Uprooted

Miss Forde arrives at her Aunt's house from Ireland, to be shocked by the new environment in which she must live. Some strange violence grips the town, and her presence is most unwelcome by family.

It was supposed to be a shameful business upon my Aunt. Her and her large estate in that strange large land across the sea were not easily welcoming me to their doors. I travelled by ship, and then by train to be received by carriage and taken to Whalley. I found the journey long and tiring, until, that is, I entered the carriage I was sent. It would not have seemed that I was so unwelcome to be sent such a fine carriage. One in which the inner walls had been mounted with fine Indian silks, such patterns and art as I had never seen before. My Aunt had been born here, in England. Upon marrying her, my uncle was soon to take away to India as he often did, I am told. He would write often to his sister, my mother, but I was never to be bothered with such matters in that eastern country, England that is. For my home is as far West as they come, short of America. My land which is now so long behind me, and I fear I will never set foot on her soft grassy bosom again. Fair Ireland, more beautiful than any here in this murky place had probably ever seen.

I was intrigued as much as disgusted and confused upon my carriage journey. The hills looked so beautiful, were they not overlooking the same murk which filled every town we passed through. I waited for one to state the name of my new home until I was either married or old enough to accept my own inheritance, which had been denied to me until my twenty-first birthday. At still only 18, that meant 3 long years in this place, at the very littlest. That was, as I said, unless I married. Oh for a woman to be so helpless and dismissed in this world. Within the hour the carriage was slowing through the clambering streets of yet another murky town. It took a most indirect root, leading me to believe we had in fact arrived in Whalley. People who passed me moved so quickly, so quickly and so grey and thin. Their bodies and clothes were so inclined with the murk it was hard to tell if they were human beings at all, or merely phantoms spun out by the ash.

I heard much shouting and noise about the streets, but was not alarmed until we passed a vast building where men came running, screaming from the courtyard. I had no inclination of what to do, but I leant forward and tried to catch the driver’s attention by knocking and shouting on the front of the carriage. He merely drove faster, to get away. Needless to say when I arrived at the estate not half a mile outside the town itself, I was not in the most loquacious or comfortable of moods. My cousin Hartley met me at the carriage and took my hand to help me down. As he did I thanked him and turned swiftly to the driver.

“What was that violence? God Sir, that horror, why did you drive on?”

“That is quite enough, Miss Forde.” The driver had not dared reply, but drove on swiftly as my Aunt answered my questions for me. I had only ever met her once, about five years ago when they came to stay in Cargan House one time my Uncle was free from India. I think they had considered trying to marry me to Hartley. By ‘they’ of course I presume my father and my Uncle, I do not suppose Aunt Liza would be well pleased at all by a match to an Irish turf-cutter like me, though funny that she married one herself. Needless to say she was never well pleased with our house or our family. She was, however, well pleased with her husband’s wealth and desire to be away so many months in India.

“Come inside, girl. We must find you some proper clothing.” She turned briskly and walked with such pace as I had to half run to keep up. “With those damn strikes at least there’ll be none of our friends to see such a disgrace arrive in our estate”. Her estate indeed. It was Hartley’s estate, she was lucky to be living there at all, not that he was generally any better than her, though I am glad to say he did not much have half her wit, thank heavens above. It is easy to forgive a man when you see that he is how he is from no selection or thought of his own mind. My Aunt continued to lead me at speed to a room at the top of the highest set of stairs you could imagine. It seemed to me to be the furthest room in the house. I would say, though, that I was rather glad of.

The servants, two young men, they must have been gardeners, dropped my cases in the room. It was a small thing, one that my Aunt had clearly never used, for she unlocked it upon entry. There was a bed and a desk for writing, and that would content me perfectly well. The bed and drapes were rather gloomy, as the rest of this desolate ashy place had seemed to me. My Aunt left me quickly without words. Her loud footsteps against the wood seemed to disappear with great suddenness. I looked about myself rather speechless. I had too many questions, and a great deal of shock roaming my mind about my new, temporary, shelter. I went to the window which was overlooked by a forest, high up on a hilltop. It seemed to stretch around the entire rear of this house, as if by magic, as if from nowhere amongst the ash and industry there was some wildness left yet. I vowed I would have to walk in those woods sometime.

No sooner had the thought entered my mind than the footsteps returned, at greater number and speed. No less than 4 maids entered the room. They swept me away in a great rush, three young and one elder. I was escorted to the wash room, where they stripped me bare. I had never been accustomed to such treatment, such impediment on my personal privacy, of my very body. They spoke in ways I had no manner of understanding of, though their tone’s sounded friendly. Their voices were so unusual I might have been speaking to a rabble of German women, for all I could make out. The odd word I was able to understand, which gave me some comfort. They stood me in a bath and poured bucket after bucket of barely warm water over my head, before scrubbing me red raw, as if I were an animal, they were making fit to stay in the house. That I might have been to my hosts, so I did not argue.

When I had been thoroughly scrubbed I was dried and dressed in undergarments, and corseted tighter than I had ever felt before. It was most painful around my chest, but I was certain I would simply need to get used to it, with so many things. I was measured by a complete stranger while I stood in my undergarments. She did not meet my eyes. The servants gave me that courtesy at least. I was then dressed in a black gown, that honestly looked no different than the one I had just been wearing, save the frills. There was lace all around the front of the bodice, and two diagonal ruffs which met at my waist. My hair was brushed violently and styled up tidily, in a way I did not wholly disapprove, despite the tight pulling sensation it gave me. I was finished, apparently. As all the women left in as great a fluster as they had arrived, I stood almost shaking in the shock of the brutality.The eldest woman stayed, however, and eyed me cautiously. I stood aghast, waiting on some kind of change to be made to my appearance yet.

“My mistress asks that you join her and her son for dinner at six. Someone will be up to bring you down. For now these are your chambers and I am instructed to leave you to unpack.” With that there was a curtsy and she too, left me. Funny that she seemed to feel it necessary to curtsy after what had just happened. My own family had not bathed me since I was a babe, and whilst our own maids would fetch water and towels, I was trusted enough to clean myself. I resigned to unpacking, before sitting at my desk to write. No sense would ever be made of this all if I did not write it down.

No music filled the house as I walked down for dinner with one of those scampering maids who had so finely assisted my arrival not a few hours before. My Aunt sat at the head of a long table, in a huge dining room. My Cousin sat in the middle, on my Aunt’s right. My place was laid at the very bottom, on the other side of the table.

“Let us say grace”. She said, before looking over to me. “You do say grace, do you not? Your Uncle once assured me you were not raised a Catholic. Though I must say that was some time ago.”

“No I was not raised a Catholic. In any case I believe the Catholics do also say grace, Aunt.” I replied. She simply closed her eyes having pursed her lips at me.

“Bless this which we are about the eat. May we be grateful and eternally in your grace, Amen.”

We ate. The food was unusual to say the least. I recognised all its parts, but every part tasted different. The lamb did not taste a rich, nor the potatoes so fluffy. It was strange how different everything here was. While we ate there was silence. When I had finished my aunt spoke.

“Miss Forde let us set some matters clear. It is not of my liking that you stay with us here. Your Uncle demanded it, and I would not want the Lord Almighty to judge me ill on denying that foolish old man his wishes. You will keep yourself well. Do not make a nuisance of yourself. Your room will be yours as long as you are here and for now at least you cannot leave the house. Clothes will be brought to you and you will be given ample thread for sewing and such things. You will not disturb your cousin or I in any part of the house. I am out most days, at Mrs Wilkins about 6 mile north of here, and your cousin is only here while off duty. He leaves for Fort William in a week hence. You may not run wild, while you are here. Things may have been different in the green country but here there is society, civility and propriety.”

“You seemed to think my green born uncle enough society to marry him.” She did not react.

“Nor will I permit any scandal while you are here. When this terrible business is over you will be invited to our meetings with our friends from the neighbouring towns, and introduced to society here.”

“Terrible Business?”

“Nothing a young woman should be concerning herself with.”

No more was said. I studied my aunt in reflection of her words. She was even more severe now than I had remembered. Her hair was raven black, with only small amounts of grey touching the closest parts of her face. She was thin and pale, her cheekbones jutted upwards of her face, more from age than thinness. Her figure was broad enough in structure, but like everything appeared to be here, she was lacking substance underneath, and was permanently in control of her rigid form. My cousin was not quite so controlled. He dressed elegantly and behaved as he should, but he rarely spoke. His mother’s eyes would meet him any time he slouched in the chair even a little. He had dark brown hair, like my uncle’s had been. His face was still very babyish, as he was not one year my elder. He, like my Aunt and I were dressed in black. Whether they dressed this way all the time was uncertain, as this was the mourning period after all. However, I could not say my Aunt would match a happier colour, nor would care especially about mourning my father or mother.

With that I was sent away again. I did not dare explore the house too much. My Aunt and cousin disappeared into a parlour as I climbed the stairs. Perhaps keeping my exploration to upstairs would be well advised. I browsed the rooms, simply peering in and walking slowly by. I came upon a locked room, and made a mental note to try the door again tomorrow. Locked rooms always hold such secrets. There was little of excitement about the house. It seemed my aunt may have cared greatly about appearance and society, but not frivolity. I retired to my room and undressed all the handiwork of the maids in corseting me 10 sizes smaller than I was used to. I got in to bed and read over my writings from the day.

How dare they have died on me. I recoiled at the thought of the past few months, of my father ill in bed, only two months after my mother had passed. I remember the paintings and mirrors being covered, and the men who came to the house to explain my situation. Is it not always the way? That death only produces more death in so short a term after the former. I dared not think of it any longer, so I focused on my writings and the strangeness of this new place. The violence I had seen, the ashy ghosts that filled the streets and the bitterness of my icy new household. I was determined to know what was occurring that a woman as myself should not be concerning herself with, and I would ask the maids tomorrow. This would all become normal, I would think, in time. But for now, everything seemed very strange and uncertain.

Over the next few days there was very little to be done. I learned quickly that the climate was much the same as at home, with rain almost every day. There was little to do in the house. I spent some time sewing and searched the rooms when I can. Any time I tried to get to the maids to discuss the unpleasantness I had seen they all stared at their feet and told me it was not their place to say to a young lady. On my third day in the estate I found the library, and thus decided I would spend a great deal of my time there. My cousin rode horseback to and from the village every day. I did not ever ask what he did there, but the very day I found the library, I was shocked upon the manner of his return. I saw him returning home through the window and went out to greet him by the hallway, as I had become accustomed. He came through the door at some speed and relief it seemed. I took his coat and hat.

“Cousin. Are you unwell? Is everything alright?” I asked delicately. He fiercely turned to face me.

“Stay out of this. and say no more. You know nothing, girl.” His shirt was splattered with blood.

“Are you injured?” I asked, chasing after him as he tried to escape upstairs.

“I said,” he exclaimed with great fury and emotion I had not ever seen in his eyes, “Say no more.” He looked down at me pitifully on the stairs as he towered over me.

“Stick to your books, young cousin. And music. We might get you wed before long and We can have less of your useless questions.” He took the book I clutched from me, eyeing the cover, before throwing it back into my chest with such force I almost fell. I caught myself on the banister and charged after him.

“If I am ignorant it is because you allow me to be nothing otherwise!” I called. “How can I understand you storming in with blood on your shirt if no one will tell me!” He turned round in an instant, burning rage in his eyes. His right hand flew back against my face, banging my head off the wall in the corridor. I was not so quick to catch myself this time, and stumbled slowly in shock before dropping to my knees for fear of falling backwards. I took a breath and looked up. My cousin walked away from me with the same haste in which he entered the house, and now it was my own blood on the wallpaper I had to worry over. It would not be long until he had gone, at least. I pulled myself away and tried to venture downstairs to get some water and a cloth from the maids to deal with the blood running down the side of my face. I had been so flustered that I did not even hear the bell until I saw the elder maid, Esther, answering the door to a gentleman. I did not reach the bottom step before the shock took me and my control over my balance and consciousness slipped.

I awoke in the main parlour. I sat here to do my sewing in the day when everyone was out. I was lying across a chaise and a man had just stood up from kneeling beside me. I reached my hand to my head and found that it had been tended to. I began to sit up to hear better the voices behind me, and match them with faces. I had not seen anyone but my Aunt or cousin since I arrived.  The hands of a maid pushed me back and said I had to rest. I could hear the people leaving, their shoes hitting the floor on the way to the entrance. I wanted to see these new people, to see anyone other than those of this household would be a blessing. My flusterings to get up were too late however. The strangers to whom the voices had belonged were gone.

I walked down to the kitchens to speak to Esther. It was time I understood a few things. The kitchens were busy enough, with much movement. the darkness outside told me it would be near to dinner time at any rate.

“Esther” I called.

“Not now child, you should be getting some rest.” She replied. The maid who had been trying to restrain me followed, out of breath.

“I’m sorry Esther, she is wild this girl.” The maid said in her strange voice. I had begun to understand their accents a little more, though they still eluded me if they spoke quickly or over each other.

“That is all right Lily. Back upstairs and prepare the dining room.” She did as she was told.

“I have a lot of questions.” I said.

“Save them for someone else. It is no business of mine. Your Aunt wants you to focus on staying out of everyone’s way for now, and that is not what you are doing. Falling downstairs, you gave us all such a fright.”

“I didn’t fall, Esther.”

“I saw it with my own eyes. You grew faint and you fell.” She spoke more clearly now, too clearly. “That is all anyone is to hear of this, or your Aunt will have you.”

“Have me what?” As I said, I could only mostly understand their speech.

“Just get upstairs, girl. Dress yourself for dinner. Master Hartley will be away in a few days, and dear goodness I hope it is safe for you to go out soon, or you’ll drive the staff to distraction along with yourself. Get up them stairs, girl, come on!” She ushered me upstairs and there was no arguing with her. I would have to be persistent. I dressed for dinner and was downstairs as usual for 6. My Aunt was not long in, and I found them as I did every night, sitting in silence awaiting their dinner. We ate, and spoke nothing of today’s affairs. I was excused and I retired to my bed.

The same silence continued the next 3 days. No mention of anything that occurred, and I stopped greeting my cousin upon his return from his trips to town. Two of the three days he seemed as distraught as the day in which I confronted him, but then I could only tell from the footsteps. With each day my desire for the outdoors became more desperate, and with each minute alone I craved company more and more. Another 2 days passed. My cousin was sent away to his regiment, in his full uniform. He could have seemed handsome in it, and I was certain girls would fawn over him wherever his regiment was to be placed. Good riddance. That evening my Aunt received an urgent telegram. One of the younger maids had rushed through with it. She opened it at the table and did not utter a word. I waited, desperately wondering what was being said in her letter. When she had finished reading she put down the letter slowly. She paused in reflection for a moment and then began to eat again.

“Well? What does it say?” I asked, a little frantic.

“That does not concern you.” She continued to eat. I had stopped, aghast with disgust and dissatisfaction. “What does concern you is that you are now permitted to leave the grounds. If it would stop you from making a nuisance of yourself so much the better”.

“What nuisance have I been?”

“Hold your tongue, girl. You are permitted to go into town and wander the estate. The smaller carriage will be at your disposal provided you keep out of trouble. You must be back every evening for dinner and you will not disgrace yourself. Am I understood?”

“Yes.” I dare not argue.

So little would have been expected upon my arrival, but a week kept inside and I thought I should go mad. I retired to my room as usual, and wrote in my diary. I was both excited and frightened, but felt so much joy as to not be couped in this dreary house that I could burst. I dreamt of what this new society might be like. I thought of home. Of the parties, the fine gentlemen and singing and artistry. I thought of my gardens at home in which I played as a girl, and the joy of finally being set loose upon the wild outside would please me dearly. I considered shops and markets and tradesmen. Then I remembered the state of the village I passed through. Though the countryside around was pleasant, a river and the forest beyond the house, both very nice for walking or reading. However, that violence in the town, it was something else all together. I must face it none-the-less. If I learned the town to not be pleasurable in which to walk, I would know only to go there when I had to. It seemed too strange now, having been so uprooted to this new world. I could not introduce myself to any society, I had to wait for my aunt to do that. Though at least I might see some of it, for now.  I was excited still and full of thought for what answers I may get tomorrow. Though I feared more new questions may arise in the process.

Author's Note

ignore grammatical errors for now. This is a first draft and is yet to meet proof reading stage. I am more concerned with the story itself. particularly whether the plot at present is engaging. Whether there is enough there to make you want to know more, or feel comfortable to continue reading.