“Chess?” The lad flopped back on the floor with a dramatic sigh. “On a sunny afternoon? I wanted to ride around the lake.”
“You know I can’t keep up with you on horseback. You’ll get on that fast hunter of yours and scare the wits out of me. But I do love watching you squirm when I make you sit still at the chess table. A deal’s a deal, and you lost, George.”
Mr. Darcy softly drew the doors closed and turned to Gardiner. “They are inseparable, that pair.”
Gardiner felt a squeeze in his chest. “And you cannot let the situation become a permanent one, is that the trouble?”
Darcy tilted his head with raised brows and beckoned Gardiner back to his study. Once inside, he drew out a thick portfolio from his desk. “You have guessed the situation rightly. Had she been born on the right side of the blanket, nothing would make me prouder than to accept Elizabeth as my daughter-in-law. She is clever, cheerful, of good character, and would make an able partner for even the most discerning of men. She also has a trust in her name that will see her established wherever she marries, but it cannot be in… certain circles.”
“I am afraid I do not understand, sir.”
Darcy opened the portfolio and laid it on the desk. “Her origin is known to only two people—her natural parent and me, and it must remain that way. However, as Elizabeth matures, the family resemblance is becoming too striking to ignore. If she were seen, discovered, introduced to the wrong people, it could be ruinous for more than just her. Do you understand, Gardiner?”
He shook his head. “I suppose, but what amIto do on the occasion?”
“You have advised me for years. I know you to be a man of unimpeachable character, and what’s more, your… your status in society would protect her from discovery.”
“You wantmeto become her guardian?”
Darcy raised his brows. “I would make it worth your while.”
“Well… sir, it is not a matter of the money. I can hardly offer such a young lady a good home just now. I am always gone, and my wife, while she would adore a daughter, is… ah…”
“I see. If Mrs. Gardiner is alreadyenceinteand cannot often count on your assistance, it is a deal to ask.”
“Just a moment…” Gardiner held up a finger. “How old did you say she was?”
“Thirteen in April.”
“I do have four nieces in Hertfordshire. One is fourteen and too often alone, for her three younger sisters do not share her interests and disposition. It might prove profitable for Jane to have such a girl as Elizabeth come to live with them.”
“Is the situation an honorable one?”
“In every way. My brother-in-law, Thomas Bennet, is a gentleman. An idle one, but he is a kind man who… egad, he would like nothing more than to sharpen the young lady’s skills at chess. I think the family might suit her, sir. And if you are prepared to… ah… assist…”
“I will add something to the dowries of Bennet’s other daughters if he can provide a kind and loving home for Elizabeth. I cannot see any harm befall her, Gardiner.”
“If Bennet does take her in, I will still view her well-being as my personal responsibility,” he vowed.
Darcy nodded wearily. “Good. For there is another concern.” He placed a hand over his heart and heaved a low sigh. “My doctor fears that one more bad spell such as I had last winter could turn very grave indeed. I cannot lay this responsibility on Fitzwilliam. He does not know the truth, nor does he have the heart to do what I must to protect them all… Pray, Gardiner, will you look after her? I must have your word.”
Edward Gardiner cast an eye over the documents Darcy had spread before him, but he never read the contents. He just swallowed and nodded. “I will look after her like a father, sir. Or…” he chuckled. “At least a very protective uncle.”
One
Darcy
Derbyshire, 1811
“Darcy,youmustunderstand.I do wish to support you in this matter, but it is delicate.”
My uncle, the earl of Matlock, paced my study with his hands clasped behind his back. “The laborers have employed violence to reach their ends. One cannot lightly endorse that.”
I laced my fingers together on the desk. “Indeed, but would any have heeded them otherwise? They’ve no other method of redress. I do not condone violence at the mill any more than you do, but I do believe men such as we have a duty to see fair laws enacted. I would not have Parliament descending upon my door in ten years’ time, demanding untenable measures simply because we did not act sooner and more rationally.”
“What do you intend to do? Tear out the power looms? Or pay them all a hundred times what they’re worth?”
“I did not say I had a solution. My father had that mill built on the river with the hope of providing work to families. He saw this great shift coming long before it did—families forced from the farms to the cities where there is dismal housing, poor availability of food. He was hoping that a mill in the country could prevent some of those youths from having to remove to Manchester.”
