Dear Cousin Anne,
I trust that this missive finds you in good cheer and happy to be in charge of your rightful property at long last. Father has asked me to repeat, and Richard and William heartily endorse and extend the sentiment, that if you need any help, all you need to do is ask.
You had asked father and me to let you know about any good candidates for the Hunsford living. Yesterday, I met with a good friend of mine, a Mr Ian Ashby, who has an estate in Surrey called Sherwood Park. His father is the Earl of Ashbury and Ian is his second son. When I asked my friend whether he knew of a possible candidate to recommend for a living, he recommended, without any reservation, the curate who serves the parish that he is patron of, one Mr Benjamin Harrison.
Mr Harrison has served as the curate these last two years and performs almost all of the pastoral duties, as the holder of the living holds another larger living where he spends most of his time. The curate is loved and trusted by the parishioners and seems to be the exact opposite of the late Mr William Collins. The concerns, best interests, and needs of his parishioners are his main concern, not that of his patron. He is the third son of a wealthy gentleman and is neither servile or a sycophant. I am informed that he sees the church as his calling, not merely a way to make money to live.
If you would like to interview the man, my friend will collect him and bring him to meet you at Rosings Park. I will be there as well and possibly be accompanied by one of the other men in the family that I mentioned above. Please send me a missive as soon as you decide whether or not you would like to meet Mr Harrison.
Be well Anne. We will never fail you again, like we did in the past.
Your loving Cousin,
Andrew
Anne knew that the curate described by Andrew seemed to be the exact type of cleric that was needed to rebuild the trust and confidence of the parishioners of Hunsford. She went to the study and sent a short reply telling her cousin that she desired to interview Mr Harrison as soon as may be. She had her courier summoned and instructed him to deliver her missive to her cousin and wait for a reply, even if he needed to overnight in Town.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Already awed by the opulence of Elizabeth’s personal conveyance, Charlotte Collins and Maria Lucas were slack jawed as they viewed the townhouse on Portman Square where the carriage halted. They knew they were at the correct house as they saw the oldest Bennet sisters descending the granite stairs that led to massive doors at the entrance to Gardiner House. ‘I thought that I understood how wealthy the family is, but this is beyond anything that I imagined,’ Charlotte thought as the door of the carriage was opened by a smart-looking, liveried footman.
As they stepped out of the most comfortable and largest carriage that they had ever ridden in, the sisters were in turn hugged first by Jane and then Lizzy. Condolences were given to Charlotte, but nobody could actually force themselves to mourn the passing of William Collins too much. As pompous and arrogant as he was, he would have been greatly displeased if he had seen just how little his passing affected anyone.
The arriving sisters greeted Mrs Gardiner, who was sitting in a family sitting room with her four children. The oldest was Lilly, twelve, followed by James, ten, May, six, and last but not least Peter, who was all of four years old. Anyone meeting the Gardiner children could not help but notice how well behaved they were and how unaffected the eldest two were by the immense wealth that their family possessed. Mrs Gardiner sent her children back to their nursemaids and on the way out, each gave as good a bow or curtsy as they could manage at such a tender age, without toppling over, of course. Once the children had left, the sisters were warmly welcomed.
Jane and Lizzy showed the two ladies to their chambers in the guest wing. Both Charlotte and Maria were in awe when the Bennets showed them to their suite. Each had a bedchamber, a dressing room and a bathing chamber. Between the bedchambers was a warm and spacious shared sitting room. Charlotte stood in her bed chamber with Lizzy, eyeing the biggest bed she had ever seen.
The room was done in warm yellows and gold with a hint of light green in some places. “Lizzy, this suite is bigger than the parsonage! I will get lost just in these rooms, never mind the rest of this cavernous house.” Charlotte stared around in wide-eyed amazement.
“You will find your way quickly, Charlotte, and if you are ever not sure where to go, you will find footmen stationed in the halls who will be more than willing to direct you.” Elizabeth turned as the servant’s door opened admitting a young maid. “Let me introduce you to Betty. She will be your maid while you are here.” As this was said, the maid curtsied to Charlotte. “Maria’s maid Jenny should be in her chambers as well.”
“A maid each, Eliza! We are quite capable of helping each other without putting anyone to trouble,” Charlotte stated embarrassed by all the trouble that she felt she was causing.
“It is no trouble, Charlotte. My aunt assigns maids to anyone who does not have their own when they stay here, so unless you would like to tell my Aunt Gardiner that you reject her hospitality…” Elizabeth arched an eyebrow in challenge.
“Peace Eliza, I will not dare to question our hostess’s hospitality.” Charlotte and her parents were the only people that Elizabeth Bennet allowed to call her ‘Eliza’.
Caroline Bingley used it as she had been asked not to, so from that point on she made a point of using it to try and needle the woman that she hated for taking Mr Darcy’s attention away from herself.
“May I unpack your trunks, missus?” The maid asked nervously not sure if she was still wanted or not.
“Yes, thank you Betty,” Charlotte answered cheerfully, putting the maid at ease. “Eliza, when your Uncle Gardiner gets home, would you please ask him if he is willing to meet with me? I have something to ask him and would appreciate it if he can spare me some time this evening.”
“I am sure that Uncle Edward will meet with you with pleasure, Charlotte. Come let us collect Jane and Maria and take you for a tour of the house so you can see that it is not so daunting as you believe it will be to navigate.” Lizzy tucked her arm into Charlotte’s and with a toss of her head, affecting airs playfully, and then hugging her friend’s arm as they laughed at the imitation of Miss Bingley for but a moment as they walked out.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Charles Bingley had just been shown into Darcy’s study at Darcy House. After greeting his friend and sharing some polite and inconsequential talk, Bingley cleared his throat, which indicated that he wanted to say something but was uncomfortable about it.
“Caroline has been telling me, at every chance that she gets, about the way she was treated when she tried to visit Miss Darcy the other day. Why was she not allowed admittance, Darcy?” Bingley got right to the point so he could get it over with.
“Do you have a hearing problem, Bingley?” Darcy asked sharply, causing his younger friend to take a step back. “When I informed you that I would not know your sisters anymore due to their use of Georgiana’s name in their lies, did you not hear me? Do you need an ear trumpet?”
“Ahem, er, you meant that?” Bingley asked in genuine surprise. Darcy shook his head sadly now knowing that he would have to end his friendship with Bingley. As much as he liked the man, his lack of resolve and fear of confrontations was not something that could be tolerated anymore. Both older siblings allowed themselves to be manipulated by the younger sister and gave into her in the name of peace and quiet. After pinching his eyebrows together in frustration Darcy locked on Bingley with a saddened expression.
“When have you ever known me to say something that I did not mean?”
Bingley shuffled his feet uncomfortably and looked anywhere except at Darcy.
