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“If I were to rid myself of them, how far should I go? Would only a clean-shaven face suffice?”

Thinking of Mr Bingley, Lizzy replied: “No, I think modest sideburns would be fine...” She turned to examine his face, blushed, and then looking away from him, said in a casual voice: “If you do not mind my saying so, I think you have very nice lips, so those ones that come to points would look very well.”

When she glanced at Mr Thorne for his reaction. She found him grinning from ear to ear. Standing, he reached for her gloved hand, which Elizabeth duly surrendered.

“Thank you, Miss Elizabeth,” he said bending over it. “I hope one day to call you sister-in-law.”

Elizabeth walked back to the warehouse thinking she could add one more smart man to her very short list.

Chapter 43: Cows and other livestock

Elizabeth worked so efficiently that by half-past two she had caught up with all the invoices that had piled up during the two days of the clerk’s absence. She had cause to rue her efficiency, for when the carriage had finished its deliveries for the day, her uncle sent her home with Mick standing up behind. On returning to Gracechurch Street, Elizabeth discovered that a second bouquet had arrived from her betrothed shortly after she had departed with her uncle that morning. The pencilled note only made her pensive: “I count the hours till we are together again. Thoughts of you sustain me in the darkness, Love Fitzwilliam.”

“Red roses today, Lizzy. Mr Darcy is certainly assiduous,” said Mrs Gardiner, hoping to mend her bridges. From his conversation, she had not imagined the man to be so romantic. But upon contemplating his fairy tale proposal, Mrs Gardiner realised she would have to revise her opinion.

Lizzy smiled wanly, unsure how to take her aunt’s remark. Nonetheless, she was determined to enjoy being the object of Mr Darcy’s affection. The perfume of the roses was wonderful. Given that the parlour already boasted the lovely white bouquet, Elizabeth decided to take the red roses up to her room. She spirited the vase off, enveloped by their delicate scent.

She had no sooner returned from her room than a knock at the door heralded the arrival of another bunch of roses—two in one day! These were yellow, which Mrs Gardiner said indicated friendship. Again, they were accompanied by a short note from Mr Darcy written in pencil, reaffirming his love and saying his attorney expected to have a draft of the settlements to Mr Gardiner’s warehouse before close of business. With Elizabeth’s agreement, Aunt Gardiner placed the yellow roses in the study. Shortly after the ladies sat down to some stitchery in the parlour, they heard a vehicle pull up outside.

“Why, it is the Darcy carriage, Lizzy,” remarked Mrs Gardiner after stepping to the window.

Elizabeth ran eagerly to view the street, only to discover that her visitor was not Mr Darcy, but his sister Georgiana accompanied by Princess Brunhilda. Biting back her disappointment, Elizabeth explained the identity of their visitors to her aunt.

After proceeding quickly to the front door, the ladies were in time to forestall their callers from departing after their footman had handed their cards to Sally.

“Georgie! Princess Brunhilda! How good to see you again!” said Elizabeth with heart as she stepped to the open carriage window. If she could not see the brother, Lizzy reasoned, then the sister was half as good.

“Oh, Miss Bennet!” said Georgie, carefully schooling herself to use the correct name. “How happy I am that you are to marry my brother! Now we can all be merry together!”

When Mrs Gardiner begged the visitors to come in, both ladies expressed their enthusiasm if they would not be too much trouble. As they stepped from the carriage, Mrs Gardiner saw they were both tall but was astonished at the size of the princess, who was a veritable Amazon. Although the Gardiners’ house was one of the more modern buildings on Gracechurch Street, Princess Brunhilda still had to duck to prevent her modish hat hitting the lintel.

Tea was ordered; the carriage sent round to the mews.

Both ladies were charmed with the Gardiners’ parlour, which was genteel but compact. Georgiana felt almost like the furniture in her own saloon in Mayfair had been packed into a room one third of its size. She almost laughed when the children attempted to come into the room, seeing there were interesting visitors. Georgie thought, tongue-in-cheek, that the princess might be obliged to stick her arm out the window to accommodate them. But Elizabeth’s aunt sent the boys packing, each with a biscuit in his hand.

Mrs Gardiner’s mind was greatly relieved by Miss Darcy who seemed a very nice young lady—sincere and unaffected with charming manners; much easier to read than her reserved and inscrutable brother. In addition, Georgiana spoke in such glowing terms of her brother that Mrs Gardiner could not help but begin to think better of him. The princess, too, was charmingly condescending and spoke excellent English. When Georgie rattled on about the delights of the three ladies all being soon related by matrimony, describing future excursions that included attending the opera and theatre at least once a week, the princess teased her about the sad lack of balls and card parties in her projected calendar.

Tea was accompanied by a tasty cold collation consisting of the last of Sunday’s roast beef, cheese, two salads and some thinly sliced ham, which seemed to have been hastily procured from one of the shops on Gracechurch Street. Soon after their repast was finished, the princess and Georgie politely took their leave, but not before inviting Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner on a shopping trip to Bond Street on the morrow. Mrs Gardiner politely declined, citing her children as her excuse. In truth, despite her husband’s success in business, Mrs Gardiner could not afford to purchase so much as a fan in Bond Street, but she knew that Elizabeth would now be expected to rig herself out in the style of a lady of the Ton. Mrs Gardiner thought her niece could do this best in the company of Miss Darcy and the princess.

Despite the fact she was only a passable needlewoman, not having much patience for stitching, Elizabeth spent what remained of the day mending various rents in the children’s clothes while making desultory conversation with her aunt. When her uncle arrived home for dinner, Elizabeth had abandoned her needlework in the failing light to play a game of fox and geese with the children. She did not at first notice when her aunt failed to immediately reappear after greeting her husband at the front door, but when Sally announced that Cook was ready to put dinner on the table, Elizabeth sought her relatives in her uncle’s study.

Elizabeth distinctly heard the name ‘Darcy’ as she was about to knock on the door and momentarily hesitated to do so. Recalling Mr Darcy’s note of the afternoon, Recalling Mr Darcy’s note of the afternoon, Elizabeth thought it very likely that the threatened settlements had indeed arrived and wondered if the information would be shared with her. Her aunt and uncle were not forthcoming when they emerged from the study upon her knock, but after the children had been sent off to bed with Nurse, Mr Gardiner finally broached the subject.

“Lizzy, I received details of the settlements today from Mr Darcy’s attorney. They are more than generous. Mr Darcy promises to marry you on his thirtieth birthday or earlier if he gains his uncle’s agreement. Should the marriage not come to pass, he will provide a very generous settlement.”

“Why would you doubt the word of a gentleman, Uncle?”

Mr Gardiner coughed. “Any number of things might happen in the meantime, Lizzy—he could die, for instance. We need not go into the details. Suffice to say that I am happy for you to now visit Mr Darcy before the wedding, adequately chaperoned, of course.”

Aside from the permission to visit, Lizzy still was not entirely sure of the purport of her uncle’s remarks. However, when Mr Gardiner got up to take his coffee in his study where he was still working on a refined version of Mr Darcy’s ‘walking machine’, her aunt provided more illumination.

“Lizzy, as an extension of our conversation on the manners of the Ton the other day, I feel I should provide further advice. A long engagement is likely to be fraught with some temptations and difficulties. Because of Mr Darcy’s illness, your situation may be slightly different. Nonetheless I feel the need to warn you.”

“I understand, Aunt. You worry that Mr Darcy might not sustain his affection over a long period?”

Mrs Gardiner looked puzzled for a moment before admitting, “It was not uppermost in my mind.” She took a deep breath to go on: “A lady may cry off, Lizzy, but it is exceptionally poor form for a gentleman to do so. Do you know why?”

Wracking her brain, Lizzy came up with nought. “It seems hardly credible that anything should be to the advantage of a female, Aunt. I am afraid you will have to explain the catch.”