Journey's End (Marlbrook)

Not till the Loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,

Will God unfold the canvas, or reveal the reason why;

For the dark threads are as needful, in the skilful Weaver’s hand,

As the threads of gold and silver, in the pattern He has planned. (Unknown Author)

Prologue

The funeral notice was ordinary.  A small insert, bold of headline, heralded the untimely death of Master Earl Townsend Esq.  Times and dates were duly recorded, along with the whereabouts of
his
sole beneficiary, Mis
s
Sarah Townsend
.  The information was
published for the convenience of both mourners and creditors alike.

It was the winter of 17
2
8, two weeks before Laura’s twenty-
second
birthday.  She arrived
on
the day of the funeral - the day
that
her half-sister, Sarah, was ushered onto the street
with only h
er personal possessions in hand
.

CHAPTER ONE – Journey’s End

Lady
Catherine
observed the women in silence.  She approved of their good features, and in the right dress
,
she imagined they might even be considered handsome.  That they were half sisters was apparent, as physically they resembled nothing of each other.  Sarah’s
coal
black
hair contrasted with her sister’s, and their stature was
unequal
, Laura being of a more generous height.

Perched on the mantle, the brass, cherub
-
faced clock loudly proclaimed the hour
.  The crystal clear
bells
broke
the deathly hush that had descended
up
on the
grape
-
coloured chamber.

L
ady Catherine
’s
ominous
stare
settled
on
Laura
.
“Your family must be anxious to place you in service
; t
wo daughters and no dowry
. Y
our poor mother must be distraught!”

“
Sadly
,
m
y sister and I have no
other
close family,
Lady Catherine
.
”

“
Of course
,
a
family
can
be considered a curse as well as a godsend.  However, a woman long denied a mother’s guidance may be more burdensome to me than of benefit.”

Laura’s spine
straightened,
mirroring Lady Catherine
’s
. 
“And if
we
were
to be
judge
d
solely
on
merit?
”

Lady
Catherine
’s thick grey eyebrows arched. 
Eager to challenge Laura
in a duel of words
,
Lady
Catherine
applied herself with zeal.

“You illustrate a fine point. A woman may be knowledgeable in the aspects of running a household or embroidering a lace handkerchief, but a mother’s instruction cannot be dismissed
.”

“
I am afraid y
ou find us at a
distinct
disadvantage, Lady Catherine.
However
,
I
believe
that
there are substitutes for a mother’s
teaching
s.
And p
erhaps
, over
time,
the ben
efits of hiring us
will
o
utweigh your
original
argument
.
”

Lady
Catherine
believed that the elderly were tiresome, the middle-aged boring, and the young scatterbrained.  In her pursuit of a companion
,
she had met,
or
so
she thought, every manner of female that fitted the three categories. 
Nevertheless,
Laura amused her.  Besides, the sisters were penniless and in need of work
. 
Her aged features formed a knowing smile
:
two
servants
for the price of one
.

Without a further glance in the sisters’ direction,
Lady Catherine
signalled to her maid
. 
“I have made my decision.  Show these young ladies out, and along the way introduce them to Mrs McCarthy. They will report
to her in the morning.”

Relief swamped Laura, leaving her speechless.

“Don’t stand around gawping at me, girl. And don’t be late
.
I
abhor
tardiness
!
”

From the second storey of the townhouse Lady
Catherine
browsed the scene below, a flimsy curtain protecting her from view.  She observed the women as they
exited onto
the street.  The younger sister posed a problem.  Her instincts about the girl did not bode well.  At sixty
-
and
-
eight years of age
,
Lady
Catherine
had come across many Sarahs in her travels.  She sighed, aware that most brought not
hing but trouble.

CHAPTER
TWO – New Beginnings

Varying s
hades of green and brown dominated
Lady Catherine’s
private
chamber
, the
lacklustre
colours reflecting
her
sombre
frame of mind
.
Left
to her own company,
Lady Catherine
’s thoughts turned to her son; she
despaired of
his
wayward
antics
. 
While Henry appeared totally uninterested in his future
-
and that of his entire family who were dependent upon his actions
-
Lady Catherine was not.
She refused to allow some greedy relative
to
take over her home due to a lack of legitimate heirs
–
although
there were
,
no doubt
,
countless illegitimate heirs
that
she could h
ave summoned.

T
he business o
f arranging a suitable marriage for
Henry had been dealt with, albeit without his contribution. 
Henry
indulged himself in the diversions the city
had to
offer,
and
she
prayed
that
with a wife and child
ren
to occupy him
,
he would not
fret for
long
.

Negotiating the terms of
her son’s
forthcoming union had depleted
Lady Catherine’s
strength
. 
She
raised
her bone-weary
body
from
the comfort of her favourite
chair
. 
Summer approached. 
It was time
she
return
ed
home;
time
she
retire
d
to Marlbrook and enjoy
ed
the tranquillity of her
beloved
country estate
.

#

O
ne month to the day
after Lady Catherine
had
decreed it would be so,
preparations to
relocat
e
her
household neared completion
.

Amid the confusion,
Lady Catherine’s unforgiving tone echoed in the
hollow
corridors. 
“
Insolent girl
-
do you not realise the significance of the
piece
of antiquity
you hold in your hands
?
  M
y family’s
history
did not survive centuries
of struggle
to be destroyed by the likes of you
!
”

Laura cast a sympathetic glance in the poor maid’s direction.
 
The
sun had barely risen from the night sky
and already Lady Catherine had managed to berate the majority of her
overworked
staff.
 
Laura
plunged
headlong
into her
long
list of
tasks
,
taking note
for future reference
of
the
chaos
Lady Catherine left in her wake
.

At
precisely
eleven o’clock
the carriages appeared
. 
The rain knew better than to make an appearance and
,
in little over an hour
,
the convoy was ready to depart.

Standing on the threshold,
Laura
looked on
as
the
elite
caravan of
conveyances disappeared
down
the
narrow
lane at the end of the busy street.
 
To
Laura’s
surprise
,
Sarah had been chosen to accompany Lady
Catherine
in the lead coach
while
Laura
had been tasked with
overseeing
the closure of the
London
townhouse
.
She had
two weeks to complete the
chore
before setting out to join them.