God's Country

Part Twelve

July 2019

'The Bible is one of the greatest blessings bestowed by God on the children of men. It has God for its author; salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture for its matter. It is all pure.'

John Locke

For Elizabeth Buckingham, entirely unaware of her dear father's struggles with his future career and his conscience, life at Broomwaters settled into a very predictable routine. In the mornings the girls studied, with Beth spending several hours each session listening to her own private Pastor Michael talking directly to her. After lunch, usually enjoyed through her feeding tube, they either walked into town or visited friends locally, mostly the Craig's but several other families, all of whom sometimes visited them, giving the three girls lots of practise in social situations, Beth sharing in the finishing of her companions. Such social visits, either home or away, were rarely as free and easy as their first slumber party, but sometimes they were. If they had been especially good, Miss Scott liked to indulge them, and a little chatter over afternoon tea was something that Beth quickly learned to eagerly strive for. In any case, she survived everything without further mishap. Henrietta was no longer in disgrace, and along with her sister, Georgina, she set their dear friend good examples which she had little choice other than to follow, thus keeping herself out of any further trouble. Her father tried to look pleased whenever she saw him at dinner, but he avoided all private conversations with her, especially when she had been in residence for over three weeks and there was no mention of them going home.

Beth felt as if she had entered some sort of alternative universe. She saw little evidence that the world outside of Meadvale even existed anymore. She lived her life in a much smaller and alien world, with totally different rules, but she did not see how it could last forever. Her father was just trying to bend her to his will, she decided, maybe even to break her, but she remained determined to outlast him by rising above what was happening to her. She had convinced herself that she was allowing herself to be imprisoned at Broomwaters simply in order to set herself free when they had to leave. She longed to talk to him, but he was not ready to talk to her, so she practised patience. It was July and come September she had to go back to school, or to some sort of college. He could not and would not avoid that date. He was usually obsessed with her academic progress, but his work or whatever he was doing seemed to be taking temporary precedence. But she had time on her side. He could not ignore her forever and she intended to have the last laugh, and claim the moral high ground too. He could not keep her prisoner forever.

She got to know the village. She started to realise that its serenity and tolerance was based on money. It was a quaint place and apparently comfortable with Reformism, with heathens happily living and working alongside people with whom they had very little in common on the face of things. But she began to see that the local heathens she met were largely catering to a captive audience. For instance, Mrs Harper's busy haberdashery catered for the lovers of needlepoint and sewing in general, a pastime every Reformist lady she had met, regardless of age or class, seemed to adore. Henrietta and Georgina would often have their frame on their laps whilst they listened to their lessons, and she imagined others would do the same. Beth had gladly followed suit, because if she did not she would be left in her mittens, and Mrs Harper was making her living out of selling the expensive bits and pieces her suitable new hobby required. Independent bakers, butchers and greengrocers seemed to do an excellent trade, and there were three shops selling the unique fashions of the congregation, whose displays Henrietta and Georgina drooled over. Her friends could go on forever about a touch of lace on a gown, or a certain shade. But without really understanding if it meant anything she could see that the community was also very insular. Everyone seemed to rely on each other, and not look to the world outside. Most of the people she socialised with seemed to be rich, maybe not as rich as the Harrington's and the Craig's obviously were, but clearly well off.