The Girl in the Gatehouse (54 page)
They feasted at long tables beneath autumn-red maples, laughed, told stories, and shared bittersweet memories of loved ones not present that day.
After the fine meal, of which even Martin approved, local musicians played, and at one point Martin and Maggie joined in – him on his three-fingered flute and Maggie raising her pure, stirring voice in song.
Then three people Mariah had not expected to see came through the gate, and her heart raced. Her mother, father, and Julia. Beside Mariah, Matthew gripped her trembling fingers and smiled reassurance.
Keeping a tight hold of his hand, Mariah walked with her new husband to greet her family after a separation of more than a year.
Julia rushed forward. “Mariah! I am so sorry we missed the wedding. The carriage lost a wheel, and the men took forever in repairing it.”
Mariah pressed her hand. “That is all right. How pleased I am to see you now.”
Julia’s eyes sparkled. “I shall soon be a married woman too. Father has consented. Is that not good news?”
“Very good news.”
Julia embraced her tightly and whispered near her ear. “Mother and I read both of your novels. We are so proud of you.”
When Julia released her, their mother stepped forward, tears brightening her hazel eyes. “How beautiful you look, my dear.” She leaned near and kissed Mariah’s cheek. “I am very happy for you.”
Fearfully, Mariah glanced next at her father, but he was looking at Matthew.
Mariah swallowed. “Father, I believe you have met Captain Matthew Bryant, my husband.”
Sir Thomas nodded. “Yes. He came to see me not long ago, to ask my permission to marry you and to . . . make his opinion plain on several subjects.”
“Thank you for coming, sir.” Matthew held out his hand, and after a pause, Sir Thomas Aubrey shook it.
He then turned to his eldest daughter. “Mariah, I regret not only missing your wedding, but this last year of your life as well. I have treated you unfairly and hope you will forgive me.”
Amy Merryweather’s voice flitted through Mariah’s mind.
“Whoever
said life was fair?”
It gave her the courage to smile and say, “Of course I do.”
Her father awkwardly patted her shoulder, the most affection Mariah could recall receiving from him, and she could not speak further for the hot tightness in her throat.
Theirs was not the only wedding that autumn.
William Hart and Lizzy married not long after Matthew and Mariah did. Sooner, perhaps, than they had planned, as their appointment depended on their being man and wife. The Harts had been chosen by the board of guardians as the new master and matron of Honora House. Mrs. Pitt had stepped down, whether to avoid recrimination over the Prince Prin-Hallsey affair or to accept an offer of marriage from the undersheriff, or both, no one knew for certain.
Captain P. Prin-Hallsey had settled into his role as long-overdue master of Windrush Court. He petitioned the navy for back pay, and in the meantime – not encumbered by gambling debts as was his wayward nephew – lived modestly but comfortably off the income from the estate.
When Captain Prince learned how his nephew had defrauded Matthew, he insisted on making recompense. He sold the London townhouse as a first step toward repaying the debt. Further, he drafted a will declaring Matthew Bryant his heir and the future owner of Windrush Court. Hugh, they later learned, was believed to be lodging in a shabby Cheapside inn.
Judging by the captain’s many visits back to the poorhouse, it seemed clear he was intent on convincing Agnes Merryweather to marry him and share the manor house with him, to spend her remaining years in the comfort and companionship she deserved. So far, Agnes had refused his offer, though she did accept the captain’s invitations to take a meal with him, or share an evening of tales and whist. Mariah had never seen the woman look so happy and hoped the captain would prevail.
That year’s final wedding, a Christmas wedding, was that of Jeremiah Martin and Susan Dixon. Maggie and Mariah attended the bride, the dearest and most beautiful bride Mariah had ever seen. Martin, too, looked dapper. He wore a new suit and renewed confidence now that he was writing again, thanks to Mr. Crosby’s – and Dixon’s – persuasion. Soon, the
Golden Prince
would set sail once more.
After that last wedding, Captain and Mrs. Bryant took their leave of Windrush Court. As they drove away, Mariah looked back and saw little Maggie Martin standing before the gatehouse, waving a fond farewell. Despite the season, she wore a youthful springtime hat that had lain in the attic long enough. Martin and Dixon requested to raise the girl as their own, and both Maggie and the governors heartily agreed. How glad Mariah was to know that there would be a girl in the gatehouse for years to come.
Matthew and Mariah were bound for a delayed wedding trip to Italy, and who knew what adventures beyond – for she could write anywhere, could she not? This was only the beginning.
Jane Austen fans will recognize her influence in this book. For example, one of my favorite Austen heroes, Captain Wentworth of
Persuasion
, inspired the background of my Captain Bryant – along with a dash of Forester’s Horatio Hornblower. More significantly, I was moved by Austen’s Maria Bertram, who “destroyed her own character” and was sent away with a sole companion to “an establishment being formed for them in another country – remote and private.”
Of course in
Mansfield Park
, we do not admire vain and adulterous Maria Bertram, and most readers likely feel she earned her just deserts. But what if Maria (pronounced “Mariah” in Jane Austen’s day) were a character we actually cared about? Would we be content to leave her in her lonely exile? As someone who has made her share of mistakes in life, I am thankful for forgiveness and second chances. And I enjoyed giving Mariah Aubrey hers as well.
Mariah is a secret author, as Jane Austen was during her lifetime. Many authors (female and male alike) published anonymously or under pseudonyms in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Jane Austen published her novels “by a lady” or “by the author of ” one of her previous novels. In some cases, the identity of anonymous authors remains unknown.
In chapters 8 and 12, I have borrowed two brief excerpts from one of these novels, entitled,
The Corinna of England, and a Heroine in the Shade:
a Modern Romance,
by the Author of
The Winter in Bath
. It was published anonymously in two volumes in 1809 by London-based B. Crosby and Co. The identity of the author is still being debated. (Source: Chawton House Library.) Except, of course, for
Aesop’s Fables
, all other excerpts and journal entries are of my own creation.
Also, in chapter 21, I sprinkled in a few actual reviews of Jane Austen’s novels from the time of their release. It ought to make writers everywhere feel better to know that even Miss Austen received the occasional snide review.
I enjoyed researching the lives of early women authors like Maria Edgeworth, Charlotte Lennox, Fanny Burney, and of course Jane Austen. There are many sources available should you want to read more. I also enjoyed learning a bit about publishing in the early nineteenth century. In reality, typesetting, printing, and binding books was a lengthy process before computers and modern printing presses. But for the sake of the story, I compressed these timelines.
On a maritime research note, I should mention two things. First, the war was not actually over, as my characters believed. Napoleon escaped his first exile in early 1815, and the war resumed. After Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo, he was again exiled, and the war officially ended later that year. Second, Captain Joseph McCulloch did not propose the Coast Blockade Service until 1815, the year after this story concludes. The service came into being the following year. I hope history buffs will forgive the liberties I took to include it in the story.
The gatehouse pictured on the cover is the very one I had in mind while writing this novel. In reality, it is located at Deene Park, Northamptonshire, once the country residence of Lord Cardigan, the “Homicidal Earl” who led the Charge of the Light Brigade. My sincere thanks to designer Jennifer Parker for another beautiful cover.
As always, I would like to acknowledge the help and encouragement of my family, church family, friends, co-workers, first reader Cari Weber, and my editor Karen Schurrer. Many thanks to Jeff Beech-Garwood, Matthew Camp, Bill Kelley, and author Laurie Alice Eakes for helping with historical (and cricket!) details. Also to Cheri Hanson for help with the Malagasy language. Lastly, warm gratitude goes to my readers, who send the most uplifting e-mails. I appreciate you all.
1. Had you known that Jane Austen’s name never appeared in her books during her lifetime? Did it surprise you that novel writing was considered (at least by some) improper and unladylike? In what ways might those attitudes continue today?
2. Mariah’s situation (sent away after an indiscretion to live in relative isolation) was loosely based on the fate of one of Jane Austen’s characters in
Mansfield Park
(although Maria Bertram was a married woman who had an affair). Did you think Mariah Aubrey’s father treated her unfairly? How have attitudes toward “virtue and vice” changed since the early 1800s?
3. Did you learn anything new from the historical quotes at the beginning of each chapter? What quote in particular did you like? Why?
4. Did you figure out the mystery of Captain Prince early on? What about the “treasure” of the gatehouse? Did you spot any red herrings (false clues) that led you to believe there might be real treasure (say, jewels or gold) in the gatehouse?
5. Captain Bryant spent many years trying to gain his father’s approval. Can you relate? How so? What makes father/child relationships so important?
6. Did you find yourself growing fond of any character that you did not care for at the outset? Which character was your favorite? Why?
7. What was your reaction to Amy Merryweather’s red yarn as a symbol of our life to come? (As a reminder, she said, “Don’t hold on to the knots and forget the life ahead.”) Have you had to get past knots in your own life?
8. Mariah did not blame God for her problems, but she no longer felt worthy of His love. Have you or someone you’ve known had difficulty embracing forgiveness? How did that affect your relationships and/or self-esteem?
9. Go back and read the first two words and the last two words of the book. Any thoughts on why the author may have chosen them?
10. If you could ask the author one question, what would it be? (Note: Feel free to e-mail any such questions to
[email protected]
and she will do her best to answer them.)
J
ULIE
K
LASSEN
loves all things Jane –
Jane Eyre
and Jane Austen. She is a fiction editor and novelist. Her book
The Silent Governess
won a 2010 Christy Award and was also a finalist in the Minnesota Book Awards,
ForeWord Reviews
Book of the Year Awards, and the RITA Awards. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Books by
Julie Klassen
F
ROM
B
ETHANY
H
OUSE
P
UBLISHERS
Lady of Milkweed Manor
The Apothecary’s Daughter
The Silent Governess
The Girl in the Gatehouse