little time, that’s all.”
“Heavens, Jacob, where did you learn to do such a thing?” demanded his scandalised mother.
Jacob hung his head shamefacedly for a moment, but told the truth. “First you must promise not to dismiss him,” he stipulated.
“Dismiss whom?”
“Jack. The stableboy, you know. It was he who taught me, but I promised I’d never—”
“Jack! Shaw, we must send him packing at once. Disgraceful!”
“Mamma!” objected Jacob, “you said—”
While mother and son argued this point, Emily selected her favourites from the sheaf of poems and began to read aloud. She read very well, her voice rising and falling as the meaning required, so that even the most exuberant of the listeners were touched deeply. “To C.,” she read:
Farewell my fair! Adieu, though we met not,
Nor ever shared a kiss, or warm embrace,
Nor ever may within the pale of grace,
Yet I will say adieu to thee in thought.
So must it be; long in my soul I sought
And summoned up the image of thy face;
Anon I saw sweet Mary’s take its place.
’Tween Heav’n and earth, God save me! am I caught.
I love thee, dearest rose of all my youth,
But, robed and tonsured, must not speak thy name.
Ah God! I little thought to learn such shame
When first I came to Thee to learn Thy truth.
’Tis mid-night. I must hurry to my cell;
And lest thou come there, I must say Farewell!
“How sad!” cried Elizabeth, her hold on Thaddeus’ hand tightening involuntarily. Ashley put an arm round Laura’s waist and kissed the top of her head tenderly.
“We will be always together,” he murmured. She caught hold of the hand upon her waist and held it fast.
“There are more,” said Emily, pleased with the effect of her reading, “many more. Listen to this one; it is a ballad, I think:
The wind of Fortune bloweth on us all:
We are but flowers mildly nourishèd
By Earth, by God, by comforts great and small;
We grow a little space—then we are fled.
Yet how we live, and whither we are led,
Hangs on the chance that scattereth the seed;
By Fortune we are sown and conquerèd,
So let the wind play songs upon the reed!
Some men are born into the royal hall,
Some sweat and toil daylong to earn their bread,
A few respond to Heaven’s dulcet call,
And these to God eternally are wed.
Some live by heart always, and some by head:
The lover and the scholar find their meed;
But he who is by Fate most cherishèd,
He lets the wind play songs upon the reed!
Then why oppose whatever may befall?
And why deny what is most coveted?
Sith Fortune holds us tightly in her thrall,
Why should we strain and fret against her thread?
Dost ask how best to live? Dost stand in dread
Of pleasures, and know not which voice to heed?
Then yield! Bend down, content and vanquishèd,
And let the wind play songs upon the reed!
Envoy
Dear Christ, my heart is heavier than lead!
Mine own good counsel leaves me yet unfreed;
If in Thy Heart I yet am welcomed,
Then Thou shalt be the wind that plays the reed!
A reverie had fallen over most of the company by the time she finished reading. Jacob roused them, saying, “Famous stuff, ain’t it? I told you!”
“Famous,” agreed his elder sister, looking at him dreamily.
“Do you know what time it is?” Thaddeus confided to her in a low voice. “I’m famished!”
Fortunately for him, Garson entered a moment later with the news that supper was ready.
“Jacob dear,” said Emily, as they prepared to leave the room. “You owe me ten pounds, do not you remember?”
He stared at her for a moment. “Oh! Damme if you are not right!” He reached reluctantly for his purse, resolving at the same time not to make wagers with his sisters. Emily merely smiled triumphantly. The rest of the company remembered their appetites on the way to the dining-parlour, and shook off their dreaminess as they sat round the table. They proceeded, with no exceptions, to make a very noisy and festive meal of it indeed, capped by a toast just before the ladies withdrew. Sir Kenneth arose and lifted his glass aloft, bidding every one else be silent.
“To the Reverend Mr. Chance and our dear Miss Webb: may they live long and happy. To Mr. Thaddeus Grey and Miss Elizabeth Shaw: may they live long and happy. To Mr. Ashley Lowland and my own sweet daughter: may they live very long and very happy. And to all of us, whose good wishes they receive: may we ever let the wind play songs upon the reed!”
More from Fiona Hill
The Autumn Rose
When Lady Beatrice, a marriage "consult" of wide renown, firsts sets eyes on her twenty-three-year-old protegee, Lady Caro, she is despondent. Too tall, too thin, too spunky, and almost "over the hill," Caro seems doomed to spinsterhood—until Beatrice conjures up an outrageous persona for the spirited Caro sure to set her off from the hordes of more conventional, and therefore more marriageable, debutantes. Lady Beatrice's ploy—and Caro's considerable natural charm—work all too well, and soon Caro finds herself pursued not only but her reserved kinsman Lord Seabury, but by the irresistible rogue Lord Mockabee as well.
As London season reaches its glittering peak, Caro struggles to protect a friend's honor, preserve her own virtue, and win a love beyond Lady Beatrice's expectations. Sparkling with elegant wit and? extraordinary authenticity, The Autumn Rose is a delightful romp through the salons, ballrooms, gaming halls, and bedrooms of Regency London.
The Country Gentleman
At twenty-eight, Anne Guilfoyle is happily established as a spinster and a bluestocking, delighting her London friends with witticisms and intelligent observations on the political goings-on of the day. But when she is suddenly bereft of her fortune, she is forced to take up residence at Fevermere, the Cheshire farmhouse willed her by her great uncle. Isolated from London society and surrounded by farmland, with only her friend Maria for companionship, Anne finds her intelligence put to the test. She rapidly overcomes the shock brought about by the move and sets herself the task of learning everything she can about farming. Evenings prove rather dull, however, and Anne is obliged to invite some of her neighbors to dine—the most notable guest being Mr. Henry Highet, who Anne quickly decides is a thick-witted country type, though admittedly rather handsome. But Anne's estimations of both country life and Henry Highet are about to undergo a dramatic change...
The Love Child
The lovely Lotta Chilton was fine company at dinner—as delightful a lady as one could wish to have for a walk in the garden, and sufficiently charming and clever to have secured a position as companion to the Dowager Duchess of Karr. But she was emphatically not the type of female with whom an attractive, unattached peer of the realm should fall in love, much less seek to marry. But from Timothy, Duke of Karr's first glimpse of Lotta at his mother's gala winter festivities, he had followed the girl around the splendid halls of Grasmere Castle like a lovesick puppy. Unshaken by his mother's dire warnings about Lotta's parentage and unfazed by the whispering of the other guests, the Duke vows to claim the adorable nobody—despite the protestations of propriety on the part of almost everyone, including Lotta herself.
Love in a Major Key
When Daphne left her family’s country estate at Verchamp Park for a season in London, it was certainly with no expectation of romance. She soon discovers, however, that she has no difficulty in finding suitors—only i
n choosing among them.
All of them are quite acceptable, with the sole exception of Christian Livingston, the handsome and sensuous pianofortist employed by Lady Brede. Surely, little good could come of any attachment she might form for him. And yet, could propriety stand in Daphne’s way once her heart has been ensnared?
The Practical Heart
Miss Gillian Spencer is faced with an impossible challenge—to rescue the Viscount Sherbourne's standing. To do so, she’ll have to find wealthy husbands for his two charming and beautiful daughters. Without a farthing at the Viscount's command and his London house in ruins, Miss Spencer’s matchmaking work is certainly cut out for her. At the advanced age of twenty-seven, Gillian had dismissed the possibility of marriage for herself, of course—but who can predict where her talent for romantic intrigue on others’ behalf might lead her?
The Stanbroke Girls
The eligible but aloof Lord Marchmont seems as determined to remain single as his sister, Lady Emilia, is to see him wed. They are surrounded by a glimmering cast of characters, from the unreliable but dashing rake Jeffery de Guere to the lovely and shy Miss Amy Lewis. And, of course, the Stanbroke girls: Lady Isabella, romantic and dreamy, yet surprisingly practical, and Lady Elizabeth, her older sister, a heroine of great sense and wit as well as beauty.
As these characters dance, court, conspire, love, and chase their way through some of the most fashionable spots of England and the continent, we join their elegant circle for the sparkling, sophisticated romp. As always, Fiona Hill brings a fresh and engaging liveliness to the world of Regency manners, making The Stanbroke Girls a triumphant delight to read.
Sweet's Folly
To sweet Honoria Newcombe, the news that she was a burden to her maiden aunts came as a shock, and she resolved at once to relieve her beloved aunts of the financial strain she had unwittingly become. Honoria confers with her friend Emily Blackwood, who realizes Honoria's only hope is marriage. And so Honoria enters into a marriage of convenience with Alexander, Emily's own brother. This begins a comedy of errors so involved that nearly a year is required to unravel its tangled intricacies. Our heroine starts her life at Sweet's Folly, the Blackwood family home, and must learn to deal with the machinations of her spurned suitor, Claude Kemp, and the hilarious antics of her aunts. And, when a stroke of great good fortune sends Emily, Alexander, and Honoria to London, there is also a most extraordinary transformation to be reckoned with: shy, scholarly Alexander has become a perfect devil with the ladies!
The Trellised Lane
Living the charmed life seems easy for Julia. Edgely Hall is a lovely estate, after all, but Julia wants to see beyond its gardens, to venture out and see the world for herself. She wants a life full of adventure! And so she induces her brother Fitz to accompany her on an extended visit to London, where she might discover her heart’s destiny. But romance turns out to be a complicated matter, and Julia finds herself the center of a circle of suitors, duelists, and intrigue!
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