Page 19 of Cousin Elizabeth
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“Oh Beth! Look at this view!” The Rock House had a basement and three stories visible from the front, and when they entered the front door, you could see straight through to a terrace that covered the entire back of the house with an unencumbered sea view. All the girls went straight to it. The main floor had parlors and dining rooms, the first and second floors had bedrooms and sitting rooms. The attic was for servants and storage. The butler, housekeeper, and cook had rooms in the basement, and there was a large pantry and wine cellar. The young ladies would have the second floor, while Mr. Bennet, John Smith, Mrs. Russell, and Mrs. Greaves would take the floor below.
The last four smiled fondly at the young ladies. “I assume you are Mr. and Mrs. Fredricks? I am Thomas Bennet. This is Mrs. Russelland Mrs. Greaves, the companions to that gaggle, and Mr. John Smith, Mrs. Russell’s nephew.”
“We are very pleased to have such a lively group at Rock House. Our upstairs maid is showing your servants where your rooms are located, and we will show you up whenever you are ready.”
Jane came back in and joined them. “This is my daughter Miss Bennet. She will be our hostess and mistress of the house. Please consult her about meals and entertainments and schedules. She keeps that gaggle of geese in line.”
Mr. and Mrs. Fredricks looked rather surprised that such a young woman would be in charge. Seeing how she was dressed, they assumed Mrs. Russell would be mistress, but the kind looking young lady might just be in training.
“Very well. Miss Bennet, would you like us to serve tea, or shall you all retire for a time?”
“If you would show everyone to their rooms, please. We will have tea in half an hour. Please have someone stationed to show us to the main parlor. Does it have an ocean view?”
“The blue parlor and the main dining room both face the ocean, and so does the breakfast room. The green parlor, library, study,and a small sitting room all face west. Your servants are all housed in the attic rooms.”
“I hope there are adequate windows up there. I did not notice.”
Mrs. Fredricks smiled at her thoughtfulness, “Yes. Each room has its own window. It is not stifling in the summer months. There are also windows at each end of the hallway, so they receive a nice cross breeze most days.”
Jane barely raised her voice, “Come ladies. We will find our rooms and come back down for tea.”
The three younger girls had learned not to linger when called. It was only Beth and Lizzy who waited a minute longer before following everyone up the stairs. The hopes were high for a wonderful summer.
Chapter Seventeen
It was already late in the day when they arrived, so a note was sent to Seaview Cottage that they were welcome to come to supper, but otherwise they would have them to breakfast in the morning. Gigi was tired, so answered that they would come first thing in the morning for breakfast.
Mrs. Young preferred town hours, so she begged off the breakfast meeting. She needed to send her compatriot a message to the agreed upon place. There was a pub down on the docks that was run by her distant cousin. All messages were to go through him. She had assured her friend that she would come up with another plan, but so far, nothing came to her. The original plan had been so simple! That cousin had ruined everything! Wait! Maybe they could abduct the cousin. She was an heiress, from what the little mouse said. He brother owned tenthousandacres in America. Oh, but how do you ransom someone to a brother that lives all the way across the ocean? Drat it! That would take months. Hmmmm, maybe the Bennet’s had more money than it appeared. That youngest girl looked ripe for the picking. She had a chip on her shoulder, and likely would be looking for trouble andadventure. Bernice shrugged on her nightrobe and sat to write her note. It was only the beginning of June. There was plenty of time to figure something out.
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“Ohhhh. I love my cottage, but this is simply beautiful! You even have a lawn! There is only a little garden at my place with a gate in the hedge to go to the beach. Are those stairs that lead down?!”
“Yes! The lawn slopes downward. You can see the stone fence and there are wide steps leading down to the beach. Lizzy and Lydia were the only two with enough energy to go down yesterday, and John of course.”
“We must go! Beth, were you awake to see the sunrise this morning?”
“I was! All the rooms on this side have a balcony, which I was lucky enough to get one, so I sat and watched the sun come up in my night robe! Haha!”
Kitty pouted and Lydia looked annoyed. “Now, now girls. We have the floor to ourselves. You can come visit any of our rooms and sit on our balconies in your nightrobes too. We will visit your rooms at sunset to watch the sun spin away.” Jane, always thepeace maker. Mary was too circumspect to complain that her room did not have a sea view. Lizzy and Beth just smirked at the younger girls.
“Age before beauty, girls! You’ll get your chance. Maybe we can switch halfway through… with a sufficient bribe.” Beth winked and Lydiaalmostsmiled.
It was going to be quite a warm day, so all the ladies decided it was time to go walk the beach while it was still cool. John and Jackson, and both Wainwright twins who were the Darcy footmen, would accompany the young ladies. Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Russell, and Mrs. Greaves would sit on the terrace and watch from there.
“So where is your companion this morning, Gigi?”
“Mrs. Young keeps town hours, Beth. She thinks country hours are for savages.”
“Did she actually say that?!”
“She can be rather sharp tongued. I figure it is good practice for when I am out and meeting theton.My cousin Marie has the same opinion.”
“I am looking forward to meeting your cousins. You, William, and Richard tell suchinterestingstories of them.” They were giggling as Lydia caught up to them.
“What’s funny?”
