Page 119 of A Life Diverted
Rather than slip back into his former ways, George Wickham had gone from strength to strength working for Gardiner and Associates. During the year and a half George worked for Gardiner, he had been promoted three times; he was now an assistant manager of the warehouse.
To say the reunion of father and son was a happy one would be an understatement. When he had parted from his son in York, Mr. Wickham believed it might be the final time he would see George. The gratitude and gratification he felt at having his son back was hard for the man to articulate.
As George’s wages had increased, rather than spend more, he saved more.
Before his first year of employment was completed, he had saved the fifty pounds and change he owed Mr. Darcy.
It gave him untold pleasure to burn the vowels Mr. Darcy had sent to him on receipt of the payment.
What George did not know is Mr. Darcy turned the money received to pay the debt over to his steward to add to the amount he was saving for his son’s legacy.
Given George’s innate intelligence, Gardiner suggested he start taking classes at a local school. It was not Oxford or Cambridge, but if he graduated in a few years, he would be eligible to read the law, which had become George’s dream.
Once George had been with Mr. Gardiner for a year, and the reports of George’s work ethic and honesty remained as good—or better—as any others’, Robert Darcy presented his steward with bank draft for two thousand five hundred pounds to be added to George’s future legacy.
The irony was that although he was unaware of it, some of the projects he was in charge of for Mr. Gardiner were increasing his own legacy, as his father had invested his savings with Gardiner and Associates.
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Miss Caroline Bingley had learnt to control the supercilious side of her character in order to save herself from going without any allowance.
Based on her behaviour over the last year—which had been acceptable—her Uncle Paul agreed to allow Caroline to accompany Charles to Hertfordshire to act as mistress of his leased estate.
Caroline read the royal decree in December of ’06 but did not pay attention to the details, nor to the names of the newly minted Baron and Baroness.
Even though she had tamped her desire down for some time—in front of her family that is—Miss Bingley still believed she was destined to rise to the heights of society and was on the lookout for a man who would be able to help her achieve her aims.
After they arrived in the neighbourhood, Charles Bingley’s level of frustration had risen significantly.
His sister complained about everyone. The locals were savages, no class, no fashion, and on and on she went.
When Bingley tried to explain to his younger sister that not only were all the landed gentry above her in rank, but that there were titled families and even royalty in the neighbourhood, Miss Bingley dismissed his words as nonsense.
She met Sir William when he called on Bingley soon after he took up the lease at Longbourn.
Before the man left, Caroline denigrated him, proclaiming to all who could hear her that a knighthood was nothing.
She was not present in the drawing room when Bingley’s baron Longbourn, visited.
Hearing her brother talk about the man after his visit she assumed it was another bumbling knight with delusions of grandeur, as he used the title of ‘Lord’.
Louisa and Hurst joined Bingley at Longbourn a few weeks after he took up residence, and they agreed with Charles that it was pointless trying to tell their sister the truth as she heard naught that did not fit her preconceived notions. She would have to learn the hard way.
After Twelfth Night, the Darcys resided at Netherfield Park for a month before returning to London, and William made the mistake of calling on his acquaintance from Cambridge—at Longbourn.
Even though the Darcy heir paid her no attention and refused to answer any of her vulgar questions about Pemberley and his family’s wealth, Caroline Bingley decided she had met her future husband.
When her brother pointed out that from what he knew, Darcy was unofficially courting a lady—who was a royal and would be out in two months—his sister dismissed the information as meaningless, sure that once the Darcy heir became aware of her advantages, he would turn to her.
She did have ten thousand pounds, after all.
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Mrs. Charlotte Collins was a happy woman. William Collins asked for a courtship a few months after he became the curate at Longbourn’s church; two months later he requested and had been granted Charlotte’s hand.
Charlotte had always told the oldest two Bennet sisters she was not a romantic, yet she had made a love match. They married in May of ’07, and Charlotte had just felt the quickening of their first child. She and her husband were very comfortable in the Longbourn church’s parsonage.
Mr. Dudley retired in June of that year, and after the good work Collins had done in the parish, coupled with the fact he was liked by the parishioners, and was given a glowing recommendation by the retiring clergyman, Bennet awarded the living to his distant cousin and never repined doing so.
At first, Collins had been wonderstruck by his titled cousins after their elevation in London.
In addition to Bennet being named baron, and thanks to the recent weddings, he counted a number of peers, a viscount and viscountess, and a royal princess among his relations.
Luckily, he did not have sycophantic tendencies, so as soon as he saw his family did not expect any special deference, Collins was able to relate to all in a way that never gave offence.
Charlotte was happy to be related to the Bennets, cementing their friendship of many years, and continuing to enjoy her visits with Eliza.
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The double wedding held at Snowhaven, the Fitzwilliam estate, had been an event everyone enjoyed.
Richard and Cassie were given the use of Seaview cottage for their wedding trip, and Jamey and Anne travelled north to a small estate owned by the Carringtons, a little southeast of Dumfries in Scotland.
The estate of Caerlaverock Heights boasted a triangular castle with a moat that had been built in the thirteenth century .
The former couple spent a month near Brighton, while the latter couple spent three weeks in Scotland.
After their wedding trip, Richard and Cassie moved into Brookfield Meadows, where they had remained until joining the family in London for the little season of ’07.
Jamey and Anne took up residence at Rosings Park.
Jamey’s estate, Amberleigh, was smaller than his wife’s; because they hoped to have visitors often, it was an easy choice to spend more of the year at Rosings Park than at Amberleigh.
Cassie believed she was with child, as she had just missed her third cycle of courses.
Her new sister Anne had not missed any courses yet, which saddened her.
Cassie had not mentioned anything to Richard—yet, but he—attuned to his wife’s health—had a very good idea that she was with child.
He respected her silence and the cause of it and would not mention it until Cassie spoke to him first. He understood she was waiting for the quickening.
Thankfully, she had no significant illness in the mornings—so far.
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Catherine de Bourgh would have been happy to return to her cottage in Hunsford after Anne’s wedding, but Anne would not hear of it.
She invited her mother to live with them.
While Anne and Jamey had been enjoying their wedding trip, Catherine returned to her cottage and was most pleased with the way Mrs. Jenkinson had managed everything; she had even expanded the learning programmes begun by Catherine.
Once Catherine had gained access to all her funds, she had made plans to build a school in Hunsford to accommodate many more children—and offer subjects for adults in the evenings—as the converted cottage was too small to accommodate her long-term hopes.
Once other family members heard of her plan, more than enough money had been donated.
The Prince adding ten thousand pounds of his own funds, so in addition to the school, a clinic was built, and money reserved to employ a doctor and an apothecary who would offer their services free to those in the area.
Once Lady Metcalf—who had cut Catherine over three years previously—realised her erstwhile friend was welcomed back into the bosom of her family and by royalty as well, she attempted to rekindle their friendship.
Catherine had no time in her life for false friends, and rather than cutting the woman as had been done to her, she told her such politely to her face.
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Elizabeth had cheerfully borne all of the ‘Your Royal Highness’ greetings she had received when they returned to Meryton from London.
Luckily, the novelty wore off quickly. Other than when Tommy, eleven, tried to annoy her or when she was addressed by those not acquainted with the family, she was Miss Elizabeth, Elizabeth, or Lizzy, to all who knew her.
The exception was Charlotte Collins and the Lucas clan, who called her Eliza.
Since the public announcement concerning Princess Elizabeth, the friendship and feelings between her and William had deepened considerably. Only a fool who saw them together could not see that the two were irrevocably in love.
As she sat with her book in Netherfield’s library, Elizabeth smiled as she recalled the conversation she had been a party to between her birthfather and Uncle Robert a month previously.
William was not aware yet, as his father decided his son would be told the news when and if—as if it were a question—he requested a formal courtship with Elizabeth.