The Gardiners Take Charge (Take Charge #11)
Prologue
“Papa, please do not send me away. I promise I will be a good girl and not give you any trouble,” Madeline Beatrice Lambert, called Maddie by all, pleaded with her father.
“Maddie, I am doing this for your own good. With your dear mother being called home to God, it only leaves Adam and me at the parsonage. I am afraid I do not know the first thing about raising a girl of twelve,” Gerald Lambert, the rector of the All Saint’s church in Lambton, told his darling daughter.
“Unlike most men, I cannot cease my work to mourn my beloved Beatrice, your most excellent mother. I must keep ministering to my flock while I mourn; it is a sacred duty, and all the while, I will have Adam to raise. You know your brother is about to turn six, and he will require much of my attention.”
“You do not want me because I am a girl?” Maddie asked plaintively as the tears coursed down her cheeks. “I will not be any trouble, I promise you, Papa.”
“No, my dearest girl, it is not that at all.” Lambert pulled his darling girl into a hug.
“It is because I love you so, and before she passed away, I promised your mama you would be raised as a proper young lady. I will make this promise to you, Maddie.” Lambert lifted her chin gently so his girl could see his eyes.
“If I ever marry again, which I do not see being a possibility at this point, my solemn vow to you is that I will bring you home. I do this out of love for you because I want nothing but the best for you. You love Aunt Dolores and Uncle Peter. Also, do not forget that you will be a big sister to Veronica, who is only three. You know that your Aunt Delores is your late Mama’s younger sister and Uncle Peter is a good man.
“I am not abandoning you, my dearest girl. I will write often, and when I can, I will come to London to see you. I want you to write about anything and everything. You can tell me whatever you want to and if you want to send me drawings or etchings from time to time, I would love to see them. You have heard me speak of my patron, Mr Darcy and his generous spirit. He will never begrudge me time away to come see my darling girl. If that is not enough, your Uncle Bellamy will bring you to see us when his business allows it.”
“I understand, Papa,” Maddie said as she dried her tears and stiffened her spine. “I was being selfish; please forgive me. I will be a credit to you and my late mama when I am with the Bellamys.”
“That is not something I doubt, my wonderful girl.” Lambert kissed his daughter on each of her cheeks and then her forehead for good measure.
His bright, vivacious girl looked wan in her blacks, but she wore the dress proudly as a way to honour her mother.
It had been a tremendous blow to all of them when his beloved Beatrice had passed away from pneumonia.
It had all begun as a cold, and as she always did, his beloved Bea put her duties to the parish ahead of her own health, believing that it was nothing but a trifling cold.
She had kept her next fortnightly meeting with his patron’s wife, Lady Anne Darcy.
However, two days later, his Bea, as he used to call her, was suffering from a fever, and she had begun to wheeze.
Mr Darcy had sent the physician who served Pemberley, Mr Jackson Harrison, to come examine his dear wife.
By then, it was too late. The doctor had heard a crackling in the lungs and reported that pneumonia had taken hold of her.
Less than ten days later, Lambert’s beloved Bea breathed her last. Two days before the end, when it was clear what the result would be, his beloved had made him vow he would look after and love their children. It was an easy promise to make.
His sister-in-law and her husband had arrived before the interment.
The service for Bea had been conducted by Lambert’s good friend and mentor, the rector of the church in Kympton, another one in Mr Darcy’s advowson.
That night, he had mentioned to Delores that he knew not how to raise a daughter, and she had volunteered to take Maddie back with her and Bellamy to London.
As hard as it would be for him, Lambert knew it was the right thing to do.
So it was, on the final day of June 1790, Maddie departed the parsonage with her aunt and uncle. As much as she tried to stop them, the tears fell, especially when Maddie saw how Adam was also crying. She promised to write often.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
28 August 1790
21 Gracechurch Street
London
Papa and Adam,
How I miss you both; yes, even that little scamp of a brother of mine.
A few days back was the end of my period of deep mourning for Mama.
For Aunt Delores and Uncle Peter, it was also the end of their required period of honouring Mama.
It is very strange for me to be wearing the muted colours of half-mourning, but I dare say I will adjust. My aunt is so pretty, and being able to wear all colours now suits her.
You were right, Papa, living with Veronica is just like having a younger sister. It is not the same as living with Adam, as she has (so far) not put a frog in my bed. I find I would not object to the occasional frog, or even toad, in my room if I were living with you at North Star House.
No, Papa, I am not complaining; I am happy here, but it is not the same as being in the house where I was born. I am fully aware that everything changed when God called Mama home to Him.
You have told me never to question His plan, but why did he need Mama with him now? I am not angry with Him, but I would have liked it so much more if He had allowed Mama to recover and be with you, Adam, and me for many more years.
Enough maudlin thoughts. The house is a very nice one, a little larger than the parsonage, and I have my own chamber on the 2nd floor. (I was not expected to join Veronica in the nursery.)
There is a governess, Miss Chambers, who is a very patient teacher.
She was employed to work with me, since at 3 my cousin is too young for lessons.
She is continuing the education I began in Lambton, and my cousin is just beginning to learn her letters.
Papa, I am very excited because Miss Chambers is proficient on the pianoforte, so she is teaching me and improving my skills on the instrument.
My aunt and uncle have a very nice one in the small music room.
I do miss the wildness of Derbyshire greatly.
You know how I used to relish being able to walk in the area around Lambton and, when the day was clear, to see the magnificent peaks.
It is a poor substitute, but there is a park across from the Bellamys’ house.
It is not very large, but it does have a small lake, more of a pond actually, inhabited by a wide variety of waterfowl.
Miss Chambers takes Veronica and me there at least once a day to walk and play.
She says when the weather turns, then we will have to take exercise indoors.
Knowing how much I enjoy rambling, Aunt Delores and Uncle Peter have promised to take us for a picnic and walk in Hyde Park soon. I have not seen that park yet, but I am told it is rather huge, allowing enough room for even me to walk.
I appreciate your letters, Papa, and I know when Adam is a little older, he will write as well.
I found it interesting that the Darcys have allowed a friendship between Adam and Master Fitzwilliam, who I believe you said is called William.
It speaks very well of Mr Darcy and Lady Anne that they allow their son to have a friend so far below their own station in society.
I suppose it should not be so shocking since you reported that the steward’s son is not only a friend to the Darcy heir but also, Mr Darcy’s godson.
I suppose I will meet Adam’s friends if I come to visit you in Lambton.
My next letter will be on its way to you in a fortnight or less.
With much daughterly and sisterly love, and with respect,
Maddie
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
17 September 1792
21 Gracechurch Street
London
Papa and Adam,
Adam, I missed seeing you during my 6 weeks with Papa at North Star House. If I had been invited to the Darcys’ house near Brighton for the summer, I too would have gone, so I understand why you were not there.
As he has told me in his letters how he has become friendly with the Fitzwilliam brothers, I am certain Adam is well pleased that the Fitzwilliams were with the Darcys for the summer. I am not surprised the de Bourghs were not included after the descriptions of Lady Catherine de Bourgh.
Veronica and I thank you, Papa. After Uncle Peter brought us to you, we enjoyed our time in the area greatly.
For me, it was such a treat to see you and spend those weeks at the parsonage.
But it was more than that; I was able to reconnect with some of my friends.
Yes, we write to one another, but it is nothing like seeing them in person.
Except for one younger boy, that George Wickham, I was pleased to make new acquaintances.
Veronica thought him very sweet, with her 5 and he almost 8, I suppose they can relate better to one another than this old lady of 14 is able to.
I may sound ungenerous, Papa, something you have preached against in your sermons, but for some reason, I feel uneasy around young George Wickham.
My feeling was that he resented the fact that Adam was asked to go to Seaview House and not himself.
It was more likely than not something nonsensical, so I will say no more about it.
One of the advantages of my advancing years is that Uncle Peter will occasionally allow me to go rambling in Hyde Park as long as I have a maid and footman with me. It is a cheap price to pay to be able to walk in that enormous park.
Do you remember I told you in one of my previous letters that Uncle Peter has a young man learning how to manage a business from him? His name is Edward Gardiner, and he is very gentlemanlike.