Clarissa and the Poor Relations Read Free

as his own wife had never done, and had he lived who knows what might not have happened.
    As it was, a jealous brother had been the one to oversee Oriana’s come-out in London and he had been pleased to accept, on her behalf, an offer from an Earl who was both wealthy and approaching sixty. Oriana’s disgrace in calling off her wedding and her brother’s consequent anger had induced her to seek her position at Mrs Thorne’s Academy. Her brother, still questioned by the world about the fate of his beautiful sister, had never forgiven her.
    ‘Mother always said that Ashcroft was a prosperous estate at the time of my uncle and my cousin has only owned it for five years. He was a sad rake and possibly a libertine but surely he could not have done so much harm in that time. Oriana, you could help me make it prosperous again. Don’t you see, far from being a tax on me you can be a real help to me.’
    Oriana’s eyes sparkled then dulled again, ‘If only I could, my dear. We do not know the people… they would have to come to trust us Clarissa, but with the help of a good agent…’  She tried to look in Clarissa’s eyes , for signs of the charity that she would so deplore but saw only hope and determination. ‘Oh , could we?’ she said.
    Clarissa leapt to her feet and danced Oriana to hers. ‘My dear, so you’ll come.’ She and Oriana shrieked and danced about the room. Just as abruptly she stopped and turned to Miss Micklethwaite.
    ‘Dearest Waity, you know that I shall need you to help me set the house in order.’
    Miss Micklethwaite’s frown became more terrible. ‘You do not need me to feed as well.’
    ‘For all my Greek and Latin, I have not learned any of the housekeeping things a lady should know, for how could dear mamma teach me what she did not know herself? And we need you to scare away the dragons, Waity. Just think what attentions I might receive from mushrooms like the curate if I have not you by me to lend respectability. As for Oriana, you know we dare not send her out without she comes home followed by some smitten gentleman.’
    A gasp from Oriana at this made Miss Micklethwaite smile sourly.
    ‘And I should so value your support my dear Augusta,’ said Miss Appleby gently, ‘for in the absence of any gentleman, I cannot but feel you are the next best thing. - Why, what can I have said to make you go into such transports of laughter, Clarissa, Oriana.’
    But the young ladies were laughing so hard at the outrage on Waity’s face that they had to grasp onto each other to keep upright. Miss Micklethwaite’s forehead smoothed a trifle.
    ‘I think, Louisa, that you and I will be needed to keep these two in check.’ she said.
    ‘Well, if you think so, Augusta, then of course we shall go.’ said Miss Appleby in a confused voice.
    ‘I do,’ said Miss Micklethwaite, her grim voice repressing the unseemly levity of the young ladies, ‘And what is more we had better go now to change for dinner. Perhaps I can find some knee breeches.’
    ‘ Knee breeches. Whatever can you mean?’ said Miss Appleby to the retreating back of her friend. ‘Girls?’ she uttered vaguely. But it was no use the two young ladies had collapsed in an unseemly heap onto the sofa, in helpless gales of laughter.
    Later that evening, Clarissa sat in bed hugging her knees. A life with her brother and his wife was a bad enough thought, but she was determined that no such fate must touch her friends. She had seen too well the life of the despised poor relations, women who drudge for their families for a little more status than a maid and less money - for rare indeed was the family who took on the responsibility of a portionless female with any acceptance of equality. They must be grateful for the benefits of their position, the benefits which might include insult, humiliation and exhaustion from the performance of a hundred thankless tasks each day: the complete inability to order a second of one’s own life. Even if