Cousin Prudence (7 page)

“Oh Pru!” laughed Emma, half protesting at such low word play.

It may be said that Prudence joked partly because so great a city made her feel a little nervous; the largest city she had visited hitherto was York which had not half the vibrancy and noise as London.  The smells too were a trifle unpleasant to say the least; and Prudence wondered how much worse they might be in high summer!  It was no wonder that the John Knightleys liked to spend their summers at Hartfield.  And the vast numbers of people milling about, slowing the carriage to a crawl surely added to the stench with the smell of bodies in close proximity.  It was a very dirty city.

Emma too had wrinkled her delicate little nose in disgust.

“Eh up lass!” said Prudence, putting on the Yorkshire accent to amuse her cousin “Tha knows what they say, think on… where there’s muck there’s brass!”

“I don’t quite follow that one
,” said Emma.

“Where there’s dirt there’s money
,” Prudence translated, “money is called brass in Yorkshire….. it’s by way of an irony on gold looking a little like brass I think,” she added. 

“Oh, I see
,” said Emma, “and you pronounce it with a short ‘a’ not the long ‘aaa’ that we southerners use to say brass.”

“Oh to say it in the southern fashion would have you called hoity-toity up north
,” laughed Prudence.  “I learned soon enough to speak in one manner to the children that I played with, the children of the doctor and the vicar and a couple of small landowners and in another for the mill worker’s children, and yet another for my governess.  I am glad that she did teach me how to sound entirely like a southerner though, for I’d not want to be laughed at as a provincial.”

“So you are trilingual?” asked Emma.

“In a manner of speaking I suppose so!” laughed Prudence, “and I found it easy too to learn French for mimicry of accents comes readily to me; though how often I am likely to use French is beyond me.”

“I suppose it is just one of the accomplishments a lady must have
,” said Emma who had acquired a very little French with great pains and no enthusiasm at the hands of Mrs Goddard’s academy as a visiting student when her dear Anna had felt that Emma might learn with more enthusiasm with the opportunity to converse with other young girls. Emma had never considered what she might use it for save to avoid being in trouble for the total failure to acquire any of the language. 

There was little enough time for speculation however for they were soon in
Brunswick Square and at the house which would be home for the next two months; and Emma was keen to make her mark upon the running of it.  It was a fine modern town house with tall sash windows and a narrow frontage but spacious enough behind for any

family that might do a moderate amount of entertaining though it had but a modest three stories. There were a sufficiency of reception rooms that they might easily hold rout parties with a small room perhaps dedicated to those who preferred to withdraw for a convivial game of cards, and, though Emma deplored it, probably to gamble over them.  It was quite convenient for The Inns of Court for John’s work as a barrister;  and yet also close to any fashionable part of town which might be visited during the season, and too within an easy ride or drive of St James’ Park,
Green Park and Hyde Park.

And it was fortunate that Emma had the knack of making people like her, or Isabella might have returned to find herself short of a superior sort of cook-housekeeper over the minute way in which Emma liked to run the housekeeping!

There was little enough time on this day to do much exploring, though Emma and Prudence did explore their immediate vicinity and found a small subscription library which caused them to be so late home that they met George on his way to look for them, convinced that they had become lost.

Their respective maids followed, resigned; each was used to her mistress being
readily seduced by a good book, at least until the effort required to read it all through was required.

Chapter 9

Once the ladies were returned to the house in Brunswick Square, and Emma had been teased by her husband that she would start the book she had borrowed and fail, as usual, to read more then a few chapters before wanting to try Prudence’s book, they
might sit down to eat.  After nuncheon had been discussed and cleared away, George was to set out on the commission of essential duties.   George, who knew his way around the city, undertook to see to the purchase of mounts for the ladies to use in London; he was happy for his own riding needs to use his brother’s gelding, which may not be of any great pedigree but was a good sturdy mount with enough turn for speed to make it possible to ride to Hartfield readily at need; and to travel greater distance too if necessary for the horse had superior stamina.  It was also a biter and George made sure to have a red ribbon tied to his bridle to indicate this.  He had bought the horse for John from Mr Cole who had not had much idea about how to treat horses; and John was gentling the poor beast misused by ignorance rather than cruelty. 

He took Joseph with him, half wishing that he could have brought James, the Woodhouse groom, but Mr Woodhouse might of course have need of him; and James would not wish to be so far from his daughter Hannah for a full two months in any case.  Still, Joseph was full of common sense; even William Larkin had agreed that for someone from so outlandish a place as Yorkshire Joseph showed a good degree of shrewd judgement.   Between them, the two men found a couple of mares as would suit Emma and Prudence and paid a fair price for them, thirty five guineas each which they might easily, said Joseph in satisfaction, see again in returns on reselling them if they picked their market well. 

George thought the better of him for his thrift and was given to understand that though ‘t’gaffer’ would spend all that was necessary for his daughter and her companions to have a good time in London, he would not expect her to be profligate.

Profligacy to Joseph’s mind seemed to involve purchasing gee-gaws she would not use or wear more than once, or gambling or making foolish investments.

Apparently Mr Blenkinsop had no objection to his daughter making any investment she considered sensible.

Northern young ladies appeared to be of independent turn of mind.

But then, reflected George, if Prudence were anything to go by, he had already had ample opportunity to find
that
out!

While George was out, Emma and Prudence amused themselves by shaking out and hanging up their gowns.  Prudence already had a good many gowns with her in the latest style.

“Just because I
can
spend as much as I suggested to that awful woman does not mean that I intend to do so,” said Prudence, seeing Emma look at her gowns, “I had some made by a mantua maker in Harrogate; I thought it would be less extravagant than paying for a London modiste, and besides
quite
as satisfactory; they are suitable for a debutante, aren’t they?  I took her advice.”

“Quite unexceptionable
,” said Emma, “charming in fact; this one though surely shows your designs in the embroidery?”

Prudence flushed and looked pleased; it was a gown of the finest white muslin embroidered in white and touches of gold with a running pattern of flowers and leaves.

“Indeed, this is one that I made for myself and suited the embroidery to the styling,” she said; for the bodice had sprays of leaves running from a central flower.  “Do you think it suitable dear Emma?”

“I think it
beautiful,
” said Emma, “and you should save it for any special Ball to which you are invited!  We must pay for tickets to public assemblies until we make acquaintances in town of course, and perhaps we might hire an assembly hall to give a Ball in your honour; if there are any to be had.  But it is early in the season and that might be more easily procured before more people arrive.  George shall see to that; he is quite wonderful at handling all sorts of details.”

“Indeed yes
,” agreed Prudence, “and I can only hope that I am so fortunate in obtaining  as fine and gentlemanly a husband for myself; for having seen the marvellously kind way he treats you, yet as an equal and not a chattel, I will not settle for any less in my own aspirations!”

Emma blushed; praise of her George was music to her ears!

“I only hope that you will not find yourself disappointed,” said Emma, “for to my mind there is nobody like George and I am the luckiest woman in the world!”

Prudence kissed her cousin fondly on the cheek; Emma and George were such a wonderful couple!  She knew her father would be disappointed if she did not find a match for herself in the season but when she described how she sought a love as profound as that between her cousin and George he would surely understand, for her father had only her happiness at heart, and all his ambition for her to marry well was in order to re-establish her in the estate to which her mother had been born! She helped Emma to unpack her gowns.

Emma too was clever enough with her needle; and had supplemented what the dressmaker in the village had made for her.  Prudence held up one of her gowns, in navy lustring, beaded with gold Indian beads and blue glass bugles on the bodice and in patterns at the bottom of the skirt. It was cut with the newly fashionable high neck with a standing lace collar.

“Why Emma!  This is surely a dowager’s gown!” she laughed.

“Well I can scarcely wear pastel muslins to escort you to balls like a debutante myself can I?” laughed Emma “How do you like my turban?” she produced a blue velvet turban adorned with a peacock feather.

“Oh! It will look absurd upon you my dear Emma, as though you borrowed your grandmother’s costume!” laughed Prudence “Oh DO put it on!”

Emma did so and cavorted in front of the mirror.

“Do you not think I look prodigiously respectable in such headgear?” she asked.

Prudence considered.

“Emma, you have the charisma to carry it off; any girl – for you are hardly more than a girl – of less presence would indeed look ridiculous but you even make so hideous a thing as a turban look quite charming
,” she said. 

Emma preened.

“I do fancy that I can carry it off better than I feared I might,” she said, “and the blue brings out the colour of my eyes.  I have a special one here in gold-woven muslin for that special occasion; it is a prodigiously rich fabric!  George bought it for me as a surprise gift when he was in the city!  I feared to cut into it at first but I took apart one of my old gowns that will not wash any more to use as a toile for it had been a favourite of mine; and though the train is modest I think it will be very fine.”

“Oh Emma, you will be the queen of any ballroom you wear that to!” cried Prudence.  “I have longed for a gown of such a fabric but I knew I should have to
come to London to purchase
that
; and I fear that I shall have to pay a modiste to make if, for we shall be too busy to sew much if all goes well.”

“Then we must go shoppi
ng!” said Emma with enthusiasm, “and though I have enough gowns to be going on with, we shall both want more if you take.”

“A Long Meg like me looks good in the style that is fashionable; right up to the moment that a man comes to ask me to dance and finds he must look up at me
,” said Prudence wryly.  “Perhaps there will be taller men in London.”

“Oh!  George is taller than you; and he is not alone in his inches
,” said Emma, “I am sure many men will rejoice to dance with a tall, elegant girl who they might tool about the dance floor without getting a crick in their back as with the more petite ladies; I know it is more enjoyable to dance with someone closer to you in height, for I am not short myself,” she smiled, “do you think I might get away with wearing this silk overgown with a variety of coloured muslins if we make it over a little each time?” she brought out a black satin overgown with half sleeves.

“Oh there is so much we might do with this!” said Prudence “If we can match the silk, a flounce all about the edge, and echoing the ruched necklines that are fashionable; and if I do some tambour work on motifs we might finish the edges and appliqué them to change the look, and beaded motifs the same; and I brought a lot of silk ribbons that I bought from a mill nearby papa’s mill and I shall make ribbon flowers for you, daisies and roses!”

“Oh Prudence! Did you make the flowers on your sage green travelling gown?  I admired them so much!” said Emma, “if you will make me such I would be in transports of delight!”

It may be said that the women were quite amazed to find that George had returned for it hardly seemed an instant since he had left!

And on the morrow, now they had good horses, they might go riding with the protective following of Joseph while George investigated the hiring of assembly rooms.

Chapter 10