“Your pique is understandable, and you have my sincere apology for the intrusion. Under the circumstances, I acted to ensure Miss Bennet’s continued safety and peace of mind.”
With a heave of his chest, Mr. Gardiner groaned. “Based on your account, Elizabeth must hate me or perhaps even fear me. This is insupportable!” His fist pounded upon his desk.
I bided my time for a few moments, allowing him to collect himself. “Mr. Barton has led Miss Bennet to believe you took no interest in her.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth.” Mr. Gardiner covered his fist with the other palm. “I have written to Elizabeth each year on her birthday, but I do not suppose any of my letters reached her.”
“Evidently not.”
Hayward cleared his throat. “I have known Mr. Barton and his family for many years, and it is difficult for me to imagine why he would perpetuate this injustice. Could you explain what happened between the two of you to cause this rift?”
“Yes, I shall tell you everything I know.” Mr. Gardiner stood and obtained a tray holding a decanter of brandy and several glasses from a nearby table and moved it to his desk. “Perhaps you gentlemen would like a drink?” My friend and I voiced our agreement and accepted glasses of the amber liquor from him.
Mr. Gardiner dropped heavily onto his chair. After quaffing the brandy in two draughts, he refilled his glass and set it aside. “Mrs. Rebecca Barton was a charming and generous lady. She made an ideal guardian for my niece. I believe she gave Lizzy, as we called her, no less affection and attention than she did her own two children.”
I sipped from my glass, and a robust, delectable flavour filled my mouth. This refined, smooth brandy rivalled the best liquors I had tasted.
“Mrs. Barton invited me to stay at her home whenever it suited me. My studies at university, and later, my apprenticeship with Mr. Pembroke, kept me occupied for most of the year, but I went to Knight’s Manor at Christmastide and saw Lizzy then. I appreciated the opportunity to spend time with my niece, and Mrs. Barton could not have been more gracious.”
His eyebrows pitched downwards. “Mr. Allan Barton, though, afforded me the bare minimum of civility. He told me in no uncertain terms that he did not appreciate this connexion to a tradesman, and he tolerated my presence for the sake of his beloved wife.”
Mr. Gardiner gritted his teeth. “Following the tragic death of Mrs. Barton and her stillborn child, Mr. Barton wrote to me, indicating that I shouldno longer be welcome in either of his homes and would not be given any access to my niece. He declared his decision to be in Elizabeth’s best interest, citing the damage to her standing for anyone to witness her in company with a tradesman relation.”
My friend shook his head. “And yet you are Miss Bennet’s true uncle, while Mr. Barton is no relation to her. You could have sued for her custody.”
“Yes, and I considered taking that step. Mr. Pembroke would have supported me in that effort. However, I had witnessed my niece’s close connexion to the Barton children and did not want to remove her from the only home she remembered.”
Tensing my jaw, I averted my gaze. Before my trip to town, I had assumed I should follow Mr. Barton’s lead and shield Elizabeth from Mr. Gardiner. Now, I no longer had any reason to doubt the man’s honourability—yet he was atradesman. Might an association with a man of business harm my family’s standing?
Mr. Gardiner supped his brandy and cradled the glass in his palm. “You may be able to imagine my disappointment and frustration at this turn of events. Elizabeth is the sole surviving member of my family. I attempted to speak with Mr. Barton at his house in town, but he refused to receive me.”
A sensation of pressure in my chest hampered my respiration.Confound it, the decent course of action ought to have been obvious to me: I could not deny Elizabeth access to her uncle, the last living member of her mother’s family, irrespective of any possible social consequences.
“A month or so later, after having met with one of my suppliers, I passed a gambling den on Bond Street. A dishevelled man stumbled out of the door and reeled towards the road. To my astonishment, I recognised him as Mr. Barton. I went to him and asked whether he needed assistance. He barked an expletive at me and declared he did not need my help. He mumbled a few other sentences that I could not discern. When I asked whether he would permit me to visit Lizzy on his terms and at a location of his choosing, he sneered and refused to agree. Then he entered a nearby carriage.”
I shifted to regard Hayward. “Do you believe this account? Is Mr. Barton a drunkard and a gambler?”
“No!” My friend expelled a rushed inhalation. “Well, not any longer, at least. But from what my father has told me, Barton became inconsolable after he lost his wife and descended into a deep depression. For almost a year, he spent most of his time in town, neglecting his estate and his children and drowning his sorrows in spirits. Several of his friends, including my father, intervened. They told him that his behaviour dishonoured his wife’s memory, and his children depended upon him. At length, he heeded their admonitions. To my knowledge, he has been a responsible and honourable father and master of Knight’s Manor ever since.”
With a nod, Mr. Gardiner sat back in his chair. “That coincides with the information I have gleaned over the years. Since I have never received any correspondence from Mr. Barton or my niece, I sought to assure myself of Lizzy’s continued welfare. From time to time, I have sent one of my trusted servants to Wiltshire to learn whatever he could from the locals and the servants at Knight’s Manor. My man managed to befriend a garrulous maid, who has confirmed over the years that my niece is content. According to the maid, Lizzy has a close association with her two cousins and a more distant, but cordial, one with her uncle.” His gaze fixed upon Hayward. “Is that your understanding?”
“Yes, I should say so.” Hayward rubbed his nape. “I believe Mr. Barton has grown very fond of Miss Bennet. The two of them share a love of books and horses. However, my wife and I dislike his disparate treatment of Miss Bennet. In particular, his practice of taking his son and daughter to town and leaving Miss Bennet at the estate.”
“Has he provided any explanation for leaving her behind?”
Hayward grimaced. “He has used you as an excuse. He maintains that he keeps her at home for her own safety, to eliminate any possibility that she might encounter you.”
“That is outrageous!” Mr. Gardiner scowled and raised his glass to his lips.
“Yes, I agree.”
“Has Mr. Barton mistreated or deprived my niece in other ways?”
Hayward raised a palm. “I do not believe he would ever mistreat Miss Bennet. However, he tends to spoil and favour Miss Barton over her. Although it may be natural for a parent to want their own daughter to have more advantages over their ward, it has been offensive for my wife and I to witness. Miss Barton receives the finest gowns and all the frippery she desires while Miss Bennet wears the garments cast off by Miss Barton.”
Dash it all!My hands gripped the arms of my chair with enough force to chafe my fingers. Once Elizabeth became my wife, I should ensure she had nothing but the best of anything and everything she desired.
“How dare he treat my niece this way?” A reddish tint overspread Mr. Gardiner’s countenance. “If he wanted recompense for her expenses, he could have asked me for the funds at any time. I said as much in my letters to him.”
