Taming Jane

Chapter 4

The door opened once more and a concerned looking Emilia entered. She set her sights immediately on Jane and Henry and crossed the room, taking her son from Jane. “What on earth is going on in here?” she demanded as she cradled her baby in her arms. “I heard raised voices.”

Daniel bowed his head to Emilia respectfully. “I apologise if you were startled, Lady Ethridge. Miss Alcott and I were having a disagreement, and if you’ll excuse me I’ll take my leave.” He eyed Jane almost hatefully as he turned towards the door, before he left he looked at Emilia and spoke. “I suggest you teach your ward how and when to hold her tongue, Lady Ethridge.” And with that he disappeared.

Emilia turned on Jane with an amazed expression. “Care to enlighten me?”

“I may have accused him of being an adulterous letch,” Jane admitted sheepishly. She knew she pushed him too far. She did not know of his situation, she was acting on assumptions rather than facts.  

Emilia groaned. “Janey, we all know what goes on behind closed doors but we do not confront people about it. What was he even doing here?”

“He came to apologise about being short with me yesterday. I saw a letter addressed to ‘Lady Sabine Winchester’ and I sort of flipped out. And now he probably thinks I am an inappropriate, crass girl from the country.” Jane sunk down on the white settee and placed her head in her hands.

“Who is Sabine Winchester?” Emilia asked as she sat down next to Jane on the settee. “I haven’t heard of her before.”

Jane sat up straight and looked at Emilia’s confused expression. “You haven’t?” she furrowed her eyebrows. “Isn’t she his wife?”

Emilia shook her head. “No, I don’t believe he’s married, I only thought he was ... many years ago. Ellen ... Ella, I don’t recall her name correctly, but she was certainly not ‘Sabine’.”

Jane let out a frustrated sigh. “I have just made myself utterly ridiculous. Well then who is Sabine?”

“I don’t know, maybe his mother or sister? Perhaps even a cousin,” she suggested. “One thing is for sure, as much as I don’t like the man, you do owe him an apology.”

Jane nodded, defeated. “I know, and what a horrid thing to do, admit defeat. If he is not married then he is not an adulterer. What a horrid thing for me to accuse him of. Lord, how terrible a person am I?” Jane turned to Emilia who was absently stroking Henry’s dark hair.

“You could never be a terrible person, Janey. A stubborn one, yes, and one who jumps to conclusions, but never terrible.” Emilia took hold of Jane’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Jane smiled at her sister – in – law. “You are too good a person to be my friend, Em.”

Emilia rolled her eyes. “What utter nonsense. Not one person on this earth is perfect, Janey. Now come along, we shall have some tea and forget this happened for a few hours. Then tomorrow you can find Lord Southerby once he’d cooled down and you can offer him your most sincere apologies. From then on you can avoid each other for the rest of the summer and you won’t ever have to talk to one another again.”

“Yes, mama,” Jane said sarcastically with a smirk as they both exited the drawing room. Jane dreaded eating her words the next day but she knew she had to. She was dreadfully wrong; at least she was if what Emilia said was right. If Ellen or Ella had been his wife one, perhaps she had died. That thought made her feel physically ill. She’d accused him of being an adulterer when he was a widower!

She knew one thing for sure; she needed to get her facts straight before she opened her mouth ever again.  

A few hours later Jane decided to clear her head by taking a turn in the gardens. They were kept perfectly, as was the rest of the house. There were not flowers about as it was summer but the plants were still beautifully green and sculpted.

At the very bottom of the garden was a small natural pond. “This must be what the twins were talking about,” Jane realised. Several conversations at dinner that James and Kitty started were about a frog at a pond named ‘Nelson’.

Jane walked up to the edge of the pond and looked at the contents. The water was very murky but the lily pads and moss were above the water and giving off a fresh smell. She heard a small noise and turned to see a little brown frog sitting there.

“I assume you’re Nelson,” Jane said and then thought about what she’d said. “But then again my assumptions have been proven to be wrong many times.” She knelt down on the damp ground beside the pond regardless of the fact that she was dirtying her gown. She never cared for cleanliness in York so she wouldn’t bother in London.

She’d always been too outspoken, perhaps that was why no man really wanted to marry her in York. Maybe it wasn’t just her looks that they found disappointing.

“What’s wrong with me, Nelson, why can I not just keep my mouth shut?” she sighed and laid back on the ground. She was sure dirt was imbedding itself in her hair but she didn’t mind. “I do need to apologise to Daniel, it was wrong of me to say such things. Maybe I could write him a letter ... no, that would be cowardice.” Jane rolled over and looked at the idle frog. “You’re no help.”

What she didn’t like about the fact that she had to apologise to Daniel was that knowing that he was not an adulterous letch made him all the more attractive to her. His dark eyes were mysterious yet mesmerising. He made her nervous. The thought of him made her nervous, and she hated herself for being so open to humiliation like that. Because of her harsh words she was now ridiculous to him.

She’d come to London wanting to be invisible and she’d made herself ridiculous. Perhaps her mother was right; she did need to grow up. She was three and twenty and completely untamed.

She would start growing up by apologising to Daniel, and then she would heed Emilia’s words and never speak to him again. Even if he was unmarried, he still enjoyed fornicating and she was still set against men like that.

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Next chapter will involve Jane's apology to Daniel, and we might just find out who Sabine is ;)

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