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It was in these woods Miss Pembers knew to look for Emmy when the household was expecting Mrs. Melbourne and her eligible son Mr. Melbourne for tea.
“I don’t want to be involved in anything where Laurel throws herself at the boring man Mr. Melbourne is.”
“I seriously doubt Miss Laurel will throw herself at anyone, it would be in-proper and your sister has a higher sense of propriety then anyone I know. Now come or I shall send Helena to get you.”
Helena was Grandma Danford’s cook who had no problem disciplining the girls into good behavior with a wooden spoon, Emmy suffered the worst for it. She was hardly the a model of good behavior from her unkempt hair, dirty finger nails and stockings something covered in mud. Mother would only allow Helena to give Emmy one or two hits but Emmy still felt the blows to be fatal. With the threat of Helena’s wooden spoon Emmy climbed down from her rock and dusted herself off before presenting herself to Miss Pembers.
“And where are your shoes.”
“One can hardly climb with those little boots on, I would slip and break my neck.”
“Your Grandmother would break you neck knowing you walked outside barefoot. It is a good thing you have yet to wear long dresses you would ruin all of the with your childish ways.”
“I am not a child.”
“Well you are certainly not acting like a girl of sixteen. Playing in the woods, day dreaming and losing yourself in your world of make believe.”
“I like my world it is more interesting then this world.”
“Hush your mouth. You have all beauty and luxury around you. You are lucky to have such a fortunate family. There are girls in orphanages who dream of having what you have.”
Emmy wanted to remind Miss Pembers that none of the beauty and luxury was hers to do with what she would. If it was she would sale everything and explore the world. It all belonged to her Grandma and then it would go to uncle and the girls would receive nothing. She wanted to remind Miss Pembers of all that but know when Miss Pembers let her Irish accent slop she was about to let her hot temp out. So Emmy kept her mouth shut.
It was the fact that the girls were penniless that made the Melbourne’s visit more important. The Melbourne fortune was nothing compared to the Danfords but they had always had a comfortable life working in timber. It would be enough money, Laurel considered, to keep her mother and sisters living well. That was most important to Laurel and it pressed against her heart to make sure she could provide for her mother and sisters. The Melbournes were well-heeled and would advance well into society having a connection with the Danford name even if no finical gain would be made in the match. The Danford connection was the only card Laurel felt she had and she had to use it well. No one in the family, least of all Emmy could believe when Laurel spoke so kindly of dreary old Mr. John Melbourne and everyone was surprised when she insisted that he and his mother be invited over for tea at their earliest convenience. It all seemed quite unannounced, but the Melbourne’s graciously accepted the invitation and the two mothers arranged a time for the tea.
“Why do we have to have tea with the Melbournes?” Emmy asked her mother the day before.
“Your sister has taken an interest in John Melbourne.”
“You must be joking. How could anyone take interest in dreary, dull, dumpy John Melbourme,” Emmy couldn’t think of any other words to keep the alliteration going.
“That might be but Laurel must see more to him then we can.”
Emmy doubted it. How could anyone see anything of interest in John Melbourne aman who had two love, his horsed and collecting pocket watches from the early nineteenth century. Those two items was all he talked about and both in a monotone style that aroused nothing minus the amount of the yawns. Emmy had to yet to understand that sometimes the wants of the heart must be drowned by the demands of the pocket book. She had read about Mr. Willoughby sacrificing Marrianne to stay wealthy but anything would happen in real life. How could one give up the woman or man they truly loved just to stay in well a off condition. It seemed inconceivable to her. The matters of the heart should always take precedence.
Fiona hoped Emmy would always keep up her ideals and did not want to tell her real reason Laurel had found interest in John Melbourne was his financial status. She also hoped her thinking was false and that Laurel actually did like John Melbourne for reasons she herself did not know. Fiona knew Laurel felt a stronger burden for her family than her younger sisters.Laurel had always been more aware of the world around her and being older understood the hardship her parents faced in her in her father’s final days and the months that followed his death. Laurel was also aware that though they lived in a fine house they had hardly had the funds to keep it going with out the generosity of their Grandmother and once Grandma Cornelia passed away it would end their fortunes. Though Fiona knew that Laurel was aware of all this she did not know Laurel had over heard a conversation eight years ago when they first moved in.
“What would you have me do mother, let my children and I beg for our meals”
“I told you this would happen Fiona. I told you he was not fit. And when I think how you could have had Alfred Dumont and now he is married to your friend Iris who is barren and you have three girls and no money.”
“I did not love Alfred,” Laurel recognized the tone from mother it was stern but not raised.
“Love has brought you here penniless, begging for charity from your family. That must make you feel wonderful.”
“I thought my family would accept me but if you would like I could return to Boston and end my days as a poor maid, your granddaughters being forced to clean homes or worse sale flowers on the street corners. But how would that look having Danford blood in such ruined conditions. Rather you like it or not my girls and I are Danford blood and how we survive still reflect on you and Charles.”
“You would drag your respectable brother and family down.”
“I will do whatever it takes to make sure my girls will make sure my girls will never go hungry and have a good education,” Laurel had never heard her mother speak in such a sharp but almost unfeeling way.
“Well then I hope your girls marry well so you might gain good fortune that way.”
“I hope they follow their hearts,” Fiona wanted to say but didn’t because she knew that would be too unkind.
To the world it had looked as if Cornelia Danford had shown great charity in taking in her poor daughter and three granddaughters. To Pine Haven it looked as if Cornelia treated her daughter and granddaughters as if nothing had happened and all of Fiona’s past actions had been wiped clean but there would always be three people Laurel, Fiona, and Cornelia who knew absolute truth.
Read An Afternoon Tea (Part 2)
