Page 2 of The Sole Love

“I love Jane dearly, but I cannot bear to see her like this much longer,” Mr Gardiner said to his wife after dinner on the evening of Elizabeth’s arrival from Kent. “Her sorrow has taken over the entire household. Now that Elizabeth is here, it is time to end this sad chapter of our lives.”

They were alone in the parlour. Elizabeth and Jane had retired, happy to be together again after more than four months apart, since Jane had left for London in the hope of meeting Mr Bingley.

Mrs Gardiner raised her eyes from her embroidery and looked affectionately at her husband. Like every man on earth, he understood nothing of what happened in a young lady’s heart.

“I expect this situation to change, and you will ask for Elizabeth’s help,” her husband continued.

“If you hope that another gentleman will attract Jane—well, I do not think it possible in the near future.”

“I do not pretend to comprehend these feelings, but can you not make her see that others live in this house? She is ready to condemn her sister to the same sadness if this situation continues. It has been almost six months since that man left Hertfordshire, and still she walks the streets of London, hoping to see him.”

“You may be right.” Mrs Gardiner turned back to her embroidery.

“I am right. Tomorrow morning at breakfast, we shall inform our nieces that London has theatres and opera, and there are still balls to attend this Season. We have invitations from friends to dinner parties, and some have invited us to join them at their nearby country houses.”

“You are perfectly right. We only need to convince them to come with us and enjoy themselves.”

“Well, my dear, that will be your task, but I expect them to accompany us to all the events I have planned for the next two weeks.”

His words were explicit. Her husband, for once, was annoyed by Jane’s behaviour, by the constant tears in her eyes, and the dreary atmosphere at every meal. Even their children behaved strangely and kept silent at the table.

“I am sorry, but if Jane cannot control her feelings, she will have to go home and let Elizabeth enjoy London. Now, Mrs Gardiner, I am going to have a cognac, and then I shall join you in our bedchamber.”

Mrs Gardiner remained silent after he left, her embroidery forgotten, wondering what she could do, how she and Elizabeth might convince Jane that her life was not over and that a first love was so often not the last.

She hoped that Elizabeth, with her determination and good spirits, might influence her. Jane would not forget Mr Bingley in a few days. Still, together they had to persuade her to go out and meet people, to attend the theatre and opera, as Mr Gardiner had said, and, of course, the dinners given by their friends and the several balls that were to follow.

For four months, Jane had refused almost every invitation, and on the rare occasions when she had gone out, she had been so quiet that their friends had enquired whether someone close to her had died. In such circumstances, she was very unlikely to be noticed by young gentlemen, particularly as even her well-known beauty seemed overshadowed by the perpetual sadness on her face.

Opportunities to meet gentlemen would certainly arise, for more than a year earlier her husband had entered into partnership with Lord Roderick Mansfield, the second son of the Earl of Ashbourne, a member of a noble family well established in the ton. Unfortunately, as a second son, Lord Roderick had inherited social position but little fortune. An enterprising man, however, he had proposed to Mr Gardiner, whom he had known since his youth, that they go into business together, Lord Roderick bringing clients from high society and Mr Gardiner contributing his expertise and the fortune he had already amassed. In only a year, matters had gone so well that Lord Roderick was prospering, while the Gardiners, almost without realising it, had gained through his good offices access to a society into which ordinary merchants were rarely admitted.

And Jane, instead of seeing the advantages, stayed at home and wept.

They had been waiting for Elizabeth, convinced that she would succeed where they had failed in cheering Jane, but Mrs Gardiner, who knew her extremely well, was surprised to see a shadow of sadness on Elizabeth’s face that had nothing to do with her sister’s state. Just before dinner, she had quietly asked her what was wrong; Elizabeth, not at all surprised by her aunt’s ability to read her, had promised her a long story the following day, when they could find a moment alone.

And if Mrs Gardiner had hoped for an easier solution, she suddenly wondered whether, instead of one problem, she might now have two.

Chapter 2

Instead of the happy young lady who had left for Kent, Mrs Gardiner welcomed the next day a melancholy niece, seemingly overwhelmed by strange feelings that she tried her best to hide. As soon as Jane retired to write a letter, Elizabeth’s despondency became so obvious that it frightened her aunt.

They retreated to the drawing room, and a servant was instructed not to let anyone disturb them.

The cosy room, embellished with delicate objects of art and beautiful paintings, and her aunt’s presence calmed Elizabeth. She wiped away her tears, but a vivid sadness remained in her eyes.

“I behaved horribly, and I am tormented by regret over the consequences of my actions!” she said, and Mrs Gardiner thought of all the horrible things that could have happened. Elizabeth was one of the most intelligent young ladies she knew, and nothing in the past had ever made her suspect that her niece might become involved in the usual indiscretions.

“I wrote to you at length about Lady Catherine’s guests.”

Mrs Gardiner nodded, and fear seized her again. Lady Catherine’s guests were her two nephews, Mr Darcy, whom Elizabeth already knew, and Colonel Fitzwilliam. Were they dangerous men? It was never discussed, but young girls sometimes accepted a man’s attentions, and that could result in by far the most desperate situation. A natural child was a tragedy that could affect not only the girl in question but also her family. She looked at Elizabeth and decided to let her speak before going mad with worry.

“Yes, my dear, I remember well everything you wrote, and it was not little, but in all the events you described, I found nothing tragic or dangerous.”

Elizabeth seemed not to hear her. She spoke in a murmur.

“I beg you to keep the secret—even from Uncle Gardiner.”

“Let me know the whole story first, and together we shall find a way to mend things.”