Darcy attempted a smile in return but failed. “Some days it feels as though I do, Miss Elizabeth.”
She stood and walked over to him, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “Come, let us take a turn in the garden behind the house. The fresh air will do you good. You did not leave your study today, did you?”
He nodded, grateful for her understanding. They stepped outside into the cool evening air, the garden bathed in the soft glow of twilight. As they walked, Elizabeth chatted lightly, her voice a soothing balm to his troubled mind.
“Tell me what you are reading,” she prompted, knowing how much he loved to read as a way to calm his troubled mind.
As Darcy spoke of the history he was currently engrossed in, his expression softened. Elizabeth listened attentively, her presence a steadying influence. She asked questions, made insightful comments, and gradually, he felt the tension ease from his shoulders.
After a short time, they came to the bench in the middle of the garden and sat down. Elizabeth turned to him; her eyes filled with genuine concern. “You are carrying too much on your shoulders, William. It is not wrong to lean on those who care for you.”
He looked at her, struck by the sincerity in her gaze. “It is difficult, Elizabeth. My father relies on me more and more, andsociety’s expectations are relentless. By society, I mean my Aunt Matlock. And my Aunt Catherine …” Darcy shuddered at the recollection of her last letter in which she demanded a formal announcement of his engagement to her daughter. His father had repeatedly told her over the past two years, both in person and through letters, that there was no such arrangement and that he would not force his son to marry his cousin no matter what the ‘Great Lady Catherine de Bourgh’ claimed. In fact, Lady Catherine had insisted so often, that he included a clause in his will explicitly denying the match and actively discouraging it.
“You have friends and family who wish to support you,” she insisted gently. “Do not shut us out.”
Darcy nodded, moved by her words. “Thank you, Elizabeth. Your friendship means more to me than I can express. I am worried about so many things, most particularly my father’s declining health. But even there, my motivation is selfish—I am certain I will fail as master of Pemberley when he passes.”
She smiled, her eyes sparkling in the fading light. “Your friendship is valuable to me as well, William, and to my aunt and uncle. You will not fail; you are well prepared for this position. For the last year, you have been the person in charge of the estate and even before then, were helping your father make decisions. He has prepared you very well.”
In that moment, Darcy felt a profound sense of gratitude for this young girl. Here, in the presence of someone who truly understood him, he found a measure of peace that he rarely felt elsewhere. As they sat together in the quiet of the garden, he realised that as long as Elizabeth and the Gardiners were in his life, he would not fail since they would always support him.
His family would aid him, particularly his uncle, Lord Matlock, but without his father there to be the figurehead in charge of Pemberley, everyone would turn to him for advice and support. Not having his father there would hurt. But Elizabeth had already eased that fear, at least a little.
Chapter Seven
LONGBOURN
After Elizabeth’s departure, life at Longbourn settled into a new routine. Jane felt the loss of her sister acutely, especially as it meant their mother could now focus more attention on her. Even though Jane was only ten years old, she frequently heard discussions about how she was expected to “save the family” through her marriage. As Jane grew older, this talk intensified. By the time she turned fifteen, she was ‘out’ in Meryton and attending social events. However, in such a small community, the only men she encountered were those she had grown up with, and neither the Lucases nor the Gouldings could support the entire Bennet family alongside their own.
Recalling the Gardiners’ promise not to deny their daughters a visit, Mrs. Bennet sent Jane to London for a visit in the spring of 1804. She did this without advance notice, relying on her uncle’s sense of familial duty to house his niece when she showed up with only the barest of warnings before her coach arrived at his home one afternoon.
Jane found the Gardiner household was not to her liking since they did not cater to her every wish, nor would they take her to the finest modiste in London. Neither would they take her to the balls and other events as she had hoped, nor could they introduce her to wealthy men. The family attended the theatre one night while she was there, but even that was met with complaints. Jane did not like that Elizabeth accompanied them, and that her uncle did not rent a box as she insisted. After afortnight of constant complaining and of not getting her way, she wrote to her mother asking to return home. Her aunt and uncle were happy to send her back, though they did not escort her there, but returned her in the same manner she arrived.
Initially, Elizabeth was pleased to see her sister, though she was disheartened when she realised how shallow Jane’s interests had become. Despite her initial excitement at being reunited, their conversations quickly grew tiresome. Jane showed little interest in Elizabeth’s life in London or in any of the broader world topics Elizabeth enjoyed discussing. Instead, she focused on trivial matters and local gossip. Though Elizabeth was familiar with some of the people Jane discussed, she did not care for Jane’s attitude toward them.
Despite her not visiting Hertfordshire, Elizabeth was familiar with several of the families there. After receiving his knighthood, Sir William Lucas brought his family to London once or twice each year. Edward Gardiner and William Lucas were friendly as children, so each year when Sir William came to London, he visited with his former friend. Through these visits, Elizabeth had become acquainted with the whole family, but in particular Charlotte Lucas, who despite their difference in ages, proved a good friend to the young girl.
Charlotte and Elizabeth wrote to each other often, so when Jane visited, she did not care for how her sister tore down the Lucas family. In many ways, Charlotte was more an older sister to Elizabeth than her own sister, so it bothered Elizabeth to hear her friend spoken of in such a way.
“Jane, I cannot understand why you speak so of Charlotte,” Elizabeth said on one of the first mornings her sister was in town. “Charlotte visits my aunt and uncle with her father often, and I find her to be an interesting and delightful friend.”
Jane sniffed at her sister’s words. “It is nothing more than what Mama always says,” she insisted. “The Lucases are quite the conniving family, always seeking an advantage. It was ridiculous that Sir William was elevated as he was for such a small matter and ‘Lady Lucas’, as she insists on being called, lords it over Mama whenever she can.”
No matter how much Elizabeth tried, she could not understand the depth of the animosity toward the Lucases by her sister, and presumably, her mother as well. When Jane finally left London, Elizabeth felt more of a kinship with the Lucas family than her own.
Jane returned home full of criticisms for her sister and the Gardiners. She could not understand why her aunt and uncle had not taken her out as often as she wished, and Mrs. Bennet was annoyed with her brother for not introducing Jane to wealthy men. The only potential suitors Jane met during her visit were tradesmen, and Mrs. Bennet did not think them at all suitable for her beautiful daughter.
Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet wrote frequently to her brother to complain about this and other matters. Though she begged him to allow Jane to visit again each spring thereafter, Mr. Gardiner refused to house her again, claiming that if Jane arrived, she would be sent right back to Longbourn.
The next several years brought little change to the Bennet estate. Jane continued to grow more beautiful, and Mrs. Bennet used whatever funds she could persuade her husband to part with to dress her in the best Meryton could afford. Of the other girls, Mary was largely ignored since she lacked the beauty of her eldest sister. However, she was interested in the church and frequently visited the rector’s wife, Mrs. Allen, for piano lessons and a few other lessons her parents did not see fit to teach her.These did not occur as often as Mary might have wished, but she did receive more instruction in these matters than the other girls.
At nearly nine years of age, Lydia was already spoiled and nearly uncontrollable. Both she and Kitty had been taught the basics of reading and mathematics, and of course, were taught to sew and embroider, but little else. Mrs. Bennet did not worry about things such as deportment or manners, not seeing anything wrong with their youthful liveliness.
Mr. Bennet thought his daughters silly and ignorant, not bothering himself to worry about their education. He paid enough attention to his estate to keep it running and to keep its income at the same level it always was, though the lack of improvements did mean his income fell a little from one year to the next. The stables declined to the point that he sold off the horses, for after Elizabeth was sent away, he lost all interest in the stables, using the money gained from those sales to purchase additional books for his library. As the years passed, he spent more and more time in his library reading, avoiding his family when he could.
As a result, the Bennet family floundered after Elizabeth’s departure. Neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bennet took the trouble to ensure their daughters were prepared for the future. Mrs. Bennet continued to pin her hopes on Jane marrying well, though she also considered what else could be done to prevent the family from suffering too greatly in the years to come.
Chapter Eight
