Flint and Roses by Brenda Jagger

Author:Brenda Jagger [Jagger, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK

Chapter Eighteen

The New Year at once offered us two events of considerable importance. My uncle, in recognition of his services to industry, his charity, his willingness, no doubt, to support Prince Albert’s Exhibition which had meant so much to our Queen, received a baronetcy, becoming Sir Joel Barforth of Tarn Edge, while my mother, taking advantage of the general mood of celebration, announced her forthcoming marriage not to the decaying Mr. Oldroyd but to the unknown, excellently preserved Mr. Daniel Adair.

He was by no means, it seemed, a stranger to us all.

‘Have you lost your senses, Elinor?’ Aunt Hannah demanded, striding into my mother’s house as if she meant to burn it down, infuriated by the loss of the Oldroyd money, certainly, already mourning the death of her hopes of seeing Jonas at Fieldhead, but considerably shaken at a more personal level too. ‘I have never been so shocked in my life and I must give you notice that if you go through with this preposterous marriage I shall disown you.’

‘I shall be sorry for that, Hannah.’

‘But it will not stop you? No, I feared not. Then I can only hope that Joel may find the means to restrain you. It is an insult to your husband’s memory; and to his daughters. You are allowing the man to make a fool, of you—again—and, worse than that, you are very likely to ruin yourself. If no other way can be found, then I think that Joel and myself and your children would do well to join together in having you declared—well—unfit to manage your affairs. Insane.’

‘Oh dear,’ my mother said, smiling at me a little mistily when Aunt Hannah had gone. ‘I did not expect them to be pleased, and Hannah had such high hopes of Mr. Oldroyd, of seeing Jonas master of Fieldhead. But they cannot stop me, you know, and Hannah will not disown me, whatever she says. She is too fond of me for one thing, and for another there may still be some money left when I have done. Daniel will certainly be expensive, but your father was always a careful man, and his will does not allow me to spend it all. Well, Faith, I had better tell you, since you are the very dearest of my daughters, and neither Prudence nor Celia are speaking to me in any case—Yes, as you will have guessed, I knew Mr. Daniel Adair very well, a long time ago, ten years before your father died. Your father was much occupied with politics in those days and appointed Mr. Adair to manage his business afairs. While your father was in London, I was here, in this house, a young woman still, and I can only think it unwise, you know, of any man to neglect a young woman of my sort—or of your sort, Faith, for that matter. My word, I fell in love with Daniel, quite wildly and was determined to run away with him—well, he ran away, I confess it, but not with me.

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