Everyone seemed to have their share of good news, thought Cassy, even Mr Bowles, Jonathan's steward, who had been a lonely widower for twenty years, was married again. Her mother had heard from Mrs Charlotte Collins that Mr Bowles and his wife Harriet, who had been Charlotte's faithful companion for many years, were now in charge of managing the household at Longbourn. No doubt, they would be very happy, too!
To Cassandra, all this bliss was beginning to sound tedious. Why, she wondered, was her family so beset with woe?
Her own keen anguish sprang from her brother's desperate situation, which was so compounded by trouble that, as a consequence, her own life and that of her family had been unavoidably affected as well. She was also well aware of the depressing effect all this had had upon her parents.
Two days later, the arrival of a letter from Lizzie brought some relief. She was well and in good spirits. She had visited Julian's college and seen the great library that was the heart of its treasures, as well the laboratory where he did most of his work. Strangely, she said, Aunt Josie had never seen it.
"My uncle says she has never asked to visit, although he would have liked to have shown her its amazing secrets," she wrote.
Lizzie wrote also of a soirée and supper party—which she and Josie had attended in the company of the two Misses Wallace-Groom—at which they had met both Mr Barrett and his friend the publisher, Mr Andrew Jones. According to Lizzie, anybody who aspired to be anything in the literary world had been present, and Mr Dickens had been expected to do a reading from his latest book but had not turned up.
The reason given by our hosts was that the great man was sick with bronchitis, but Mama, you will not be surprised to learn that the gossips had it he was in France with his mistress, Miss Nelly Ternan!
wrote Lizzie. Cassy was rather shocked but read on.
You will also be happy to hear, Mama, that my dear brother Darcy arrived quite unexpectedly last week and wanted me to accompany him to a ball at a private house in Regent Street. I was at first reluctant to go, because I had not brought anything suitable to wear for such an occasion, but Aunt Josie lent me one of her gowns, a beautiful confection of cream silk and lace with a large rose on the shoulder. I finally went and my brother declared that I looked"very acceptable," which I suppose from
To my surprise, I discovered, when we arrived at the house, that Mr Carr was to be one of our party. Darcy claimed his friend was in London for a few days on business and had been coaxed into joining us. Mr Carr admitted later that he had been very reluctant, since he scarcely knew anyone at all, except Darcy, but he was very glad he had allowed himself to be persuaded. If I were to tell the truth, dear Mama, so was I, for Mr Carr and my brother were the only men present with whom one could have a sensible conversation.
Most of the ladies were rather silly and very overdressed, while a lot of the young gentlemen were foppish and had nothing to say, only town talk. When we danced, they would ask, patronisingly,"And where have you come from, Miss Gardiner?" as if one were a mouse.
And when I replied,"From Derbyshire," they would roll their eyes and some would say,"And where, my dear young lady, is that?" as if they had never heard of it. Others pretended to believe it was in Scotland!
After a while, I grew tired of this stupidity and would answer, "From Cambridge," which made them sit up and take a bit more notice, at least. But oh, Mama, they were all so dull, I was very glad of Mr Carr's company, though being American, he did not know many of the new dances at all. Darcy and I have promised to teach him in time for the Pemberley Ball.
He was full of news about the work he has been doing at the farm. It seems he expects to have it all finished in time for the Midsummer Festival.
There is none of that here. Oh I do long to be home again.
Cassy was glad to know that Lizzie, in spite of her complaint of boredom, seemed to be enjoying herself.
There was, however, no more news of Julian or Josie, except for one line at the end, which must have been added as an afterthought.
Mama, I almost forgot, it seems Mr Andrew Jones has promised Mr Barrett that he would"consider very favourably" a proposal to publish Aunt Josie's anthology of poems. Aunt Josie is very excited; she and Mr Barrett have been celebrating all day.
…and with that cryptic line, followed by her usual affectionate salutation, the letter ended, to her mother's utter consternation.
"Josie and Mr Barrett were celebrating? Celebrating what?"
Cassy, left in terrible suspense, wondered about the implications of Lizzie's words for her brother and his wife.
What was Julian doing? she asked herself. She was in two minds about writing to her daughter at once, demanding more information, but was afraid the letter may fall into Josie's hands and she, believing she was being spied upon, could possibly turn against Lizzie.
Cassy was wild to know what was going on. If only her sister-in-law Caroline were here, she thought, she could confide in her; but Caroline and her son David were gone to Manchester on business. Cassy was feeling very frustrated indeed.
She had just sat down to write to her daughter anyway, to ask for more information, when the doorbell rang. An express had been delivered; it was from Julian. Her brother wrote briefly, informing her that he was on his way to Matlock and was bringing Lizzie and little Anthony with him.
Cassandra had no idea what this meant, nor did she understand why Lizzie was returning with no warning. Could she have been taken ill? Cassy wondered, more worried now than ever.
Having spent the afternoon in an agony of uncertainty, in which a dozen different possibilities, each worse than the other, occurred to her, she heard her husband's carriage arrive and ran downstairs. He greeted her and, as they went upstairs together, he could sense that she was impatient to tell him something.
When they were in their apartments, she handed him both letters—Lizzie's written several days ago and Julian's much more recent express. Richard read each one slowly and, as he finished reading Julian's hastily scribbled note, his expression, which had been rather serious when he arrived, became very grave indeed. He did not speak for several minutes as she waited anxiously for his response.
When he spoke, his voice was quiet and very calm, as though he had deliberately composed himself to break the news to her as gently as possible."I think, my love, you must prepare yourself for a shock. I, too, have received an express from Julian, delivered to the hospital this afternoon. It would appear both letters were despatched together.
"He does not say very much more than he does in yours, but it is quite clear to me that Josie is no longer with him. He says he is bringing Anthony to us, because there is no longer anyone to care for the boy, and as for Lizzie, he states that it would not be seemly for her to stay on at his house alone. Now, I can only deduce from those words that his wife has left the house. If that is the case, I entirely agree that Lizzie cannot remain there alone."
Cassandra could not believe what she was hearing, yet she could not contest a word of it. Logic and reason, good sense even, no longer seemed to apply to what was rapidly becoming a nightmare. Nothing had prepared her for this possibility.
Despite the kindness of her husband, as he tried to alleviate her distress, the shock was just too much for her. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and she hid her face in her pillow, as she tried to absorb the implications of what she had just heard. It was an appalling prospect, one she had not expected to confront in her life ever. That such a thing should befall a member of her family, indeed her own dear brother, was unthinkable. There was little Richard could do or say to comfort her. She was apprehensive and confused. A bewildering afternoon was followed by an evening of anxiety, during which no question could be answered, and a sleepless night.
* * *
Julian Darcy arrived in the late afternoon of the following day, having travelled from Cambridge in a hired vehicle, stopping only for refreshment and to change horses on the way. When he alighted and carried his sleeping son int
o the house, Cassy could see her brother was suffering both shock and exhaustion.
His eyes were red with lack of sleep and she was stunned by the desolation of his entire demeanour; he appeared to move as if in a trance, said nothing, and made no attempt to explain anything.
Only young Lizzie seemed to have her wits about her. She took the sleeping child from his arms and carried him upstairs to her room, where she laid him in her bed, removed his jacket and boots, loosened his inner clothing, and let him sleep. But even Lizzie had nothing to say that could in some way enhance her mother's comprehension of the situation they faced.
Dr Gardiner had returned early from the hospital to await his brother-in-law's arrival. When he saw Julian, he went to him at once and took his hand. Julian nodded, embraced his sister, and walking directly into the sitting room, he almost collapsed into an armchair by the fire. Richard hastened to get him a drink and Cassy sent for refreshments, but Julian did not say a word. When at last he did speak, his words came quietly and very quickly, as though he was ashamed of what he was saying and wished to get it over with.
"Cassy, Richard, what can I say? I am sorry, deeply sorry to cause you all this trouble. I would have given anything to spare you and my parents this pain. But there was nothing I could do." He paused and said simply,"Josie is gone away to London with Mr Barrett."
There was an audible gasp; Cassy was incredulous.
"What?"
"Yes, and she left this note." He took from his pocket a scrap of blue notepaper, adding,"He has promised to publish her poetry and perhaps also a collection of articles and essays, she says. She claims she is going, not because she loves him, but because she needs her freedom. She says she can no longer write and work as she wants to under my roof." His voice was flat and cold, like that of someone reporting the death of a stranger, a person for whom they felt nothing at all.
In the awful silence that followed, Cassy could neither speak nor weep.
She sat before him, feeling cold and ill, as she heard her husband ask,"And have you made any attempt to find her or speak with her?" as he poured out another drink, which Julian swallowed hurriedly, before replying,"No, I have not, Richard; there is nothing I can say, nothing I have not said before, which will make her change her mind.
"Josie told me a long time ago that she no longer loved me; she felt I was putting my own work before her and that I had not taken her work seriously. It was not enough to say that I loved her and Anthony dearly, which I did, better than my life; she wanted something more, which, clearly she had decided I could not give her."
"What was it, did she say?" Richard asked.
"Not in so many words," Julian replied,"but it was clear she was unhappy and discontented. Perhaps she wanted more praise for her work or more accommodation of her literary friends. I never objected to them coming to the house, but if I had work to do, I would, after some time, withdraw to my study. Josie was offended. She thought I did not value them, because their work was not scientific, like mine was.
"This was not true. I never was rude or arrogant with them; I am not an arrogant person. It is simply the case that I had little in common with them, people like Barrett and Jones and the Wallace-Groom women; I had little to say to them and they certainly found even less to say to me," he explained sadly."But I must confess, I did not think she would leave.
I always hoped she would stay, for Anthony's sake, at least. Clearly, I was mistaken. I suppose Barrett's promise to publish her book must have tipped the scales against us."
He sounded so resigned, so totally abandoned, that Cassy cried out,"But my dear Julian, did you not try to stop her, plead with her?"
He shook his head."I had no chance, Cassy; she was gone when I returned home from the college, taking Susan, her maid, with her and most of her clothes and jewellery. Earlier in the week, she had dismissed the nurse, Mrs Hunt, while Lizzie and Anthony were out walking in the park. Josie claimed Mrs Hunt had been gossiping with the servants; except for the cook and Mr Bates, there were just Lizzie, Anthony, myself, and the maid left."
Seeing his sister's shocked expression, he added,"I did not know what to do, Cassy; it was your Lizzie who suggested that we bring Anthony here. She said she could care for him until we found a suitable nurse. I did not know what else I could have done."
Richard and Cassy spoke, almost as one, to assure him he had done the right thing. Lizzie's suggestion had been a sensible and practical one, they said; Anthony would be safe and cared for by all of them and he would have James for company, too. Their youngest son was almost the same age as Anthony. The relief on Julian's face was plain to see. Cassy had tears in her eyes but struggled to hold them back, lest they should exacerbate her brother's grief.
Shortly afterwards, Lizzie came downstairs to say that Anthony was still fast asleep; she had asked the chambermaid to prepare the spare room for Julian and have an extra bed made up in her own room for the child.
"Once he settles down here, he can share James's room, can he not, Mama?" she asked, and Cassy agreed, amazed at the calmness with which Lizzie had made all the arrangements.
Richard had noticed that Julian was quite exhausted and decided it was best to show him to his room, while Lizzie put her arms around her mother and suggested that she, too, should rest a while before dinner.
"Mama, you need have no concerns at all about Anthony," she said as they went upstairs."I am well able to care for him and he is not at all a difficult child. Indeed I have had the care of him for most of this month, since Aunt Josie has had little time for him and Susan has been kept busy with her mistress's errands. Anthony, who is a very bright little fellow, became my companion and friend."
Cassy looked at her daughter, searching her face, seeing her in a whole new light.
"Tell me, Lizzie, how long have you known this was going to happen?" she asked.
Lizzie's voice was matter of fact, deliberately undramatic."I have suspected it for quite some time, Mama, but I have only known for certain this week. Do you recall the party of which I wrote, the one we attended with Hetty and Dora Wallace-Groom and there met Mr Barrett and Mr Jones?"
Cassy nodded, recalling the letter clearly.
"Well, I suspected then that something was afoot, but I was unsure whether it was Mr Barrett or Mr Jones. I think Aunt Josie believes that Mr Barrett is in love with her."
"And is he?" asked her mother.
"I think not, Mama. I have seen him flirting with Hetty Wallace-Groom when Aunt Josie is not present; but I think she believes that he loves her and will help get her book published by his friend Mr Jones, who is a partner in a publishing firm in London. I am convinced that is the only reason why she has encouraged him and finally gone to him. I cannot believe she loves him; I have certainly seen no sign of it, yet she lets him think she does."
Cassy's face was grave."Lizzie, my dear, if you knew what was going on, why did you not write me something of what was happening?" she asked, but Lizzie shook her head and, suddenly, her eyes filled with tears.
"What good would it have done, Mama? Neither you nor Papa could have stopped her. She had Susan pack her trunk with her best clothes and jewellery almost a week before she left. I saw the trunk in Susan's room and questioned her, but she made some excuse about Josie wanting to be rid of some old, unfashionable garments.
"Which means Susan knew it all?" Cassy was outraged.
"Yes and, as I have told you, she will do anything for Aunt Josie, so devoted is she to her. But, even Susan does not entirely approve of Mr Barrett. She doesn't trust him, nor Mr Jones, and I do not blame her," said Lizzie.
Another, even more dreadful possibility had occurred to Cassy."Lizzie, is it possible Josie may be duped by both these men?" she asked.
Lizzie could not be sure; she did not know them well enough, she said, to make such a judgment. It was possible that Barrett was fond of Josie and would help her publish her book, but she could not be sure. Of Andrew Jones she knew little, she said, and what she
knew she did not like. It was clear to her mother that Lizzie had little respect for either man.
Cassy felt her heart sink, as she contemplated the situation. There was no hope or comfort to be found anywhere. Each new question that was answered appeared to bring even more uncertainty. There was only one absolute certainty: her parents would have to be told the truth; there could be no question of dissembling, for surely the news would soon be known in London.
"Oh, Lizzie, this is such a wretched situation; the shock will kill poor Mama," she said, her face betraying the extent of her anxiety.
"As for Papa, I do not know how he will bear it. He has always spoken up for Josie; even when Mama and Aunt Jane were very critical of her for not taking an interest in Pemberley, Papa defended her, pointing out that she was very young and ambitious and entitled to be so."
Lizzie knew exactly what her mother meant. She had heard her grandfather praise Josie's work and she, too, wondered how her grandparents, who had already lost one son, would cope with the disastrous fate of the other. For surely, what was a terrible personal loss for Julian Darcy must also be a catastrophe for Pemberley, when the man who was to be its next master was suddenly deserted by his wife.
Her mother insisted upon hearing all the particulars, asking several questions, not all of which Lizzie could answer.
"You must tell me everything, Lizzie. I need to know it all if I am to answer the questions that will surely come from Mama, not to mention Rebecca Tate. Now, she must have had a dreadful shock. I wonder, could she have had any apprehension of Josie's intentions?"
Lizzie was of the belief that neither Mrs Tate nor her husband would have had any inkling of what Josie intended doing.
"They could not have had any misgivings, because I know that Mr Tate is acquainted with Mr Jones's firm; they do business together and indeed Andrew Jones has been invited to stay at the Tates' place in London on occasions. I have heard them speak of it. I have no doubt he would have introduced Mr Barrett to the family; they are very close," said Lizzie.
Mr. Darcy's Daughter Page 15