Coming down the stairs Elizabeth took notice of the dining table as the finishing touches were being made, the servants setting out dishes with vegetables and meat in heavy bowls and platters with high domed lids. Her husband and his nephew were already at the table, talking quietly and picking at a dish of horderves that included pickled vegetables, salted meats and an assortment of cheeses from the cellar. Jackson arose and came to hold her chair for her as usual and she nodded her head in appreciation with no change in her expression, lifting her rear end up as he pushed the chair up to the table. As soon as he reseated himself Joseph, the butler, motioned the servant to serve the crisp roasted chickens with fresh parsley and mint leaves on the side, each deboned and cut in small slices. Following that were an assortment of side dishes, starting with roasted whole green beans in a dill lime sauce, potatoes and onions boiled and riced together with fresh butter and cream, freshly baked crusty bread perfectly browned and buttered, served with a nice red wine. For dessert there was peach cobbler with a baked custard sauce that was caramelized on top, both just out of the oven and piping hot.
She adored Maggie, the wonderful cook and kitchen manager who had been with them from the start, so much so that she secretly supplemented her income to double it, believing she was worth every penny. It was one of the things her mother had taught her about running a household, saying “If you pay someone what they are worth, they will work twice as hard for you. It pays for itself not just in food, but you will spend less time training new staff and rumors are cut in half. Any husband worth his mettle will see the sense of it and praise you for being clever and wise.” Elizabeth smiled to herself at the memory which had indeed proven to be true, although she hadn’t tested the part about her husband’s supposed gratitude for her fortitude and simply used her own money. Her servants were devoted and went out of their way to make sure she was satisfied.
The furnishings here and throughout the house were hand made and she had chosen the woods used and the style which reflected her tastes, which most people agreed was exquisite. She especially loved the dining set, which was hewn from a giant ebony tree that had been growing on her fathers lands back in England and had fallen after being struck by lightning. As a child she had played beneath its broad branches with her siblings and various cousins, her father having put up several swings around its perimeter. The intricately carved designs depicting roses, her favorite flower, were highlighted with white instead of the typical gold leaf, the chairs were upholstered in a white matching jacquard print and it all sat on a thick rug woven in black wool with a border of white roses. The wallpaper was handmade with faint white rose borders on a background of black satin brocade with roses, but it was done in such a way that one just barely discerned the design, and the floor and ceiling were white washed and bare of design other than the baroque tiling around the chandelier which had been a wedding gift from her parents. Aside from her private suite it was her favorite room.
After being served they ate while holding a sparse conversation mostly dominated by herself since the men tended to answer her in terse sentences with their heads down, eating not for the flavors of the abundance of savory and sweet delights, but rather to be done with it and get on with whatever they were up to. Dear Lord, and they wondered why she despised most men, present company included. However, it was in her best interests to at least present herself as a dutiful wife, albeit far from doting and loving. Rather than continue with the conversation Elizabeth finished as much as she could of the well-prepared food on her plate, even though it tasted like she imagined sawdust would be if it was flavored. The men finished eating in record time, having two servings of almost everything and excused themselves from the dining table, headed to the parlor for drinks. She went into the parlor for a nightcap and the entire time she sat there she could feel the men squirming in their discomfort. Well, there was no point in lingering anyway so Elizabeth got up when she finished her drink and excusing herself, went back up to her rooms for the rest of the evening.
As she started up the stairway she noticed Talbert leaving her husband's office, which was located opposite the parlor with both off the front entry, cementing in her head the suspicions she’d had earlier since he did not, to her knowledge, go there with Jackson. It would be no surprise to her if they were all in on something, which in all honesty she expected to be the case. Without losing a step she went on up and took the left hallway leading to her rooms, and as she opened the oversized double doors that were carved from white oak that had been bleached in the sun and varnished until it shone, she was greeted by the sight of a lighted fire, candles and the scent of freshly picked flowers from the garden. Walking into her sitting room, she then went to her desk and sat down, writing in her diary the events of the day, taking special care to note Jackson’s behavior. He had in the past and recently shown himself to be unworthy of her affections, and on that account she had never conceived a child, much to the disappointment of her family back home. She couldn’t confess to her parents the true reason since she was shirking her womanly duties in their eyes. They wouldn’t understand her repulsion to the man she had married so it was her secret.
Elizabeth went into her bedroom and then to the bathroom connected to it to relieve herself and wash up. As expected her water was hot and the toilet clean so she didn’t have to be concerned with getting the hem of her gown dirty. When she reentered her bedroom her personal servant Eleanor was waiting to help take off her clothes and hang the gown up, folding the rest and placing them in specially designed rose-petal sachet lined drawers. The bedding had been turned down and pillows fluffed so Elizabeth sat on the edge of her bed and waited for Eleanor to turn her fireplace in here down after she stoked it for the night. She then dismissed her servant, but she still stood there like she wanted to say something so Elizabeth encouraged her by asking if there was anything she could help with. Seeming relieved, Eleanor handed her the note left by Maggie, and recognizing the handwriting she gave her maid a small coin for her trouble, one of several she kept in her pocket for such occasions. The maid then bowed and left to finish her other chores before retiring to her own room some time later.
Curious, Elizabeth opened the note, with only three words written on it, “I found her”. It was a good thing she was sitting down, because the turmoil of emotions that ran through her sent her head reeling. After she recovered somewhat she went to the fireplace and carefully held the note to the flames until it was nothing but ashes, feeling a renewed sense of purpose for her life. The first thing she needed to do was get the men out of the house for an indefinite period of time, so preparations could be made and enough time to elapse for her to come to term. Which meant she would have to lay with her husband much as it disgusted her, but it would be well worth it to finally have a child, even if it didn’t come from her womb. Elizabeth could feel her insides roiling at the thought, but she told herself that her body washes so nothing that a good soak in a tub full of hot scented water couldn’t fix. With that in mind, she determined that tomorrow night would be perfect and give her ample time to prepare everything, herself included.
Going back to her sitting room, she began to make a list of what needed doing for her to pull this off. She was too excited to sleep anyway, and feeling this might take a while, she went back and got the water jar and glass from her nightstand and brought it to the desk. Taking out her personal engraved stationery, she penned a letter to her mother telling her that she had finally conceived a child, and asked that she keep it to herself for now. She knew her mother would keep her secret and in the meantime she would also start preparing a layette. She mentioned that her husband was planning a trip and would be there within a fortnight, and would be staying for a time to conduct business. This was total fabrication but she would make certain that it came to pass as she had written, she just needed to find an excuse. After taking a drink of water, Elizabeth decided to go downstairs and get another glass of the wine they’d had at supper, so she put on a bed cloak and grabbed the candlestick from her desk before leaving.
When she came out into the hallway, she saw light coming from her husband’s rooms so she blew out her candle and let her eyes adjust to the dark before proceeding. She didn’t want to run into anyone tonight and carefully backing away Elizabeth went on down to the kitchen in the dark, found the wine and took it, together with a glass to her rooms. Maybe she’d drink more than one glass, who knew? This was cause for celebration! She made a list of items she needed, making sure that the items she wanted weren’t available here in the Colonies, and of such a nature that it would require Jackson to oversee it all. Of course he would take Talbert with him and she could ‘have’ the baby early while they were gone with them being none the wiser. She felt giddy, and not just because she had drunk two more glasses of wine. She sat there for a while longer letting it all sink in, thanking the Lord for finally seeing fit to give her a child, and looking forward to the weeks and months to come.