A few weeks later, Elizabeth received a letter from her Aunt Madeleine telling her she had spoken with Lady Monttard, and that Lady Monttard would like to meet Elizabeth and suggested that Elizabeth attend the Grand Tea Party of the Monttards to be held November 29. The Gardiners were intending to attend and had been told Elizabeth and Jane would be welcome to attend with them. When Elizabeth asked her father about it, he was more than happy to approve a visit. And thus it was that on Sunday afternoon, November 23, Jane and Elizabeth were taken to London by their father to visit the Gardiners and eventually to attend the Grand Tea Party. The next day, Elizabeth and Jane went with their aunt to the Gardiner’s warehouse to choose material for the types of gowns they would need to attend a tea party of London’s higher society and then to the modiste, whom Mrs. Gardiner knew well, who would design and make the gowns for them. The results were the finest gowns they had ever owned.
On Wednesday afternoon, after spending all morning at Hope House, the home for homeless young women which Mrs. Gardiner had been instrumental in founding, Elizabeth and Jane joined the Gardiners, and Cordelia Gardiner, the eldest daughter, for tea. It was Cordelia’s thirteenth birthday and she said she did not want a children’s birthday party that year; she wanted a proper tea party. Therefore, everyone dressed in their best tea dresses and soon guests began to arrive. The first were Lady Inez and Sir Ronald Carlson and their children, Sophia, aged 13, who was Cordelia’s best friend, and Michael, their blind 10-year-old son. Next were Mr. and Mrs. Hampton and their 12-year-old daughter, Patricia, who was Cordelia’s other best friend. They lived only two houses from the Gardiners. The next to arrive, to Elizabeth’s surprise, were Darcy, Georgiana, Kitty, and a very distinguished looking man in a Colonel’s uniform. He was soon introduced to Elizabeth, Jane, and the Gardiners as Col. Richard Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s cousin and joint guardian of Georgiana. He had just returned from the war in France and was staying at Darcy House. After they had been properly greeted by Cordelia and had wished her happy birthday, Col. Fitzwilliam turned to Jane and Elizabeth.
“Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, I have been looking forward to this meeting. I have been assured by the Darcys and Miss Catherine that you were the two prettiest women in Hertfordshire, and now that I have met you, I must say I believe the area of your superiority must encompass a much larger area. Of course, from seeing Miss Catherine, I was almost certain that would be the case.”
His praise brought a blush to Kitty, who blushed easily, and even to Jane. Jane curtsied and gave a very demure greeting in reply; however, Elizabeth, after curtsying, said, “Col. Fitzwilliam, I am pleased to meet you. Mr. Darcy told me about you, or perhaps I should say warned me about you. I believe he called you a charmer. I can see we will need to keep our wits about us when we converse with you.”
“He is just jealous, Miss Elizabeth. As Darcy’s almost brother, I early decided one of us had to be charming. I am sure you have seen Darcy’s defensive mask, which he dons to scare off all the predatory mothers. When we are together, as we often are, if we both acted like him, we would be considered a very unsocial pair. I have taken the responsibility of trying to make pleasant conversation while he glowers. Luckily, I do not have to worry about predatory mothers because none are interested in a poor Colonel who is only a second son.”
“Ah, so you are poor, are you?” She tilted her head and looked him up and down. “I find it hard to believe that the son of an Earl is monetarily poor, and you are certainly handsome in your colonel’s uniform; therefore, I must assume you are poor in some other attribute?”
The Colonel chuckled. “Ah, Miss Elizabeth, you wound me to the quick. Darcy warned me about you, but I took no heed. I shall be more circumspect with my words in the future.” He then turned to Jane, who was smiling and shaking her head, “I see you are enjoying my defeat. Is this something you often see your sister do?”
“It is, sir. I fear she is impertinent to a fault and sometimes most unladylike. As her older sister, I tried to instruct her better, but I see I have not succeeded as well as I had hoped.”
An astonished Elizabeth looked at Jane, who was looking directly into the Colonel’s eyes, which was most uncharacteristic of the usually demure Jane, as was such repartee. She had indeed changed, and Elizabeth loved it. Perhaps Jane could interest a man such as the Colonel. Would that not be something? When she looked at Darcy, she could see that he was apparently having the same thought. He looked at her and mouthed, “Who is this woman?” She replied by shrugging her shoulders, raising her eyebrows, and turning her palms up in front of her, as if to say, “I have no idea.”
“I can sympathize with you, Miss Bennet. It is difficult for us older siblings to train those younger.”
As this pleasant exchange was occurring, there was another knock on the door and soon a stooped, thin, older gentleman who looked to be in his sixties or seventies entered with a younger man. As soon a Cordelia saw them, she hurried over to them. “Mr. Warren, Mr. Jacob, mother did not tell me she had invited you.” Seeing Mr. Jacob with a cello case, she continued, “Mr. Jacob, are you here to entertain us?”
“No, he is not,” replied Mr. Warren. “The cello case you see holds a cello that I just finished making. Your parents thought you might like to see it. Open the case, Jacob.”
The case held a beautiful, new, polished cello. “I have played it,” said Jacob, “and it has a magnificent sound. Grandfather still makes the best cellos in England. Why do you not hold it and pluck it, to see how it sounds?”
Cordelia did so happily, and it suddenly dawned on her why they had brought the cello for her to see. She turned to her parents, and asked incredulously, “Did you buy me a cello? Is this mine?”
When they assured her it was, she looked at Mr. Warren. “This is the most beautiful cello I have ever seen. Thank you for making it for me.” She then handed the cello back to Mr. Warren, ran to her parents, and hugged them. “This is the most wonderful present in the world. I never believed you would buy me one, but I so wanted to learn to play one. Mr. Jacob, will you be my teacher?”
“I believe I will, if you would like. Your father has asked if I might come on Tuesday of each week to instruct you. Would that be acceptable to you?”
“It would. Can you stay for our party?”
“I am sorry, young one,” said Mr. Warren, “but I have another delivery to make. I am happy you like it and look forward to your first recital. I know Jacob is an excellent teacher, as well as player, of the cello and he assures me you will learn quickly.”
They stayed only a few more minutes and then departed. Cordelia, with Georgiana, Kitty, Sophia, Patricia, and Michael trailing closely behind, then took the cello up to the music room where she could play a few notes on it. She had been studying the viola, but had always wanted to play the cello, particularly after Jacob, who was her viola instructor, had given her a few lessons on the cello, letting her use one of his cellos.
“I have a message to deliver to you from Mark Dumont,” Darcy said to Elizabeth not long after the younger set had gone. “He heard you were a good singer and wondered if you might be willing to sing a duet with him at the tea party. He and his sister, Cynthia, usually sing a duet, but Cynthia decided to stay in Liverpool with her parents, who will not be here because her mother is quite ill.”
“But he does not even know me or how well I sing. Why is he willing to take such a chance?”
“Because he has heard good reports of your singing from various sources and wants to perform the duet. He enjoys performing and is always looking for singing partners. I assured him, having heard both you and his sister, that your singing was better than his sister’s; therefore, he is looking forward to performing with you. Also, I have heard the Monttards are to sponsor you this year, and I suspect his grandparents would like to hear you perform and perhaps have some time to speak with you before the party begins. If you are willing, he asks that you and your party come to Dumont House early to practice. The soirée beg
ins at 5 PM and he asked if you could come at 4:30.”
Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were with Darcy and Elizabeth and heard his request. “I think that is a marvelous idea,” said Mr. Gardiner. “I have something I need to speak with Lord Monttard about, so it will give me an opportunity to have a private conversation with him. And I am sure you need not worry about your qualifications to sing with Mark Dumont, Lizzy. You will do fine.”
Elizabeth could see she really had no choice, but to accept, so she told Darcy to inform Mark she would be there.
The tea party lasted for another hour, and the conversation covered many topics, one of which was the upcoming Season. “Are you excited about participating in it, Lizzy?” asked Lady Inez.
“I am not sure excited is the correct word. ‘Apprehensive’ probably best describes my thoughts. I wish I knew some young lady of the ton who was my age with whom I could speak before I attended my first event and who might be with me at the events.”
“I believe an attempt is being made to satisfy your desire.” said Lady Inez. “You will meet Lady Denby’s granddaughter, Margaret Farnsworth, who is your age, at the party. If she and you enjoy each other’s company, it may be that the Denbys will sponsor you rather than the Monttards, and Miss Farnsworth can be your guide at such events. The Monttards had thought that Cynthia might act in that role, but she will not be here, and it is expected that she will soon be engaged.”
Both Darcy and Col. Fitzwilliam looked surprised. “I had not heard anything about that,” said Darcy. “When did this come about?”
“The formal courtship has been going on for the last few months, although I believe she has known the young man for many years. He is not of the ton; therefore, the Monttards have said nothing about it. On the other hand, they certainly did not say there was any reason to keep it a secret. I suspect an announcement will be made soon, perhaps even at the tea party, when they intend to make a much more surprising announcement.”
“Do not tell me that Matthew finally got of his horse and asked Penny to marry him?” said Col. Fitzwilliam. “We have been waiting for that since she came out two Seasons ago.”
“My lips are sealed,” said Lady Inez. “I will say no more.” However, all were certain that the Colonel had correctly guessed what that announcement would be.
As Darcy was leaving, he said to Elizabeth, “This is not a formal ball, so there are no two dance sets nor is significance attached to any dance. Therefore, will you be willing to dance two dances with me?”
“I was told this would be a much more casual atmosphere than a ball; therefore, I will be happy to dance with you, Mr. Darcy. Are there particular dances you would prefer?”
“There are. I would like the first and the last.”
Elizabeth shook her head and smiled, knowing why he had chosen those dances, but still asked, “And why should you choose those two?”
“Because having the first dance with you will start the night out pleasantly and having the last dance will give me something to remember until I see you again.”
His answer made shake her head and chuckled. “The more I know of you, the more I discover that you are both sly and sentimental. I am willing to believe your reason for asking for the last dance, but I suspect that you want the first set to give others the impression you may have some prior claim on me. However, I suppose I must acknowledge that you do, so I will grant your request.”
He took her hand and kissed it, bringing a blush to her face. “I am happy you are willing to acknowledge that and remember, should you find yourself without a partner for any other dance, I will be more than happy to accommodate you.”
She then turned to the Colonel, who bowed and said, “I overheard what you said to Darcy, and I believe I can guarantee that neither you nor your sister will be lacking dance partners. He and I think alike, because I secured the same two dances from her. I hope you will accept my invitation to dance also.”
“You may have any you wish, Colonel, because as of now there are only two taken.”
“I will take the second then. I would ask for another, but I do not think my cousin would look kindly on me if I did.” He then leaned forward and spoke softly, so Darcy could not hear. “I have never seen my cousin treat a woman as he treats you. I hope you will be kind to him.”
“I shall remember your suggestion, Colonel.”
That evening, as they were sitting in the parlor and the children had gone to bed, Mr. Gardiner said, “Lizzy, I do not understand you. Mr. Darcy is the best of men and is clearly in love with you. You also seem to have affection for him. Why are you resisting his courtship? I cannot imagine you will find a better man. Surely you know, you can never be certain of marriage, however long you evaluate the pros and cons of the relationship before you are married.”
“That may be, Uncle Edward, but I feel I can be more certain than I am now. I still find it hard to believe that Will…. Mr. Darcy has considered all the consequences of marrying me, and certainly, I have not yet determined what all the consequences will be for me. I am worried his love is more an infatuation based on my differences from those young women he has known and that he still does not comprehend how independent and stubborn I can be. If we marry, we must both be willing to make many compromises, and I am not certain both of us are willing to make some of those compromises.”
“For instance.”
She thought a minute. “It may seem as a little thing to you, but he has told me that whenever I am at Pemberley and want to go for a long walk, I must take a bodyguard with me. There are times I must be alone, and I mean absolutely alone, and I will not want an attendant with me. I know, because he is so wealthy, there is more danger that I might be kidnapped, so I understand his concern, but I am willing to take that chance for my privacy. He is not, and we will argue about that. I am sure there are other things he will forbid me doing to which I will not agree. I cannot be the compliant wife. I may do them anyway, and I believe he is one who does not like to be disobeyed. In the end, I am worried that I will be forced to do most of the compromising, and I am sure that will begin to distress me greatly and affect our relationship.”
“Do you not think you can speak to him about your worries?”
“I will, if I decide I want to marry him despite my trepidations. But, I will confess that I have done much thinking about it in the past month and the more I have thought about it, the more I begin to believe that perhaps it is not possible for me to be happily married and that I should never marry.”
Chapter 13: Before the Grand Tea Party
The tea party at Dumont House was an annual event that was anticipated by many in the ton who were in London during November. In this year of 1811, it would occur on Friday, November 29. It had started almost 16 years earlier when Lord Monttard had thrown a party to honor his wife's 50th birthday. It was a party that started at five o'clock in the afternoon and now lasted until nine or ten o'clock. There were buffet tables filled with delicious tidbits to eat, tea, coffee, punch, and later in the evening, wine, and a small orchestra played music in the ballroom to which people could dance if they chose. The Monttards were known for their collection of folk art from around the world and their home was a veritable museum of such artifacts. As the owner of one of the largest shipping lines in the world, Lord Dumont asked the captains of his ships to be on the lookout for unique folk art and artifacts and over the years it had become a contest amongst his captains to find the most unique and beautiful art works and artifacts, each one knowing that Lord Monttard would reimburse them handsomely if they found pieces of particular interest. Each year at the Monttard Grand November Tea Party, the attendees would be able to see the new art works and artifacts that had been acquired that year. Several of them would be offered for sale to the highest bidder and the proceeds of the sale would go to support one of the many charities that the Monttards favored.
Dumont House was quite a magnificent structure. When the Gardiners’ carriage pulled up to the front of the hou
se, two liveried servants quickly descended the front steps with step stools and umbrellas, helped Elizabeth, Jane, and the Gardiners out of the carriage and then, because there was a light rain, held the umbrellas over them as they ascended the steps to the front door. They entered an impressive two-story foyer with a beautiful crystal chandelier in the middle of it. Standing under the chandelier to greet them were an older couple whom Elizabeth assumed were Lord and Lady Monttard along with two young men she assumed were Matthew and Mark Dumont, both of whom were fine looking young men. They were both quite handsome, sandy haired, and trim, but the younger one was at least three inches shorter and tanner than the older one, looking as if he spent much more time in the sun.
After greeting and introductions, Lady Monttard invited the Gardiners and Jane to join Lord Monttard, Matthew, and her in the sitting room, while Mark took Elizabeth with him to the music room. As they were on their way to the music room, Mark said, “I have been looking forward to meeting you, Miss Elizabeth. I hope you were not distressed by my request to sing with me.”
“My only worry, Mr. Dumont, is that my ability to sing is not to the level that you had expected.”
He chuckled. “Miss Elizabeth, I sing every year with my sister and brother, and I have been assured that you are good singer. If that is the case, you are far better than they are. I suspect your worry is groundless.”
As they approached the music room, Elizabeth could hear harp music coming from the room which, to her ears, was beautiful. Knowing she heard it, Mark said, “The harp music you hear is being played by Miss Margaret Farnsworth, the granddaughter of Lord and Lady Denby and one of the finest musicians in the ton. She will be performing solos on the harp and piano, as well as accompanying our singing. I believe you will like her.”
When they entered the music room, Margaret stopped playing, arose, and came toward them. After introductions, she said, “Mark and I are excited to meet you, Miss Elizabeth. We understand you may be moving to town permanently next year and we are hoping you may become one of our small musical group, because it lacks a good female singer.”
The Lady of the Mount and Patience Rewarded: Two Stories of Darcy and Elizabeth Page 30