Nanny Diaries 3 - Pride and Prejudice

Promenade

"Being allowed to collect you is another test...so, don't let me down, Daphne." Bella hissed as she took my arm and walked me down the drive, sketching a final wave to Mama, who had seen us off the premises. She did not have a pacifier, of course. I did, so could not reply, but I got the point and did my best to comply. My overnight things would be dropped off by car, but Bella was being allowed to take me for a walk before we joined her grandmother for lunch at her house, which as she had said was probably a test of her progress, as well as mine. "I will take that thing out as much as I can...but let's get a bit further from the house first...Helen is probably reporting back on me."

I nodded, discreetly, as we walked along the drive, and then took the path towards the park as expected, because there was really nowhere else to go in the village. It was the long way around to the Deacon house, but the sun was shining and we had permission, so I let Bella lead me along and concentrated on not tripping over our mingled skirts. She waited until we reached the main road, quite close to the park, and then finally reached out to remove my pacifier from my mouth. "Thank you, Miss Deacon."

"Bella, when we are alone...and we so rarely are...how is Miss Davenport, Daphne?"

"Annie is keeping her out of trouble, but she is...devastated?" I replied, searching hard for the right word, but speaking freely. "I hate what they are doing to her, Bella..."

"Most people do...but my cousin is making a point, I think." She sighed, giving my arm the sort of squeeze friends did when they care for each other.

"Your cousin?"

"My grandmother is his aunt...surely you knew that?"

"No? I mean, most people here seem to be related to everyone else, but I never heard about that?" I said, genuinely gob smacked by that news, but then again, Edwina Deacon was by far the most traditional person I had met in Meadvale. Her treatment of Bella alone proved that, as far as I was concerned, and although she was a good friend of both Helen Hughes and my own mother, her views were always extremely conservative.

"Grandma is an Ellesmere, but after she married, Grandpa Deacon proved not to be quite as doctrinaire as they expected, which was why I was allowed more freedom, I suppose. Grandma was not exactly disowned, but the Deacon's and the Ellesmere's don't really socialise, although things have thawed a bit since Grandma helped with the purge."

"Which is what this is all about, according to Papa?"

"Sort of...I think...but Richard Ellesmere was always really embarrassed about his sister...it was like a dark cloud hanging over the family...so, purge or no purge, I think he would have wanted to bring her back into the fold, and remove the black mark against the family name?"

"He is like some sort of Dickensian figure casting a cloud over this whole community...why won't people stand up to him, Bella?" I asked, because that seemed to be the only answer to all the problems we were facing. "He is basically bullying Colin...and people seem to think he was the main instigator of the whole purge thing?"

"You had tea there the other day?"

"Yes...?"

"He is so rich...billionaire rich...lots of people like Mr Hughes essentially work for him and his patronage keeps a lot of people in Meadvale in the luxury to which they have become all too accustomed...including my father." Bella sighed, and it was my turn to squeeze her arm in silent support. "And Grandma loves it...she is getting worse. My fiancé was all her idea..."

"So...you didn't get a say in it?"

"Not noticeably...I mean, I was sort of consulted, I suppose...but I come with shares in the stupid bank, and they don't let those fall far from the tree..."