The tour revealed to Louisa that Oakdale was indeed a magnificent house. It was not much larger than Midgrove contrary to what she had expected, but it was certainly much grander in the way it was decorated. The furniture was more luxurious and the paintings more exquisite.
Mr. Bentley was as fine a guide as Louisa had ever met to show around in a house. His comments on whatever they passed were short and precise instead of those long speeches many guides would give. They were informative and yet allowed a person to ask further if so desired. Neither did Mr. Bentley recite as if from a manuscript but he often noted on certain items or rooms with amusing anecdotes collected throughout the more than forty years he had worked in the house.
Louisa could not help smiling when she noticed the pride he felt, when he introduced the library She felt miserable as well seeing the disappointment cloud his face when she admitted that she was not a great reader and never had been.
She could, however, still appreciate the grandeur of the library. It was indeed huge and large bookcases covered the walls from ceiling to floor, broken in even intervals by grand leaded windows with heavy curtains.
The room that took her breath away was the music room. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of beautiful instruments, from small flutes to a grand piano proudly placed in the middle of the floor. In the back of the room, on a raised platform, were a seating arrangement for an audience when music was played.
Louisa wandered around the instruments, careful not to touch any. She gazed around her and noticed to her great dismay that there was no harp among all these artefacts. While she did play the piano and some one the flute, her passion was without a doubt the harp. She sighed and felt a tug of longing back home. How she looked forward to see her old instrument stand in this room.
They wandered through the house for the rest of the morning. This did indeed include a visit to the kitchens where the tall Negress curtseyed deeply in greeting of the new lady in the house. Louisa had to work hard not to giggle.
The countess did not say much during the tour and only supplied Mr. Bentley with a few, chosen anecdotes of her own. Louisa was pleased that she was kind enough to mention very few concerning her eldest son.
After a light luncheon from which Lord Hiddleston fortunately refrained, they were now to be shown around in the gardens. Louisa drew in a deep breath as they came outside. She did not mind sitting inside for a few hours, but she felt best at ease when out in the open.
The surrounding gardens were magnificent. May was one of the most beautiful months of the year and the flowers showed themselves in their greatest finery. Louisa breathed in the many scents and let her eyes feast on all the colours surrounding her.
Especially one small garden caught her eye. It was not because of its beautiful flowers or because of rich scents permeating from it. It was the seclusion and the privacy granted by a small waist high stonewall with pillars reaching up to a frame with no roof.
To her great surprise, Louisa learned that this particular garden was tended by the countess herself. The elder woman walked proudly around the herbs, pointing out their names and their uses. Louisa smiled to herself. For some reason this little, chubby woman did not fit in the scenery, yet she obviously was in command of everything in it.
After admiring the gardens, Mr. Bentley led them further around to the back of the house by one of the broader paths towards from the great forest from where Oakdale had acquired its name.
As the path went around the eastern side of the house, Louisa began to anticipate the structures behind the house. So far she had not seen any sign of green, fenced meadows and it had to be here.
As soon as they rounded the corner, Louisa paused in her tracks and stood dumbstruck. There, interspersed with the famous oaken forest, were several folds, some with green, lush grass, some with plain dirt. And almost every single fold contained beautiful, strong horses.
Louisa could hear the countess chuckle beside her. "Oh, Mr. Bentley, I think it a good thing that we ended with this."
Then Louisa felt a hand on her arm. "Come along, my dear. Let us go and see the stables."
She was so absorbed by the wonderful scene that she did not move at once. Only when she felt a firm pat on her arm, did she turn to look at the countess who gestured to follow along.
The stables consisted of a large L-shaped building in its own courtyard lying behind two small meadows. The building resembled the main house in materials and design. Only were there two stories and they were considerably lower than the stories in the main house.
The long part of the building appeared to be the stables as Louisa saw two horses being led out of a gate to her right. The smaller part of the building sported only average sized doors, appearing to be the living quarters of the staff.
People were milling about, checking harnesses, grooming a couple of horses that were not yet out working and simply doing all the many great and smaller tasks required at a stable.
Louisa drew her breath down deep and revelled in the peculiar scents surrounding any stable grounds. The scent of hay mixed with horses, dung and grain was a balm to her tattered nerves which had not yet completely recovered from the spectacle at breakfast. Only during her meeting with the marvellous Mrs. Johnson had she felt so utterly separated from her worries as she did now.
She turned to the butler. "How many horses do you have?"
The small man's chest visibly expanded with pride as he gestured towards the stables, his usual impassive behaviour momentarily forgotten. "Forty one draught horses to use on our farms, thirteen carriage horses and a dozen riding horses for the family!" he exclaimed proudly. "To see to the horses and to you and your family, milady, we have three coachmen, two harness cleaners and a dozen stable boys."
Louisa had to admit to herself that she was impressed. At Midgrove they only two coachmen and ten stable boys. They also had less draught horses and riding horses.
Suddenly a voice rang through the courtyard. "Mr. Bentley!"
Louisa turned her head to find a coachman striding towards them. He was a stout man of normal height, seemingly about the same age as the earl. The man had a stern, clean shaved, rather weather beaten face. He was dressed in the smartest of uniforms and wordlessly claiming the stables as his own domain in the same way, Mrs. Johnson claimed her kitchens. This was without a doubt the head coachman.
When the coachman reached the small party, he gave a deep bow to the countess. "It is good to see you my lady."
The countess nodded courteously to the coachman. "Mr. Richards." She then turned slightly towards Louisa. "Mr. Richards, I should like to introduce you to the new wife of my son, Lady Louisa Hiddleston. Louisa, this is our head coachman, Mr. Richards."
Mr. Richards bowed almost as deeply before Louisa. "It is an honour to meet you, Lady Hiddleston." Short and to the point, this man was obviously not one to spend his word with frivolity.
Louisa nodded in the same courteous manner the duchess had done. "Thank you, Mr. Richards. I hope to be a regular visitor to your stables."
This did not appear to be the way to charm the old man. He did indeed seem almost offended. "I must admit, Lady Hiddleston, that words of your fondness of riding has already reached us."
Louisa arched a questioning eyebrow, a feat that many boys in her childhood had envied her. "Indeed?" Despite the demeanour of this man, could she truly hope that they would already have a horse ready for her?
The elder man nodded curtly. "Indeed, Lady Hiddleston. We have four beautiful ladies' horses inside, arrived just a few days ago. I can have a stable boy get one ready whenever you should feel inclined to ride."
Louisa felt her feeble excitement dwindle again at the prospect of riding a perfectly well mannered, docile ladies' horse. Indeed, could she truly have expected anything else? Her fondness of riding might have travelled ahead of her, but it would seem that her preferences in horses had not.
She attempted to keep her smile as courteous as before. "I should very much like to." It was not an utter lie as she was ready to mount a draught horse in order to get some exercise. "I do not know of my schedule yet, Mr. Richards, but I will let you know as soon as I possibly can."
The countess took a step forward. "Mr. Richards, I believe that Lady Hiddleston is available tomorrow after breakfast if you would be so kind as to oversee her choice." The voice of the countess did not leave room for any argument from the coachman. She then turned to Louisa and smiled. "You do not have any obligations tomorrow morning, my dear."
Despite not feeling a great desire to be merely transported by a too disciplined horse and especially not under the scrutiny of this morose little man, the thought of getting to exert herself after these last dreary, still days was enough to please Louisa profoundly. She felt like she could kiss the countess, but refrained politely from such affectionate displays.
Instead she gave a low curtsey and then turned to Mr. Richards once again. "I should like to arrive here at the stables at nine tomorrow morning."
Mr. Richards nodded again. "Then, I shall personally be here to greet you, Lady Hiddleston. It shall be an honour." The last compliment was forced and felt utterly wrong. After a short pause he spoke again. "Are the ladies engaged or would you like to be introduced to the horses at this moment? They are in their stables right now."
Louisa glanced expectantly at the countess. Despite Mr. Richards, she would absolutely love to be able to see the horses already. She had not properly patted a horse in days and she longed to feel the smooth yet course coat under her fingers and breathe in its calming scent.
However, as the daughter in law of the countess it would be imprudent to just accept an invitation without the former woman's accept.
The countess however, saw no objections to this excursion – in fact she had apparently rather planned on it – and they stepped in to the stable.
Louisa could hardly strain her lips any more as she gazed down the hall between the boxes. Most of them were empty at the moment as the occupants were either out for work or put out to pasture for the day. Yet, there were still seven great beasts roaming in their stables.
Mr. Richards hailed a stable boy and asked him to take out the horse he pointed at in order for the ladies to get a good glimpse of her.
The boy led out a very pretty brown mare with a narrow, broken blaze and a white sock on the left foreleg. Louisa could immediately see that the horse came from good breeding. But then, of course it would when coming to a house like Oakdale.
Leaving the countess, Louisa went to the horse before her. The mare was not very tall, but she was lean in build and with a fluent movement that made Louisa wonder if this might in fact be an energetic horse to ride anyway.
She let out a hand and let the mare sniff it before she reached further up to caress its muzzle. Oh, just this touch was pure bliss. Louisa smiled warmly and caressed the horse down the big head. "Hello pretty girl," she smiled. "And who might you be?"
"Her name is Heiress, milady."
Louisa looked to the stable boy who suddenly realized that he had spoken without being asked directly. Louisa could see his face become flaming red and he cast his gaze far away from her.
"Thank you, lad," she said with a calm air as she focused on the horse again. "Heiress? I bet you are. An Heiress in a fine line of breeding."
Heiress blew softly through its nostrils and Louisa could have stayed all day just revelling in the feeling of the horse.
All too soon, though, Mr. Richards demanded Heiress back into her accommodations and for the next horse to be introduced.
Rapunzel, her name introduced more proudly by the stable boy, was a lighter brown mare with only a star in her forehead. She was so truly a gentle and meek horse that Louisa hardly wasted any breath on her. She did not dislike the horse, far from it, but she knew that she would never enjoy riding her.
The same went for the two other horses, a dapple grey gelding named Winchester and a chestnut mare named Victoria. They were the very epitome of well mannered horses and Louisa knew instinctively that they would bore her out of her mind.
After being introduced to all four fine horses, Louisa turned to the head coachman. "Thank you, Mr. Richards for showing me. I should like to go out on Heiress tomorrow morning if you would be so kind as to have her ready."
The stout man nodded in affirmative. "She shall be ready. I shall accompany you around the grounds."
Louisa glanced back at the horses as they left the stables. Oh, how she would like to just stay here for the rest of the day, having nothing to do with that wretched man who named her a child and compared her to sheep!
Alas, she would have to return to the house. At least she would be able to spend a couple of hours writing and dispatching letters to her family as well as Ashley. She would also finally get to read the letter from the butler at Midgrove.
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Sitting in her bed chamber and after writing the necessary letters to her parents and Arthur as well as a lengthy letter for Trystan, Louisa was finally able to write a letter to her beloved friend.
She dipped her pen in the ink bottle and began.
My dearest Ashley
I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to write to you. Up until now I have barely had a moment to myself and as I know that writing to you might stir some rather violent emotions within me I could not write in the presence of others.
Louisa wrote a long letter of five pages, leaving out no resenting feelings towards Lord Hiddleston or careful wishes for a kind mother in the countess. It felt invigorating to have poured out all her thoughts on paper to her friend and already she was in much better spirits.
She sealed the envelope tightly and laid it among the others. Then she rose and pulled the rope for the service bell.
After a few minutes a maid showed up and Louisa let her receive the letters for immediate dispatch.
With all minor duties taken care of, there was only the letter from the butler.
Suddenly Louisa felt a great apprehension when thinking of the letter. She walked around in her chamber and rubbed her hips in slight alarm. What if the letter was actually nothing? What if, when she opened it, she would only find wishes for a happy marriage and all her concern had been for nothing?
Anticipation for something and then realizing that it is not such a great thing after all is very disappointing and Louisa now felt that she would be disappointed indeed if it was not what she had looked forward to. Perhaps she should just leave it for later.
After a few more paces, Louisa jumped straight at the box in her closet where it had now been put after her trunks had been unpacked during her tour around Oakdale. She pulled out the letter and pried it open with her fingers.
Then she sat down on her bed and started reading.
To our dearest Lady Louisa
With all of our hearts we wish for you the happiest of lives in your new home.
Leaving what you have always known and called home is never easy and certainly not when the circumstances are not exactly as one could wish.
But, Louisa, things in life are seldom as we would wish for it to be. We have been set in a world full of strife and difficulties and you will meet yours as we will meet our own.
The strength to overcome our obstacles lie in ourselves and they lie in you as well.
You have determination, Lady Louisa. When you were five years old and Trystan climbed the old apple tree you wanted to follow him but could not reach the lowest branches no matter how high you jumped. Then you tried using a stool from the kitchen but you toppled over and hit your head. Many other children would have given up, but you did not. You went up on the stool again and again until you finally grabbed hold of that low branch and could join your brother. After that your father made you a rung ladder for every decent climbing tree on the estate.
That same determination has also given you strength. You are not one to let others tell you how to see yourself. You know your own worth as well as we do. Never let that strength waver. Never let anyone make you believe that you are less than you are.
You have kindness, Lady Louisa. Always bestow it on others even if they give you wrath in return. Kindness can corrode even the greatest resentment if given without restraint. It is hard to give when you seem to receive none, but never let your kindness fail you. It will always make you the better person.
These abilities are what you have to create your own position in your new life. Use them well, that you may acquire the same good name at Oakdale as you have always carried here.
We will indeed miss your joyful spirit at Midgrove, but you must also learn to fly on your own, away from the safety of our nest. We pray that you may be able to soar high above any bitter and menacing obstacle that will come your way and we pray that you will never forget your humble servants here at Midgrove.
All of us have saved a little and we include our wedding gift in this letter. We implore of you to not use it for anything sensible. Please be utterly selfish with this one thing.
With our greatest fondness and wishes for a bright future as Lady Hiddleston.
Yours sincerely,
The letter was signed by Mr. Nixon, Ashley, the matron, the head coachman and a handful of maids and footmen.
Louisa had done right in waiting with this letter until she was alone. Every word had brought fresh tears to her eyes. She had endeavoured not to sob as she was reading, but when she pulled out the other papers from the envelope she could not control herself any more.
She gathered her knees up to her chin and buried her head in them, crying desperately. How could these magnificent people, servants though they were, hold so elevated opinions of her?
She was a mere child as Lord Hiddleston had said. How could she ever in her entire life believe herself capable of being considered as anything but a tiresome nuisance, a bleating sheep?
The banknotes of only a few pounds were crumbled in her grip as she clung onto this precious gift from the people who she respected and loved in a far different way than she could ever love any noble person.
A/N:
Hello, my dearest readers.
Any thoughts on the chapter? We learn that Louisa is fond of riding as well as playing on the harp. But what to do when the horses are too boring?
Finally I got to the letter. I'm afraid I dragged out the suspense for too long so it was terrifying to start writing it. What are your thoughts? To little, too much, 'meh' or just right? Any contributions are more than welcome.
And now for the bad news: I have gotten myself an overworked thumb (it looks silly when writing it...). My physiotherapist has so far allowed me to keep on writing but if I don't get better soon, she'll advice me to stop for a while until my finger is okay.
I'm not going to see her for the next four weeks, so you'll still get updates during that time. I just want you to know that this story may go temporarily on hold in the near future. I hate it!
Anyway, have fun until next Monday!
Yours sincerely,
LillyLouMJ