Page 19 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
Jane left Lydia sleeping again, and after asking a maid to sit with her, hurried down the main stairwell toward the drawing room. Somewhat to her surprise, she found Lady Amelia, Mr. Hartford, Mr. Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam walking toward her down the corridor.
“Miss Bennet,” Lady Amelia said, “I believe your father and relations would like you to join their discussion within.”
“Thank you, Lady Amelia,” Jane responded.
“May I inquire as to how your sister is feeling, Miss Bennet?” Gabriel Hartford asked delicately.
“She is much distressed,” Jane answered and then added, “I have no doubt that she will be somewhat recovered in the morning. Lydia has an effervescent personality that is rarely deflated, although she is greatly shaken by today’s events.
I can only say what has likely already been said by my father; thank you all for watching over my foolish little sister. ”
“It was our honor, of course,” Mr. Hartford said, his eyes drifting from the lady’s blonde curls to her cerulean eyes to her rosebud lips. She was truly beautiful, Miss Jane Bennet.
“Indeed it was,” Colonel Fitzwilliam agreed.
/
“Ah, Jane, there you are,” Mrs. Gardiner declared with satisfaction. “We were just about to discuss the return to Longbourn, but first, how is Lydia?”
“She is asleep again,” Jane said, sitting down next to Elizabeth and reaching out to clasp her sister’s hand in her own.
“She is very distressed by what happened this morning, but she did promise Wickham that she would elope with him. The only reason she resisted today was that she wished to meet the Prince Regent before she ran away to Gretna Greene.”
Jane paused, gulped, and tears sprang to her eyes. “Our family came very close to destruction.”
“But you are not ruined,” Mrs. Gardiner said briskly.
“Jane, you will need time to ponder and grieve over all that has come to pass, but we must speak of the future. Mr. Gardiner will need to return soon to his business, and there is no time for us to travel to Derbyshire now. I spoke to Lady Amelia an hour ago, and she said she would be delighted to host both Jane and Elizabeth in her home for a time; we propose that we travel with you and Lydia back to Longbourn, Brother Bennet, and leave your older girls here. ”
Bennet frowned. “Why would I do that? Jane and Lizzy are by far the most sensible of my daughters; it will be unpleasant enough at Longbourn with Lydia and Mrs. Bennet wailing about all that has come to pass. If Jane and Elizabeth remain here, it will be quite insupportable.”
Mrs. Gardiner bent a commanding glare on her brother by marriage and said, “There are cogent reasons why Elizabeth, at least, should stay in Brighton a little longer, and I am quite certain that Jane would relish some time away from home.”
Mr. Bennet looked at his second daughter and was surprised to see her face suffused with blushes and her eyes lowered in maidenly confusion.
Since he had never seen his daughter so affected, it took him a full thirty seconds to grasp what was occurring, whereupon he arched an amused eyebrow and asked, “My dear Lizzy, may I be told which gentleman has fallen under your spell, Colonel Fitzwilliam or Mr. Hartford? Or perhaps both of them are in love with you?”
Elizabeth bit her lip and flashed an indignant glance at her aunt, who met her gaze squarely and said, “Elizabeth, any courtship will be far more pleasant here in Brighton than at Longbourn, you must see that.”
Her niece could only concur with the truth of that statement and explained, “Neither Mr. Hartford nor Colonel Fitzwilliam, Father. It is Mr. Darcy. ”
Mr. Bennet flinched and looked about the room, only to realize that even Jane did not seem startled.
“It appears that there is much I do not know about your interactions with that gentleman, Elizabeth,” he said. “I realize, too, that I have been too confounded with Lydia’s near disaster to consider what Mr. Darcy’s presence here means. How long has Mr. Darcy been pursuing you, my dear?”
“He offered for me in Kent when I was visiting Charlotte Collins,” the girl admitted.
“I refused him with unbecoming passion, convinced as I was at the time that he was in the wrong and Mr. Wickham in the right regarding their past interactions. Mr. Darcy told me the truth of the matter and warned me of Mr. Wickham’s lies and degenerate nature.
That is why I was so worried when I read Lydia’s letter; I knew that the man would never marry a penniless girl like my little sister, but I feared he would ruin her cheerfully enough. ”
Gardiner picked up the tale by saying, “Elizabeth shared her fears for Lydia when we arrived at Longbourn, and Mrs. Gardiner and I decided we had best investigate the matter. I approached Mr. Darcy in London, who told me of his offer to Elizabeth as well as more information about Wickham, and he insisted on coming to Brighton with us. It was Darcy who introduced us to Lady Amelia, Darcy who summoned Colonel Fitzwilliam, and thus Darcy who is responsible for Lydia’s salvation. ”
Mr. Bennet considered his second daughter thoughtfully and asked, “Elizabeth, have your feelings toward Mr. Darcy changed in these last weeks?
“They have, sir, most profoundly. I confess that when I left Hunsford, while I absolved Mr. Darcy of blame concerning Wickham, I still considered him a proud, ill-tempered man. His behavior here in Brighton has shown me that I misjudged him profoundly; he has been all that is gracious and kind, and has sacrificed considerable time and energy in assisting us with Wickham. If he should renew his addresses, well, I believe I will accept him.”
Mr. Bennet leaned back in his chair and regarded her dolefully.
Elizabeth had been his favorite daughter nearly since her birth, blessed as she was with her father’s quick wit, intelligence, and verve.
He would miss her dearly if she wed, but he was not quite so selfish a father as to stand in the way of her happiness.
“Lizzy, you may stay in Brighton. Your aunt is correct that any courtship will be of far greater pleasure here than at Longbourn, especially given that Lydia and your mother will no doubt be kicking at the goads over Kitty and Lydia’s new restrictions.
Jane, would you be willing to stay here and keep Elizabeth company? ”
“I would be delighted, Father,” Jane responded with a grateful smile .
“Very well, then. Perhaps we can plan to leave tomorrow morning, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner?”
“Certainly,” Madeline assured him. “Now Jane and Elizabeth, I have a suggestion. You have had a wearying and worrying day; I am confident that two or three of the gentlemen would be pleased to escort you to the beach so you can enjoy the ocean winds and sunshine, to blow the cobwebs away. What do you think?”
/
Jane, once she was actually standing on the shifting pebbles of the beach at Brighton, with the sun glittering in the afternoon sky, with the white crested waves rolling toward shore as if on the backs of sinuous blue horses, thought that her aunt was quite brilliant.
She had never been to the ocean before, never looked out toward a horizon where dark blue met light, where the world seemed endless and ageless.
It was an intimidating sight in its own way, but a beautiful one, and her anxiety and distress over her family’s troubles shrank in proportion to the enormous seascape before her eyes.
Yes, she had been foolish to think that George Wickham could not possibly be as bad as Lizzy thought he was; in fact, he was worse.
Yes, thanks to Mr. Bennet’s indolence and Lydia’s idiocy, the Bennet family had stepped to the very edge of a cliff named Destruction, but thanks to the grace of God, and the energy of family and friends, they were saved.
For now, she would breathe in the salty air and smile at the spray which blew against her face. For now, she would merely be thankful.
“Have you ever been to the sea before, Miss Bennet?”
She turned to smile up into the face of Gabriel Hartford, causing the gentleman’s heart to thump energetically in his chest.
“I have not, Mr. Hartford. It is truly magnificent, do you not think? But perhaps since you are so familiar with it, the ocean no longer amazes you?”
“Not at all, Miss Bennet,” he assured her, his gaze shifting to the glittering undulations of endless water. “I have lived in Brighton much of my life, and yet the water changes so rapidly, rough and dark one day, bright and smooth another, that it always feels somewhat new.”
“I understand,” she responded and then, noting that her sister and Mr. Darcy were walking arm in arm some distance away, said, “Perhaps we could walk down the beach a little?”
“Of course,” Gabriel agreed, and shifted position so that the lady could take his only arm.
She did not so much as glance at his missing limb and began walking carefully down the beach, appreciative of the firm support of the man at her side.
She was thankful she had thought to bring half boots, as the pebbles under her would likely damage more fragile footwear.
“Mr. Hartford?”
“Yes, Miss Bennet?”
“I fear this is a dreadfully intrusive question, but I cannot help but wonder how you lost your arm?”
Mr. Hartford peered down at her approvingly and said, “I do not mind in the least; indeed, I find it frustrating when individuals stare but do not ask. I lost it while fighting at the Battle of Corunna some four years ago.”
“I am sorry,” Jane responded, and halted to stare out once again at the distant horizon. “It is strange and tragic to think that beyond these waters is a land where men are struggling and fighting and dying to keep us free. I thank you for your service to the Crown, sir.”
“I was one of the fortunate ones, Miss Bennet, in that I survived with my life.”
She nodded solemnly at this, and they began walking again in pursuit of Darcy and Elizabeth, who were, based on the snatches of laughter and cheerful words they could hear, speaking happily with one another .
“Do you pity me, Miss Bennet?” Gabriel asked suddenly.
Jane looked up to inspect her companion’s face and was relieved to see that Mr. Hartford, while serious, did not look distressed.
“I do not believe I know enough about you to pity you, Mr. Hartford.”
“I lost my arm. Many would thus consider me an object of pity.”
Jane cogitated for a full minute, then spoke, choosing each word with care.
“Our family lives near an estate called Netherfield Park, Mr. Hartford. Netherfield is owned by the Campion family, whose three children are all older than I am. The elder daughter, Emily was born with a clubfoot, with the result that she could never walk and run like other children.”
“That is tragic.”
Jane shook her head slowly and her beautiful lips tilted upwards.
“It could have been tragic, but it was not. Emily developed a love for music at a young age, and was particularly gifted in the harp. She told me that because of her condition, she had extra time to study her passion. By the time she was fourteen years of age, she had exceeded the skill of any of the local masters, and her parents decided to move permanently to London so that she would have access to the best teachers available. Emily does not feel sorry for herself, and thus I do not feel sorry for her either. That is what I mean when I say I do not know you well enough to pity you. Certainly I grieve at your suffering, but I hope you are able to find joy in life as well.”
He smiled suddenly, which transformed his face from pleasing to genuinely handsome. “I do find joy, Miss Bennet. I usually live at my nearby estate of Beehaven, and I find pleasure and fulfillment in working the land and caring for my bees.”
Jane lifted a beguiling eyebrow. “So there are actually bees at Beehaven?”
He grinned. “Yes, there are many bees, and as odd as it sounds, they are my pride and delight.”
“Elizabeth tells me that Lady Amelia is very fond of butterflies, and you of bees. Does your older brother adore spiders, perhaps?”
Gabriel laughed at this, picturing his brother Michael solemnly observing spiders. “I fear that my brother, like my father before him, does not appreciate the insects of this world.”
“I find that reassuring, sir. Butterflies and bees have their charming aspects, but I quite despise spiders! Please, do tell me more of your delightful bees... ”
Jane’s face was now vibrant with enthusiasm, which quite distracted Gabriel.
He recovered sufficiently to respond, “It would be my pleasure to do so. May I suggest you visit my beloved Beehaven in the near future? I am certain that my mother would enjoy escorting you and Miss Elizabeth to tour the estate.”
“That sounds perfectly lovely,” Jane responded and, by mutual accord, they continued their walk along the beach as Gabriel continued talking of his interesting experiences with bees.