Chapter 1
“Take care!”
Elizabeth held her breath while her aunt’s maid shrieked as once again another carriage attempted to pass her uncle’s conveyance in the dense and nearly blinding fog.
She had set out from Longbourn early that morning after a fond farewell from her father and Jane, barely repressed giggles from Kitty and Lydia, and cold indifference from her mother.
Elizabeth had thought the funereal dirge emanating from the music room rather comical at the time, but now she wondered whether Mary had experienced some premonition about the journey to come.
It had already been an exceptionally cold and wet few weeks, but all the rugs in the carriage could not stop Elizabeth’s teeth from chattering after only an hour into their trip.
Once they had finally entered London, the fog had become so thick that travel was perilous indeed.
Her uncle’s man had stopped the carriage on Bishopsgate Street and, after lighting a torch, set out to lead the horses on foot.
The wisdom in such a plan was swiftly proved, as they passed multiple carriages incapacitated on the side of the road, one of which had been tipped on its side.
At last, and with much relief, Elizabeth espied the front steps of the Gardiner residence. She had not even recognised that they were travelling down Gracechurch Street until the carriage came to a halt, for the fog had only grown thicker as they neared the river Thames.
“Lizzy! Come in, come in! I fear we shall freeze if we linger but a moment longer!”
With hurried movements, Elizabeth’s aunt rushed her through the front door and into the sitting room, where a roaring fire did wonders in restoring her frozen fingers and chilled cheeks.
“Thank heavens you have finally arrived! I was concerned I would have to send an express to your father saying we had lost you along the way!” Uncle Gardiner exclaimed, capturing his niece in a tight hug.
“Well, there is no need to fear, for I am quite well. Though I do not believe an express could have made it out of London! The roads are practically frozen, and the fog is the thickest I have ever seen. Several carriages that we passed had met with accidents—it was quite alarming!”
“You are safe now, and that is all that matters.”
Elizabeth relaxed as her aunt sat beside her and wrapped an arm about her shoulders in a comforting embrace. It was a relief to be warm and welcomed in the home of her favourite relations.
“Where are the children?”
“They have not yet awoken from their afternoon nap.”
“What? Did it truly take so long to travel less than thirty miles?”
Elizabeth’s astonishment quickly shifted to embarrassment as her stomach rumbled loudly—Mrs Hill’s basket of victuals for the carriage ride seemed like a distant memory. Without further prompting, her aunt rose to summon a maid with directions to bring Elizabeth’s meal as soon as it was ready.
“’Tis four o’clock! We were expecting you several hours ago,” Uncle Gardiner explained.
“I do believe this will be the coldest winter we have experienced in some years. It is possible your father’s plans may need to be changed, for if the weather continues to worsen, we may not be able to leave London for Christmas after all. ”
Uncle Gardiner’s words had proved correct, for shortly after her arrival in town the heavens had opened, and a thick blanket of snow had covered the city.
Elizabeth and her family were unable to leave the house for several days before the roads were gradually cleared and activity returned to the strangely quiet streets.
Heavy snowfall was not the only problem, however, as most of the water pipes on Gracechurch Street had frozen as well.
Every morning whilst she drank her tea by the front window, Elizabeth watched women lining up to use makeshift plugs to access the partially frozen cisterns under the road.
The problem was so widespread that the homes in Mayfair and Bloomsbury had to rely on the water plugs to sustain their households as well.
Between the snow and frigid temperatures, Elizabeth had barely set a foot out of doors since her arrival in London.
Most of her days were spent entertaining her four young cousins, who were also somewhat restless and irritable due to such prolonged confinement indoors.
Fortunately for Elizabeth and the children, at the end of the third week, Mr Gardiner returned home with news of a rather momentous nature.
“Well, my dear, the lads down at the warehouse were practically bustling with anticipation today—seems all this snow will finally bless us with a little Christmas cheer after all!”
Aunt Gardiner looked sceptical as she replied, “Really? And what pray tell did they have to say? Were they pleased with the prospect of shovelling snow off our roof a second time for fear of collapse? I, for one, could do without such diversions again.”
“Brighten up, Maddy! Lizzy, children, how would you like to visit a Frost Fair on the morrow?”
All at once, the atmosphere in the room changed. Elizabeth broke out into a smile, and her spirits only lifted further once Peter and Alice, the eldest of the Gardiner children, began to dance about the room.
“Oh, Papa, really? A fair? But—what is a Frost Fair exactly?” little Alice questioned.
Elizabeth lifted the girl onto her lap as she replied, “’Tis a fair on the ice! The Thames must have completely frozen over, so we shall dance and play games and make merry out on the river itself!”
“But how do you know so much about them, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth laughed. “My papa, of course! He was trapped in London during the last fair in eighty-nine.”
“Oh yes, I remember that most vividly!” Uncle Gardiner chuckled. “Your father had come to London to see to some investments as your sister Jane was due to arrive in only a few months’ time. Fanny was quite overwrought that he had been detained here for so long when she was nearing her confinement.”
Needing no reminders of her mother’s hysterics, Elizabeth rose from her chair after a quick glance at the clock.
“Although I hate to spoil such happy tidings, the hour has grown late. Peter, Alice, I believe it is time to venture to the land of Nod. I daresay sleep will be hard to find when such thrilling adventures await us tomorrow.”
“Mama, do we have to? I am not the least bit tired,” Peter whined, barely repressing a yawn.
“Mind your cousin while I settle John and Imogen,” Mrs Gardiner replied, gathering her two-year-old twins with the help of her husband.
“Come along, Peter,” Elizabeth said. “If you are so very awake, then perhaps we might read a story before you sleep.”
Her ruse worked. Her young cousin began to follow her from the room. “Saint George and the Dragon?”
“Must we always read Saint George and the Dragon?” Alice grumbled, trailing along behind them.
Elizabeth simply laughed as she herded the bickering brother and sister up to the nursery.
“Peter, wait! Your scarf!” Elizabeth called out.
Once she had finally managed to wrap the thick, woollen fabric around her bouncing cousin’s neck, she stood back and surveyed the results. Due to the sheer quantity of garments her aunt insisted the children wear to keep warm, the generally slight little boy was almost rotund.
Holding back a laugh that desperately wanted to escape, Elizabeth smiled widely and exclaimed, “There! You are finally ready for our frosty adventure!”
“It is an adventure, Lizzy! And a proper adventure needs a proper knight. Perhaps I might find a princess to rescue like Saint George did! You know, the one from Lydia.”
“Libya. And if you intend to play the gallant knight-errant, you must always stay within my sight. There will likely be many people at the fair today, so please—do try not to get lost!”
Elizabeth’s expectations of a crowd were certainly met, but even the throng of individuals covering the ice could not detract from her pleasure.
What a sight this is! It delighted her: booths covered with streamers and flags proudly displayed signs advertising gingerbread, gin, and beer; printers had set up their presses on the ice and were printing keepsakes for visitors; dancing couples twirled about while others casually sipped their coffee and tea—it was unbelievable!
All the delights of a country fair were on display across a vast, twisting river of ice.
Escorting her eldest cousins, Elizabeth followed the steps of her aunt and uncle, glancing about from bookstalls to displays of excessively priced toys and trinkets.
There had to be thousands of people gathered—there were even coaches plying the river as though it were a street.
The sights, the sounds, the smells…even the crowds were like nothing she had ever experienced before.
Unfortunately, in all the bustle it only took a moment to lose sight of her most mischievous charge.
“Lizzy—where is Peter?” Mrs Gardiner asked. She stood in a small break in the crowd looking about her.
Elizabeth glanced down at Alice, alarm creeping in as she realised Peter was not with them. “But—but he was just here!”
“And now he is not,” said Mrs Gardiner, panic edging her voice.
“He cannot have got far. Perhaps the toy tent we just passed drew him. Alice, stay here with your parents whilst I look for your brother.”
As fortune would have it, just then the lad himself burst into their path, cheeks flushed with exertion and eyes wide in apparent distress. “Peter, thank goodness!” Elizabeth cried out, while Mrs Gardiner sagged with relief. “What did I tell you about wandering off?”
“No time for that, Lizzy! You must come quickly! I think I found a princess, and she needs to be rescued!”
Without another word, little Peter Gardiner turned on his heel and took off through the stalls, leaving Elizabeth with no choice but to tell her aunt she would follow him.