Chapter 1

Mr. Edward Gardiner was the eldest son of a respectable solicitor. As the eldest son, he received all the advice and teachings from his father. Mr. Theodore Gardiner was of modest economic status, not particularly good-looking, but of keen intelligence that he always nurtured through reading and long conversations with other well-informed gentlemen.

Edward always admired his father and tried to follow in his footsteps. However, at an early age, he realized that the work of a solicitor was not for him. For that reason, once he completed his studies, he started his own business, allowing him to progress economically and occupy his mind further with his passion, commerce. Like his father, he also possessed a bright intellect and a willingness to learn.

Mrs. Esther Gardiner was a completely different story. Esther was the most beautiful girl in Meryton but from a modest family. With her beauty, she had managed to captivate the young and ambitious solicitor, who was beginning his career in the small town. Despite the differences in intellect and interests, Theodore always loved and respected his beloved Esther. Similarly, Edward's mother also loved and respected her husband. He always felt blessed to have grown up in a loving home.

In the Gardiner home, the father raised and educated his son, and the mother, the two daughters. Edward was fortunate to inherit his mother's good looks and his father's intelligence. Unfortunately, his two sisters were not so blessed. His middle sister Margaret inherited her father's looks and her mother's intelligence. Due to her particular circumstances, she developed an excessive interest in other people's affairs and gossip from an early age. It was the only way she could get attention.

Edward's youngest sister, Fanny, was a faithful copy of her mother in beauty and intelligence. Since she was little, she was pampered by her mother and father. Esther admired Fanny because she was very similar to her, and Theodore spoiled her because she was the living portrait of the woman he adored. In short, this made little Fanny feel like the center of the universe. As a result, she was used to getting everything she wanted, even if it was necessary to throw a tantrum.

Edward understood that his sister had not had the same fate as her mother, Esther. Her husband, Thomas, did not love or idealize her as his father did with his mother. So Fanny, with her little understanding of the world and her lack of self-control, became the object of ridicule and disdain of her husband. It was clear that Mr. Bennet was attracted to Fanny's beauty, but once time passed, it was not enough for him as it had been for his father.

Every time Edward had the chance to interact with his sister's family, he witnessed the disdain with which his brother-in-law treated Fanny. He always thought that Thomas' love for his wife had lasted less than a year and that he had lived the rest of his life resigned, and his only source of joy was to mock the ridiculous things his sister did or said.

Beyond all their differences, the Bennets managed to have five daughters, each with their own peculiarities. The eldest, Jane, possessed great beauty and all the goodness possible in a person. The second daughter, Elizabeth, was also very pretty, and many admired her. Although she was also a good girl, she was not as innocent as Jane. Her intelligence and sense of justice helped her to see the faults of others. Sometimes, she could be sarcastic but never malicious.

The third daughter, Mary, was a shy girl. She was ignored by her family and hid her fears behind repetitive and monotonous activities. Finally, the two youngest daughters, Catherine and Lydia, were still young but, unfortunately, very coarse and uneducated. Catherine, also known as Kitty, was a girl without her own will, and to avoid Mary's fate, she clung to her youngest sister, Lydia. She was Mrs. Bennet's favorite. For her part, Lydia was very similar to Fanny in her youth but without the advantage of having a loving home where she was understood and protected. Lydia, and therefore, by extension, Kitty, were encouraged by their mother to go brazenly through life and dismissed by their father. Mr. Bennet, unlike their mother, knew their daughters' behavior was inappropriate and could imperil their future.

Engrossed in his thoughts, Edward reflected on his own family. When he was young and starting his business, he met the most wonderful woman in the world. He appreciated not only her unique beauty but also her intelligence, which rivaled even his own. It starkly contrasted the women in his family, whom he loved and had grown up with. But with whom he had never been able to speak about anything serious or important. With Madeline, he could converse about his fears and consult about future businesses and how to invest and reinvest their money. He always admired his father, Theodore, but once married, it was even more difficult for him to understand how he could have been so happily married to a woman with whom he had so little in common.

In these nearly thirty-two years of marriage, Edward had been immensely happy. He had built a lucrative business with his wife and shared his love and sorrow with his soulmate. Unfortunately, not everything was joyous. A part of his married life had not been as fruitful as he and his beloved Madeline had wanted. In the first year of marriage, they were blessed with the arrival of their first and what would be their last child. Although they hoped to have other children for many years, they finally resigned themselves. They decided to accept that their beautiful family would only be a family of three.

Fortunately, Fanny's older daughters came to take the place of those daughters they could not have. Since Jane and Elizabeth were little, Edward and Madeline welcomed them into their home, trying to fill all the gaps that their parents' careless and indolent education would not do. However, their other three nieces were never inclined to spend time with them for different reasons. Mary did not like leaving the house because she felt uncomfortable, and thinking she should have long conversations with her sociable aunt and uncle made her feel scared and insecure. For their part, Kitty and Lydia considered them too strict, always discussing dull topics, and tried to teach them complicated matters and how to behave.

In this way, this Gracechurch Street couple became the guide and the example for the two oldest daughters of the dysfunctional Bennet marriage.

For the Gardiners, their son was the best of their lives. Without a doubt, Jonathan Edward Gardiner was the great pride of his parents. This thirty-year-old young man had managed to build a lucrative import business, traveling the world and following the advice and example of his parents.

When Jonathan turned twenty-one and completed his studies, his father offered to make him a partner in his business, but he declined. Instead, he explained that he felt the need to forge his own path, just as his father had done. His parents supported Jonathan's decision and gave him the initial funds needed for every business. So, Jonathan and a friend from his university years started his company, which gave him an annual income of almost four thousand pounds a year.

Edward Gardiner looked at the letter before him as he thought of his family and the last thirty years of his life. Then, just at that moment, his wife walked into his office. "Edward, why are you so distracted? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, and I came to let you know", said Mrs. Gardiner, concerned.

"I am sorry, my dear, I was thinking, and I did not realize how time passed," replied Mr. Gardiner.

"And what were you thinking so much about?"

"You know, I was reading Jonathan's letter. I feel so proud of him, but at the same time, disheartened to know that he has spent the last nine years from one place to another, and we only know about him through letters. We often receive his letters many months later than they were written. I know he is a man and not a boy anymore, but I cannot help but miss him very much".

"I also miss him so much, my dear, but let us not think about that now. We shall have him back in a few months, and as he told us in his last letter, there will be no more travels. Fortunately, his business is consolidated, and he can delegate much of the work that involves traveling to his employees. Seeing my beloved Jonathan for no more than a few months in the last nine years has also been very hard for me", Mrs. Gardiner concluded with a broken voice.

"You are correct, my dear. It has been difficult for both of us, especially in the last four years since we have not seen him. But enough of this, we have to plan everything we shall do to celebrate our son when he returns to his country, his home, and his family."

And so, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner went to dinner and began planning everything they would do in the coming months, including their trip to Hertfordshire. They intended to spend the next Christmas with the Bennets and bring the news of Jonathan's arrival.

P&P

Dear readers,

This was the first story I ever wrote, not only on this site but in my life. For this reason, I decided to rewrite it and share it with you. I hope you like the improved version. I am very happy to be able to rewrite it and enjoy one of my favorite stories once again.

See you soon,

Saludos,

Yo