CHAPTER 5:
Jane's POV:
Obviously, Mr. Lefroy saw right through my little 'scheme' to keep us separated and had schemed himself to have us facing each other in the carriage instead. I sat up straight and tall as I realized this, wishing to punish him somehow for it. But the only thing I could come up with was to ignore him throughout our ride. I could not, however block out his, Henry's and Eliza's small talk. And I would not ignore any remarks either Henry or Eliza...or young Jane would say to me. That should show him my intentions. I admit that I felt a bit smug at my decision to make him pay. I listened in on their conversations but I refused to participate in any part that Tom was involved in.
As it wasn't too far to the Inn, this part of our ride was short and soon the three of us alighted from Tom's carriage to retrieve our bags from our rooms while Tom and his daughter held the carriage until our return. Once we had accomplished this task and returned to Tom and young Jane, I decided that this time, I would not try to manipulate our seating arrangement again. However, I still refused to talk with Mr. Lefroy as I was rather enjoying punishing him. It would not last long as I was about to find out.
Once we were under way to Tom's place, he spoke up, "I have inherited my uncle's old place and office."
These words took me by surprise, causing me to gasp inwards. The last time...indeed the one and only time I had ever been to Tom's uncle's place was that fateful time when Tom's plan was to introduce me to his uncle in order to make a positive impression upon him in regards to me so that he would continue to be in his uncle's favour and we could marry...it was also the time that John Warren had sent his horrid letter to Tom's uncle thereby giving no chance of a union between Tom and myself. I never forgave John for that and refused to lay eyes on him since learning the truth about his poisoned letter. I...we...my family that is, never saw John Warren again after he departed from our house where he more or less confessed to his being the author and sender of said letter, the day I arrived back home from my "elopement" journey. Even now, being reminded of that time, I burn with anger at the injustice of it all. If it hadn't been for that letter, Tom's uncle may very well have more open to the idea of a marriage between us.
"My uncle left me his old place and office here in London after he passed away shortly after my wife Mary passed." Tom was now saying.
"So that is why you are here...in London." The words came rushing out before I could stop them, but the punishment that I bestowed upon him had already completely vanished from my mind.
Tom gazed at me as I spoke these words to him. I thought I detected a slight smile on his face as he answered, "Yes. I continued on with my practice in Ireland after Mary died, but it was a hard time for me. And when I learned that uncle had left his place for me in London, I decided that perhaps it the time was right to take the opportunity to expand my practice and see how well I could do in London as I had been doing very well in Ireland."
"But your family..."
"I go in between both places. I spend time both here and in Ireland with them."
"That is a lot of travelling." I pointed out.
"Yes...it is." Tom admitted. "But I have the time to do it. My family is very important to me and I would never abandon them. But I need my career as well. My idea is to get this London practice established under my uncle's name and have another reputable lawyer or two to work from it. Then my plan is to spend more time back in Ireland and eventually live there on a permanent basis again."
We had now pulled up to a vaguely familiar building and the carriage came to a full stop.
"Here we are...again." Tom remarked who got out first and held his hand up to help me down from the carriage. I barely touched his hand as I got down.
As I stood there waiting for everyone else to alight from the carriage, I gazed up at the building, the memories of it rushing back to me. All of those years ago, another time when Henry, Eliza and myself had stayed here last. And here we were, as Tom had said, "again". The only difference this time was that Tom was entering the house with us instead of waiting on the other side of the door along with his uncle...and there was no longer an uncle on the other side awaiting for our arrival.
At least this time, the visit should be less tense then, I thought to myself, more casual...I hoped. If anything, it would be different this time, of that there was no doubt.
Tom opened the door and we were greeted by one of his servants who took our hats and wraps for us. I looked about the place to see that it had changed very little from when his uncle had lived there, but then as Tom now explained he wasn't here in the house part a lot of the time, unless Jane was there visiting, but spent much of his time in his office working or in the courtroom as well as what he referred to as his country home in Ireland.
"Country home?" I repeated, puzzled.
"Yes...it is where my children live and are being raised as I didn't want them to be raised in London. And my wife..their mother, God rest her soul, wouldn't have either. As I mentioned to you earlier Miss Austen, Mary's own family is from Ireland I didn't want to take my children away from her family, nor my own for that matter."
"Of course." I agreed.
"I get up there as often as I can and stay for weeks at a time for I want my children to know their father."
"You are a wonderful father Tom." Eliza now put in. "Anyone can tell that just by observing your Jane here, she is lovely. And no matter how many miles may separate you from your family at this time, one can tell that you are very devoted to your children. Your country home must be lovely indeed."
Tom followed up this compliment by another surprising statement. "I wish for you all see it one day. When I'm on leave from here next, perhaps."
I didn't know how to respond to such an invitation myself. But my brother did.
"Are you giving us another invitation Lefroy?" He asked with a grin.
"I believe I am!" Tom smiled back at Henry and then looking at me, who could still think of no reply, continued softly, "It would be my pleasure. I would be honoured for you to meet my family."
"And we would be delighted of course, Tom." Eliza replied.
"Then we must make some arrangements of getting or keeping in touch with one another for it." Henry stated firmly. "Do you have an idea of about when you might leave next?"
"Not at least for a couple of months." was Tom's reply.
That would put us into...October or November of the year." Henry said thoughtfully.
"Yes...I am always at home for Christmas of course. Perhaps you would even care to stay long enough and join myself and my family for the holiday season?" Tom's face brightened once again with this idea.
"We would be the ones who would be honoured Tom, to both meet and spend Christmas with you and your family." Was Eliza's reply.
"Then it is settled, yes?" Tom asked, once again looking hopefully at me with askance in his eyes while I was even more dumbfounded at the idea of spending Christmas with him...and in his home in Ireland, not knowing how I should be feeling about all of this. When I had agreed to stay at Tom's with Henry and Eliza, I had not seen it go any further than this visit...my head fairly whirled about with all that had transpired over the past several hours. What had started out as an innocent outing in London with Eliza and Henry had turned into something that had far exceeded my fondest of dreams. And...my feelings...I couldn't deny it. What Tom offered...I wanted...
I wanted it very much. But my pride...or perhaps it's just my plain stubborn side was not going to allow Tom to know just how much I wanted this...I took my time accepting his invitation, pretending to think about it very hard even though my mind was already made up..."Yes..." I finally agreed in a composed manner.
Tom's POV:
I noticed during our ride that Jane didn't seem to be paying any attention to me. Indeed, she didn't say very much at all, but only made small replies or the odd comment here and there when required to by Henry, Eliza and even my daughter. Again, I had to keep my smile hidden as I came to realize that she was punishing me for our seating arrangement. Life would never, could never be dull with Jane, I had always known that.
Once we reached the Inn, all three of the Austens alighted while Jane and myself stayed with the carriage until their return. I had gotten out of the carriage myself as a gentleman always does when there are ladies present. Jane had slid over to the side of the carriage where Jane had been sitting. I felt her hand upon my arm.
"Father?" She addressed me now.
"Yes, child?"
"Thank you for the lovely surprise." she said with a smile.
"Surprise?" I asked frowning. "What surprise?"
"Miss Austen, of course! You had said there was a surprise, remember?"
Of course...with all that had happened in the past little while, I had completely forgotten that I had said to Jane when I was in pursuit of Henry, Eliza and Jane earlier that day as to where we were going, "It's a surprise." Little did I realize at the time that things were going to get this far...farther than I had dared hoped for when we were first there.
"I didn't know that you knew Miss Austen." She now said. "Why didn't you say when you had bought me the Pride and Prejudice book?"
I looked at my daughter now, trying to think of a good answer that was not a lie.
"Because Jane...it was a long time ago when I knew Miss Austen. Long before Pride and Prejudice. I couldn't be sure that she would even remember me. I took a chance coming in here today where I knew they...where she was. But...I wanted to try. Again, I didn't know that she would remember and I didn't want you to be disappointed."
"Who could ever forget you father?" Jane looked at me affectionately. "But she didn't forget you. And I am not at all disappointed. I wouldn't have been even if she hadn't remembered you. It was lovely that you would have tried for me. And thank you for inviting her to stay with us." She smiled happily as she replied.
I smiled back at her, lovingly. "I'm very happy that it all worked out, child."
It didn't take the three long to collect their bags and soon we were on our way again, with the same seating arrangements and Jane still continuing to ignore me.
As I knew our destination might come as a surprise to my guests, I thought that I had better say something about it as soon as possible so as to prepare them.
Without any preamble, not long after we started off, I told them, "I have inherited my uncle's old place and office."
I noticed that this news brought a reaction from Jane, even though she did not say anything right away. She looked at me as soon as the words were out, but I could almost see that she was taking a trip back into the past..
"My uncle left me his old place and office here in London after he passed away shortly after my wife Mary passed." I now added.
"So that is why you are here...in London." She now ventured to say. Apparently, my punishment was over with...for now anyway.
A small smile got away on me as I looked at her and replied seriously, hoping that she didn't think I had noticed her silence towards me. "Yes. I continued on with my practice in Ireland after Mary died, but it was a hard time for me. And when I learned that uncle had left his place for me in London, I decided that perhaps it the time was right to take the opportunity to expand my practice and see how well I could do in London as I had been doing very well in Ireland."
From there we carried on an amicable conversation, me explaining the situation about my work, what I had planned on doing with my uncle's office and abode as well as my family situation.
When we arrived at what had become my place, both Henry and myself alighted first from the carriage and I held my hand up to help Jane down. I noticed that she barely touched it as she got out, clearly wanting to show me that she was still independent.
I noticed her looking the building over and I was sure that more memories must be playing through her mind. I opened up the door and one of my servants was there to take our wraps and hats. I knew that the first thing they would notice was that not much had changed so I quickly explained that unless Jane was visiting me, I didn't spend much time there as I was usually working in my office or I was in the courtroom or in Ireland. I had used the term "country home" without even thinking about it which brought another reaction from Jane.
"Country home?" She repeated.
I explained to her that my children were being raised there as I didn't want them to be raised in London and I knew that Mary wouldn't have either.
This brought up another subject which, I had hoped upon meeting Jane again was going to happen, that they should all come to Ireland sometime to stay with me and meet my family. That Jane and I would marry, was not a question to myself. I was convinced of it the moment we were able to talk in private after her reading. But I was sure that this idea had most likely not even entered Jane's mind and I had to keep reminding myself that I must take my time with her which is why I knew that the idea of having all three of them visit me in Ireland was the best way to go about getting Jane to agree to it. And then as I knew it would be later fall before I would be back there again, the idea of Christmas came to my mind and the very thought of spending Christmas with Jane and my family was suddenly one thing that I wanted very much to have happen. It had to...a thought came to my mind just then...a very happy thought...something I would do at Christmas while Jane was there...she had to say "yes" to this...she just had to...she seemed to be taking her time with her reply...but then after what seemed like eons, she gave me her reply, "Yes..." very quietly.