Page 105
Out in the corridor, Mrs Gardiner, whose eyes were round from the series of revelations, suppressed a laugh. She was now much better informed on just what had occurred in Mayfair but was still having difficulty in understanding Mr Darcy’s intentions and eligibility. If he was in love with Lizzy, as suggested by his exertions, why was he so annoyed by the possibility she was on the catch for him? Was his infirmity due to brain fever or to syphilis? She was fairly sure the latter was incurable. Mrs Gardiner had much to discuss with her husband when he returned!
The sound of hooves on cobbles stopping outside the door and a neigh in the street alerted Elizabeth to the possible return of her uncle, and leaving Jane on the settee, she ran to the window.
“Uncle Gardiner is here!” she announced.
In the corridor, Mrs Gardiner quickly retreated towards the nursery and reversed direction, so that she appeared to be heading towards the front door when Lizzy emerged from the parlour. Coming up the stairs from the kitchens, Mick quickly fell in behind his mistress so that he might take the master’s horse.
Upon arriving at the threshold, Mr Gardiner doffed his beaver and smiled at his wife and his two nieces who stood at the parlour door.
“It’s all right!” he said cheerfully. “Mary is to be married in three weeks!”
And to this happy news, Jane burst out crying and ran back into the parlour.
Chapter 39: Love is blind
As Mr Gardiner had expected his announcement to be greeted by universal joy and approbation, his niece’s reaction seriously disconcerted him. He frowned and went off to his study in a huff. When Mrs Gardiner saw Lizzy follow her sister into the parlour, she decided her efforts to soothe the afflicted would be best exerted in the study.
“What did I do wrong?” asked her affronted husband as Mrs Gardiner closed the study door behind her.
“Nothing, dear! Indeed, this is wonderful news! I gather that probate has been granted and Mr Elliot has come into his inheritance?”
“Exactly! And it is not just a cottage and a living! He has been granted a small estate that was brought to the Delaneys by Mr Delaney’s mother, about the same size as Longbourn! He has already been to Somerset and come back armed with sketches he performed himself to show to his betrothed. The estate is worth a clear seven hundred pounds a year and the living another two hundred! I have no doubt that Mary will be very comfortable, and he is such an estimable young man!”
“I am sure she will be very happy!” said Mrs Gardiner, more for her husband’s benefit than for Mary’s.
“But wait!” said Mr Gardiner. “There’s more!”
“What else?” said Mrs Gardiner, now truly interested.
“Mr Elliot has invited Mrs Bennet and Kitty and Lydia to live with him.”
“How noble of him!” laughed Mrs Gardiner. She judged the clergyman so even-tempered that he might even be able to put up with Mrs Bennet’s crotchets on a full-time basis. But whether he could handle the lively Lydia was quite another question.
“So! With the rest of the family taken care of,” continued Mr Gardiner, “I see no reason that we could not return to our comfortable existence with Lizzy and Jane to live with us here as ladies!”
“Oh, Edward, that is wonderful! You have shepherded the family through a very difficult time!” said Mrs Gardiner, giving him a big hug.
Mr Gardiner preened and went on to milk the happy outcome a little more: “Lizzy need not seek another job, and once Jane is finished with the Garths, she can return here to be merry with us!—provided she can get over whatever is currently bothering her,” he ended on a sour note.
“You must forgive her, dear. I believe Mr Bingley intruded once more to her notice this week, although I have not received this information through official channels, so mum’s the word.”
“Ah! I gather it did not go well?”
“No. As we suspected, Mr Bingley is unwilling to continue his suit in the light of Jane’s reduced circumstances, and Jane had the mortification of watching him pursue the Garths’ daughter under her very nose.”
“Oh, dear. How insensitive of him! And she has not seen fit to tell you directly, has she? You had it from Lizzy?”
“Yes,” said Mrs Gardiner, rather vaguely. “But I am afraid your trials are not yet over. Mr Darcy is up and about and keen to talk to you. Do you feel able to meet with him tonight?”
“I suppose I should get it over and done with,” sighed Mr Gardiner. “Otherwise, I will lie awake all night trying to second guess what he has to say. I thought two thousand pounds would be a sufficient sum to request for the damage to Lizzy’s reputation. In a business deal, I would normally start with three thousand and let him talk me down to two, but I expect the Ton don’t like to bargain. So perhaps I should just request two thousand straightaway and be done with it.”
“You must do whatever you think right, dear, but let him speak first,” said Mrs Gardiner slyly, adding, “I expect the Ton like to do so. Shall I arrange with Mr Finn for you to meet Mr Darcy after Jane has departed?”
Giving her husband a kiss on his forehead, Mrs Gardiner went off on her diplomatic mission, but not without pausing in front of the closed parlour door to assess how things were going inside.
“Oh, Lizzy! I feel so selfish! I should be happy for Mary and indeed I am! But, oh! It makes me feel like I am on the shelf! And coming after my disappointment with Mr Bingley, it is so hard to bear! Forgive me, but all I can see are my chances slipping away as I dwindle into an old maid! What is beauty without fortune? And how long until my beauty fades? I am lost!”
“I know you only wish Mary the best, Jane. You have been working so diligently on her wedding veil. No one can question your loyalty! Life is hard, but we still have each other! Now that Mary is established, it makes it so much easier! Mother can go and live with Aunt Philips in Meryton, along with Kitty and Lydia—Mother’s income should be enough for them! And you and I can stay here with Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. I am sure Uncle Gardiner will not ask you to look for another position after you finish with the Garths, and I can provide money for our frills and furbelows by tuition. Perhaps I could even start a day school in Latin and Greek in the parlour or in Uncle Gardiner’s warehouse in Southwark!”
