On Monday, my boss, Don Milne, called me into his office.
Both of us had been waiting for the other shoe to fall regarding our reassignments.
“Maggie, both of us have been granted a reprieve,” he said with a big sigh. “I’ve been notified by Washington that because of what’s going on in Berlin, the Air Force is sending three squadrons of B-29s to England, and I’ve been instructed to hold on to all remaining staff. By the way, we are now officially the Army and Air Force Exchange Service or AAFES.” This was terrific news, and I jumped up and gave Don a big hug.
When I met Rob that evening, he didn’t know what to say about my extension of employment at AAFES. It was obvious if something didn’t happen to change the trajectory of our relationship, Rob would be returning to the States, and I would remain in England.
After thanking Rob for the flowers and note, I told him both of us were invited to Crofton after Beth returned from a visit to Scotland. Beth insisted no sensible person would spend a summer weekend in London if they had a choice. I always enjoyed visiting Derbyshire, but I also needed to return all of the letters Beth had allowed me to read regarding the Lacey/Garrison romance. After rereading all of the letters and Beth’s notes, I had more questions than answers, and only Beth could clear things up. Rob agreed to go because he had never been to Crofton, and he really liked the Crowells.
Beth was right about living in London in August. It was bad enough at the office where AAFES had large fans running on high, but my attic bedroom sitter was stifling. Fortunately, London’s long days of summer and beautiful parks provided the perfect setting for sharing sandwiches at 8:00 at night. I had not been to Rob’s flat since our discussion in Hyde Park. Although I suspected Rob saw the lack of intimacy as punishment, I thought that to continue a physical relationship would give him the false impression that all was well.
Jack met us at the station and took the long way around to Crofton because this was Rob’s first trip to Derbyshire. After showing Rob some of the countryside, he drove up to Montclair and pointed out all of the changes the Catons had made on the outside, including a working fountain.
“There’s still a shortage of building materials. But I made some phone calls, and I was able to get new pipe for the fountain from a company that sells American surplus. You Yanks left behind enough supplies to build a good-sized town.” Pointing his cigarette at the fountain, he said, “As kids, we were allowed to climb in there on hot days and splash around to our hearts’ content.”
When we arrived at Crofton Wood, Beth had prepared a casual tea that she was serving on the patio. She had just returned from the village, which was humming once again with visitors on their way to the Peak District.
After lunch, I returned the parcel containing all of the letters to Beth, and she asked me if I had any questions. I hesitated for too long, and she noticed I was uncomfortable. She put her arm around me and walked me into the house. “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
After telling her of my reservations, she said, “You think that the diary may be a forgery. Is that your concern? Well, let me put your mind at ease. It is not a forgery. To the best of my knowledge, the diary has never been outside of Montclair since Elizabeth’s death.”
“How is it possible that there are so many similarities?”
With a look of total confidence, Beth said, “Maggie, we have discussed every character in that book except one. Can you think who it is?”
I ran through all the cast of characters in my mind before realizing who I had missed: Georgiana Lacey. Beth nodded. “Yes, she’s the last piece of the puzzle.” I asked Beth if I was finally going to hear about the mysterious Mr. Oldham. “Yes,” Beth said. “After this, you will know it all.
“Georgiana Lacey was a talented pianist, and her brother arranged for her to study with a master in London. Because it was necessary for his sister to remain in town, Will Lacey hired a companion for her, a Mrs. Brotherton, but if Georgiana wanted to do anything out of the ordinary, it required his permission. When Georgiana was just about seventeen, she wrote to her brother asking if Mrs. Brotherton and she could go to Weymouth, a popular bathing resort, and indicated in her letter that George Waggoner had offered to accompany them for their protection.
“Now, in Georgiana’s defense, she knew nothing bad about Waggoner. What she did know was that he was the son of Montclair’s steward and had been mentioned in her father’s will. As soon as Will received the letter, he set off for London. After questioning his sister, he learnt that Waggoner had visited the townhouse on more than one occasion, so Will immediately discharged Mrs. Brotherton. We know all of this because Mrs. Brotherton wrote to Will asking to be reinstated. She explained that Georgiana had assured her that Waggoner was a friend of the family. When Waggoner offered to escort them to Weymouth, Mrs. Brotherton insisted that Georgiana write to her brother for permission. They were awaiting his answer when Will arrived at the townhouse in person. Mrs. Brotherton said she had done everything that had been asked of her, and to be discharged in such a manner, was unfair.
“To his credit, Will relented and reinstated her. However, his subsequent action was completely over the top. He wrote to George Bingham, asking if he could hire one of his men. George was a wise man. He knew a young girl wouldn’t want to be seen around town with some bewhiskered strongman. Instead, he sent Mr. Oldham, a handsome man in his mid-twenties, who was perfectly capable of protecting Georgiana. As long as Mr. Oldham was with her, Georgiana could travel to Kent or Derbyshire or Bath.
“When Will and Elizabeth married, Georgiana lived with them at Montclair and in London. Georgiana was delighted by her brother’s choice of wife and shared the story of Lizzy and Will’s romance with a group of women who attended a Bible study at the parsonage led by Charlotte Chatterton. Anne Desmet added what she knew, and I’m sure Mary Garrison told everyone about Lucy’s elopement with Waggoner. She probably saw it as a morality tale. But there were two other women in this group, a Miss Knatchbull and a Miss Leigh, both cousins of Jane Austen.”
Beth handed me a letter from Will to Anne in which he acknowledged that parts of Pride and Prejudice were a retelling of his courtship of Elizabeth Garrison. Will, Elizabeth, and Charlotte all seemed to be pleased with Jane Austen’s description of them and the events recorded in the novel.
13 September 1813
Dear Anne,
I was glad to hear that Col. Devereaux was able to be with you for Christmas. When next you see him, ask him why he was not defending us against Monsieur Bonaparte instead of dancing in Bath.
Yes, I have read Miss Austen’s novel. As you can imagine, Elizabeth is the most pleased with it, as she appears in the best light. My wife has assured me I am not nearly as boorish as portrayed and that I have improved greatly under her instruction. Jane also admires it, as she is quite happy with how Elizabeth and her husband are described.
Jane’s daughter, Miranda, says the novel is talked of everywhere in London and it has prompted a guessing game as to the identities of its characters. Of course, no one thinks to look back twenty years. Once we recognized ourselves in the story, it prompted our own investigation as to how Miss Austen came to know of our affairs. We finally traced the source to my sister. Georgiana admits she is one of the sources and has no regrets for sharing the story with a group of women whom she knew in Kent. She feels she has additional protection because, apparently, you were not only there when these stories were being told but provided some of the information.