“Your mother may call you impertinent, Elizabeth, butthatI never shall agree with.” She smiled solicitously while patting Elizabeth’s hand. “You are a lovely young woman who has many thoughts on many subjects, something Lady Gwendolyn greatly appreciates.”
“Well, let us hope that Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy is of the same opinion, for I cannot fathom why Her Ladyship thinks her good friend might find interest in a woman who has nothing to offer but herfine mindand a lively disposition. It has always been my understanding that men of thetonare expected to choose a woman who might complement them in standing and wealth alike. It is hard to believe someone in my situation could possibly intrigue a man such as Mr. Darcy.” She purposely donned a smug expression causing her aunt to chuckle. “Still, if nothing else, I will enjoy sketching his character.”
“I have no doubt of that. If you recall, Lizzy, Mr. Darcy has only recently re-entered society following the death of his wife. It must be very difficult for him, having a small child.”
“To be sure. And since he needs a mother for his child, it is no wonder he is looking for a marriage of convenience. As for Mr. Darcy’s particulars, Her Ladyship merely said she thought we would suit. My goodness, I do not even know how old the gentleman is.”
“If I am not mistaken, I believe Lady Eleanor said her nephew is seven and twenty. ‘Tis a respectable age is it not?”
Elizabeth smiled in amusement. “Yes, very respectable. With a four-year-old daughter, though, he must have married rather young.”
“So it would seem.” She nodded in reflection. “Not to mention he inherited at a young age and owns one of the finest estates in all of Derbyshire. The manor house is but five miles from Lambton where I grew up. When he was but a boy, I remember he often accompanied his mother about the village. They sometimes stopped in my father’s shop where Lady Anne would discuss various concerns in the community with my father.” Mr. Fredrick Williams, Mrs. Gardiner’s father, had been the village apothecary. “As I recall, young Master Darcy was very shy and somewhat serious in disposition.”
Elizabeth giggled. “And I am quite the opposite of shy and serious. Gracious, if he is true to his younger self, what an odd pair we would make!”
“Yes, but couples who are quite opposite in nature often complement each other rather well. Lizzy, I was not exaggerating when I said the Pemberley estate is impressive. In addition, I understand his deceased wife was the sole heiress to Rosings Park, a fairly large estate in Kent. To be mistress of so much wealth would indeed be grand.”
“That may be, but we need not speculate on something which in all likelihood will never come to pass. Besides, his wealth would hold little interest for me if I could not find pleasure in his company. Who knows, perhaps we will not get on at all and then our speculation will have been for naught.”
“Perhaps.” Mrs. Gardiner could not help but suppress a smile in amusement. “For the present, it matters not, as we have other things to attend to this afternoon. Since our appointment with the dressmaker is not for two hours, I have instructed our driver to stop at Hatchards on the way.”
“Hatchards!” Elizabeth clasped her hands in excitement. “Oh, Aunt, you have made my day. I must confess, the thought of more fittings was not enticing in the least, and talk of great men even less so. But I shall gladly endure it all after having spent an hour at one of my favourite shops.”
“I knew you would be pleased. My maid will accompany you while I go on to Fortnum and Mason to place an order and choose a few items for your mother and sisters before they arrive next week.” Mrs. Bennet had insisted that she be allowed to attend the charity ball along with her two youngest, and the Gardiners had graciously invited them to stay at their house for the duration of the two weeks they would be in Town.
Elizabeth squeezed Mrs. Gardiner’s hand and smiled in appreciation. “Thank you, Aunt Maddie.”
In another fifteen minutes the carriage pulled up in front of the bookshop where the women said their goodbyes. Mrs. Gardiner promised to return an hour later.
Hatchards
As always, Elizabeth felt as though she were entering another world when she slipped through the front door of Hatchards and into its welcoming establishment of the written word.So many people and so many, many books all in one delightful place!Inhaling deeply, the smell of leather and old wood seemed to permeate her being, creating a feeling of endless delight.
How could such a place be so wondrous? And yet it was. A slight giggle escaped her lips as she left the maid at the front of the shop and began to circle around the perimeter of the room, methodically taking note of every section. Today Elizabeth was drawn to the area marked poetry, where she began to peruse the outer shelf of books in earnest.How shall I ever decide?Beforeleaving Longbourn, Papa had given her ten pounds to spend on necessities while she was in Town. Thus far, not a single shilling was spent on what she called frivolity. Instead it had been reserved for the purchase of books.
Unknown to Elizabeth, a gentleman of some means stood ensconced at the back of those same stacks. Whenever he was in Town, not a week went by when Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy did not make a trip to Hatchards to purchase more books for his personal library collections. Neither Pemberley’s offerings nor his library at Darcy House in Town were to be neglected.
Today, however, the young man’s thoughts were far away in Kent with his sweet child, where he spent the weekend as often as he could. Just before dawn he had left Anna with her grandmother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, while he returned to London to resume his search for a suitable wife who would become her new mother. Reaching for the small miniature which he always kept in his pocket, William smiled to himself as he studied her precious face. In appearance Anna Darcy looked nothing like her mother and could have easily been the twin of his sister Georgiana at the same age. His little one with long blond, wavy locks and large blue eyes had the sweetest disposition. Having turned four years of age on the second of March, Anna was a happy child who could charm William out of his most dour mood with one of her endearing smiles and a kiss to his cheek.
“Papa, Papa,”she had said putting her little arms about his neck and nuzzling her head into his chest only yesterday.“Please do not be gone too long, Papa. Dolly and I shall miss you. While you and Aunt Georgie are away, I will have no one to sing to me and tell me new stories. I cannot ask Nurse because her voice is scratchy and her songs do not sound pretty. She is good at reading stories from our books, but she never makes up new ones like you do.”
“Sweet one, I promise you I will come and see you as often as I can, and when I am finished with my business in Town, you and I shall meet Aunt Georgie at the seaside and have a lovely time. Would you like that?”
“Yes, Papa. Dolly and I would like that very much.”
Although he was saddened to be parted from his little Anna, it was far better for her to be in the country at this time of year as he continued his search for a wife in earnest. At least, that is what he had told himself when he agreed to his mother-in-law’s suggestions. As it was, he had been absent earlier in the season while getting Anna settled at Rosings Park and taking Georgiana on to the de Bourgh cottage at Ramsgate, where she would spend several weeks studying with a notable master who was residing there with family for most of the summer.
Now that it was early June, however, William was beginning to wonder if there would be enough time to find a woman who might meet his needs before Parliament adjourned at the end of July and the season came to a standstill.
William had cared for Anne de Bourgh, but their love had never blossomed into the kind of love he had hoped to have in a marriage, the kind of love his parents had. While in his final year at university, his father had taken deathly ill with pneumonia just before the end of his Michaelmas Term in December. During those last days, James Darcy had urged him not to wait too long in choosing a bride.
“Fitzwilliam, as soon as you are able, I hope you will consider marriage.”
“Father, I….”
“Hear me out, son. I, too, inherited at a young age and it was a very lonely life with the pressures of running the estate and trying to make my mark as a successful landowner in society. Being neighbours, I had known your mother all of our lives.” He smiled weakly in reminiscence. “Even before my dearAnne became of age, I did not hesitate to ask for her hand and gain permission to marry. As you well know, ours was a love match. Son, the comfort and counsel I gained while being married to your mother made all the difference in my life, and I know that Pemberley thrived because of having her at my side.”
Following James Darcy’s death, family pressures from his closest relatives to marry were strong, and the responsibility which came with taking over the management of Pemberley was at times overwhelming. Even though he had chosen to finish his final terms at Cambridge, he was continually burdened with decisions about the estate and what lay ahead. Moreover, he and his cousin, Richard Fitzwilliam, had been named guardians for his nine-year-old sister.
