A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (2 page)

Five Years Later – November 10, 1811 - Officer’s
Quarters – Meryton, Hertfordshire

The
two handsome, young gentlemen mounted their waiting horses outside the
officer’s dining hall. “Darcy, I just do not understand how you can be
uncomfortable in such excellent company. The officer’s were pleasant, the food
was tolerable, and the stories were entertaining.” Charles Bingley shook his
head at his friend. They turned their horses and headed to Bingley’s leased
estate, Netherfield Park.

“I
had no prior acquaintance with any of the men, Bingley.” Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy
was a private man; taciturn by nature, who did not make friends easily. They
were an odd combination; Bingley with his ready smile and pleasant outlook and
Darcy with his brooding stare and rigid posture. Darcy’s manner did not invite
approach. The fortnight they had been in Hertfordshire, Bingley had accepted
all manner of invitations: card parties, public assemblies, dinners, and
musical evenings where little talent was displayed. It had been a frustration
to the ever unsocial Darcy. Bingley was delighted with the country society.

“Well,
no matter,” Bingley grinned. “We have had pleasant company at home. Miss Jane
Bennet was to have tea with my sisters and I long for a report of her visit.”
He had a dreamy look on his face. “She is an angel, Darcy, an absolute angel.”

The Following Morning

Gracechurch Street – London

Breakfast
in the Gardiner household was a family affair. Two times each day the family
would gather for a meal and conversation which centered on the news, plans for
the day, and hopes for the future. Elizabeth loved her two cousins fiercely and
viewed her beloved aunt and uncle as the best examples of reasonable, thinking,
gentle people. Her uncle, Mr. Edward Gardiner, had a large import/export business
with warehouses in the Cheapside district of London. They were convenient to
his home. His wife, Madeline, was kind, intelligent, deeply in love with her
husband, and a true partner in every sense in the marriage.

Having
lived with the family for the past five years since her abrupt removal from the
home she had grown up in, she delighted to see how her 12-year-old cousin,
Michael, and his 10-year-old sister, Marie, were involved in these family
discussions. Young opinions were sought after, listened to, and reviewed with
the weight usually given to learned adults. It was an atmosphere rich in love
and intelligence and Elizabeth thrived along with her cousins.

Four
of those five years had been spent in travel, expanding business contacts in
the international markets. It was a half a year’s journey along established
trade routes to reach India, a country of diverse cultures, rich in gemstones,
spices, silk, cotton, indigo dye, tea, and other items demanded by the wealthy matrons
and peers of British society. The return trip, after a stay of just over a
year, included stops in other areas abounding in resources; ports on the
African coast that supplemented the spices already contracted for in the Indian
cities of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, stops in the Mediterranean for fine
wines, glassware, delicate fabrics, leather goods, and metals, and a final stop
in Portugal for the most desired port wines and lacework. Business had been
brisk and the adventure, the different climates and cultures, the variety of
peoples thrilled young Elizabeth as she broadened the scope of her known world.

Visiting
Verona, she could not help but imagine herself as Shakespeare’s Juliet Capulet
on a medieval balcony in a lovely courtyard awaiting her lover, Romeo. In
Venice, she was on constant lookout for Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in
Merchant of Venice, and in Rome, while touring the ruins of the ancient Holy
Roman Empire, she imagined happening upon members of the Roman Senate or one of
the Caesars wearing a toga or a Cardinal in their clothes of state. In Athens,
while her uncle visited warehouses, she and her cousins and aunt toured the
ancient buildings and temples that housed the gods and goddesses that had so
enraptured her when she had listened to her father read Homer’s Odyssey and
other classics in their original languages so many years ago. Finally, in Egypt,
she imagined Queen Cleopatra and her consort, Marc Antony, resting on a barge
as they floated the river Nile, just as the whole Gardiner family had
opportunity to do. The ancient pyramids were impressive in their grandeur and
the only regret Elizabeth had was that she could not share these wondrous
experiences with her father.

As
this thought filtered through her mind, Elizabeth forced it back into the
obscure recesses where it belonged. The continued animosity of her father no
longer weighed as heavily on her heart as it had five years previously. An
irregular correspondence with her old friend and neighbor, Charlotte Lucas,
warned her that the same attitude prevailed over Longbourn, as it had five
years previously. During the lengthy travels, Elizabeth took opportunity,
especially in India where they had long felt the ravages of smallpox, to learn
as much as possible about treatment and prevention of many diseases. She kept a
journal, not only of the places she saw and the people she met, but also
included step-by-step preparations for many preventatives and treatments
available with the wider variety of herbs, plants, and organics native to the
areas she visited. Not gifted or trained in drawing or painting, she endeavored
to search out other young ladies skilled in those arts to illustrate these
journals.  At her uncle’s suggestion, she also collected vials and samples to
carry back to England for any future use. It was a comprehensive collection and
very much treasured by the entire family.  Elizabeth also included in the
journal recipes and instructions for the many different foods they had sampled.
It had been a wonderful journey.

It
had taken the three months they had been back in England to determine a proper
location for the many remembrances they had brought back and to establish a
routine that the Gardiners would cling to for the rest of their married life. The
movement and sounds of the ship, the creaking of the wooden hull, the snapping
of the sails, the calls of crewmembers from one to another, were now just a
pleasant memory. Hearing English spoken was no longer a longed-for novelty, but
was now expected. The sights and smells of London, even those upon their
arrival in the sweltering August temperatures, were welcome to the weary travelers.

After
breaking her fast with the rest of the family, Elizabeth settled into the large,
overstuffed chair in her aunt’s smallest sitting room to finish a needlework
project. Thinking of the changes that the past years had brought stimulated her
thinking as to what the future might hold. She set her embroidery down on her
lap, pondering other journeys that would be pleasurable; the Americas, the
South Pacific, or the Orient. Elizabeth was well aware that her uncle and aunt
had allowed her many freedoms not typical of a girl her age. In just over seven
months she would reach her majority and have the decision as to what her future
would be. She had diligently saved any spending allowance given her by her
uncle, being frugal in her purchases. Her uncle then invested her meager funds
until she had some savings; which she kept in a drawer by her bedside. Elizabeth
was just tying off a thread when a footman entered. “An express for you, Miss.
The rider is waiting for a reply.”

“An
express letter? For me?” She had never received any post by express. Charlotte
was her only correspondent.  For someone to go to this expense, it had to be
either the best of news or the worst of news. Before she could lay claim to the
missive, the butler, Mr. Harrison, walked up behind the footman. “Miss
Elizabeth, another express rider has just arrived and he has another letter for
you.”

This
was clearly too much. “Please, Mr. Harrison, send for my aunt and uncle. I fear
this news.” Mr. Harrison and the footman retreated immediately.

While
she waited for the Gardiners, she thought back to Charlotte’s last letter.
There had been much news from the area of Meryton. She had written that after
years of vacancy, Netherfield Park had been let at last by a young, single man
from the north who had family members and close friends in residence with him
for the past fortnight. According to Charlotte, the young man was handsome,
friendly, rich, and enthusiastically pursuing 23-year-old Jane Bennet. A Mr.
Charles Bingley, she noted. In other news, Charlotte’s younger brother, Mr.
Robert Lucas, had just returned from his studies in Cambridge and would be taking
over the responsibilities of stewardship of Lucas Lodge from his father, Sir
William Lucas. And the militia was coming to Meryton. Elizabeth considered how
pleased her mother must be with those circumstances. Single gentlemen in the
neighborhood would be viewed as a gift from God to all mothers with unmarried
daughters. Charlotte had also mentioned that the heir to Elizabeth’s former
home, Mr. William Collins, was due for a lengthy visit to Longbourn. Mrs.
Bennet had told Lady Lucas, Charlotte’s mother, that they were not looking
forward to the visit, as she felt he was there to determine Mr. Bennet’s health
and project when and if he might inherit soon. It must certainly be a
distasteful prospect. Elizabeth did not recall if Charlotte mentioned when her
father’s cousin was due to arrive.

Her
aunt and uncle entered the room together. Both showed deep concern on their
faces. Mr. Gardiner took the two letters from the butler and examined the addresses
on the outside before suggesting that the two ladies be seated. Anxiety,
suspense, and trepidation radiated from Elizabeth’s eyes as her gaze focused
entirely on her uncle. Unnoticed was the retreat of the servants, the voices of
the cousins from the library, the firelight flickering in the fireplace in the
wall by the window, and the branches of the tree outside the window tapping
against the glass in the wind.

“Uncle?”

“Yes,
Lizzy,” he glanced down at the letters again. “It appears that one originated from
Netherfield Park and the other is from your father.” Both he and his wife
looked to see Elizabeth’s reaction to this stunning news. Longbourn. It had
been five long years since she had had any contact with her family. Elizabeth
always asked of the family when she wrote to Charlotte, but the replies were
always the same, brief and vague. They were enough to let Elizabeth know that
the circumstances and attitudes were unchanged. Therefore, the news could not
be good. The residents of Netherfield Park were unknown to her and she could
not begin to wonder who or what that missive might contain. How and why did
they contact her, and by express? Strong emotions roiled in Elizabeth’s mind
and heart, making her breathing shallow and causing the blood to rush from her
face. “Please, Uncle, please read the post from Netherfield Park. I am all
curiosity.”

November 11, 1811

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire

Dear Miss Elizabeth Bennet,

Please pardon this lapse in propriety for writing when we have not been
properly introduced. I am Miss Georgiana Darcy. My brother and I are guests of
Mr. Charles Bingley and his two sisters, Mrs. Louisa Hurst and Miss Caroline
Bingley.

Yesterday, your sister, Miss Jane Bennet, was invited to tea. Shortly
after her arrival, she became ill and I am sorry to tell you that her condition
has worsened. We applied to Longbourn for assistance, but received a return
note that Miss Bennet would need to remain here at Netherfield Park. As you may
be aware, there is no apothecary or surgeon available in the area. Throughout
the night, your sister called for you.

My brother, Fitzwilliam Darcy, happened upon Miss Charlotte Lucas this
morning as he rode to Meryton seeking medical help and she gave him your
directions. My brother and I, along with Mr. Bingley, feel that Miss Bennet
will not improve without you by her side. Please accept this plea from
strangers as an expression of sincere concern for your sister’s health.

If you require assistance in travel, please advise the express rider,
as he is to wait for a response and is authorized to assist you in any way you
require. Mr. Bingley has offered lodging here at Netherfield Park for as long
as you need. Please come soon.

Yours respectfully,

Miss Georgiana Darcy

Elizabeth
had not realized she had been holding her breath the whole time her uncle read.
“
Oh, poor Jane
,” she thought as she slowly released the air from her
lungs. Her sharp mind quickly assumed that her father’s express must contain
the same news. “I must go immediately.”  She rose at the same time as her aunt
and they quickly climbed the stairs to the family quarters to pack the few
items she would need to travel to Hertfordshire.