A Delicate Situation
A missing moment from A Time and A Season, inspired by picture 25 from CWE#3 at Jix.
“Please attend me, Madeleine!” her great-aunt Vera snapped.
Honey suppressed a sigh. “I am paying attention. I just don’t quite understand…”
“When a young lady is in such a delicate situation as yours,” the old lady interrupted, “she would be wise to pay very close attention to every aspect of her conduct. Every aspect.”
“Yes, Aunt Vera.”
Miss Carlton almost growled. “You say that, and yet your behaviour shows a different attitude entirely.”
Honey stayed silent, her mind flitting to the incident which had triggered this uncomfortable interview. She and her boyfriend Brian were visiting Sleepyside for a few days over Spring Break. To give his mother a break, the two of them had taken Brian’s baby sister Nicola for a walk. Honey had the fourteen-month-old on her hip, while she held Brian’s hand, at the moment that they had happened upon Aunt Vera – whom Honey had not known was visiting.
“Your reputation could have been ruined! Utterly ruined!”
A tiny frown formed on Honey’s brow. “But Nicola is Brian’s sister. Everyone around here knows that. Everyone would know, if they met us with her, that we were being helpful. No one would imagine that she’s mine.”
“You cannot be too careful of your reputation,” the old lady insisted. “It is all that you have, and once ruined, can never be redeemed. I do not believe that this young man of yours is at all suitable. I must insist that you break off the relationship immediately.”
Honey stood, pulling herself up to her full height. “If you will excuse me, Aunt Vera, I think I need to go and talk to my father, now.”
Aunt Vera bristled. “You will do nothing of the kind! He is being highly irresponsible with your future.”
“Then, I’ll speak to my mother,” Honey answered, crossing the room. “Excuse me, please.”
The dreadful old lady made an angry noise. While still looking for her mother, Honey heard rapping on her father’s study door and deduced that the next confrontation would occur there. She opened the library door and slipped inside.
“Finished already?” Madeleine Wheeler asked, with a faint smile. “That was quicker than I expected.”
“I was so angry with her that I left,” Honey admitted. “She told me that my reputation was the only thing I had – as if I had no talents, or personality, or good qualities of my own. As if the only thing I’m good for is making a good marriage. As if my opinions and the things I want for my life don’t mean anything at all.”
Her mother smiled gently. “I think, since she failed so miserably at finding a suitable husband herself, she just wants to make sure that someone in the family succeeds.”
Honey giggled. “I wonder whether she had suitable suitors, but thought they weren’t suitable enough, or if all the suitable ones didn’t want to… um, make a pursuit of her?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Madeleine replied. She became thoughtful. “I don’t suppose she was always this unpleasant. And I know for certain that she was quite striking when she was young, if not strictly beautiful.”
A sigh whispered between Honey’s lips. “Well, whether I marry or don’t, whether my potential husband is what Aunt Vera calls suitable or not, whether any of my hopes and dreams happen to happen or not, I hope I’m never as nasty and unpleasant and suspicious as Aunt Vera is.”
“I’m sure you never could be,” her mother assured her. “You have a beauty from within.”
Honey smiled at the compliment, then her thoughts strayed back to the events which had brought her here. “Do you think I was being irresponsible with my reputation?” she asked.
Madeleine reached over and squeezed her hand. “Not at all. As I’m sure you’ve already pointed out, no one you were likely to meet would have any illusions about what they were seeing. And, in this day and age, I don’t think it matters so much – especially since you’ve made it quite clear that you don’t want a society marriage.”
“Do you think Brian is unsuitable?” Honey blurted a moment later.
Her mother shook her head. “Your father and I are quite happy to let you decide who is suitable for you. We trust your judgement, Honey, and we don’t trust Aunt Vera’s.”
Honey cast a look in the vague direction of her father’s study. “She’s probably still ranting now. Maybe I should have just let her get it out of her system on me, instead of running away.”
“Your father is quite able to look after himself,” her mother reminded her. “And we’d both much rather spare you her outdated ideas. I’m sorry you had to hear as many of them as you did.”
“It’s okay,” Honey replied. “I’m sorry I set her off in the first place. If I’d had any idea she was here, I’d have stayed on the Belden property and avoided her altogether.”
“Since she clearly came to Manor House with the sole purpose of criticising you, I doubt it would have made a difference,” Madeleine replied. “The details might be different but the overall effect just the same.”
The library door burst open.
“Matthew! You gave me such a fright.”
“Did I?” he answered. “You didn’t show it.”
“I thought, just for a moment, we were about to hear yet another lecture on propriety,” she continued.
“I’ve escorted my wretched aunt off the property. You can return to playing Happy Families with Brian.” He winked at Honey, who smiled at the reference to the children’s card game. “I have successfully disposed of the Old Maid.”
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