“What does she mean, Father?” Noah looked from me to Uncle Barton.
My uncle Barton opened his mouth as though to respond to Noah but failed to speak. He released a sigh and turned to me. “Very well. I shall tell you whatever you wish to know.”
At this, Mr. Hayward urged us to take seats, and Mr. Darcy led me to a settee where we sat together. Uncle Barton, Noah, and Cassie shared the sofa opposite us, while the Gardiners sat on my left. Dame Hayward distributed tea and glasses of wine. The time had come to learn the truth, yet my throat closed up. I glanced at Mr. Darcy, who gave me a subtle nod.
His silent encouragement conferred strength, and I raised my chin to observe my uncle Barton. “I have a clear memory of a conversation we had ten years ago. You told me that I lacked a dowry because my father had made an unfortunate investment. You went on to characterise Uncle Gardiner as a disreputable man from whom I needed to be shielded. Why did you tell me these falsehoods?”
Uncle Barton rubbed his temple. “Much of my past conduct is regrettable, but at least I may acquit myself with regard to your family’s loss of funds. Some months after Rebecca’s death, I searched her desk for any documents of import. I found a letter from a London bank stating that the account that had been opened for your late mother had been liquidated of the entire sum of five thousand pounds six months before the illness struck your family. Rebecca had several other papers pertaining to a barren silver mine in which your late father had invested.”
“You cannot hide from the facts.” My uncle Gardiner ground his teeth. “Yes, my late brother-in-law made a foolish investment or two over the years, but he did so with money he inherited from an elderly uncle. Your late wife possessed documentation of the investments I made in Elizabeth’s name.After her death, I sent annual summaries of the funds to you. My niece has more than fourteen thousand pounds to her name.”
Cassie gasped and raised a hand to her mouth.
“No, that cannot be true!” Despite the force of Uncle Barton’s response, a shade of uncertainty coloured his words.
“I thought you might persist in denying the truth.” Uncle Gardiner removed a piece of paper from his coat pocket and unfolded it. He stood and held the document before Uncle Barton. “This account statement shows the current value of Elizabeth’s funds.”
Uncle Barton paled as he perused the paper. He sank lower in his seat. “Upon my word, I…I had no idea.”
“I have provided you a statement of Elizabeth’s funds each year.”
“Nevertheless, I never opened anything you sent. No doubt my wife kept the records you furnished her with, yet my search of her belongings focused upon notices from banks or solicitors. I never read any of her personal correspondence.”
My uncle Gardiner returned to his seat, glowering at Uncle Barton. “Your statement, if true, reveals you to have been preposterous and irresponsible.”
“You must believe me, Lizzy.” Uncle Barton met my gaze. “I had no knowledge of this money. If I had, you would have been made aware of the funds, and I should never have accepted Mr. Darcy’s offer for Lily. I agreed to that sale for you, so you would have a source of income.”
“Under the circumstances, I cannot accept that money.”
His head lowered. “For all these years I have wronged you. I am heartily sorry.”
“Did my aunt Barton never mention the funds I inherited?”
“No, she…um…understood that I did not want to be bothered with such details.”
“Why should that be?”
He shook his head. “To my shame, I did not welcome the news that Mr. Bennet wanted my wife and me to be your guardians. Rather, I tried toconvince Rebecca that we should refuse the responsibility. At the time, I thought the added burden would detract from the attention my son and daughter would receive from her.”
A gasp passed my lips as the verity of his statement impressed upon me. Had I not suspected as a child that Uncle Barton had resented my presence?
“But my wife would not hear of anyone else taking you in, and I could never deny her anything she truly wanted. So, you joined our household, and I…” He recoiled and his shoulders hunched. “I avoided you as much as possible. Rebecca knew my perspective, and she almost never mentioned you to me.”
To her credit, Aunt Barton had shielded me well from her husband’s animosity. She would make excuses for his lack of attention to me and often stated how much she loved and appreciated me.
“My concerns proved to be false, and Rebecca was never happier than in those final years of her life—the time she spent as your guardian. Even I could not help but notice how well you got on with Cassie and Noah. Yet my obstinate nature and my pride would not allow me to acknowledge your presence as an advantage. Two years after Rebecca’s death, when you began riding on horseback, I finally paid attention to you and recognised your sweet nature. And then I realised that having you here has been a gift to all of us.” A shimmer of moisture flickered in his eyes.
“Why did you cause this estrangement from my uncle Gardiner? What made you turn so decidedly against him?”
“I cannot excuse my behaviour, but I shall attempt to explain how this came about.” Uncle Barton tugged on his cravat. “Since the early years of my childhood, my parents had instilled in me the importance of preserving the separation of classes. Many in my circle concurred with this principle, including my first wife. Yet Rebecca insisted that the boundaries need not be stringent. When she first broached the subject of inviting your uncle to our home, I refused her. But she would not relent. She argued that we needed todo this for your sake. Despite my misgivings, I could not continue to deny Rebecca. I should have done anything for her.”
Uncle Barton brushed his hand over his chin. “But everything changed when Rebecca and our baby boy died. I succumbed to grief, anger, and self-pity. I left for town, drank away the nights, and slept during the days. In a rare instance of sobriety, I wrote to Mr. Gardiner, informing him that he would not be welcomed in either of my homes again.
“One night I wandered into a gambling hall on Bond Street, and for a few hours, I found an escape from the relentless pain that plagued my every waking hour. Before long, I became a gamester. Then one evening I entered the street after hours of liquor and cards and stumbled into a man known to me.”
He turned towards Uncle Gardiner. “I was utterly ashamed to have been seen in that state by you, of all people, for I believed you to be beneath me. Although I attempted to explain that I had been to the nearby inn for a meal, I knew I had not fooled you. After that humiliation, my resolve to keep you away from Lizzy became stronger than ever.”
My uncle Barton’s gaze returned to me. “I told myself that I acted in your best interest. I believed you to be penniless, and I thought your connexion to a tradesman would harm your future prospects.”
