Free A Jane Austen Encounter by Donna Fletcher Crow Page B

own devising. This Sunday was their last day in Bath. Tomorrow they would be going on to Chawton—with Muriel in charge of the tour by prior arrangement. So Elizabeth was determined that today would be just hers and Richard’s.
    They began with Holy Communion at the Abbey. The unbroken sweep of the long nave, the pale golden stone arches leading to rich fan-vaulting high overhead, the midmorning light streaming through the intricate stained-glass east window and the gentler light falling from the high clerestory windows made Elizabeth feel she must be worshiping in paradise itself. When the organ pealed forth and the choir began an anthem, Elizabeth relaxed and knew she could give herself over to the beauty and peace such worship engendered.
    Especially the beauty of the language of the Prayer Book. Just such language as formed Jane’s own spirituality and that of her whole family. Jane was the granddaughter of a clergyman, the daughter of a clergyman, and had two brothers in the clergy. But the rest of the family was equally devout. Elizabeth smiled as she recalled that Jane’s brother Francis, while stationed in Ramsgate, became known as “the officer who knelt in church,” an indication of his piety. Following his example, Elizabeth slipped to her knees.
    The pealing of the organ accompanied them down the aisle after the final “Thanks be to God.” The bright sunlight made Elizabeth blink as they entered the Abbey yard with the bells ringing from the tower high over their head. She took a deep breath and squeezed Richard’s arm. “Ah, what could be lovelier than a Sunday in England?”
    The ringing changes accompanied them like a waterfall of sound as they crossed the yard and entered the Grand Parade. They paused, leaning on the stone balustrade, to look down into the beautifully landscaped Parade Gardens below them lining the banks of the River Avon. They moved on, walking slowly and dodging the other passersby as necessary, for surely all the world was out strolling the streets of Bath and the banks of the Avon on this perfect midsummer day.
    “Ready for lunch yet?” Richard asked.
    “Not yet.” But as she answered, Elizabeth spotted a small shop displaying scrumptious-looking pastries and sandwiches in its window. “Let’s buy something to take with us. We can have a picnic when we get hungry.”
    They did just that, then crossed Pulteney Bridge lined on both sides with flower-bedecked shops and continued on up to Laura Place. The street here divided in a diamond shape to allow for the great circular fountain in the center. Richard consulted his informative map. “Ah, this is the widest street in Bath. By 1800, this side of the river had become the most fashionable part of the city. At that time, houses here cost £300. Today they’re around four million pounds.”
    “Goodness.” Elizabeth calculated. “More than six million dollars.”
    “At least,” Richard agreed. “Little wonder Jane thought houses here would be above their price, even though her father very much fancied something in the area.”
    Beyond Laura Place, they entered Great Pulteney Street. “Jane settled the Allens and Catherine Morland here very comfortably.” She smiled; the characters from her favorite novels were as real to her as historical people. Sometimes she even had difficulty recalling whether a certain place brought back a scene from Jane’s novels or her letters—whether something happened to one of Jane’s characters or to the authoress herself. But then, it probably didn’t make too much difference, since Jane never wrote about a place she didn’t know personally.
    Richard entered into her fancy. “Yes, this would be perfect for Catherine. And little wonder the fortune hunters thought her a great heiress, living here.”
    A group of men walked past them and Elizabeth smiled, noting how much better-looking Richard was to her eyes than any other man on the street—a thought that called to her mind Anne