There was nothing to be gained by arguing. We duly set out, a small party consisting of my father, the widowed Mrs Halifax, Miss Halifax, myself, Miss Barton – whom, I am convinced, my father has not despaired of as a wife for me, despite her flirtatious character – and General Courteney, with Eleanor seated between the General’s nephew and the marquis’s son. I am proud to say that she conducted herself admirably. Neither a Julia nor an Emilia could have borne their cruel fate with more nobility.
The day was fortunately more entertaining than I had expected. Miss Barton set her cap at General Courteney, who, although twice her age, is very eligible – and, as she murmured in an aside to me, likely to die quickly and leave her a happy widow.
Miss Halifax murmured politely when Papa pointed out all of Woodston’s virtues, but relieved me greatly by telling me, when we walked round the gardens, that she was in love with her local curate. That was the source of her interest in good works! Her mother suspected the attachment and had brought her to the abbey in order to marry her to someone eligible as quickly as possible, so as to crush for ever the curate’s pretensions.
‘But in less than six months I will be of age. I will come into my fortune and Mama will have no more sway over me. I intend to marry Horace the following day.’
‘Then it will do no good for me to propose to you in the carriage on the way home?’ I said.
‘None whatsoever,’ she remarked. ‘Were you about to propose?’
‘No. But my father intended that I should.’
‘Parents are a wonderful thing,’ she remarked demurely, but with laughter in her eyes.
One of the horses throwing a shoe, we were home later than expected, and spent the remainder of the evening listening to Miss Halifax play the harp.
‘Mama is certain that I appear to great advantage sitting behind the instrument,’ she said to me in a low voice as I turned her music for her.
I could not help laughing and her mother, taking it for an encouraging sign, smiled benignly.
It is on such occasions that I wish I were a hundred, then no one would be trying to find me a wife!
Monday 12 November
Having been so cruelly interrupted in our reading on Saturday, we were able to return to it this morning as it was a fine day and most of the party was out riding. It was too cold for us to sit outside, however, and so we retired to the library.
‘I can scarcely wait,’ said Eleanor. ‘I was tempted to read ahead, but determined to wait until we could all read on together.’
Mr Morris took up the book. What was our delight to find that Julia was not dead, but had only fainted. Mr Morris laughed, explaining that he had every sympathy for Julia but thought she could perhaps try to faint a little less often, which amused Eleanor, who warmed to him even more. But then to our horror we learned that the dying man Hippolitus had glimpsed in the small room was none other than Ferdinand, who had been beaten by the banditti whilst trying to protect his sister. Hippolitus, however, was more fortunate and managed to escape from the banditti with the fair Julia.
‘They wandered for some time among the ruins till they were stopped by a door which closed the passage, and the sound of distant voices murmured along the walls. The door was fastened by strong iron bolts, which Hippolitus vainly endeavoured to draw. The voices drew near. After much labour and difficulty the bolts yielded – the door unclosed – and light dawned upon them through the mouth of a cave, into which they now entered, and from there into the forest.
‘They had proceeded about half a mile, when they heard a sudden shout of voices echoed from among the hills behind them; and looking back perceived faintly through the dusk a party of men on horseback making towards them. The pursuers were almost come up with them, when they reached the mouth of a cavern, into which Julia ran for concealment. Hippolitus drew his sword; and awaiting his enemies, stood to defend the entrance.
‘In a few moments Julia heard the clashing of swords. She shrunk involuntarily at the sound, and pursuing the windings of the cavern, fled into its inmost recesses. She groped along the winding walls for some time, when she perceived the way was obstructed. She now discovered that a door interrupted her progress, and sought for the bolts which might fasten it. These she found; and strengthened by desperation forced them back.
‘The door opened, and she beheld in a small room, which received its feeble light from a window above, the pale and emaciated figure of a woman, seated, with half-closed eyes, in a kind of elbow-chair.
I was alarmed at the effect this might have on my sister, but when I glanced at her I saw that she had not yet guessed at the identity of the woman. Mr Morris, oblivious, read on.
‘On perceiving Julia, the woman started from her seat, and her countenance expressed a wild surprise. Her features, which were worn by sorrow, still retained the traces of beauty, and in her air was a mild dignity that excited in Julia an involuntary veneration. She seemed as if about to speak, when fixing her eyes earnestly and steadily upon Julia, she stood for a moment in eager gaze, and suddenly exclaiming, “My daughter!” fainted away.
I looked at Eleanor, but the fainting produced no laughter this time. Instead, Eleanor’s face was pale. I wondered whether I should call a halt, but there was a look in her eye which made me remain silent.
‘The astonishment of Julia,’ read Morris, ‘would scarcely suffer her to assist the lady who lay senseless on the floor. A multitude of strange imperfect ideas rushed upon her mind, and she was lost in perplexity; but as she examined the features of the stranger; which were now rekindling into life, she thought she discovered the resemblance of Emilia!
‘The lady breathing a deep sigh, unclosed her eyes; she raised them to Julia, who hung over her in speechless astonishment, and fixing them upon her with a tender earnest expression – they filled with tears. She pressed Julia to her heart, and a few moments of exquisite, unutterable emotion followed.
‘When the lady became more composed, “Thank heaven!” said she, “my prayer is granted. I am permitted to embrace one of my children before I die. Tell me what brought you hither. Has the marquis at last relented, and allowed me once more to behold you, or has his death dissolved the wretched bondage in which he placed me?”
‘Truth now glimmered upon the mind of Julia, but so faintly, that instead of enlightening, it served only to increase her perplexity.
‘ “Is the Marquis Mazzini living?” continued the lady. These words were not to be doubted; Julia threw herself at the feet of her mother, and embracing her knees in an energy of joy, answered only in sobs.’
Morris, looking up at that moment, saw Eleanor’s face and, springing up in alarm, said, ‘My dear Miss Tilney, you are not well! I will fetch your maid.’
‘No,’ said Eleanor, recovering herself. ‘It is nothing, a slight headache, that is all, but I think I had better lie down for an hour.’
‘Of course.’
He offered her his arm but, thanking him, she told him she could manage.
When she had left the room, he expressed his concern again, and thinking it necessary to say something, I told him of the circumstances surrounding the death of our mother.
‘I am so sorry, I had no idea, I did not like to ask why Mrs Tilney was not here. And so you were reading A Sicilian Romance at the time?’