Mr. Darcy's Daughter (36 page)

"Did
he tell you then of his intention to bid for it?" she asked.

"Yes
he did, but he also insisted I was not to speak of it to anyone. I was as
surprised as you are today; I could not understand his desire to purchase a
property like Camden Park, though it cannot be denied, Cassy, it is an
excellent estate with the added attraction of Camden House, which is a most
elegant residence indeed. Not as grand as Pemberley, but a very beautiful
place, nevertheless."

Cassy
laughed. "Oh indeed it is; who would wish to deny it? But what would my
father do with it?" she asked. "Would he lease it perhaps? How else
would he manage it, especially now with Julian gone? If he did so, what good
would it do him? I cannot explain it. It is most strange."

Only
then did Richard reveal what more he knew of her father's plans for Camden
Park. Speaking as casually as he could, while concentrating on what appeared to
be a torn fingernail, which he trimmed meticulously as he spoke, he said,
"Cassy, my love, I believe your father hopes that sometime in the future,
we will move to Camden Park and live at Camden House. He wishes to purchase it
for us, as a future family home."

Cassandra
was aghast. "Richard! Have you agreed to this scheme?" she demanded
to know.

"No,
not at all, there was no question of my agreement. He did not ask for it,"
he replied. "I am merely recounting your father's wishes. He knows we have
taken on the responsibility of raising Anthony and you, my dear, are doing much
more for Pemberley now than Julian has ever done. Your father values your work,
indeed he has said so on many occasions, and I believe he wishes to do this for
us, especially for you, Cassy. You must agree it is a most loving and generous
gesture," he said, hoping she would understand her father's motives.

He
was completely surprised by her response.

"Generous
it may be, but I do not want it. I have no wish to move. I love my house and
will not leave it for Camden House, however elegant it may be.

Richard,
we have built things together here, our children were born and grew up here,
how could you consider leaving?" She was adamant.

Her
husband, understanding her feelings, was conciliatory.

"Cassy
dearest, no one is going to force us to leave this place; I love it, too, but
you will admit, will you not, that we have outgrown it? Why, we have only one
spare bedroom left; if both our sons are at home and we have more than one visitor
to stay, we have not enough space to lodge them comfortably. Am I not
right?"

When
she said not a word, he went on, "And consider this, with Anthony staying
permanently and a room needed for his nurse, we may have to put the two boys in
together. While it may be fun when they are little, it may well lead to
friction as they grow older and James may begin to resent his cousin's
presence. Now Mr. Darcy believes we need a bigger place in the future, and on
that score, I agree with him. He wishes to purchase Camden Park for us,"
he explained.

"And
do you agree with this plan of my father's? Do you not mind giving up what we
have here, where we have been so happy? Would it not make you sad?" she
demanded to know, the vexation reflected in her voice and eyes as she struggled
to control her tears.

Richard
knew he had to answer with great care.

"Indeed,
my darling, I
would
be sad,
of course I would miss this happy home of ours, but I think it would do no harm
at all to look at Camden Park, that is, if your father's bid succeeds. We do
not have to be rid of this place; Edward or Darcy could use it or even Laura
Ann, when she is a grown-up young lady..."

But
his wife was not to be diverted by such lighthearted arguments.

She
was grieved that her father and Richard, the two men she loved most in her
life, appeared to have conspired together against her in this venture.

Doubtless,
they could see advantages in the scheme, but Cassy was unconvinced that there
was any benefit at all in it for her and her family.

*

Meanwhile,
Mr. Carr and Lizzie Gardiner were busy making their own plans. There were a
great many things to be done at Rushmore Farm, for which he sought her advice,
and they were often driving up there to instruct workmen, and select colours and
fabrics for the drapes and furniture for the rooms upstairs.

Mr.
Carr confessed that he liked simple, serviceable things, but urged Lizzie to
use her excellent taste and artistic judgment to choose whatever she wished.

Money,
it seemed, was no object. He knew she, like the rest of her family, was neither
extravagant nor ostentatious in her tastes and was, therefore, perfectly
content to indulge her wishes.

As
for Lizzie, it seemed she had never been happier. The prospect of her
approaching marriage, to a man she loved and trusted, together with the
excitement of setting up her own home, provided plenty of scope for delightful
contemplation, as well as useful activity. Encouraged by her mother, she spent
the times when she was alone making lists of all the things they needed to get
done, which, when Mr. Carr arrived, seemed to be quite forgotten, for he, it
appeared, had thought of them already.

That,
however, did not prevent them from setting out to discover what else may be
required to complete the refurbishment of their future home. Mr. Carr was
determined that nothing should be wanting. Frequently, they were accompanied on
these expeditions by Laura Ann, since Cassy was often busy at Pemberley or
making her own preparations for the wedding, which was planned for the Autumn.
Young Laura Ann loved the horses at the farm and a visit was always a treat,
since it afforded her an opportunity to get another glimpse of the foals, who
were growing up fast.

It
was on one of these days, when they were driving home in Mr. Carr's carriage,
that Laura Ann saw Margaret Baines, who was obviously on her way home after
work, and called out to her, "Margaret! Margaret!" leaning about as
far out of the window as it was safe to be. Her loud calling not only attracted
Margaret's attention, causing her to look round at the carriage as it passed
her, but it also startled a young man who was with her, because he appeared to
dive off the road into the ferns and bracken beside it and disappeared from
sight.

Undeterred,
Laura called out again and waved vigorously; this time, Margaret waved back,
belatedly but cheerfully. Laura kept her in view and waved again, just as they
took the bend in the road, which hid her from their sight. Of the young man,
however, there was no sign at all.

Neither
Lizzie nor Laura gave the incident much thought. Lizzie's mind was so full of
her wedding plans and how each day she spent with Mr. Carr, she discovered even
more reasons to love him, that she gave no thought at all to Margaret Baines.
Laura Ann did mention seeing Margaret, when they were at tea, but her mother,
still distracted by the business about Camden Park, paid little attention to
it. No one said anything about the disappearing young man.

*

Over
the following weeks and months, several things changed that for many years had
been taken for granted, affecting the lives of the Pemberley families, as well
as those of all the people of England.

Since
the death of Lord Palmerston, in October of the previous year, not three months
after he had won an election, the Parliament had changed.

The
Whigs and their allies the Liberals were now much more confident, with their
new leaders Lord Russell and Mr. Gladstone both committed to Parliamentary
Reform. The Reformists had high hopes of finally achieving their goal, one
which Palmerston had continually obstructed.

In
the New Year, the recently elected Parliament was called together and those who
gathered at Westminster to observe them were likewise excited by the prospect
of change, long overdue. Others were less enthusiastic. As many columns were
written and speeches made urging the retention of the status quo, as were
devoted to the promotion of Reform. Britain's powerful elite were far from
unanimous in their support of the democratic ideal of giving all men an equal
vote.

Indeed,
despite Lord Russell's efforts to bring in a moderate Reform Bill giving more,
but certainly not all, men the vote, die-hard Conservatives allied with a
clique of disgruntled Liberals (those whom Bright bitterly called "the
denizens of the cave of Adullam") to frustrate Russell and the Reformists.

Their
action, seen as a ploy to exclude working-class men from any part in the election
of their representatives, led to widespread dissatisfaction and the ultimate
resignation of Lord Russell.

Darcy
Gardiner wrote from London to his sister, expressing his frustration:

...everyone
is outraged...there are political demonstrations every where, not just in
London, but we hear also in Birmingham and many other parts of the country. The
mood of the people is very sour and nasty indeed.

It
is being said that the Queen herself urged Lord Russell not to resign, but he
and Mr. Gladstone are determined that they will not accept a further limitation
of the franchise to working men and they have told the Queen so...

Lizzie
read it out at breakfast and Laura innocently asked if their brother was
intending to go into Parliament and was practising for it.

"I
hope not," said Cassy, "for I cannot believe he will get much satisfaction
from it, unless his hero Mr. Gladstone is Prime Minister."

Lizzie
pointed out that Darcy was bound to be very discouraged by the resignation of
Lord Russell, and her father agreed.

"Darcy
had great hopes for this government; it does seem a shame they have fallen
through so soon," he said, finishing his breakfast.

Lord
Derby, having formed a minority government, staggered on for a while, beset
with a diplomatic dilemma in Europe (where Bismarck was setting out to
establish German dominance on the continent) and financial crises at home.
There was already news of the failure of a famous London financial house and
the collapse of share prices on the stock exchange followed, creating panic in
some quarters. Greedy investors who had believed the hyperbole of their agents
were being left bemused and bankrupted.

Darcy
wrote again, this time with an element of wicked glee:
Prices on the stock
exchange have fallen sharply and the government seems powerless to do anything
at all. Though I have not witnessed any myself, there are fellows in the club
and at Westminster who claim that stockholders have been committing suicide,
leaping out of windows and shooting themselves. There are not too many offering
their condolences either!

While
their brother's colourful phrases may have appeared to exaggerate the
situation, their Aunt Caroline Fitzwilliam confirmed it. Returning from London,
where she had been on business, Caroline arrived with bad news of many
businessmen being ruined and fears of widespread unemployment to follow.

"Thankfully,
Papa's business was predominantly in trade with the Colonies, which is still
strong," she explained, when she came to tea with the Gardiners.

Richard
agreed, adding that Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley had both acknowledged to him the
considerable debt they owed to his father.

"They
are very aware that their current prosperity is due in no small measure to
their investment in Father's business. Had they depended solely upon their
estates to produce the same high incomes they had enjoyed throughout the middle
years of this century, they would have suffered the same fate as have many
indolent members of the gentry," he said with a wry smile.

Caroline
laughed as she told of several young "toffs" who'd been heard to
complain that, "Papa no longer sends me an adequate allowance to let me
keep a valet and a butler," and certain fashionable ladies who were
getting their sewing women in to undo and make over last season's gowns! She
certainly did not express much sympathy for either.

"I
do believe Robert and Rose have escaped the worst of it by living in Paris for
most of this year," she declared and Cassy, tactfully, did not ask her
sister-in-law for more details.

Ever
since their father's will had revealed his choice of Caroline to manage his
business, relations with her brother Robert, and especially his wife Rose, had
been rather cold.

In
the midst of all this came extraordinary news from Westminster that Lord Derby
and Mr. Disraeli had decided that
they
were best placed to bring in a Reform Bill. Their ultimate
betrayal of their own constituency, turning on its head decades of Conservative
opposition to the cause of electoral reform, caused even more uproar, leaving
the government of Lord Derby under attack from both sides of the house.

"Mayhem
is guaranteed," wrote Darcy Gardiner, enjoying the discomfiture of his
opponents.

There
are Tories and their supporters who are talking of treason and calling for Mr.
Disraeli's head, while Gladstone and the Reformists are
wild, because the Tories are seeking
to steal their bill and take the credit for Reform. This is being seen as one
of their schemes to seize the initiative.