Venetia Part IV

Venetia still turns to Damerel for friendship, but life at Undershaw becomes more difficult. Mrs Scorrier suggests that Aubrey should go away for a bit while Charlotte is pregnant. She upsets the servants, particularly the family nurse. Venetia tells Damerel that she had intended to move out of Undershaw when Conway got married, and set up house in London to be near Aubrey when he went to college. Damerel tells her that shes foolish to be talking of giving up her life to keeping house for Aubrey, that she is a beautiful young woman who should be thinking of having a social season and getting married. The servants ask her if she is thinking of having her own home as they want to leave Conway's service. She tells them that she's sure Conway wont put up with Mrs Scorrier's dominating ways for long and he will send her packing once he comes home. It is now well into autumn and Damerel is still staying at his home Elliston Priory. He had come home to escape his aunts In London who were trying to marry him off to a rather dull woman who might be willing to marry a reformed rake. He has told Venetia half jokingly that he wanted to look at his estate which he had been neglecting, and that he also wanted to pursue his romance with her. Then to Venetia's surprise another visitor turns up at Undershaw. Her aunt, Mrs Hendred lives in London, and has sent her husband, Philip, up to Yorkshire to invite her to come and stay. Philip Hendred is an intelligent but stuffy man, who says that he and his wife know about the bad marriage that Conway has made and that he has dumped his responsibilities on Venetia for a long time.. and that she should leave the house and make a new home in London. He tells her that if she leaves the house, and settles nearby, it will make the whole family look bad and that Charlotte needs to learn to manage her own household. Venetia is unhappy and wants to go away but she goes to see Damerel and he tells her that it is for the best that Mr Hendred has come, as she and he have had a charming flirtation, but it would not work out as a serious relationship. He tells her that if AUbrey does not want to go to London he can have him to stay. She is upset that he is essentially telling her to go away and that he does not intend to pursue their relationship, and feels that she has no real choice but to go to London and try and build a new life, as he suggests. She does not believe that she will find a new man whom she could love or be fond of, but she agrees to go, hoping to find some solace in visiting London and planning to set up a home for Aubrey later on. She feels sure he will go on with academic life, and wont marry.