God's Country

Part Forty-Seven

'The one and true God of the Bible does not share his glory with any man or anyone else. There is only room for one God.'

Monica Johnson

"Is it true you were at Deepdene?" Catherine Henderson asked Elizabeth Buckingham as the two young women took the wide shingle path away from the house. It was the Saturday afternoon and Catherine was expected to be sociable to her parent's guests. Her father's new job had demanded a show of family unity, but she was not particularly comfortable in the role of babysitter. In the end, tiring of sitting around talking about nothing she suggested a walk in the secure grounds of Chequers, and to her great relief, Elizabeth's minder, or whatever she was, had agreed to it, before covering poor Elizabeth in her outdoor things. It was like talking to a mountain of mobile velvet, Catherine thought, hunching into her padded jacket against the icy wind and puffing out her cheeks.

"Yes, I left last June...after finishing my GCSE's, Miss Henderson," Beth responded with one of the answers she had painstakingly rehearsed with Miss Ford, hoping that she sounded suitably modest and polite. She knew Miss Ford would want to know what was discussed and she had been reminded of her grave responsibilities. However, Miss Ford had also said that she trusted her charge to behave, and having Miss Ford's trust was already very important to Beth, although she could not really explain her strong desire to please Chloe. The relationship between maiden and guardian was necessarily close. Whilst Miss Scott had certainly warned her protégé against getting too fond of her charges, maidens could not help themselves. Miss Ford did absolutely everything for Beth, and she was the first face she saw in the morning and the last thing she saw every night. Miss Scott, essentially her first guardian, had always rather overwhelmed her, and their relationship was one of shock and awe to Beth, but Miss Ford was very different somehow, even though her function was precisely the same. She was unfailingly kind and patient, always sensitive to Beth's needs and thinking only of her comfort, happiness and welfare. Beth was still punished of course, but Miss Ford had a knack of making her understand that she deserved it, and even needed it, simply to help her better earn God's love.

"So...you were like normal...then?" Catherine said, not really meaning to be so rude, but struggling to find any other words to describe her strange companion. "I mean I've heard of Deepdene...a couple of my friends at university went there...I just don't get it...I suppose? I mean, Deepdene...to this?"

"God called my father and I during the summer, Miss Henderson," Beth again responded as Miss Ford had suggested, the words coming naturally to her after hours of repeating them to her guardian. It was just the sort of question a heathen would ask, of course. Catherine did not understand about God's love. She had not been saved, and she did not see that Elizabeth was blessed, but it was not up to Beth to tell her. She could not preach to anyone. She was only a Daughter of Eve.

"Yeah right...and you really like dressing like that, I suppose?" Catherine could not keep the sneer out of her voice. She stared into Beth's velvet and gauze face, trying to imagine what it felt like to dress like such a freak all the time. She really could not believe that she had given up a weekend in Leeds for such a complete farce. Karl had been promising her something special, but the election had ruined all of that and then her father insisted on her coming down to Chequers to meet the Buckingham's. She also had an enhanced protection detail again, much harder to slip. Karl had been very sweet about it but she was still sick of her father's career ruining her life. It was like being in prison all the time. She could not do anything without someone, ultimately her parents, knowing all about it.

"God's love must be earned, Miss Henderson," Beth retorted, a little more sharply than she had intended to do. She had been taught that heathen's would not understand the need to earn God's love. No more than she understood it herself, when she first came to Meadvale. They did not have God in their hearts and were much the poorer for it, so she had been urged not to rise to the obvious temptation to argue. But yet again the tendency to sin was always high in a Daughter of Eve, however obedient, and she said a silent prayer, begging for forgiveness as she fell into step again beside Catherine. She glanced at her rather sullen companion and shuddered at her companion's brazen appearance. She had a very masculine padded coat on top of her simple skirt and top, and she wore no hat or bonnet, and her gloves were woollen and clearly unsuitable. Beth tried to feel sorry for her, but despite the prayers in her mind she felt something else stir inside of her. Not quite jealously of course. She was not the jealous type. But she could not help recognising that Miss Henderson was rather smartly dressed for a social winter walk by most standards outside of Meadvale, and that most people would not consider her immodest in any way. It was her old world calling Elizabeth back to evil sin and constant shame.