Leonora's Journal Volume One

The Sequel to 'Ring of Stone' by Bronwen Welsh

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Tuesday 18th February continued
We made good progress in our return to Oxford; a private coach was certainly more comfortable than a stagecoach and the average speed, aided by much improved weather, was certainly higher. Mrs Marsden still showed signs of her deep distress, occasionally weeping silent tears. I felt so sorry for her, she had been subjected to a great shock, and there was little doubt from our intercourse with her and her husband the previous evening that they were a very intimate couple. After consultation with Mrs Marsden, we made our way to St Aldgate's which is where Mr Marsden's body was being taken. Richard had made sure with the undertaker's men that we would arrive there first.

Arriving at the church, Richard left the carriage and walked to the parsonage, where, watching from the coach I soon saw him talking to a tall thin young man who I presumed was Mr Bell, the curate. They both returned to the coach and Mr Bell expressed his condolences to Mrs Marsden. I felt a great sadness for her. She would now have to find another place to live, probably with a member of her family, vacating the parsonage for the next person to gain the living, whoever that might be. Mr Bell promised to immediately send word to Mrs Marsden's family and he and the housekeeper who had now appeared, escorted her into the house, but not before she had once again expressed her sincere thanks for our assistance.

“I must beg your permission for us to call upon you when we return,” said Richard as we bade them farewell. I am sure that this remark, said within earshot of Mr Bell, was to guarantee that Mrs Marsden was well treated in her hour of need.

We stopped at an inn a few miles down the road to rest and feed the horses and to have a light meal. Now that there was only the two of us within the coach, we were able to converse regarding our plans for the rest of our journey to London. Richard felt that it was worth the expense to hire the coach after a night's rest back at High Wycombe, to carry us the rest of the way to his aunts' house in Chelsea.

Wednesday 19th February
We arose early and had a small breakfast. The coach soon arrived and was loaded with our luggage. Richard and I entered the coach and Marie and Robert took their places on the roof seats. The day was fine and a little warmer. It was something of a luxury to take a hired coach instead of the stagecoach and had the advantage that it would convey us directly to Richard's aunts' house in Chelsea instead of us having to transfer our party and luggage from the inn where the stagecoach would conclude its journey.

One of the many things I admire about Richard is that despite having a good fortune, he is not profligate with his money, and that cannot be said of every young man. Richard's aunts were expecting us yesterday and there was no way of advising them that we had been delayed which would reach them before we arrived. Perhaps one day there will be a means of contacting friends and relatives in a more timely manner. I certainly hope so.

As we travelled, Richard regaled me with a biography of his twin maiden aunts.

“Both aunts are now in their seventies; Aunt Henrietta was born some thirty minutes before Aunt Juliana and she has been the leader for their whole lives, with Aunt Juliana seemingly happy to follow wherever her sister leads. They have lived together their whole lives.”

“Were they only children?” I asked.

“Yes, unfortunately their mother never left her confinement bed, and survived only a few days after their birth. Their father never married again. They having no close male relative, I have been selected as their heir.”

“Did they not receive offers of marriage?” I asked.

“Oh yes. I understand they were both very pretty girls, but marriage would have separated them and that they could not bear. Fortunately, they inherited a good fortune and they have been living happily in their house in Chelsea for all of their lives. I should tell you that although they made me their heir, I hope that it is still some years before I inherit their fortune.”

I must record that I fully believe Richard. He is already heir to a large fortune and whatever he receives from his aunts has no bearing on his feelings for them.

“I remember on one occasion the subject of their span of live came up, and Aunt Henrietta told me quite seriously that she intended to die first, and that Juliana would soon follow and find her waiting at the Pearly Gates. I did not know how to respond but I decided to treat her seriously as I think she truly believes it. They already have their grave reserved at St Andrew's Church which was enlarged only a couple of years ago, and I understand they made a substantial donation towards the improvement.”

After a short stop at an inn to feed and rest the horses, and take a little nourishment ourselves, we arrived in Chelsea in the early afternoon, and guided by Richard, we turned into a semi-circular driveway and stopped outside a solid-looking two-story house surrounded by what I am sure is a very pretty garden in the warmer months. Robert stepped down and assisted Marie to the ground. I cannot help noticing a certain amount of familiarity between them which leads me to believe that mutual affection may be developing. A footman appeared and assisted Robert in carrying our two trunks to the house. When Richard and I entered the house after he settled the account with the driver, a maid who was standing at the door bobbed a curtsey and informed us that the Misses d'Anglais were awaiting us in the drawing room.

I confess that I would have preferred to be shown to my room, and with Marie's help appear as presentable as maybe, but it seemed that Richard's aunts were anxious to know the cause of our delayed arrival and to keep them waiting might not be well received. I was already feeling a little nervous as any new bride might be upon meeting important family members for the first time and wondering if she would meet with their approval, but there was nothing else to be done than accede to their request.

Before the door to the drawing room was opened, Richard squeezed my hand and told me that they would love me, I only hoped that he was right. Then the door was opened, and we stepped inside, still wearing our travelling cloaks. Richard's aunts were sitting in armchairs on either side of a roaring fire. They were both quite small, wearing identical black silk gowns and had bright eyes, white curly hair and a generally pleasant demeanour. We advanced towards them, Richard bowed, and I made my curtsey.

“So there you are, children,” said the one on the right whom I instinctively knew was Henrietta. “So what excuse do you have for your tardiness? We expected you yesterday.”

“My apologies, aunts; unfortunately, one of our fellow travellers died during our overnight stop, and we felt obliged to accompany his widow back to Oxford since she knew nobody else to turn to.”

“That is most commendable, Richard,” said Aunt Henrietta “You have always been a good boy and we would have expected nothing less from you.” Richard bowed again in response. Then she turned her attention to me.

“Come closer, my child, we have indifferent eyesight nowadays,” she said, and blushing I stepped forward to be inspected by two pairs of very bright eyes. “Very pretty,” said Aunt Henrietta. “You remind me of us when we were young. If your temperament is a sweet as your looks, then you have found a treasure, Richard.” I am sure that by now my blushes couldn't get any deeper.

For the first time, Aunt Juliana spoke. “Henrietta dear, you are embarrassing the poor girl. Would you like to retire to your room and prepare for dinner, my dear?”

‘Whenever is convenient Miss d'Anglais,” I replied, and it seemed that it was now convenient, so with another curtsey and bow, we left the room.

By now, our trunks had been taken upstairs to our bedroom and adjacent dressing room. At least the maiden aunts were expecting us to share a bed, for which I was grateful,

“They really like you,” said Richard. “Now I must warn you that they dine promptly at six o'clock every evening and they like guests to wear formal dress for dinner.”

I can't say I was surprised, and at least Marie and I had time to prepare me for my next meeting with Richard's aunts.

When I entered the bedroom, it was to find Marie already laying out my gown for the evening. Responding to the look on my face she informed me that one of the maids had already told her that the aunts expected formal attire for dinner every evening.

“Marie, you are a treasure!” I exclaimed. She smiled in response.

“You are the best mistress I have ever had, ma'am, and it is a pleasure to assist you.”

We had two hours to get me ready, so I took a refreshing bath and then with Marie's help I donned my evening dress. In the meantime, Richard was getting prepared in the dressing room, helped by Robert, his valet.

As warned, we waited to hear the dinner gong which indicated five minutes until we were expected to appear. Then Richard escorted me down the broad staircase and we stood at the door of the dining room which was opened at precisely six o'clock by a footman, and we entered.

The two aunts were already seated at the head of the large dining table. They had changed but were still wearing black gowns. They looked at us and smiled.

“Very pretty, my child. Come and sit with us at the head of the table.” We did as we were bid, Richard on the left of Miss Henrietta, and I on the right of Miss Juliana.

Footmen started to serve the dinner, commencing with white soup which was followed by a choice of beef or chicken, and a variety of vegetables. Richard was called upon to carve the meats which he did with great dexterity. When we had completed the first two courses, we had a short break during which Miss Henrietta started to speak.

“Now you must acquaint us with the details of your wedding my dear. We especially want to know what the ladies wore,”

“With great pleasure,” I responded. “Although I am afraid Richard will find the conversation very boring.”

Miss Henrietta laughed. “A new groom will indulge his wife in anything she wishes. I will not ask him what the gentlemen wore, since their costume is always the same, but the ladies love the opportunity to shine – almost like butterflies.”

I smiled; I was starting to enjoy myself. “Well for a start, I do not have to describe the gown I wore to be married, since I am wearing it in your honour,”

Miss Juliana clapped her hands. “Indeed, it is the prettiest bridal gown I have ever seen. Did you design it yourself?”

I blushed with pleasure. “Yes I did, Miss Juliana. I am so glad you like it.”

I then went on the describe the bridemaid dresses and the dress that Emma, my flower girl wore, but they were not satisfied, so I had to tell them about the gowns that the mothers wore.

The next course was now served – a small dessert of salad and cheeses.

Turning to Richard, Miss Henrietta said. “Now it is your turn, Richard. I will not exhaust your wife in telling us of the drama which disrupted your journey here, but perhaps you can now give us more detail?”

Richard smiled and began to relate the story of how we were distressed to discover that our fellow traveller, Mr Marsden, had died during the night.

“Since Mrs Marsden had nobody to turn to, it was only natural for me to offer my assistance, and in this Leonora was in full agreement. In fact while I arranged the hire of a coach to return Mrs Marsden with us to Oxford, which was fortunately only five and twenty miles distant; also an undertaker to transport Mr Marsden, Leonora went to see Mrs Marsden to offer our condolences, and took her maid Marie to assist Mrs Marsden to prepare herself for travel. She also persuaded her to take some nourishment while Mr Marsden's body was removed from the room. I was much indebted to her for her assistance.”

The two aunts nodded sympathetically, and Aunt Henrietta said, “A most commendable effort on both your parts; we are very proud of you both.”

Inevitably the result of her comment was that I blushed, and Richard smiled.

“Now tell us how long will you stay with us? We will be mortified if it is less than a week?” said Aunt Henrietta.

“A week? Certainly,” responded Richard. “It is very kind of you.”

“But what will you do to entertain yourselves? I am afraid we are but poor company,” said Aunt Juliana.

“Leonora has never been to London before so there is much she wishes to see,” said Richard, and I felt obliged to add to the conversation.

“Yes indeed. I would love to see the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, the art galleries and parks and some of the noble buildings. Also, Richard has kindly agreed to take me to the British Museum where my papa has urged me to view some of the exhibits.”

This later remark caused the aunts to raise their eyebrows, so I continued my explanation.

“My Papa is Professor Sir Robert Bolton, Dean of --------- College Oxford. He lectures on the antiquities of the Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt, which he has visited, and has encouraged me in my interest in the subject. He told me of a few exhibits I should take care to see, including an interesting artifact called the Rosetta Stone after the town where it was discovered in Egypt. It is presumed to be an official decree. The interest lies in what is thought to be the same text written in Egyptian hieroglyphics the meaning of which has been lost, and also in the Demotic or ordinary script of the Egyptians and also Ancient Greek which is still understood by some scholars. He told me that scholars are currently working on translating the meaning of the hieroglyphs so that other documents can be read.”

I suddenly paused, realising that I seemed to be giving a lecture, and blushed with embarrassment.

“That is very interesting, my dear,” said Aunt Henrietta, and she did seem genuinely interested.

“I would love to have been allowed to be a student at Oxford,” I said. “But it is not allowed yet, although I hope in future they will admit young women. Meanwhile, I am blessed to receive information from my Papa and discuss things with him, just as the students do.”

(Note: Sadly, women were not admitted as students at Oxford until 1920. They have since proved themselves quite equal to their male counterparts. JD)

The evening continued with pleasant conversation. The aunts enquired if I would like to play their pianoforte and with some embarrassment, I had to admit that as a result of my illness, I had forgotten my knowledge of playing and was forced to start my tuition from the beginning.

“I have a very kind tutor, who is very tolerant of having to commence my instruction again and encourages me to practice every day.”

“Well then, by all means use our instrument to practise if you wish. We will not be discomforted by some notes in error,” said Aunt Henrietta with a smile, so this I said I would do, but not in the evening to disturb the house.

“Have you decided where to start your tour of London's sights?” asked Aunt J.

“I thought we might commence with the Tower of London tomorrow, if the weather is clement,” said Richard and I confess that the thought of visiting that famous institution of which I had heard so much was thrilling to my ears.

“Then you must take our coach to travel there,” said Aunt H.

“That is so kind of you, “ replied Richard, “But it might inconvenience you if it not here to be used.”

“Nonsense!” exclaimed Aunt H. I have already realised that she is always forthright in expressing her opinion. “We hardly use it at all in winter, often only to church on Sundays and occasional visits to our friends. Harold, our coachman is getting quite indolent and so are the horses. It would do them all good to get some exercise.”

“Well in that case, thank you very much,” said Richard, and I added my thanks.

We retired early after a very long day and slept very well in a comfortable bed.

To be continued