The Gilded Cage - Taking my Place

No More Secrets

"Auntie Susannah does have a point, Miss Knight? Doesn't she?" I asked, as she fussed over my hair, getting me ready to walk to church with the rest of the family. She usually left the girls to Mama and Miss Ford, and the other adults to themselves, although she would inspect everyone before we left, but she always liked to see to me herself. "She never wanted to move here and live a more traditional life, did she? Grandmama basically made her?"

"Hmm...yes and no...Susannah has a choice...she is not a prisoner here." Miss Knight said thoughtfully. "She decided to stay with your uncle and accept Catriona's rules...Mrs Forsythe was given a choice, you said so yourself...and Mrs Radcliffe chose her own husband...he was certainly not forced on her. Both ladies have a strong faith, I think...I know Sheila does...and although we might think that they spend too much time under strict discipline, their lives are probably not so different to Susannah's from her selfish point of view...but ultimately, they do all have that same choice? And Susannah needed to be reminded that she is a mother, and born to be a daughter of Eve...she still has a lot of sin inside her, but we will get it out, given some time, I think?"

"Camilla has not been given a choice, Ma'am?" I pointed out as Miss Knight handed me my gloves. "Has she?"

"From what we know of the situation, her mother returned to her family to avoid prosecution and ensure that innocent investors did not suffer at the hands of her husband...Camilla joined her as a condition of Mr Ellesmere's support...it seems harsh, but again, there was an element of choice, I think? For her mother, at the very least?" Miss Knight sighed as she stepped back to admire my appearance. "Our church follows a strict doctrine...obedience to the community and to the doctrine is not negotiable or optional, in any way...one stays...and obeys...or one leaves...the question you are really asking is would any of them be allowed to leave now...if they decided to do so?"

"I don't think they would be...do you, Ma'am?"

"It has happened before...although we avoid contact with the heathen authorities as much as possible, we are not above the law of the land...but I suspect that you are right...certainly in the case of the Ellesmeres."

However, interesting though our conversation was, and definitely food for thought, we had to leave, and I was soon walking through the park towards the church, holding hands with Caris and Henrietta, under discipline myself. I did not resent it, or even worry about it, because I was a happy maiden, and we were all sporting silencers of one sort or the other, except for Catriona and Miss Knight. Auntie Susannah might not have agreed with me, but it was my choice, and hers, as Miss Knight had reminded me. She had chosen to stay with her husband, and her sweet daughter as well, in the community where she was brought up, and having made that crucial choice, she had to do as she was told, just like everyone else. Beside us, walking with his father and also holding hands, young Henry cut a fine figure in his red tartan frock coat and matching cape. I smiled at him and looked forward to the service. I had my faith, I loved the passion I could feel all around me in the service, and I loved being part of such a strong community of like minds. Church was where we all came together as one, whatever our differences were, to worship and give thanks for our good fortune. And I usually found the sermon inspiring and thought-provoking as if all the emotion of our devotions helped me to feel the Pastor's words more intently, before we all left and went back to the world outside God's house to live our best Christian lives. But that morning was different, because the Senior Pastor clearly had a lot of things to get off his chest, as he had heard about the new school project, and he obviously was not very pleased about it.

"We shall wait for Malcolm for a little while," Grandmama said, once the service was over and our considerable party had gathered in front of the church, whilst Mama and Miss Ford got the children into their child-carriers. It was our usual routine to chat with friends, if the weather was nice, but Grandpa and Papa were in a group of gentlemen and I would not have considered any of them to be friends. "Hermione dear, please do not stare?"