Chapter Eight #2
“Mama.” Elizabeth squeezed her hand with affection.
“What you did was wrong, but I understand your desperation. I know it has not been easy worrying for our futures all of these years, and now with Papa so ill, it has been far worse. You are my mother, and regardless of what happened at the ball, I love you, and of course I shall forgive you.”
“Truly, Elizabeth?”
She kissed her mother on the forehead. “Truly, Mama.”
“I love you, too, and I promise I shall try harder. I only pray that God will intervene and somehow take care of us when your father is….” She suddenly broke down, unable to finish her sentence.
“Mama,” Elizabeth and Jane said simultaneously, Jane sitting on her other side and taking her free hand.
“Mama,” Jane pleaded. “Please, I know it is difficult, but you must not think such thoughts. Papa is yet alive and may be for some time. You will make yourself ill if you continue to carry on this way. Uncle Gardiner and Uncle Philips have both promised to help us if needs be.”
“Yes, yes, I know, but at times it is more than I can bear.”
“Dear Mama,” Jane continued, “please allow me to take you back to your room so you can rest. It is getting late, and we have a long journey tomorrow.”
“Yes, yes.” She rose allowing Jane to assist her. “You are right, I should go to bed.”
“Lizzy, I shall see Mama to her room and be back after I check on our sisters.”
“Thank you, Jane. Goodnight, Mama.”
“Good night, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth gloomily watched Jane and Mrs. Bennet walk arm and arm from her room.
If only Mama had not let her fears get the best of her.
Perhaps Mr. Darcy would have asked me for a courtship after all and she would not have to worry so.
Wiping a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand, Elizabeth moved to the bed where she propped up her foot, then reclined and closed her eyes.
Tomorrow I shall see Papa. He will no doubt say something wry about a girl liking to be crossed in love every now and then, but I care not. Soon I shall be home. Home with all of my dear family, and there I shall wait for word from Uncle and William.
The Gardiners’ Residence
The Next Day
Monday morning began early at the Gardiner Residence. The family had broken their fast together and once the carriage was properly loaded, the ladies boarded and were ready to return to Longbourn.
Mr. Gardiner made a point of speaking privately to Elizabeth before she left the house.
“Elizabeth, I have written a letter for you to give to your father with more details of this sorry business. I still think it would have been better if we had postponed your trip until tomorrow. Let us hope the travel does not aggravate your foot.”
“Thank you, Uncle. It pains me a little, but I shall happily endure the trip today since I will be seeing Papa all the sooner.”
“Rest assured. Once I meet with Lady Catherine this afternoon, I intend to straighten out this matter with Mr. Darcy, even if it means I must travel to Kent to do so. It may take a couple of days, but as soon as we have communicated, I shall send an express to Longbourn letting you and your father know what is being done. You must not despair, my girl.”
“I am trying not to, Uncle. Please forgive me for being such a burden. I cannot thank you enough for the great kindnesses you and Aunt Maddie have shown all of us.”
“My dear, you must never consider yourself a burden. We are family, after all.”
She hugged him. “I shall be waiting for your letter, Uncle.”
Following their departure, Mr. Gardiner went on to one of his warehouses where there was some trouble at the docks with a shipment.
Little did he know that William had sent a rider with an express that same morning.
When it arrived at his home, Mrs. Gardiner sent it on with Daniels to her husband’s warehouse office knowing that he would want to read it before his meeting with Lady Catherine.
Matlock House
Late Afternoon
The Parlour
Unfortunately, the trouble at the docks necessitated that Mr. Gardiner visit one of his distributors in another area of Town.
Because of this, he had sent Lady Catherine a message saying he would not arrive until four o’clock for their meeting.
It also meant that he did not have the opportunity to return to his office and therefore did not see William’s express before going on to Matlock House.
“Mr. Gardiner,” spoke Lady Catherine following the introduction. “I am happy you saw fit to see me this afternoon. I must say your niece was quite obstinate, and we did not get on at all.”
“I am sorry to hear that, Your Ladyship. In general, I find Elizabeth to be very reasonable. It is of no matter, for ultimately I am the person you need to consult with. Since Elizabeth is not of age, her father has given me written permission to act in his stead.”
“So I gathered and shall come to the point. As I explained to your niece, my nephew is prepared to offer her eight thousand pounds to walk away from this affair and to have no further contact with our family. It is a large sum of money for one who has so little, and surely you will agree that it should not be ignored.”
“Indeed, it is a large sum of money. Might I see Mr. Darcy’s letter to review the terms of his offer?”
“His letter?!” the woman huffed. “There is no letter. I am Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and my standing in our society alone should be considered enough credibility to complete our negotiations.”
“I understand your sentiments, Your Ladyship, and mean no offense. Nevertheless, I am a man of business and am not accustomed to making negotiations without proper documentation. Considering the severity of this situation, a verbal commitment will not suffice.”
“As you well know, my nephew is yet in Kent with my granddaughter, who is gravely ill. If documentation is what you require, I have here an agreement which was drawn up by my own solicitor just this morning. It is there on the table, and you may peruse it to determine if it meets your satisfaction.”
“Lady Catherine, I believe you misunderstand me. The letter I received from Mr. Darcy indicated that he planned to return to Town and address our concerns at his earliest convenience. At that time there was no mention of a monetary offer; therefore, I shall stand by what I said and wait to hear from Mr. Darcy either by express or in person.”
“This is not to be borne! Time is of the essence when we are attempting to preserve the integrity of our family. I insist that we proceed this afternoon and put this entire affair behind us. For the inconvenience, I shall personally add another two thousand pounds to the amount previously offered by my nephew. Do we have an agreement?”
Gardiner rubbed his chin for a minute before responding. “I admit ten thousand pounds is very generous; however, at this point in time I shall have to decline.”
Lady Catherine’s eyes narrowed and she spoke through gritted teeth. “I should have known that you were not a person I could have done business with. I fear, Mr. Gardiner, you have made a grave mistake. There will be no further offers. You, sir, are dismissed.”
Having nothing more to say, Mr. Gardiner rose and, giving a slight bow, left the premises. From there he returned home.
Gardiners’ Residence
The Master Bedchamber
“Edward,” spoke Madeline Gardiner, having rushed into their shared bedchamber after learning her husband had arrived home and gone up to refresh himself. “Forgive me, but I must know what happened with Lady Catherine and what was in Mr. Darcy’s letter.”
“Mr. Darcy’s letter? I received no such letter. Did an express come from the gentleman?”
“Yes, I had Daniels take it on to your office so you could read it before your meeting with Her Ladyship.”
He rubbed his hands over his face saying, “I was unable to return to the warehouse before my meeting with Lady Catherine. If only I had known, perhaps it would have made my interview much easier. As it stands, nothing was settled. Her Ladyship had no written instructions from Mr. Darcy confirming the offer, and everything was as Lizzy had said, barring the fact that she offered an additional two thousand pounds to be done with the matter this afternoon.”
“It is hard to believe she offered more money. Why, ten thousand pounds is an astonishing sum!”
“I agree. Forgive me, my dear, but I must return to my office and address this business with Mr. Darcy’s letter at once.” Mr. Gardiner retrieved the jacket which he had discarded minutes before. “Madeline, you and the children go ahead with dinner. I am not sure how long I shall be.”
Gardiner’s Warehouse
Since it was the beginning of the week, there was yet some activity at the warehouse by the time Mr. Gardiner returned.
While there were several who wished to speak with him on arrival, he dismissed them saying he had an urgent matter to address, and went straight to his office.
There, he quickly reached for his correspondence and saw William’s express.
Mr. Gardiner:
Please accept my humblest apologies for what I assume has taken place in my absence.
I was stunned to learn that my aunt had left for Town early Sunday morning, no doubt with the intent of meeting with you and Miss Elizabeth.
When I informed Lady Catherine of what took place at the charity ball and what my intentions were, she was not pleased.
Recalling her words, I gather she has presented you with a monetary offer, hoping to release me from my obligations to your niece.
Rest assured; this is not something I would have considered.
Believe me when I say, whatever action my aunt took with regard to our current situation was done without my knowledge.
I trust you will reassure Miss Elizabeth that I do intend to marry her.
If it were not for Anna’s illness, I would be speaking with you in person instead of sending this inadequate response.
Although my daughter has made a little progress, she remains quite ill.
An express was sent to my personal physician requesting his advice, and I am happy to report he should arrive sometime Monday afternoon to attend her.
To that end, I shall keep you updated of her progress, and as soon as she is out of danger will return to London so that we may continue to address our immediate concerns in person.
In that regard, I applied to my uncle, the Archbishop, for a Special License and have also sent a request to my solicitor to prepare the marriage articles to my specifications per your approval.
I would also like to send a letter to Mr. Bennet informing him of my intentions and would appreciate it if you could forward me his direction.
Again, I hope you can forgive my aunt’s presumptions and accept my humblest apologies for the distress she has caused your family. Please extend my best regards to Miss Elizabeth.
Sincerely,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
On finishing William’s letter, Mr. Gardiner set to composing his response.
He was gratified to learn William was not of the same mind as his aunt.
In his letter to William, he related Lady Catherine’s offer.
He also informed him that all of the Bennet women had returned to Longbourn and assured William he would forward his express on to Mr. Bennet, along with his own assessment.
Per William’s request, he included Mr. Bennet’s direction and wished both him and his daughter the best.
After completing his correspondence to Mr. Bennet, Mr. Gardiner made arrangements for both letters to be delivered by express.
His wife would be relieved to know the contents of William’s letter and learn that Lizzy would be married after all.
It had been a long day, and he was eager to leave the office and relax in the comfort of his own home.
As distressing as these events had been, at present there was little else he could do.