Excerpt: A Strange Day in a Series of Strange Days Which I Call My Life / The Archers

From The Archers:

Chapter One
The Archers were by no means a small family, in fortune or in size. In fact with four young healthy daughters ranging between the ages of seventeen and twenty and ranging in silliness to pessimistic, the Archers were considered to be doing well on an income of a thousand a year. Mrs Archer was an affectionate woman who would have wished that her daughters would never marry and leave her house, while Mr Archer, being as equally as affectionate wished that all of his daughters would marry and with some sort of haste. Julia Archer, the eldest of the four, was a girl of sweet behaviour who found fault with little a person, they hoped soon to be engaged with a one Mr Roscoe. Handsome and relatively rich, the Archers were eagerly awaiting the announcement of the mutual affection between their daughter and the aforementioned gentlemen. Catherine, the second eldest and the older of the twins, at nineteen was determined never to fall in love or marry and had her heart set on traveling the known world, and tried very hard to persuade her sisters to join her. Claire, the Catherine’s twin, was a very quiet girl, preferring to sit silently with her drawing or reading, while her elder and youngest sisters argued about almost everything in life. The youngest, Miss Monica Archer, of being seventeen and believing herself to be in love with most young men – especially should they have some kind of large fortune – we must forgive her musings to being young and inexperienced in the world.

The Archers lived on an estate of no mean size, employing a handful of servants and a carriage, they were well situated to entertain their friends whenever they should appear in the country. They visited town as often as they could, and Claire studied with the drawing and language masters there while Misses Catherine and Monica enjoyed the social aspect to town and Miss Archer was free to dote on the affections of Mr Roscoe.

It was just one of these situations where Misses Catherine and Monica were returning from the Pump-rooms in very high spirits when they came upon their Aunt and Uncle, Mr and Mrs Abbey who had just been on their way to call on the Miss Archers’ parents.

Mrs Abbey was a very talkative, but charming woman. She could fill any empty silence with words that meant very little but could entertain anyone. Mr Abbey was a tall, thin man with a grave face, but his nieces knew him to a most affectionate man. The Abbeys had no children of their own, but had a ward by the name of Mr Arthur Beckett. Mr Beckett had been the son of a wealthy friend of Mr Abbey, however due to a tragic ending of his parents and older brother, during a disastrous boating trip when he was but four years old, Mr Beckett had grown up with the Abbeys, and with the Archer girls through their numerous trips to see their mother’s sister.

Arthur at the age of three and twenty had grown to be quite handsome and though now in his own fortune left behind by his parents, he was free to pursue his life as he chose. And he chose to spend as much time as possible with the Abbeys and the Archers.

Mr Beckett was not with the Abbeys when Catherine and Monica came upon their aunt and uncle, but he was to be in town within the day and would certainly call on them as soon as he had arrived. Mr and Mrs Abbey came to walk back to the Archer’s house with Catherine and Monica and listened very patiently as Monica explained their morning while Catherine punctured it with corrections and reproves of her sister’s behaviour.

Arriving back to the Archer’s town house, they were greeted by the footman explaining that Mr and Mrs Archer were seated in the parlour while Miss Archer was currently on a walk with Mr Roscoe.

Catherine and Monica led their aunt and uncle through the house towards the parlour in the back.

‘What great news, Mrs Archer,’ Mrs Abbey exclaimed as she first entered and went to take her sister’s hands. ‘You will never have guessed what has happened.’

‘Well tell me quickly, for it cannot be worse that what I fear Mr Roscoe might say today to my Julia.’

‘Quite the contrary, that would be pleasant news indeed, you do not want to ruin your daughter’s happiness with ill humor, you respect Mr Roscoe, and she would be in a happy home not to far from yourself. But that can be thought of when the happy day arrives. No, what I mean to tell you – you remember the Stantons?’

‘How could I forget such a agreeable couple?’

‘They have arrived in town, and I daresay Mr Stanton’s son, Charles Stanton is a very agreeable young man and I am certain that he would do for one of your daughters.’

‘Oh, how can you bring such news as that?’ cried Mrs Archer. ‘I do not wish my girls to meet any young man that might take them away from me.’

‘But by all means, Mrs Abbey, bring any such man of good character and I will be thoroughly pleased,’ exclaimed Mr Archer as he watched his wife and sister-in-law speak. He looked to Catherine with a smile. ‘For I daresay that eventually when my dear Mary understands that she will have more grandchildren then she does have children, she will be then satisfied with marriage.’

The nooning was had before Mr Beckett arrived or Miss Claire returned from her lessons, but the Archers and the Abbeys had the company of Miss Archer and Mr Roscoe. Miss Archer being of a quiet nature did not say much too her sisters’ morning in the Pump-rooms and Catherine and Monica were forced to discuss amongst themselves about everything that had happened to them, and in Catherine’s mind, everything exciting that could have happened, but unfortunately did not.

It was not until half way through their dinner did something extraordinary happen. As the regular expected arrival of Mr Beckett did appear, he brought with him a young man of some consequence. Mr Coburn was a young man of fortune and amiability. Having recently finished a degree at Oxford where he was acquainted with Mr Beckett, Mr Coburn was to inherit his estate at Corra near Kent, with an approximate three thousand to his name, but all the Miss Monica could see was a handsome face and an amiable personality.

After apologizing profusely for intruding onto the Archers and Abbeys’ personal dinner, the dinner things were taken away and the party retired to the parlour.

‘I fear that you have introduced a very bad relation to my sister,’ Catherine said as she settled beside Arthur.

‘Why so severe? Coburn is a good man, and he admires your sister, and she does not seem to think the worst of it.’

‘Do you really think that my sister should be indulging in such company at seventeen? Surely her talents are better used for something other than young men.’

‘As I remember Catherine, when you were seventeen you were indulged with a multiple number of young men, as you put it.’

‘My dear Arthur, and which of them have I ever keep acquaintance with since? No, there are no young men that I should even think of fancying, and very few that I would ever keep company with at all.’

‘Then I am flattered that I am among the latter,’ Arthur said with a smile.

‘You are family Arthur – I’d be hard pressed to get rid of you,’ Catherine replied.

‘That much I must admit is true.’

Catherine loved her sisters very much, but having the same disposition of her mother she was very sorry to see Monica so interested in Mr Coburn and worse still, as she knew her younger sister’s character, that Mr Coburn was interested in her younger sister.