Everyone - it's nearly finished! After this chapter there are 3 more and an epilogue. I have had a very productive weekend and all but half the epilogue are typed up. I will post these last chapters more regularly over this week once I have had a chance to review and edit them. Enjoy & stay safe x
Chapter Four-and-Twenty
When the ball drew to a close, the musician's packed up their instruments and the assembled guests departed. The last to leave were the core group of Fitzwilliam's, Gardiner's and Darcy's. The large party stood around as the final carriages were summoned, recalling pleasant memories from the night.
Darcy and Richard had also exchanged a quiet few words on what they would have to do with regards to Bingley and his sister. They did not want to lose his friendship but acknowledged that he needed to take his sister in hand or the matter would be beyond their control. It would not be the first such warning that had been issued to Bingley but they thought that after the events of the ball that he might be more prepared to take them seriously.
The two Darcy's were the first of the final group to take their leave. The gentleman's penultimate action, before handing his sister into their carriage, was to place a kiss on Elizabeth's gloved hand and ask if he might call on her the next afternoon. With her positive response ringing in his ears, he climbed in after his sister and travelled into the night with a smile on his face and contentment in his heart.
Immediately after the Darcy's carriage had left the scene, the Gardiner's conveyance made its entrance. Their farewells included a confirmation that Madeline Gardiner would call on her nieces towards the end of the week and an agreement between Gardiner, Matlock and Alfreton to meet for cards at some unspecified date.
"It is such a relief to see the girls so happy." Madeline said to Edward once their journey home was under way.
"You have taken the words from my mouth, my dear. I should wager there will be another engagement to announce before the week is out."
"Darcy is such a wonderful gentleman, is he not? So intelligent and so tall, and so clearly taken with our Lizzie."
The pair went back and forth in a similar vein until they pulled to a stop outside of their townhouse just as the sun was beginning to lighten the sky. They climbed the stairs slowly, the fatiguing effects of the night having caught up with them in the carriage, and they both fell quickly to sleep in their shared bed. The couple found it disorientating when, only a few hours later, Mr Gardiner's valet shook him awake with news of an unwelcome visitor.
"Have this note sent to Leicester House with urgency, make sure that whoever takes it knows that Lord Alfreton cannot wait to read it. He must be woken immediately." Edward Gardiner said as he folded and sealed a hastily written missive.
At the same time, Madeline was dressing with speed so that she might join her husband. They had thought this occurrence was a possibility but it was only a remote one in their minds. The Gardiners reconnected at the top of the staircase before going down to meet with the intruder.
"Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner." Said the gruff voice in greeting.
"Mr Bennet, we were not expecting you." Replied the master of the house.
Bennet's voice was low and tired as he stated his reason for coming to Town, "I find that hard to believe, given the events of the past few weeks. You are keeping my daughter here against my orders and I demand you return her to me."
"We had thought," said Mrs Gardiner, "that you understood from our letters that Elizabeth wished to remain to celebrate her sister's engagement." Her tone was light and deliberately innocent. It infuriated Mr Bennet. Madeline acknowledged to herself that she enjoyed the red splotches showing up on his neck far more than she should have.
"Something else I did not sanction!" Bitterness rising in Bennet's voice with every syllable.
"Jane is of age, Bennet. She does not require your permission or blessing to marry anymore." Mr Gardiner said, trying to keep the focus on Jane rather than Elizabeth.
"I would still argue that as her father I have rights in the matter. In fact, that is the reason I have come. I have received notice yesterday that Amelia's brother is petitioning for guardianship of Elizabeth and I will not allow it."
Gardiner cursed to himself as he considered what that meant, 'The damned layer did not delay the filing as we had asked him to do!' The plan had been to wait to apply to the courts until after Elizabeth was safely out of London. It seemed that message had not been clearly communicated to the Alfreton's solicitor who was handling the case.
"If he has made the appeal, I wonder at your coming here. I should not be capable of talking my brother out of any such plan if he does indeed have one." Replied Madeline sweetly.
"I could not find his address in my paperwork or I would have. Instead, I come to you so I can remove Elizabeth from this environment and have her home with me, where she belongs."
"And if she does not want to go?"
"That is not her decision to make, or yours. Mrs Gardiner, if you would please go and fetch her, we will be on our way. You can send her things on afterwards."
In an attempt to delay him in his mission, Madeline smiled at her husband and left the room as if to complete the command.
When the note arrived for Lord Alfreton, much chaos came with it. As was usual, the occupants of Leicester House were also sleeping in the morning after the ball. The first to be disturbed was James Walker himself, he then gave instruction for his wife and nieces to be roused from their beds and asked to join him in his study.
When the ladies had all arrived, he shared the brief details of the note with them and his idea for what should happen next. "I propose," he said solemnly, "that you leave for the north today. I have already sent for Mr Darcy to see if he will be able to accommodate the change of plans."
Before many minutes had passed, Mr Darcy came rushing into the room, not waiting for an escort or an introduction. He all but forgot himself when he saw Elizabeth's tired face and defeated demeanour. Rushing towards her and seizing her hands he said, "It will be alright, I will make it all well, I promise."
They both knew he had no real way to honour that promise at the time but both found comfort in it nonetheless. A small cough from one of the rooms other occupants made them aware of their surroundings once more. Darcy reluctantly released his grip and addressed the room.
"Pemberley will not be ready to receive the entire party as planned just yet, but my sister and I can travel ahead with Miss Elizabeth and the rest may follow in a few more days. We can leave, with minimal luggage, within half an hour if you are amenable to the plan, my Lord?" Nobody found fault with the proposition and a maid was sent to pack a small trunk for Elizabeth.
Twenty minutes later, Lord Alfreton was helping Elizabeth into Darcy's most comfortable carriage which had been readied with a team of four bay-coloured horses. Darcy had issued the instructions to his stable master before he had initially departed for the Alfreton residence. Georgiana was already seated inside and gave her newest friend a short but reassuring hug before they both settled back to wait for Darcy to join them. He was checking over the trunks and ensuring all was secure. It had long been his practice to do so, especially when journeying with his sister as he had wanted to make sure she was as safe as possible whenever she travelled. Before long the small group were making their way out of London, unaware of the scenes unfolding in the Cheapside area of the city.
In the Gardiner's drawing room, Mr Bennet was losing his patience. He had sat for almost one hour drinking tea which had long gone cold and ignoring the small talk his brother-in-law was trying to initiate. Edward Gardiner would rather not have felt like he was toying with the man but recognised that delaying him was in Elizabeth's best interests. He knew that soon enough Bennet would demand to see his daughters and when they could not produce either of them, he would cause a scene until the truth was uncovered. Edward had already resolved not to give the Alfreton's address to the man but would not put it past him to go elsewhere and cause a nuisance until he got what he wanted; one of the popular clubs or even the middle of Grosvenor Square.
After a further fifteen minutes, Bennet made the request his companion had been expecting. Gardiner asked the maid who responded to his call to fetch his wife. When she entered the room he asked, "How does the packing go, my dear?"
Before she could respond though, Mr Bennet cut in, "That is not what I asked. Bring my daughter to me, if you please."
"That will be quite impossible, sir. You see, I do not know where she is." Replied Madeline.
An argument erupted which led to Mr Bennet storming from room to room, randomly opening doors with the expectation of finding Elizabeth or Jane behind one of them. Eventually, exhausted from the search, he went back to the drawing room and sat down. He had not been that physically active in a great many years and it had already begun to take its toll on him. Once he had caught his breath, he shouted for more answers which the Gardiner's were either unable or unwilling to provide.
Bennet quickly puzzled together the information that was not being said and concluded that his daughters were probably staying with one of their mother's other relatives, either their Fitzwilliam cousins or the Alfreton's themselves. When his demand for an address was not met with the supply of information he required, he took to the streets in search of a hack chaise to provide directions to Mayfair. Mr Bennet knew his in-laws lived on either Grosvenor Street or Square and he would determine which when he got there.
In the Darcy carriage heading north, the party of three were finally settling into their journey as the congestion of the city and the surrounding towns melted away. Elizabeth and Georgiana were sat on the front facing bench seat with Mr Darcy across from them. Elizabeth had felt a huge sense of relief when Mr Darcy had entered her Uncle's study with the promise of making things alright. She trusted that even if he could not fulfil that vow, he would try his best to do so. He had come for her after her summons from Kent, he had proven that his affection for her was resilient and honest, she had faith he would do the same again.
The journey to Pemberley would take three days of hard travel and Darcy had sent a rider ahead to his usual inn stops to make their reservations for the nights ahead. For proprieties sake, Elizabeth and Georgiana would share a room, and Darcy would keep his distance.
The carriage ride in the current circumstances was very different to the last long trip they had taken together, thought Elizabeth. The atmosphere was more subdued than that occasion. The late night the evening prior, the earlier than expected morning and the general worry they were all experiencing led to all three occupants remaining quiet and drifting off to sleep before too long. By the second day of the trip though, the mood had lifted and the trio played games, read aloud and told stories to pass the time.
For Mr Bennet, his venture into the wealthiest residential area of London was not satisfying. He had spotted Richard Fitzwilliam standing outside of an address in Grosvenor Square and when he approached it became clear that the man had been waiting for him.
Richard desperately wanted to take a swing at the older man when he first saw his face. The so-called gentleman had come upon him blustering about kidnap and poisoning his daughters against him, and Richard had to take a few steading breaths to control his anger. The Colonel showed him into his father's study where both the Earls were waiting for them. It had been agreed that the confrontation would be better had at Matlock House rather than where Jane was still residing. None of them wanted her to overhear or risk seeing her father.
It turned out to be a wise decision to keep Jane away from her father. The man loudly protested and swore, then insulted and swore and finally threatened and swore at any person in front of him, be it Lord or lowly serving girl. The combined clout of the men in the room, however, were no match for Mr Bennet. They refused his every command, ignored all the insults he hurled their way and eventually sent him on his way with the help of a few large footmen.
Walker and Jane watched the eviction from a window on the opposite side of the square. They could not clearly make out the players in the scene but could easily deduce which was Mr Bennet from the actions of the others. Jane wept in grief, surrounded by the arms of her betrothed. It pained her to see her family torn apart in such a way; to realise that her was father so steadfast in his hatred that he could not set it aside to see his daughters happy. She had admired him from a young age but knew she must let go of that idealised version of the man. In that moment she decided she would ask her Uncle Gardiner to walk her down the aisle, he had been the most reliable, positive male figure in her life and whilst not a blood relative was her preferred choice.