Chapter 10
Her brother’s statement notwithstanding, Fanny sought him out once her husband had walked into Meryton to frequent the tap room in the Red Lion Inn. She found the Gardiners in the drawing room.
Gardiner looked up when he heard the door open. When he saw it was his sister, his look hardened. “Is this not a room which you are forbidden to enter, Mrs Collins?”
“Edward, my husband hit me. He was angry that I bent the truth about who compromised whom,” Fanny wailed. “You must save me from him and make sure he never strikes me again.”
“You will address me as Mr Gardiner,” he instructed.
“Just like you were told when you compromised Bennet, and you did not like the results, you have made your bed, and now you must lie in it. That being said, I think that men who lay their hands on a woman are lowly cowards. However, as he is legally your husband, he may do with you what he will. The only thing the law does not allow is for him to murder you. After what you have done, do you truly expect sympathy from me? Where are my wards?”
No matter what, Fanny knew she could never tell the truth.
She was sure that if she did, Mr Long would arrest her, and she would rot in gaol or worse.
She turned to the woman her brother married.
They had not been introduced properly yet, and she cared not.
“You see what kind of man you have married? He will not defend you, just like he refuses to help me,” she lashed out.
“Yes, he would!” Maddie exclaimed. “When you harmed the girls who are our wards, you forfeited any of your brother’s assistance or goodwill.
I married a man I love, not for selfish motives like you did with both of your husbands.
Edward would protect me with his life, as I would do for him if it was needed.
That is what love is. Love is when the needs of the one you adore come first, and you care more about them than yourself.
You and that man you tied yourself to love no one but yourselves.
Are you so delusional that you think you can do what you have done, treat people the way you do, and any of us would show you sympathy?
As my wonderful husband told you, you made your choice; and now you have to live with it.
“That your husband hit you disgusts me. No matter what you have done, I do not wish such a fate on you. However, it was not us who married the man without knowing him. Had you waited a few more days, your brother would have told you about the kind of man with whom you have aligned yourself.”
“You would not have listened to me, is that not so?” Gardiner spat out.
His visage softened as he turned to his wife.
“You see, my love, my former sister always thinks she knows best; a little thing like provable facts would not deter her.” Gardiner turned back to Mrs Collins, his face hard once again.
“Even now when you come to me for help, you will not tell me what you did with Janey, Lizzy, and Mary. You disgust me, Mrs Collins! Before you go, know this. If we ever find evidence of what you did, you will be prosecuted in a court of law, and no one will save you from the consequences of your actions. Now begone!”
Fanny withdrew without another word. Edward hated her! She had not done anything so bad, had she? All she had done was make sure she would have enough allowance to get what she needed. How could that be wrong?
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Edith, what will we tell anyone who asks what the girl’s surnames are?
We cannot give them the Carrington name…
” Holder held up his hand to stall his wife’s protest. “… yet. If we do not discover any of their family, and no one comes to claim them, we will adopt them. Although, as I am sure you are aware, they will not be given the honorific of Lady even though they will have the Carrington name, and other than by blood, we will be their parents.”
“I care not about the honorific as long as the girls become ours,” Edith insisted.
“You need to temper your expectations and realise that no matter how remote the chance is, as time passes, someone may yet come and claim them,” Holder said lovingly. “Now back to the question of a family name?”
“We will not follow the tradition for foundlings by naming them by where they were discovered. My girls will not have the family name of Hyde Park, Rotten Row, or Shrubs! Why can we not use Carrington until we adopt them? There is no law against that, is there?”
“Then, how about Flora?” Holder jested.
“Paul, I was not joking. If they are to be called anything, I want it to be our family name. Now tell me, is there a law?”
“Of course, there is no law. I only worry for you, my darling Edith. If some family emerges and claims them, think how much more difficult it will be if we use the Carrington name. You must know I will always want you to be happy, and I could not imagine how it would break your heart to part with the girls.”
“Paul, your estimation of how I would feel to lose them is accurate. However, regardless of the name they have at the time, if that happens, it will be just as crushing to my heart.”
Holder was aware that his wife had already formed a motherly bond with Jane, Lizzy, and Mary, one of no less strength than she had with Jamey, who had been born of her body.
While he would keep searching for their family, his prayer would be that they would be able to keep the dear little girls.
‘One year,’ he promised himself silently.
‘If no one has been discovered to claim the girls by then, we will adopt them.’
“It will be as He wills it,” Holder said as he pulled his beloved into a warm hug.
“I cannot believe He led Jamey to Jane, Lizzy, and Mary for no reason that day in Hyde Park. I can feel it, Paul; they are meant to be our daughters, and I have to believe they will be.”
“Let us hope so. Now, is it not time to take all of the children into the park to play?” Holder reminded his wife.
“Indeed, the four boys will want to go riding soon enough, but they will entertain Jane and Lizzy first. I was not surprised when Lizzy wanted to join William on his cob the other day.” Edith smiled as she thought of how fearless Lizzy was.
After a lengthy kiss, Edith and Holder left the study to join the rest of the party.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Phillipses arrived back in Meryton late Saturday afternoon.
Even though they could have taken up residence at Netherfield Park, they chose, for now, to live in Phillips’s house.
The residence was next to the law office—with an entrance leading to Meryton’s main street—from there it extended back next to and behind the office with the largest section of the abode above the law office and the downstairs part.
Morris had presented the local estate to Agatha as a wedding present, and even though Phillips had insisted it remain her property in the marriage contract, she had refused and made it part of their marital property.
In their discussion during the long arduous journey from Cornwall to Meryton, they had decided to keep Netherfield Park available for lease, but it would mean having to staff it again.
There were a few servants left at the manor house, but the Morrises had taken the Nicholses, the butler and the housekeeper, along with several other servants, to Beech Hill to offset retirements and the fact that Morris’s uncle had only kept a small group of servants at the estate.
The lease would give them a good income, and if, when, God blessed them with children, then they would consider moving to the estate.
Once they had washed and changed, Phillips was about to set out for Longbourn when his butler delivered the message which had been conveyed from Mr Gardiner. Phillips told his manservant to take the horse from the stables and ride to Longbourn to inform the Gardiners that he was home.
In less than an hour, the Gardiner carriage stopped in the street outside the Phillips’ abode.
“Welcome home, Phillips, and our hearty congratulations to you and Mrs Phillips. I am only sorry we are not here under better circumstances,” Gardiner stated as he bowed to the new Mrs Phillips. “Allow me to introduce my wife, Mrs Madeline Gardiner, formally of Lambton in Derbyshire.”
“Gardiner, you have met Agatha before, have you not?” Phillips enquired. When Gardiner indicated he had, Phillips introduced Agatha to Mrs Gardiner. “Now that the courtesies are done, tell me what I need to know.”
“Fanny married the heir…” Gardiner told Phillips all he had learnt since arriving at Longbourn, including Collins assaulting his wife.
“I am sure we have not heard anything close to the truth, but even when I attempted to intimidate Fanny, she kept to her fantasy about what happened to the girls, which she keeps repeating. It is as if her repeating it will somehow make it fact.”
“I assume they do not know about the clauses Bennet added to his will regarding his daughters, do they?” Phillips queried.
“It is certain they have not a clue. It will be interesting to see how they react when you read the will. I would enjoy having them wait even longer, but that would mean having to remain at Longbourn and not taking Maddie home. On the subject of leaving Longbourn…” Gardiner told Phillips what the staff, servants, and tenants intended.
“That is perfect!” Agatha exclaimed. “Frank, we will not need to seek staff and servants for Netherfield Park. We will employ any from Longbourn who want to work for us at our estate.”
Phillips saw Gardiner’s eyebrows shoot up. “It was a gift on the occasion of our wedding from my wife’s parents. Morris had already made her his heir, as she is for Beech Hill now. If we are blessed with a son, then he will be the heir apparent of the estate in Devonshire,” he elucidated.