Searching for Pemberley

by Mary Lydon Simonsen

  “It's been great. I go to Mass with Maggie on Sunday. Father Lynch seems to think I need to be reminded from the pulpit that I am not Catholic. But that's not the best part. After Mass, he told Maggie he hadn't heard her confession since she's been home. I'm sure he suspects some midnight assignation between us.”

  Michael looked at me as if to say, “If only it were true.”

  “When you think about it, because he hears confession, he has the goods on everyone in town. Minooka has almost no municipal structure, so Father Lynch is mayor, judge, jury, and the police. It's amazing how much power he has.”

  “Don't worry about Father Lynch,” Jack said. “You'll be out of here soon enough. How are you getting on with Maggie's family?”

  “Sadie likes me. And I've lent my services as a mechanic to Patrick and Maggie's cousin Bobby at their gas station, so I'm definitely in their good graces. I went to a local bar with Mr. Joyce to have a few 'shnorts.' He's a quiet man but highly intelligent and knows the newspaper business inside out. When he has a beer or two in him, he'll tell you stories of when he was a breaker boy and mule driver. As for Mrs. Joyce, I'm still trying to win her over. I've rewired the chicken coop, repaired the fencing around her garden, cleaned gutters, and shoveled snow. She acknowledges everything I've done, but…”

  The reason Michael couldn't complete the sentence was, despite his best efforts, he had made little headway with my mother. As for me, I had made no headway at all.

  “Speaking of Sadie,” Geoff said, “when do I get to meet her?”

  Michael started to laugh. “Geoff, I'd love to hear a conversation between the two of you. You'd dazzle Sadie with your rapier wit, and she'll respond with a cudgel.”

  Jack started to tap the table. “Speaking of shnorts, where can we get a drink?”

  “Mateo's. It's right across the street,” Michael answered. “Bobby is dating their daughter, and Mrs. Lenehan went through the roof when she heard about it. Apparently, the Irish arrived here a generation before the Italians, and they look down on them because of their dark skin and exotic ways. In all seriousness,” Michael added, “I think I did a bit of good with Bobby's mother when I told them about James, Angela, and Julia. The past few days I've detected a thawing of relations between Bobby and his mother.”

  After the men went across the street to the bar, Beth asked, “How are things between your mother and you?”

  I didn't know what to say. Mom was still giving me the cold shoulder, believing her obvious displeasure would make me rethink my decision to marry Michael.

  “Maggie, you don't have to weigh your words with me. Has she voiced any objections to Michael?”

  “No. My mother's problem is not with Michael. It's with me.”

  “Does her unhappiness have something to do with the fact that Michael is not a Catholic?”

  I nodded. “Mom doesn't believe Catholics should marry outside their faith. I could deal with that, but she also thinks I'm promiscuous, and according to her beliefs, I am.”

  “Maggie, you are not promiscuous. Quite the opposite. Your modesty does you credit.” Patting my hand, Beth asked, “Will this affect your decision to return to England?”

  “No, it can't. I'm sorry I've made my mother unhappy. Hopefully, over time, that will change.”

  Beth thought it might be helpful if she talked to Mom, explaining how the relationship between Michael and me had come to be.

  “That's fine,” I said, “but I'd be surprised if it did any good. That is one lady who can dig in her heels.”

  By the time Beth and Jack had arrived at the Lenehan house to meet my family, everyone knew a great deal about them, including Beth's being the daughter of a baronet. The fact that she was also the wife of a butler's son got less playing time. Mamie wanted to know if she should address Beth as Lady Elizabeth, and I explained that Beth's only title was Mrs. Jack Crowell.

  Beth was as charming as she could be. She didn't react when Uncle Mike, who was missing all but his thumb and forefinger on his right hand, shook her hand very much the way a lobster would. She admired Uncle Joe's shrapnel scar from World War I that ran just below his ribs, and she pretended to be impressed when Mamie pointed out that, as the wife of a prominent Democrat, she entertained so much that she had to special order extra leaves from Philadelphia for her dining room table. When introduced to J.J., she offered her condolences for his loss of my Aunt Marie and later spent a generous amount of time listening to the story of their unmarried life together.

  Jack made an excellent impression as someone who didn't stand on ceremony, and since many of the young men were earning a living in highway construction, Jack shared some stories of building railway bridges in India while listening to the difficulties of paving roads on the steep inclines of the Pocono Mountains. With my father, Jack discussed the one American baseball game he had seen during the First War. The Yanks had invited the British to an exhibition game of their national pastime, and Jack readily conceded that baseball was a lot less boring than cricket. Dad took the opportunity to boast of all of the local talent that had come out of our little town, including Steve O'Neill and his brothers, Chick Shorten, and Mike McNally, all of whom had gone on to play in the majors.

  Michael had already worked himself into the fabric of the town and walked about the room with confidence. He ended up sitting next to a toothless Sally Bluegoose, who showed up at every social event. Sally, who earned money for her keening, took her pipe out of her mouth and gave Michael and Jack an on-the-spot demonstration, which was the only time during the evening when Beth looked rattled. Without missing a beat, Jack told Sally it reminded him of “the night birds in India that scared the tar out of my boys when they were little.” He said that he could understand why her services were so sought after, which delighted Sally.

  And then there was Geoff. There were good reasons why women loved Geoff, and he demonstrated it with my Aunt Agatha. She was the worker bee of the family, preferring to stay in the background, washing dishes, replenishing the food, making coffee. But Geoff had wandered into the kitchen while she was doing the dishes and had picked up a dish towel. In short order, he had her talking about her children and Aunt Marie. He also won praise from Sadie: “I don't get him, but he's cute.”

  Whenever Mom got really dressed up, she always wore her favorite navy blue dress with tiny red flowers, and she had gone to the expense of buying a matching hat and shoes. Tonight, she was wearing one of her older Sunday dresses. The Crowells didn't know any better, but I understood Mom was sending a clear message that she was unhappy with me. Before the end of the evening, Beth asked Mom if they could possibly have lunch together—just the two of them. My mother agreed and suggested they go to her sister's house.

  The next morning, I delivered a bag full of groceries to my aunt's house. Aunt Agatha had never recovered from the night when her husband went out to buy a pack of cigarettes and kept walking, leaving her to raise four children on her own. Uncle Leo's desertion had condemned his family to a life of poverty. My mother had chosen Aunt Agatha's house because she wanted Beth to know: “You are not like us, and we are not like you.”

  As instructed, I returned an hour later to pick them up. As soon as I saw the two women come through the battered screen door, I knew that Beth had gotten nowhere. The mood in the car was so strained that I knew I was in for it when I got home. After walking through our kitchen door, Mom immediately slipped on her apron in an effortless exercise repeated thousands of times during her lifetime. Within a minute, she was washing and peeling potatoes for dinner. One by one, I transferred the potatoes from the sink to the cutting board and waited for what proved to be an explosion.

  “Do what you want. I don't care. If you are willing to turn away from your faith, your upbringing, everything you've been taught just so you can live in England and have a rich husband, go ahead.”

  “Why are you saying I've turned away from my faith? I go to Mass; I receive Communion. And Michael is not rich. Besides
, he will be going to school for years, and I'll have to keep working as long as he's in school. And, believe me, we won't be living in the lap of luxury in England because it's as if the country is still on a wartime footing. Beth and Jack and Michael all carry ration books because there are still shortages of just about everything, including bread and fruit and gasoline. It's worse than anything we had during the war.”

  Mom stopped peeling potatoes and looked at me and shook her head. “Maggie, you and Michael are so different, just like your father and I were different. He was so smart, and I always hoped it wouldn't matter, but it did. I'm afraid the same thing is going to happen to you. Look at where you come from, and then look at his mother. She grew up in that big house with servants. I left school at sixteen to go to work, and I changed linen at the Heidelberg Inn during the summer. I was a servant.”

  “Mom, Michael's grandparents were servants, too, and you don't know Beth. She's had so much heartache in her life. The reasons were different, but Jack kept her at a distance, just like Dad did to you. Her baby daughter died, just like Bridgit did. She lost two brothers in the war, and a third nearly went insane.

  “It's true Beth and you are from very different backgrounds, but your values are exactly the same. There is nothing more important to Beth than her family. She has raised two fine sons, pretty much on her own, and she is the moral center of her family, just like you are for ours. Mom, you've always been my guiding light, and that's not going to change, no matter where I live.”

  “I hope for your sake you're right, Maggie.” After squeezing my hand, she went back to peeling potatoes.

  Chapter 48

  THE EVENING BEFORE THE engagement party, Michael presented me with a beautiful diamond ring in an antique setting. “It has a bit of history to go along with it. A friend of my mother's, who was killed in the First War, left it in her care, and knowing how sentimental you are, she thought you might like it. If not, there are plenty of jewelry stores in New York and London.”

  I told him that I would gladly wear it. Colin Matheson's ring had finally found a home.

  At the party, while Beth mingled comfortably among all of my family and friends, Jack sat down with Father Shea and my father. He wanted to get to know Dad, and by “chatting him up,” it also cut down on the number of trips he took to the bar.

  Despite her reservations, Mom was a gracious host to her British visitors. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but she was wearing her navy blue dress with the tiny red flowers. I could only hope that was a small step toward reconciliation. One of the best sights of the evening was my Aunt Agatha wearing a brand new, store-bought dress. Where on earth had she gotten the money to buy a new frock? And I looked at Geoff, and he gave me a sly smile.

  Geoff was absolutely captivated by Sadie. When she asked him what it was like to work for the Foreign Legion, he answered in typical Geoff fashion: “I have not offered my services to the Foreign Legion. I am, however, a civil servant of the British Government working in the Foreign Office, and I would be more than happy to explain the differences to you.”

  Having the party with an open bar turned out to be a stroke of genius. By the end of the evening, everyone was toasting the Crowells' health, and some broke into an unintelligible “Knees Up Mother Brown,” a popular WWII song in Britain.

  I danced until I could no longer keep my shoes on, and it was nearly 1:00 when the lead singer announced that there would be one more dance. We had requested “Always.” It was that song that Michael and I had been dancing to when we had fallen in love at Montclair. Everyone looked for their best girl or guy. Patrick danced cheek to cheek with Anna while Bobby and Teresa kept some space between them because Mamie was watching their every move.

  As Michael and I danced, I thought about the long journey that I had traveled to arrive at this place and the people I had met along the way. With the exception of my family, it was Jack and Beth who had the greatest impact on my life, and I was looking forward to becoming a part of their family. In order to do that, I had to leave behind family and friends and the town that had helped to shape the person I had become. It was my intention to take with me the best of all those whom I had known and loved. But the next part of my life's journey lay in England with Michael.

  Of all those whom I needed to thank, there was one person who was not there. I owed a debt of gratitude to Jane Austen and her tale of two lovers. After all, it was Jane who had led me to Michael.

  The End

  Appendix:

  Dramatis Personae

  Mr. Bennet (Mr. Garrison)—A gentleman farmer and the father of five daughters. Because of an entail placed on the estate, Longbourn will be inherited by his closest male relative, the Rev. William Collins. Elizabeth, his second oldest daughter, is his favorite.

  Mrs. Bennet (Mrs. Garrison)—Acutely aware that her husband's death will mean that the family will have to vacate Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet becomes obsessed with marrying her daughters off to the first eligible bachelor. A silly woman, her interference proves embarrassing at best, and in the case of her daughter, Jane, and the eligible and wealthy Mr. Bingley, nearly fatal.

  Jane Bennet (Jane Garrison Bingham)—The eldest Bennet daughter and the prettiest. A kind, sweet creature, she is agreeable in every situation and sees good in everyone. This results in her misjudging Charles Bingley's sisters, who are determined to keep her away from their brother, Charles. She is viewed as the family's savior because she is the one most likely to make an advantageous marriage.

  Elizabeth Bennet (Elizabeth Garrison Lacey)—An attractive, intelligent, and witty young woman. Despite her precarious situation because of the entail, “Lizzy” is determined not to marry unless she falls in love. Offended by Mr. Darcy's rude behavior when he first comes to Meryton, she refuses his offer of marriage when he tells her he has had to put aside his own objections to marrying her because of her inferior position in society. However, when she later meets Darcy at Pemberley, his estate in Derbyshire, she recognizes he has changed and is now a man worthy of her love.

  Mary Bennet (Mary Garrison)—The middle daughter, a sanctimonious scold, who thinks she is morally superior to everyone around her.

  Kitty Bennet (Celia Stanton Garrison)—An empty-headed girl of seventeen, who follows her younger sister, Lydia, in her pursuit of a good time, which includes flirting with the officers quartered near Meryton.

  Lydia Bennet (Lucy Garrison Waggoner Edwards)—The black sheep of the family. This sixteen-year-old flirt runs away with the cad, Mr. Wickham. This action has the potential to harm the marriage prospects of her four sisters because no respectable man would want to have anything to do with the Bennet family. Lydia is rescued by Mr. Darcy, who arranges for her marriage and purchases an army commission for Wickham.

  Henry Bennet* (Henry Garrison)—The Bennets' only son, who died when he was twelve. Without a male heir, the Bennet estate will be entailed away to the benefit of Mr. Collins because it cannot be inherited by a female.

  Caroline Bingley and Louisa Hurst (Caroline Bingham Upton and Louisa Bingham Ashurst)—Charles's conniving sisters, who attempt to sabotage Jane and Charles's romance. Caroline wants to get her brother back to London as quickly as possible because she has noticed that his friend, Mr. Darcy, is attracted to Elizabeth Bennet, and she wants Darcy for herself.

  Charles Bingley (Charles Bingham)—Darcy's friend, whose family made their fortune in trade. Although he holds an inferior position in society to Darcy, his amiability wins him many friends and the love of Jane Bennet. He is convinced by his sisters and friend that Jane is not in love with him.

  George Bingham*—Charles's eldest brother and the head of the large Bingham family. His success in business is the source of the family's wealth. As a result, he exerts a strong influence on all of his siblings. Richard and James Bingham are also Charles's older brothers.

  Mr. William Collins (William Chatterton)—Described as one of literature's greatest bores, he is to inherit the Bennet estate upon Mr. B
ennet's death. Supremely obnoxious, he goes to Longbourn with the intention of marrying one of the Bennet daughters. After he is told that Jane will shortly be engaged, he turns his attention to Lizzy, who finds him to be ridiculous. Over the objections of her hysterical mother, she refuses his offer of marriage. He quickly recovers and proposes to Lizzy's closest friend, Charlotte Lucas.

  Fitzwilliam Darcy (William Lacey)—Born to privilege and status, this wealthy son of the landed gentry offends Elizabeth when they first meet at an assembly in Meryton because he believes himself to be superior to everyone there. It is only when Lizzy rejects his offer of marriage that he takes a long hard look at his actions and realizes he did not behave like a gentleman. A chastened Darcy renews his attentions to Lizzy, resolves Lydia and Wickham's problem, and informs his friend, Charles Bingley, that he was wrong about Jane Bennet and that they should marry. Lizzy recognizes the changes in Mr. Darcy and accepts his second proposal.

  Georgiana Darcy (Georgiana Lacey)—The much younger sister of Mr. Darcy, who becomes the target of George Wickham in his effort to secure her fortune, but Darcy was able to prevent an elopement.

  Anne de Bourgh (Anne Desmet)—The sickly daughter of Lady Catherine, who is supposed to marry Mr. Darcy because it was the wish of both their mothers.

  Lady Catherine de Bourgh (Lady Sylvia Desmet)—Mr. Darcy's overbearing aristocratic aunt, who interferes in everyone's affairs. When she learns her nephew is possibly engaged to Elizabeth Bennet, she hops in her carriage and heads for Longbourn with the intention of preventing such an ill-advised proposal.

  Col. Fitzwilliam (Col. Alexander Devereaux)—Mr. Darcy's cousin and the younger son of an earl. Elizabeth is mildly attracted to him, but because he must marry a woman of fortune, nothing can come of it.