Chapter 36 #2
Without his women with him, George had fewer reasons to visit the orphanage.
Lady Anne gave him a note, allowing him to call on the lady at her home.
Upon arriving, he greeted her and, his nerves getting the best of him, quickly expressed his desire: “Mrs. Hannah, would you consider, well, I mean, I would like to pay my respects to you, truly, to court you, to see if we are compatible. If… if you would be amenable to it.” His nervousness caused him to blurt out his request with less grace than he intended.
His request took her aback. “You… what?” Her face paled as she continued, “No, I could never marry again. Courting would serve little purpose, surely you understand,” her voice quivering with a hint of desperation.
“I thought, well, I hoped perhaps I might be able to persuade you to think differently of marriage. We have known each other for several years, and you must know I am nothing like your former husband,” George implored.
“No, no, there are no circumstances where I can envision submitting to a man’s authority again. It does not matter what kind of man he is; I cannot go through that again,” she responded, her voice pleading. “Please, sir, try to understand.”
George nodded, but, having already made his request, he had little more to say. Stiffly, he took his leave and left the house. He was glad he rode his horse there as he turned his mount toward the outskirts of town to a field he often used when he needed a gallop.
At her house, Mrs. Hannah sat in shock for several minutes. A servant brought the tea she requested when George arrived, but he had left too quickly for it to arrive.
Sighing, she poured herself a cup of tea and sat down to read the letter from Lady Anne. It did not take long before she sat up straighter, as she was shocked by what the lady had written.
My dear, I understand your fear of marriage, considering your past with your late husband and his treatment of you. Nonetheless, I implore you not to allow his memory to perpetually haunt you and to reject a man who would cherish and adore you.
This line was the only hint at her son’s intentions, and she wondered whether he had discussed it with his mother or if she had merely deduced it. She reflected on her friend’s words and questioned whether she had been too hasty in her outright rejection.
Over the next several weeks, Mrs. Hannah noticed George rarely visited the orphanage and rarely when she was there.
Believing he was avoiding her, she wondered what she could do to create another chance to speak to him.
Realising she had not yet responded to Lady Anne’s letter, she wondered what she might write to her to encourage George to call again.
She sat down immediately to write to Lady Anne and poured out her heart to the lady, finding she could not be as subtle as she originally intended.
The letter was a mess, and she expressed so many thoughts she had never before shared with another, but before she could change her mind, she sanded and sealed the letter and gave it to a servant to post.
A month after sending her letter, near the end of December, Mrs. Hannah ran into Lady Anne at the orphanage.
“How are you, my dear,” she asked her friend.
“I was afraid when I did not hear from you following my letter, you were determined to completely cut the connection with my family. I do hope George did not upset you too terribly.”
“You … you never received my letter in reply?” Mrs. Hannah stammered.
“No, dear, did you send one?” Lady Anne asked in concern.
“I did, but it was several weeks after it was delivered,” she admitted. “It … it took a few weeks before I was ready to write, but I do not know why you did not receive it.”
“Elizabeth gave birth to another daughter in November, so I was with her most of the month. I have only recently arrived in town. It may have never been forwarded from Pemberley,” Lady Anne explained.
“Oh,” was all Mrs. Hannah could say in reply. “How is Elizabeth? And her new daughter? What is her name?”
“They named her Sophia Claire,” Lady Anne replied broadly. “Both she and Elizabeth are well—Elizabeth did develop a slight fever, but she recovered more quickly than Fitzwilliam. He was terribly upset when she was sick for a day or two.”
The two ladies laughed as they thought of the gentleman and how much he cared for his wife. “Would you like to come to tea one day soon?” Lady Anne asked. “If you prefer, we can schedule it when George is not home. I … I know you turned down his request for courtship.”
“I wrote to you because I wanted to see him again. Ever since we last spoke, I have thought of the line in your letter where you encouraged me not to allow the memory of my late husband to haunt me. The idea of ever being married again is terrifying, but if your son is still willing to court me, I think I would like to try again.”
“Good, then come tomorrow morning, and I will ensure George is home when you visit,” Lady Anne replied. The two returned to their work and chatted a few more times, though they both looked forward to the following day.