Author Note: I plan to publish this in early February, and due to Amazon's requirements, I will need to take most of it down from FF on Jan 28, 2023. If you're starting to read now, be sure to keep up so you don't miss the ending!
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Chapter 1
December, 1811
Mr. Aaron Gardiner reined in his bay horse and leaned forward, relishing the warmth emanating from the great body. It was a December day in Hertfordshire, England, and after decades in India, he was not used to such cold.
His eyes roved slowly over the small town of Meryton. It was a pleasant scene, though a common enough one, with the white clapped church and the little shops, the cobbled streets wending their leisurely way between the timber framed houses, and the village square white with frost, presided over by graceful oak trees. There was nothing about Meryton itself to explain the rush of emotion in his heart, except that he been born and raised here, and he had been gone for more than twenty years.
"Are you well, Brother?"
Aaron smiled at his younger brother, Edward, "I am well enough. Meryton has not changed much in the last decades."
"No," Edward agreed fondly, "though that is, I believe, part of its charm. Are you cold?"
Aaron chuckled and gently spurred his horse forward, "I am. The climate of India has thinned my blood. Longbourn is not much farther, I believe?"
"A mile out of Meryton, yes. We should be there within the half hour."
"Very well. We are close enough to our destination that I should practice the names of the family again. Our sister Frances was fortunate enough to win the favor of Mr. James Bennet, master of Longbourn, correct?"
"Yes."
"They have five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Lydia, and ... and..."
"Catherine, though she is always called Kitty. She is the fourth daughter and Lydia the fifth."
"Our sister Fanny is not particularly sensible."
Edward Gardiner heaved a deep, soulful sigh, "She is not. I know it has been decades since you have seen her, but in her youth, she was a tremendous beauty. I have no doubt that is what attracted Bennet to her, but they are not well matched."
"Because he is a gentleman and she the daughter of a mere attorney?" Aaron demanded coldly.
"Of course not," Edward protested. "You know that my dear wife herself is the granddaughter of a gentleman. No, they are not well suited because Bennet is extremely intelligent and Fanny is, regrettably, of a weak mind and illiberal understanding."
Aaron glanced at his brother contritely and said, "I am sorry."
"Not at all. I fully understand that given your difficult experiences with Viscount Grayson, you are sensitive to the pain of regrettable class distinctions."
"I am indeed, but let us continue. Longbourn is entailed away from our nieces?"
"Yes, and our sister's dowry, while respectable enough, is not sufficient to supply the needs of six women if Bennet should die before his time. Fanny therefore spends most of her time worrying about her daughters' prospects, which makes her a difficult companion. Sadly, Mr. Bennet chooses to hide in his library instead of taking her in hand, leaving the burden of her emotional outbursts on the eldest two Bennet girls, Jane and Elizabeth."
"I do not believe you have described the appearances and personalities of our nieces in detail."
"Jane is a stunning beauty, much like Fanny was in her youth. But our eldest niece combines beauty with a gentle and loving personality."
"And yet she is not married?"
"She is not. There is a dearth of eligible young men in the area due to the war, and she has very little in the way of a dowry. The marriage settlements provide a five thousand pound portion for Fanny, but that does not go far with five daughters and the loss of the estate to the male heir, a clergyman by the name of Collins, when Bennet dies."
"What is the Longbourn income?"
"It is about two thousand pounds a year."
Aaron Gardiner lifted an eyebrow, "That is a very reasonable sum. Surely Bennet has saved through the years for the care of his wife and daughters in the event of his death."
Edward's mouth formed a grim line and he said, "Regrettably, he has not, Aaron. Fanny loves to spend money and in the beginning, they naturally assumed they would birth a son to inherit. When they finally realized that the estate would be lost to Collins, they were both too set in their ways. Bennet has kept them out of debt, but nothing more. It is a difficult situation. Of course Mrs. Gardiner and I will assist to some degree if necessary, but we have four children and may have more. And you have four children of your own who are your responsibility, and you will need your savings to launch them into society."
Aaron nodded at this but kept his own counsel. He was in a position to help his nieces a great deal more than his brother, but he was not certain he was willing to do so. He was a brother and uncle, but he was also a father and a business man and he would not throw money away foolishly.
"And what of the other girls?" he asked.
Edward chuckled and declared, "They have a truly disparate range of personalities. Elizabeth is second to Jane in birth and beauty. Unlike Jane, who is serene and gentle, Elizabeth is extremely intelligent and has a satirical wit, much like her father. She is a delightful young woman, but not placid. Mary, the third, is the only daughter who did not inherit Fanny's looks. She attempts to make up for it by reading dull sermons and practicing the pianoforte at all hours. Kitty and Lydia are unfortunately foolish and gauche girls, and are prone to chase after the officers of the militia regiment currently stationed in Meryton. Fanny does not see anything wrong with their poor behavior, and Bennet is too lazy to rein in their crass conduct. I regret being so negative, but I thought you should understand the situation as it is.
Aaron nodded thoughtfully, "I appreciate it, Brother, and I believe Longbourn is now in view."
The house came into view and his mount sped up slightly, apparently sensing that the warmth of the stable and a bucket of oats were near.
It was a pleasant building, not ostentatious, but its grounds and stables were well kept up.
"Are you ready to meet your sister after more than twenty years, Aaron?"
Aaron Gardiner nodded, his mind slipping back more than two decades to the last time he had been in his family home in Meryton.
"Yes, Edward, I am."
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September 1785
"You will have to leave, Aaron."
Aaron Gardiner stared blankly at his father, who was seated behind his simple wooden desk in his study, his wrinkled face downcast.
"Leave, sir?"
"Yes. I was visited by Viscount Grayson today. He is incandescent with rage over your, as he termed it, seduction of Miss Sophia."
Aaron's skin flushed red in outrage, "I did not seduce her! How dare he say such a thing? I honorably asked for her hand in marriage!"
Mr. Gardiner stood up and stepped around the desk, lowering his right hand onto his elder son's shoulder. "I know, my boy, I know. I truly have great sympathy for the passions of young love, but it was a foolish thing to do. You are the son of a tradesman and she is the daughter of a viscount. You should have known Grayson would never permit her to marry you."
"I am a clergyman, sir. That is an honorable profession."
"And Miss Sophia is the daughter of a member of the aristocracy. You reached too high, Aaron."
"I did not reach," his son cried out passionately. "We fell in love. We have so much in common, Father! Our shared love of music brought us together as I taught her on the pianoforte, but she also loves the Lord so deeply; she seeks to honor Him in a way that is quite foreign to the rest of the family. It is not as if Lord Grayson cares for her anyway! She is the youngest and the plainest. Her mother is dead and he is too busy with his wine and … well, I will not speak of it, but he is not a good father to any of his daughters, but especially to Sophia."
"Be that as it may, I must concern myself with my own daughters," the elder Gardiner stated sadly. "Grayson has threatened to ruin their chances of good marriages if you do not leave the locale immediately. And believe me; he could do it, Aaron. He could, and he will."
"I am serving as curate under the rector at Enford, sir, and have been promised the living when he retires, which will be very soon as his health is failing. Miss Sophia will soon be of age to marry without her father's consent so..."
"Aaron," his father interrupted, his chest heaving, "you know the power of Lord Grayson. My position as solicitor depends on the goodwill of the Viscount and his cronies. I cannot afford to have him as my enemy, Son. I am sorry, but you will have to leave Enton; indeed, you must leave Hertfordshire."
His son gulped, his eyes wet. "For how long, sir?"
The gray-headed solicitor shook his head, "I do not know, Aaron. I have two thousand pounds available, and I will give you that money to allow you to get a good start wherever you settle, but it must be far away."
"I cannot take that, Father. What of my sisters?"
"I have money set aside for the girls and Edward. Do not concern yourself for them. Take care of yourself, Aaron. Please know that I love you dearly and wish that there was another way."
Tears filled the eyes of both father and son, and they embraced one another.
It was the last time that Aaron Gardiner ever saw his father.
/
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Author Note: Dear readers, I posted the original story "The Banished Uncle" here on FF previously during 2020, and I have decided to share my re-writing of this story here as well. Some sections will remain the same, but others will be changed, and there will also be entirely new chapters to expand the story and add to the character development. As a work-in-progress, I don't know how much I will add to the story, but I expect it will be around 50% longer... but I do get carried away sometimes, so who knows? :-) Enjoy!
- Laraba