Chapter 2 #2
“So, you are seriously suggesting that Mr Darcy saw me for a few moments and fell in love with me so deeply and completely that he expressed his immediate intention of marrying me? I am sorry, but I must laugh,” she answered, laughing indeed.
“Of course not. Please, Lizzy, do be serious, will you? I trust we can discuss this matter with the gravity it deserves and with all honesty. Mr Darcy himself insisted I explain the circumstances to you and allow you to decide as you wish after you hear all the particulars.”
“Very well, I am listening,” Elizabeth replied, chastened.
“As I said, the gentleman is in urgent need of a wife with all the qualities I already mentioned, which he deems necessary for the future Mrs Darcy, but also with a large portion. He is in urgent need of a significant sum of money for a most important matter that I am not at liberty to divulge.”
“Ah…now it becomes clearer. What sort of sum?”
“Thirty thousand pounds. There will be no wasted money — he promised and I trust him that he will repay the full amount to the very last penny in less than a year.”
“But if I marry him, will this money not belong to him and at his disposal to do with as he sees fit in any case?”
“Mr Darcy is not the sort of man to rely on his wife’s support.”
“Yet your own words suggest the opposite. How come he cannot find this sum in another way? Does he not have an equally rich family? You said he owns a very large estate, so thirty thousand pounds must be trifling to one such as he.”
“There has been hardship in his family caused by poor investments in the past. Mr Darcy is struggling to resolve the matter, but he needs a little more time, which he does not have.”
“Why the urgency? What forces him to such desperation that he is willing to ruin his life? Do you know?”
“I do know very well, but I do not have the liberty to share it with you. However, I assure you it is nothing dishonourable, nothing that speaks poorly of his character. He is merely trying to correct a past error in order to avoid further distress in his family.”
“I see. And I am the most convenient means for him to do so.”
“You may recall I suggested it, not him. And I would not have done so without the conviction that what might begin under distressing circumstances might end in a blissful future.”
“I am more concerned with the present than the future, Uncle. How could I give my life to a stranger? One who did not even choose me for my money but to whom I was simply offered? How can you or anyone else expect me to become his wife?”
“Lizzy, dearest, I completely understand your surprise and your concerns, and even your distress,” said Mrs Gardiner. “I shall stress that if you decide to marry him, you will set the rules and the conditions. Nobody expects you to become his wife…in every way…until you wish to.”
“What if he will not respect those rules and conditions? Once we are married, he will own everything I have — including myself. And he may cut all connection with you, too. I shall be alone, at the mercy of his power.”
“That would never happen. I should put my life on it!” Mr Gardiner responded, looking appalled by the mere suggestion.
“Mr Darcy is a man of honour and of his word. He has proved himself to me more than once in the almost seven years I have known him. We have been partners in business, and he has become a friend of this family. I am grateful and honoured to have his confidence and his friendship!”
Mrs Gardiner took Elizabeth’s hands and smiled.
“Dearest, you are a very clever young lady, so I shall speak to you freely. Despite his present hardship, Mr Darcy would certainly not betray your uncle for thirty thousand pounds, which usually means little to him. And, to address your other concern, Mr Darcy is a handsome man who has always been the object of ladies’ attention.
He has no need and no reason to force you in any way, if you understand my meaning.
If he promises to wait until you express your desire to become, um, better acquainted, I am sure he will keep his word. ”
Elizabeth’s cheeks burned as she nodded.
“I should add,” Mr Gardiner said, “that Mr Darcy, though pressed by this urgent matter, was preoccupied with your comfort. He insisted you should not be forced into making a decision against your will.”
“How grand of him,” Elizabeth replied sarcastically.
“May I ask, since he seems a man without fault and you said he is much sought after and admired, how could he not find someone else to marry? Someone with whom he is already acquainted? Surely there are many other women with a large enough fortune.”
“Perhaps. But he does not wish to simply marry anyone who has money. He is loyal to his family’s name, and he wishes to be certain the future Mrs Darcy will be worthy of her position and legacy.
And I trust he cannot find someone better than you, just as I am sure you will not find a better man, no matter how many other gentlemen you meet. ”
“That is a presumptuous statement, Uncle,” Elizabeth answered.
“It might sound that way, but I trust you will agree with me in the future.”
“As much as I love and trust you, it is hard for me to believe that at this moment. You ask me to give Mr Darcy my hand in marriage, entrust him with my life and my money, to surrender completely to a stranger who has all the advantages and everything to gain from this affair, while I have everything to lose. What would I receive?”
“A handsome, honourable husband, one of the best young men in the whole of England, and a safe and comfortable life within an old and respected family. You would become mistress of a great estate, challenging your wit and knowledge every day as you fulfilled your duties to that role, using your compassion and justice for the people who depend on you,” Mr Gardiner responded, raising a finger for each point he made.
“Exactly what I would wish for my own beloved daughters.”
Elizabeth gazed at her uncle, then at her aunt, who was still holding her hands. For a while, there was only a heavy silence.
“I shall speak to Mr Darcy, but I cannot promise anything. I am far from making a decision. Based on your words, I would gladly give Mr Darcy my money to solve his problems, but I cannot so easily give him my entire life.”
“You know you have no access to the money until the day of your marriage, or the day you turn thirty, Lizzy.”
“I know, Uncle. Please excuse me now. I shall retire to my room. You have given me much to think about, and I beg to be excused from joining you for dinner tonight.”