Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Jane could not close her jaw when she saw Southerby House for the first time. She had felt lethargic for the whole journey but was wide awake as the house came into view. The word ‘house’ did not do it justice.

It was a large white castle, with the beautiful walls covered in green ivy that made it look truly magical. There were several columns that supported the upper levels and those too were wrapped in a thick layer of the enchanting looking ivy.

As the carriage pulled up in front of the house Jane stepped down from it looking upwards. She had to shield her eyes from the sun to try and view the very top of the house.

“Wow,” she breathed. As she looked away from the house and surveyed her surroundings she noticed several well dressed footmen helping the driver unload her trunks from the carriage.

“Welcome, Miss Alcott,” said a tall and proper man. He looked about forty with his brown hair beginning to grey at the sides and his grey eyes looking quite wise. Jane assumed that he was the butler. “I am Charles Short, the butler here at Southerby, if you should require anything at all let me know, or Claire,” he gestured for one of the maids who was standing outside the doors with the rest of the staff. Claire stepped forward and smiled at Jane. “Claire will be looking after you for the duration of your stay.”

“Thank you, Mr Short, but a maid is not necessary,” she blushed slightly.

Mr Short looked a little confused. “If you’re sure, ma’am,” he said cautiously. He turned to the rest of the staff and clapped his hands once. One by one they all dispersed back to their duties.

Jane could not believe she was actually at Southerby House. She couldn’t believe she was a guest of Daniel’s and she couldn’t believe that everything that had happened during her stay in London had happened. It was beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

“Where is Lord Southerby, can I ask?” Jane asked Mr Short curiously as he led her inside the house. Again, Jane was amazed. Everything was immaculate. The tables, the ornaments, the paintings, the candlesticks, everything was perfect.

“He asked me to extend his apologies, ma’am, for he is in a meeting with his estate supervisor. He shouldn’t be too long, but he asked me to give you a tour and to show you your quarters,” Mr Short said formally. Jane wondered what was above stairs. The grand staircase was so enticing, and she’d always been too curious for her own good.

“What is up there?” she asked without thinking of the impropriety of her curiosity.

“Lord Southerby’s private chambers, Lady Sabine’s bedchamber, his Lordship’s private library, the family’s portrait gallery ...” Mr Short kept listing rooms but Jane was fixed on the portrait gallery. What a fascinating thing. She loved looking at the frozen faces. Her family had never owned any portraits but there was a family in town that had paid for a sitting and everybody loved viewing it. She wished that her parents had paid for a portrait though ... the image of her father in her mind had faded, she could only ever remember his happy blue eyes or his wide smile.

“Where is Lady Sabine?” Jane asked. She didn’t want to meet Daniel’s daughter by accidentally running into her in the hall, she wanted to be introduced. It could be frightening for Sabine to suddenly see a strange woman in her house without an introduction.

“She is not here, either, ma’am, she is in the stables with her governess,” Mr Short replied.

Jane nodded feeling incredibly relieved. If Sabine was out of bed and out playing with horses then surely she had overcome her illness. “Alright, would it be rude if I were just shown to my bedchamber?” she asked nervously. It wasn’t a complete lie. She did want to be shown to her bedchamber, but like all young girls at heart, their curious sides wanted to explore.

“Of course,” Mr Short nodded and motioned for the footmen to follow them with her belongings. He led Jane up the grand staircase which opened up onto the second floor foyer. Straight in front of her was a long hallway of rooms with closed doors. She assumed they were Sabine and Daniel’s private quarters. Mr Short led her to the left and around to the other side of the house which was the guest wing. Like the previous corridor, the guest wing was a long hallway filled with closed white doors.

He opened up the first white door and allowed her to walk into where she would be staying. She was amazed at the grandeur of the room. She thought her chambers at Sebastian’s house were splendid but they did not hold a candle to such a room. In the centre of the far wall was a bed twice as wide as the bed at Ethridge. The sheets looked like pure silk and the four poster bed held red velvet drapes that looked of the finest quality. There was a door leading off of her room which she assumed would be to the washroom. The opposite wall was occupied by a lovely marble fireplace with two matching white settees before it. She also was provided with a small yet lovely dining suite for her tea if she were to have it in her room.

“Will it do?” Mr Short asked as the footmen set her trunk at the foot of her bed.

Jane resisted appearing overenthusiastic so she just nodded and smiled. “It is splendid, Mr Short.”

Both Mr Short and the two footmen bowed their heads and exited the room to leave her alone.

Jane immediately unbuttoned her travelling coat and bonnet and through them carelessly on the bed. As she’d pulled her bonnet off so quickly she’d accidentally pulled one of her hairpins out which meant a tendril was hanging loose. Instead of putting it back in place she went over to the beautiful gilded mirror by the door and pulled all the pins out of her hair and left them on the small table there. She ran her fingers through her brown locks and combed it out as best she could. She then separated the hair into three parts and quickly put it in a practical braid.

“Now, to find that gallery,” she said to herself. She opened the door of her bedchamber quietly and stepped out, looking side to side to make sure nobody was watching her. She walked back around to the other side of the second floor to the private wing. If it was a gallery of portraits of the family then it would be there. Jane wasn’t being nosy; she was just truly fascinated by paintings.

Once she was standing at the end of the hall she counted ten doors plus a large pair of double doors at the end of the hallway. She decided to try the large pair of double doors first as they looked the grandest. She walked swiftly up the length of the hallway and took the door handle in her little hand. As she was about to turn it she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. If they arrived at the top level and she was still standing outside the door then she would be caught snooping.

She opened it quickly and slipped inside, closing the door behind her as quietly as she could. Her eyes widened at the sight of the room. She was glad she picked it as it was what she was looking for. There were walls and walls of different portraits in frames that looked like they dated back hundreds of years.

The room was large and square and each wall was covered in framed paintings of men and women. From their clothing the first painting on her left looked like it was centuries old. Jane decided to start at the opposite side instead, starting with Daniel’s generation. The first painting to her right was a large portrait of Daniel standing in his Sunday best looking quite handsome indeed. She could tell it was at least ten years old as he looked a lot younger than he looked now. Daniel wasn’t old at all, but he was, she guessed, in his mid thirties.

The painting next to Daniel’s was that of a blonde little girl who looked as if she was about two or three years old. She was wearing a lovely white dress with ribbons in her hair. Jane smiled as she realised it was Sabine. If the likeness was true then she was a very attractive child.

Next to her was a portrait of a woman of spectacular beauty. She was seated on a royal blue settee with her hands in her lap. Her golden hair was twisted on top of her head with two blue ostrich feathers in the back. Her dress was outdated, but it would have been very fashionable at the time. The same blue as the feathers, the dress was slightly drop waisted with puffed sleeves bordered with lace. Her face was flawless which made Jane wonder if the artist had been kind. Her eyes were captivatingly blue, a more brilliant blue that her own dull blue. She was extraordinary, and Jane knew exactly why Daniel had wanted to marry her.

Jane touched her long, brown braid self consciously and wished that she’d been born prettier. She inhaled a deep breath and decided to leave the gallery. As she turned towards the door she nearly fainted.

Standing in the doorway was Daniel. He didn’t look angry, but he didn’t look happy either.

“Curiosity killed the cat, Jane,” Daniel murmured, folding his arms across his chest.

“Countless times my mother said that to me when I was younger,” Jane said, embarrassed. She looked up at him, trying to appear confident. “I apologise, Mr Short mentioned your having a portrait gallery and I’ve always been fascinated by the frozen faces.”

“Frozen faces?” he raised his eyebrows, seeming intrigued. “I’ve never thought about it like that before. I quite like the notion of ‘frozen faces’.” He smiled slightly as he walked over to her. He stood beside her in front of the portrait of Eleanor. “I haven’t been in here since I left after Sabine was born.”

Jane stole a quick glance at him. He was looking at Eleanor’s face with an unreadable expression. “How did you know I was in here?” she asked.

“You are not as sneaky as you think,” Daniel replied.

“I was not trying to be sneaky, I wanted to see the paintings,” Jane protested quietly. “I’m sorry for intruding.”

Daniel turned to her and smiled widely. “You are welcome anywhere, Jane, you do not have to answer to me,” he assured her. “I’m glad you’re here, I find myself always thinking of things I’d like to speak to you about. You’re very wise for your age, Jane, and quite entertaining.”

She’d been called ‘entertaining’ by the men back in Yorkshire. She’d had many young men in her town that she’d fancied from one time or another and they all had found her ‘entertaining’ but she wasn’t pretty enough to tempt them.

“Thank you,” she mumbled.

“Have I offended you?” Daniel asked, taken aback.

Jane shook her head. “Not at all,” she lied. “How is Sabine?” she asked, deciding to change the subject.

“She is well,” Daniel smiled as he turned to head towards the door. “Shall we journey downstairs?” he suggested.

Jane nodded. “The scarlet fever had completely gone?” she asked.

“Practically,” he nodded. “She still has little blemishes on her skin but they should clear up shortly. Today is the first day I’ve allowed her out of her bedchamber so she’d gone with her governess to the stables to ride her pony – Freckles. One can guess what the animal looks like,” he scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

“I am glad,” she smiled. “I was terribly worried that something would happen to her. How is it for you? Being back here must bring up old memories for you, regardless of your reason for being here.” Jane could see that his spirits were quite good but it could easily be a mask.

“It does bring up old memories,” he nodded. “But there are more important matters to think about. Reading that letter from Miss Porter put everything in perspective for me. I knew where I had to be and I felt horribly guilty that I was not here already. But that sense could not have been seen without you, Jane, you are an angel.”

Jane blushed as they began to descend the stairs back to the ground floor. “It was you, not I. I am no – one special, just a simple girl with a good pair of ears.”

“Nonsense,” Daniel scoffed as he offered her his arm. She took it carefully, making sure there was a slight gap between their bodies so they didn’t look like they were descending the stairs as a ‘couple’. “You are special in so many ways, Jane, though we both do agree that you are a good listener. Before I implore you to talk to me like I have to you, I wish to ask you one last favour.” They reached the bottom of the stairs as Daniel paused.

Jane looked up into his dark brown eyes. His eyes were pleading, the depths irresistible. “What favour is this?”

He let go of her arm and used that hand to pick up her loose braid of hair that was hanging over her shoulder. Jane furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head to try and see what he was doing. “How do you do this?” he asked curiously.

“What?”

“Braid,” he replied. “Sabine, she asked me to braid her hair and I have no knowledge in how ladies do their hair.”

A wide smile appeared on Jane’s face. She loved how much she could already tell he loved his daughter. Many fathers would not even dream of learning such things to please their children. She was certain that Sebastian had no idea how to braid hair, let alone brush it as his hair was often a mess. “Is there somewhere we might sit?” she asked.

Daniel nodded and disregarded the impropriety of his next action. He took her hand in his quickly and pulled her into the room directly adjacent to the stairs. Inside it was a beautiful, expensive looking pianoforte with a long, cushioned seat before it. Daniel pulled her over to the seat and sat down, pulling Jane beside him.

“It may not be very masculine, but I have five years to make up to Sabine and I intend to start doing it as soon as I possibly can.

Jane smiled as she pulled her braid out and smoothed her hair down over her left shoulder. “Alright,” she began. With her hands she separated her hair into three sections. “You pull the hair into three parts.” She crossed the first side piece over into the middled. “Then you put one side section over the middle, and then do the same with the other side. You continue this until you run out of hair to braid. It’s quite simple.” She smoothed her hair back out again. “You try.”

Daniel looked quite nervous as he reached out to touch her hair. If her mother saw her in such a position she would surely have a nervous fit. She couldn’t help the fluttering feeling in her stomach as he began to touch her hair softly. She disciplined herself to stay sensible.

Daniel separated her hair into three sections and crossed the first piece over into the middle. He then repeated the motion down the length of her hair. Once he’d finished Jane fixed it in place and smiled at him. “What did I tell you? Easy.”

“I am sure I will forget it,” he laughed lightly. “Thank you, Jane; you truly are one of a kind.”

Jane rolled her eyes at the ridiculous notion. “You have a way with words, Lord Southerby; no wonder women so willingly ruin themselves for you.”

“There was one who did not fall at me feet, and she had proven to be the most enchanting of all,” he said mysteriously. He stood up from the pianoforte seat and winked at her. “Come, I wish to take you down to the stables. I want Sabine to know you.”

Jane stood up, a little bewildered at the compliment. “I am excited to meet her,” she said, her voice a little nervous.

“Don’t be nervous, Jane, she is perfectly lovely in every way, she had been raised well, no thanks to me,” he replied, sounding regretful.

Jane rolled her eyes. “When she is older, I’m sure you will be able to sit down with her and explain everything, she will never resent you, I am sure of that.”

“Regardless,” Daniel shrugged. “She will love you, as everyone does.”

As Jane began to feel confused Daniel led her out of the room and out the front door. Jane was not aware that everyone ‘loved’ her. She knew she should not entertain childish fantasies. They could only end in disappointment. At that moment, she had a new little girl to meet, and she was sure that she would love her as she did her own nieces and nephews.

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I hope you liked it! I know not much happened but I wanted to have a little intimate moment between my hero and heroine before she met Sabine and all our favourites return :D

In the next few chapters Kassandra and Peter will come back and I'm planning a return for Catherine too :D

Stay tuned :)

xx