Chapter 40: Visitors

(September 1814)

Under its spanker gaff, the barge was slightly lying over to lee as it made its way upriver, easing things for the tow horses. They had passed the new lock at Teddington, completed only three years earlier, and were now approaching the even newer Sunbury lock. Thomas stood on the deck and watched the progress of the craft with mild professional interest. Excepting his journey from Bristol to Guildford almost six years before, he’d had no experience with river navigation, let alone tow barges, up to this point.

Thomas had hired a barge, the Minnow, to make the move from London to Guildford. Given the sorry state of the roads and his preference for water travel, he had decided against hiring travel coaches for the purpose. The Minnow was newly built, fairly well appointed and clean, since no smelly goods had been transported in her so far. The barge master, a red haired man of gigantic build, had even offered his cabin for his passengers, allowing Mirabel, Teresa and their new maidservants a modicum of privacy during the journey.

They had left London at an ungodly hour to make the best use of the incoming tide that swept them almost up to the Teddington locks. Their friends, the Bennings, Melroses, and Florence, had seen them off, promising to visit them at home in Guildford. Melinda had stayed behind as well, unwilling to leave London and young Robert Leeds behind, to which Thomas had grudgingly agreed. Instead, Suzette had joined them as Mirabel’s personal maidservant. A stiff looking manservant, Broderick, had been hired by Thomas for his needs, and they were also accompanied by their new cook. Lisette Dutour had been recommended to Thomas by the Marquis de St.Croix’s chef, André Dutour, and she was in fact that worthy man’s eldest daughter. She’d suffered a mishap when an affair with one of the St. Croix’s club members had left her with child, and she was happy to accept the position in the Greys’s household, if only to escape her mother’s bickering. Her little boy was with her, of course, but neither Thomas nor Mirabel minded that.

After riding up in the lock at Sunbury, the Minnow cast her anchor in midstream in the fading light of the early autumn evening. A basket filled with provisions prepared by Lisette appeared on deck, Broderick produced two bottles of wine, and the travel party sat down for a fine repast. Lisette’s pastries were a promise of future fine meals, and Thomas ate with an appetite.

It was soon time to settle into the makeshift beddings, and they slept well whilst the water gurgled softly along the barge’s sides. With the first faint light, the crew of three harnessed the horses, hoisted the gaff sail again and weighed the anchor. Broderick, Lisette and Suzette joined forces to provide them with a fine breakfast, and their leasurely journey upriver continued.

Some three hours later, they passed the Shepperton locks, and by early afternoon they reached Weybridge where they entered the River Wey. Another hour later saw them on the River Wey Navigation, heading south. The traffic along the Navigation was lively, with barges carrying gunpowder and flour downriver to London, and wood was floated along the waterway as well. Progress was a little slower now, with the need to navigate four locks, and by evening they had only reached Wisley where they anchored for the night.

Again starting early, they finished the rest of the journey to Guildford by noon, having travelled in far greater comfort than would have been possible by coach, if a day longer.

Warned ahead of their arrival, Mr. Conway had two coaches and a wagon waiting for them, and it was still afternoon when they arrived at their manor house. Alighting from the coach, he helped Mirabel down and looked around. The first thing he saw were the new windows, gleaming white in their fresh paint. The outer walls must have got a thorough scrubbing too, for the house looked in fine shape. If not for the dated architecture, it looked almost new to Thomas’s eyes and he nodded with approval.

It was only when he approached the stairs that he felt a jolt of sorrow. There would be no Theodore Grey opening the door for them and greeting them with his crushing hug, no smiling Margaret Grey waiting for her turn. He swallowed heavily. Looking sideways, he saw that Mirabel was feeling the same.

“It won’t be the same, ever again,” she echoed his feelings.

Thomas took her hand and pressed it. “We must fill the house with happiness again!”

That seemed to be the right thing to say, for Mirabel returned the pressure of his hand and gave him a brave smile. Now, the door indeed opened, and Cook appeared, flanked by the two housemaids. At the first glance, Thomas saw that Cook was in a frightful shape, resting on two finely made crutches and clearly too weak to stand for long. Jane and Mary, the housemaids, were also getting on in years.

“Welcome home, Sir Thomas, Lady Grey,” Cook greeted them. Her voice, at least, was still strong.

“Thank you,” Thomas answered cordially. “I trust that everything is fine about you and the house?”

“The house is fine, Sir Thomas; me, not so much. Mary has to help me with the cooking. Those legs of mine don’t seem to work anymore.”

“That is sad to hear. But let us move inside, so you may sit down.”

They all entered and Cook sat on a bench in the hallway, giving Thomas an apologetic smile. Her gaze then fell on the three servants accompanying them. “I can see that you brought more help, Sir Thomas?”

“Yes, indeed. First of all, this young lady is Miss Teresa Wharton. She is our ward and daughter of the house.”

Mary and Jane curtseyed to Teresa who gave them a big smile.

“Broderick is my manservant. Suzette is Lady Grey’s personal maidservant, and Lisette will be our new cook. I did not know about your legs, Cook, but I thought that somebody has to be the housekeeper, now that we are returned. I hope that you will feel up to that?”

The old cook gave Thomas a wry smile. “It should keep me off my feet. The girl knows cooking?”

“She does. Her father is the chef at my club in London. You can see that she has a little boy, but that should not be a hindrance.”

“French cooking then, Sir Thomas?”

“Not necessarily. There is nothing wrong with your recipe book, but she is bringing one of her own too. She’ll need your help too, to settle in and to learn her way in this household.”

“Well, Sir Thomas, this old woman will be happy to be off her feet. I’ll give her a good teaching and then turn her loose.”

“That’ll be good. Now, Mary, would you be willing to tend to Miss Teresa?”

Mary just smiled at the girl and curtseyed.

“Jane, that will leave you in charge of the downstairs.”

Jane smiled too. The dining room had always been her pride.

“Yes, Sir Thomas,” she nodded.

“Fine! I suppose we shall go upstairs now to settle in our rooms. Is Lady Grey’s old room ready?”

Mary nodded. “Yes, Sir Thomas, like when she left it.”

“Fine. That will be Miss Teresa’s room, but first Lady Grey will decide which of her things will go into our bedroom and dressing rooms.”

A good hour later, things were more or less settled, and the family assembled in the dining room for their supper. Old Cook had really outdone herself, or perhaps Mary had, for they had a delicious steak and kidney pie, the first for Thomas in years.

Thomas noticed then that some of the wood panelling and even some floor boards had been replaced in the dining hall. Polk, the carpenter, must have been busy around the house. On the downside, the wine cellar left much to desire, not having been restocked for years. Thomas had acquired a taste for southern wines, and a large purchase was set on the list of things to do.

Having travelled for three days, the Greys retired to their bedrooms after supper and went to bed early. Thomas and Mirabel felt decidedly uncomfortable in the large bed that had been their parents’, and they agreed to have the room redecorated entirely at the earliest convenience. With this issue resolved, they finally fell asleep in their own home for the first time in over a year.

They woke up to the bustle of the servants. Jane brought them freshly brewed coffee to their bedroom, along with fresh bread rolls, baked by Lisette under Cook’s guidance. It took Thomas a few minutes of conscious effort to remember Cook’s real name, Ada Barret, and Mirabel giggled, maintaining that nobody in the household, least of all Cook herself, would know whom he was addressing if he called her “Barret”. They resolved to keep calling her “Cook” to avoid confusion.

After their breakfast treat, Thomas dressed in one of his new everyday uniforms, produced by Wilson’s Fashion, and declared himself ready to meet with Mr. Chalk and Mr. Conway. Accordingly, he wrote billets asking both men to visit him at their earliest convenience. He really needed to get on top of everything related to his estate. First things first, however. He ordered the groom, Patterson, to ready the trap and drove it over to the Egertons. He owed Egerton enough to make him the target of his first courtesy call.

Egerton received him with obvious pleasure and ushered him into his large study. He ordered coffee for both of them and then bade his guest sit in a fine, upholstered chair.

“My dear Sir Thomas, what a pleasure to see you returned to your lands hearty and hale! I received your letters of course, so I knew that you were delayed in London. Yet, here you are. You came by boat I presume?”

“Yes. With all the servants and the luggage, we decided to travel in comfort. It was a pleasant trip too.”

“Yes, I can imagine. My dear Sir Thomas, I must really offer my felicitations over your string of successes! I can still remember the first time I met you at my New Year’s Eve ball only six years ago. A junior lieutenant you were, and already showing a lot of promise. Now look at you! A post-captain with a knighthood and another one coming most likely! That action against the Algerian battle ship may just get you a Companionship in the Order of the Bath, at least after you’re a senior captain.”

“That Algerian ship was decrepit and most likely fell apart from its own broadside!” Thomas protested.

“Tut-tut! You could not expect that, and yet you engaged a two-decker with your frigate! My dear young friend, you are a hero with the anti-slavery faction, and the Navy faction is also behind you. Mark my words. You’ll be invited to St. James Palace early next year.”

“I did not expect that.”

“Well, it’s not a bad surprise, is it? So you’ve returned for good? Not vying for a command?”

“No. I’m here to stay. I and my wife deserve some time at home, and I really must look after my holdings.”

“Splendid! I still plan to retire from the Commons year after next. Have you given some thought about standing for election?”

“Not in depth I must confess. I must become familar with current issues first and get an idea of what is happening here at home. I must also consider the impact of any decisions I may make on my wife. There are people who may just make her life miserable if my activities displease them.”

“That is a concern to be sure, yet you may be surprised at the backing you may also find. I would not discount the resilience of your dear wife either. She always struck me as a true daughter of your dear mother who also never backed down from a worthwhile dispute.”

“Yes, she gained confidence in recent years, but it is still something that I must keep in mind.”

“True that. Still, I should love to turn over the Guildford seat to a worthy successor. Anyway, my dear young friend, my dear wife and I should love to have you and Lady Grey over for dinner one of these days. My dear wife does not have many friends in Guildford, and she will be happy to see Lady Grey again.”

“We most certainly would love to accept,” Thomas answered. “We shall also have a soiree soonest to host the neighbours and to become a part of the gentry again.”

“That is a very good idea. Of course, we’ll attend, if only to see the improvements to your house that everybody is talking about. You made quite the catch with that carpenter you hired. Mr. Conway has been singing the man’s praise.”

“Yes, he has become quite an asset. I also found a new cook, the daughter of the chef of the St. Croix. The Marquis recommended her in person, and we are are quite looking forward to the delicacies she will produce.”

“You are to be envied, my dear young friend! I have not had the chance yet to visit the St. Croix, but from what I heard it is a very good place. It is a pity that we returned to the countryside before you arrived in London. It would have been an opportunity to introduce you to a few influential personages of my acquaintance. Are you contemplating the purchase of a London residence?”

“Not at this time. If it becomes necessary, then I can look into the opportunities.”

“Of course. Let’s not put the cart before the horse. There will be time to come to a decision. Whilst we are speaking, I would ask a favour of you, if possible.”

“Anything within my powers,” Thomas answered simply.

“That is good of you. It so happens that my dear wife has a young cousin of sixteen years who attended the Naval Academy in Portsmouth. He finished the Academy as Nº7 in the class of 1814, and he is eager to obtain a berth in a ship.”

“A midshipman ordinary then. Any seagoing experience?”

“No, just the Academy.”

“He’d be rated landsman on his first journey, easily two years away from becoming a real midshipman. My former 1st lieutenant, Commander Darby, might do me the favour. Where does the lad live?”

“With me at the moment. He is the third son, and my wife’s uncle is not a wealthy man. I shall have to sponsor him. As a matter of fact, I paid for his schooling at the Academy, seeing how well you turned out. Then again, you had seagoing experience before that, so we cannot expect young Walter to perform as well.”

Thomas nodded. “I shall write a letter to Commander Darby and ask him. I can also write to Captain Muir. The last I heard he was still commanding a frigate in the North Sea, protecting the shipping against American privateers.”

“Splendid! I would be very grateful for your help, and so would my dear wife. She likes her young cousin and wishes him well.”

“Then I shall double my efforts,” Thomas smiled. “It is the least I can do after all your help.”

After a few more pleasantries and a fine glass of Spanish brandy, Thomas made his escape and returned to his home. Entering the house, he was informed that Mr. Conway had arrived and had been received by “Her Ladyship”. Indeed, he found Mirabel with Mr. Conway in the tea room. Conway rose from his chair and bowed to his employer.

“Sir Thomas, my sincere felicitations for all your success! I am honoured to serve such a distinguished captain.”