“After Cambridge he lived with his oldest brother in Sanditon. In addition, his next older brother, Mr Sydney Parker was also present for the first year; this was before he took orders. To escape the teasing of his two older brothers and older sister, Miss Susan Parker, he used to feign illnesses he did not have. It got to the point where he had enough, so he took orders, and with his younger sister—who was also not well treated by their three eldest siblings—he struck out on his own. He renewed his friendship with Mr Darcy without expectations and ended up over the next two years with the three livings he has now.”
“It speaks well of his honour that he wanted you to know all there is to know about him, even if it could be construed as negative,” Mary opined. “Are the Parker parents no longer in the mortal world?”
“No, Mr Parker shared that his parents succumbed to an illness during his final year at Cambridge. As his older brothers and sister were all of age, he and his sister were under the brothers’ authority until he too reached his majority. He is only sorry he could not leave as soon as he turned one and twenty, but until his brothers agreed to allow Diana to go with him, he would not abandon her.”
“It sounds like the rest of the family is not worth knowing,” Elizabeth guessed.
“I cannot but agree with you,” Charlotte stated. “He hasmade his own way in the world, and until she marries, he will continue to support his younger sister, even if she never marries. She had no dowry to speak of, but Mr Parker has saved some of his income for her, so she has almost two thousand pounds now.”
“For my part, I could not be happier for you, Charlotte,” Elizabeth enthused, “you have chosen a very good man.”
“And what of you and Mary?” Charlotte enquired slyly.
“Unlike you, we can do nothing evenifwe wanted to until our mourning period is complete two thirds of the way through April coming. I changed it once, unconnected to my romantic future, but I will not change it again even for that reason,” Elizabeth replied.
“I know the Colonel will have to return to his regiment towards the end of this month, but on horseback, it is less than three hours from London to Meryton. Mr Darcy will be much closer at Netherfield Park,” Charlotte teased. “I know, I know, neither of you have an understanding with either man…yet.”
“Charlotte Lucas! Now that you are in a courtship with a man about whom you feel tenderly, you see romance everywhere. If you are not careful, you will become a matchmaker in the ilk of our mothers,” Mary huffed. She silently admitted she could not really refute Charlotte’s assertions.
Charlotte raised her hands in surrender, and after sharing some laughter, the three made their way down to the drawing room.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As the sky began to lighten in the east on Monday morning, two coaches and a carriage, along with their attendant outriders arrived in Lambert Hill’s drive and pulled up behind the two Gardiner conveyances already in place. The smaller carriage behind the two newly arrived coaches, was for personal servants.
The Bennet sisters and Gardiners made their way to the conveyances in which they would ride, only after hugs and kisses, to and from, the residents of the estate. There were added lamentations from Addie who did not know how she would ever learn to play the pianoforte without Cousin Mary, Henry’s demands that Cousin Lizzy remain to tell him stories, and little Rory who did not want his friend Joshua to go home.
The Earl and Countess would leave Pemberley after they broke their fasts to travel the fifteen miles to Snowhaven before continuing on to London. They would be accompanied by Lord and Lady Hilldale, Joshua, and the babe, Rosie. Like the Lamberts would be hearing from Rory about not seeing his new friend, so would Joshua be making his protests to his parents and grandparents at not seeing Rory.
With final goodbyes conveyed, and the travellers seated in the various coaches, with waves, and a few tears shed by the Lambert children, the five conveyances were off.
For the first leg, Elizabeth was in the primary Gardiner carriage with her aunt, uncle, Catherine, Lilly, and Eddy. Charlotte was riding in the Darcy equipage with the two Darcys, and two Parkers. Mary, the Colonel, and Lydia joined Bingley and the Hursts. The second Gardiner carriage had the two youngest Gardiners, the governess, nursemaid and Madeline’s lady’s maid riding in it, while the rest of the personal servants were in the final conveyance.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and feigned sleep not long after they turned onto the road pointing them south. She needed to speak to Jane. ‘My dearest sister, I still miss you all the time, but it is becoming slightly more bearable,’ she said silently with her closed eyes pointing to the heavens. ‘I am going home to reconcile with Mama and Papa. As angry as I was with them, I know it was never their intent to hurt you. The problem was neither of them thought beyond their immediate desires, and you Dearest, paid the ultimate price for it.
‘As I told Mary, I had to do this sooner or later, otherwise the resentment would have festered and eaten at my soul. It is now possible and necessary due to all of the changes first Papa, and now Mama have made. I think I will like to see who they are now. All that will be missing will be you, my one and only best friend and sister. Yes, I know, you are always watching, so you know my heart is open and ready for love. Speaking of which, I am so very happy for Charlotte, as I am certain you are as well. If there is anyone who deserves happiness, and a partner who appreciates her for the gifts she brings, it is our Charlotte.
‘Please forgive me if I do not speak to you as often as I have done since your parting, but you must know you will always be in my heart. I will admit to you, Janey, I am looking forward to the nineteenth of April, not because it is the end of my mourning for you, but for the possibilities it will bring, that is, of course, unless I have misinterpreted all of the signs from William…Mr Darcy. He really is the best of men. I cannot know the future, so it will be what it will be. I love you, Janey, and always will.’
With that, Elizabeth fell asleep and did not wake until the first rest stop.
Chapter 30
Parts of the three days they travelled southward, Elizabeth spent time in the Darcy coach, speaking to, debating, and playing chess with Mr Darcy. Elizabeth had never played the game in a conveyance before and was intrigued by the travel set he owned. The board had small holes in each square for the little wooden pegs attached to the base of each piece. That way, short of the coach overturning, the games were not disturbed by the motion of the conveyance, or the bumps and ruts in the roadway.
So far, Elizabeth had not been defeated by Mr Darcy once, although he had played her to a draw in one game, coming closer to being victorious than in any other. What impressed Elizabeth most of all was the fact he never became churlish at being soundly beaten by a woman. His reaction was especially impressive, considering most men claimed chess was a game in the province of men only. Besides, according to many of the male sex, women did not have the abilities to grasp the intricacies of the strategies needed to be effective at chess. As far as she could see, Mr Darcy treated her as someone who had more ability than himself, regardless of her sex. From the first move of the first game they had played against one another at Pemberley, Elizabeth could tell he never attempted to give her quarter.
He treated her the same when they debated a book, or any other subject. If she was able to carry her point, he would concede and not make some inane statement about a man always knowing better than a woman.
Rather than lament the remaining three months ofmourning, Elizabeth saw them as a positive with regards to herself and Mr Darcy. It removed all of the pressure as they both knew there could be nothing more than friendship until the latter half of April. Each time they were in company together, their friendship deepened.
It was Wednesday, the ninth day of January, and the convoy of coaches had made a stop at the inn in the town of Hatfield where they would rest before arriving at Longbourn. It was less than two hours from the town to the Bennet estate, and they had departed the inn an hour past. For the final leg, Elizabeth was back with her aunt and uncle in their coach, along with her three younger sisters. The scenery was already becoming more and more familiar as the coachman guided them closer to Meryton.
Elizabeth was next to the window on the rear facing bench, alongside of Lydia, with Uncle Edward on her youngest sister’s other side. She decided it was time to speak to Janey before they arrived home. Closing her eyes and again feigning sleep, she communicated with her beloved late sister. ‘I am both nervous and happy to be returning to Longbourn so the family will be reconciled, as we should be. Of course, it will never be the same as when you were with us, but I am ready to accept that fact without constant anger or recriminations directed at our parents,’ Elizabeth said silently with her forehead resting against the cold pane of glass next to her. ‘My friendship with Mr Darcy made me realise how important it is to know the one you are to irrevocably bind your life to before standing up in a church.
‘Think about it, Janey. Had Mama and Papa been friends before they married, had they understood one another better, known all about the other’s character, been willing to compromise for the good of the family, would not that have been a house in which it would have been a pleasure to grow up? There is nought we can do to change what they did in the past, but I am determined I will never repeat the errors they made.
“It is more than the deepest love like you and I alwayspromised needed to be present to marry. As important, possibly more so, is a deep and mutual respect. For myself, I could never marry a man who treats me like a brainless bauble on his arm. As I am no druid or soothsayer, I know not if Mr Darcy will ever propose to me, although, I hope he will. Based on all of our interactions to date, of one thing I am certain, Janey, he respects me as I respect him. I am not myopic and I know what the relative positions of men and women are in our society, but this I believe; Mr Darcy would see me as a partner, to walk next to him in life, not a few steps behind.
