Chapter 22
Mrs. Hardwicke had a nagging suspicion that Mr. Harrison wanted to put her on her guard against Mr. Darcy.
While she did not trust the gentleman, Harrison’s insinuations had seemed rather too pointed.
It might well be that Darcy would sell Willowmere in future, but she did not think he would cast her out of her home for that purpose.
His pride in the Darcy name would not allow him to act in such a selfish manner.
She thought Mr. Harrison might not be aware of the details of the entail and may have considered her dependant on Mr. Darcy’s goodwill. She had been widowed before, at a much younger age and in a much more dire situation; her current circumstances did not give her any concern as to her future.
Unlike her first marriage, where feelings had been quick to develop, she had married Mr. Hardwicke out of admiration and respect, but in the subsequent years had developed a deep abiding love.
As such she had no intention of marrying again, her only concern was her daughter’s upbringing.
She knew that entails could be much worse, as was the case with Longbourn and thus was deeply grateful for her autonomy.
The only concern she had was for Elizabeth.
She was her brother’s favourite, and had led a comparatively sheltered life in Hertfordshire, in spite of her wit and intelligence.
Mrs. Hardwicke feared that she might end up broken-hearted by whatever scheme Mr. Darcy was pursuing.
It was when they were having dinner that Sarah finally got an opportunity to speak to her niece. Mrs. Ashcombe was at the dower house and Margaret was upstairs, giving them some privacy.
“Elizabeth, I understand that you shared some estate maps and documents with Mr. Darcy,” she began.
“Yes, Aunt, he was digging the area of the swamp for drainage and had encountered some difficulty owing to the lay of the land.”
“Was he very insistent for the information? Could it have not waited till I recovered?” she asked gently, hoping not to offend her niece.
“He did not ask at all, I volunteered to help him find the information when I heard of the problem. Is something the matter?”
“No, no, I am only concerned that Mr. Darcy seems to be in haste to establish himself here.”
“I am sure that is not at all his intent. I assure you, he is a very honourable man and would unfailingly do what is good for the tenants and the estate.”
“Hmm, I just do not understand his rush, my dear. It is not as if he has any need for the income. Then there is Mrs. Ashcombe’s presence in the house.
She offered me her condolences and deep regret at my dear Frederick’s passing, but then what does she mean by imposing herself on a household in mourning? ”
“While I agree with you that Mrs. Ashcombe should have thought better of her actions, she does seem used to having her own way in all matters. Mr. Darcy was very embarrassed by her actions, and even gave me authority to ask her to leave. I am sure the whole effort of refurbishing the dower house is an attempt to keep her away from here.”
“That is another matter, why does he presume to have the dower house refurbished when I am the one supposed to stay there? Should it not be my prerogative?”
“I do not think he sees it as usurping your position, but as taking care of a major expense.”
“Elizabeth, I am hardly destitute with an income of five hundred pounds,” Mrs. Hardwicke replied with a slight smile.
“No, of course not, but to a man of ten thousand pounds income, it may appear so.”
“Take care, my dear, for so much partiality towards a gentleman of Mr. Darcy’s stature will not do you much good,” Mrs. Hardwicke said a little later, as Elizabeth excused herself to go upstairs.
Elizabeth was deep in thought as she undressed for bed.
Her aunt’s remark about her preference for Mr. Darcy had unsettled her.
As she sat in front of the mirror, combing her hair, it struck her, that in spite of her aunt’s misgivings she irrevocably trusted the gentleman.
As for her preference, she was slowly coming to understand that, no matter the harshness of his proposal, he was inherently a good man who would, she thought, be just the right partner for her.
She hoped that she was not too late in realising this, but after their recent conversations she had felt that he still cared for her.
Then there was the matter of his aunt. She had a suspicion that the lady was here to guide her affections towards her nephew, though she would never express that to her aunt.
The one thing that still gave her pause was his low opinion of her family.
She was not unaware of their faults, but to be married to a man who openly disdained them would be unbearable, for no matter their faults, she loved her family deeply.
Deciding to write to Jane, she sat at her desk and pulled out a paper.
Then she proceeded to fill the pages with mundane details of the day-to-day but nothing of her turmoil.
She described the absurdities of Mrs. Ashcombe, and commented on the improved health of Aunt Sarah.
Margaret’s cleverness was described in some detail and even her governess, Miss Partridge, found a mention of her in the missive but there was no mention of the gentleman so firmly established in her mind.
As Elizabeth stayed awake in her bed, thoughts consumed by her current predicament, Jane was also having difficulty falling asleep in her aunt’s home.
The last few weeks had been delightful; she basked in the company of Mr. Bingley and his apparent preference for her.
Today she had finally understood his reasons for staying away.
She did not blame Mr. Darcy, for once he had realised his mistake, he had withdrawn all his objections, going so far as to convey her directions to his friend, but the Bingley sisters gave her pause.
They had not cared about her or Mr. Bingley’s feelings, only about her position in life, and that had saddened her and made her understand the duplicitousness of the world.
Today she had learnt that they were still unaware of her renewed acquaintance with Mr. Bingley and that made her deeply uneasy.
The gentleman had once been persuaded against her, what was the chance that it might not happen again.
She had written to her mother about Mr. Bingley’s return, hoping to bring some joy to her but now she was worried that it may cause even more damage were he again to disappear.
Thus, she got up from her bed and took the letter out of her drawer and threw it in the fire.
She loved her mother but was not unaware of her faults and did not wish for her renewed hopes to become common knowledge in Meryton. She had no desire to become an object of derision or sympathy for her neighbours if Mr. Bingley again deserted her.
Mrs. Bennet, unaware of her daughters’ turmoil, was excitedly thinking of her vacation in Brighton.
She had never been to the seaside and could not believe her good fortune.
The only thing that gave her pause was her youngest daughter’s preference for the officers.
She understood Lydia’s liveliness and her desire to flirt in Meryton, but in Brighton she would not countenance such behaviour.
Lydia would have to be a model of decorum and propriety for she did not wish to give her husband any cause to resent her.
That sister of his was sure to cause enough troubles as it was, she thought ruefully.
As she fell asleep, she promised herself that Lydia would not step a toe out of line.