Memory: Volume 3, How Far We Have Come, A Tale of Pride and Prejudice (Memory: A Tale of Pride and Prejudice) (63 page)

“AND HOW WAS ROSALIE on this journey?”  All eyes travelled to the ceiling where the sound of four pairs of feet pattered above them.  Mr. Gardiner chuckled.  “Still full of spirit I gather.”

“It was both easier and harder than it was when she was an infant.”  Elizabeth looked at Darcy, who was nodding.  “She is old enough now to be somewhat easier with vocalizing her boredom and needs . . .”

“And she is quite capable of expressing her boredom and needs.”  Darcy sighed.  The Gardiners’ laughed and he shrugged.  “It was not all that bad.  She enjoyed watching out the window, we had books and toys, and occasional treats.  It was switching her between us and the servants’ coach that saved us.”

“Saved me, you were riding with Mr. Bingley outside a good bit of the time.”

“To give you room inside.”  He said with a grin.

“To give you sanity!”  Elizabeth poked him and he shrugged.

“And you wonder why we have declined your repeated requests to come to Pemberley.  Multiply your experience by three, and take away the respite of the second coach.”  Mr. Gardiner grinned.  “No escaping on a convenient horse for me, either!”

Elizabeth smiled.  “I understand, I do, but I so wish that you would come to visit.  Next summer, you must make the journey!  The children will be old enough to be well-behaved, and they would love it there!  They could learn to ride, the boys could fish, there is just so much to do and explore, you would get to see Lambton . . .”

“Dangle that carrot before me!”  Mrs. Gardiner smiled.  “Well, perhaps.  We will have the extra funds . . .”

“No Darcy, I am not going to accept your charity.”  Mr. Gardiner put up his hand when Darcy’s mouth opened.  “Thank you.”

“Yes, sir.”  He shrugged.  “The offer stands.”

“Thank you.”  Mr. Gardiner winked and smiled at how easily the Darcys sat together, fingers entwined, and studied Elizabeth’s face.  He glanced at his wife, who raised her brows and nodded.  “Now then, your plans, how long will you be in town?”

“About three weeks, then we will move to Hertfordshire.”  Elizabeth and Darcy sighed together.

“You suddenly look as if you are to be condemned.  It is not as bad as that, your parents are much improved.”  Mrs. Gardiner clucked at them.  “Give them a chance!  Jane and Robert have made great inroads with your mother.”

“So I have heard.  I am very proud of them.  Lydia will be gone back to school soon though, and she was a buffer between Mama and Jane.”

“Kitty will be there.”  They all glanced back at the ceiling; Kitty and Georgiana were playing with the children.

“Kitty is not a strong personality.  She reflects the people she is around.  I am so glad that Papa agreed to Mrs. Annesley coming with her.”

“Lizzy, if at any time during her stay Kitty feels that she needs to leave Longbourn, she is welcome to come here.  Now that she is out, she can accompany us to any social engagement we might have.”  Mr. Gardiner said seriously.  “We would be glad to have her and Mrs. Annesley.”

“Thank you, sir.”  Darcy said sincerely.  “We appreciate that.”

“Would you consider hosting Lydia next year after the school term ends?  Perhaps she could make the journey to Pemberley with you and help with the children?  I know that she is not comfortable with our lifestyle, but it would be nice to have her visit once at least.”  Elizabeth looked between them.  “You did note that she has improved.”

“Well that would make the trip easier.”  Mr. Gardiner looked at his wife.  “I suppose we will consider it next spring.”

“You will be here for the Season then, so we can talk about all of that then.”  Mrs. Gardiner pursed her lips when they glanced at each other, and started to laugh.  “Unless you have other plans?”

“Aunt!”  Elizabeth cried.  “What are you saying?”

“Lizzy, I have three children, what do you think I am saying?”  She stood and crossed the room and bent to kiss her cheek.  “Congratulations, my dear.”  She kissed Darcy.  “When will he come?”

“March.”  Darcy beamed. 

“You were itching to tell us, Son.”  Mr. Gardiner shook his hand and kissed Elizabeth.  “All is well?”

“Yes, Uncle.”  Elizabeth wiped her eyes with Darcy’s ever-present handkerchief.  “We have not told Kitty and Georgiana.”

“I will not say a word.” 

“I told Bingley.”  Darcy said quietly.

“Fitzwilliam!”

“It just popped out . . . after he guessed.”  He looked at her guiltily.  “He was such a mess just then, talking about Miss Martin . . .” Elizabeth shook her head and sighed.  “Forgive me.”

“Can that man keep a secret?”

“Well, he has kept his feelings for Miss Martin fairly well bottled up.”  Darcy shrugged and kissed her hand.  “I trust him.”

“What about Miss Martin?”  Mr. Gardiner sat forward.  “I ran into her father a few weeks ago.  Her two suitors have abandoned her.  In fact, the one, the banker, has transferred his affections to her sister.  She has taken a great risk; I hope that she is not disappointed.”

Elizabeth smiled.  “Then she is sincere in her feelings for another.  She could have lived a very significant life with Mr. McCoy.”

Darcy sat forward.  “Is that person she cares for Bingley?”

“No idea.”  Mr. Gardiner shook his head.  “Martin hopes only that she finds happiness.  The mourning has made things difficult for everyone.  Ah well, it is nearly over.  I truly like Bingley.  He has struggled a great deal trying to find his place in the world.  I understand the difficulties of trying to move from where I am to where you are, Darcy.  I would not relish it.”

“I agree, as frustrating as he seems to have been over the past few years, it is easy to forget that absolutely everything he has experienced has been untested territory for his family.  He is on an expedition into the unknown.”  Darcy grinned.  “And about to plant the Bingley banner in a bit of earth in Hertfordshire!”

“And claim it in the name of advancement!”  Mr. Gardiner laughed.  “Is there a Bingley crest?”

“Well if there is not, we can have Kitty draw him one.”  Elizabeth smiled.  “A dove?”

“The harbinger of good things?”  He kissed her cheek.  “Would not we all like to be viewed that way?”

Chapter 20

30 September 1811

Bingley is on his way to Netherfield, and not a moment too soon.  I say that not because he embraced Elizabeth so tightly that I was ready to pull him away and beat him to a bloody pulp (yes, love, I understand that he needed reassurance), but because he has been a bundle of nerves waiting for the day of his lease to begin, and we have only been in town for four days!  Of course, it has not helped his state not knowing anything of Miss Martin’s feelings.  She did not visit Mrs. Hurst since we arrived and when he went by Mr. Martin’s shop, neither he nor his daughter were present.  He told me of his conversations with Hurst, and I am afraid that his brother was non-committal with his answers.  When he spoke to Robinson, he said wonderful things of Miss Martin, which did nothing to calm my friend. 

“Sir?”  Foster knocked on the study door.  “Mr. Stewart to see you?”

“Stewart?”  Darcy smiled and set down his pen.  “Please send him in.”  He rose to his feet and moved around the desk in time to shake hands with his beaming friend. 

“Darcy, look at you!  You are exuding joy, I hardly recognize you!  It must be Mrs. Darcy’s doing.  Where is she, I must ask her the secret to this miracle!”

“You are displaying why you belong in the profession you have chosen, Stewart, glibness is a requirement, I believe.  Or perhaps you would be best pushing patent medicines on an unsuspecting public?”  He grinned and moved from the door.  “My lovely bride and my charming daughter are the joys of my life, one is shopping.  I leave you to conclude which.”

“I think I have a fair inkling.”  He chuckled.

“What brings you here?  I thought you would be in Moreland or visiting your wife’s family.  How is Mrs. Stewart?”

“Julia is very well, thank you.  She is in Derbyshire, as a matter of fact.”  Stewart took a chair before Darcy’s desk and smiled when he sat beside him.  “I had some business to attend and took advantage of her visiting her parents to dash to town.”  Darcy made a noise.  “Snorting is unbecoming.”  He said with a glare.  Seeing only a half-hearted shrug, he snorted himself and continued.  “We were going to visit Pemberley when I returned.  Naturally Julia’s mother knew that you had left for London, so here I am!  What brings you south?”

Darcy laughed.  “Leave it to Mrs. Henley to know everybody’s business.  Our visit is two-fold, delivering my sister to school, and then visiting Netherfield.”

“Ahhhh, Bingley!  He moves in at last!”  Stewart chuckled.  “He will love the estate, excellent game.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sport there.” 

“Many types of sport.”  Darcy said softly and Stewart’s brow creased.

“That is water long under the bridge, Darcy.  We are both very happily . . .”

“No, no.”  Darcy waved his hand and sighed.  “Forgive me, you misunderstand.”

Studying his old friend, Stewart noticed a familiar mask slipping over his face as the atmosphere changed.  His smile disappeared and the tone of his voice softened.  “All right, it has been a long time, but it seems that I need to prod you to speak.  What is wrong? 
Is
everything well with Mrs. Darcy?”

“Of course!  How can you suggest otherwise?”  His head snapped up. 

Stewart held up his hand.  “He doth protest too much, methinks.” 

Darcy looked away and his lips pressed together.  “Would you call me insufferably proud?” 

“No.”  Stewart looked at him askance.  “Not now.”

“Not now.”

“No, but there was a time, Darcy I told you to your face what a miserable bastard you had become, do you remember that at all?”

“No.”  He looked down at his hands.  “Well yes, but not like that.  I suppose that I was worsening with time?”  He looked back up.

“Absolutely.”  Stewart watched him curiously.  “Why this speculation on something long past?  You are decidedly not that person anymore.”

Darcy ignored him.  “You knew Elizabeth before she was with me.”

“Yeeees.”  Stewart said slowly.

“Describe her.”

“She was everything you see now.”

“No, she was not.  Your first moment, your first conversation, what was she like?  Come on Stewart, be honest, you will not offend me.”  Darcy’s gaze bore into his.  “Charming?  Witty?  Beautiful?”

“No.”  Stewart studied him and sat forward.  “No, she was . . . defensive, combative, intriguing, pretty,” he closed his eyes and imagined their first dance and the potential he saw in her, “young.”

“Vulnerable, self-conscious . . .”

“Quite likely.  After meeting her family, I can understand why.  Her mother was a horror.”  Stewart’s eyes opened.  “Why do you ask?”

“And you were attracted despite all of those things.”  Darcy spoke to himself and Stewart knew enough not to answer.  Silence reigned until the clock on the mantle chimed and Darcy woke from his reverie.  “Forgive me, of course you are wondering what the devil I am about.  Elizabeth wondered what we might have been like had we met at Netherfield now, instead of earlier.  You are the sole person I know who could honestly tell me what that experience might have been.  You knew us both.  I am merely struck by the opportunity to ask a trusted friend.”

“Ahhhhh.”  Stewart relaxed and grinned.  “And she said that you would be the miserable bastard I predicted was coming.  And you said that she would be . . . well of course you would not know, you never saw her then and can hardly know who she would have grown to be.  Interesting supposition.  And what will you do with this information now that you have it?”

“I am not sure.”  Darcy smiled.  “But hearing from you what she was like, I think that I can be assured that no other man would have taken her on before I arrived at Netherfield!”

“Not even me?”  He grinned.

“No, you left her remember?  And you did not see her again until I brought her to Matlock House.  No, she would have been safe.”  Confident in that, Darcy sat up and looked like himself again.  “Yes, she would have been at home.”

“If you say so, Darcy, but knowing the woman you have married, I would not let her hear that.”  Darcy looked at him sharply, and then conceded with a slight nod.  “But you, would you have been married to another, your cousin perhaps?”  Stewart chuckled to see the shudder. 

“No, no other, I think that I would have survived to this point a free man.  As for my cousin, I believe that she grew worse when I was engaged, she might still be alive if I were still unmarried.”  Darcy let the ramifications of that chance fill his imagination.

“And engaged to you!”  He said gleefully.

Darcy startled and glared.  “Do you need to go to court or something?  Stop practicing your theatrics in my study; take them to the Old Bailey where they belong.  Do not try to trip me into confessing something that is not true, attend your appointments!” 

“No this has too many possibilities!  We have not had a chance to talk like this in far too long.  No Darcy, I am free to torture you for hours if necessary.  I sense a game is afoot between you and your mistress, come on, clue me in.  Perhaps it is an exercise I might play with my bride.”

Darcy’s lips twitched.  “Create your own games, Stewart, ours are private and will remain that way.”  His eyes became warm.  “As should yours.”

“No fun in you, still a stick in the mud.”  He jabbed.

“If you say so.”  Darcy grinned and looked at Elizabeth’s picture on his desk.  “I believe I know one who would disagree vehemently.” 

“I think that I should remain at least long enough to give Mrs. Darcy some good information on the man you were.”  His brow rose when Darcy’s eyes narrowed.  “You know, to even the playing field.”

“You are no friend.”

There was a soft knock at the door and both men looked up.  “Oh, I am sorry; I did not know you had a guest.  Excuse me, Mr. Stewart.”