Nanny Diaries 3 - Pride and Prejudice

Flight of Fancy

"It is easier to put the child-carriers in the hold, Elizabeth...they are a bit large to take them down to the gate," Papa said, explaining his decision to check our pushchairs in with all of our luggage, which was quite considerable. We had filled a coach from Meadvale to Gatwick, with twelve adults and seven nurslings, plus all our cases, and it was taking some time for the airline staff to put it all onto the conveyor belts. Mum was predictably worrying about us getting tired with all the waiting around, and standing up. She not only hating flying and airports in general terms, but she was a worrier, and was taking her responsibilities so seriously. She was holding onto my hand as if she would never let go, and keeping an eye on everyone else, even though Mama was there, as well as Annie and our brand-new nanny, who had met us all at the airport direct from her last position, Miss Ford, Mrs Radcliffe, Susannah Hughes, who was dear Caris' mum, and Mrs Brewster to help her. As well as the men, of course. "They have examined our passports now...you can all go and sit down, if you want to...we'll come and get you when we can go through into departures?"

"Yes...sitting down would be a good idea...Miss Ford, Miss Stewart, can we get everyone to those seats over there?" Mum asked, firmly in charge of the ladies and nurslings. Mama and Sheila Radcliffe both had their pacifiers and were meekly doing as my mother suggested, whist Auntie Susannah, as I had been told to call her, and Mrs Brewster were not under discipline at all. Mrs Brewster was older than mum, obviously, and was probably spared such an indignity as a result, and Auntie Susannah was not really a Daughter of Eve. The ladies were all wearing travelling gowns, which essentially had narrower skirts, rather more Edwardian than Victorian in style, but they were still creating a stir. We were wearing our pink and white sailor dresses with pink capes and bonnets, and white gloves. "Helen, dear...leave the children to the nannies please...you too, Sheila."

"Surely we can all help?" Auntie Susannah suggested, because she was less familiar with our household, since she hardly spent any time in Meadvale. I presumed she knew what had been going on, especially with her sister-in-law, and she had made a reasonable effort with her gown as well, but she was certainly not thinking traditionally. Her husband, Papa's brother, did not look particularly pleased at her comments. And Papa was whispering in his ear.

"Susannah, I think it would be better all-round if you did what Mrs Scott says," Nigel Hughes said, after sharing a look with Papa. His wife gave him a sharp glare, but he walked over, not backing down. "Mrs Scott, do you have a spare silencer, by any chance?"

"Of course, Nigel," Mum replied, producing one from her pocket. He took it, and ignoring Auntie's furious expression, slipped it into her mouth. Caris, who was holding hands with her mother, looked from one parent to the other in surprise, her eyes like saucers.

"Well, this is going well so far...isn't it?" Nicola whispered, a minute or two later, putting her mouth right against my ear after we had been shown to a row of seats. She was really good at not getting caught talking with her pacifier in, but I was too nervous about getting caught by our new nanny. Not that Miss Ford was nasty or anything. I think we had all been nervous about meeting her, but she was all smiles when we were introduced, just off the coach, and she seemed competent and really very nice, thus far. But I really did not want to be the first one to test her patience. "Auntie won't like that...she doesn't want anything to do with Meadvale."

I was not a huge fan of Nigel and Susannah Hughes. Mainly because they were not very good parents. They had been quite happy to dump Caris on Mama and Papa, and had only seen her four or five times in the eleven months since she was passed into our care. Nigel Hughes was very much the black sheep of the family, having left the bank to work for a heathen one, and his wife was not much of a Reformist at all, according to Mama. I was actually surprised they had even agreed to come with us, because the company would not be to their liking as far as I could see, so seeing Auntie Susannah put under discipline was as much of a shock to me as it evidently was to my darling Caris. But beyond glaring at her husband, she had accepted it, and had joined Mama and Mrs Radcliffe on the chairs with us, sitting quietly whilst mum fussed over everyone, getting Miss Ford and Miss Stewart to stand over us like sentries. I was not sure what she was so anxious about, but it was all a bit unnerving. People were staring at us, because of the way we were all dressed, and I felt very uncomfortable. Some of them were even taking photographs on their phones.