Commander Wentworth is gone, and the secret is out!
“And where were you, missy?” Molly asked Nancy as she fiddled with the bed covers in their shared attic bedroom.
“Talking to Tom.”
Nancy, the fourteen-year-old kitchen maid, explained that while emptying the kitchen slop buckets, the junior footman had shared news about the family.
“You best be careful, Nancy. What Tom calls ‘talking,’ I call something else,” the wiser sixteen-year-old answered.
As she slipped out of her clothes, and remembering Tom’s hands running up and down her arms, Nancy turned her back to Molly so that her fellow kitchen maid wouldn’t see her blush.
“Tom was just telling me that Miss Anne is not going to marry Commander Wentworth.”
“How would he know such a thing?” Molly asked, shooting upright in bed.
“Miss Anne has no appetite, didn’t touch her pudding, and has looked sad four days running.”
Molly snorted. “Before the commander come here to Kellynch, Miss Anne always looked sad. Nothing odd about that.”
“But Tom said that when he walked by her room, he just so happened to hear Miss Anne crying in her bedchamber.”
“’Just so happened,’ my uncle. Tom had his ear to the door again,” Molly said, shaking her head in disapproval, “and if Mr. Allgood sees him, he won’t have an ear to eavesdrop with. But Miss Anne crying don’t mean nothing. If I had such a family, I’d spend half my day crying. In this house, it’s all about Sir Walter, Miss Elliot, and sometimes Miss Mary. The only time Miss Anne has anyone paying any attention to her is if she’s needed to talk to the grocer about the bills or if someone’s ailing.”
“But that’s not all that Tom had to say. A few days back, he heard Sir Walter complaining to Lady Russell about the poor prospects for a man who depended on his living by taking ships. What does that mean, ‘taking ships’?” Nancy asked. “And what do they do with them once they take them?”
Molly shook her head. She had never given it any thought, but that was one of the few advantages of being a servant: You didn’t have to worry about such things.
“You may be right, Nancy,” Molly said, thinking about something she had heard Mrs. Brooks say to Mr. Allgood about Lady Russell bending Sir Walter’s ear for near an hour before calling Anne into the study. “So that’s what they were up to—sending the commander on his way and breaking Miss Anne’s heart in the bargain.”
Molly now realized that there had been other clues that the commander would not be coming back. The menus had changed—a rare event at Kellynch, usually requiring an Act of Parliament—and Mrs. Brooks had sent word to the butcher that they wouldn’t be needing that leg of lamb after all.
“Do you think Tom got it right?” Nancy asked.
Molly nodded, and she could feel tears forming. In her mind, Miss Anne was the best thing about Kellynch Hall, and for a short time, she had been happy. But it was not meant to be.
“Yeah, Tom got it right,” Molly finally answered, “and Sir Walter and Lady Russell got it wrong. Miss Anne has as much right to be happy as his other two daughters. It’s too bad Sir Walter don’t see it that way.”
I am currently on the road, but I will be reading comments even if I can’t respond to them. Thank you.
16 comments
Skip to comment form
Molly’s the one who’s got it right:
“If I had such a family, I’d spend half my day crying.”
– an entertaining piece, Mary. Thanks!
So sad that the servants care more about Anne’s happiness than her own family! Also a little unsettling, but maybe not surprising, that they are so observant. Thank you!
This was beautifully done, Mary. I love hearing the servants’ perspective, and I also love how you made it feel so ‘real’ – the maids aren’t all knowledgable about things they wouldn’t know – perfectly done.
If only Anne knew there were at least two people at Kellynch who feel her pain!
I’m glad to see that Anne has some allies. Not that it will do her much good, but at least she’s not completely alone. I love the way Molly reads the “clues” through the change in menu! Enjoyed this scene, Mary.
Felt like I was a fly on the wall with the conversation. It’s a shame that Anne’s family isn’t as concerned about her as the servants are. Within the strictures of society, perhaps they can give her a little TLC that Anne would only notice.
Sorry, posted before I completed my thoughts. Thank you Mary. Nicely done.
I’ve enjoyed your looks at events through the eyes of the servants. They’re in closer touch with what’s really happening with Anne than the rest of the family is. Poor girl! It makes it even more amazing that she turned out to be such a lovely, sensible young woman.
I can just picture them getting ready for bed and talking about Anne and the Captain. I agree, I would be crying half the time too if Sir Walter and Elizabeth were my family!!!
Upstairs/Downstairs: yes, those on the sidelines often are so much more in tune with reality. Their thoughts show more wisdom as to what the family dynamics really are and it is so nice, for us, to know that the servants value Anne’s happiness, even if her family does not and even if, Lady Russell has no idea what really constitutes making Anne happy. As others have said, Lady R. values her social status, much like, Sir Walter. Sad, sad, sad….but thank you for this chapter.
Enjoyed that! Yep, Sir Walter and Lady Russell did get it wrong.
Glad the servants are on Anne’s side, and that they see who’s really “quality” in that house. Well, eventually they will get a new master when Sir Walter has to rent the house. Thank you for the visit to Kellynch!
Enjoyed this “chapter”…a little relief from the angst…glad someone appreciates Anne..as her family doesn’t…
hopefully they can be there for her..in small little ways…a little kindness to soothe her soul…
Young Tom’s obviously up to no good and trying to get in with the young maids! Otherwise, why would a young groom, who presumably works in the stables most of the time, be passing by Anne’s room?
At least the servants have sympathy for Anne, even if their position means they can’t show it openly, though I’m sure they’d manage little acts of kindness towards her when they could. They’re obviously not fond of the rest of the family from the remark; “If I had such a family, I’d spend half my day crying. In this house, it’s all about Sir Walter, Miss Elliot, and sometimes Miss Mary.”
Lovely little piece of writing, thank you.
Author
Anji, My mistake. Tom is a footman not a groom. That’s what I get for writing a post on my way out the door. Thanks for your comment(s). Much appreciated.
I love your servants, Mary! Beautiful piece!!!
It’s good that the servants take the side of Anne when she has no one to stand up for her. Although staff couldn’t openly discuss about it, she deserved their support in these trying times when she is ignored by her own family and suffers alone.