Farida's Blog

I must confess that I have not always been as fond of country living as I am now. In fact, I held the country in perfect dread as well as I held a certain gentleman who now happens to be my husband. For anyone who is not yet familiar with my story it will come as a shock, considering my present situation as a mistress of Northbrook Hall, to learn that I used to dislike Mr. Wetsfield most passionately. And I do not imagine that I fared much better in his esteem. Indeed, for years he regarded me as nothing but a nuisance and tolerated my presence whenever I visited only for the sake of poor Isabella.

Naturally when I was set to leave my aunt’s house in London and settle at Northbrook — an event that at the time I attributed to a chance rather than to Mr. Westfield’s involvement with my fate — I was certain that I was dooming myself at eighteen to a life of seclusion and dullness in the country wilderness. However, as my remaining in town was liable to bring ruin upon my name due to the Linton affair, I longed to quit the place and regarded my departure as a blessing in disguise. My consolation being that I was not the only one suffering, for Mr. Westfield upon coming to fetch me showed all the signs of being greatly pained by my relocation and even more so by the fact that he was the one to bring it about.

I am heartily ashamed to look back on those days now. Indulged by Lady Allingthorpe in all my ways since the age of fifteen, I grew up idle and vain. I knew no restrictions and my education consisted of playing and singing, dancing and flirting and until my arrival at Northbrook I had not contemplated the possibility that one could be sufficiently amused in the absence of either. I could not imagine going away and leaving behind my dearest friends — the Stockleys — for I was not yet aware that Catherine was not the kind of a friend who held my best interests at heart. Mr. Westfield was as disagreeable as ever and it was with trepidation that I awaited to meet Mrs Westfield and Miss Anne Westfield.

My fears, however, were very soon dismissed, for I was met with much warmth and affability on Mrs. Westfield’s part and found a dear friend in Miss Anne. Another person who made my stay at Northbrook Hall every bit wlecome was my dearest nephew whose affection for me was instant and unequivocal. Mr. Westfield was baffled and not a little cross at my success with his family as he had been most adamant to represent me through many faults of my character and expected his mother and sister to censure me with as much severity and constancy that he himself maintained for months to come.

It brings tears of mirth to my eyes now to recollect our many battles — how staunch and fierce was Mr. Westfield in his offices of the judge! I should not wonder at anyone’s astonishment that we are now as devoted to each other as any two souls can be. But then, it was by no means a matter of a single day. It was a gradual development and one that I became fully aware of only when threatened by forces that were quite beyond my power to remove. What I felt when I thought that Mr. Westfield was never to be my own is not to be described!

However, it is all well now and my chief concern lies with poor Linton and his shocking engagement to Catherine of all people. Mr. Westfield and Mr. Stockley are in town at present, trying to make head of how it all came about. Anne and I are most anxious that the things have not progressed so far yet and that Catherine’s report is but another falsehood of hers. But should it prove to be true, we intend to break it up by all means possible, for it is inconcievable that after everything that she had done to Mr. Linton she should have him and his fortune!