A Woman of Influence (43 page)

At first, Mr Darcy had said very little, except to remark that he remembered Mr Aldo Contini well.

"He was Jonathan's friend--a very handsome and accomplished young fellow as I recall. I understand he had to leave Italy in something of a hurry, because his family had supported Mr Garibaldi."

Jessica replied that Becky had said the Contini family were back in favour,

now that Mr Garibaldi had won the day.

"Indeed," Mr Darcy had said, nodding sagely, "but I believe Aldo Contini prefers to reside in England."

Elizabeth was curious to know more; the Continis had been good friends of the Darcys and Grantleys for many years, but she had little knowledge of this particular member of the family and even less of his connection with the Tates.

"And how did Becky Tate meet Mr Contini? I was not aware she was intimate with the family, were you?" she asked. Her husband replied, "I confess I was not; but I understand Anthony Tate did some business in Italy some years ago, and they met in Florence and then again in London more recently. Jonathan Bingley knew that they were rather well acquainted, I think."

"Clearly, they must have made quite an impression upon one another at their previous meeting. Darcy, have you known about this romance and kept it from me?" asked his wife, feigning outrage at the extent of his knowledge and her own ignorance.

Her husband laughed and ignored the implication of her question.

"No, my dear, I have not. I will admit, however, that when we were in London, his aunt, Signora Contini, did ask rather a lot of questions about Mrs Tate; I thought she appeared unusually interested in her, and of course, I did see Aldo Contini with Becky at the opera and again at the Bingleys' dinner party; they did appear to be well acquainted, but I had no idea there was romance in the air."

"Jonathan must have known; did he not mention anything to you?" his wife persisted.

Mr Darcy shook his head, "He did not and I would not expect him to. Contini is an intimate friend of his; he may have confided in him, and Jonathan is unlikely to betray such a trust."

Elizabeth looked sceptical, but Jessica ventured to suggest that it was not entirely surprising that they should have become engaged, since the pair had been friends for some years now.

"Have they?" said Elizabeth. "Well, I suppose it is not an unsuitable match."

"No indeed," said Mr Darcy. "They are both persons of independent means and, I daresay, mature enough to know their own minds."

"Which is certainly more than could be said for Becky when she married Anthony Tate in such a precipitate fashion," Elizabeth remarked, recalling the day she had heard the news from her sister Jane.

"Why, Becky was scarcely seventeen. When Jane told me of their engagement, you could have knocked me down with a feather. It had all happened so suddenly, I was afraid it would end in tears, and it did. Tate was only interested in business and politics, and poor Becky, for all her hard work, was treated rather shabbily when he left everything to Walter and that dreadful wife of his. Everybody knows she is a grasping, unpleasant sort of person."

Mr Darcy then reminded his wife that Mr Tate had also left the entire proceeds of his American estate in trust for Becky's use and she did get the house in London. To which Elizabeth had to add that it was no more than she deserved, considering all the hard work Becky had done, lobbying for her husband's favourite causes and promoting his business ventures.

"It beggars belief that he could be so unfeeling as to leave their family home to Walter, suggesting that he reach some accommodation with his mother. It was a callous, heartless thing to do, and I am sure Becky was very hurt," she said.

Amidst all this discussion of marriage and money, Jessica felt compelled to offer the opinion that it had appeared to her and her mother that in Mr Contini, Becky had at last found someone who genuinely loved her.

"Mama is confident they will be happy together and what is even more hopeful for their future felicity, they seem like good friends, too," she said, to which her mother-in-law, feeling a little chastened, replied, "Now that is certainly an advantage, Jessica. No one could pretend that Anthony Tate had many friends; business partners and political allies, yes, but genuine friends were few and far between, I think. No, I am truly pleased that Becky is happy with her Mr Contini. I know Emily will be delighted for her; they were always particular friends."

Jessica was perplexed by Elizabeth's attitude to Becky Tate. She wished that Mrs Darcy, who had herself known the desolation of losing a much loved child, could feel more empathy for Becky. It had always puzzled her that Elizabeth, a woman of intelligence and strong feelings, had seemed incapable of sharing that particular emotion with Becky, as though she saw her loss of William as being different in depth and quality to the death of Becky's daughter Josie.

Jessica, whose heart was easily moved, found that difficult to reconcile with Elizabeth's kind and generous nature. Naturally, it was not a subject she could discuss with Julian; his anguish at the death of Josie had been plain to see. When she had asked her own mother, Emily had said lightly that it was Lizzie's "blind spot."

"Cousin Lizzie is loving and kind, but I am afraid it does seem she has no understanding of Becky's situation," Emily had said. "It has puzzled me, but I love them both dearly and do not have to choose between them."

The Pemberley dinner party was a fortnight before Christmas. Becky and Mr Contini were to leave for Kent on the following day.

Becky dressed with care for the occasion, glad that Nelly had packed a new silk gown and fur-lined cape, in which she could grace the halls of Pemberley with confidence. As for Mr Contini, she noted that he looked his usual distinguished self; indeed, she thought, they made a rather handsome couple.

Sadly, Emily could not travel to Pemberley--she hardly left the house at all these days. Becky was loathe to leave her on their last evening, but Emily had insisted.

"You must go, Becky, I insist. I know how very important it is to you that you maintain your friendship with Lizzie. Besides, Pemberley dinner parties are always superb--I have been at many of them. You must go and enjoy yourselves. I think I need an early night; we shall talk after breakfast tomorrow, and you can tell me all about it."

The dinner party, as Emily had predicted, was a triumph; fine food and wine, excellent company, and music provided by a small chamber orchestra combined to produce a perfect evening.

The Darcys, excellent hosts as always, greeted Becky and Mr Contini and made them very welcome. They were joined by Mr Bingley and Jane, Elizabeth's daughter Cassandra and her husband Dr Richard Gardiner, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Caroline, all of whom congratulated Becky and Mr Contini and wished them every happiness.

Jane was particularly kind, seeking Becky out and expressing her good wishes in the sincerest way, assuring her that everything she had ever heard from her son Jonathan about Aldo Contini had been in his favour.

"I have told Lizzie that Mr Contini and Jonathan have been friends since

they were at school together, and my son speaks so highly of Mr Contini, I am in no doubt he is an exceptionally fine man and you will both be very happy."

Becky blushed at this fulsome praise and thanked her; Jane had always had the capacity to see the very best in everyone she met, even if it meant turning a blind eye to some of their faults; with Mr Contini, however, Becky was happy to let her sing his praise, especially to Elizabeth.

She was even more gratified by the utmost courtesy and appreciation with which both she and Mr Contini had been received at Pemberley, as well as the interest evinced by Mr Darcy and the other gentlemen in Mr Contini's opinions on a range of subjects, from the success of Mr Garibaldi to the immense popularity of Italian opera in England.

As for her own relations with Mrs Darcy, about which Emily had expressed such concern, Becky could not fault Elizabeth's conduct on this occasion.

At dinner, she had placed Mr Contini between herself and Dr Gardiner, and Becky had noted that he appeared to carry on conversations with both of them with equal ease. Watching them from across the table, she had been pleased to see that Elizabeth listened attentively to her guest. Becky knew from observing her that Elizabeth was not just being a courteous hostess; her manner and engagement in the conversation suggested she was genuinely interested.

Later, when they were seated together after dinner, listening to the musicians, Becky had remarked upon the pleasure of being at Pemberley again, and once more, Elizabeth's response had surprised her.

"Well, Becky, I know you will forgive us if we do not travel to Kent for your wedding," she had said. "Neither Mr Darcy nor I do much travelling in Winter, but I hope that when you have returned from Italy, Mr Contini and you will return to Pemberley and spend some time with us, perhaps in the Spring? It is very pretty here in May, and it will be our great pleasure to welcome you back as husband and wife."

Delighted, Becky thanked her sincerely and said she was sure Mr Contini would like very much to return to Pemberley in the Spring.

"He has a great love of the English countryside, and Pemberley has within its boundaries and in its environs so much beautiful country, I know he will enjoy it very much. For my part, there is nothing I would like more. It is a most peaceful place. Mama always loved Pemberley and spoke often of the many

happy days she had spent here with you."

Elizabeth, remembering her dear friend Charlotte, could not conceal her feelings, and impulsively, the two women embraced.

Elizabeth's voice was gentle as she said, "Life has not always been kind to either of us, Becky, though I count myself more fortunate, in that I still have my dear husband with me; but I do want you to know that I am glad you are happy now. Jessica has told me what you intend to do for Emily--I must thank you very much; it is very generous of you. Mr Darcy and I want to help her, yet she will not accept any more help from us. We have tried to persuade her to return to live at Pemberley, where we can look after her, but she has refused, insisting she must stay on at Oakleigh. Your plan will mean she can continue to live there comfortably, and I thank you for your kindness with all my heart."

Becky hardly knew what to say; she had not expected such praise from Elizabeth. Yet she was so touched, she had to fight back tears and was relieved when Jessica came to say it was time to leave. She was glad they had accepted the invitation to dinner. It had been the best possible end to what had been a bittersweet week.

Promising to write, she thanked Elizabeth and embraced her again, and when Mr Contini said farewell and kissed her hand, Mrs Darcy appeared to be particularly pleased.

"Becky seems to have made a sensible choice this time," Elizabeth said to her husband as they went upstairs, as the servants cleared away the debris of the dinner party. "Mr Contini seems a most acceptable person, and his affection for her is undeniable. Do you not think so, dearest?"

Mr Darcy did not even bother to suppress a smile. "Indeed, my dear, I noticed you were having what appeared to be a most lively and entertaining conversation at dinner. I was sorry to be too far away from you to eavesdrop on any of it."

"I assure you it was more than entertaining, much more," Elizabeth declared. "Mr Contini was regaling us--Richard and myself--with wonderful tales from the Italian campaigns of the Risorgimento. I had no idea Mr Garibaldi's followers had such fun."

"Hmm... between bouts of killing and being killed themselves, no doubt!" Darcy retorted and added, "Confess it, Lizzie, he is a charming fellow and you liked him very much, but, I agree with you absolutely, Becky does seem to have made a happy choice this time. From my limited knowledge of him, I believe Mr Contini is a man of integrity. Jonathan speaks very highly of him--they have been friends for years. He is amiable enough, and if, as you have found, he also has a sense of humour, he will suit her well. It is quite plain she seems happier already than she has been in a very long while."

Elizabeth agreed.

"Yes, I believe you are right, my dear, and anyone Jonathan calls a friend must be particularly acceptable," she conceded, and Mr Darcy had no wish to contradict her.

Before leaving Oakleigh on the following day, Becky told Emily of her conversation with Elizabeth.

Her satisfaction was clear. "Oh my dear Becky, I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. I never felt it was my place to lecture Lizzie or you about it, but I have been saddened by the coldness that existed between you. You have both shared so much of life's experience, it was such a waste that you could not talk to one another," she said with such obvious pleasure that Becky had to warn her not to be too optimistic.

"I do not know how far this feeling goes, but I am happy too, and I promise I shall try my very best to maintain good relations with Elizabeth. But, Emily, I owe all of it to your goodness and kindness of heart, and I shall not forget that, as long as I live."

Emily characteristically refused to accept the credit for the rapprochement between Elizabeth and Becky, which did not surprise Becky at all; what did continue to amaze her was her friend's uncomplaining acceptance of life's afflictions.