Mr. Darcy's Daughter

by Rebecca Ann Collins

  They both realised that gossip in the neighbourhood was best avoided.

  Cassandra worked hard but with great discretion over the next few days. Her only consolation was that keeping busy stopped her from weeping and, of course, there was the hope that her brother and possibly Josie would soon arrive, bringing her daughter Lizzie with them.

  Sadly, it was a hope that faded as the day of the funeral dawned.

  No one had arrived from Cambridge, nor had any word been received, until the very last moment, when a telegraphed message was delivered apologising for Julian's late arrival and his wife's inability to attend.

  It meant Lizzie Gardiner was late, too.

  Even as the funeral service began in the church at Pemberley, there was no sign of Julian and, when the lesson assigned to him had to be read, it was Mr Darcy who stepped up to read it. Cassandra knew how deeply disappointed and hurt her parents would be, their personal loss exacerbated by the absence of their son.

  As the service was ending, Julian arrived with Lizzie, who slipped into a pew beside her sister Laura Ann, while Julian entered unnoticed and stood at the back of the church. Only Lizzie knew he was there, until it was over and they came out into the churchyard and saw him standing outside.

  It was Cassy who, as the mourners and friends began to leave, took her father's arm and moved him away from the grave side, while Jonathan Bingley hastened to support his aunt and help her into the carriage that waited to take them to Pemberley.

  Later, Julian apologised to his family and especially to Mrs Gardiner; his work, he claimed, had delayed him and caused them to miss the coach. As for Josie, she was still not strong enough to make long journeys and had been advised to stay home, he said. Indeed, he was compelled to return to Cambridge immediately following the funeral and would not even be staying the night at Pemberley.

  Mrs Gardiner nodded and concealed her feelings behind her widow's veil, but Cassy could not. Her tears made it plain, if her words did not, that she was bitterly disappointed with her brother's conduct.

  "How could he? How could he be so unfeeling, so inconsiderate of others? Oh, Richard, I am so angry," she cried, her voice rising in exasperation. But he would not be drawn into recriminations.

  Grief, he said, was hard enough to bear without the added burden of anger.

  "Hush, my dear, this is not worthy of you," he said."Julian has his own problems to cope with. Let us not contaminate our sorrow with anger and bitterness; it will only heighten the pain and prove far more difficult to heal."

  As on many previous occasions, his wise counsel and love sustained her, letting her grieve without rancour and find strength enough to support her parents.

  Cassy recalled vividly the days after her brother William had been killed, when her parents, in the depths of their terrible grief, had all but forgotten her own. It had been to Richard she had gone for help. Richard, to whom she had become engaged on that fateful day, had held her and comforted her, loved and consoled her until she found peace within her heart, in the midst of a veritable maelstrom of emotions.

  Then, too, there had been anger and great bitterness. Unable to reach her parents, she had felt alone and afraid. She had been much younger then and had turned to him because he was older and mature. Now she relied upon him, confident that he could help her bear any pain, knowing his strength would enhance her own.

  * * *

  Relatives and friends returning to Pemberley after the funeral were surprised to find Cassandra receiving them and making arrangements for their stay. Her strength and loyalty were commendable, they all agreed, as they watched her move quietly, confer with the staff, organise meals, quieten fretful children, comfort grieving relatives, and handle with no fuss at all the myriad of things that the occasion demanded. Her gentle manner concealed a methodical and efficient mind that had always stood her in good stead.

  Elizabeth and her sister Jane had retired upstairs with Mrs Gardiner and Caroline, until all but the closest relatives had departed. Jonathan and Anna Bingley were staying on at Pemberley, but Mrs Gardiner and her daughters wished to return to Lambton and left accompanied by Edward and Darcy.

  It had been a most difficult day, with grief compounded by resentment. Having helped their parents through the evening, Richard and Cassandra left for home, close to exhaustion. Their sons, having returned from Lambton, had dined and waited up for them, but young Lizzie was fast asleep on the sofa. Having travelled through the previous night with Julian, she was weary.

  When their parents returned, the brothers were giving vent to their own vexation at some of the day's events. Darcy was most censorious, unable to believe that his Uncle Julian had actually been late to the funeral on account of his work.

  "It is quite incredible that he should make such an excuse. It is far more likely that Aunt Josie was the cause. Ask Lizzie; she has told us already that they were late for the coach because Aunt Josie was arguing with him. I think it is absolutely abominable behaviour on his part."

  Edward, who had carried the heavy responsibility of watching over Mr Gardiner in the last difficult days as his life ebbed away, was no less critical, but characteristically unwilling to apportion blame.

  "Darcy, it is of no use at all to blame Aunt Josie; after all, if our uncle had wished to leave the house in time, he could have done so. He is using Aunt Josie as an excuse for his own inability to do his duty. It is his own indecisive nature that is at fault. He vacillates and will not take action when he needs to."

  Darcy was about to contest this thesis, when their father, who had just awakened Lizzie and sent her upstairs to bed, intervened to bring an end to the argument.

  "What good does it do now?" he asked."Your grandfather loved Julian dearly; he admired his dedication to scientific study and his desire for independence. Unfortunately, Julian appears to have neither the wit nor the sensibility to understand the value of such feelings.

  "Doubtless he has his own troubles. Josie is not yet recovered from her illness and Julian is reluctant to do or say anything that might worsen her condition. He has other problems, too, which are largely self-inflicted; he insists upon working all hours, gets very little sleep or fresh air, and takes insufficient nourishment. The pallor of his skin is evidence of this. I pity him; it must be a wretched life," he said and made to leave the room.

  At the door, he turned to his sons and thanked them for their help through the period of their grandfather's illness, especially Edward, for his close attention to Mr Gardiner during the past few weeks.

  "I cannot thank you enough for all you have done and I know your grandmother feels the same," and then he stopped and added,"Your Mama has borne an almost unbearable burden for many months now; not merely has she done a great deal of work, but she has carried a weight of hurt and anguish, compounded by the strange behaviour of her brother and his wife, of which we have just spoken. I know you will not wish to encumber her with any further sorrow by debating the guilt or otherwise of Julian Darcy's conduct in this house."

  Both young men rose and nodded gravely, accepting without question the wisdom and good sense of their father's words.

  Upstairs, Richard found Cassy, who had gone directly to their room. Like a hurt child, who longs for the comfort of its familiar bed, she had crept, fully dressed, under the covers, lying there still wide awake and tearful. There was no mistaking the source of her anguish, yet Richard was wary of aggravating her grief by trying to speak of it. Cassy was sore and needed soothing.

  Gently, he helped her take down her hair and get out of her mourning gown. He put away her clothes, fetched her nightgown, and drew the bedclothes up around her. She thanked him and, when he cradled her in his arms, letting the weariness overwhelm her, she fell asleep at last.

  END OF PART ONE

  MR DARCY'S DAUGHTER

  Part Two

  THE FAMILIES WERE TO meet again, at Netherfield Park, for the wedding of Jonathan Bingley's daughter Anne-Marie and Mr Colin Elliott, MP, in December o
f that year. It was to be, by their own choice, a quiet occasion. Neither the bride-to-be nor her groom had wished for any fuss, and following the death of Mr Gardiner, their families were happy to comply. Preparations were afoot, however, for a modest celebration, with the village church being refurbished and the choir under the direction of the Rector, Mr Griffin, practising with great dedication for the occasion.

  It was on returning from one of these sessions, during which she had been called upon to assist at the church organ, that Anna Bingley found her husband reading a long and informative letter from his mother, Mrs Jane Bingley of Ashford Park. It brought news that created some considerable interest, if not exactly a controversy, among members of the family at Netherfield.

  After the usual familial greetings and enquiries, Mrs Bingley wrote:

  …and my dear Jonathan and Anna, I am told by my dear sister Lizzie that the news was quite a shock to several people present, including Mr Robert Gardiner and his wife Rose. It had been supposed, I expect, that when Mr Gardiner passed on, his younger son Robert would take over the running of the Commercial Trading Company and the share of the business held by his father.

  Everyone, except Mr Darcy, who was his closest confidant, believed this to be the case. Indeed, I know that my Aunt Gardiner did and so apparently did Robert and Rose. In fact, it might be said that the family had assumed that control of the company would pass to Robert.

  Unhappily for Robert, however, it now appears that Mr Gardiner had decided quite some time ago, for the will had not been recently altered, that Caroline, his eldest child, not Robert, would manage the business and inherit his shares in the enterprise, with a life interest to his wife, of course.

  Mr Darcy seems to have been the only person, apart from his solicitor, in whom our uncle confided and he kept his counsel very well. Not even your Aunt Lizzie was aware of the arrangement.

  Jonathan did not appear unduly perturbed by the news and Anna, who knew little of the business affairs of the Gardiners, asked if he were not surprised.

  "No, my dear, I am not," he replied."Mr Gardiner was one of the best businessmen I have ever known and it is not surprising that he should be wary of handing control of his business to Robert. He is a fine gentleman, to be sure, but is easygoing and too willing to let others tell him what to do. Had my uncle left the business in his hands, it is more than likely that his wife Rose or his father-in-law James Fitzwilliam would have had the running of it."

  He handed his mother's letter to Anna and, as she continued reading, more was revealed:

  Your Aunt Lizzie tells me that, at the reading of the will, when the announcement was made, Caroline gasped and turned rather pale— clearly, she had not expected it—while her husband Colonel Fitzwilliam looked quite astonished.

  Lizzie says Robert did not flinch, but his wife looked very cross and shortly afterwards left the room, claiming she needed some fresh air! I think that she had rather taken it all for granted and was somewhat disgruntled at the turn of events. I do hope she does not hold it against Caroline, for that would be a shame. Caroline is such a sweet girl and means no harm to anyone.

  When your father was told, he seemed quite at ease with the idea, saying that Caroline was a very clever young woman and he could not see what the fuss was about. I am inclined to agree with your father, but we shall have to wait and see what Mr Darcy has to say.

  Jane Bingley concluded with a paragraph devoted to advice on his daughter's wedding, her best regards to Anna, and a most loving salutation to her young grandsons, Nicholas and Simon.

  When Anna had read the letter through, she asked her husband if it was possible that Mr Gardiner had perhaps realised that Robert and Rose preferred living in London for most of the year, where they had both made many new friends."I know Rose finds life in Derbyshire dull; she has said so quite openly," she said.

  Jonathan thought this was possible but he was cautious in making a judgment."Mr Darcy would know the real reason," he said,"but he would never break a confidence and disclose it. My own opinion is that Mr Gardiner has long preferred Caroline to take charge of the business and her mother's shares in it. She is intelligent and hard working, even if she is a hopeless romantic at times; she has always had a good head for business and does understand commerce better than most of us. We should not forget, she was also his favourite daughter."

  "Do you believe Mr Darcy knew of his intention?" Anna asked.

  "I do and, if he did, he must have approved of it, because he owns a share of the business together with my father. Had he not believed that Caroline was capable of managing it successfully, he would have advised Mr Gardiner against it."

  "I suppose Robert must feel hard done by," said Anna.

  "I cannot imagine why," her husband replied."There is no suggestion in Mother's letter that he has lost any part of his own inheritance; if one were to look at it from another perspective, Robert, who has never shown a great deal of interest in the company, has been spared a good deal of the hard work, but will continue to receive an income from it."

  Anna laughed and told him that was an answer worthy of a politician, adding,"If you are right, then there is no reason for Rose Gardiner to feel any resentment towards Caroline, is there?"

  "No indeed, there is not, for she and Robert are free to live where they choose and pursue whatever interests they may wish," her husband replied."Be that as it may, Anna, my dear, I am quite sure Mr Gardiner had very sound reasons for his decision."

  "Which we may never discover," said Anna, as she collected her things and made to leave the room, but her husband had the last word.

  "My dear, I am quite certain that it will not be beyond the wit of my mother and Aunt Lizzie to discover them. I will wager any amount you care to name that before too long, we shall all know Mr Gardiner's reasons."

  * * *

  Back at Pemberley, in a conversation over dinner, Mr and Mrs Darcy and their guests were involved in a similar discussion. Having been privy to Mr Gardiner's decision and, indeed, having been asked to witness the changes to his will a year or more ago, Mr Darcy was convinced of the rightness of the course he had adopted.

  Mr Gardiner had long felt that Robert, despite his professed desire to participate in the family business, would not be the most appropriate of his four children to take over the responsibility of managing the company. Indeed, he had recently confided in Mr Darcy that he had for some time harboured serious doubts about the man Robert had appointed to run the Manchester office, which handled most of their shipping. Mr Gardiner had been made aware of some discrepancies in the accounts and urged his son to look more closely at his work, yet Robert, after what Mr Gardiner thought was a fairly cursory examination of the books, had assured him there was no cause for concern and everything was in order.

  Mr Darcy had also seen a letter to Caroline from her father, handed to her by the lawyer Mr Jennings after the reading of the will, which detailed, among other matters, his continuing anxiety about the conduct of Mr Stokes, the manager of the Manchester office. Urging Caroline to pay close attention to his work, it contained also some sound advice:

  If you need to consult anyone, you may find that you can trust the judgment of Mr Darcy or your brother Richard. Ask their

  Your husband should be a good source of advice; Colonel Fitzwilliam has proved himself to be adept and careful in matters of business and I am convinced that together you will do well in this important endeavour.

  Remember, my dear, that your mother's continuing comfort and peace of mind, your own fortune, and the income that will flow to your brothers and sister, as well as my valued partners Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley, are now all in your care. I know you will not let them down.

  Caroline, on reading the letter, had felt proud at being chosen by her father for the onerous task, yet daunted by the responsibility he had placed in her hands. She had put the letter away, revealing its contents only to Mr Darcy and later to Richard and Cassandra.

  Besides the good advice a
nd some affectionate words of farewell, Mr Gardiner had added a postscript, which Cassy found interesting.

  In it he urged Caroline to beware of those who may advise the sale of parts of the business to outsiders:

  Remember, dear Caroline, it is with you I leave the most valuable part of my life's work. Apart from the property at Oakleigh, which I purchased for your mother, the company is my entire fortune. Bound up in it is the prosperity and happiness of several

  When Cassandra had accompanied her husband to the reading of his father's will, she, like most other members of the family, had not expected any surprises. Mr Gardiner was, above all, a stable, steady businessman, with no tendency towards eccentricity or aberration.

  The first few bequests to each of his grandchildren and to faithful staff and servants were only to be expected. He was well known for his generosity. Cassy was delighted when her sons and daughters received substantial endowments, but rather more than surprised when she figured separately in his will, receiving a very generous bequest. Her share holding was almost doubled, as were those of Richard, Emily, and Robert.

  When, however, Mr Jennings proceeded to read the words that gave Caroline control of the rest of her father's shares and the management of the company, with a codicil that prevented her from selling any of it without the consent of her mother and her brother Richard, Cassy had been astonished. Her hand had crept surreptitiously into her husband's as she had wondered what had prompted Mr Gardiner to follow such a course. She saw, too, the shocked face of her brother-in-law Robert and his wife's flushed countenance as she left the room a few minutes later.

  It was plain they were both shocked and Rose was very angry.

  Looking at Mrs Gardiner, sitting between her two daughters, Cassy could tell from her face that her mother-in-law had been as ignorant of her husband's intentions as the rest of them. Only Mr Darcy had seemed unsurprised. Indeed, as it appeared later, when the documents were laid upon the table by Mr Jennings for all to read, her father had witnessed Mr Gardiner's signature at the end of the paragraph, which contained the detailed instruction to Caroline.