Chapter Fifty-Two
E lizabeth! What on earth? Come in, you’ll drown out there.” Casting a reproving eye on the torrential rain, Mrs. Gardiner drew her niece inside.
“Aunt, may I stay here? I had to leave –“ And Elizabeth just shook her head, unable to continue.
“Of course, but why – no matter, we can discuss it later.” Taking the small valise from her niece’s hands, she told a hovering servant to show the coachman where to bring the carriage. “Come upstairs, Lizzy; we’ll get you settled.”
In the guest room, Mrs. Gardiner watched her niece sit on the bed and then stare blankly into space. This was definitely not the bright, lively young woman she had seen marry one of society’s most eligible bachelors just a few months before. What could have happened? “Elizabeth, do you want tea? Refreshments?”
“No, not yet. Please, can we talk? I have had all this bottled up inside me for three days of travel, and I need to talk to someone!”
“Do you want your uncle here as well? I can send for him at once.”
“No, just you, please, dear Aunt.”
“Very well; let me make certain the children are settled and then we will not be disturbed.”
Mrs. Gardiner left the room, told the nursemaid that she would be indisposed for the next hour or so and returned to Elizabeth. She closed the door, settled herself beside her niece and said, “I am all attention, Lizzy.”
And so Elizabeth told her aunt the history of the past months, how hard she had worked to step into her new role, the intransigence of Lady Anne, and ending with the events of her last day at Pemberley.
Mrs. Gardiner listened, brow furrowed. “He really said that? That things would indeed be better?”
“He really did. And, oh, Aunt, I could have put up with Lady Anne and Abby, though I would have had Abby out the door that day, but for him to say that!” And she burst into tears.
“Oh, my dear girl, you have been ill-used indeed,” Mrs. Gardiner said, tears in her own eyes as she wrapped her arms around her weeping niece.
“I may stay here, may I not?”
“You may stay as long as you wish, of course. And I have to say that I am completely astonished at your description of Lady Anne. For her to pay the servants to be rude to you! I have never heard of such a thing in my entire life.”
“It is wicked , is what it is,” Elizabeth insisted.
“Or the work of a deeply, deeply unhappy woman,” Mrs. Gardiner mused.
Elizabeth replied, bitterly, “I care nothing for her unhappiness, not when she has brought so much misery to me.”
Mrs. Gardiner did not reply; her thoughts were instead fixated on the utter stupidity of the male portion of the human race.
***
Upon arriving home, Mr. Gardiner was surprised to learn that Elizabeth was in residence. “All is not well in Derbyshire, I take it?” he asked his wife.
“Far from it,” was the unhappy response. She provided a brief overview of Elizabeth’s experiences at Pemberley, culminating in the revelation of Lady Anne’s incredible actions and Mr. Darcy’s unfortunate words.
By the time she finished, her husband’s fists were clenched. “You are off to horsewhip Darcy, are you?” she asked.
“No, as he is too far away; instead, I will horsewhip Matlock.”
“It is not his fault, Edward. And Lizzy will not thank you for getting involved in her affairs.”
Mr. Gardiner scoffed. “Lizzy has more common sense than most, but she is not yet twenty-one years old and her judgement is not perfect. As for Henry, he must be told what sort of man his nephew is! I will visit him tomorrow, and he will not be pleased at what I have to say to him.”
“But for tonight, you must be calm and supportive of our niece,” Mrs. Gardiner reminded him.
“I will be all that,” her husband promised.
He was true to his word, welcoming his niece as if she were in his home for a pleasurable visit, speaking of family and business matters. But his voice was a touch too gentle for Elizabeth to be fooled, for at the end of the evening she whispered, “She told you, did she not?”
“Yes.”
And nothing more was said on the subject that night.