The Sterley’s of Oakland Park, SAREJESS [best e reader for epub .txt] 📗

service this coming fortnight Monday“ replied Mr Parker; I have managed to buy him a commission in the 52 foot. ”Indeed a strange choose replied Sir Thomas raising an eyebrow. It was I am afraid the best that can be got at present, he is no horseman unfortunately I would have liked to get him a commission in the guards but he refused to hear of it preferring to be among the men as he put it“ continued Mr Parker.

Just then Lady Ann returned to her seat she had been dancing with your Lord Kilgrew “Dear husband remind me later to impart to you a certain knowledge that has of resent been rewarded me” she said “Indeed it must be of some importance that you would not speak before our dear and old friend Mr. Parker”. “No sir it is some what of a private nature and is fit only for the ear of a husband ”she replied sharply. Just then Mrs. Parker joined there company having spent the last round on the arm of an officer of the rifles. “Hot work but most invigorating said” she The music begun again and the two couples sat watching the young people of there respective houses dance a new dance which had recently been introduced to the country some thing called a waltz. I perceive that this new fad of a dance does not hold much in it “said Lady Ann with a frown on her broad face for she was watching with some manner of displeasure the figure of her daughter Lydia and young Peter Parker, who to her mind seemed a little to closely embraced in each others arms. ”Ann let them be we were once young don’t you recall? Said Sir Thomas Later that night Sir Thomas before retiring for the night spent a few moment s writing in his great day journal, this had long been his practice for he was a fastidious man who would not allow a day to pass lest he make a few pre-functionary notes on the events of the day. Of late, the mood of his eldest son had been somewhat of a concern to him as Tom was showing more and more signs of becoming more caught up in a world of his own with little sense of the realities of life.

Sir Thomas considered buying him a commission in the Kings own regiment of guards for surely the life of a guards captain would be one which would fully occupy the full four and twenty hours of the day. Thus leaving little time for Tom to occupy himself with less fruitful pursuits. Further, more Thomas with the right training could rise in the world and the thought of this delighted Sir Thomas. As sir, Thomas said his prayers and snuffed out the candle the thought of his son in a uniform of the guards made his lot content and he was at peace with the world.
In the distance an owl hooted but by the time the sound was recognized by the sleepy Sir Thomas he was beginning to slip into the arms of Morphus


Chapter Two


There comes a certain time in a young gentleman’s life when he begins to contemplate marriage. Thomas Sterley had woken early and had spent almost an hour in front of the mirror dressing; while he dressed, he had been contemplating this very subject “For he reasoned that as a member of the aristocracy he should play his part in the furtherance of his family’s good name. Thus, he had concluded that he should find himself a wife. However as he contemplated this he began to find that his options were some what limited, Not been a man with an abundance of bravery for he very much the romantic could write about men dieing on battle fields. However, he felt no compunction to do this himself. He had dismissed out of hand the idea that he might rise through the services in any military fashion. The church he found did not offer to him the sort of life, which he expected as the elder son of a large and noble family. Thus Thomas began to meditate on the matter of finding a woman of noble birth who in due season would bring forth heirs and in the meanwhile be his companion and soul mate. For Thomas reasoned that any lady of a noble house should be of fair dispersion and have a fortune or at the very least be of independent means. Of course, a dowry would be most welcome.

For to his way of thinking Thomas wanted a young woman who would be his fair Juliet to his Romeo and who would not find it unpleasant to accompany him to the continent. Italy would be a good place to start for Thomas had heard of late that Lord Byron had spent some time in Italy and found that Rome had been a city worth visiting.

He furthermore bethought that Rome would be a good and respectable place to begin his own serious writings in romantic poetry. for he had already put down in his note book the beginning s of a poem which showed promise of which he had not yet begun to read to the family lest they mock him for his romantic notions for until now most of his writing had been half in Jest and half serious.

Now as he tied the final knot of his cravat he began to wonder what his Mamma, would have to say if she knew of his idea of finding a wife. Of course, like any good and noble lady she would be overjoyed that he had finally begun to grow up. For as she put it for Lady Ann had for quite some time berated her first born son to do exactly that.

Of his father, he was more then a little concerned that the old gentleman might take offence and buy him a commission in the guards or some other frightful regiment. Thus, Thomas reasoned that before the morning was out to have a few word in the privacy of the drawing room with his Mamma to forestall any plan that his Papa might have in mind for sending him to the war front.

It was a little after 11 o’clock that the chance came for Lady Ann was arranging flowers in a verse when Thomas came upon her “
”Mamma I would like your opinion upon a matter of the heart“ he said ”Oh Tom what is it now another verse that you cannot find an ending to?“ she enquired with a pained look upon her face. for the dear woman was used to the young man asking advice in fact many of his verses had shown a little of her talent not that the good lady would ever have made it known for she kept a diary in which she wrote much and which she never showed to any one least of all her husband. Whom she considered would take affront at some of her more forward thinking writing. For on occasion, the heroines of her short stories would be swept of there feet by young knights while the young ladies in her stories would invariably be that class of woman who had a heaving bosom, which grew, flashed as her cheeks when confronted by the hero of the story.

“No Mamma, I have decided that it is time that I take a wife and I need your help deciding on who the fortunate young woman will be” he said “ ”Oh Tom you must not jest so with me for a moment I thought that you might just be serious“ said Lady Ann.

“Indeed Mamma I am most serious otherwise I would not have sort you out to ask for your assistance” replied the young man now blushing and loosening the necktie from his neck as his anxiety grew.

“Tom this is wonderful news” said Lady Ann rising from her place at the table and coming over to take him by the hand “pray tell who the young lady shall be? She inquired of him. ”I have not yet set my mind upon any particular lady as the thought only occurred to me this very morning,“ he said.

“I see,” said Lady Ann as she once more took a seat at the table and took up her pen “I shall have to write to a number of our relatives and hear which of there daughters are of marriageable age” she said. “Mamma please do and may I make so bold as to ask only those of a clear dispersion further more they should have a large dowry” the young man said. “Very well Tom leave me to think” she said it worried her to find that the whole matter on which her first born son had sort her out was not really a matter of the heart but more a matter of economics. For it was true that most people in her class married with a fortune in mind she was more inclined to the romantic nature of the event. She would however apply her mind and considerable though to the matter at hand.

Lady Ann sat for a few moments gathering her thoughts rising from her seat she took the manuscript upon which she had been working and locked it away. Taking up writing paper, she returned to her seat. Taking up her quill...

The content of the missive was one upon which she took a few more moments to contemplate before she began writing

The letter she was about to write was to a distant cousin Lady Sarah Fitz-Gibbon who’s husband a peer of the realm styled Lord Fitz-Gibbon held estates in the north of England.

The ancestral home been near York Lord Fitz-Gibbon was of an ancient and honorable lineage having an ancestor who had served well in the parliament of King Henry in the time of the reformation.

For his pains and troubles, the gentleman had been well rewarded with lands, which had formally belonged to a Benedictine house.

My dear Sarah,
I hope that you are well and in good health she began thereafter, she continued in this vain discussing the health of various members of her family the weather and other local incidents, which she considered her cousin Lady Sarah Fitz-Gibbon, might find of interest

Coming to the point of her missive, she enquired after the well-being of Lady Sarah’s daughter Arabella who she had last seen some three years earlier at her coming out.

“You must bring Arabella to