Nanny Diaries 3 - Pride and Prejudice

The Social Whirl

"Steven is such a fine young man, Sheila...you must be proud of him?" My mother simpered as Sheila Blackstone handed her a cup of tea. I did not get one. No one had thought to remove my pacifier. I sat quietly beside Mummy, concentrating on my posture, as directed, with my hands resting demurely in my lap.

"I am...he is a talented teacher...and I am excited that he will be working closely with me at Deepdene from September." Sheila, who was home for the Easter holidays, informed us, whilst smiling at me. "Once I find him a wife, he will be a housemaster at the new boys prep school and hopefully a leading light of our English department...having as many Reformist teachers as possible is going to be crucial to the success of the school."

"And housemasters need to be married?" Mum asked, glancing at me.

"Oh, yes...managing a boarding house needs a housemother...it will not be a paid position of course...young married women should not work as such, the church would not approve and the church will be much more prevalent at Deepdene than it has been at Charlesfield...but the boarders need a maternal figure." Sheila explained, taking a sip of her own tea. "Daphne is coming along nicely, I believe?"

"She is behaving very well...I think we all realise that she likes helping with her sisters, but she knows her place now, I think...she wants to earn God's love." Mummy commented, patting my knee with affection, as I bowed my head a little. I was getting used to being talked about in my presence, and I knew I had to suffer it politely. But I was not a fool, of course. I knew what was happening around me, and my mother and my former mentor were not exactly being subtle about things. Obviously, I had thought about the prospect of marriage in the future. I knew that maidenhood was technically all about preparing a girl for marriage, and I knew that my parents were fully invested in that aspect of the doctrine. I was their only child, and they wanted me to settle down and produce some grandchildren for them, as soon as possible. And that was not an idea that appalled me, as long as I got to choose. In Meadvale, living according to the holy doctrine, I was not going to be dating or anything like that, and like Bella, I would be expected to listen to my parents and my guardian's idea of suitable candidates, but unlike dear Bella, I expected to have the final say. It had not been discussed, as such, but there were limits. In my mind, we would discuss things together, when and if the possibility arose. But Mum and Sheila were clearly plotting something involving Steven Blackstone. "And at her age, we do not have time to waste, of course."

I almost laughed at that, because I was twenty-two! My body clock was hardly ticking and I had plenty of time to settle down, even if most maidens in Meadvale were married by the time they reached twenty-one. I was not most maidens. But that was why Sheila had just blatantly told me that I could be a housemother at the new Deepdene if I married her son, of course. Not subtle. But also, quite interesting. Even as the two ladies started to talk of other things, I found myself considering the position of housemother. It did sound very me. I would be living at the heart of the Meadvale community, doing good work, albeit unpaid and unrecognised, and I would be close to my sisters. Which was what Sheila Blackstone wanted me to think. My dear mother, who was already more Reformist than I was, just wanted me married. And although I was not for one moment considering Steven Blackstone as a potential husband, I did see the attraction of the idea, for my broader objectives. And it also showed that my parents and Sheila were thinking about my happiness, because they understood what was important to me. That made me feel better about their clumsy matchmaking. In fact, it amused me.

"Daphne dear, please leave Camilla alone...you are not helping this afternoon." Mum said a little testily as I leaned over to check on Camilla in the child-carrier. We had joined Helen for coffee at the park café, where the girls were having fun in the safe play area. When we arrived there, we found Helen sitting next to the child-carrier on the terrace, whilst Miss Stewart was busy changing Naomi inside. I could see my sisters dotted around the playground, visible in their bright red cloaks and pretty bonnets.