Becky was speechless as she heard Jonathan Bingley ask, "This is certainly very sudden, Colin. Has Harding said why he is going and when does he leave?"
Mr Elliott said he did not know, but agreed that it had been arranged very suddenly. "He is at present in Scotland, visiting his mother, who I believe is his only living relative."
Becky could not help wondering whether Mr Harding's sudden decision had anything to do with her rejection of his proposal; it was a most disturbing thought. She could not know if Mr Elliott had known of his friend's proposal and her response. If he had, he certainly did not give any indication of it, and Becky was glad indeed of his discretion. She would prefer that the Bingleys did not discover it either.
Even as they were engaged in the discussion that followed Mr Elliott's announcement, the hansom cab arrived to take Becky and her maid to the station. As Becky thanked Jonathan and Anna with warm affection, the servants scurried to get her luggage stowed aboard the cab, while Nelly ran upstairs to fetch Becky's coat and bonnet.
The ten days of her visit had passed so pleasantly that they were all able to claim sincere disappointment that their parting had come too soon. Jonathan and Anna, always generous and considerate hosts, hoped she would return to them in the New Year, perhaps to Netherfield at Easter, and Becky could not conceal her sadness at leaving them.
But, this time at least, she was going home with some very good news and many happy memories.
***
On the journey from London to Kent, Nelly noticed that her mistress was exceedingly thoughtful. It was not unusual for her to spend many hours lost in contemplation, especially since the death of her daughter, but mostly during those times, Nelly had learnt to read her mood and understand her sorrow.
This time, however, it was different. She was clearly deep in thought, but Nelly could not detect the old sadness in her demeanour. Indeed she appeared to be in a rather volatile mood, moving without warning from apparent cheerfulness to melancholy. This puzzled Nelly greatly. She had been with her mistress for several years and seen her through many difficult and troubling times; it was frustrating not to know what lay behind her present disposition.
On reaching their destination in Kent, they took a hired carriage, which conveyed them to Rosings Park. There, Becky instructed their driver to take them to the Dower House and, finding her sister at home, alighted and went indoors to break the good news of Rickman's pardon.
Catherine, having embraced and greeted her sister, expressed her own satisfaction at the news. Her generous heart had been deeply moved by the story of the unfortunate Rickmans, and she was glad for their sakes as well as for Becky, who had expended so much time and effort on their behalf.
When she finally returned to Edgewater, Becky went to her room and sent for Alice. She told her the news about her husband's pardon, then watched with pleasure as the girl thanked her, then asked permission to leave, before racing out into the yard to find her husband. Rickman, who was chopping wood for the fire, saw her running towards him and put down his axe. He seemed uncertain and anxious at first, but as she spoke, threw his arms around his wife, holding her in a close embrace, while tears flowed down their cheeks.
Moved to tears as she watched them from her window, Becky felt a sharp stab of pain, not out of sadness, but because she envied their closeness and longed for some semblance of the affection they enjoyed. However, practicality soon took over and she was determined to make it her business to help them settle into a new life, free of the fear of the law.
First, she decided she would send for her lawyer, explain the case to him, and ask him to accompany William Rickman, his wife, and child when they went before the county magistrate.
Her next priority was to find Rickman a suitable job, one that would bring him a decent wage and enable them to live together as a family should, particularly one that had been unjustly parted for so long.
To this end, she determined to consult her brother-in-law, Frank Burnett, who had risen considerably in her esteem since his marriage to her sister.
A man of wide practical experience in the world, she was sure Mr Burnett could advise her on how best to secure a position for William Rickman, one that would be more appropriate for a young man of some education and good character.
On the day following, she went to the Dower House, where Catherine asked her to stay to dinner. Becky accepted gladly; it gave her an opportunity to discuss the matter with her sister. Catherine had always been sympathetic to the Rickmans, and Becky hoped to enlist her to their cause, when she approached her husband.
Before the meal, the sisters spent some time together, during which Catherine's enquiries if Becky had enjoyed her stay with the Bingleys in London brought an enthusiastic response, which left Catherine in no doubt. "Well, I did say that you would enjoy yourself, did I not?" she asked, and Becky admitted that she had, but apart from saying that she had spent many delightful days, many more than she had expected, she gave few details. Becky was as yet unready to confide in her sister.
Later, when they were seated at the dinner table, Becky asked Mr Burnett for his opinion on the possibility of William Rickman securing a job other than labouring work in the area.
"I would employ him myself, seeing that his wife works very satisfactorily for me, but Edgewater is only a small property and has no requirement for a man of the experience and learning that Rickman has. I am aware of it because both Alice and Mrs Bancroft have assured me that he was a very competent clerk and kept the books at the brewery very well, that is until he was falsely accused," she explained.
Turning to Mr Burnett, she asked, "Do you think there might be, in this part of the county, for I do not think they would wish to move away, a similar position for him? It would be a great pity were he to continue as a labourer, when he could do so much better."
Catherine turned to her husband.
"Frank, I recall that a few months ago, we were speaking of the need for someone to assist you with the books for the Rosings Estate. Have you given any further thought to the matter, my dear?" she asked, and Becky well nigh leapt at the suggestion.
"Now that would do very well indeed. It would be exactly the sort of useful occupation that Rickman could undertake."
Frank Burnett was more cautious.
"I would need to have some evidence of his ability and experience, as well as references as to his character, particularly in view of his recent incarceration, but it is a possibility. As to your question, my dear," he said, addressing his wife, "I have already written to Mr Darcy and Jonathan Bingley asking if they would approve such a position, if we could find the right man."
Becky was eager to know what response he had received.
"And what do they say?"
Mr Burnett was noncommittal.
"Mr Bingley has made no objection, if we can ensure that we appoint a man who is both honest and skilled in keeping the books. He understands that I have not the training to do the work myself. Mr Darcy, however, must be persuaded that it is not an unnecessary expense of the Trust's funds. As principal trustee, he is exceedingly careful of the way the money is spent."
"And so he should be," said Becky, adding, "but this cannot be seen to be a waste of money. A competent clerk can only assist and improve the management of the estate. Do you not agree, Cathy?"
Catherine nodded.
"I certainly do, and I think if Lizzie can be appealed to, then Mr Darcy may quite easily be persuaded by her."
"Do you think so? Oh dear, I wish I felt more confidence in my ability to appeal successfully to Mrs Darcy. She is so much the perfect Mistress of Pemberley now, I should be quite daunted by the prospect."
Catherine laughed, unwilling to let this pass.
"Oh come now, Becky, Lizzie was Mama's dearest friend; she is unlikely to wish to intimidate any of us. For my part, I will say that both Lizzie and Mr Darcy have been exceedingly kind and generous to us, most recently in appointing Frank to manage the Rosings Trust and per
mitting us to continue in this house."
Becky was not so easily persuaded.
"Ah, but you never did cross Lizzie in any way, did you, Cathy? You must remember that Lizzie held me responsible for all of Julian Darcy's misery because she believed that I persuaded my Josie to marry him. I do not deny that I did play some part in her decision, but in the end, Julian was the keener of the two. He was very much in love and determined that they should marry. Besides, I never could have foreseen their problems."
Catherine's voice softened as she acknowledged her sister's unhappy situation, but said with great sincerity, "Becky, I do not believe Lizzie bears you any ill will on that score, not now that Julian is married again and very happily to Jessica. I am confident that Lizzie is well pleased. Indeed, I had thought that both of you were quite reconciled last Christmas."
Becky sighed.
"Yes, you are probably right, but I do not believe I would have sufficient confidence to approach Lizzie and ask her for a favour, even if it would help the Rickmans. I would feel awkward and fear her refusal."
Catherine smiled, "Well, if that is how you feel, perhaps I could help. I should be happy to ask if she could put the idea to Mr Darcy. Since Frank has already written, it should not be too difficult for me to ask for Lizzie's support. I shall not mention William Rickman at all; my request will be on Frank's behalf. He needs a clerk to help him with this extra work."
Becky was surprised and delighted beyond words.
"Would you do that, Cathy?" she asked, incredulous. She had not expected this from Catherine.
"Why not? Frank, what is your opinion? Do you suppose it could be considered presumptuous on my part?"
Her husband took her hand and said, "No one would ever consider you guilty of presumption, my dear. If you were to approach Mrs Darcy, I think we can safely say the matter would soon be settled to everyone's satisfaction."
Which is how it came about that Catherine wrote to Elizabeth, who then approached her husband, and subsequently, William Rickman came to be appointed to the position of clerk, assisting Mr Frank Burnett in the management of the Rosings Estate.
When permission was granted and the position was offered, Alice and her husband were overwhelmed by the opportunity presented to them and the generosity of their benefactors. For them and their son, Thomas, whose speech had continued to improve, it was to be the end of a long nightmare and the beginning of a new, productive life.
And for all of this good fortune, they thanked most particularly Mrs Becky Tate, whose personal kindness to Alice and assiduous pursuit of William's case had brought them the happiness they now enjoyed. Happiness, which, a few months ago, had seemed completely out of their reach.
And after more than two years of concealment and gruelling hardship, Alice Grey was now free to be Annabel Rickman once more. When Catherine suggested that Annabel might enjoy helping the teacher at the parish school, her cup of joy flowed over.
***
While all these matters were proceeding, Becky, who with characteristic keenness had become deeply involved in the arrangements, almost forgot her promise to write to Mr Contini.
She had undertaken to write when the "unrelated matters" that she had to settle were concluded, so he could visit her at Edgewater and meet her sister Catherine.
But as things had turned out, she had been unable to settle into a mood in which to write him a letter. Although she explained this lapse to herself by reasoning that there had been much work to be done and many arrangements to be made, in truth, the real reason lay elsewhere.
Since returning from London, Becky had begun to be concerned that perhaps she had allowed herself to be too easily beguiled by the charm of Aldo Contini. She could not deny the attraction of his engaging character, yet she was apprehensive that her feelings may be more deeply engaged than his were.
It was this, rather than any excess of work, that had prevented her from writing to him, as she had promised to do. Besides, she had not as yet told her sister of her renewed association with him and the extent to which their meeting had enhanced her enjoyment of her sojourn in London.
However, the arrival of a letter in the post changed all that. It was from Jonathan Bingley, informing her that he hoped to call on her when he attended the final meeting of the Rosings Trust for the year, adding that Mr Contini had unexpectedly returned to Italy two days ago, leaving with Jonathan a note and a keepsake for her. Jonathan promised to deliver these items when he visited the following week.
On reading the letter, Becky's emotions were thrown into a state of such confusion that she felt quite incapable of rational thought. Her feelings could scarcely be contained as she read on, and a sense of bewilderment overwhelmed her.
That Mr Contini had unexpectedly returned to Italy was sufficient surprise, but that he had done so without informing her, leaving a note and keepsake with Jonathan, was beyond comprehension. After all those days of close, almost intimate association, after sharing so many happy hours, how could he leave England so abruptly, without a word to her?
The fact that he had left a note with Jonathan seemed to indicate that it was probably not a very private communication.
Surely, she thought, if the note had contained anything like an expression of his feelings, he would have sent it directly to her.
After a day of mental tumult, followed by a sleepless night, she rose the following morning convinced it was all her fault. She had promised to write and invite him to visit, yet she had done nothing, made no real effort to communicate with him. It was no surprise, she surmised, that he had probably reached the conclusion that she had no further interest in their friendship, and Becky wondered how badly he would think of her, if that were the case.
Only now, with the prospect of meeting him again greatly diminished, if not lost altogether, did Becky realise the depth of her disappointment and understand that her feelings for Aldo Contini were much more intense than she had supposed. She could scarcely credit the discomposure that Jonathan Bingley's letter had caused. Unable to concentrate upon anything more serious than the most trivial of domestic matters, she found her mind returning incessantly to the implications of Mr Contini's departure and speculating upon the contents of the note he had left for her, not to mention the "keepsake" that Jonathan Bingley was to deliver.
What could it be, she wondered?
On re-reading Jonathan's letter for the tenth time, Becky could not help feeling some degree of guilt at the circumstances in which Mr Contini had returned to Italy, possibly following his disappointment at not receiving from her the promised invitation to visit Edgewater. Yet, knowing what she knew of his nature, she could not believe he would act in such a petulant manner, leaving without a word to her.
In an effort to assuage her feelings of guilt, she went over every occasion on which they had been together, endeavouring to discover if there had been one on which he had given some indication of his expectations.
She found none.
What then, she wondered, was she to think?
She knew very little of his life in Italy and whether some matter of family or business had called him away urgently. She supposed Jonathan Bingley may be able to enlighten her. She could not accept that he had departed in a fit of pique! It was not at all in his nature to do so. There had to be another reason.
In her heart, she hoped that there was some simple explanation; for in the course of revolving all these recollections and emotions through her mind, Becky had reached the conclusion that whatever Mr Contini's feelings might have been, her own were becoming very clear—she loved him.
End of Part Four
A WOMAN OF INFLUENCE
Part Five
Chapter Twenty
A few days after Becky had received his letter, which had caused her such consternation and anguish, Jonathan Bingley himself arrived at Rosings Park to attend a meeting of the Trust.
He had decided to stay at Rosings, in the East Wing, which had survived the fire, where th
e accommodation, though not as comfortable as he could have enjoyed at the Dower House, afforded him complete privacy. Apart from the small staff employed to maintain the place, he would meet no one of any consequence, except Mr Adams, the curator, and he was generally a very discreet young man.
Jonathan was concerned because he had two missions to fulfill on this visit; one was the usual business of the Trust, and the other a combination of duty and pleasure. The latter, entailing a visit to Edgewater to deliver a letter from his friend Mr Contini, required some degree of confidentiality. He was unaware if Becky had taken her sister Catherine into her confidence on the matter of her friendship with Mr Contini, which was why Jonathan had determined that he would stay at the old house and avoid any awkward questions. He had, however, accepted an invitation to dine with Catherine and Frank Burnett at the Dower House, as he did whenever he was at Rosings, and looked forward to that occasion, as always.
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