by Ola Wegner
Her mother was clearly still convinced of Mr. Brooke’s serious intentions towards her. It resulted in Mr. Bennet’s unusually kind behaviour towards her. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth found herself the recipient of her mother’s tenderness and loving attentions. However, she was not fooled. Painful as it was, she knew that the only reason for Mrs. Bennet’s kind words and embraces was that her mother thought she was bringing a rich suitor into the family.
Elizabeth awaited with anticipation the arrival of the Gardiners for Christmas. They were to stay at Longbourn till the New Year, at least, and Elizabeth could hardly wait for a chance of a sincere conversation with Aunt Gardiner. There was no one she could talk to about Mr. Darcy, as she and Jane had seemed to make a silent vow to avoid the subject of the two gentlemen from Netherfield.
It was the fourth day after the Gardiners’ arrival when Aunt Madeline and Elizabeth at last found the opportunity to have a long desired conversation. The little Gardiners were left under the care of Jane, who was always full of ideas of how to organize their time and occupy their attention. Mrs. Bennet suffered from her nerves that day, resting in her room upstairs. Mary was diligently practicing the pianoforte while the youngest Bennet girls went to Meryton. The weather was surprisingly pleasant, sunny and unseasonably warm for late December. Consequently, Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner decided to take a long walk to Oakham Mount.
“So, Lizzy,” Mrs. Gardiner said, sitting on a fallen log after her niece had told her in detail about all that had happened since the three gentlemen had arrived into neighbourhood. “To sum the matters up, your heart feels for Mr. Darcy, disregarding entirely Mr. Brooke and Mr. Collins.” Mrs. Gardiner laughed heartily, seeing Elizabeth’s almost disgusted expression on mentioning Mr. Collins among the group of her admirers. “While Mr. Darcy is away with little hope of coming back soon.” she continued. “Mr. Collins is to be married to your friend, Charlotte, in early January, and Mr. Brooke is ready to make a most serious commitment to you at any moment.”
“It would seem you have the truth of it,” Elizabeth agreed, nodding her head.
“But what is most important, you are worried about what Mr. Brooke told you about Mr. Darcy and his elicit affair, and his illegitimate child. Your heart tells you to trust Mr. Darcy, but Mr. Brooke’s and Mr. Wickham’s words suggest that he is not to be trusted by a young woman like you.”
Elizabeth bit her lower lip. “Yes.”
“Well, my dear.” Mrs. Gardiner shook her head. “What a web we have here. Whoever wove it should have put some control over his imaginings for sure. Such creativity freely unleashed may prove to be dangerous.”
Elizabeth frowned, pouting. “Aunt, please, it is a serious matter for me.”
“I know, dear, and I am sorry. I know it gives you much heartache.” Mrs. Gardiner patted Elizabeth’s hand in a compassionate gesture. “Let me tell you something which I think should raise your spirits a bit. Although I do not want to imply that Mr. Brooke told untruths about Mr. Darcy on purpose, I think that there is a possibility he might have mistaken him for some other young man from Mr. Darcy’s social circles.”
Elizabeth brightened immediately. “I thought the same!”
“I should think you did.” Mrs. Gardiner smiled knowingly. “Elizabeth, I…” The older woman’s expression turned suddenly more serious. “You are aware that I was brought up in Derbyshire, are you not?”
Elizabeth nodded her head. “Yes.”
“I was acquainted with the Darcys.” Mrs. Gardiner stood up and walked to the edge of the cliff, staring at the countryside spread beneath her. “Until I married your Uncle, I had lived in the small town, Lambton, situated just five miles from Pemberley, the Darcy family estate.”
“And you know the family?” Elizabeth asked curiously.
“I had a pleasure of knowing Mr. Darcy’s mother and his father as well.” Mrs. Gardiner turned to Elizabeth. “I met Lady Anne a few times, and she was always very kind to me. She was a very understanding person, very forgiving of the faults and vices of others. Mr. Darcy’s parents were the best, the most honourable people I have ever met in my life. Trust me on this, Lizzy. And although I left Derbyshire almost ten years ago, when Mr. Darcy was yet a boy, I never heard a bad word concerning him from anyone there. All seemed to believe he would follow admirably into his father’s footsteps as landlord and master of such a grand estate. And even if it happened that he had a child out of wedlock, which is, as you must have heard, quite common for the gentlemen of his circle in general, I assure you the child is well taken care of. Darcy would never abandon his child.”
Elizabeth looked searchingly at Mrs. Gardiner. “Aunt, forgive me, but you sound as if you knew Mr. Darcy’s family very well.”
Mrs. Gardiner stayed silent for a while to speak in a soft voice. “Because I knew them quite well.” She raised her hand in a gesture of protest upon seeing Elizabeth’s most curious expression. “But please, niece, do not ask more questions. Just trust me on this. The Darcys were good people, and I believe that your Mr. Darcy is a good man as well. As I said, we cannot entirely exclude the possibility that Mr. Darcy fathered a child and, for some reason, did not marry or, more probably, could not marry the mother, even though I find it rather hard to believe, knowing his father’s…” Mrs. Gardiner paused, as if deciding how much to say. “I have reasons to believe that his father specifically warned his son against such liaisons. Old Mr. Darcy was a decent man, even if not perfect,” Mrs. Gardiner paused again, a strange unreadable expression on her face. “Which cannot be said about Mr. Wickham, for example,” she added more cheerfully after a moment.
“Mr. Wickham?” Elizabeth cried in surprise. “You were acquainted with his family as well?”
“No, though I heard his father to be a decent man. However, his son was well known for his misbehaviours in the entire neighbourhood.”
Elizabeth eyes sparkled with new interest. “What misbehaviours?”
“He did not live in a way that a young man should have lived. I know, for example, that just before I left, he was indebted to most of the merchants in Lambton. Moreover, there were also some gambling debts, from what I heard. And…” she hesitated for a moment before adding in a lowered voice. “tales that he tried to seduce every servant at Pemberley under the age of thirty.”
Elizabeth gasped and shook her head in confusion. “Mr. Wickham? Who would have thought? He seems to be such a pleasant gentleman.”
“I must say that I am relieved to see him paying more attention to Miss King than to any of my nieces. Do not trust him, Elizabeth. I think he tends to omit the truth much too often, especially in the story I have heard him spread about Mr. Darcy!” Mrs. Gardiner huffed. “I am certain it is a falsehood. Mr. Darcy would never go against his father’s wish; I am convinced of it. I think that Mr. Wickham simply refused to take that living and was given some handsome compensation instead. Besides, the thought of him being a curate at Kympton is simply ridiculous. He is as suited for the clergy as me for the Navy.”
“Charlotte suggested almost the same, Aunt.” Elizabeth remarked, remembering her friend’s words from the ball at Netherfield.“She thought from the very beginning Mr. Wickham’s story concerning Mr. Darcy to be unbelievable.”
“Your friend is a very reasonable person. She knows the realities of life.”
“And I do not?”
“You are still very young.” Mrs. Gardiner cupped Elizabeth’s cheek with a smile. “When you are closer my age, you will see many things in a different light.”
There was a moment of silence before Mrs. Gardiner spoke first. “We should be going back, Lizzy. Little Edward is still too small to be left alone for a longer time.”
Elizabeth glanced at the older woman’s preoccupied expression, and she knew that her Aunts’ thoughts were already with her children. Mrs. Gardiner was a most devoted mother and wife, and in that sense, she was a role model for Elizabeth, which she perhaps lacked in her own mother. Every time Eliz
abeth stayed in London with the Gardiners, she observed how much hard work Madeline Gardiner put every single day into raising her children into good, worthy people and creating a welcoming, warm home for her husband. She never pushed her children away from her, nor pretended to be ill, locking herself for whole days away from her family in her rooms. She never ignored her children when they were sad or came to her with their own little worries, no matter how silly they might seem to be for an adult.
“As for Mr. Brooke,” Mrs. Gardiner continued as they were walking down the hill. “I saw the way he looks at you. He wants you. He will not desist in pursuing you.”
Elizabeth thought for a moment before she answered. “I do respect him. He flatters me and my own pride with his admiration. I like talking with him, but that is all. I do not desire anything more.”
Mrs. Gardiner laughed. “But he desires much more from you, Elizabeth. You must tell him in no uncertain terms how you feel.”
“But I have!” Elizabeth cried.
“Forgive me, my dear, but I observed you with him, and your behaviour tells him maybe and not never.”
“I enjoy his company,” Elizabeth spoke in guilty voice, as if defending herself. “He is an intelligent man, and his opinions and his understanding of the world are refreshing. He talks with me about politics and current affairs. No other gentleman of my acquaintance, apart from Papa, of course, is willing to speak on such matters with a woman.”
Mrs. Gardiner stopped abruptly and put her hands on Elizabeth shoulders, speaking firmly. “Elizabeth, Mr. Brooke is a mature, experienced man. He knows how to engage you, how to draw the attention of a young, intelligent, but still very innocent and naive woman like you. He knows exactly what he is doing, my dear. If you really do not wish to marry him, my advice is to keep your distance and stop any kind of flirting, no matter how innocent it may seem to be to you. Otherwise, you will end up married to him before springtime comes. He does not understand, or rather refuses to understand, the small nuisances of drawing room chit chat, especially when it comes to you.”
“Perhaps you are right. I have not thought about it in this way,” Elizabeth murmured, her brows creased. “You do not hold Mr. Brooke in high esteem, do you, Aunt?”
“I have nothing against him. He is very rich, but he seems to be very determined in all aspects of his life, I dare say. Your uncle has never had any business connections with him, but he has heard that Mr. Brooke has the reputation of being very firm, and even ruthless, in dealings with his business partners.” Mrs. Gardiner looked at her niece with genuine concern. “I simply want you to understand that he is not a man to trifle with.”
“Thank you, Aunt. I shall give due consideration to your words,” Elizabeth said earnestly.
Mrs. Gardiner smiled. “That is all I ask.”
They were approaching Longbourn’s park when they heard the happy children’s cries. The two eldest, well bundled, Gardiner children, the seven year old twins, Samuel and Lucy, were running around the park, clearly looking for something. The game was, however, immediately stopped the moment they spotted their mother and Elizabeth.
“Mama, Mama, Cousin Elizabeth, we are playing hide and seek with Cousin Jane!” they cried excitedly, one through the other. “Cousins Jane is hiding now with Edward. You and Cousin Lizzy must help us to look for them. Come!”
“Of course we will!” Mrs. Gardiner smiled, gathering her children to herself. “But first there is one very important matter I need to finish discussing with Lizzy.”
Elizabeth leaned confidentially and whispered something into Samuel’s ear. The boy’s face brightened, and taking his sister’s hand, he pulled her with him, both of them running in the direction of the stables.
Mrs. Gardiner took Elizabeth’s hand. “And what about Mr. Darcy?”
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “I do not know.”
“But you still like him, I reckon.”
Elizabeth nodded her head.
“But you are afraid whether you would be able to accept Mr. Darcy as a suitor, knowing he may have a child with another woman.”
Elizabeth’s expression clouded. “Aunt, I will not have to deal with such a situation. I doubt I will see Mr. Darcy ever again.”
“Oh, I would not be so sure of it, Elizabeth.” Mrs. Gardiner smiled, her eyes twinkling. “I think that sometimes we should help the luck a little. I think that you and Jane should come back with us to London and spend some time there. You could call on Mr. Bingley’s sister, perhaps. What do you think of such a plan?
“Oh, Aunt, that would be wonderful!” Elizabeth spontaneously kissed Mrs. Gardiner’s cheek. “Thank you!”
“We have found them!” They heard Samuel’s voice and turned to see the twins running to them, with Jane walking behind them, carrying little Edward. The baby, on seeing his mother, started twisting in Jane’s arms, extending his tiny hands towards Mrs. Gardiner.
“Jane!” Elizabeth ran to her sister. “Aunt invited us to stay with them in London. Do you know what that means? You will be able to call on Mr. Bingley’s sisters!”
Jane blushed instantly, carefully handing the baby to his mother. However, Elizabeth could see that her sister was pleased with the news.
***
The next day, Mr. Gardiner got a letter from London, his business calling him back to town even before the New Year. He went alone the same day, while his wife and children were to join him in two days. Mrs. Gardiner revealed the plan of Jane and Lizzy’s accompanying her to London and staying there for some time. Mrs. Bennet acclaimed the idea when it came to Jane, but rejected the thought of Elizabeth going as well. It was not to be borne for Elizabeth to leave Longbourn when Mr. Brooke was here, so close to proposing.
To Elizabeth’s disappointment, her father supported her mother this time. Mr. Bennet asked her to stay, explaining that he would not survive with her and Jane absent at the same time. Elizabeth took it to heart, considering as well that in a little over two months, she was scheduled to travel to Kent to visit Charlotte.
Two days before New Year,? Jane went with Mrs. Gardiner and the children to London. Every day Elizabeth anticipated a letter with the news about Jane’s meeting with Mr. Bingley, and perhaps even with his friend Mr. Darcy.
Chapter Ten
Elizabeth was sitting on the bench in the quiet corner of Longbourn garden, reading the latest letter from Jane for perhaps the tenth time. The content of the letter was the source of great distress and true worry for her. Though her sister had been in London for five weeks already, she had not seen Mr. Bingley even once. Jane had called on Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley, only to hear that their brother had been extremely busy, clearly too busy to see her. Moreover, Jane informed her as well that she had been told by Mrs. Hurst that Mr. Darcy and his sister had decided to spend Christmas in Derbyshire, and they had been absent from London for the entire winter.
Elizabeth’s worried eyes returned again to the last paragraph of her sister’s letter.
… I must admit, Lizzy, that you were perfectly right in your observation of the true character of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. When I called at Mrs. Hurst’s they talked to me as if their only wish was to end the visit as soon as possible. I had waited for over two weeks for them to return their visit to me, and when they came at last, they stayed for not more than a quarter of an hour. They barely spoke a word to Aunt Gardiner, as if ignoring her presence or perhaps finding her not suitable enough even to be civil with. Mrs. Hurst, as well, made me aware that they were all invited for the entire summer to visit at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy’s estate in Derbyshire, as his special guests. Moreover, Caroline hinted in no uncertain terms that it was Mr. Darcy who insisted on their visit, as he wishes Mr. Bingley to become better acquainted with his sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy. I am convinced now, Lizzy, that even if Mr. Bingley cared for me, if only a little in the past, he does not feel anything for me now at all. It is perhaps painful to acknowledge this, but I think it is truly better to do it
now and cease feeding myself with the illusion in the future.
“May I ask what has brought such a poignant expression on such a lovely face?” Elizabeth lifted her distracted face on hearing the man’s voice.
“Mr. Brooke, I have not expected to see you today,” she said, folding her letters carefully, her eyes not meeting his face.
“I have come to call on your parents to invite them, you, of course, and all your sisters to a small dinner party I plan to throw next week at Purvis Lodge. I have come on horseback today, entering from the other side of the park, and when I saw you sitting here, I simply could not help myself but greet you.
Elizabeth smiled wanly and stood up, her eyes catching the sight of a fine, black horse tied to the nearby tree.
“But perhaps I interrupted you on something important.” Mr. Brooke eyed her carefully. “I do not wish to impose…”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, I have been reading a letter from my sister, Jane, that is all. I was about to go back home before you came. It is getting cold.” She adjusted her velvet cape around herself more securely.
“Shall we?” Mr. Brooke offered his arm, which she accepted with a polite smile.
They walked to Mr. Brooke’s horse to untie him, so it could follow them.
“We have not seen you for quite a while now,” Elizabeth noted.
Brooke stopped instantly and leaned over, gazing into her eyes. “You have noticed,” he spoke in a low voice, his other hand covering her small one resting on his arm.