Saturday, January 2, 1813 - Gracechurch Street, London
Captain Stovall arrived at the Gardiner front door at precisely two in the afternoon. If he was disconcerted by the presence of two other gentlemen callers, there was no evidence of such on his countenance as he paused in the doorway. Quickly advancing into the room, he paid his respects to Mrs. Gardiner and Jane and Elizabeth and acknowledged the introduction to the other gentlemen with a short bow. Elizabeth removed a work basket containing her embroidery materials from a chair next to Jane and Captain Stovall was not slow to occupy it. His back to the rest of the room, he acknowledged the manoeuvre with a small smile at Elizabeth.
After asking after their health and inquiring whether they had recovered from the rigours of the ball, the conversation moved on to a discussion of the theatre plays currently being performed. Stovall was quiet throughout the discussion, admitting that, due to his service at sea, he had never seen a play actually acted out. He had read a number of Shakespeare's plays while at sea but had never been ashore at a time and location to visit a theatre. He indicated that he planed to do so while in London.
After a short time, the other gentlemen departed declaring their interest to call again. Jane could see Captain Stovall visibly relax when they left. Jane turned to the Captain and with a gentle smile, said, "Captain Stovall, I admit to some confusion. I remember you saying you have been at sea for twenty years. You must have been but a child when you went to sea."
"The navy is very different from the army. To become an officer you have to start very young and advancement is usually quite slow."
"How came you to the navy?"
"My story is not really all that unusual. It was more a matter of necessity than interest. You see, my father died when I had about eleven years. A fever swept through our area and I lost my father, who had a small living outside York, and two younger brothers. Only my mother, a much younger sister and I survived . With my father's death, my mother had to depend on the generosity of her brother. Fortunately, he was able to settle her in modest comfort in York. For me, an occupation became necessary and, through his contacts, my uncle, himself a naval officer, was able to secure me an appointment as a midshipman. I admit I spent the first few months at sea questioning his decision and wondering if I would survive. It took me some time to get my sea legs I assure you. Now, I would have no other life."
"I believe you have not seen your mother for five years! She must be wishing for you to visit." Jane could not envision being separated from her parents for that many years. Much as they might irritate and anger her at times, they were her parents, and the love and care they had bestowed could not be forgotten.
"I correspond with my mother very regularly although delivery of letters whilst at sea is quite irregular. I sometimes do not get a letter for six months and then receive four or five all at once. But yes, I do want to visit my mother but cannot take leave just yet. The repairs being made to my ship will require my presence for another month or so. I plan to travel and visit her around Easter."
"I have no doubt she will be overjoyed to have you home. Your ship is in Portsmouth is it not? It must be quite difficult to oversee the work from London?"
"Yes it is. However, I do not have to be there every day. Some Captains take lodging in Portsmouth while repairs are made but I decided to come to London and travel down to Portsmouth as necessary. I usually have to visit it once a week to gauge how things are progressing. A Captain has to stay on top of the repair yard to make sure things are done properly. I will be travelling to Portsmouth on Monday next and will be back on Wednesday." Stovall paused and very deliberately stated, "I am quite happy with my decision to come to London. If I had not, I would not have been invited to the ball by my friends."
Jane blushed very prettily at the implied comment. Captain Stovall gave her a slight smile and then directed the conversation to other topics. Jane quite approved of Captain Stovall. He had every appearance of being a considerate son and brother, and his responsibilities as a Captain of a ship showed the dedication and determination to be successful. She felt she would have no trouble respecting him but could she learn to esteem and love him? And, more importantly, would he give her the opportunity to do so?
Mrs. Gardiner joined the discussion and the remainder of his visit was spent discussing the attractions of the northern areas with Mrs. Gardner championing the beauties of Derbyshire and the Captain good-naturedly defending Yorkshire. Before he left, he asked for, and received, permission to call again the next day.
That evening Captain Stovall was the subject of an extended discussion between the Gardiners. Their primary concern was to ensure that Jane was not hurt again by the actions of a suitor. His financial position was not known, although he was rumoured to have done very well in terms of prize money. Of the Captain's interest, there was little doubt. Of Jane's, even less. An invitation would be extended to the Captain to dine with them tomorrow and, Mr. Gardiner would, as delicately as possible, provide some information to the Captain about Jane's lack of dowry and prospects.
Sunday, January 3, 1823
When the Gardiner family and their nieces attended church in the morning, Jane was pleased to see Captain Stovall waiting by the entrance. He accepted their invitation to sit with them and Mrs. Gardiner unobtrusively arranged for him to sit beside Jane. As he explained to Jane, while services were conducted almost every Sunday on board ship, such services were less formal than those held in a church. In any event, he listened carefully throughout the service and, if not gifted with a particularly melodic voice, displayed considerable enthusiasm when singing hymns.
As they left the church, the Gardiners invited the Captain to lunch with them and stay for dinner that evening. Jane and Elizabeth had planned, since it was a beautiful day and not too cold, to take the older children for an outing to the park after lunch. The Captain asked to join them and was readily included in the party. They returned to the Gardiner home and the three oldest Gardiner children joined the adults for the luncheon. As Mrs. Gardiner explained, they wanted their children to learn how to conduct themselves properly in society and such occasions, particularly if someone not of the family was present, were a means of instructing them in proper behaviour.
The Gardiner's youngest child was deemed too young, at three years, to join her elder siblings in the outing. So, after the meal was over, the three older children were taken by their governess to be properly and warmly dressed. Jane and Elizabeth donned their warmest pelisses, bonnets and gloves and, accompanied by the governess and Captain Stovall, strolled in the direction of the park. They quickly separated into three groups with the children racing ahead followed as closely as possible by Elizabeth and the governess. The Captain and Jane strolled more slowly and, when they entered the park itself, the Captain offered Jane his arm citing the possible dangers if there was ice underfoot. The offer was accepted although Jane saw no imminent danger from ice.
As they strolled, the Captain tried to direct the questions so as to encourage Jane to discuss her life in Hertfordshire, her family, the local society. Jane was quite aware of his purpose and disposed to answer as frankly as was reasonably possible. If she minimized certain aspects, such as her mother's lack of propriety, she did not hide information about the size of the estate or the entailment to Mr. Collins. The Captain was particularly interested in those activities which pertained to managing the estate and the reason for his interest was quickly revealed. Once the war was over, he intended to acquire a small estate in the north, preferably in Yorkshire and near the sea. For, as he said, "I have lived on the sea for twenty years now; I could no more give it up completely than I could stop breathing. As well, I want to live close to my mother and sister. After being absent in their lives for so many years, I wish to know and enjoy their company."
As they continued their stroll, the other part of their group rejoined them and, after completing a circuit of the park, headed back to the Gardiner house. With a laugh, Jane teased her sister, "It is fortunate indeed that there is no snow on the ground, else Lizzy would have started a snowball fight". Elizabeth just laughed and expressed the hope that snow would come soon because she dearly loved a snowball fight with her young cousins.
The children had dissipated much of their energy and were now content to walk with the adults until they returned home. Once divested of their outerwear, the two middle Gardiner children importuned their favourite cousin, Jane, to read to them. She was quite willing to oblige and settling with the children in a large armchair in one corner of the room, read to them quietly until it was time to eat. The eldest Gardiner child, Phillip, was more interested in learning about the sea and naval life from the Captain and the latter was most willing to oblige. Questions from Phillip and Elizabeth encouraged him to talk about the day-to-day activities aboard ship. If he was aware of the occasional glance and small smile directed at him by Jane, it was not possible to tell from his countenance.
Dinner was as enjoyable as a meal can be when attended by persons possessed of knowledge and amiability. Mr. Gardiner sat with the captain to his right and Jane to his left with the others sitting as they chose. Conversation was quiet, even with the presence of three active children, and embraced a variety of subjects from theatre to the war in Europe to books. Once the meal was ended, the Captain and Mr. Gardiner retired to the library for a glass of port. Mr. Gardiner took the opportunity to talk privately, saying,
"Captain Stovall, I realize that I am being rather premature and I am definitely not asking about your intentions with respect to my niece. Mrs. Gardiner and I could not love Jane and Elizabeth more if they were our own children. Their father is a kind man but the estate is not large and their portion is meagre. As well, I have to tell you that Jane was treated very poorly by a young man over a year ago. He paid her a great deal of attention to the point that there were reasonable expectations of an offer of marriage; but he suddenly left and she has not heard from him since. I would not want her treated poorly again. I mean no offence by these words and I hope you take none."
Captain Stovall was obviously a little surprised at Mr. Gardiner's words but did not appear particularly upset. After some thought, he responded, "I hardly know my own feelings and thoughts yet. I am coming to admire your niece very much. Not only is she lovely to look at but she seems to have a warm and loving nature. I do want to get to know her better. Her dowry is not something I need care about."
"Then let us say no more on the matter for now and rejoin the ladies. Perhaps we can get Lizzy to play and sing for us. I think you would enjoy her performance."
The two gentlemen returned to the ladies and were successful in persuading Elizabeth to perform, which she did to everyone's satisfaction, for nearly an hour. Since Captain Stovall wished to make an early departure for Portsmouth the next morning, he took his leave but not before stating that he expected to return on Wednesday and requested, and was given permission, to call on Thursday.
After Jane and Elizabeth readied themselves for bed, they met, as they frequently did, on the latter's bed to discuss matters close to their hearts. Jane was reluctant to reveal too much of her feelings. She admitted that she thought that she could esteem and respect Captain Stovall but she did not yet know him well enough to be sure of her feelings. "I think I could easily love and respect him, Lizzy, but I have been in his company only a few times. It is too soon but I admit I think he is a good man and his profession is not one for men who lack resolve." With this, Elizabeth had to be satisfied. Teased by Jane about her own callers, Elizabeth could only quip, "Perhaps my mother is correct, my impertinence seems to frighten even the bravest of men. They came, they saw and they vanished."
