Forefathers - Chapter 2
Sarah on the other hand was most content, as life for her was one luncheon invitation or party after another. The Manor was always full of Sarah’s friends, and many an afternoon was spent discussing the latest fashions, getting ready for parties and catching up on gossip. Each invitation was carefully scrutinized by Caroline however, as her daughter would soon be making her official debut into society and could not afford to be seen at the "wrong" functions.
As far as Frederick and Caroline were concerned life was perfect. For another five years life was perfect, but little did they know that on reaching adulthood one of their children would almost ruin the family’s reputation.
At the age of twenty one Sarah, although not as beautiful as her mother, was very popular and could have accepted the marriage proposal of almost any of the wealthy men in her social circle. However of those men Sarah had fallen for the charms of one Nathaniel Davidson. Although wealthy, Nathaniel’s family belonged to the nouveau riche, and as a result he was often pushed aside when Frederick and Caroline discussed prospective sons-in-law.
Sarah was determined to marry Nathaniel, and the couple were secretly engaged on Christmas Eve 1808. On New Year’s Eve they eloped to Southampton, setting sail the next day for New York and a new life together. Frederick and Caroline were devastated, and from that day Frederick insisted that he no longer had a daughter.
Luckily for his parents George had finally accepted that he must remain in England, and forgot about his dreams of following the likes of Captain Cook and exploring the world. It was now up to George to maintain the family’s reputation, and to recoup some of the money lost as a result of business deals falling through after Sarah’s elopement.
During his time in London George had met and fallen in love with Augusta Hamilton, granddaughter of his uncle’s business partner. Like his father, George nervously proposed marriage over a game of chess, and breathed a sigh of relief when Augusta accepted.
George and Augusta decided that they wanted a quiet wedding with no fuss, so the church was booked for a very simple ceremony two months after their engagement.
Unfortunately Frederick and Caroline passed away before the birth of their grandson William, but they would have been proud to know that Normandy Manor was safe for at least one more generation ……
