Chapter 13 #2
On Cheapside Street not far from St. Paul’s, at Wood Street, Elizabeth was surprised to see a lone tree.
Trees were rare outside of the parks in the wealthy neighborhoods.
Matthew had indulged her desire to cross the street on their way back from the cathedral, so she could stand beneath the green branches and place her hands on the trunk.
Sometimes, her aunt gave her use of the carriage to go to one of the parks or squares to the west. Usually on these occasions, her aunt, the children, and Joan would accompany them, as well as Matthew and Eli.
Dinah preferred to stay home or take her half day.
Elizabeth took these rare chances to move quickly through the space, and only Matthew could keep up with her.
She was grateful to her aunt for allowing her to leave the family party for half an hour or more.
She again thought longingly of the horse she had left behind at Longbourn and of the exhilaration of racing over the fields at home, but Rusty had never belonged to her, and Jane was likely giving him sufficient company.
She forced herself to focus on the trees and grassy fields around her and watched other people ride their horses slowly through the park.
She would not have been able to give Rusty his head even if he had come to London with her.
He would find far less to be happy with here than she did.
Overall, Elizabeth really was content. Though she had no Mary and Caroline was away, Aunt Gardiner was becoming a closer friend.
Elizabeth had not wished to upset her by mentioning her father and asking why the Gardiners allowed her to stay—or whether she would be forced to leave once the girls were old enough to understand more.
They spoke of the children, though, and of her uncle’s work and her aunt’s charities.
Her aunt also asked her about her embroidery and the books she read.
Caroline wrote to her at least once each week, and her studies were finally progressing again. Just as she felt nothing could intrude on her joy, though, an urgent message arrived for her uncle.
“Lizzy,” Uncle Gardiner said hesitantly after he had read the note. “Mr. Bingley has died.”
“Charles? What happened?”
“Not young Charles. His father. You know he closed up the townhouse a few days ago and was to return to his factories in the north?”
Elizabeth could only nod.
“He was almost home when he was thrown from his horse. He instructed his valet to inform me—”
“Caroline!” Elizabeth suddenly realized her friend would be devastated. She recalled a similar scene only two months ago, when Georgiana had lost her father.
“Yes.” Uncle Gardiner sighed heavily. “She does not yet know. I am to go to her seminary to retrieve her. Her father’s man will have sent messages to Charles and to the Hursts on their wedding tour, but it could be some time before they are located.”
“Will you bring Caroline here?”
“I will. Would you like to accompany me to her seminary to offer comfort?”
“Certainly. I will be ready in ten minutes.”
Elizabeth had been overwhelmed by the crowd of fashionable young ladies she had met with at Caroline’s seminary, and she wondered why Uncle Bennet had not sent her away to school.
Her thoughts had not been permitted to dwell on that topic, however, as her friend had been summoned and they had quickly traveled back to Gracechurch Street.
Caroline’s things would be packed and sent after her with the expectation that she would not want to return to school this term.
Uncle Gardiner rode on the box with the driver to give the girls privacy, likely expecting Caroline to dissolve into tears. She did not cry, however, until she reached her guest bedchamber. Then she relied on Elizabeth to console and cheer her for the next several days.
Early one morning, Caroline received a message from Charles. Since his father’s departure from town, he had been staying with various friends in London so had only the night before heard of their father’s death.
Before you receive this, dear Sister, I will begin my journey to Staffordshire.
After our father’s funeral, I will go directly to Oxford.
Forgive me for not returning to you before term begins on the 11th, but I fear I will not make it on time even without the detour to London.
Louisa and Hurst will care for you and will be with you soon if they are not already.
Take heart, and I will see you in London at Christmas.
“Charles cannot even be bothered to come to see me!” Caroline complained. “What kind of brother is he to neglect me so?”
“You know he should not be late for the start of term,” Elizabeth soothed. “Do you know where Louisa is now? Charles expects she will be with you any day now.”
“I do not know where she is,” Caroline huffed. “If not for you, I would have been left entirely alone.”
“Then I am pleased to be of service.” Elizabeth curtsied, bringing a smirk to Caroline’s lips, as she had hoped. “What would you like to do? Talk of your father or be distracted from his memory?”
They did both as more days went by. Elizabeth still worked with her masters, but she neglected her private study in favor of her friend’s needs. When Louisa and her husband finally appeared one afternoon more than a week later, Caroline went to live with them at their Grosvenor Street townhouse.
Elizabeth, emotionally exhausted, slept the rest of the day and was more than ready to resume her studies the following morning.
She could not shake the discomfort she had felt again of late, however.
Having offered sympathy to both Georgiana and Caroline after the losses of their fathers, she could not help but think of her own.
She knew Papa Oliver had died in the carriage accident with her mother.
But what of her true father—the gentleman, Mr. Asbury?
Could he be yet alive? She could write to her Uncle Bennet to ask, but she knew he would not reply.
She instead told herself it did not matter, as the unknown gentleman had not wanted her when she was a baby and would not want her now.
The rest of autumn flew by not only due to her studies but because Aunt Gardiner gave birth to her first son later in October.
Baby Eddie distracted Elizabeth in the best way.
She had to force herself away from him to study and to attend to Caroline when she and Mrs. Hurst summoned her.
Although they were in mourning, they requested her company several times each week.
To help accommodate their need for additional compassion at this time, Elizabeth arranged for her painting master to give his lessons at the Hurst home again, so Caroline could participate and Elizabeth could fit in all her activities.
Elizabeth had liked the small studio she and her aunt had created in a well-lit attic room in the Gardiner home, but she also appreciated the companionship gained in the Hursts’ largest parlor.
She and Caroline even set up their finished pieces in the spacious room as though it were a fine art gallery.
When the girls were not painting, they resumed playing the pianoforte together, as well as their previous quiet activities.
Elizabeth embroidered a great deal while the sisters poured over fashion magazines, lamenting that they would not be able to wear anything but black all winter.
“You will still come out in the spring, though, will you not, Caroline?” Elizabeth asked, knowing their six months of mourning would end in the first days of April.
“Yes, but it seems so far away. I suppose school will distract me after Christmas, and then I will come back in April and begin taking part in all the Season has to offer.” Caroline looked up from her magazine. “How can you always have something to embroider, Eliza? What do you work on every day?”
“I am making Christmas gifts for my family,” she said.
“I thought you were painting pictures of your cousins for your aunts and uncles,” Caroline said. “Who are these for?”
“I have embroidered two handkerchiefs for each of my Bennet cousins and three each for my aunts and uncles.” She did not mention the handkerchiefs she had already embroidered for her two friends.
“Now I am working on softer material for blankets for my youngest cousins and, if time permits, for their dolls.” Elizabeth held up the large fabric to show a pastoral scene along the edges full of intricately embroidered farm animals.
“This one is for Amanda. She has seen few animals, but I intend to introduce her to all of these represented when we go to Hertfordshire next month.”
Louisa and Caroline approached to admire her fine stitching.
“Your cousins are fortunate indeed,” Louisa said.
“Thank you. I feel fortunate to have been raised in the homes of my aunts and uncles, so this is the least I can do.”
Caroline looked to the floor, and Louisa reached out for her sister’s hand.
“Forgive me, Caroline. I did not mean to remind you—”
“It is not your fault I no longer have a home—”
“Caro, you know you will always have a home with Reginald and me.”
Caroline nodded and turned back to the fashion plates and pointed to one of the designs.
“I wish to have a gown made after this pattern for my first ball. I appreciate your hospitality, but I intend to marry a wealthy man as soon as possible and gain my own home.”
The girls all laughed, but Elizabeth could tell Caroline was serious. She had often spoken of her desire to marry in her first Season, but since her father’s death, she had a new urgency. She hoped Caroline would not be disappointed.