God's Country

Part Sixteen

The Gathering Storm

August 2019

'The Bible, for all its riches, is not a document of social history.'

Simon Schama

"As obedient children, not fashioning yourself according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy. And if ye call upon the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 1 Peter 1:14...this is you Elizabeth, God speaks to you as he speaks to us all, but you must listen and reject your former lusts for the good of us all. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5. Be sure that you are saved, Elizabeth. Honour your father, because he honours you in the name of God, in His love. The path is hard, and you must suffer for the love of God, but you are always safe in His love." Pastor Michael droned on and on and on, but it just made no difference at all. Beth could not think straight after endless days in disgrace. She had not been allowed to talk to her father and Miss Scott had severely punished her for talking out of turn and abusing her loyal guardian, when her muzzle was finally removed. Since then, for days on end, since time immemorial, she had been in disgrace.

No one would explain anything to her and she had not even seen her father. She was mostly alone, with just Miss Scott and Pastor Michael, although when she was covered she assumed Henrietta and Georgina were often there. And in the end she could not fight it anymore. She was a prisoner. Her father had gone mad and his weird friends were helping him turn her into something she did not want to be. She seemed to have no choice. So the next time her muzzle was removed she apologised to Miss Scott and promised that she would behave. She had no doubts anymore. No alternatives to obedience. She had previously thought of herself as an accidental tourist, but it was not true. Perhaps it was never true. She was put straight back into her routine, and Georgina told her later on that she was blessed in God's love.

And that night she was beaten again, worse than ever before, despite her apology. Miss Scott told her that it was not enough just to feel sorry for herself. Maidenhood was not about surrendering to the inevitable because she had no choice. It was about obedience. Miss Scott took no pleasure in punishing her latest charge. It was just a part of her job, and sometimes necessary, but the guardian was not cruel or heartless. She recognised that Elizabeth was in a phase she later described as transition, and she believed that the child needed the shock of the undeserved beating to help her adjust to her new life. Elizabeth already knew that she would be punished if she misbehaved, a lesson every child soon learns in any new environment, but it was clear to her guardian that she had not accepted the change in her circumstances. She was merely putting on an act, doing what she had to do to get through each day, and that was not good enough for a maiden of her class.

Daphne Scott began to write detailed notes of Elizabeth's reactions to her re-education, in comparison to the reactions of her close friends Henrietta and Georgina, girls Miss Scott had devoted the first phase of her illustrious career too. In time, those notes would turn into the seminal textbook on guardianship and maidenhood, but in truth Miss Scott was learning just as many lessons as poor Elizabeth Buckingham. She was twenty eight years old and had first arrived in Meadvale with her parents, early disciples of Richard Winstanley. Reformism was all she knew and to be presented with a heathen child so unprepared to earn God's love was something of a surprise. And a challenge.