Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“It is kind of you to offer to play with the girls, Lizzy, but it is not necessary. Their nurse is feeding them now, and then they will nap. Why do you not read a book or practice the pianoforte?”
Aunt Gardiner was generous to allow Elizabeth so much freedom despite Aunt Bennet’s admonishment to make herself useful in London. She had been out all morning for one of her charities, however, so did not know Elizabeth had already spent hours on both of those pursuits today.
“May I help you with your afternoon chores, Aunt? Will you plan menus today?” Elizabeth asked hopefully. She knew Mary was learning household management at Longbourn, but her aunt had not given her any lessons in the weeks since she had arrived in London.
“No, dear, not today. I am only home to collect a leaflet Mrs. Ambrose had asked me about. I will call on her and some other friends this afternoon.” Aunt Gardiner retrieved the article from a side table and waved it as evidence.
“May I join you on your calls, Aunt?” Elizabeth asked.
“You know that would not be appropriate, Lizzy. Your Uncle Bennet has said you will not be out for two or three more years, so you have no need to begin making calls. Have fun this afternoon. I may be late, but I will be home in time to dine with you; I expect your uncle will still be at his warehouse at that time.”
“Yes, Aunt,” Elizabeth replied gloomily as the older woman flew back out of the room.
Elizabeth resigned herself to another day alone.
She had been in the townhouse on Gracechurch Street for three weeks and had dined with her aunt and uncle together maybe three times.
Yes, she remembered. Her uncle had been home from his warehouse for the evening meal only on Sundays, when he tried not to leave his family at all.
His business was growing and required a great deal of effort to make it successful, her aunt had explained.
Elizabeth had not seen Gardiner’s Import Emporium on her illicit walk, but it had since been pointed out to her from the drawing room window.
It was not far down the street from Spread Eagle Inn, which had taken all her attention for a time.
Aunt Gardiner dined out with friends several times each week, but otherwise she spent the evenings with Elizabeth.
Most of her aunt’s days were occupied by her charities, her friends, her household, and her young children, Amanda and Isabella, almost three and a half years and just more than one year old.
Elizabeth felt she and her aunt could be friends if given a chance.
She knew she was a little more than a decade younger than her aunt, but her uncle was six years older than his wife, and they were friends.
Elizabeth blew her breath out in a huff. She had taken on the mending of her uncle’s shirts and the girls’ tiny clothing, but she needed more to do. If her aunt thought her too young to learn household matters or to be an engaging companion for her, she would try again with her Uncle Bennet.
Dear Mary,
I trust this letter finds you well. Despite the difficulty you have in responding to my letters, I will continue my frequent missives to you and hope you find a way to read them.
The one brief note you sent last week was worth all my efforts.
I am sorry I cannot do more for you now than pen my words larger for your sensitive eyes and avoid cross-writing.
Has your mama relented and allowed you to wear your spectacles while you plan meals together?
Surely, she must see the necessity herself now.
Uncle Bennet has replied to only one of my letters, and I wondered if you might be able to broach a topic with him.
Would you kindly ask him whether I may resume my studies with masters now that I am well settled in London?
I do not believe I have learned all I can, and I have little else to occupy my time.
I fear he has not answered my requests because he deems my education at an end.
If he would prefer my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner to help me seek out new masters to save him that trouble, then I will request their assistance at once.
Indeed, I have already seen several promising advertisements in the newspapers.
I implore you to ask Uncle to answer me either way, as I must know my future.
I spend most of my days alone in London and am scarcely allowed to leave the house.
It has rained incessantly, and I have nowhere to go, but I long to be outdoors.
Soon it will be Easter, and then I hope to persuade my aunt to allow me to go for walks with Matthew, one of the footmen here.
Perhaps she or her maid will begin taking the girls on walks once the weather dries.
Your listless cousin,
Elizabeth
Nearly a week after she had sent her letter to Mary, Elizabeth was again home alone, aside from the children and servants.
She added a sheep figurine on the mantle to her sketch of the Gardiners’ drawing room.
She was satisfied with the comfortable softness she had portrayed in her depiction.
The maids always kept the home tidy, and most of the furniture was newly bought over the past four years, when the Gardiners married and began leasing this townhouse.
Complementing the crisp lines and bright colors of the decor, she had noticed small additions her aunt had made to each room that invited a feeling of livability.
A small blanket here, a cushion there, a few books left within reach.
All of these could have looked out of place but instead appeared intentional.
Her own bedchamber, which she had sketched a fortnight ago, boasted a warm blue quilt on the bed and a table near the window perfect for writing her letters. Her view out that window, though, had been nothing but gray streaks almost since she had arrived.
In truth, with the notable omission of cut flowers, which she could not expect to see during a city winter, her new home was everything inviting, yet she did not feel as though she belonged.
Her aunt and uncle were always kind, but they rarely spoke to her for more than a few minutes each evening.
Her uncle was tired when he returned home, and after a quick greeting for her, he went to the dining room for his meal, her aunt accompanying him.
She did not know why she and her aunt did not await his return to eat with him.
But then, on many nights, her aunt was out and her uncle came home after Elizabeth was abed.
She often wondered whether they had wanted her to live with them at all and how much Aunt Bennet had implored them to take her off her hands.
Finished with her sketch and not willing to allow herself to slip into melancholy, Elizabeth rose to practice the pianoforte.
She had no new music to learn, but she would maintain her skills with what she had brought from Longbourn.
She had been playing for only a quarter of an hour when she heard voices in the vestibule below. Her fingers halted as she heard the conversation draw nearer up the stairs.
“Uncle Bennet!” Elizabeth moved across the room quickly when she recognized his familiar tones. She scarcely allowed the group to enter the drawing room before embracing him tightly.
“Well, well,” he said. “Though this is my favorite location in London, I have never before received such a warm welcome in this home.”
Elizabeth released him but grasped his hand and led him to a settee.
“Uncle! You have come! Did Mary speak with you? Are you here to engage masters for me?”
“Let me take a seat, Lizzy,” Uncle Bennet chuckled.
Still standing herself, she realized how odd it was to see Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had arrived with Uncle Bennet, just after midday on a Thursday.
“Forgive me. How are my cousins? And my aunt? I hope they are all in good health.”
“All are well, Lizzy. Now, let me look at you.” Her uncle’s eyes roamed her face. “You have not been sleeping well, have you? Do you get outside much?”
“No, sir. Only to walk to church. It has rained daily since my arrival in London.”
“Hmm.”
“Perhaps one of my masters will not come here but will require me to travel near a park, and I—”
“Slow down, Lizzy. Allow me to speak with your uncle and aunt before we make any decisions. We will talk more on this subject on the morrow.”
“Yes, Uncle. Thank you for coming. I have missed you.”
“I have missed you, too, Lizzy.”
“I do not blame you.” Thomas was closeted in Gardiner’s study with him and Madeleine as he sought to understand his niece’s position in their household.
“Lizzy is my responsibility, and if you cannot encircle her into your family, I can send her to school. Susannah spent a brief time at a seminary and detested the experience, so I know it is not what she would prefer for her daughter, but—”
“No, you are correct, Thomas. I have not done right by her.” Madeleine glanced at her husband beside her and awaited his loving look before continuing.
“Since before we married, Edward and I had planned to do all we could to establish ourselves firmly in society as quickly as possible. We want the best for our children, you understand, despite their roots in trade.”
Thomas nodded, hoping to better comprehend why Lizzy had been left almost entirely alone for the past month.
“Our agreement was that Edward would spend long hours to rise in his business, while I would form connections to help us socially. He has been successful, as you know, having purchased his partner’s share in the import business only last year.”
“I have been gathering around me people I can trust,” Gardiner said, “but perhaps it is now time I reduce my hours—”
“Could you, Edward?” Madeleine’s eyes shone with unanticipated happiness as she turned back to her husband.
“Yes, with a few alterations, I believe I can return home at a more reasonable hour most days.”
His wife beamed and sighed, unconsciously placing her hand on her abdomen.