Thank you for another lovely post. I wonder what the Helthams are planning, now (cue sinister music ;-)). I enjoyed all the holiday preparations and found myself humming Christmas carols all morning ;-))
Speaking of carols, the French one Miss Joliffe alludes to is called "Les anges dans nos campagnes" as in countryside, not "compagnes", which means a female companion, (not in the Regency meaning, Mrs Jenkinson would be a "dame de compagnie"), but used now mostly to name a female life partner, when a couple is not married.
As Abigail would surely point out ;-)) "compagne", like its masculine form "compagnon", and the English "companion", all derive from the latin words "cum panem", the one you share bread with, as does the French "copain", meaning pal or buddy, while "campagne" may have originated from Campania, a rural region near Rome.
Sorry, as a French gal (and long ago Latin scholar), I just had to say it. I hope you don't mind. I just find words, and their origins, fascinating and, I suspect, so do you.
And if you ever need to verify a French expression or sentence, just whistle.
Thank you again for the gift of your stories.
Lea
