The symptoms were getting steadily worse. The question in Bennet’s mind was whether he would live to see the newest Bennet born. Even without seeing Jones, he knew he was getting nearer to the end. He had seen all of this with his father. The shortness of breath, getting harder to breathe, sweating at the slightest exertion, and at times he could feel his heart beat irregularly, not the nice steady rhythm most people experienced.[1]
If all of that were not enough, Bennet had come close to fainting a few times. In fact, he had fainted once, if only for a very short time.
Even though he knew what Jones would say, Bennet sent a groom to request that Mr Jones come see him. While he waited, Bennet tried without much success to concentrate on one of his ledgers.
“Bennet, have things progressed?” Jones enquired after he was shown into the study.“Tell me what you are feeling.”
“Yes, indeed things are moving along like they did before my father was called home to God,” Bennet replied.“I have been experiencing…” He related everything, including the almost and one fainting spell.
Jones took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Then, he set about examining his patient thoroughly. He made notes as he proceeded, taking his pulse more than once and placing his ear to Bennet’s chest to listen to his heart. When his examination was complete, Jones rolled down his sleeves and donned his jacket.
“I wish I could tell you that you were wrong in your assumptions, but I cannot, as much as I hate that you have the right of it,” Jones began.“Rather than try glossing over the facts, I will tell you plainly, as you are too intelligent for me to try hiding the truth from you. That being said, your heart is not beating with a regular rhythm, and your pulse is around, or even below, fifty beats per minute when it should be at or above sixty. I know you do not have pneumonia, but I can detect a crackling in your lungs.”
“My father asked his doctor if he could tell him how much longer he would live. The man told him it was something known only to God, so I will not insult your intelligence and request a time estimate from you. That is a question for Him.” At that, Bennet lifted his eyes to the heavens.“All I can beg of Him is that He allows me to remain in the mortal world until my wife delivers our third child.”
“That will be in December this year or January 1792. We are in October. Let us hope you are blessed and your prayer is answered.” Jones paused as he thought about how to ask the next question.“Please forgive me if I overstep, but I am aware that you have not told your wife that you are deathly ill. Is now not the time?”
“Had my wife been an even slightly rational being, I would have sat her down and told her what I was facing before we married to give her the chance to withdraw. Did you know that I never intended to marry?” Bennet saw Jones shake his head.“I am not sure if you know, but I was compromised…” Bennet told his friend all.“You know my wife’s character, even if I believed her capable of hearing this news, which she is not, she would get so overset by her so-called nerves as to endanger our unborn child. This is my last chance to sire a son and stop my brute of a cousin from getting his hands on Longbourn. And he wonders why no one has ever wanted to marry him.” Bennet shook his head.“If God is good, and that oaf ever marries, He will not allow him any sons before Collins passes away. That will break the entail as it is now, and when one of my daughters has a son, the firstborn without his own future estate will be Longbourn’s heir.”
“There was talk of an entrapment in Meryton, but I try to ignore gossip.” Jones cogitated over Bennet’s words.“Given what you related, I can see why you cannot tell Mrs Bennet the truth now. Does she not see the changes in you?”
“My wife is too selfish to see that which does not affect her directly.” Bennet paused.“At least when I pass, Gardiner, who is my wife’s eminently sensible brother, will be the one who will have the guardianship of my children. I would never leave them at Collins’s or my wife’s mercy. Each day I pray that I will be allowed to live to see my last child born.”
“Then I will add that to my prayers as well,” Jones responded.“If only there was a way to cure or mitigate the symptoms you have. Perhaps one day in the future.”
After Jones left, Bennet sat contemplating his future, or lack thereof.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In November 1791, Gardiner was walking through the emporium, a shop he had opened which allowed customers to purchase some of the items he imported. There was not much that he did not sell to various stores in and around London, but with the maxim of ‘waste not, want not’, any items or bolts not sold were available in the Gardiner Emporium. To make the shop attractive to customers, there were certain things he sold exclusively in the emporium and were not made available to any other shop.
He noticed a family of three, people whom he judged were like himself: merchants. The man was very interested in the books Gardiner had on one side of the shop. As the other employees were assisting other customers, he made his way over to them.
“May I be of assistance?” he asked with a bow. Now that he was close to them, he could see that the young lady was very pretty, and not only that, based on her interest in the books, he judged her to be intelligent. He guessed she was not yet twenty. As he was not five and twenty yet, he had not been looking for a wife. For some reason, however, he felt an instant attraction to this younger lady.“Edward Gardiner at your service.”
“Gardiner, as in Gardiner’s Emporium and Gardiner and Associates?” The man enquired.
“One and the same, except I must admit to a deception.” Gardiner leant closer to the man as if he were about to share a deep, dark secret.“At this point, I have no associates.”
“I understand why you did that. The name is Phillip Lambert; my wife is Mrs Lambert, and my daughter is Miss Lambert,” Lambert introduced.“We hail from the market town of Lambton in Derbyshire, where I own a bookshop, which coincidently is namedLambert’s Book Emporium.”
“Mr Gardiner, I did not realise that you imported books, which it seems were all published in England,” Miss Lambert stated.
“Maddie!” her mother admonished.
“I was teasing, Mamma,” Maddie, named Madeline, returned contritely.“Pray forgive me if I offended you, Mr Gardiner.”
“Not at all, Miss Lambert,” Gardiner responded.“The books you see here are some which members of theTon,who found it necessary to retrench, have sold. Rather than pick through them, I purchased whole collections. I discovered some rather valuable first editions among them, which for obvious reasons are not in public view.”
“If it is not asking too much, may we see them?” Maddie requested. She realised she needed to explain, or she would seem rather forward.“Five miles from Lambton is the great estate of Pemberley, owned by the Darcys. They have been on the land since King William I awarded it to them, and they are a long line of bibliophiles. In fact, they have an enormous private library. The current master, Mr Robert Darcy, is one of Papa’s primary clients and collects first editions. If you have tomes he is seeking, or otherwise does not have, he would be more than interested in purchasing some of them.”
“Maddie is correct; Mr Darcy is always looking to expand his library. He has thousands of books and manuscripts in his collection,” Lambert added.“If you are wondering how, or if, my shop is open while we are in London, I am blessed with a son, Maddie’s older brother, Patrick, who is an able manager of my concern when I am absent.” Lambert remembered something.“In fact, Mr Darcy is in London at Darcy House with his family at the moment. If you agree, I will contact him and see if he would like to come inspect your first editions and possibly peruse the rest of the books you have here. Before you ask, no, I am not taking sales away from my shop, as what you have here are not books that I have for sale.”
It was not just the possibility of selling the books which intrigued Gardiner. As Miss Lambert seemed to assist her father, he was hoping that if this meeting with Mr Darcy took place, she would be present as well. He was aware it was precipitate as he had only just met her, but he felt she was a woman he wanted to know better.
“If Mr Darcy would like to come view the books, I am happy to accommodate him. There will be a commission for you if he purchases, especially some of the first editions which are rather costly,” Gardiner responded.
“Commission was the farthest thing from my mind, but if that is what you chuse to do, I will not offend you by refusing,” Lambert stated.“I will send a note to Darcy House and inform you if and when he would like to come and see your collection. We are renting a house not far from here, at 17 Gracechurch Street. Do you know the area?”
