11. The true meaning of ownership

Our Lady of Longbourn

Chapter Eleven – The true meaning of ownership

Elizabeth rode Epona up the sloping hillside and onto the crest of Oakham Mount just in time to catch the sunrise. There was little time for leisure during harvest, and she cherished these stolen moments. As she and her horse rested, Elizabeth watched as the sunrise painted the landscape. First the treetops and rolling hills, then the low-hanging fog, and finally the rows of crops until the sky turned from pink to blue and the new day settled in.

Then, sighing, Elizabeth turned Epona toward home. At the fork she hesitated, and then turned toward Netherfield. It was early enough on the day after an assembly that the new residents should still be asleep. Harvest would begin today and she wanted to check in with Mr. Matthews, if only briefly.

She took the roundabout way that delivery wagons used, leading up to the back of the steward's house. Mr. Matthews was in the yard, smoking a pipe and passing on directions. "Morning Miss Lizzy… should you be here?"

Elizabeth flushed, "Sorry, Mr. Matthews, but I had to check in. Do you have everything you need."

"That I do, Miss. That I do. I know that this isn't easy for you, so pour your efforts into Longbourn and get the most out of that harvest. They're greasing the gears at the grist mill, so you might check on them as well… but Netherfield…"

Elizabeth sighed, nodded, and turned her horse, "Have a good day, Mr. Matthews… I probably won't see you soon."

With a grip of her knees, she had Epona galloping down the road toward Longbourn.

Fitzwilliam Darcy sat atop Xanthos, just around the corner of the stable, and watched horse and rider fade into the distance. He had been too far away to hear their conversation, but both the steward and the farm help seemed to know the young lady well and accord her respect. Very curious.

He had just completed his own ride, a circuit of the area, and now it was time to bathe and write to Georgiana. I have a lot to tell you, little one. I hope that you are well.

oOoOOoOo

The next day, Darcy wiped the sweat from his brow as he helped two young girls to lift a basket of turnips into the dray. The little girls looked at the handsome man and giggled before their mother called them back to their task.

He walked back over to Bingley, "Mr. Matthews has obviously studied the four-course system. Next year this field will be planted with barley."

"And the following with clover?" Bingley rubbed his dirty hands on his work trousers. "It seems to work, though I wonder what 'the Lady' has to do with it."

"The Lady?" Darcy asked. He had heard several references so far, but had yet to actually meet this fabled person who had her hand in everything.

"Yes. It seems that the Lady is the one who instituted this system. She also added a wing to the Crowder's tenant house… his voice took on that of the little girl who spoke to him, "… cause we gots too many children in the family. She done it for nothing."

Darcy grinned at his friend's mimicry, but cautioned him, "Just don't let them hear you mimic them, or they'll get offended and you'll be in trouble."

"Like you?" Charles teased, lifting another basket. "Though Miss Bennet seems to have redeemed you. Have you thought about visiting her?"

Darcy grimaced. He had thought of little else, but was having difficulty working up the courage. Bingley knew his friend better than Darcy realized, "I've seen you face down an angry bull, but you can't handle a little woman. Tomorrow I plan on visiting Miss Catherine… or Kitty as her family names her. Come with me then."

The taller man nodded but looked at the horizon. "I think that we should ride over and help with the wheat. Rain is on the horizon and we wouldn't wish to lose the crop."

"And they call landowners gentlemen of leisure," Charles groused.

"Only those who don't deserve either their land or the title. Everything comes at a price, my father used to say. The price for owning an estate is that it also owns you... but if you give it the proper attention, the returns are worth it. That is why this is good practice. Learn how a well-run estate works before you commit yourself to being completely in charge."

As they mounted up, Charles said again, "I wonder who the Lady is. She's probably a dowager with her hands in everything, like your aunt."

Darcy shook his head, "The difference is that my aunt seems determined to neglect her tenants and spend herself into bankruptcy. Whoever this Lady is, she's truly worthy of her title."

Charles Bingley knew that was high praise coming from the Master of Pemberley.

oOoOOoOo

The trap sat on the rise and the passengers watched as the waterwheel turned and white dust rose from the vents of the grist mill. Wagons were lined up and farmers were hauling bags of grain in one end while others were filling bags of flour on the other. Bandanas covered mouths, but that was the only alteration in color as the clouds of floating flour coated everything.

As interested as Elizabeth was in the operation, she was content to sit back and watch from a distance. Finally she nodded, "Boson, we should go to the Hervey's. I want to check on the family and I wish to commission him to build a shelter at the Louboutis farm to house the sheep for the winter.

"Yes, Miss… only, have you heard tell of the cave yet?"

"Cave?"

"Yes… it seems that their sheep dog disappeared down a hole and little Brigitta followed. Turns out your Oakham Mount is less solid than you thought. Should we go see that instead?"

Elizabeth's eyes gleamed in anticipation, "By all means!"

When they reached the base of the mountain Ruben Louboutis waved, but continued herding his flock to a new location with taller grass. Little Brigitta ran across the field, light brown hair flying. Elizabeth stepped down just as the little girl reached her and threw herself into the young woman's arms. Brigitta started talking so fast the Elizabeth couldn't understand a word, so she put one finger on the little girl's mouth and said, "Slow down little bird. I can't understand your chittering."

Brigitta grinned and started again, "Have you come see my cave? Padre not let me go in. He say wait until mens looks first." She gave a cute little pout, but this effervescent little girl wasn't made for sorrow, so she quickly grinned and launched into another topic. Elizabeth let her talk until her mother called for her and she ran off.

"It's good that you understand her," the boson said, "I can't make out five words out of ten."

"Which is why I want to get a school started for the tenant and servant children. I can't start it on Longbourn land because Mrs. Bennet would object. She believes in 'people keeping their station'… though she would have no objection to shoving her daughters at a duke or a prince. And now I can't use Netherfield land either…"

"Miss Elizabeth, the lease is only for a year. Nobody can do everything all at once, not even you my lady." She glared at the big man, then shook her head at his tease.

Toliver knew how assiduously she had worked over the past few months to quell the growing trend of the locals to call her "my lady," "our lady," or some other similar form of address. She had heard their reasons for such a title, and was embarrassingly flattered. Still, being addressed as such opened the way for all sorts of misunderstandings and false assumptions. Outsiders might naturally assume that she had started this, which would be humiliating.

The shepherd, having relocated his flock, now trudged up to them with a pleased grin, "You have heard of Brigitta's cave, yes? Is much bigger than thought. I show."

Ruben and his family had left Cyprus with his family four years previous, when a local Ottoman official decided that Ruben's land would make an ideal location for his new home. Ruben and his family were Greek. For generations they had held their land and lived in peace with their rulers, but they had no power to stop one greedy man. With no place else to go, Ruben used the last of his savings to move everyone to England. He found work as a shepherd in Cornwall, but it barely kept the family alive. And then he met Miss Bennet, who had a lot of questions about raising sheep. When she left, she had a head full of knowledge and a new shepherd to take care of her flock.

The location she had chosen had been ideal, though both were concerned about sheltering the sheep during the worst of the winter weather. The plan had been to build a shelter, until little Brigitta and their dog discovered the cave.

The trio climbed up the rise for several minutes and then paused at a seemingly innocuous clump of bushes against a cliff. Ruben smiled at Elizabeth's confusion and then stepped six paces off of the trial and motioned for his employer to do the same. With the change in angle the aspect of the cliff face changed as well… and there was a large opening. Elizabeth, ever the tomboy, grinned, "I've walked that trail hundreds of times and I never knew! Let's see inside!"

Toliver looked concerned, but Ruben smiled reassuringly, "Is safe. Me and my boy, we check. Come."

They entered the dark crack with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Ruben knelt down and seemed to be working with something. The sharp clack of flint on steel and the sparks provided an explanation for his actions. Soon there was a flame in a small fire pit. Ruben had several candles in crude holders. He lit these and passed them around.

With the little fire and the three candles, Elizabeth could see that the cavern was actually quite spacious. Lower than the high ceilings of Longbourn or Netherfield, the cliff roof was between seven or eight feet and surprisingly even. The floor was much the same, though more rough, as if water or animals had worn it down. "It's like a huge sheet of shale, broken on a seam." She indicated what she meant by holding one hand flat and holding the other over it, but separated to make two parallel lines.

Toliver, being a large man and used to open sea, stood near the entrance nervously. He had never explored a cave and never wished to. He knew his charge though. She would wish to explore every inch. Ruben answered, "Yes, is two flat rock, but separate. Large and dry. We make holes for lamps . Then we build place for hay to eat, maybe hay on floor too. Sheep use during bad weather."

Elizabeth walked the length and breadth of the large cavern. It had no other openings, so there were no surprised lurking in the dark. There was evidence that animals had bedded down here in the past, but any smells were quite old. "I believe that this will do well. If you sweep out any old animal smells, the sheep should like it."

She saw her keeper trying not to cringe by the door and decided to be merciful. "I was going to commission Mr. Hervey to build a shelter, but now that isn't necessary." She reached the entrance, snuffed her candle, and led a relived Toliver out of the depths. Ruben followed after extinguishing the fire. Elizabeth turned to walk back down the path, but then had a thought. "Mr. Louboutis, I want to keep this cave a secret."

At the curious looks from both men, she responded, "If I heard about this when I was a little girl, I couldn't have rested until I found it and explored it. It will be the same for most of the children in Meryton. If it becomes known, then everyone will want to see it and the sheep will be disturbed. Will you speak with your family? Who else knows?"

"I only tell Mr. Toliver."

"And I only told you, Miss Bennet."

"Good, then please tell your family that it is a Louboutis family secret. Nobody else may know. They'll like that." Ruben nodded with a grin. His children would were not well-received by many of the other children due to their darker skin and their accents. They would enjoy having a small advantage.

oOoOOoOo

Two days later, there was a soiree at Lucas Lodge. As before, the Netherfield party arrived more than fashionably late. They were welcomed, but some of the locals were less than friendly. The memory of Darcy's insult was mostly forgiven when he redeemed himself with her later in the evening. Caroline's attitude, and her insulting side-comments, had been circulated throughout the community. About the Hursts, people were undecided. Louisa Hurst didn't interact a great deal with the locals, but she also didn't insult them. She tended to find a seat near the gossipers and keep her silence. Mr. Hurst loved cards, drinking, and food, but he was at least friendly and talkative with the people at his card table.

There were also other distractions this evening, in the form of men in red coats. The _ militia would be quartering in Meryton for the winter. A small group arrived the previous day as the advanced team. The five officers from that group were at this soiree.

Mr. Bingley sought out and found the very pretty Miss Kitty in one corner of the room, abandoning his companions. Darcy moved away from Caroline and sought out his own object of interest. Caroline was busy examining the surprisingly fashionable dresses in the room. She wanted to discover where these ladies frequented to acquire such style. Her sister, who had deigned to travel into Meryton, could have provided that information, but Caroline had been exceptionally rude to her over the past few days and she felt no need to help her younger sister in any way.

Elizabeth stood with Charlotte, the Colonel of the regiment, and his young wife. He seemed an amiable man, though his wife seemed too young and silly for her role. Still, it would be interesting to have new people in the neighborhood. "Tell me, Colonel Forster, are you here to subdue the discontented populace or to defend us from the French?"

"Neither. We are here for a change of setting. My men are sorely in need of training and my officers in desperate need of society."

Elizabeth spotted Mr. Darcy standing nearby and felt his eyes on her. It made her remember their dance, so her next thoughts were, "Well then, Colonel, you will have to throw a ball so that society and officers may meet."

"A Ball! How I long for a Ball," Lydia interjected. She took the arm of a young officer without being offered and added, "And so does Sanderson!" The bewildered young man only grinned and nodded before Lydia led him away.

Elizabeth watched her youngest sister with concern. She wanted to chide her to better behavior, but every attempt was a failure and her mother always took Lydia's side. Since Kitty began gravitating to Elizabeth, Lydia had done the same with Mrs. Bennet… and unfortunately neither neither mother nor daughter were improved by the pairing.

Shaking herself from her musings, Elizabeth was reminded again of Mr. Darcy's eyes on her. Charlotte noticed as well and quietly teased, "Mr. Darcy looks at you a great deal, Eliza."

"I know, but I can't imagine what he means by it," her slight flush belied her assertion, so she moved on, "Shall we ask him?" Elizabeth wheeled, catching Mr. Darcy mid-gaze, and impertinently asked, "Did you not think that I expressed myself well just now, Mr. Darcy."

Darcy nodded and smirked, his blue eyes warmly regarding her, "You did, though I find that women often express themselves well when the subject of a dance is considered."

"He has you there, Eliza," Charlotte said with a grin.

"Are you then so severe on our sex, Mr. Darcy?"

"Not at all. It is simply a subject that finds great interest among the fairer sex."

"She is only teasing, Mr. Darcy," Charlotte interjected and then turned to her friend, "And now it is my turn to tease you. The pianoforte has been uncovered, Miss Eliza, and you know what that means."

"Oh Charlotte, why must we ever be on display," Elizabeth sighed resignedly. "But you shall pester me until I give in, so I may as well relent. Mr. Darcy, if you wish to save your ears from punishment, there are card tables set up in the drawing room."

Mr. Darcy made no move to depart as Elizabeth took her place at the instrument. Had he been paying attention to any others, he may have noticed the hush that descended, but he only had eyes for the player. Without sorting through the scores, she began playing a beautiful Handel piece. When she finished that, she was encouraged to sing another, so she called Lydia over and together they sang 'Voi Che Sapete,' from Mozart's 'Marriage of Figaro.'

Darcy could not take his eyes off of her. He felt captured by her even as he moved slowly around the room to see her at her best angle. Elizabeth had taken the many lessons at Netherfield seriously, just as she had promised Lady Adele. Mary and Kitty had benefited as well, but Elizabeth's natural feel for the music combined with her proper training made her a joy to listen to.

"I can imagine what you are thinking, Mr. Darcy," Caroline Bingley said snidely, once again too close to be appropriate of welcome.

Darcy took a step to the side to increase their separation, "I would imagine not."

"You are thinking how insupportable it would be to spend many days among these provincial country mushrooms," Caroline continued, completely disregarding Darcy's obvious attempt to dissuade conversation with her.

"Not at all," Darcy replied, turning his eyes back to the young woman who had just completed her song and was humbly waving off the applause. "My mind is more pleasurably engaged. I am considering the pleasure that a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can offer."

Caroline, ever self-centered, automatically assumed. She flushed and coyly replied, "And may one inquire whose eyes merit this appraisal?"

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet." Darcy was too captured by the young lady across the room to witness the alteration from slight flush to angry red as Caroline realized her mistake. He also didn't think at the time about the problems he might have just caused for himself and the lady he admired.

"Miss Bennet! I am all astonishment. And when shall I wish you well, Mr. Darcy?"

"I knew that you would say that. Women transition so rapidly from admiration to matrimony that it is quite astonishing." Caroline moved away to fume in the shadows, but Darcy never even noticed her departure.

oOoOOoOo

Your Most Gracious Majesty,

The mystery of "Our Lady" and the mystery of the medicines have been solved; they are one and the same. A young woman by the name of Elizabeth Bennet, the daughter of a landed gentleman of prominence in the area, is the person in question.

It seems that Miss Bennet is the younger sister to the newly elevated Lady Jane Archer, the Countess of Kirby. Her husband, Lord Stephen Archer, is currently a Commodore serving in the Navy. At the time of the epidemic, the Earl was serving at Admiralty House in some role. When Elizabeth Bennet heard of the plight of the sailors, she organized her entire community to gather the necessary plants. The local apothecary and the local doctor, who are uncle and nephew, taught everyone how to prepare the plants for medicine.

When it came time to transport the medicines, Sir William Lucas, the then mayor and also a shopkeeper at the time, volunteered his own wagons and led the procession. He is actually a very easygoing fellow, but his wife is quite ambitious. The locals feel that she is responsible for his taking credit for the enterprise.

Your Majesty, you might wonder how a young genteel lady might have been able to organize such an endeavor: It seems that she, not her father, has been managing the family estate for the past few years. Her father is indolent. Her mother is a spendthrift. But Elizabeth Bennet is a highly respected and highly trusted figure in the community, though she is only twenty.

When the Lucas couple returned from London with a knighthood, the locals were incensed. They were content with the 'Thanks of the Crown' for themselves, but felt that Miss Bennet had been cheated. This might have turned to violence if she hadn't intervened. She stopped any reprisals, but the locals now refer to her as "Our Lady." I understand that she has tried to quell this as well, but to no avail. In their minds she, not Sir William Lucas, has been elevated.

On the second matter: Fitzwilliam Darcy has improved over the past two weeks, both in his temper and in his standing in this community. He is as you hoped: industrious, honorable, and reliable. It is my earnest and humble recommendation that you move forward with your plans.

I am including the following information with caution. It is not my usual habit to include romantic details, but in this instance you may consider this important: Mr. Darcy has shown considerable interest in Elizabeth Bennet. I will not speculate on the depth of their attachment at this time, but she may return his interest. How that may affect your plans, Your Majesty, I cannot surmise.

Yours in service,

Reginald