With the business side of the betrothal complete, the couple went hand in hand to join the group sitting in the shade outside. Darcy and Elizabeth sat on a bench still in full view of the others, but the distance was sufficient that they could talk privately. It was not an exaggeration to say that only when he was with her, he felt complete.
“I missed you Elizabeth. Yes, I know it was not many days, less than a sennight, but I am a selfish being and you spoiled me in London allowing me to see you practically every day.” As Darcy spoke, his forlorn and lovesick look made Elizabeth laugh.
“The truth is that I too missed our conversations, William,” she consoled, glad to see his smile as it meant that she had eased his suffering. “My Papa is of late too busy to debate the merits of the works of Cowper, Blake, or Byron. No one other than you will debate philosophy with me!” she added teasing, thinking much different words than she allowed herself to speak. ‘I miss you for other reasons, too. I missed seeing you each day as well, William, but I am not ready to make such an admission to you yet. We are close, and perhaps I am being stubborn, but no matter how I say that the past is the past, there is still something holding me back from allowing myself to fully love this man.’
Darcy too had thoughts he did not offer. ‘It is good that she misses those things, but how I wish she would say that she missed me, the person. Patience man, we have come so far from the open disdain she viewed you with. Patience, patience, patience. That has to be my watchword now,’ Darcy instructed himself.
“Will you and Mrs Collins be journeying to Dovedale with the Gardiners after the wedding, or have plans changed?” he asked as cheerfully as he could.
“Yes, our plans are still fixed as such. We will be with them until we all hie to Rosings Park for Anne and Ashby’s wedding,” she informed him. “We will be traversing the country back and forth, and I will enjoy seeing the varying topographies.”
“Did you know that Pemberley is just five miles to the other side of Lambton? Dovedale is less than three miles west of Lambton while Pemberley is to the north-east. The two estates are the primary support for the economy of both Lambton and Kympton. I have the living of Kympton to gift and Dovedale has Lambton’s. Is it not ironic? Did not Lady Gardiner’s father hold the Lambton living when she was a girl?” He smiled at the thought of how Lady Madeline Gardiner’s life had come full circle.
“Your assertion is correct, William. Will you and Georgie be at Pemberley?” she asked with a thread of hope in her voice she could not conceal.
“Yes, Georgie and Tiffany will be with me.” His eyes stayed pinned on hers, praying she would give him an opening.
“From the whispering that I have heard, I understand that Georgie wants my two youngest sisters and Miss Jacobson to join her at Pemberley until you all go to Anne’s wedding,” Elizabeth stated with feigned calmness and he smiled. She had indeed opened the door to allow him to invite her and her friend to visit her sisters and his at Pemberley.
“Georgie has asked and I agreed before she had even finished her request. She is so happy in their company, in the company ofallof our friends, that I knew she would feel lonely without them. I do not want my sister to return to her somewhat lonely existence,” he stated. As he spoke his eyes were on hers so she would read that he too did not want to return to his mostly lonely existence and be without her for so long. “She is to ask your parents herself. I have already informed them of my approval, but I want to encourage her to be more outgoing and assertive. Being around your family has helped her in that endeavour more than anything else ever has.” He offered a small smile she knew he reserved for her alone. ‘And I cannot wait to make you Georgie’s sister my dearest loveliest Elizabeth,’ he added to himself.
“It has been good for all of them, William. Possibly Kitty above all,” she reminded him that the best of relationships was to the positive and welcome advantage on both sides.
“Would you and Mrs Collins accept an invitation to stay at Pemberley for a week or two while you are in the area?” He held his breath as he offered the invitation she had hinted she would welcome, were he to extend it. “Before you question the propriety, there will be five girls, four companions, Mrs Collins, and all of Pemberley’s servants. The invitation includes the Gardiners, so if they accept; even without them, you will have more chaperones than you would know what to do with.” He waited with great anticipation as she considered his invitation.
“Thank you, William, conditional on my parents, Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, and Charlotte’s agreement, I think that I would enjoy seeing Pemberley,” she answered as she returned his smile.
After Georgie issued her invitation to the girls in which she included Loretta who had to decline due to family commitments, Kitty, Lydia, and Helen were bubbling with anticipation. As soon as Georgie plucked up the courage to go talk to the Bennet parents, they would have an answer. She took a steadying breath and inquired where she might find Lord and Lady Longbourn.
“Enter,” Bennet responded when he heard a timid knock on the study door as he and his wife were reviewing documents together. The door opened and he heard the swish of skirts and tentative steps, knowing before he looked up that Georgiana had finally gotten the courage up to approach them.
“G-good morning Uncle and Aunt,” Georgiana, who had been granted leave to address the Bennet parents thusly for a while now, managed in a timorous, shy voice, “I-I h-have a r-request to make of y-you.” The uncharacteristically apprehensive girl stammered. Rather than toy with her, Bennet took pity, especially after a quelling look he received from his wife that warned him against any such thing, just in case he had considered such.
“Sit Georgie, please.” He gestured to a chair close to the desk. “How may we be of assistance?” he asked gently when she had settled.
“Aunt, Uncle? I-I would like to extend an invitation for Kitty, Lydia, and Helen to join me and Tiffany at Pemberley after the wedding.” She had initially again stammered, but seeing the welcoming looks on their faces she continued with more self-assurance.
“Will they return with you for Anne’s wedding, Georgie? Does your brother favour the girls accompanying you to Pemberley? He might be overwhelmed as you all will outnumber him so.” asked Fanny kindly and added a light tease to help Georgiana smile.
“Yes, he has given me his permission to make this request Uncle and Aunt. My brother told me that we will arrive at Rosings Park on the first day of August, some days before the wedding and my three friends will be conveyed there with us.” Georgiana settled into the chair, feeling the wonder of what it must have been like to have such loving parents. After looking at her husband and seeing no opposition to the proposition, Fanny looked at the hopeful girl.
“They may return with you to Pemberley after Jane and Richard are wed, Georgie. I am sure that they will love seeing your home.” Fanny patted her hand gently as if she could divine her thoughts, and likely had.
The girl let out a squeal of joy before she clapped her hands over her mouth in mortification for her unladylike display. Noticing that the Bennets laughed, she thanked them and beat a hasty retreat to go inform her cohorts of the good news.
Bennet returned to his perusal of the document that Helen’s father had signed, making her a ward of him and his wife. Lady Longbourn left the study to go meet with Hill as Bennet’s thoughts drifted back to the heart wrenching conversation he had with Mr Jacobson when he delivered Helen to Bennet Park.
“Welcome, Mr Jacobson, I thank you for helping make Lydia’s summer. She counts your daughter as the best of friends as close as another sister really,” Bennet said as he indicated that the man be seated.
“I thank you for your condescension, my Lord. In truth, your request that Helen join Lady Lydia for the summer and then go to Greenlake School with her was providential in the extreme.” Jacobson paused to collect his thoughts. “I am sick, my Lord. I have a cancer, and while my physician does not know when, he has no doubt that I will be leaving the mortal world to join my Janet in heaven sooner rather than later.”
“We have no family living, so Helen and her brother, my heir Timothy, will be the only two left of my family line. Tim, who is just twenty and has just now completed his final year at Oxford, is not equipped to be guardian of his sister. When I return home, I will dedicate all of the time that God grants me before he calls me home to educate Tim and prepare him, as much as I am able, to take over the running of our estate, Janet’s Well, many years before he ever thought that he would have to. He will reach his majority in December.” Jacobson paused again as a wave of pain racked his body. He grimaced but gathered himself and proceeded.
He reached into his inside coat pocket and handed some papers to Bennet, and further said, “These are papers that I had my solicitor draw up, my Lord. I pray you do not think me presumptuous, but as time is of the essence, I wanted to be prepared in case you agree. I know that this is an unprecedented request I make of you and your family, andbelieve me, sir, if I had any other option, I would not be here hat in hand begging this of you.” He tensed when Bennet stayed him as he rang the bell to summon the butler. Jacobson’s fears that he was about to be turned out of the house were allayed when the butler was told to send a messenger and to return with his brother Phillips, the local solicitor. After the butler departed, Bennet offered the man a glass of port. The two men drank quietly. Lord Longbourn wanted his brother to review the documents and offer any advice if needed.
It was not too long before Phillips was ushered into the study. Bennet apprised him of the conversation to that point and handed him the papers that Jacobson had provided. The three men were silent; the only noise was that of the rustle of paper. When he had read the documents twice and was satisfied that he had a firm grasp on the contents, the solicitor spoke for the first time since starting to read the agreement before him.
“Bennet, there are two documents.” He indicated the first, which was the lengthier one. “This is a standard guardianship contract naming you and Fanny as guardians and Miss Helen Janet Jacobson your ward, if you accept the charge. The second is a conditional guardianship. If Mr Jacobson predeceases his son turning one and twenty, you would be the boy’s temporary guardian. If he lives until or past the tenth day of December, then the boy will not need a guardian as he will have reached his majority.” Phillips was thoughtful as he considered the wording of the documents. “I see nothing of concern for your side of this, Thomas, and the only stipulation is that you not adopt Helen and give her the Bennet name. Her father wishes her to retain the name Jacobson until and unless she resigns it in matrimony.”
