Chapter 7: Chapter 7 – Let the hunt for a husband begin

That painful event, where one of the sisters got a suitor while the other failed miserably, marked the beginning of the summer. And, with it, the end of the social season. As if it a dream was ending, the Cornells returned home and resumed their routine as if nothing extraordinary happened.

And, in a way, it seemed to have been like that.

Madeleine managed to attract the attention of an officer named Brogan. Who, even three weeks after meeting, continued to send her letters in which he did nothing but talk about his boring misadventures and his lacking family. Perhaps this pantomime could have continued for weeks or months, turning this background extra character into a new antagonist. But no, that was not meant to be.

When the protagonist realized she had made the wrong goal, and that the young military man in question had as many or less assets than she did, she began to find him unappealing. Consequently, all those missives she could have received with the illusion of someone who did not usually have the opportunity to correspond with an illustrious gentleman from the capital, ended up being discarded. And, in the end, the only letter Madeleine sent him was reluctantly written. Out of courtesy and without getting into the rag, even a blind man could see from the way she wrote she no longer wanted to have anything to do with the poor man.

Regarding Beverley, although she was able to retain the male lead for more than half an hour, hers could not be considered a success either. Well, after saying goodbye to Patrick that day, they had no further contact. Hinting perhaps the protagonist had found another girl at the event or that he simply never had a real interest in Beverley, staying with her with the sole intention of keeping a promise.

The more days passed, the more restless Oscar became. Having even come to think that it would have been far better to let Madeleine humble herself in front of the guests, cause a ruckus, if she could attract Patrick's attention. And what about Beverley! Acting so familiar had surely scared the guy!

Oscar's desperation was reaching such a degree he had already begun to think about applying for a job in one of the canteens on the main street, despite being paid a pittance and taking him years to be able to live the way he would like. Mr. Cornell had already started the notorious string of layoffs, firing a maid for the mundane crime of breaking a plate. And, using the excuse of a clumsiness that had actually only been seen during that incident at the maid, he deducted half the money from her last salary before throwing her out.

Just as the masters continued to have to eat, the need to economize as much as possible did not cease either. And Edmund Cornell, who was so sympathetic to the poor man's inconveniences in that meeting with the service, had become ruthless in his own way: his character did not change, but he was more willing to throw out those employees who committed the slightest error.

"You are exaggerating, the boss is as always," Uncle Rob had commented one afternoon, in the middle of a debate in the kitchen about this matter. “Just yesterday I forgot to polish his boots and he didn't even blame me”

"How is he going to blame you if you're the only one who listens to his miseries when he gets drunk?" His wife, Cathy, asked just the question Oscar wanted to have asked if he'd had the courage to do so. “His daughters ignore him and his wife tells him to shut up every time he gets melodramatic, how can he do without you?”

"I'm just saying it's not that bad," he insisted. “They're not going to kick you out either, and you and the lady are always offensive to each other. Much to say that you get along well, that it is a normal relationship between the mistress and the employee, but hell with the tension that is breathed in the environment when the two of you are in a room!”

"We´ve got some differences, nothing more. But we respect each other a lot, not like you, who at the slightest disagreement the man sends you to the stables to clean and you are left wishing you could get to fists with him.”

Oscar and a couple of other maids smiled upon hearing this, earning a reproachful look from Uncle Rob. This individual could be scary when he got angry, but it was all pure appearance. If anyone hated confrontations, it was him. He could swallow his anger, be patient, and occasionally raise his voice. But it was not known of a single time in which he had raised his hand to anyone, no matter how much the other person deserved it.

In truth, Oscar had been wrong about his first impression when he saw him.

On the other hand, it was true that Sarah Cornell and Mrs. Stevens did not get along. They never did. The key to their differences was that each had their own ideas about how to raise children and run a home, so at some point they were destined to collide. Now, they had lived in the same domains for so long that they knew well the values ​​of the people who lived there. Stubborn as they both were, they knew neither would give in easily. And, being clear in what position each one was in to make demands or not, they never got into futile fights.

The most they could do when they got angry was to throw a few sharp sentences, with double meanings, trying not to lose decorum. Engaging in a brief debate in which no one dared to get involved for fear that they would shift the focus of their anger in a more innocent direction.

"Anyway, my point is, they're not going to send anyone out on the street for any trifle."

"Well, Jody was thrown out for a broken plate," said Mallory, one of the maids who used to tend the kitchen.

"Jody´s stupid, the strange thing is she wasn't fired sooner. How long did she last? Three months?”

“Four”

"But it's better to fire the new ones," said Sowards, the cook, "those take longer to be appreciated and it hurts less to fire them, no matter how awesome they are. In addition, the younger they are, the less problems they will find in finding a new occupation.”

"Does that mean they'll go after Oscar and me now?" Mallory asked in what appeared to be a rhetorical question. “Can´t be! So much so that I always wanted not to grow up and now it turns out that being an old woman has more benefits”

As she said this last sentence, a tightly rolled newspaper landed on her head not hard enough to hurt her, but as a good warning system. Uncle Rob must have been sensitive about age.

“Well, if you do your job as you have done, nothing has to happen to you”

"Oscar's certainly not, he's Madeleine's favorite."

“I am not!”

“Then  why these days you usually bitch her but in the end she always forgives you?”

Oscar would have liked to reply that it was not his fault that the girl was stupid and believed all his false promises and lies, but Aunt Cathy was already giving him a bad look. Apparently, bitching one of the boss's precious daughters was not a very nice thing to hear, especially when the person guilty of such a crime was someone from the family. So he chose to deny his involvement in this matter.

Fortunately, the subject died there. And, urging them to go and tend the gentlemen in the garden, both Mallory and Oscar left the mansion. While the first carried a tray with snacks, the other had the necessary tools to continue removing the weeds and watering the flowers; a task he had been doing since early in the morning.

"You don't have to be ashamed," Mallory reassured him as they walked, to his misery, toward the same spot. “If I were you, I'd also take advantage of Madeleine.”

"I'm not taking advantage of her, where do you get that idea from?"

Mallory didn't answer, just smiled and hurried to serve the masters, who were sitting around a small table in the shade of a fruit tree. Oscar, for his part, deviated a bit from the path to tend to some plants located a few meters from them, thinking that from now on he would have to be twice as cautious. That maiden was too perceptive!

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It was incredible how all the main characters she had met were so mundane, with a rather low intelligence, while those secondary characters who barely appeared, or were mentioned for a couple of chapters, had greater reasoning capacity.

Be that as it may, Oscar was concentrating on his own stuff, not even listening to a conversation that was happening close enough to hear it. This was until he saw Eleonore come from a distance running and shouting towards her parents, not caring the neighbors could hear her howls, and without much less realizing that with the wind and that speed there were moments when anybody could even see her petticoat.

Oscar had to turn around so that no one would catch him laughing at the sight. The Cornells, on the other hand, sounded concerned as they asked what was happening to her when she approached.

"I've seen people moving into Lilac Hall!" She exclaimed, resplendent, pronouncing those words with astonishing speed, without giving herself time to catch her breath. I thought they would be people who came to see the mansion, but it turns out not, they were already preparing to stay. I have mentioned this to the Tanners, because I´ve just come from their house, and they told me a certain Mr. Seymour (who earns more than ninety thousand pounds a year) acquired that property more than a week ago but it´s just today is that he´s occupying it. Oh, and he's single! Isn't it great? Finally someone with class is moving to Snodland!”

Something must have clicked in the heads of both Madeleine and Beverley, because they both proposed in unison as soon as they heard the name:

"Let's go welcome him as he deserves!"

Noticing their coordination had been perfect, and suddenly realizing the enemy was at home, the sisters threw one last murderous look at each other before looking away.

Mrs. Cornell's eyes sparkled with anticipation of being able to introduce her daughters to such a good match.

Theresa must have been the only one of the women who continued to drink from her glass of lemonade, without saying or showing any feeling on her face, implying she did not give a damn who had taken possession of Lilac Hall.

The employer must have been used to those sudden signs of random courtesy, every time a neighbor moved to town or an event was organized in which his presence was required more than anything to show off in society. So he didn't try to stop them. But, tired as he had been in recent months from all the conflict in his businesses, he was not trying to fan them either.

Therefore, because he had no head to worry about such matters, he pointed out with an impassive tone:

"You say they were settling in today?" Well, you will go tomorrow. We don't want to scare them, do we?”

Three of the four girls let out a cry of joy, while the exception slipped a bit in his chair as she asked quietly:

"Can I stay home tomorrow?"

But her mother was not taking care of her, as she had noticed that her husband's way of saying things was not entirely correct.

"What do you mean with you will go? Are you not planning to come with us?”

“I'm busy, I have a few documents to review, I need to write to our lawyer about the new shifts at the factory and...”

"And hell you're busy!" His wife interrupted him. “You've been sitting there all afternoon and you haven't been to your office for two days”

With all the parsimony in the world, he got to his feet.

“I'll go now”

And he left, without leaving his glass of juice and the novel about sea monsters he was reading, which was infinitely more interesting than his abandoned account books.

Mrs. Cornell sighed, but her good humor was impossible to dissipate now that she knew she might endorse one of those city lords with one of her girls. If Seymour did not fall, considering sooner or later he would end up receiving visits from the capital by his friends, nothing would happen. Another would fall. It was just a matter of watching and waiting, like a predator waiting for its prey to be defenseless, within reach of its claws.

"Remember, girls," she proceeded to warn them. “When we go to Lilac Hall tomorrow you must behave as I have taught you, do you understand? No talking without being given the floor, or wandering the corridors as if it were the first time you enter someone else's house. Men, especially nobles, like beautiful, obedient, low-brained women on the roof. So keep your head down, smile a lot and answer what they ask you always with humility. You´ll have time to remove the poison after having passed through the altar”

"What time will we be there?" Eleonore asked, who was obviously not paying attention.

“Early. First thing in the morning if possible. Knowing that the Tanners are already aware of the occupation of Lilac Hall is a bummer, I am not willing to give in and that they are the first to introduce their daughters. No, we will be there before they show up. The Seymours will thus see that our commitment to our neighbors and hospitality are greater than those of any starving person who lives in this area”

"We'll have to bring them something as a gift, right?" Beverley commented. “During the dance of the Sum...”

Beverley could not finish the sentence because Madeleine took care to cover her mouth and affirm instead:

"Of course we'll have to bring them something, we can't go empty-handed. We´ll think of something”

Mrs. Cornell watched in confusion as two of her four daughters left for the house, one dragging the other, but refrained from questioning them about it. Her little ladies were always so excited when some handsome gentleman made an appearance in Snodland…! It was normal to be delusional, or even act strangely due to emotion.

Oscar, unlike her, did understand what was happening.

Although Beverley had cried out from the rooftops that she got a suitor in London, she never mentioned his name. According to her, it was because this attentive young man asked her not to, citing an inherent shyness on her part. He did not want to be in the center of public opinion, even though those who knew him knew that it was not a few times that the aforementioned appeared in the newspapers or was seen surrounded by people when it came to large events.