Chapter 17
Edith’s second epistle reached Snowhaven on Sunday, the fifth day of January 1800. The courier had been told that it was critical to reach the recipients as soon as may be, and as such, he was not to stop for the Sabbath.
Like his fellow Carrington courier the previous day, the man arrived after sundown.
Jensen opened the front door and received the single missive, this one addressed to his mistress and Lady Anne. As he had the previous evening, he sent the man to the kitchens and then placed the letter on a salver and made his way up to the drawing room. After bowing in a stately fashion, he approached Lady Matlock and extended the silver salver to her.
They had all been talking about their departure with the dawn on the morrow when the butler delivered the epistle. “It is from Edith!” Lady Elaine exclaimed. “Anne, it is addressed to both of us. Why would she send a second letter?”
“Poor Edith. This must mean she has lost custody of our girls,” Lady Anne lamented as tears of sympathy began to fall for her friend.
“Anne, dear, do you not think that you and Elaine should read the missive first before you assume the worst?” Darcy suggested. He came and stood in front of his wife and lifted her face, so she could see his face wreathed in concern.
“I suppose I was being a silly goose to react in such a way before we read what Edith wrote,” Lady Anne owned as she dried her eyes with her husband’s handkerchief. She was thankful that William, Anna, and their cousins were not with them at that moment. Seeing her cry would have upset them.
“Come sit next to me, Anne, and let us read this before we purchase trouble.” Lady Elaine patted the settee next to her. As soon as her sister-in-law sat, she broke the seal and held the epistle where they could both see it.
4 January 1800
Holder House
Elaine and Anne, my dearest friends and sisters of my heart.
Ignore all of my worries and the woes I expressed that I believed were on the horizon; none of them have come to pass! I know, I was so sure I was about to lose my daughters, your nieces, and I have never been so happy to be wrong in my life!
“All is well!” Lady Elaine exclaimed.
“I have not read the whole letter yet, but Edith assured us that none of the fears she expressed in the missives we received yesterday have come to pass. The girls are remaining with them,” Lady Anne added. “Allow us to complete the reading, and then, we will allow you two to see it.”
After seeing nods from their husbands, the two ladies returned to reading the rest of what Edith wrote.
Mr Gardiner is in fact the uncle of Jane, Lizzy, and Mary. Also, he is their guardian. However, like it is ours, his main concern is the welfare and happiness of his nieces. As such, he and his wife decided that it would be cruel to rip the girls away from the only parents they have ever known.
Rather than lose us, our daughters will gain another aunt, uncle, and cousin. If that were not enough, they have two half-sisters living at Longbourn near Meryton in Hertfordshire, the estate where they were born!
We had our men searching in Herefordshire when they actually were from an estate barely 20 miles from London. Who will tell Lady Catherine that they were never foundlings and were in fact gently born? Knowing her she would not allow facts to change her opinions.
Mr Gardiner told us why his late sister abandoned the girls and how she came to own her mistakes close to the end of her life. I do not want to write about that now, but when I see you, there is much to tell.
The Gardiners are still here with us, but I excused myself to write this to you. I did not want to leave you with the upset I am certain was caused by what I wrote from a place of fear and anguish.
I will end here so that this can be sealed and sent on its way with one of our couriers.
With my warmest, happiest regards.
Edith
“Things could not be better,” Lady Elaine stated as she handed her husband the epistle.
Matlock could not but agree with his wife as he read the words on the page. He handed the letter to Darcy. He was well pleased that Gardiner had only thought of the welfare of his nieces. In the darkest moments, after seeing how badly his wife’s and sister’s equanimities were upset the previous night after reading what their friend had written, he had been thinking of ways he would be able to help by using his power as an earl. Matlock was relieved he would not have to think along those lines any further. He knew himself well enough to know he would have done nothing besides think about doing something; his honour would not have allowed him to interfere without Holder’s request for assistance.
While Darcy was reading, the three young men entered the drawing room. They looked at one another with surprise, having expected their parents to be in dark moods as they contemplated the dash south on the morrow. They certainly did not anticipate seeing their parents smiling and looking as happy as could be.
“What has changed?” Hilldale enquired for his brother and cousin.
“We will still travel to visit the Carringtons, but it is no longer urgent,” Lady Anne sang. “Your cousins are not leaving us…” She related what had been in the missive.
William felt a wave of relief wash over him. He told himself that the ebullience he was feeling at Lizzy and her sisters not leaving them was only for the fact that no one would have to tell Anna that Lizzy would not be a cousin any longer.
