Chapter 4. Miss Gardiner’s Arrival #4
Darcy asked, “Why do you say that?”
His sister met his eyes as she explained, “I know we are wealthy, but I find myself wondering…I want to be happy in my marriage. From what I see around me, so many people married for money and for position, but fail to find happiness.”
Curious, the gentleman asked his sister, “Who do you think is unhappy in their marriage?”
“Aunt Edith is unhappy. She and Aunt Catherine fuss about the earl’s mistresses all the time.
Amy blushes and will not discuss those women.
Aunt Catherine frowns and tells how she took away the legacy her husband left for his mistress while Anne just giggles and drinks more sherry.
Then Aunt Catherine tells us to be quiet and not listen to their conversation,” Georgiana replied.
“What I do not understand is why they want you to make such a marriage if they are unhappy.”
Darcy sighed and revealed to Georgiana that Aunt Catherine did not subvert her husband’s will.
“There were very specific sections of the document stating that Aunt Catherine’s ability to control Rosings Park until Anne married were tied to her acceptance of his settlements on the church and his mistress.
The lady lives in Bath I believe, and she is comfortable with her income. ”
Then he assured his sister saying, “Georgie, there are happy couples.”
Nodding, Georgiana agreed and said, “I think that Mrs Hurst is happy in her marriage. Mr Hurst appears to be happy as long as he is not affected by Miss Bingley’s latest tantrum.”
Again, Darcy had to control his smile to hear Miss Bingley’s tirades so characterized.
“Georgiana, I have not married because I did not know any woman who would welcome a younger sister to raise; I would not have you shipped off to a school somewhere. And the women who I found interesting were each seeking rich husbands. They were married to someone else within six months of my ceasing to call.”
Her features giving evidence of being deep in thought, Georgiana said, “I think you should consider Miss Gardiner as the future Mrs Darcy.”
“What? She’s…”
“A gentleman’s daughter, like myself,” Georgiana said. “She is very pretty, and she can argue with you about Bonaparte, the price of corn, Parliament, and books.”
“There are more considerations that just that,” William replied. “She may not have a dowry of any kind.”
Now Georgiana laughed and asked her brother, “And do you need more money, Fitzwilliam Darcy? If so, seek Miss Bingley’s company and you shall be richer by twenty thousand pounds.”
“Twenty thousand? Georgie, does she speak of that too?”
Refusing to speak of Caroline Bingley again, Georgiana looked at her brother and said, “I shall determine if Miss Gardiner has musical talent. You must discover if she can dance. Then you can begin to court her properly.”
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“Lizzy! Lizzy!” called a little girl from just outside Elizabeth’s bedroom door. “Are you up yet?”
“Let’s wake Lizzy up,” decided her older brother who pushed open the door and lead his sisters into the bedroom. The three children found their cousin in a dressing gown crossing the floor toward the door with a smile on her face.
“Good morning, Lizzy!” called all three of the children. “Can we break-r-fast with you today?”
“Do you have to go count dishes and rugs today?” asked one young voice.
Another asked, “Can we sing and play today?”
Her smile grew larger as Elizabeth knelt to kiss and hug each of her cousins, and replied, “Yes, today I get to be Cousin Lizzy all day long with four of the best children in His Majesty’s realm.”
“What’s a realm?”
“Who is Majesty?”
“Come, let’s go down to the dining room and break our fast together. Your mother and father will likely be there too.”
Andrew led the way, holding onto the rail but running down the stairs to the ground floor.
Elizabeth came behind with his two sisters at a slower pace to allow the youngest to attempt the stairs.
Halfway down the first set, Elizabeth took the three-year-old Rebecca in her arms and the pace sped up as the five-year-old hurried after her brother.
The door to the dining room stood open and they heard Andrew informing his parents that Cousin Lizzy would play with them the whole of the day.
Madeline Gardiner knew this was the nanny’s day off and she planned to distract the children with a long walk in the park just after lunch and a short nap upon their return so they would be in good spirits when their father returned home in the evening.
“Elizabeth, you do not have to spend the whole day with the children,” Madeline stated.
Setting Rebecca in her higher chair, Elizabeth replied, “But I want to spend the day with them. I have been busy with the inventory all week and I would rather sing with them than think about numbers.”
“And we can talk in French,” Andrew declared. “Lizzy teaches us our numbers in French.”
Edward Gardiner smirked and glanced at his wife, “We shall have to hire a tutor for the children who speaks French if Lizzy has anything to say about it.”
“With lessons for the two of us as well,” Madeline reminded her husband.
“French is useful,” Elizabeth reminded her aunt and uncle. “After wars with Bonaparte end, Uncle Edward can import more French wines and make a fortune. It is a much shorter trip for the ships to sail to Bordeaux in France than to Bombay in India.”
“What’s Bordeaux?” asked Andrew.
The day progressed with stories, playing songs on the pianoforte, lessons in French as a game, and immediately following lunch, they took a lovely walk in the park across the street from the house.
Andrew, Margaret and Hannah ran with Lizzy along the pathways, while Mrs Gardiner and Rebecca brought up the rear.
When the family reached the pond where ducks swam about, Mrs Gardiner produced a cloth bag holding old bread that she and Lizzy broke into small pieces for the children to throw into the water for the grateful ducks.
With Rebecca once again in her arms, Lizzy led the way back to the house while Margaret and Hannah held their mother’s hand, and Andrew darted back and forth along the path.
“It has been an excellent summer,” Mrs Gardiner said. “The children have been happy and healthy.”
“And Uncle’s business has prospered despite the wars with the French,” Elizabeth added.
Madeline nodded and asked, “Tell me about your days in the Darcy household?”
Grinning Elizabeth spoke of numbers of bolts of cloth and barrels of porcelain dishes for only a moment before her aunt cleared her throat. “Lizzy, I review your entries in the inventory each evening.”
“Yes, Aunt,” the young woman admitted. “My window into the Darcy household has been very revealing. The household is managed very well by the housekeeper and the butler who are a married couple. The cook prepares excellent food even for our workmen and the men are able to get up and down the front steps without too much trouble.”
“And the Darcy brother and sister?”
“Miss Darcy has become an enthusiastic friend of sorts,” Elizabeth stated. “She visits every morning after completing her lessons with her lady’s companion, a Mrs Annesley. We speak exclusively in French when she visits the ‘salon’ on the fourth floor.”
“A ‘salon’? Whatever do you mean? I understood you worked in a ballroom?”
“When Miss Darcy began to visit me every day, she decided we should have a proper place to sit and brought the butler up to direct the workmen to set a sofa and two chairs up in the ballroom on a large oriental rug. She selected a desk with another chair for me to sit at and keep my papers. If there were a few potted palms, it would be very elegant.”
“And what do you discuss with the young Miss Darcy?
“We talk about the inventory, and she likes to practice sums in French with the numbers. Mrs Annesley asks questions about the cloth and dishes occasionally but generally reads a book while Miss Darcy and I visit.”
“Have you seen much of the house?”
Elizabeth smiled and said, “The kitchen entrance is very clean, and the cook keeps a path cleared for the workmen.”
“The kitchen? They make you enter through the kitchen?” Madeline asked, almost insulted for her niece’s sake.
Grinning, Elizabeth explained, “The times I have been to the house with Uncle Edward, we enter through the front door, and I have seen Mr Darcy’s office.
Mr Banks, he is the butler, always escorts me from the kitchen to the staircase leading to the upper floors.
The workmen must enter through the kitchen and so I go with them each day. ”
“But Lizzy…”
“I am not to draw attention to myself,” Elizabeth reminded her aunt. “We have avoided all mention of mysterious barrels and boxes being removed from the Darcy household in the newspapers. Uncle and Mr Darcy are both pleased.”
“And the mysterious Mr Darcy?
“Aunt, you have been reading the gossip page again!”
Madeline nodded her head and admitted, “I scan the columns every day for names we know. And I keep the old papers for two weeks to be able to inform your uncle of any developments of earlier rumours that prove to be true.
“You are a spy for certain, Aunt! Do you work for Bonaparte himself? Is that why you wish to improve your French?” teased Elizabeth who managed to not mention anything about Mr Darcy to her aunt.
In the afternoon, Lizzy sat quietly in the nursery with the children as they napped, enjoying the change from her busy week at the Darcy house in Mayfair.
The workmen laboured industriously every day, and the inventory grew longer each week.
The conversations with Miss Darcy were fun and provided Elizabeth–Miss Gardiner–with female companionship close to her own age.
And the occasional interaction with Mr Darcy left her flushed and thinking about his handsome face entirely too often.
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Fitzwilliam Darcy stepped from his carriage-and-four onto the wet street in front of his club; a strict membership committee kept the club limited to ‘gentlemen’ of acceptable social circles and provided a place where business and politics were conducted without public scrutiny.
Darcy enjoyed the privacy the club offered for physical exercise such as fencing and the occasional boxing match.
While in London, walking or riding his horses in the park, were the only other sources of exercise.
The club’s steward who managed the servants kept a very heavy hand over the men working there and the only women allowed inside were the maids who cleaned the rooms each morning under the strict supervision of the steward and his wife.
This afternoon, Darcy climbed the steps and entered the doors to seek out William Pitt, the former Prime Minister.
Two years before Mr Pitt resigned as Prime Minister but the difficulties assailing the current minister, Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, threatened to bring down the government.
Everyone feared the renewed war with the French and now Bonaparte threatened to invade England.
Darcy believed there had to be a stable government with the confidence of the king, the other members of parliament, and the people.
In their conversation, Pitt confided in Darcy that he expected to hear from His Majesty shortly about forming a new government when Addington stepped down.
“And the war?” asked Darcy.
Pitt replied, “The admirals will put the fleet to use, and the generals know what to do on the ground. Politicians should stay out of tactics in time of war.”
Stepping into the barroom, Darcy found his friends Charles Bingley and Geoffrey Hurst at a table enjoying their cups. Waving Darcy to join them, the two gentlemen shared news of plans to attend the theatre the next evening.
“Caroline insisted that I invite you to join us, Darcy,” Charles announced. “I told her I would and now I have found you. Will you go with us to the theatre?”
“Thank you, no,” Darcy replied. “I have plans for the evening.”
Geoffrey Hurst grinned and asked, “Planning to count your account books or checking for dust under the guest beds in your house.”
Darcy caught Hurst’s eye, flashed a smile and nodded his head.
“What do you mean?” asked Charles, who had drunk a little too much ale in the middle of the afternoon.
“I am busy, Charles. Thank you for the invitation but I cannot break away from my schedule.”
“My sister bemoans the loss of your company,” Charles continued.
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