With Arabella’s mind so set on this idea, Norrell and Strange were forced to obey, both feeling confused and vaguely terrified by the reality of this surreal situation. Arabella overheard a conversation the two of them had while they were unpacking Mr Norrell’s possessions in the spare bedroom.
“But does she even understand the nature of our relationship?” Norrell had asked fretfully.
She could almost hear Jonathan cringing. “Please, don’t ask her that. You’ll regret it if you do. Arabella understands perfectly well.”
“And is she not frightfully angry?”
“Apparently not,” Jonathan had replied. He had accepted Arabella’s explanation of her actions, but he was still full of wonder and doubt about the whole affair.
Arabella was reminded about her own feelings about Jonathan’s return to England. She had been so resigned to the idea that she could not have all that she desired, that when she finally got exactly that, she couldn’t help but feel there would be some stipulation to her happiness.
Well, she had been right after all.
Things ran very smoothly for the most part, considering the strangeness of the situation. Things remained largely the same between Arabella and her husband, except that sometimes he came to bed with her and sometimes he did not. She had spent many nights alone during their marriage, though, during the war and during Jonathan’s time in the Pillar of Darkness, so this was not completely disagreeable to her. He was as attentive as ever, meaning that he remembered that she was there at least sixty per cent of the time, and when he was with her he was affectionate and loving.
They still made love enthusiastically. He could still excite her and was most dedicated to her pleasure when they were together, showing as much passion for her body as he did his magic, and with the same manic energy. Yes, she was still very satisfied where all that was concerned, and from his dopey grin, she could tell he was too.
When she was alone in bed, knowing that he was with Norrell, she wondered what he was up to. Then she immediately stopped wondering about that, because, frankly, that was a very odd thing to be wondering about. She would be left wondering instead what happened to the simple clergyman’s daughter she used to be, and found that she didn’t really miss her that much at all.
To say that things went completely smoothly would not be the truth however. After all, life with Gilbert Norrell was never going to be easy. They did not spend a lot of time together, even though they were often in the house at the same time whilst Jonathan was out and about. He was still very private, preferring the library or the solitude of his own room. So she only really saw him at breakfast or dinner, and even then, only if he remembered to eat. She thought it most impolite of him, after she had asked him to live here, not to pay some attention to her, as the lady of the house.
Jonathan had warned her, of course, but she had been quite surprised to discover how disagreeable she could find him. Several times she was left wondering what on earth Jonathan loved so much about him.
“He swears he can hear mice,” Arabella said to Jonathan as she interrupted his studies. “In the dining room, of all places.”
Jonathan laughed softly. “He has a particular horror of mice,” he said, not taking his eyes away from the notes he was taking.
Arabella looked at him crossly for a moment. “There are no mice in my house, Jonathan,” she said sternly.
Jonathan finally looked up at her and smiled softly. “I know. He just thinks he can hear them. He has more imagination than he gives himself credit for. I remember once he had the servants and I take his library apart looking for non-existent mice.” Jonathan’s expression was very fond and it annoyed Arabella intensely.
“This is not funny!” she complained, practically stamping her foot in a temper, which just made Jonathan laugh a little harder.
“He’s just getting settled, Bell,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the top of it lovingly. “He’ll be fine once he has.”
She raised an eyebrow in doubt.
There were further arguments about the placement of furniture, the attitude of some of the servants and the food.
“I find the food to be excellent,” Arabella had said in reply to Norrell’s complaining.
“It does not agree with me,” Norrell said, folding his arms over his chest and slumping down into his chair in a sulk.
Jonathan, who had been studiously ignoring their arguments, was now watching them with interest.
“I have yet to find anything that does agree with you,” Arabella said, making a big show of filling her mouth with the food she was so ardently defending and looking over the table in a challenge.
A certain twitchiness from Jonathan made her look over at him, and to her horror she found that he was biting the inside of his cheeks to keep himself from laughing. Well really! She glared at him. She noticed that Norrell was also glaring at him. When Jonathan realised that he was receiving twin glares across the dinner table, he almost fell off his chair laughing, alarming both of them.
This period of arguing seemed to be going on forever, and Arabella was nearly forced to admit that she had been wrong about this whole thing. She had thought at first that it would be the sharing of Jonathan that she would grow to resent, that she would feel jealous on those nights when he was not with her and she knew he was with him. She wasn’t though, which did shock her a little.
No, the problem was having to share her house! And share her house with the most selfish and petulant man-child that she had ever encountered. She complained to Jonathan frequently.
“You two are as quarrelsome as each other,” he had said with that same infuriating fond expression on his silly face.
“We are not alike!” she said, highly offended by the mere suggestion that they shared any character traits.
“No, not completely alike. You’re just both very…contrary.”
Well, there was no talking to Jonathan about this!
Arabella, who had once thought it terribly bad manners to listen at doors, found herself once more listening at the door to spare bedroom.
“Arabella is a wife, she takes great pride in keeping her house,” Jonathan said. “She thinks you hate it here.”
There was a pause, and Arabella was forced to hold her breath in fear that she would make too much noise.
“I do not hate it,” Norrell admitted. “I am very happy to be with you, Jonathan.” Arabella felt her heart thump a little at the sound of that admission. She didn’t know why, but there was something about those words that elated her.
“You could complain a little less,” Jonathan said, not unkindly.
“I do not complain!” Another pause. “I merely make suggestions for improvements.”
Jonathan laughed and then let out a little groan, like something was causing him pain. “My dear, you have much to learn about having a wife.”
Arabella couldn’t stifle her gasp, but it didn’t matter, because Mr Norrell gasped at exactly the same time.
“She is not my wife, Jonathan,” Norrell said, his voice sounding just a little terrified.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Well, she is a wife, is what I meant. Wives keep house, and you shouldn’t argue with them. No matter whose wife they are.”
It wasn’t the most artful of backtracks. It was woeful, Arabella thought. And now, both Norrell and Arabella were suddenly more aware than ever that there were three people in this marriage.
Fill: Everything You Always Wanted (5/10)
With Arabella’s mind so set on this idea, Norrell and Strange were forced to obey, both feeling confused and vaguely terrified by the reality of this surreal situation. Arabella overheard a conversation the two of them had while they were unpacking Mr Norrell’s possessions in the spare bedroom.
“But does she even understand the nature of our relationship?” Norrell had asked fretfully.
She could almost hear Jonathan cringing. “Please, don’t ask her that. You’ll regret it if you do. Arabella understands perfectly well.”
“And is she not frightfully angry?”
“Apparently not,” Jonathan had replied. He had accepted Arabella’s explanation of her actions, but he was still full of wonder and doubt about the whole affair.
Arabella was reminded about her own feelings about Jonathan’s return to England. She had been so resigned to the idea that she could not have all that she desired, that when she finally got exactly that, she couldn’t help but feel there would be some stipulation to her happiness.
Well, she had been right after all.
Things ran very smoothly for the most part, considering the strangeness of the situation. Things remained largely the same between Arabella and her husband, except that sometimes he came to bed with her and sometimes he did not. She had spent many nights alone during their marriage, though, during the war and during Jonathan’s time in the Pillar of Darkness, so this was not completely disagreeable to her. He was as attentive as ever, meaning that he remembered that she was there at least sixty per cent of the time, and when he was with her he was affectionate and loving.
They still made love enthusiastically. He could still excite her and was most dedicated to her pleasure when they were together, showing as much passion for her body as he did his magic, and with the same manic energy. Yes, she was still very satisfied where all that was concerned, and from his dopey grin, she could tell he was too.
When she was alone in bed, knowing that he was with Norrell, she wondered what he was up to. Then she immediately stopped wondering about that, because, frankly, that was a very odd thing to be wondering about. She would be left wondering instead what happened to the simple clergyman’s daughter she used to be, and found that she didn’t really miss her that much at all.
To say that things went completely smoothly would not be the truth however. After all, life with Gilbert Norrell was never going to be easy. They did not spend a lot of time together, even though they were often in the house at the same time whilst Jonathan was out and about. He was still very private, preferring the library or the solitude of his own room. So she only really saw him at breakfast or dinner, and even then, only if he remembered to eat. She thought it most impolite of him, after she had asked him to live here, not to pay some attention to her, as the lady of the house.
Jonathan had warned her, of course, but she had been quite surprised to discover how disagreeable she could find him. Several times she was left wondering what on earth Jonathan loved so much about him.
“He swears he can hear mice,” Arabella said to Jonathan as she interrupted his studies. “In the dining room, of all places.”
Jonathan laughed softly. “He has a particular horror of mice,” he said, not taking his eyes away from the notes he was taking.
Arabella looked at him crossly for a moment. “There are no mice in my house, Jonathan,” she said sternly.
Jonathan finally looked up at her and smiled softly. “I know. He just thinks he can hear them. He has more imagination than he gives himself credit for. I remember once he had the servants and I take his library apart looking for non-existent mice.” Jonathan’s expression was very fond and it annoyed Arabella intensely.
“This is not funny!” she complained, practically stamping her foot in a temper, which just made Jonathan laugh a little harder.
“He’s just getting settled, Bell,” he said, taking her hand and kissing the top of it lovingly. “He’ll be fine once he has.”
She raised an eyebrow in doubt.
There were further arguments about the placement of furniture, the attitude of some of the servants and the food.
“I find the food to be excellent,” Arabella had said in reply to Norrell’s complaining.
“It does not agree with me,” Norrell said, folding his arms over his chest and slumping down into his chair in a sulk.
Jonathan, who had been studiously ignoring their arguments, was now watching them with interest.
“I have yet to find anything that does agree with you,” Arabella said, making a big show of filling her mouth with the food she was so ardently defending and looking over the table in a challenge.
A certain twitchiness from Jonathan made her look over at him, and to her horror she found that he was biting the inside of his cheeks to keep himself from laughing. Well really! She glared at him. She noticed that Norrell was also glaring at him. When Jonathan realised that he was receiving twin glares across the dinner table, he almost fell off his chair laughing, alarming both of them.
This period of arguing seemed to be going on forever, and Arabella was nearly forced to admit that she had been wrong about this whole thing. She had thought at first that it would be the sharing of Jonathan that she would grow to resent, that she would feel jealous on those nights when he was not with her and she knew he was with him. She wasn’t though, which did shock her a little.
No, the problem was having to share her house! And share her house with the most selfish and petulant man-child that she had ever encountered. She complained to Jonathan frequently.
“You two are as quarrelsome as each other,” he had said with that same infuriating fond expression on his silly face.
“We are not alike!” she said, highly offended by the mere suggestion that they shared any character traits.
“No, not completely alike. You’re just both very…contrary.”
Well, there was no talking to Jonathan about this!
Arabella, who had once thought it terribly bad manners to listen at doors, found herself once more listening at the door to spare bedroom.
“Arabella is a wife, she takes great pride in keeping her house,” Jonathan said. “She thinks you hate it here.”
There was a pause, and Arabella was forced to hold her breath in fear that she would make too much noise.
“I do not hate it,” Norrell admitted. “I am very happy to be with you, Jonathan.” Arabella felt her heart thump a little at the sound of that admission. She didn’t know why, but there was something about those words that elated her.
“You could complain a little less,” Jonathan said, not unkindly.
“I do not complain!” Another pause. “I merely make suggestions for improvements.”
Jonathan laughed and then let out a little groan, like something was causing him pain. “My dear, you have much to learn about having a wife.”
Arabella couldn’t stifle her gasp, but it didn’t matter, because Mr Norrell gasped at exactly the same time.
“She is not my wife, Jonathan,” Norrell said, his voice sounding just a little terrified.
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Well, she is a wife, is what I meant. Wives keep house, and you shouldn’t argue with them. No matter whose wife they are.”
It wasn’t the most artful of backtracks. It was woeful, Arabella thought. And now, both Norrell and Arabella were suddenly more aware than ever that there were three people in this marriage.