Chapter 25 Re-encounters

Not just the horses were happy to see Fanny the next day. Several of the grooms and stable hands greeted them when they entered the stables.
"I'm glad to see you on the mend, Miss P… I mean Mrs Crawford," Robert stuttered.
"Thank you Robert," Fanny answered. "I have missed riding, but I am afraid I am not well enough yet to sit on a horse. How is Ariel doing?"
Robert walked ahead of them and said: "Ariel is doing very fine, ma'am. I have ridden her yesterday to give her some exercise."

The horse let out a whinny when she saw her mistress. Fanny gently stroked the nose. "I have missed you, dear Ariel," she said. "I hope you have behaved yourself." Then she held out an apple which the horse gladly began to nibble away.
Henry smiled at his wife's enthusiasm. They stayed for a while with Ariel and then moved towards Storm's place in the stable where he got the same treatment.
Fanny asked Robert for stable news, which he gladly provided.

After a little while they excused themselves to return to the house.
Fanny looked a little sad, when they exited the stables.
"What is the matter, dear?" Henry asked.

She looked up at him. "I was just thinking how much I will miss Ariel when we leave for Everingham. I have spent so many pleasant hours on her back!"
Henry nodded. "I know. And I've got some good news for you. When Bertram was here last, I asked him to sell Ariel to me, so you could have her permanently. However, he told me that he had planned to gift her to you as a wedding present."
Fanny's eyes widened at this news. "Truly? Such a great gift!" She couldn't quite believe it.
"It is," Henry assured her. A big smile broke out on her face. "This makes me very happy! Next time Edmund is here I will thank him."
"That might be very soon, for I believe he will come over today for when Tom and the guests will be arriving."

They were now entering the house. "Do you wish to go into the drawing room or do you need some rest?" Henry asked.
"I believe I will rest a while so that I will be able to greet the guests as well later on."
Henry smiled. "An excellent idea, my love." Again he took her in his arms to carry her up the stairs. She protested a little, but he was adamant. "Today is not the day to start climbing stairs again, Mrs Crawford. I fear it would tax you too much."

Fanny was a little disappointed, but not overly so; it was a joy as always to be carried by her husband, a privilege that would likely not last their whole lives, so she must enjoy it when she could.
Henry laughed at her face when they arrived upstairs. "You look entirely too smug, wife. What are you thinking about?"
"I was merely thinking that I will enjoy this privilege to be carried around for as long as it lasts. I cannot imagine you doing this all my life."
Instead of laughing at her reply, he suddenly looked very serious. "While I will not deny that I greatly enjoy doing it - and would love to do it often, just for the sake of it – I do hope it soon will become unnecessary for me to do so. I do so wish for your health to be returned completely!"
She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers. "I think I am already much improved; you are taking so good care of me that it is hard not to."

She rested for a while and Henry joined her in bed. When she woke up, they cuddled for a while.
"Hmm, I do wish for my health to completely return very soon. This is making me want more, my love," Fanny whispered in his ear. Henry smiled. "I completely agree on that. I find it sometimes rather hard to keep my… eagerness in check."
Fanny knew what he meant, for she had found that as well. However, she felt that her health was not strong enough as of yet. Sometimes, when their kissing became a bit too passionate, she struggled for breath, which hurt her ribs for a long time after.
For now, she lay contented in his arms, until some commotion downstairs indicated that the guests had arrived.

Fanny and Henry made themselves presentable and went downstairs. When they entered the drawing room, some introductions were just being made.
Fanny found Tom looked a little worse for wear, as if he had drunk too much lately and slept too little. But other than that, he was still his normal old self. When he saw her, he came to greet her. "Cousin, how are you? Are you recovered from your accident?" He looked at her face, where still some traces were left from the break in her nose.
"Tom, I am well, thank you. Or, I should say, continuing to improve." He then greeted Henry. He was followed by Mr Yates. "Miss Price, how good to see you again. It is a long time since we saw each other last. I heard you had an accident?"
"Mr Yates, a long time indeed. I am improving. Do you remember my husband, Mr Crawford?"
"Husband? I am not sure if I have heard that news! Well, I congratulate you! Crawford, how do you do!"
Henry nodded at the man. "Good to see you again."
They were then introduced to Maria's beau, a Mr William Parker.
Julia and Maria were happy to see their beaus again and were soon in an exclusive conversation with their respective men.

Henry and Fanny sat down, Fanny at her old place near her aunt, although soon this seat proved too uncomfortable for her. Henry saw her discomfort and quietly helped her to sit on the sofa next to him.
"I wonder," Sir Thomas said to Fanny, "if your younger sister would like to come to live at Mansfield Park. Have you heard recently from anyone in Portsmouth?"

"I had a letter from William a fortnight ago," Fanny replied. "Other than that I have not heard anything. But I believe it might be something good for Susan. I remember her as a lovely girl, eager to learn. I was always close to her, until I came here."
"Well, I believe I shall write a letter to your parents to ask. Have you told them of your marriage yet?"
Fanny shook her head, a little ashamed. "With everything going on I forgot. I have told William in my last letter of course. I am not sure what my mother would say upon hearing the news." She shivered. Even after more than eight years away from her family, she still feared her mother's harshness.

Edmund was announced and then greeted by everyone. It was a happy party and the conversations flowed easily. Edmund sat himself near Henry and Fanny, as he had always in the past. He asked how Fanny was doing and Fanny told him they had visited the stables that morning and how lovely it had been to see Ariel again.

A look went between the two men. "It must have been difficult for both you and Ariel to have been separated for so long," Edmund joked a little. "I hope you will soon be able to ride her again. Did your husband tell you that she is yours now, officially?"
Fanny nodded. "Yes he did tell me. It is so kind and generous of you, cousin! Thank you so much! It means a lot to me."
He smiled. "You're very welcome, Fanny." Then he asked: "Is Miss Crawford not here today?"

The couple could see the longing in his eyes. "No, she has not been here for a few days," Henry answered. "But I believe she will be coming later today." Relief was now visible on Edmund's face.
They then talked about Edmund's work in his parish, until Fanny became too fatigued to sit up much longer.
They excused themselves to the company and went to their rooms.

In the evening they joined the party again for dinner. This time Mary and Dr and Mrs Grant were also present. They were all happy to see Fanny downstairs again. Henry was glad to see his sister talk with Edmund for most of the meal. Through all that had happened, he had lost track of how their relationship was doing. He was not sure if it would work out, as they were very different, but, according to Fanny – with whom he talked about it later on – it might well work out.
"You have changed apparently; your sister just takes a little longer."
"I guess you are right. I believe it helps that she hasn't been to London all this time and has better company here."
Fanny nodded. "They will just need some more time. It does make it a bit more difficult that Edmund is at Thornton Lacey most of the time now."

The next day brought rain, which Fanny did not find too much of a disappointment. She had overexerted herself on the previous day and needed a lot more rest.
Tom visited with them for a while as he was eager to talk about horses with someone who knew about them.
Fanny observed him more closely while he was talking with Henry.
"Tom," she couldn't help but ask, "You look as if you have been ill. Are you well?"
Tom had the grace to colour. "I am well enough, cousin. I might have been to too many parties recently." He seemed embarrassed at this confession, so Fanny did not enquire further.

Fanny became gradually stronger and enjoyed the fact that she could do more. She visited with her aunt downstairs. They even went to the parsonage one afternoon.

Henry became a little restless.
"Do you think you are well enough for us to go to Everingham?" He asked. "We could make the journey in stages, so it will not be too tiring for you."
Fanny smiled. "You are longing to go home I see. And I also think that it is because there is a lot to do in this season, but you do not want to leave me."
"You've found me out I'm afraid," he winked. "But I will only do it if you feel equal to the journey."

"I confess I long to see your estate as well."
"Our estate," he corrected gently. "Well, we could start planning our trip and fix the date for ten days from now?"
"That sounds good to me," Fanny replied.
So it was settled.

They now visited her old bedroom and the East room that she had used before. Together with Sarah, Fanny decided which of her belongings should go with her to Norfolk. They were then carefully packed, together with some of Henry's things that were still at the parsonage, and sent ahead to Everingham.

Fanny was unusually quiet for a few days.
"What is the matter, Fanny?" Henry asked her. "Are you thinking of how much you will miss this place?"
"As well, but I also had another thing on my mind." She hesitated. "I do not think you would approve, but I would like to see my aunt, before we leave here."
Henry raised his eyebrows. "Why ever would you want that?"

"Well, she is my aunt after all. And, while I have been improving, she has been ill without much improvement at all. It must be dreadful for her to now live like that. She used to be so active. I do not love her, but still I feel I should go and see her." She was not sure if she explained it well enough. She herself wasn't certain why she wanted it. Was it out of some sort of guilt?

Henry slowly nodded. "I think that you have been thinking about it a few days now, haven't you? Shall we first ask Sir Thomas what he knows about her condition as it is? And then we can see after that if it is wise."
Fanny agreed.

It took until the evening before they left for Everingham that they went to visit with Mrs Norris.

The days before that, had gone fast and in those days, Fanny had been reunited with her sister Susan. It was strange to see her after so many years and during those few days they became reacquainted and were many an hour in each other's company.

Fanny continued to improve and only had to rest a few times a day now and was up for the rest of it.

The visit with Mrs Norris was awkward and rather shocking. They went in together and found her aunt on her bed, looking very pale. She was a shell of the once robust lady who thought nothing of walking four times a day between her own house and the Park.

Mrs Norris seemed shocked to see her niece and soon had tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Fanny. I am so very sorry for what I did to you." The words came with difficulty and were sometimes hard to understand. "How are you?"
"I am getting better every day, aunt," Fanny answered.

Then Mrs Norris saw Henry and asked Fanny: "Are you still going to marry Mr Crawford?"
"We are already married aunt. Two days after… you know." Her aunt nodded.

"I wasn't myself that day and hardly knew what I was doing until I saw you lying on the ground and bleeding." She stopped for a moment. "I know there is nothing that can justify my deeds, but may I tell what led up to it? Not as justification, but as explanation."

Fanny sat down and Henry stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"I… must tell you from the beginning. It will be painful, but I want to talk about my life just this once."

The couple nodded and then waited until Mrs Norris had found the right words.