Calvina
Psalm 45:10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house;
Lady Ambrose stood on the front steps watching the parson’s youngest daughter, Calvina, as she rode up. A footman helped her down and as soon as she turned away from him, Lady Ambrose went down and embraced her.
“I am so glad you could come,” she said. Knowing full well that she would never have turned down an invitation from the Duchess. It was so odd to think of herself as a Duchess. Duchesses were all old, fat ladies with indigestion.
“I was pleased to be invited, My lady,” Calvina said.
“Well, we still have two hours before luncheon, so we have plenty of time to walk. You have seen the house and the gardens, so let us go for a walk in the woods. I have only been this way a couple of times.”
But Lady Hadassah did not turn them toward the woods but up the stairs. They walked in silence to her room, where Calvina turned to her, “Why are you doing this, My Lady?”
“I like walking.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
“I know.”
“But, so, why?”
“Well, first of all, you need to tell me exactly what you mean. Pretend I am a real person, not a duchess.”
“Why… why are you being so friendly… to me? I mean to us. The other day, when we were here, we were expecting a formal visit… but you dragged me all over your house and showed me everything. You even took me in your husband’s room!”
“Well, first of all, you know that I just got married?”
“Oh, yes, My Lady.”
“Well, and I am younger than you?”
She flushed. “Yes, My Lady.”
“Well, then, don’t you think that maybe it is lonely in this big house?”
“Oh, My Lady!”
“So, firstly, I want to be friends. I want someone I can talk to. Nara,” she called, “do you have that dress?”
Nara came in, grinning, and held up a dress.
“Now, we are going to put that on you, and we are going for a walk.”
Calvina stared at the dress. “But, I can’t. My father…”
“First of all, I doubt he will find out. Secondly, you can just tell him that I told you to. It is an advantage of being a duchess.”
A few minutes later, the two girls were again outside. Calvina looked very different than she had at her last visit or even than a few minutes ago. Nara had taken down her hair, and the dress had hardly any starch in it at all and was cut much freer. The poor girl kept pulling up the neckline, almost unconsciously.
“Now we will go this way. It is a harder walk, but… take your shoes off, dear. It is much easier with bare feet, and we can wade in the water.”
Two hours later, the girls sat on the lawn at a table, Calvina still in the borrowed dress and still shoeless, eating their lunch.
“Oh, I am enjoying each ambrosial mouthful,” she said.
Lady Ambrose stared at her, and she blushed. “I read that in a book,” she confessed.
“Being well-read is a good thing, but I must say that took me by surprise. So, have you enjoyed your morning?”
“Oh, yes. Oh, it was glorious.”
Lady Ambrose giggled, “Do you do any writing?”
Calvina blushed furiously. “Oh, you must never tell my father. I write the most awful nonsense, then I immediately burn it.”
“Is it as bad as all that?”
“Oh, it is worse. Most horrible nonsense. I am sure I need a husband, and children, to get m y mind onto more serious things.”
She saw her give a quick glance at Lady Ambrose’s belly, which was most improper of her. Although most natural as well.
“Well, hopefully, you will be married soon. I wrote away to one of my relatives and told her about you…”
“My Lady?!”
“Well, it is one of my duties as the new Duchess, at least as I see it. If you mind, I can write back…”
“I, no, I mean, you should do your duty as you see fit, My Lady,” Calvina said, her face beet red. “Did you have anyone in mind?”
“Surely I shouldn’t mention anything about the young man until he announces his attentions to your father,” Lady Ambrose said, grinning. “Have you ever considered marrying a missionary?”
“A missionary, My Lady? To the heathen? My father would be ecstatic!”
“And you?”
“Surely there can be no higher calling!”
Well, Lady Ambrose supposed she agreed with that, but that didn’t mean that she would look forward to marrying a missionary! She cringed at the thought of crossing swollen streams and sleeping in grass huts… no doubt with mice and cockroaches sharing her bed—or worse things. And she couldn’t even imagine living among the heathen.
“Well, we will see what they say. I suppose you must come back often, to hear the news.”
“Oh, My Lady!”
Thank you for coming round Arthur’s Substack. I hope and pray it will be a blessing to you.
Arthur publishes with Wise Path Books and includes the children’s/YA books:
The Bobtails meet the Preacher’s Kid: A Christian historical fiction chapter book about four orphans who go to live with their aunt on a dairy farm.
The Bobtails and the Cousins: The sequel to Preacher’s Kid. The aunt has married, and the cousins come to visit. Meaning town kids dealing with chores and manure and…
The Bobtails go to France: The sequel to cousins. The Bobtails, and Preacher’s Kid, get to take a trip to New York, London, Paris, and a small town in France. To get some cheese.
and
No Ordinary School: A brilliant but socially clueless boy gets recruited for a special school. Where he makes a lot of money, gets a girl, and solves a mystery.
As well as GK Chesterton’s wonderful book, “What’s Wrong with the World”, for which ‘Arthur’ wrote most of the annotations. The book is a series of essays on how modern politics has gotten the wrong prescription for the wrong diagnosis.
Quite a few chapters of the Bobtails and No Ordinary School are here on this substack as audio.
I also write as Von, and I encourage you to check out that substack. There is a lot of theology and politics there, as well as quotes, poems, other articles, and links to other Science Fiction. But ‘Von’ also is publishing some serial books and stories. Much more adult and serious books than here, for the most part. Some of them.