Mr. Darcy's Daughter (9 page)

Darcy
chuckled. "I don't think I have ever heard of a deal done as speedily as
this one. Mr. Camden must be pleased."

His
friend smiled. "There was no reason to delay; I was so certain it was what
I wanted and Camden was happy with my offer, so I had to secure it as quickly
as I could. As I said, if there are no legal obstacles to the sale, I can see
no reason to wait any longer."

"And
do you intend to live on the property, Mr. Carr?" asked Cassy.

Carr
was thoughtful, but answered unequivocally, "I certainly hope to spend
some time there, quite a lot of time, in fact, since I have no other residence
in England. But I do have business interests in London and Europe, which would
probably take me away for a few days at a time, several times a year. Once the
property is mine, I hope I may ask your advice, Dr Gardiner, on the appointment
of a suitable manager. Mr. Camden's steward has retired and he has not
appointed anyone in his place--a sensible move since he was selling, but it
does leave me with an important position to fill and I have no local knowledge
at all."

Richard
looked a little concerned.

"I
am not the best person to advise you, Mr. Carr; I rely entirely on Thomas to
make appointments here. I would suggest that you consult Will Camden's uncle,
Sir Thomas Camden, or better still, my father-in-law, Mr. Darcy. They are the
owners of the largest estates in the district and will give you sound advice on
such matters."

Mr.
Carr was grateful for the suggestion but wondered how he might meet these two
distinguished gentlemen.

"They
will both be attending the first cricket match of the season next Saturday;
it's a big occasion for the community--Darcy will take you along, I'm sure.
Will you not, my dear?" asked Cassy.

"Of
course," her son replied with great alacrity. "Everyone goes to the
cricket; it's an excuse for a picnic, if the weather is kind."

"Do
you play, Mr. Carr?" Cassy asked, pointing out that the district teams
were always looking for new talent.

"Sadly
no, Mrs. Gardiner. It is one aspect of my English schooling which I never quite
mastered. The best I could do at school was mind the scoreboard,"

he
confessed ruefully.

"That's
good; you can help with keeping scores then," said Lizzie, and by now Mr.
Carr was beginning to look a little uneasy.

Next
Saturday was almost a week away--he had not intended, he said, to impose on
them for a further week. Perhaps he could move to the inn; he was sure he could
get rooms there, he suggested.

But
he was immediately discouraged from doing any such thing.

First
Darcy, then Richard, and lastly Cassy assured him that there was no need at
all; he was most welcome to stay.

"Besides,"
said Richard, "you will probably want to revisit Rushmore Farm with your
attorney and make a journey to the Council at Matlock before the purchase is
finally settled."

All
these logical arguments, as well as the attraction of a cricket match and
picnic in such congenial company, very quickly convinced Mr. Carr that he
should stay on.

*

Inevitably,
the matter of the portrait at Pemberley came up for discussion between Cassy
and her daughters, and she was determined that she would speak with her mother
before next Saturday.

She
meant to discover, if possible, the identity of the young man in the green coat
and how his portrait came to be in the Pemberley collection. While she could
not recall the portrait in great detail, both Laura and Lizzie had supported
her husband's contention that its subject bore a strong resemblance to their
guest.

Cassy
was keen, if this were true, to uncover the connection between them.

To
this end, she arranged for her husband to take her to Pemberley on the
following day, being Sunday, while their son Darcy and Mr. Carr made plans with
Thomas for a day's fishing further up the river. Lizzie and Laura, always happy
to see their grandparents, went with their parents to Pemberley.

Mr.
and Mrs. Darcy were delighted, on returning from church, to find the Gardiners'
carriage at the entrance and their visitors waiting for them in the saloon. Mrs.
Grantham, the housekeeper, had already produced tea, cakes, and fruit, which
the girls were addressing with some enthusiasm.

Mr.
Darcy, who on first seeing the vehicle had feared that there was bad news from
Lambton, was overjoyed when Richard informed him that his father was quite
comfortable and indeed there was good news from Rushmore Farm.

"I
believe Will Camden has finally got a genuine buyer," he said and Mr.
Darcy, ever anxious that the wrong people should not get their hands on the
Camdens' farm, asked quickly, "It is not one of those dreadful buccaneers
from Birmingham, is it?"

"Not
at all, sir," said Richard, preparing to tell all as they walked out onto
the terrace, leaving the ladies together to finish their tea.

Hardly
waiting for the tea things to be removed, Cassy urged her mother to accompany
her upstairs to the long gallery. Elizabeth was intrigued, and as her daughter
told her of the arrival of young Darcy's friend Mr. Michael Carr and his
interest in Rushmore Farm, she agreed that such an intelligent and clearly
eligible person should certainly be encouraged to remain as long as possible in
the neighbourhood.

"It
is an excellent thing for the girls to meet eligible young men, even if nothing
comes of it. It is important for their self-esteem that they know how to deal
with them. Your father has always said that Anne-Marie Bingley would never have
accepted that dreadful bore, Mr. Bradshaw, in the first place, had she been
introduced to a few more interesting young men, instead of being wholly
absorbed in her work with the wounded soldiers at the hospital. Now your little
Lizzie is of an age when young men will take some notice of her and she of
them, presumably, and the more acceptable young fellows she meets, the more
easily will she make the right choice, when the time comes," said
Elizabeth.

Cassy
agreed absolutely with her mother. "That is exactly my contention, Mama.
Richard thinks I am matchmaking, but this is not true."

Elizabeth
was sympathetic and understanding. "Of course it isn't. I know that, but
I'm afraid, my dear, men will think that. I remember, very clearly, each time
we accepted an invitation to a ball, Papa assumed that at least one of us would
come back engaged. We were merely appraising the prospects, so to speak; at
least I was. Your dear Aunt Jane and Mr. Bingley fell headlong in love at their
very first meeting and neither would look at another person, thereafter.

I
do not believe young Lizzie will be in that sort of danger."

Cassy
assured her mother that this was not the case at all. Lizzie, she said, was as
yet totally disinterested in the prospect of matrimony. Indeed she only went to
balls and parties to please her friends, who begged her to come, and
occasionally to partner her brothers.

Cassandra
was eager to steer the conversation and her mother in the direction of the
gallery, determined to discover the identity of the man in the green coat, but
sadly, when they got there, her mother was no help at all. "Dearest, I
have no idea who he is, some sort of stable boy, I would say from his clothes,
but as to his name... your Papa might know. See, it was done by the same artist
who painted this portrait of his aunt, Mrs. Fitzwilliam." She pointed to
the much larger picture of a very handsome woman in a large feather-trimmed
hat.

Cassy
went in search of her father and, finding him in the saloon with her husband,
asked, "Papa, would you come up to the gallery with me? There is a picture
which interests me greatly, and Mama says you would know the subject."

Richard
chuckled. "This is the mysterious subject that is causing all this
interest, sir."

Mr.
Darcy looked surprised. Cassy had not shown much interest in the portraits
before, but he could never refuse his daughter anything.

Laura
Ann and Lizzie had also joined them and the entire party went upstairs and
proceeded to the gallery, where Elizabeth waited in front of the two portraits.

"Now,
which is it? And why has it caught your attention?" asked Mr. Darcy.

"It's
the young gentleman in a green coat, Grandpa," said Laura Ann, skip-ping
to his side.

"Is
that who it is?" Mr. Darcy seemed astonished, having expected to be asked
about one of the more esoteric paintings in his collection.

When
everyone answered in the affirmative and Laura Ann added, "He looks
exactly like Darcy's friend, Mr. Carr," her grandfather said, in a very
matter-of-fact voice, "Does he? Well, my dears, I am not entirely
surprised, because that was Robert Carr, my Uncle James Fitzwilliam's stable
boy."

As
a cry of comprehension went up from one and all, he went on, "There is
quite a story to that picture. It was all before my time, but I had it from Mrs.
Reynolds, who was told it by my mother, when they returned from my uncle's
funeral in Ireland."

As
everyone gathered around to hear the tale, Mr. Darcy continued. "My aunt,
the lady in the elaborate hat, was Moira Fitzwilliam, and she was a fine
horsewoman. She used to get young Robert, who was very good with horses, we are
told, to ride with her around the estate. It was all quite innocent, but she
was very much younger than my uncle, and though the lad was only fifteen, her
husband became jealous of him.

"When
she had his portrait painted by the same artist who had been commissioned to do
hers, he was absolutely furious and dismissed the boy and his father, who
worked on the farm as well. Lord knows why, he was only a boy, but that's
jealousy for you. Makes even the sanest men irrational and stupid."

"And
how did these portraits come to be in your collection, Papa?" Cassy asked,
now that she had seen and accounted for the resemblance between the portrait
and their guest.

Mr.
Darcy explained, "When my uncle died, my mother, who was his cousin, went
to Ireland to attend the funeral, accompanied by my father. When the will was
read, they discovered that she had been left the collection of family
portraits. Not all of them were particularly good or interesting, so they gave
them away to other members of the family, keeping just a few, these two among
them. It is possible my mother liked them more than my father did. I had quite
forgotten about the stable boy until Cassy enquired today."

"I'm
surprised Mr. Fitzwilliam kept the one of the lad, if he was so angry about
it," said Elizabeth.

"I
believe it was found in his wife's private apartments; she had died of
pneumonia, some years before he did," Mr. Darcy explained.

"She
must have been quite fond of the boy," Richard mused, and Mr. Darcy
pointed out that the Fitzwilliams had no sons.

"Could
Robert Carr have been Mr. Michael Carr's father?" young Lizzie asked, and Mr.
Darcy replied that it was far more likely that Robert Carr may have been the
grandfather of their guest, if he was under thirty years of age.

Cassy
believed the gentleman could not be more than thirty and Laura Ann, who
appeared very well informed, declared that he was a few years older than their
brother Darcy; he had told her so, she claimed.

"It
must mean he is a grandson of Robert Carr; that would certainly account for the
remarkable resemblance," said Richard, but then cautioned his wife and
daughters against making any mention of this matter to their guest.

"You
must not embarrass him by questioning him about his parentage,"

he
warned.

"But
how will we ever find out?" cried Laura Ann. Her grandmother smiled.
"Leave it to me, my dears, I am sure we can find a way. But your Papa is
quite right. It would be very unseemly to question Mr. Carr about his
grandfather--after all, we have no idea what may have happened after the family
left the Fitzwilliams' estate."

"Oh
yes, we do," said young Laura Ann again. "My brother said Mr. Carr's
family were forced to leave Ireland and go to America, where they worked
exceedingly hard and made lots of money."

"Well
then, it looks as if all's well that ends well, but I still do not think you
should ask questions about his parents; that would be very rude and
insensitive,"

said
Elizabeth, and the girls promised not to bring the matter up, unless Mr. Carr
spoke of it himself.

By
this time, Mr. Darcy, tiring of the conversation, urged them to leave the
gallery, which was rather cold, and Elizabeth invited them to stay to lunch.

Everyone
knew what a feast Sunday lunch was at Pemberley and no one was averse to
accepting her invitation.

During
the meal and afterwards, the talk was mainly of Mr. Carr and his possible
purchase of the Rushmore Farm and Stud. Elizabeth was curious to learn more
about the gentleman and questioned Richard and Cassy closely about their son's
friend. But Mr. Darcy seemed quite sanguine about his move into the
neighbourhood.

"I
will admit, Richard, I have been very concerned, ever since we learned of Will
Camden's intention to sell up. Over the last few years we have seen several
places taken over by men from Manchester and Birmingham, with no real interest
in the area and no understanding of the people here. Many of these properties
have been subdivided and sold to profiteering blackguards who have done nothing
at all for the community. Men and women who have lived and worked these lands
for generations are being displaced by developers and rogues."