Pemberley Chronicles

by Rebecca Ann Collins

  She wrote to her friend Charlotte, who had just been delivered of another daughter—Rebecca Ann:

  I am indeed happy, dear Charlotte. The added pleasure of having my dearest sister Jane less than two hours’ drive from Pemberley, with the promise that in Spring, my uncle and Aunt Gardiner will move to Lambton a mere five miles away, shortly before my own baby is expected, is almost too much for one fortunate heart. I should have liked to have come to visit, dear Charlotte, but as you were when our dear Jane was delivered of Jonathan, so I am afraid am I quite unable to travel further than a few miles. I hope to go to Ashford Park at Christmas, but only for a day or two as I am warned that overtiring myself will not do. But, my dear friend, I hope and pray for your good health and that of both your little girls and trust we shall see you here soon. Jane tells me you have agreed to come to her in May; God willing, we shall see you at Pemberley, too.

  God bless you,

  Eliza.

  The good fortune that followed Elizabeth touched others in her family circle, too, that year. At Christmas, which was celebrated at Ashford Park in the kind of lavish style that Mr Bingley was accustomed to, Dr Grantley and Georgiana announced their engagement. The beautiful ring on her finger was admired for its design and envied for its value, by every other young woman present. For Elizabeth and Darcy, however, it was the near-certainty of Georgiana’s happiness with Dr Grantley that mattered most. Her gentleness was so perfectly complemented by his strength, and the pride he clearly felt in gaining her affection matched well her youthful devotion to him.

  Jane, who was seeing them together for the first time since their engagement, declared it to be “truly a match made in heaven.” “There is so much of genuine goodness in both of them, Lizzie, so open and honest in disposition are they, that there can be no other conclusion,” she declared, and for once, Elizabeth agreed completely. Even Jane could not exaggerate their virtues.

  Two days later, letters from Longbourn confirmed that Maria Lucas was to wed Dr. Faulkner at Easter and Kitty was to be her bridesmaid. Dr Faulkner had a thriving practice at Meryton but no house in the district, so the couple would live at Lucas Lodge—for the foreseeable future. Kitty and Mr Jenkins would be married in June and planned to travel to Bristol to visit his family home, before returning to the Rectory at Pemberley. Kitty had wanted to wait until after Elizabeth’s child was born, so her sister could attend her wedding. Meanwhile, tradesmen worked to improve the Rectory, as Darcy had promised, and to redecorate and furnish the new nursery at Pemberley.

  In spite of the unhappy state of the nation, the families on the Pemberley Estate and its neighbouring properties had survived the worst of the recession, thanks largely to responsible management by their owners and the hard work of their tenants. A determined effort had been made to assist the poor and dispossessed. No one starved in the environs of Pemberley or Ashford Park that Christmas; no unfortunate being was left homeless in the cold through the greed of landlords. This was no mean feat considering the widespread poverty and suffering that afflicted vast areas of rural England throughout the year.

  The churches and parish councils at Lambton, Pemberley, and Kympton had all played their part, seeking out people in trouble and helping families cope. Darcy and Elizabeth together with Dr Grantley and Georgiana used Boxing Day to distribute much food and clothing to the families in and around the Pemberley Estate. The choir of children sang as lustily and sweetly as ever at their party on Christmas Eve, where food was so plentiful that many of their families took away as much again as they had eaten. At Pemberley, the festivities were quiet and unostentatious, with the gladness and good cheer deriving mainly from the warmth of friendship and Christian kindness.

  In the New Year, the Gardiners moved to Lambton, sooner than anticipated. Winter had brought home to all Londoners, save those who lived in ivory towers and palaces, the extent of suffering and anger in the community. Mr and Mrs Gardiner had been feeling increasingly uneasy, living comfortably though by no means luxuriously, in the midst of such deprivation. The large itinerant population that wandered the streets made life less safe and hastened their decision to move.

  Once settled at Oakleigh Manor, where they acquired a whole new set of social responsibilities, they were, especially Mrs Gardiner and her daughters, regular visitors at Pemberley. Caroline, at fourteen, an accomplished, charming, and intelligent young lady, was devoted to Elizabeth and adored following her around Pemberley, while Emily, who was just nine, was a great reader and scribbler, and could only be persuaded to leave the library at meal times. The two families, already bound by ties of respect and affection, would grow even closer together. Elizabeth and Jane depended upon their aunt as they might upon a beloved elder sister for companionship and advice. Darcy, Bingley, and Mr Gardiner not only had a thriving business partnership; their friendship had developed from a coalescence of interests as well as a strong foundation of mutual affection and regard.

  At Easter, Jane attended Maria Lucas’ wedding and returned with the only piece of sad news they had heard in a year or more. Lady Lucas was sinking slowly from a long, unremitting illness and Maria’s wedding had in fact been brought forward for her mother’s sake. A nurse now lived permanently at Lucas Lodge, and Maria and her doctor husband would reside there for as long as her mother needed his care. As Kitty wrote:

  She is not expected to survive the Summer, Lizzie. Maria and Nurse Williams are her constant companions. Dr Faulkner is very kind and attends Lady Lucas on every occasion—to ease her pain. Truly, Lizzie, he is such a good doctor, we cannot imagine what they would do without him.

  Jane confirmed Kitty’s news. She also said that Charlotte had promised to come to Ashford Park and Pemberley, but unfortunately, Mr Collins could not be long away from her Ladyship at Rosings and would have to return to Kent after a week with the Bingleys—no doubt to report to his patron on the state and style of the Bingleys’ establishment. Charlotte, however, would stay on and bring her two little girls as well to Pemberley. This singular piece of good news was almost sufficient to help Elizabeth overcome the sadness of Kitty’s letter, but, unwilling to outrage her sister’s sensibilities, she said nothing, except that she was looking forward to seeing Charlotte and her daughters, prompting Jane to draw a comparison with themselves in childhood, when Charlotte, Jane, and Lizzie had been the happiest threesome in Meryton.

  Later, Elizabeth wrote to Charlotte extending an invitation to her to stay at Pemberley for as long as she could tear herself away from Hunsford and Rosings Park. Elizabeth smiled as she sealed her letter. What pleasure to look forward to Spring, her friend Charlotte, her baby, and no Mr Collins! Dear God, she thought, it will be almost heaven.

  In the midst of the first Summer storm of 1817, when Doctor Stephens was away in Derby on a Saturday afternoon, umpiring a game of cricket, with only her Aunt Gardiner and Mrs Reynolds to assist with her arrival, Elizabeth’s daughter was born.

  Darcy, who had to be called from a meeting with Mr Gardiner in Lambton, was for the first time anyone could remember, quite incapable of doing anything more than pace the floor and demand news of his wife every five minutes. Fortunately, Dr Grantley, who was visiting Georgiana and Mr Gardiner, kept him company. They urged him in vain to be patient and kept him from riding out in the rain to fetch the errant doctor.

  Darcy was quite furious with the doctor. “How could he have gone to Derby for a cricket match on such a day as this?” he asked, “And what sort of cricket would they play in this weather?” It was of no use to point out that no one had expected to see Elizabeth brought to bed till at least the end of May and it had been a fine morning for the cricket.

  Mrs Gardiner, who had had four children of her own, Mrs Reynolds, similarly qualified, and young Jenny managed very well indeed. Little Cassandra Jane was born late that afternoon and was declared by all to be the loveliest baby they had ever seen. She was presented to her delighted parents by Mrs Gardiner, just as Dr Stephens arrived, breathless and apologetic,
too late to do more than declare that the ladies had done very well indeed and both mother and daughter were in excellent health.

  Darcy, who had been threatening dire consequences for the doctor’s neglect of his duty, was so delighted with his wife and daughter, he was all smiles and thanked Dr Stephens, as though he had been present all the time. With the luxury of an estate free of entail, Darcy was untroubled by questions of a male heir. While he was confident that some years later they would have a son, who would carry on the family traditions at Pemberley, it was, he said, not a matter of great consequence.

  The cause of his happiness was the safe delivery of a beautiful little girl—and his only concern, her health and the comfort of his wife. Elizabeth, who had secretly hoped for a son, had no time for disappointment. Her time was taken up with the demands of a lively daughter, whose resemblance to her handsome father and lovely mother was being discovered by every visitor who called to see her.

  It was a long time since there had been a child born at Pemberley, and every tenant and neighbour wanted a glimpse. In the time-honoured tradition, they all felt they had to see some family resemblance in Cassandra that no other visitor had detected. One saw her father’s noble brow; another, the lovely dark eyes and the glowing complexion of her mother. Mrs Reynolds even thought there was a hint of Mr Darcy’s late mother in her eyes.

  Elizabeth, who had been forewarned by her husband to expect all this attention, took it in her stride. She was sensible enough to know that Cassandra Jane belonged to Pemberley as much as to her proud parents. To her happy godparents Jane and Charles Bingley, Cassandra Jane was going to be “a beautiful little friend for Jonathan.”To her mother and father, she was the centre of their universe.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Angry voices and

  honourable gentlemen

  A BRIEF NOTE FROM MR Darcy had informed Lady Catherine de Bourgh of his sister’s engagement to Dr Francis Grantley of St John’s College,Oxford. Soon afterwards, Georgiana Darcy had written to her aunt—advising of her own engagement and promising to visit Rosings, in the near future. She had consulted both her brother and sister-in-law before writing and had been forewarned to expect a volley of probing and personal questions. When there was no response to either communication, Georgiana was anxious that she had, unwittingly, offended her aunt but was equally uncertain of what she should do next.

  The birth of Cassandra Jane had brought with it the particular pleasure of being an aunt herself, which thrust all thoughts of Lady Catherine into the background, until one day in June, when she was sitting with Elizabeth and Cassandra in the nursery. It was a time both young women enjoyed since it gave them an opportunity to talk, as sisters do, of many matters, significant or sentimental as the case may be. They were discussing the possibility of Cassy’s growing up with an interest in music and painting. Elizabeth felt sure that being surrounded by so much beautiful art and music at Pemberley, there was no question Cassandra would acquire a taste for it but added, if she did not, then her Aunt Georgiana would have to take her in hand.

  They were interrupted when Jenny came in with a letter for Georgiana, from Lady Catherine. It acknowledged hers and the information it had contained concerning her engagement. With no further comment, the writer peremptorily summoned Georgiana and Dr Grantley to Rosings in July, suggesting that the third week of the month would be the most convenient. Almost as an afterthought, she sent her compliments to Mr and Mrs Darcy and hoped they and their daughter were well.

  The tone and timing of the letter amused Elizabeth, who declared, “There you are, Georgiana, you need not have worried about displeasing Lady Catherine at all. She has probably investigated Dr Grantley’s family background and prospects and finding them quite satisfactory, she now wants to meet him; so you are commanded to present yourselves at Rosings!”

  Georgiana laughed and asked, “How can you be certain that she approves?” On this point at least, Elizabeth could reassure her, “Of course she approves, if she did not, she would probably have driven over in her chaise and four to tell you so and demand that you end it at once!” Elizabeth’s eyes were sparkling as she spoke, and Georgiana refused to take her seriously. But her brother, who had come in as Elizabeth was speaking and had heard her words, laughed as he assured his sister that it was indeed true.

  “Lizzie is absolutely right; believe me, Georgiana, if Lady Catherine had disapproved of Francis Grantley, we would have heard about it.”

  “Then you think Dr Grantley and I should arrange to go to Rosings?”

  “Certainly, and you had better make certain that he has all the information at his command, for Lady Catherine will want to know everything about him,” said Darcy, then seeing the alarm this was causing his sister, he relented and confessed he was only teasing.

  Elizabeth intervened to point out that the dates suggested by Lady Catherine would probably suit Georgiana and Francis Grantley well, since they would all have travelled to Hertfordshire for Kitty’s wedding the previous week.

  Darcy did, however, have another, pleasanter surprise for both of them. He had only just received in the mail a letter from Colonel Fitzwilliam. He wrote that he was returning to England in the Autumn, “in time for Christmas at Pemberley and Georgiana’s wedding in the New Year.” Both Elizabeth and Georgiana were delighted with the news but also a little puzzled. While she could understand his eagerness to attend Georgiana’s wedding, Elizabeth could not help feeling that there was more to his decision to return earlier than planned.

  As Darcy read out more of the letter, it became clearer; Fitzwilliam had received much news of the present unrest in the country and the Parliament. He had always been more interested in politics than his cousin, and having met with some members of the Reform Group, he was anxious to be involved. He wrote:

  There seems to be a great deal of talking about reform and very little action. I cannot help thinking that the time is right to demand more representative government in Britain than we now enjoy. So many nations of Europe are achieving a level of democracy greater than ours, and the American Colonies have declared themselves for Independence and Democracy; it shames me to have to admit that our Parliament is filled with members of the landowning aristocracy elected from rotten boroughs to govern us.

  Elizabeth and Georgiana sat in stunned silence. “So you see,” said Darcy, “Fitzwilliam is returning to join the Reform Movement.”

  “I would never have guessed he was so keen,” said Elizabeth, still incredulous.

  “He has always had strong views on the subject,” said Darcy, “He could not abide the old high Tories who dominate Parliament. I have known that. What I did not know was that he had become sufficiently passionate to involve himself directly in the movement. Well, we shall see what he says and does, when he arrives,” he said, putting away the letter. Darcy then informed Elizabeth that he intended to invite Fitzwilliam to stay at Pemberley on his return, if she had no objection. Elizabeth made no objection at all; she had always enjoyed his company.

  “Does he say what he intends to do, apart from joining the Reform Movement?” she asked. Darcy nodded, “He writes that he wants to settle in this neighbourhood, he hopes to purchase a property, as he says ‘Within riding distance of Pemberley’—which must mean he is seriously interested.”

  “Could he be planning to marry?” Elizabeth asked. Darcy shook his head, “If he is, he is keeping it a secret. He makes no mention of it, nor do I see any other indication of such an intention in his letter. No, my love, I believe the answer lies in the head rather than the heart; he wants to settle in this part of the country, so he can ultimately stand for Parliament here.”

  “Do you really believe that?” asked his wife, astonished at this information.

  “Certainly, he has always been interested in politics, since his days at Cambridge; but being an officer in the army precluded him from taking an active role.” Elizabeth could hardly believe that the gentle, well-mannered Colonel was an ambitious politic
ian, but quite clearly Darcy knew more about his cousin than she could have gathered from her pleasant but short acquaintance with him. She still believed there was a lady in the picture, somewhere, but Darcy laughed and warned her against matchmaking, before he left them to go away and write to Fitzwilliam—inviting him to stay at Pemberley until he found a suitable property of his own.

  Charlotte Collins and her two little daughters—Catherine and Rebecca, having spent two weeks with Jane at Ashford Park—came to Pemberley. Darcy who had always acknowledged Mrs Collins with respect, as a sensible and intelligent woman, made them very welcome, and Elizabeth was truly delighted to spend some time with her friend again, especially as it was to be free of the encumbrance of Mr Collins. Charlotte brought good news from Jane for her sister: she was expecting her second child. Elizabeth wanted to tell her husband at once, but they found he had already walked down to the stables with the groom and the news would have to wait till later.

  Meanwhile, with their three little girls in the care of their nurses, Charlotte and Elizabeth prepared to spend a few days of leisure together. Their friendship went back many years and had been a source of fun as well as comfort, when she and Jane had longed to escape the shallow prattling of their mother. Charlotte’s mother, Lady Lucas, was a kind, well-meaning woman and had always welcomed the two elder Bennet girls as her daughter’s particular friends. Apart from the temporary coolness that had existed between them following Charlotte’s engagement to Mr Collins, an event that had bewildered and angered Elizabeth to the point where she had been rather insensitive to Charlotte’s feelings, they had continued to remain affectionate friends.

  Charlotte’s complete freedom from envy regarding the excellent marriages of Jane and Elizabeth, her sensitivity to the feelings of the Bennet family—in the matter of the entail on Longbourn—and her genuine concern for their happiness and well-being, set her apart as a true and valued friend. They spent most of that day talking of their families, especially their younger sisters—Maria and Kitty, who had also been firm friends since childhood.