Matters of Business

Last minute matters of business keep Darcy in London instead of going to Netherfield as planned. Mrs. Bennet's scheming sends Elizabeth to London at the same time. Without the interference of others, their story is quite different

A Scheming Mother

Mrs. Bennet looked upon her two eldest daughters with less favor than usual. In truth she had not looked upon the second, Lizzie, with much favor to start with. The girl simply would not conduct herself as a proper young lady! Always running or walking about the countryside, sticking her nose in estate matters best left to men, playing with greasy machines, and driving off perfectly acceptable suitors! But Mrs. Bennet had always looked upon her eldest, Jane, with the utmost pride and affection.

But the girl was two and twenty! Almost on the shelf! How could a girl with such beauty not already have a husband? The answer was simple enough: Where Lizzy had all of the boldness, Jane was just too ladylike. Try as she might, she could not get Jane to understand that sometimes a little bit of unladylike behavior was necessary!

Drastic measures were necessary. Netherfield Park was let at last, to a single man of five-thousand a year! It was a given that the man would fixate on her Jane first, but would the girl take the necessary steps to secure the man? Probably not. Therefore it fell to Mrs. Bennet to do for Jane what Jane would not do for herself! But there was a fly in the ointment: Lizzy.

Lizzy had some foolish notion that she, not her mother or father, was the protector of her sisters. If anyone might interfere with Mrs. Bennet's plans, it would be her most difficult daughter. No, Lizzy must go to London where she would be in nobody's way.

A Letter of Apology

Bingley,

A serious matter of business with one of my father's investments has intruded itself in a most unwelcome manner. As such it will be impossible at this time for me to make my agreed upon visit to your new estate. Please forgive me for this failure.

I strongly recommend that you turn to your steward and other local landowners for guidance on what needs to be done for the harvest, preparation for winter, and for the comfort of your temporary tenants.

Until we meet again, I wish you well in your endeavors.

Sincerely,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

A Comrade in Arms

Darcy was about to speak, but another man did so first, "This entire situation has nothing to do with the viability of the enterprise or the reliability of the workers or managers, gentlemen. Put quite simply, your client, upon inheriting this company from his grandfather, has done everything in his power to drive it into bankruptcy through his own interference and poor decision-making."

Darcy looked at the man, a Mr. Edward Gardiner, and nodded. Throughout the last two days of riotous arguments and accusations on the part of said managers, the investors, and the arrogant young owner, Mr. Gardiner had been one of the few voices of reason.

Now Darcy spoke, and being the wealthiest and most connected man in the room, everyone else went silent, "I must agree with Mr. Gardiner. My father and my uncle invested in Howard Parker's company because they were both deeply impressed with not only the quality of his ships, but also the cadre of craftsmen and managers that Parker had managed to assemble. Had Simon Parker simply allowed those men to continue with their work without interference, we would not be sitting in this room today trying to recoup our failed investments."

When even the lawyers hesitated to argue, Edward Gardiner spoke again, "Gentleman, I would like to propose a solution. I am willing to buy out Parker and Company and assume the complete management of the enterprise under the umbrella of Gardiner Imports and Exports if at least some of the investors here in this room would be willing to forego a payback of their investment in lieu of a continued stock and equitable share in the new company."

There was much discussion and heated argument from the smaller investors, but Darcy looked over at the man and gave him a clear nod. When all was said, done, and signed, Darcy lingered to shake Gardiner's hand. "Thank you for taking this on. I attended university with Simon Parker. Had notice been sent to the shareholders properly, I would have withdrawn my father's investment immediately upon hearing of Howard Parker's demise and Simon's inheritance. And I would have advised the Earl to to the same. You have saved us a considerable loss."

Edward chuckled and shook the young man's hand, "And I have gained a promising new branch to my company. With the ongoing conflict on the continent and the promise of the expansion of trade thereafter, there is absolutely no reason that a company building quality sailing ships should be foundering. I know nothing about building these great wooden vessels, but Parker's managers and foremen most certainly do. And I thank you for supporting me. Without your and your uncle's continued investments I could not have kept the company working."

Darcy hesitated, then said, "Have you been paying much attention to the advancements in the steam engine here and in the United States? I have often wondered how such a machine might be fitted to a ship. Imagine crossing the Atlantic or traveling up a river without concerning oneself with the vagaries of wind."

Edward Gardiner grinned, "That, young man, is the kind of thinking which I believe will propel us into a brighter future in this new century. For the moment, however, I have been too long away from my wife and children. In fact, my favorite young niece has come to visit and I have barely seen her. So I am for hearth and home.

"I would, however, like to explore this conversation further with you. Would you consider joining me for dinner at my house tomorrow?"

Darcy hesitated for a minute. He had never dined with a tradesman and he knew that certain members of his extended family would be apoplectic at the idea, but he quite liked this man and wished to foster the acquaintance further, "I would be honored to attend you and your family. What time should I arrive?"

A fine mind and flashing eyes

Darcy felt more than a little betrayed when he presented himself at Gardiner's door only to learn that the man's niece was a pretty young woman of marriageable age. It would not be the first, or the hundredth time that someone had tried to throw their eligible young relation at him. Therefore he adopted his stone mask to discourage any advances from that quarter.

He needn't have worried. Though Elizabeth's first thought was that the visitor was frightfully handsome, her next thought was that he felt himself far above his company. Since the Gardiners were her favorite relatives, that perception immediately turned her against the man. Thankfully her good social training, mostly at the hands of her Aunt Madeline Gardiner, prevented her from being openly rude.

After the introductions were made, Edward further alleviated Darcy's concerns by taking the young man off to his study. There they talked about steam power, just as planned. At one point Edward pulled out a series of drawings and diagrams portraying various steam engines, cylinders, tubular systems, and flywheels. "These are very well done, Gardiner. I can see exactly how this double-cylinder system works. Who is the draftsman?"

Darcy noticed a moment of alarm on Gardiner's face, quickly masked. The man seemed to hesitate, then he said, "I will tell you, if you promise not to pass the information on to others."

Surprised, but willing to comply, Darcy said, "You have my word."

"My niece has a fascination with all things mechanical. She cannot draw a recognizable landscape or portrait, but show her a device with moving parts and she cannot rest until she knows how it works and can illustrate it in full. Her father finds it quite entertaining. Her mother acts as if our niece is plotting regicide. Lizzy is often here in London with us because her mother cannot understand her daughter's fine mind. Confrontations ensue and the only hope for peace is for Lizzy to spend a month or three in London."

"The young lady who is visiting drew these in such exacting detail?" Darcy asked, incredulous. He was also intrigued.

"The very same. If she was not a gentleman's daughter I would find a way to put her to work for me. She will most likely never marry because few men could tolerate a woman who outmatches them in intelligence and she would never pretend to be less than she is." Gardiner rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Once all of her sisters are married, then I do plan on finding a way to use her talents. Until then she does work like this for me quietly from my home."

"Remarkable," Darcy said softly, unknowingly earning respect from the older man for not denigrating the man's favorite niece.

Just then a servant knocked to inform them that dinner would soon be served.

As was appropriate, Darcy escorted Mrs. Gardiner into the dining room while Mr. Gardiner did the same for Elizabeth. With only four adults at the table, the younger two found themselves facing each other. Elizabeth was wary of the visitor at first, but he seemed much more relaxed and social after his private time in her uncle's office. He became even more so when Madeline Gardiner informed him that she hailed from Lambton, in Derbyshire. He gave the most handsome of smiles and exclaimed, "Why, that is only five miles from my doorstep!" From there a cheerful discussion ensued about various neighbors they both knew and the superiority of Derbyshire to any other county.

Elizabeth smilingly challenged, "Please, Sir! My dear aunt is already loquacious on this issue. If you continue to encourage her then we will soon hear that not even heaven can hold a candle to Derbyshire."

Elizabeth's aunt and uncle laughed. Darcy looked at the pretty woman with remarkably fine eyes and haughtily declared, "And she would be correct. Why, if St. Peter was to offer entrance through the gates into Derbyshire instead, even the worst of sinners might reconsider their actions."

This earned even more laughter and Elizabeth's earlier irritation was lost completely. In fact she found herself liking this man a little too much. That was why she deliberately led the discussion to such manly matters as mechanics and steam power. She knew that presenting herself as a bluestocking would renew his earlier disdain and effectively end any silly romantic notions on her part. "I was much impressed with Mr. Trevithick's demonstration of his steam cart in '06."

Darcy, who had also been present for that display, was ready to agree when the Gardiner's both began laughing. Elizabeth suddenly colored when she understood the reason for their amusement. Darcy looked uncertain, so Edward Gardiner explained, "It was after that demonstration that my sister specifically and vehemently forbade me from taking her daughter to any more such events."

Darcy looked at Elizabeth, though his question was directed towards her uncle, "She considered such demonstrations unfit for a lady? As I remember it, there were at least as many women as men there on the day I attended."

Elizabeth's blush increased, but she answered, "Not exactly. You see, I wanted to better understand the properties of steam, so when I returned to my father's estate I... availed myself of Cook's largest copper kettle and lid. Then, with the help of some neighborhood friends, some carpenter's clamps, and some lead piping we made a fire and kept stoking it to try how much steam we could shoot out of the pipe. Instead we... I... managed to completely warp the pot and lid. I was quite out of favor with Cook for several years and my mother was quite put-out.

That is also the reason that I was not allowed to attend the demonstration of the 'Catch Me Who Can' in '08"

She had expected him to look down on her for her hoydenish interests, but instead he chuckled and furnished, "It appears that your experiment still ended better than mine."

Quite caught up in that boyish grin, Elizabeth prompted, "Oh, do tell?"

"Arthur Woolf brought a demonstration of his multi-cylinder design to Cambridge. I has already graduated, but with such a spectacle available for viewing, my cousin and I made the trip down to see. We both still had several friends at King's, so when the demonstration was over, we joined with them in attempting an experiment of our own. Unfortunately, not understanding the true power of steam pressure, we did not secure the joints connection the pipes well enough."

Darcy paused, causing the others to lean forward a little in anticipation. "When we got it to full pressure, the connections of some of the pipes burst. Most just shot steam in every direction, but one pipe became a spear that was hurled quite some distance... eventually passing through a glass window and embedding itself into a wall of the classroom currently in session. The professor and the dean were less than pleased."

This earned quite a bit of laughter, enough that several little heads poked out of the nursery. Darcy didn't notice because his entire attention was captured by the beauty of a pair of fine, laughing eyes.

Letters from Netherfield

After that first dinner, visits between Gracechurch Street and Darcy House became a regular occurrence. Darcy introduced his younger sister on his very next visit and Elizabeth quickly adopted the shy girl into her heart. Darcy had never seen his sister warm to anybody so quickly and he could not be more grateful. After the events of the early summer he had despaired of ever getting Georgiana to smile again. Now the girl was so relaxed that she even made her own trips to visit and felt safe in extending invitations to tea at Darcy House.

For his part Darcy was struggling with his feelings for Elizabeth against the expectations of his extended family. The truth was that he could barely stand to be in the same room as his Aunt Catherine and he was less than favorably impressed with the machinations of his Uncle Matlock. The one wanted to force him to marry her daughter. The other wanted to marry off his wealthy, single nephew for his own political advantage. It was only the memory of his own father's expectations which troubled him. But would his father object to Elizabeth?

On one particular day Darcy returned early after a visit with a friend to learn that the young woman in question was once again sharing tea with his sister. He did not mean to eavesdrop, but the mention of "Netherfield" caught his attention. "...Netherfield is only three miles from my father's estate... so you think that this Mr. Bingley is a respectable man? He can be trusted?"

"Yes, Lizzy, I do. He is a dear friend to my brother and like a brother to me. What has you so concerned?"

"I have a letter from my next-younger sister Mary. She writes that my eldest sister, Jane, has been receiving calls from Mr. Bingley since they first met. She was invited by the man's sisters, whom Mary writes about less favorably."

"That would be Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley..." Darcy heard his sister hesitate, then speak frankly, "Miss Bingley wants to marry my brother. She visits often and always tries to ingratiate herself to me to win favor with William. He has no interest in her, but she can't see or accept that... she also keeps trying to match her brother with me to strengthen her own chances with William. She cannot like it that her brother is interested in your sister."

"That is what I feared. That and my own mother's clumsy machinations. Jane wrote very favorably about Mr. Bingley, so favorably that I think she is well on her way to falling in love. But my mother will persist in trying to push a match, which will only harm Jane's chances to find a man to love her... and now matters are worse."

"In what way?"

"When the sisters invited Jane, a storm was on the horizon. Jane asked for the carriage, but mother pushed her into riding Bessie, our riding mare. The beast is a dear, but she is old and slow. Jane was caught in the rain and then took sick at Netherfield, where she is now tucked away in a sickbed. Jane must be mortified and Mr. Bingley will certainly think less of her because of our mother's scheme. Most certainly the two sisters will not look kindly on the matter.

"I would hurry home to take care of her myself, but Mother does not wish me anywhere near. So Mary has taken herself there to watch over dear Jane. I shouldn't be telling you all of this, but it is difficult. I have such an embarrassing family at times."

Darcy walked away, feeling sorry for their guest and her humiliation; feeling concern for his friend and his situation; and feeling an almost desperate need to hold Elizabeth Bennet in his arms and offer comfort.

When he reached his office he found letters from two different Bingleys on the silver salver. The first was from Bingley, the second, quite inappropriately, from the man's sister. The first spoke of his time at Netherfield and his enjoyment of Meryton. Bingley wrote the most about his newest "angel" and described her in the most glowing terms. The one difference Darcy noted from the man's earlier letters was that he did not focus just on the woman's beauty. Oh, he did think that "Jane" was the most beautiful woman in England, but he also noted her kindness, her care for her sisters, her love of gardening, and her knowledge of her tenant's needs. I should not be surprised that a sister of Miss Elizabeth Bennet should have substance. After all, Elizabeth has spoken of her eldest sister often and in the most positive terms.

He opened the second letter. Once Caroline got past her apologies for writing and her endless compliments, she begged Darcy to come and intervene to save her poor brother from the "vile schemes of some country nobody." After a few minutes of contemplation, Darcy threw the second letter into the fireplace and took himself off to enjoy the last part of his sister's visit with Elizabeth Bennet.

Blackett, Bennet, and Bingley

Life continued on for several more weeks. In Meryton Jane recovered and returned to her home. They received an unwelcome visitor in the form of the heir presumptive, Mr. Collins. The visit remained unwelcome until the man informed Mrs. Bennet that he came seeking a wife from among her daughters. Mrs. Bennet considered sending for Lizzy, but that girl would most likely make a hash of it. She steered the man towards Mary. And since Mary was desirous of marrying and leaving home, she received his attentions favorably. In truth Mr. Collins was not a bad man, just a trifle socially inept. Mary resolved that she could improve him with careful guidance.

Darcy received more letters from Netherfield, specifically notifying him of an upcoming ball at Netherfield. He decided not to attend. He already knew that Miss Elizabeth would not be in attendance and she was the only person he had ever, for the first time in his life, actually wanted to dance with. In the past several weeks he had even managed to find the courage to ask for a courtship.

It hurt a little when she was shocked, but then she has smiled and shyly accepted. In one of their regular walks she admitted, "I never thought any man would wish to court a woman with my propensities and interests. I am a bluestocking in almost every sense of the word. And for a man of your station..."

"A man of 'my station' can desire the love of a good woman as much as any other man. I am eight and twenty and have attended all or part of seven seasons, but until I met you I never met one woman who I wanted by my side forever. Make no mistake, Miss Elizabeth: I intend to do all that I can to win your heart and your hand."

Elizabeth had looked up into his handsome face and smiled, "You are well on your way, Sir."

A week later Darcy was surprised to receive a visit from Charles Bingley, who was quite frustrated, "I came into Town to deal with some matters of business, and when I return to my townhouse I find that the Hursts and Caroline have closed up Netherfield and installed themselves back with me in London! I was going to be going back to Meryton tomorrow, but the estate is locked up, the servants dismissed, and the larder empty! What am I to do now?"

Darcy asked several pointed questions of his friend. He quickly arrived at the conclusion that part of the 'matters of business' that Bingley mentioned was settlement papers for a proposal to his Miss Bennet. He had protected his friend from unequal matches in the past, but Darcy's knowledge of Miss Elizabeth and her information about her elder sister gave him a different impression about this match. "Bingley, I have to be somewhere in an hour, and I need to look into certain matters, but would you be willing to come and visit me again tomorrow, without either of your sisters. Better yet, please do not even tell them that you will be seeing me?"

"Ahhh... yes... most certainly," Bingley answered in confusion. But he trusted his friend, so he chose to go along.

Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst also paid a visit that day, but they found that the Darcys were out and would not be available for visitors for the next several weeks. Dismayed and disgruntled, they huffed and went away.

The reason that the Darcys were out and about was that the siblings had collected Miss Elizabeth and were now at an exhibition put on by Christopher Blackett concerning his own innovations on the steam locomotive. His efforts, which were mostly accomplished by paying others, were impressive indeed. It seemed likely that County Durham, the man's own county, might very well see the first genuine rail system in full operation.

Once the exhibition was over, Darcy spoke to Elizabeth and Georgiana about his plan to help Jane and Bingley. Both young ladies were more than pleased to agree to his plan, and he was more than pleased by the look of admiration and affection in Elizabeth's eyes. If the setting was different he might have either kissed her soundly or proposed on the spot... or both.

Elizabeth sent a letter home, both to her father and to Jane. Jane, having received a rather painful letter from Caroline Bingley, was skeptical. Thankfully her father, for once, to an active role and put his eldest daughter in his carriage to deliver her to the Gardiners. When she arrived, Jane had to be talked out of paying a visit to the sisters. Instead she accompanied Elizabeth to the Darcys, where her Charles was waiting for her. A week passed, with visits taking place with even greater regularity and length between Darcy House and Gracechurch Street.

There were teas and dinners exchanged. There were walks in the park and visits to museums. And then there were private talks, both in the garden behind the Gardiner's fine home. On a brisk but sunny day in the first week of December two young men rode their horses the twenty-four miles to Meryton, where Mr. Bennet welcomed the two men into his office. He did not entirely resist the urge to tease the two men, but in the end they left with satisfied smiles on their faces.

For his part Mr. Bennet struggled to overcome the pain of giving away the hands of two more daughters, but the sincerity of the two men and the shocking numbers of Mr. Darcy's offered settlement told him that his eldest daughters would at least want for nothing. Nevertheless he decided to stay in his office and wait a day or two to regain his own equilibrium before enduring his wife's effusions.

The two daughters returned home for Mary's wedding, then returned promptly to London without telling their mother what was happening. It had been agreed by all that discretion was definitely the better part of valor.

Meanwhile the Bingley sisters continued oblivious. Caroline was irritated with the unavailability of Mr. Darcy, but she was pleased that her brother remained in Town, just as she had planned. She was feeling quite smug one December morning as she went down to breakfast and picked up the paper. Minutes later her screams of outrage and anguish woke the rest of the household.

Those Darcys

In the years that followed the two eldest Bennets were almost wildly happy with their chosen husbands. After the lease on Netherfield expired the Bingleys wisely chose to find an estate to purchase much further north. They were pleased to find a very fine estate only three hours ride away from Pemberley. Bingley was allowed to purchase into Darcy and Gardiner's ship-building enterprise and he was fully on-board when, two decades later, they began outfitting their first ships with steam-powered paddle wheels. It would take another decade before that ship design came into regular use.

Elizabeth was the drafter for most of those innovation, though it fell to trained engineers to produce the actual projects. She loved her husband and her uncle for many reasons, but it was their ready acceptance of her keen mind that endeared her the most.

The Darcy, Bingley, and Gardiner children were all actively welcome to learn about their parent's interests, so it was not unusual at all for the growing children and their elders to be running some manner of experiment at any given time. As was often the case with new experiments, there were hazards involved, and even explosions. On one such occasion the servants at Pemberley watched in dismay as a dozen teens, one small but mighty Mistress of Pemberley, and one tall Master of Pemberley ran out of their purpose-built shop just in time before there was a Boom! and the roof was lifted.

Mrs. Reynolds, housekeeper and daughter of the previous and much-beloved Mrs. Reynolds, only shook her head and instructed the upstairs servants to prepare baths. When her husband walked over to join her, she could only shake her head, "Those Darcys. They are an odd bunch, but you have to love them."