Chapter 11

Robert was in his room getting ready to go to sleep, when he thought about the events of the day. Sophia had had a wonderful day at the fair, fascinated by the new machinery and inventions on display. But she had also felt welcomed by the Bennets ladies, who treated her with such affection and deference. His poor girl had no recollection of her mother, and from what the servants, who lived with her until he rescued her told him, it was better that she didn't remember anything.

He had always been alone, he had never had anyone who truly loved him, until Sophia came into his life. From the moment he took her in his arms he knew that he would try to be a better man. The first months were very difficult because he did not know anything about babies but the mother of his best friend Jonathan, helped him find a nurse and teach him all the basics he needed to know to take care of a baby.

Many told him that he should marry to find a mother for Sophia, but he knew it was better that they continue alone in the loving home they lived in, than to bring into their lives a woman who could not love his beloved girl as he did.

When he saw how Sophia talked to Miss Bennet, and she listened with sincere interest while she ordered the girl's hair, he thought once more how stupid this Bingley was for not being able to see the true value of the lady. If he could find a woman like Miss Bennet, he was sure that she would see beyond his title, and that she could fall in love with him and his daughter at the same time.

Since he had inherited the title of Lord Maxwell, all kinds of women had tried to capture his attention using different forms of flattery and flirtation. Miss Bennet, however, had spoken very respectfully with him on various subjects, had listened to him and contributed with her own opinions to the conversation. But also, she took the trouble to talk to Sophia, to listen and to say nice things to her. He could not help to notice how his girl looked at Miss Bennet with admiring eyes. The sweet and beautiful Miss Bennet had managed in one afternoon to conquer father and daughter, with her sweetness and candor. At that moment he remembered what Jonathan had told him about how the Bingley sisters had humiliated sweet Jane, and he couldn't help but feel a deep desire to protect her from them or from anyone who wanted to hurt her. It was clear that for Robert, it had been love at first sight.

"Tomorrow my dear daughter", Robert said aloud, "you and I are going to visit Mrs. Gardiner, and who will be my wife and your mother, the beautiful Miss Bennet", and he smiled full of hope.

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Elizabeth and Jonathan arrived at the Collins' parsonage after having a smooth ride. Charlotte was happy to see them, and they all greeted each other warmly. Mr. Collins was away so they chatted animatedly for a while. Charlotte asked Jonathan about his plans, and Jonathan told her that he planned to stay a week at the Inn in Hunsford, because he had several businesses in nearby towns and preferred to settle in one place. Also, that way he would be close to them, and in his free time he could visit them and talk about old times.

"Jonathan, you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you go to an Inn when you can stay at my home… and don't you dare contradict me, because I'm going to be very offended, if you decline my invitation", Charlotte said with a firm voice.

"I do not want to impose, Charlotte, I promise you that I will be fine at the Inn", but when he saw his friend's offended face, he said "It is fine, I accept and thank you very much for inviting me, I really appreciate it".

Charlotte asked the butler to unload the luggage of her guests, and accommodate them in their respective rooms. For his part, Jonathan spoke with the driver and footman of his coach, and told them to settle in at the Inn in town, that he would contact them when needed.

After that, Jonathan and Elizabeth freshened up and changed clothes and joined Charlotte in her personal use room.

When they were laughing recalling some of Lizzie's famous antics, Mr. Collins came into the room to welcome Elizabeth. At first, he didn't notice Jonathan's presence so he just greeted her.

"Cousin Elizabeth welcome to my humble home, I hope my dear Charlotte has shown you how big and beautiful our house is, in which any woman would undoubtedly feel happy and blissful", Mr. Collins spoke with a voice full of pride. Jonathan looked at Mr. Collins with curiosity and a little wonder. His mother had told him how his Aunt Fanny had tried to force Elizabeth to marry the man to secure Longbourn, and fortunately, Mr. Bennet had intervened on Elizabeth's behalf. Therefore, he understood perfectly what Mr. Collins meant, and felt ashamed for Charlotte, because of that he decided to remain silent.

"My dear", Charlotte said to her husband "let me introduce you to Elizabeth's cousin and a friend of mine, Mr. Jonathan Gardiner".

At that moment Mr. Collins turned to see the other guest, and Jonathan stood up. The two exchanged greetings and Charlotte told her husband that Jonathan would also be staying with them for a few days. Mr. Collins couldn't help feeling resentful and intimidated in Jonathan's presence. Men like Jonathan, never had related to men like him, in fact they had bullied him. At least, that had been his experience, for much of his life.

Meanwhile Elizabeth and Charlotte were talking about what they had done during the past months. Charlotte commented to Lizzie that Jonathan looked great, even more handsome than she remembered him, and Lizzie rolled her eyes upon hearing that comment, all her friends alwyas talked about how handsome was his cousin. Later they had dinner, and had a very pleasant evening despite the occasional misplaced comments from Mr. Collins.

The next day Jonathan got up early and went about his business throughout the morning. After breakfast Charlotte showed Elizabeth Mr. Collins' garden and orchard. At that moment Lady Catherine's carriage passed outside Charlotte's house and stopped. From the window of the carriage an authoritative voice said, "Good morning Mrs. Collins, let me tell you that it is not good for you to be out in the sun at this time of day, it is not good for your skin… and this girl must be your guest, the daughter of the man whose state your husband will inherit, right?" said the lady in a carefree way. At that moment Charlotte introduced Elizabeth to the great lady, who looked at her with distrustful eyes, she did not like the air of self-confidence that the young woman showed.

"Good morning Miss Bennet, this is my daughter Miss de Bourgh"

Elizabet bowed to both ladies and could notice Lady Catherine's reproving face, and Miss de Bourgh's paleness. Lady Catherine said goodbye and the carriage drove off.

"I know that face Eliza, what are you thinking?", asked Charlotte

"Nothing Charlotte, only in the beautiful couple that Miss de Bourgh and her future husband Mr. Darcy will make", she said with a smile.

"Ay Eliza, Miss de Bourgh is a nice woman, she does not deserve your censure", said Charlotte in a serious tone.

Jonathan came back at the time of the luncheon. He ate with Charlotte and Elizabeth because Mr. Collins was busy working at that time. After eating, Elizabeth asked Jonathan if he wanted to go to the park with her, since Charlotte did not enjoy walking so much. As they were leaving, Charlotte told Elizabeth that she needed her help only for a few minutes before she went for a walk. Elizabet told Jonathan to go ahead and that they could meet in the garden near the small lake. They agreed and Jonathan started walking towards that direction.

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Darcy was standing looking out of the window of his office. Ever since Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst's visit, he was uneasy. Today with a cool head he realized that what he had done was not worthy of a man like him, and he hoped that Miss Bingley would forget the matter. He was bored to have to resolve Bingley's problems all the time, he esteemed him, and thought that the time had come for him to make his own decisions.

What was done was done, and he hoped he would never cross paths with any of the Bennet women again, and have the Bingley sisters as far away as possible from him. He had already decided that once he returned from Kent, he would start looking for a wife, in a few months he would be twenty-eight and it was time for him to think about starting a family. He had never aspired to a love match, but to one of mutual respect like his parents. Now that he had thought he was in love, he had not liked the feeling of constantly depending on another person to be happy, that did not make him happy.. He would look for a woman from a good family, who did not attract attention, and who could guide his sister when she would be presented to society. That was what he should do, and what he would do.

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Anne de Bourgh was a twenty six years old lonely woman, hidden behind her mother's tyrannical personality. Her facade revealed an uninteresting person and her physical appearance was that of a sickly and withdrawn woman. But her internal world was totally different. It is true that she had been a sickly child, but today she used her supposed weakness to be able to flee from her mother. Whenever her mother started out with outrageous criticisms or demands, she would pretend to be ill and her mother would leave her alone for a while.

In all this, she had a great ally and protector, Mrs. Jenkinson, a widow who lost her husband and only daughter in a carriage accident. Not having anyone in the world, she had dedicated her life to accompanying Anne. She came into Anne's life when she was ten years old, shortly after her father Sir Lewis de Bourgh died. First, she was her governess, and now her companion and only friend.

Like every afternoon, Anne had gone out for a ride in her curricle accompanied by her faithful protector. Spring had just arrived and with it, the good weather, which allowed her to go around the park and enjoy the beauty of the landscape.

It was her favorite part of the day, where she felt free and let her imagination run wild. Her mother had the habit of napping, so she also knew that Lady Catherine would not interrupt these moments of true peace. At night, she devoted herself to her true passion, writing. Many years ago she had managed, with the help of Mrs. Jenkinson, to hide in her room some geography books about England and the world. There, she looked for places to locate her stories.

The main character in her stories was a young, handsome and highly intelligent man named John Edwards. John was tall, blond, blue eyes and with an angelic face and smile. All the women admired him, but he only had eyes for his fiancée, the mysterious and beautiful Miss de Brough. He traveled around the world solving mysteries and making villains pay for their crimes. She was absorbed in her thoughts, imagining what she was going to write at night, and Mrs. Jenkinson was dozing, when they felt a strange sound, something had happened with the curricle, so she stopped the horses. Apparently one of the wheels had broken.

Jonathan was walking absorbed in his thoughts, thinking about his family, his businesses and how good it felt to be back home. He was also delighted with the beauty of the park, without a doubt Rosings was a very beautiful place. When he looked ahead, he saw that there were two women, who apparently had problems with their curricle, and he decided to rush to offer his help. The women didn't see the approaching stranger, because they were looking at the cart wheel trying to understand what the problem was.

Jonathan decided to introduce himself to the women before offering his help, so he said in a friendly voice, "Good afternoon ladies, my name is Jonathan Edward Gardiner, I am a guest in the house of Mr. and Mrs. Collins. Please, let me know how I can help you".

At that moment both ladies turned to see the stranger and Anne could not contain her surprise seeing the man in front of her, and without thinking said, "John Edwards?", and blushed furiously as she looked at him with incredulous eyes.

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Madeline Gardiner was in the parlor with her two nieces talking and embroidering some handkerchiefs when the butler appeared and told her that Lord Maxwell, his daughter and Aaron Mortimer were calling.

Mrs. Gardiner received them immediately in a very affectionate way. For her part, little Sophia ran into Jane's arms to show her a drawing she had made of her visit to the fair, in which the two of them were. Robert apologized to the ladies for coming with Sophia without being invited, and told them that his daugther was very excited about everything she saw yesterday and that she was dying to show her drawing to Miss Bennet. When he said this, he looked at his daughter who was in Jane's arms explaining in what part of the fair they were in her drawing.

Mrs. Gardiner told him not to worry, that they were like family, and did not need an invitation to come visit. For his part, Aaron had sat next to Mary and told her about the success of his loom at the fair, and how many cards he had received from interested customers. Mary listened to him without being unable to avoid feeling a deep pride in having such an intelligent friend, who valued her opinion as no one had ever done before.

Jane was happy that Sophia was so affectionate with her. Since she met her, and knew that she had lost her mother as a baby, she felt a great tenderness towards her. It was clear that his father was an excellent man, who adored her. But she could not avoid feeling sorry that this beautiful girl did not have a mother to love her as she deserved.

"Miss Bennet" said Robert interrupting Jane's thoughts, "As you can see, my daughter is a girl full of energy. Would you accompany us for a walk around the park that is nearby?" At that time Sophia interrupted her father and shouted with great emotion, "please, please Miss Bennet let's go to the park".

"How can I refuse if you, little princess, ask me with such enthusiasm! Aunt, can I accompany Lord Maxwell and Sophia to the park?" Jane asked and, Mrs. Gardiner, nodded in approbation.

Aaron and Mary decided to accompany them, and in five minutes they left the house towards the park. Mary and Aaron walked absorbed in their own world, and Sophia walked taken with one of her hands with her father, and the other one with Jane. Robert couldn't help but be delighted to think that maybe one day, if he was lucky, a walk like this would be something common in his new family.

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"No miss, my name is Jonathan Edward Gardiner, and I am a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Collins" said Jonathan, a little surprised to see the surprised face of the woman looking at him.

Mrs. Jenkinson, noticing Anne's discomfort and guessing the cause, intervened and she introduced herself and Anne, that was still mute. Then, she explained to Jonathan that they had troubles with the curricle's wheel and didn't know what to do.

"I understand", said Jonathan "if you allow me to take a look maybe it is something that I can solve". Mrs. Jenkinson thanked him and Jonathan took off his jacket to have better mobility. Meanwhile Anne could not believe that she had in front of her the man of her dreams. John Edwards this time had come to her rescue, and she being the fool she was, didn't know what to say. If his John Edwards existed, surely his girlfriend existed, a beautiful and mysterious real girl who was not her.

"Sorry ladies, the wheel axle is broken, the only alternative is to change the wheel. If you tell me where to go for help, I will be delighted to do so", proposed Jonathan.

Anne mumbled something in Mrs. Jenkinson's ear, and she explained to Jonathan where he should go and who he should talk to. When he asked for the route to be clarified, Anne again murmured the answer to Mrs. Jenkinson and she passed the information on to Jonathan. They were like this for a few minutes. Jonathan did not know what to think, Miss de Bourgh for some reason did not want to speak to him and that seemed very funny.

At that time Elizabeth saw Jonathan talking with the ladies, she approached them, and taking her cousin's arm, she said, "Hello Johnny, what is the problem?" When she looked better she realized that one of the ladies was Miss de Bourgh and greeted her, "Miss de Bourgh I don't know if you remind me, but we were introduced in the morning, I'm Elizabeth Bennet and this it's my cousin Mr. Gardiner".

Anne, seeing that Elizabeth treated Jonathan in such a familiar way, assumed that she was his fiancée. Miss Bennet was very pretty and they made a beautiful couple, she thought with a little sadness without knowing why.

After Jonathan told the details of what had happened to Elizabeth, she offered to go for help saying that Jonathan had better not leave the ladies alone.

Help took about an hour to arrive. After about ten minutes had passed, and after much effort, Jonathan managed to get Anne to talk to him. He realized that she was an extremely shy girl at first, but once she was confident she was very nice. Also, she has an angelic face that he could not stop looking at.

When Mrs. Jenkinson asked him if he was on vacation, he told her that he was dealing with some business and spending time with his cousin and his old friend Mrs. Collins. He continued talking about his business, and how he had spent many years traveling and the last four living in India. Anne was encouraged and began to ask him questions about the places he had traveled to, and he was amazed at the level of knowledge she had about the geography and history of many places. He was fascinated by the petit lady in front of him.

After about twenty minutes the conversation was only between Anne and Jonathan, both were so entertained talking that it seemed to them that the hour that had passed was only a few minutes. When they saw the carriage that was coming with help, Anne told Jonathan, "I must personally thank your cousin Miss Bennet", and she added nervously, " She is very pretty and she looks very nice, you must love her very much".

"That's right, I don't have siblings. I'm an only child and my five cousins are like those sisters I never had", Jonathan said.

"Anne couldn't help smiling at this comment, and he couldn't help but feel happy when he saw her smile".