Good People

The Musgroves are good people. Their house is always lively and warm and welcoming. I quite enjoy their company and appreciate that they do their best to make me feel like family. Or, to be more accurate, make me feel appreciated and valued in a way my own family does not.

Dad always complains, despite no one asking, that The Musgroves are not ‘refined’ enough for his tastes. But their wealth and standing in society were ‘sufficient’ to allow Mary to marry the eldest son. The Musgroves, in contrast, just want their kids to be happy and support whatever choices they make in life. I think that Mary married up. Mary takes a view closer to Dad's. She often has impolite things to say about some of the Musgroves' extended family or guests. It is hard to meet Mary's standards.

It was funny when I first got here. Everyone was happy to see me, and it was very nice. But not much was asked about the fact that we had just rented the house and were all relocating to Bath. No one had any curiosity about it, or any apparent appreciation for the fact that renting out one’s family home might be emotionally trying. It’s not any reflection of the Musgroves, I don’t think - it’s how people are. Something might be a big deal in your own immediate circle of family and friends, and it is of little or no concern to those outside it.

It is a good reminder - that whatever Dad might think of the importance of our “standing in society”, people really take very little notice of what goes on outside their own circle of people. For now, I will wrap myself up in Musgrove happenings, do my best to forget Elliot drama, and be happy.