Trolling
Proverbs 27:14
He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
Lady Hadassah felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to see Nara. She wondered why on Earth she was waking her… her husband was still in bed on the other side… when she remembered and climbed quickly, if quietly, out of bed and followed Nara into her room. Bethany was coming!
They had barely managed to get the dress over her head when she heard carriage wheels and looked out of her window. Bethany was seated on a Phaeton by herself, with two footmen riding by the side. Hadassah threw open the window and waved, then on receiving an answering wave, ran down the stairs, threw open the door, and ran to the carriage just in time to catch Bethany in an embrace as she descended. “I’m so glad you could visit!”
Bethany hugged her back, “I’m so, so glad I could come. I was never so shocked as when Papa called me into his office yesterday afternoon and said that my maid was packing up my things and why.”
“Where is your maid?”
“Oh, she’s following along with the wagon. I think they overdid it with the luggage. I told them that you said you were living rather simply, but they couldn’t imagine my visiting a Duke without every dress I have ever owned.”
Hadassah giggled. “Well, I hope you brought walking dresses.”
Bethany gave her a sideways glance, “Does your husband allow you to walk?”
“Oh, he postitively encourages it. He says that he prefers, these are his exact words, a ‘fit young thing’ to ‘sinking flesh’.”
“What an expression!”
Hadassah leaned closer, “Yes, but you can’t argue that it doesn’t fit some women we know.”
Bethany leaned back toward her, “Even some girls.”
“Well, here is my room,” Lady Ambrose said, opening her arms wide.
“Oh, it is lovely. And these paintings!”
“Oh, yes, we got them in Rome. They are nothing famous. These were all done, every one of them, by a street artist that we saw one evening. I saw his pictures and fell in love with them. Oh, such gorgeous Roman streets and my husband bought him out. There is some room in the garret filled with them, and the servants have orders to change them out monthly so I cannot get bored.”
“May I be introduced?” they heard, and Bethany squeaked. Hadassah merely grinned, turned, curtseyed, and waved her hand at her niece.
“My gracious Lord, may I present my oldest niece, Miss Bentworth.”
Her husband bowed, took Bethany’s hand, which she had been too paralysed to hold out to him, kissed it, and said, “My oldest niece now. At least my oldest unmarried niece. I have several that are married, but after that, there is a bit of a gap. I hear you are coming out soon?”
“Yes… My Lord,” Bethany squeaked out, finally going down for her curtsey.
“Well, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, perhaps we could hold your coming out party here when it is time? I don’t entertain much, and your house would have to supply servants, but I would be very pleased to host you.”
“Oh, oh, My Lord!” Bethany squeaked, her eyes wide. “I never dreamed, I never imagined, I hope you don’t think that I was trolling…”
“But my dear, you have said nothing yet except ‘Yes’. I fail to see how the most uncharitable observer could see that as trolling. No, dear, my house is yours.”
He turned to Lady Ambrose. “Our intimate breakfast will be ready in a few minutes. If you will send your niece down to the small dining room with Nara she can get her settled. We will luncheon and dine together, but I am afraid I am too jealous to let go of our breakfasts.”
“Yes, My Lord,” Hadassah said, and the two girls went back down in curtseys as he left.
“Does he always do that?” Bethany whispered in her ear. “Come in without knocking?”
“Always,” Hadassah said. “And he has very good hearing, so don’t bother whispering.”
Bethany reddened but Nara came in just then, and Bethany followed out the door, and Lady Ambrose went in to her husband.
“Well, did I embarrass her, dear?”
“Oh, dreadfully. But perhaps that is part of what her mother wishes her to learn.”
“Well, I hope she enjoys her visit.”
“I’m sure she will. But it should be very educational… oh, fish!”
“Yes, your young poachers have come through for us. They look delightful, and my cook is rather good at preparing breakfast fish. But it gets worse as it gets colder, so let us eat.”
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 include 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.