21: The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey by Patrick O’Brian Read Free Book Online Page B

intention of being pleased and they came away delighted. Indeed they would have been difficult to satisfy if they had not liked Medenham, a warm, comfortable, spaciou s, low-built house of Charles II’ s time with linen-cupboards fit to shelter a troop of horses, massive furniture of another age and a considerable library, mostly of travel and natural philosophy.
    The affair was soon concluded; necessaries and a few servants were sent down from the north, and the new tenants moved in; the nearby families soon paid their visits, and Mr Heatherleigh and his sister were pronounced a great acquisition to the neighbourhood, particularly as Mr Heatherleigh spoke eagerly of his intention to hunt that year.
    This however proved a hope not easily realized. The horses were soon in the stalls, a handsome bay mare and two promising grey geldings, but Mr Heatherleigh had a troublesome neighbour in the north who coveted his estate and when it was refused to be sold this man turned to the exceedingly complex law governing mineral deposits in those parts which, he contended, gave him the right in the peculiar jurisdiction of the province to pursue an uninterrupted vein under the adjoining land – under Edward Heatherleigh’ s land. Before Michaelmas, therefore, the poor man climbed into his coach again and travelled northwards to his bitter moors through the driving rain, to spend all his diminishing energy in lawyers’ meetings and vain attempts at unders tanding counsels’ opinions on the most profoundly obscure customary laws of usage where minerals were concerned in that particular district.
    During this period Christine spent much of her time at Woolcombe, and so, except for those necessary hours in the school-room with her new governess, the capable and intelligent Miss West, did Brigid, walking in and out as though it were her own home, often accompanied by her companion George, who sometimes improved his indifferent mathematics with Miss West and sometimes showed both governess and pupil the higher flights of knotting.
    It was during the later part of this season when field mushrooms were to be had by the basketful for the picking that the little household began to look for the return of Mr Edward - he had uttered some general remarks about having a wheel retyred and the horses shod — when a carriage was heard coming up the drive. For a few moments those who were drinking tea in the small drawing-room thought it might possibly be Mr Edward's coach, sounding soft because of the rain: but not at all — it was a common post-chaise bringing the twins earlier than usual (not at all uncommon with Sophie’ s sister, who would seize upon any conveyance, any travelling-companion, to send her pupils home).
    The letters that described this homecoming varied; but Stephen, who knew those concerned extremely well, saw the Aubrey girls hurrying in, tired, cross and hungry, intensely jealous at seeing Brigid sitting there by their mother, warm, prettily dressed and well-fed. “Are you still here?” asked Charlotte . “You are always here!” cried Fanny, and there was some motion towards pushing her off the sofa, strongly repelled by George. Clearly Sophie and Christine dealt with the situation - the clack and din of the accompanying County Armagh maidservant was a great help — and the Aubrey girls were taken away, washed and fed, while Christine led Brigid home, desiring Padeen to carry the twins’ trunk indoors and settle with the postillion.
    “As I see it, dear Jack,” said Stephen, “the twins’ jealousy, exacerbated by the weariness of travelling, extreme hunger and the hot squalor of a post-chaise, exploded into open violence when they saw Brigid there, brushed and in a handsome garment sitting in the most favoured place next to their mother. A good night’ s sleep, a body-bath of warm water, fresh clothes and a substantial breakfast is likely to restore all their amiability.”
    “I am sure you are right,” said Jack,