The Pemberley Chronicles (17 page)

I ask it only because, whatever happens, I cannot break with you and your family. Darcy, you are such precious friends, that I should be desolated to lose you--should your sister not accept me. If that should happen, or you should feel that I am too old for her or have some other objection to my suit, it would be a terrible loss, but so much worse if it meant that I could not continue our friendship, because my affections and my disappointment were too widely known and spoken of. I have no right to ask this of you, Darcy, but because we have been as brothers for many years, I hope it will not be too difficult for you to agree.

Elizabeth hurriedly folded up the letter and left it as she had found it. The rest, what she could recall of it, simply spoke of his love for Georgiana and asked Darcy's permission to propose marriage to her. There was a further paragraph containing a proposal for a trust to be set up, so the considerable income from her inheritance should be saved for her future use, but Elizabeth wanted to know nothing more. She ran back to her room and washed her burning cheeks with cool water. Jenny came in with her tea and informed her that Mr Darcy had sent a servant to Lambton, with an urgent packet for the mail, to go immediately to London.

Elizabeth tried to appear unconcerned, "It was probably a business matter for Mr Gardiner," she said, knowing full well it was Darcy's response to Dr Grantley.

She did not know how she would get through the day; Georgiana was due home the following evening. Poor Elizabeth, she had never meant to deceive him, yet there was no reasonable way to tell her husband what she had done and avoid his censure. How could she compromise the trust they shared? What possible excuse could she offer and be forgiven? Feeling wretched and unhappy, she feigned a headache and retired to her room, drawing the blinds and urging her maid to make her excuses. She had no appetite for breakfast. She was sure Mrs Reynolds and Darcy would put the appropriate construction upon it, recalling she was weary from the long journey home. Before she went to bed, she bathed her face again and prayed that Darcy would be late returning from his ride around the grounds.

Some hours later, she awoke to find him sitting beside her, worried that she had been taken ill and anxious to know if he should send for the doctor. Elizabeth immediately sat up and feeling a little unsteady, was glad of his arm to help her out of bed. Having reassured himself that she was not in need of a doctor, he sent for Jenny. On coming downstairs later, Elizabeth found her husband waiting for her in the morning room. She suggested in a bright but not very convincing voice that she should ask for some tea, and though Darcy did not demur, it was quite clear that he was preoccupied.

After tea, he took her arm and led her out into the gentle Autumn sunlight on the terrace and closed the doors leading from the house. There, to her amazement, he apologised to her. He told her he was sorry he had been rather short with her the day before; he had not intended to hurt her feelings or refuse to answer her questions; he had been protecting the confidences of another. Today, he had taken action that enabled him to be more forthcoming.

Elizabeth was by now even more confused. With the dubious advantage of having read Dr Grantley's letter, she had no idea how it was now possible for him to talk about it to her, without breaking a confidence. Worse still, she could not reveal her own knowledge without totally losing his trust. While all these wretched thoughts whirled through her mind, Darcy took out two heavily folded letters--one she recognised as Dr Grantley's, and the other was in his own hand and on his personal notepaper. He passed them to her in the order in which they were to be read. Sitting down, Elizabeth read again, slowly and carefully this time, the letter she had raced through that morning. Then, without saying a word, she reached out for the other and read it through. It was obviously a copy of the letter he had sent to London; in it, Darcy not merely gave his friend his blessing but came as close as he possibly could to giving him hope of success. Darcy reassured Dr Grantley of his good opinion, his love, and his best wishes for the fulfilment of his friend's dearest wish.
He added:

Based upon every indication I have had and keeping in mind that young ladies cannot always be expected to tell their older brothers everything, I feel I am able, Francis, to assure you that Georgiana has the very highest regard for you. Her most recent letter to Elizabeth, after your meeting in London, contains a degree of affection and esteem she has never before expressed for anyone. I am convinced she loves you, though whether she knows how well or how deeply, I cannot speculate. That, I am sure, you will discover soon enough. Elizabeth and I will look forward to seeing both of you on Sunday at Pemberley, with, I hope and trust, some good tidings. Since writing this, I will have shown Elizabeth your letter and my reply. I have not spoken of it to her or any one else until now, but I know you above all others will understand the need for me to tell my wife, for there are no secrets between us. I know she shares my good opinion of you and will wish you success. God bless you both until we meet,

Yours etc,
Fitzwilliam Darcy.

When Elizabeth had finished reading, she handed Darcy both letters. He had expected her to be full of questions, but she turned very quietly and embraced him, letting him hold her as tears filled her eyes. Conveniently, Darcy attributed her emotional response to the state of her health as well as her affection and love for Georgiana. "You do approve then?" he asked, a little uncertainty in his voice.

"Of course I do," she cried, smiling for the very first time that morning. "I have been so anxious for her, seeing her falling in love with him, not knowing how he felt nor how you would respond, unable to say a word to protect her from disappointment if things had not turned out right. Yet I knew that he would surely speak to you first, and when you said nothing to me, I was afraid it would all come to nothing. My anxiety was for dear Georgiana, I was not prying or wanting to gossip." Darcy hushed her at once, "Of course not; I never thought for a moment that you were. Yet, as you could see from his letter, Francis had begged me not to speak of his love to anyone, lest it all came to nothing in the end. He had the same concerns. But as you can also see, as soon as I was able, I wrote to him and told him that you had to know--I could not keep it from you, my dearest Elizabeth. You do understand, do you not?" She smiled, accepting everything; glad that her small sum of guilt could now be repaid tenfold with love and trust.

On the following day, preparations were afoot for the return of Georgiana. Her favourite rooms were opened up and aired, and all was in readiness. When the carriage turned into the drive, Elizabeth, watching from an upstairs window, smiled and turned to her husband, "It is settled for certain, they are both here." Darcy agreed that it was unlikely that they would have undertaken the journey from London together, had Dr Grantley been refused. When they alighted and he helped her out, the expression of sweet contentment on her face told the story. Mrs Annesley was no sooner out of the carriage than she whispered in Mrs Reynold's ear, "They are engaged," which caused such a joyous reaction as to bring tears to her eyes. She was seeing her little girl grown up, and it was too much for the usually dignified Mrs Reynolds.

Georgiana embraced her brother and thanked him before turning to Elizabeth and hugging her close. "I shall tell you everything, Lizzie," she promised. For the moment, there was enough happiness around to warm all their hearts.

After dinner, while Georgiana and Dr Grantley repaired to the music room, Darcy explained to Elizabeth what arrangements were proposed to be put in place for Georgiana. Dr Grantley had been ignorant of the extent of her private fortune until very recently. This had given him pause, not wishing to be thought some kind of fortune hunter--but having consulted his lawyers, he had suggested to Darcy that a trust be set up to protect her inheritance and preserve its income, for the sole use of herself and any children they may have. Having a good income of his own, he believed Georgiana's interests would be best served by retaining her current guardians--Mr Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam--as trustees.

Darcy, though not for a moment would he have questioned the motives of his dearest friend, was delighted, because it would clearly mark him as a man apart from the fortune hunters, against whom he had always been vigilant on his sister's behalf. "Have you no reservations about the difference in their ages?" asked his wife. It was a matter she had been anxious to discuss, but Darcy showed no such concern, saying only that he felt Georgiana needed the strength and security of a man she could trust and depend upon, knowing his declared love was a mature and genuine emotion.

"It is in her interest, and knowing Francis Grantley as well as I do, I can safely say that there is no man to whom I would entrust her with greater certainty of her happiness," he said with such conviction that Elizabeth knew there was no room for doubt.

Writing to her aunt, Elizabeth broke the news with great pleasure:

After the unhappy experience with Wickham, it is not surprising that the family would be wary of suitors, especially young and impecunious ones! Dr Grantley, a scholar of repute with a good income in his own right, was apparently quite unaware of the size of Georgiana's fortune. He was drawn to her because of their shared interests, her elegance, good taste, and gentle nature. I might add, and I am sure you would agree, dear Aunt, that she has also freshness and a youthful loveliness, assets one would find difficult to ignore. When he did become aware of her inheritance, he was determined to find a way to divest himself of it. It is typical of Dr Grantley that he should want to avoid any taint of the fortune hunter. I believe they have also decided upon a longer engagement than usual, wishing to wait until after Georgiana's eighteenth birthday--next Spring. Meanwhile, we look forward to entertaining Dr Grantley very often at Pemberley. Darcy is absolutely delighted, of course, to entrust his beloved sister to one of his best and most trusted friends. He has only tonight written a letter to Colonel Fitzwilliam in Ceylon, giving him the good news.

Let me take your mind back, dear Aunt, to the time when we were led to believe by Miss Bingley that her brother was very partial to Miss Darcy. Judging from Mr Darcy's remarks, which carried not a single hint of ambiguity on the suitability of Dr Grantley, would you not agree that Miss Bingley's remarks were more in the nature of wishful thinking? She hoped, no doubt, to promote her own cause as much as her brother's. How totally are the tables turned. Mrs Reynolds is almost speechless with joy. She thoroughly approves of Francis Grantley, and while I am sure she cannot believe that any mortal person is good enough for her dear Miss Georgiana, Dr Grantley must come close. With this high degree of agreement and general satisfaction, you can imagine that we, at Pemberley, are at present enjoying a singularly pleasant and happy atmosphere. It wants only the addition of yourselves to make perfection.

On the day following, as if there was an insufficiency of good news, a letter arrived from Mr Gardiner confirming that he had closed the deal with the agents for the purchase of the property at Lambton. Having taken Mrs Gardiner and all the children to see it and being assured that everyone loved it, for one reason or the other, he wrote:

I must be forever in your debt, Mr Darcy, for having drawn my attention to this property. My family, especially Mrs Gardiner, is delighted with the place, and the added pleasure of being but five miles from Pemberley has sent young Caroline into transports of delight. She is, as you know, Elizabeth's particular favourite and looks forward to seeing more of her in the future. In the New Year, when both our boys will be enrolled at school in Oxford, we hope to move to Oakleigh Manor.

Meanwhile, we--that is yourself, Mr Bingley, and I--should meet to discuss arrangements for our London offices, since I expect to sell the house on Gracechurch Street. We should have no great difficulty finding suitable offices to rent nearer our warehouses. Many businessmen and stock traders have sold out or gone bankrupt. Commercial property is fast losing value; we should be able to take advantage of the market, since we have not suffered similar devastation.

Mr Gardiner, whose long experience in trade and commerce had stood them all in good stead with the onset of the recession that was tightening its grip over England, explained the need for planning. His well-honed skills, combined with Darcy's natural caution and Bingley's willingness to take sound advice even if it meant quelling his own enthusiasm, had successfully steered them away from speculative ventures and debt--the twin destroyers of men and institutions of the day. Husbanding their joint resources and holding them available for future investment had proved an excellent policy. Now he was advising them to plan ahead, look beyond the present misfortunes to an England that would certainly recover, and be ready to take advantage of the upward swing.

Make no mistake, Mr Darcy, this recession will surely end, and when the market is at the very bottom of the trough, people and nations will start to buy again, and if we are prepared with sound plans and sensible strategies, we shall do well. There is nothing worse than letting the gloom of the current situation blind us to the potential of tomorrow.

He sent his regards and looked forward to a meeting at an early date. Darcy, who had had little or no experience in the world of Commerce, was more than grateful to have the benefit of Mr Gardiner's wise counsel at a time when no one in business or government had predicted the chaos that was developing around them.

The landed gentry were the least able to understand the new forces that the Industrial Revolution had unleashed. Darcy knew that many of his acquaintances and friends had no notion what was happening to the country. Familiar with the traditional cycles of a rural economy, with its droughts, floods, crop failures, and fluctuating prices, they depended upon a process of natural rotation to restore and sustain them. If one crop failed, another succeeded. Prices swung up and down.