Page 19 of Till Death Us Do Part: Book 2
Elizabeth wondered what exactly would happen if she decided to have it out with the taciturn man. She was the mistress, and by all rights should be able to sack him, or at the very least influence his behaviour; but that was all theoretical. She suspected that if it came down to a dispute between her and the butler, he would just ignore her, or he might enlist Mr Knight in the argument, and it was clear where that would end.
Right at that moment, Elizabeth felt more despondent and angrier than she had since her husband abandoned her on her wedding afternoon; even though nothing had happened except an interruption to her little play, which could easily be resumed at a moment’s notice. She did not however, feel up to having it out with the butler just yet—especially since he had done nothing save walk into the room.
Very much to her surprise, he said, “I did not mean to disrupt your entertainment, madam. I am afraid none of the lower servants can imagine that I would approve of this activity.”
Astonished, Elizabeth asked, “Do you disapprove, Jennings?”
“It is not my place to approve or disapprove. However odd the master’s instructions might be, you are the mistress of this house. Having said that, I do not personally disapprove of such activities—in moderation. They are even good for morale.”
Elizabeth was as surprised by the declaration as she had ever been in the house. “Does this odd situation make you,” and she struggled for the right word for some time before settling on, “uncomfortable?”
“I prefer things orderly and unambiguous. It is, of course, not your fault that things are not running in their usual manner, butthis is far from the strangest situation I have ever seen. All is well.”
“Do you worry about what happens when the master returns?” she asked out of genuine curiosity.
She was rarely curious about her husband, feeling as though she knew all about him she was ever likely to, but in that moment, shewascurious about Jennings.
He paused long enough to suggest he found the question uncomfortable, but she had no pity, since every day of the past quarter had been uncomfortable for her in one way or another.
He finally said, “I do not worry. The master is a fair man,” he paused a moment, “as are you, madam. It is not my place to say—”
Then he just ran out of courage and stopped, so Elizabeth said, “Speak your mind, Jennings. I will not censure you, now or later.”
Nodding slightly, he continued, “I will not comment, except to say that you have been placed in a very awkward situation, and you have handled it especially well. I particularly appreciate the façade of mourning. You wear it well, but it is clearly a fabrication. It is not, however, obvious to everyone else, and it makes a good excuse for your lack of society within the neighbourhood.”
Elizabeth laughed openly. “Why, Mr Jennings, I can see how you maintain your position. That was exactly the right combination of flattery and impertinence to make me like you.”
Looking inscrutable, he bowed regally. “I aim to please, madam.”
Elizabeth laughed. “May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“You have no doubt noticed that I have not taken the reins of the household as a mistress ordinarily would.”
“I do not know how you could, given your restrictions.”
“While I cannotdoanything, there is no prohibition on my learning, is there—aside from my legendary indolence?”
“No, madam.”
Elizabeth thought for a moment, while the butler waited patiently, a skill she imagined had taken decades of practice.
After quite some time, Elizabeth finally said, “I have no idea what will happen when Mr Darcy returns, but within the restrictions he has placed on me, do you suppose you could teach me what I would need to know if Ididwishto be apropermistress?”
“It would be my greatest pleasure, and I am aware Mrs Reynolds has already made a good start.”
Happy to have something to do, waste of time or not, she said, “Could you ask Mrs Reynolds to join us in the library so we may get started?”
“Shall we say an hour, madam?”
“That would be lovely.”
The rest of March and April went by quickly as the weather continued to improve. Mrs Darcy now had things to tutor her students upon, which had expanded beyond Noah and Molly to include two more maids and two footmen, with the butler and housekeeper’s permission, and things of her own to learn.
The first order of business was to learn to ride better. She had the basics of course, but Longbourn only had three horses. Jane liked riding much more than she did, so Elizabeth had never bothered much. Jennings assured her that riding was an essential skill for a mistress, especially in the rugged landscape they occupied, and it was something Mr Darcy had specifically spelled out that she could do as much as she liked. This turned out to be the most pleasurable part of her week, because after she had been instructed for a fortnight, she could wander aboutthe estate at her leisure, so long as she was accompanied by a groom.
She could not take Molly or Noah, but the stablemaster, who thought Jennings a newcomer, seemed to enjoy her company. Mr Longman was happy to explain anything and everything she wanted to know about the estate, so long as it was out of doors. He freely admitted that after over thirty years in the employ of the Darcys, he could not find his way to a room any farther inside the house than the kitchen on a bet, though Mrs Darcy suspected he was teasing her.
