The Three Colonels

Charlotte, distressed, embraced the young woman. “Oh, Anne, forgive me!”

As Charlotte hugged Anne, a thought cut through the jumbled thoughts of the heiress: Richard —yesterday—that look in his eyes. I thought he was going to kiss me.

Anne broke the embrace and looked at Charlotte with a dawning smile on her face. “He wanted to kiss me.”

“What?”

“He wanted to kiss me.”

Charlotte was puzzled. “Who wanted to kiss you?”

“Richard, silly! It was in his eyes. I saw it. He wanted to kiss me!”

Charlotte’s eyes grew wide. “When?”

“In the snow!” Anne was downright giddy now.

“When were you in the snow?”

“Yesterday! After we fought with Mother. He came after me and wanted to kiss me in the snow!” Anne broke free and did a pirouette, laughing the whole time. “Hurrah!”

Charlotte watched in open-mouthed shock at her friend’s exhibition. Anne then grasped Charlotte, giggling.

“Oh, Charlotte, you are right! He does love me!” Unable to resist, Charlotte began to giggle, too. “He… he wanted to kiss me! He must want to marry me! Marry me! Oh, Charlotte, I have never been so happy!” The women hugged again in laughter and tears.

Suddenly, Anne pulled away and looked Charlotte in the face. “What do I do now?”

Anne’s confused expression quickly sobered Charlotte. With a slight smile, she looked at her companion and said, “You must let the colonel know that his attentions are welcomed.”

“But… how do I do that?”

Charlotte sighed. “You will find a way, my dear.”

*   *   *

Upon the steward leaving the library, Richard stood and stretched to relieve the stiffness in his back. As his back was to the door, he was surprised to hear a voice.

“May I come in?”

Richard assumed a more proper pose and turned towards his visitor. “Yes, Mrs. Parks, do come in. Please, have a seat.” Richard waited until the housekeeper was comfortable. “Now, madam, how may I be of service to you?”

“I understand you wish to speak to me,” she replied.

“Yes, I do. I would like to speak with you about the household. As you may know, I am empowered to look into all aspects of the management of Rosings Park. Your cooperation in this endeavor is vital.”

She handed him a packet of papers. “I have here the current household budget as well as the current accounts with the shopkeepers in Hunsford.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Parks.” Richard set the packet aside. “I shall review them in a moment. Now as for the staff here—”

“You will find a roster of all employees of the house in that packet along with their backgrounds and dates of hire.”

Richard walked behind the desk to take his seat. “I have already seen the reports of the tenants and the groundskeepers here at Rosings, but I cannot find your employment agreement or that of the steward.” He gestured at the stacks of papers.

Mrs. Parks unsuccessfully hid her slight smirk. “You will not find them in there, sir. The mistress had them burned, you see, but it does not signify. The solicitor has got the originals.”

Richard took a moment to digest this information. Why would Aunt Catherine do that? Did she mean to sack both of them; if so, why were they still here?

“Ahem… it must be a trial, I suppose, to work here. My aunt can be rather capricious, I must admit. Your loyalty serves you well.”

Mrs. Parks looked at him strangely. “As I said before—I very much enjoy my position here. Do you have any questions about that, sir?”

Richard became flustered. Dratted woman! He did not know what to make of her! “Well… I… umm… the uncertainty! I mean, there has been quite a turnover among the household staff here. I must admit I am surprised that you are still—well, to put it plainly, I am shocked that my aunt has not yet run you off!”

Mrs. Parks’s expression became one of surprise. “Forgive me, sir; I had assumed you were better informed. I see now that you are operating under a mistaken understanding.” Her eyes shifted to the window. “Though how you could have been sent here without being fully prepared! What a muddle—”

“Mrs. Parks,” Richard cut in. “I insist you make plain your meaning.”

The housekeeper returned her full attention to Richard. “Colonel Fitzwilliam, neither my situation nor that of the steward is dependent upon the goodwill of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. We are both employed by your father, the Earl of Matlock, and have been so for over fifteen years.”

Chapter 12

A half hour later, Richard escorted Mrs. Parks through the door of the library, thanking her for her help. The housekeeper was everything Darcy claimed: intelligent, loyal, observant, and helpful. The time the two spent together was very profitable, and many questions were answered.

Richard learned that Mrs. Parks was in a constant battle with Lady Catherine over the management of Rosings Park. Mrs. Parks controlled the food budget. All else was subject to the whims of the mistress, including the hiring and firing of staff, with the exception of the butler, who answered to Mrs. Parks. The financial state was not what it should be, but it was not as dire as the rest of the estate; money had been put aside.

This coincided well with Richard’s plans. He saw many places for economy, especially in his aunt’s personal spending habits. He had no idea she spent as much as she did on clothes. Seeing the rather shocking figure did bring to the colonel’s recollection that he had very rarely seen Aunt Catherine in the same dress twice.

As the lady took her leave to see to the dinner, Richard still wrestled with the key mystery. Mrs. Parks could not say why she and the steward were retained by his father or why Lady Catherine had agreed to such an arrangement. He made a mental note to ask the earl about this; he doubted his aunt would be forthcoming. As for Darcy, he wondered whether his cousin knew of the arrangement or whether he, too, was unaware of it.

Richard’s generous heart felt a pang of concern for Lady Catherine’s current state of mind. She had never been a very pleasant person, but since Darcy’s marriage, his aunt seemed to grow more bitter each year. Now Richard thought he had the key to improving Lady Catherine’s demeanor as well as a means to ease his way to acquiring his aunt’s permission, if not approval, to seek Anne’s hand. To his chagrin, he forgot to raise the matter with Mrs. Parks. He started to go after her when he espied someone who would do as well.

“Mrs. Jenkinson! Just the person I have been looking for!”

Mrs. Jenkinson curtsied. “Colonel Fitzwilliam, I am at your service.”

“Thank you. I would like your opinion on a proposition. My Aunt Catherine has been out of sorts for some time. I trust we both know the reason for this.” Richard did not note the alarm in the lady’s eyes. “Therefore, I believe something should be done to remedy the sad circumstance that has caused her so much pain. I have in mind an idea to acquire a cat—a lovely new pet for my aunt. What color would you suggest?”

The electrifying result to this declaration was not at all what Colonel Fitzwilliam expected. Mrs. Jenkinson’s eyes grew so wide that Richard thought they were in danger of popping out of her head. She began shaking, a low moan rising from her throat. Like a wild woman, Mrs. Jenkinson grasped Richard’s lapel in one hand, opened the library door with the other, and dragged the stunned gentleman within.

The lady locked the door and turned on the colonel. “By all that is holy, you must not bring a cat into this house! A person’s life may well depend on it!”

“Control yourself, madam!” Richard was at a complete loss to explain Mrs. Jenkinson’s behavior. “You are very ill! I must insist that you take this seat. A glass of wine—may I get you one?”