Next Chapter: Richard Fitzwilliam and the wedding.
September 1812
During the 8-day trip to Scotland, Mr. Gardiner had time to reflect on everything he had done wrong in recent years, and what he must do in the future for his family. After the death of John Thompson, his relationship with Madeleine began to deteriorate because of the little attention he paid to his nephew's interests and his failure to prevent his sister from mistreating Elizabeth. He knew his wife was disappointed in him and in many things she was right.
His wife loved Elizabeth as if she were her own daughter and steadfastly refused to allow Fanny to live with them, even for a few months. He didn't blame her wife, since Fanny had many arguments with her and their relationship was very bad. But he couldn't leave his sister alone in the worst moment of her life, for better or for worse she had saved his life when he was a child and he felt responsible for her...
Thirty years ago…
It was a sunny spring day; Edward was walking absentmindedly with his sisters towards the Church when suddenly a runaway horse appeared at a bend in the road. Everything happened very fast. Fanny threw herself on top of him to prevent the horse from running over him, but unfortunately, she hit her head hard when she fell. Edward only suffered minor scratches from what could have been a fatal accident while Fanny was unconscious for two days, the doctor feared that she would die, but on the third day she woke up and slowly recovered.
He had no way of saying for sure, but according to Edward, after that accident, Fanny was never the same again. From then on, she got tired when she read, wrote, and embroidered, and since she got irritated easily, their father decided she didn't have to study anymore…
PPP
When he arrived at the cabin, Lydia had been dead for three days. The nurse had left a few days ago and only one exhausted and very young maid remained. The maid told him that Fanny had been in bed for several days and had not eaten. Fanny was gaunt, thin, and sick-looking.
Fanny, seeing her brother, began to cry uncontrollably. "Edward, you finally came. My poor Lydia."
Edward hugged her. "I'm here Fanny. I'm here. Please don't cry."
"The doctor said Lydia had the pox. But it's a lie. Mrs. Evans didn't take good care of Lydia and I couldn't take care of her either because I'm sick. That's why my poor Lydia died… Nobody took care of her. My poor Lydia."
"Fanny, it is important you don't repeat what the doctor said. In a few months, we're going to say that Lydia died in a carriage accident. No one has to know she was pregnant. Do you understand me?"
Fanny nodded.
"I'm going to ask the vicar for permission to bury her in the nearest cemetery."
"I want her buried at Longbourn. I don't want her buried here. This place is horrible and we were very unhappy here. Lydia wanted to get out of here, in fact she tried to run away more than once."
Mr. Gardiner's eyes widened, "It is not possible to bury her in Longbourn." He sighed, "Longbourn is leased and we need to dispel rumors that her death was due to pregnancy. At the moment, to avoid damaging the reputation of your other daughters, we don't have to tell anyone that Lydia is dead. Do you understand me?"
Fanny nodded and went on crying.
That same afternoon Mr. Gardiner talked to the vicar and the next day Lydia was buried, but he decided to bury her with the name Lydia Rose – the family name of his mother - and change the date of birth.
That same day, Mr. Carter arrived at the cabin so that Mr. Gardiner signed the documents to relinquish custody of Johnny, since Mr. Darcy the day after his wedding was leaving with his wife for the Region of the Lakes for several weeks.
Two days later - coincidentally the day of Darcy and Elizabeth's wedding - Mr. Gardiner and Mrs. Bennet left for London.