Margaret Gardiner
Elizabeth ran with the letter in her hand to Mary. Her sister’s habit of hiding away from the rest of the household proved a blessing, for they could speak without fear of their mother overhearing.
“We are invited to Bath. All of us.”
Mary leapt from her chair, and her joy surprised Elizabeth even more than the news in their aunt’s letter. The quiet, withdrawn Mary at last seemed eager to spend time in the company of the elder sisters she had always avoided. Or perhaps, Elizabeth reflected with a pang of sadness as she looked at her sister’s radiant face, it had been she and Jane who had shut Mary out.
“And we are going, are we not?” Mary asked, breathless.
“Yes, I believe we are going. In fact, I am certain of it,” Elizabeth replied, handing her their aunt’s letter to read.
“Oh!” Mary exclaimed in surprise. “Mr Darcy will also be there.”
“Yes. It is a good opportunity for us to meet on neutral ground. Whatever may happen there will serve as a polite and gracious end to a conflict that never ought to have begun—proving that he and I are finally beyond pride and past prejudice.”
And although Mary still wished to discuss the many recent events, Elizabeth excused herself and slipped away unnoticed into the wood behind the house, where she could be alone. She did not wish to reflect upon a decision already made, but she needed the solitude to calm her turmoil. Dozens of plans for her meeting with Mr Darcy crossed her mind, yet, unfamiliar with Bath, she imagined their reunion taking place once more upon the streets of Meryton or along the road to Longbourn. She longed to see him—shehadto see him—and she was determined to make him understand that her feelings had changed.
Then she did what had already become a habit since her departure from Kent: she wrote to Charlotte. Her bond with Jane was one of complete love and acceptance. But with Charlotte, there had always been something different—a deep friendship in which they had, with great honesty, shared their troubles and dilemmas, searching together for answers and solutions. Their friendship not growing cold was a great comfort to Elizabeth, for she was in need of her friend’s sincere and sometimes even tough opinion. Her letter overflowed with the realisation that Mr Darcy was the very man she had been waiting for since they first began to dream of love, and she hoped that Charlotte would encourage her in this newfound resolve to win him back.
Chapter 33
Elizabeth and Mary were in a rare state of elation in the carriage that conveyed them and the Gardiners to Bath. With Kitty presently visiting Charlotte and Lydia staying with Colonel Forster and his wife in Brighton, only the three remaining sisters had been due to embark on the journey, for the invitation had been extended to all the Miss Bennets. Yet, a mere two days before their departure, a brief, urgent missive had arrived from Mrs Gardiner.
My earnest counsel is for Jane to refrain from leaving the county. I have heard some pleasant rumours about an eventful visit in the days ahead. There will be ample opportunities for her to visit Bath in the future.
Elizabeth’s hand had trembled, and she had nearly dropped the letter. Hastening to the parlour where her family were assembled, for it was a rainy day, she had wordlessly handed it to Jane, the sole member of the household with a vested interest in that particular visit. Jane had been so shocked that, for an instant, Elizabeth had regretted sharing the newswith her. Yet, in less than a quarter of an hour, amidst spirited discussion, the arrival of Mrs Phillips had added further to their elated anticipation. Their aunt had been so agitated that she could scarcely speak, and only after drinking a glass of water she could utter, “Netherfield is preparing to receive guests!”
All eyes had turned to Jane, who had appeared on the verge of fainting, her cheeks aflame and her hand pressed to her heart as if to calm its pounding. Yet, much to everyone’s astonishment, her silence had endured but a moment, for she had arisen from her seat and, fixing her gaze upon her mother and Mrs Phillips, spoken with vehemence. “Should either of you dare to pronounce Mr Bingley’s name within these walls or in Meryton, or indeed anywhere else, I swear I shall never talk to you again. You are not entitled to think of him, let alone make the slightest allusion. You have no right to approach Netherfield without my company! For you, that gentleman does not exist. Is that perfectly clear?”
Laughter reverberated within the carriage as Elizabeth recounted the tale to the Gardiners, with Mary mimicking their sister to perfection.
“Imagine the shock Mama must have experienced!” Elizabeth remarked. “Jane, who had always been the most docile and amiable of her daughters, was throwing fiery glares from her eyes.”
“Do you comprehend, Mama? Do you, Aunt Phillips? He does not exist for you. A nameless spectre!”Mary added, imitating Jane’s voice and making everybody laugh until tears rolled down their cheeks.
“She forced Mama and Aunt Phillips to swear upon their lives!” Elizabeth continued the mirthful scene, which proved delightful.
“And?” enquired Mr Gardiner. “Did he arrive?”
“We do not know,” Mary responded. “When we departed there had still been no word from Netherfield. Do you not know more?” she asked their aunt, who was laughing with an air of mystery.
“No, only about twenty words in a note from Diana, and that news had come from Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“You ladies are horrible!” Mr Gardiner declared, though his tone was so full of admiration that it contradicted his scolding words entirely.
“It does not matter whether Mr Bingley is coming merely to apologise. Any overture from him could mark the conclusion of seven months of torment. My sole regret is that I shall not witness the events,” Elizabeth said, even though deep in her soul she cared little about what might happen at Longbourn, her whole being absorbed by what could happen in Bath.
“Everyone is where they should be!” Mrs Gardiner exclaimed, looking at Elizabeth, her gaze implying much more than her words. Her uncle knew nothing about the proposal in Kent or Elizabeth’s sentiments for Mr Darcy—a deliberate choice as he was very protective of his nieces and their family.
“This friendship with Lady Oakham and the Darcys is not only pleasurable but potentially advantageous for me,” Mr Gardiner declared earnestly. “Meeting such prominent and affluent individuals may well chart a new course for my business. I am truly grateful for the privilege of their company in Bath.”
“No, Uncle, we are the ones grateful for this delightful journey to Bath,” Mary interjected, earning affectionate glances from her family. Having not seen her for several months, the Gardiners hardly recognised the young lady sitting beside Elizabeth. A mixture of her two older sisters, she possessed a unique twinkle in her eyes that set her apart.
“Are you quite certain that…the entire family is coming?” Elizabeth asked, still unable to speak the name that most interested her.
“Yes, my dear. Lady Oakham shared the news that it will be their family’s reunion as well.”
Upon their arrival in Bath, they were greeted by the joyful cries of the Gardiner children, who had arrived a day earlier in the company of their nanny and other servants.
