Page 7 of Elizabeth is not a Bennet
Gardiners’ Home
Gracechurch Street
Evening
The Gardiners’ sitting room was eminently sensible, upholstered largely in a sober, staid navy blue. A single vase of flowers sat against the wall on a side table, and a clock ticked on the mantel well out of reach of small curious hands. Elizabeth looked around with approval, thinking of her own childhood and how every knickknack had presented a great temptation to a curious girl.
The thick oak log in the fire shifted and fell, sending a wave of heat into the room. Elizabeth pulled her own demure woolen shawl closer about her shoulders, grateful for the warmth of it. The fire was adequate but not grand, and the family supplemented its warmth with heavy clothing. Mrs. Gardiner’s forest green dress had long sleeves, and the modest white collar was buttoned high to her neck. Both Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet wore woolen coats over their waistcoats as they relaxed in their chairs .
“So you know of Pemberley in Derbyshire, Aunt?” Elizabeth asked.
“Oh yes,” Mrs. Gardiner remarked. “Pemberley is a large estate nearest Lambton, and the Darcys are greatly honored. I never met them personally, of course. I believe that Lady Anne Darcy, gone these ten years at least, was the daughter of an earl, and Mr. George Darcy was the scion of a respectable, though untitled, family. I toured Pemberley twice in my youth during Public Days, and it is a marvelous house with delightful grounds. They have some of the finest woods in the country.”
“And what of the library?” Mr. Bennet demanded. “I care little for woods and views, but a library of many generations is undeniably tantalizing.”
“I fear I can tell you nothing about the library!” Mrs. Gardiner replied, chuckling. “It was not part of the tour, and at that time in my life, I had no particular interest in libraries. But come, what do you think of the current master of the estate, Mr. Darcy?”
Elizabeth, remembering her conversation with Mr. Bennet in the carriage, felt her cheeks warm, but managed to say with tolerable composure, “He seems a sensible, intelligent, and well read individual, Aunt, and based on what little I have heard, a diligent landlord and master. He is instructing Mr. Bingley best to manage Netherfield Hall. ”
“I am glad,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “It has been many years since I have been in Lambton, of course, but I know how much the village and local farmers depend on Pemberley. There are many heedless young men who do not take care of their inheritances, causing their tenants and servants to suffer.”
The clock struck 11 o’clock at this moment, and Mr. Bennet said, “I believe we should retire, Lizzy, so we are not overtired for the meeting at the solicitor’s office.”
“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed and felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably. Tomorrow, she would learn more about her family, her prospective inheritance, and her own future.
/
Offices of Appleton, Rubric, and Tyson
London
The Next Morning
Mr. Bennet opened the door of the carriage and descended to the dusty street and then handed down his niece. The Bennet carriage itself was in a stable close to the Gardiner residence, as the horses needed to rest.
Elizabeth hooked her gloved hand into her uncle’s arm, and together they mounted the stone steps. Mr. Bennet pulled open the door and guided his ward into a small antechamber, where a young, dark-haired man was seated behind a desk, writing rapidly on foolscap.
“May I help you, sir?” the man asked, glancing curiously at Elizabeth and then back at her guardian.
“Mr. Bennet and Miss Stowe to see Mr. Appleton, please.”
“Ah, yes, of course! We have been expecting you. Please do come with me!”
He stood up and guided the twosome down a corridor, which was paneled in dark wood, and into an office whose window faced a courtyard to the rear of the building.
The man rising to meet them was, Elizabeth thought, some thirty years of age, with pale skin, dark hair, and a worried air about him. He produced a smile which seemed more perfunctory than genuine and said, “Mr. Bennet, Miss Stowe, please come in and sit down. Would you care for some tea?”
“No, thank you,” Bennet said, guiding Elizabeth to a padded chair across from the solicitor, and then sat down on an identical chair next to his ward. “I am confident you are a busy man, Mr. Appleton, and suggest that we get down to business.”
“Quite, quite!” Appleton said, as he began rummaging through the pile of papers on his desk. “I was surprised to receive your message yesterday – I had no idea that you were in Town, not, of course, that you need to inform me of your movements! I hope that you will understand if I am not quite as organized as … now where is that paper? I had it but a moment ago…”
Elizabeth, taking pity on the young man, said quickly, “Indeed, Mr. Appleton, I do beg you not to worry about papers at the moment. I think it would be helpful if we explained that your letter with news of the estate of Ravenswood was a complete surprise to my guardian and to me. We had never heard of the estate and had no idea that I was to inherit when I reach my majority.”
Mr. Appleton turned and dropped his paper with a shocked look on his face. “Miss Stowe, Mr. Bennet, I do apologize. My father was ailing in the end, and I fear we did not realize how badly…”
“Mr. Appleton,” Bennet said, lifting his hands in a placating manner, as if seeking to calm a spooked horse. “We are not upset or angry in the least. There were complications associated with my ward’s family; her father died rather suddenly, and the arrangements for her care were made in haste. For now, we merely wish to learn more about Ravenswood. Do you know where exactly it is? How much does it make per annum? Who has been administering it all these years? Is it in good condition or not?”
Mr. Appleton’s face had been growing more and more miserable throughout this recitation, and when Bennet stopped talking, he said, “I am so sorry. My father left papers in disarray, and I have no answers for you, save the name of the estate and its locale…”
“So we could send someone to Scotland to learn more?” Elizabeth suggested.
Appleton blinked, frowned heavily, and nodded. “Yes? I suppose that one of my young men could...”
“Mr. Appleton, I beg you not to concern yourself,” Bennet interrupted cheerfully. “If you would prepare papers declaring that Elizabeth Stowe will inherit Ravenswood next May, I can arrange to send a man north to Scotland to learn more.”
“Would you? Yes, of course. That would be, erm, that seems very sensible! Or perhaps you could consult Mrs. Stowe?”
Bennet and Elizabeth exchanged confused looks.
“Mrs. Stowe?” Bennet asked .
“Yes, erm, I understand her to be Mr. Stowe’s widow? She must not be your mother, Miss Stowe…?”
“No, my stepmother,” Elizabeth said and felt her heart beating more rapidly. “Do you know her location?”
“Oh, as to that, well, I do not. She is in London, as she visited me only last week to discuss the disposition of her son’s estate in Northumberland … erm, I am not certain where she is staying in London now, nor indeed, whether she is still here. She informed me that she was eager to return to Greymere as quickly as possible.”
“I can understand that,” Bennet responded. “I far prefer the country air myself. Perhaps we could obtain the location of Greymere and Ravenswood?”
“Of course, sir, miss.”
/
Dining Room
The Gardiner Residence
Late r
The ragout Mrs. Gardiner had ordered for dinner was delicious, and Elizabeth ate heartily. After the visit to the solicitor, she had enjoyed an energetic hour playing with balls in the backyard with the young Gardiner children. Tommy, the youngest, was a mere two years old, while Sarah, the conscientious eldest, was a very grown-up eight. All four children had embraced the game with great enthusiasm, running around the grass and shouting and flinging the balls with joyful abandon to each other and to Elizabeth.
But after an hour, tempers had started to fray, red noses running in the cold, and tantrums burgeoning. Attentive nursemaids had swept the little Gardiners inside for bedtime, and Elizabeth, also chilled, had hurried upstairs to her room to dress for dinner beside the fire. Now, she was enjoying a quiet meal with her uncle and the Gardiners. It was a pleasant contrast to home, when Kitty and Lydia would often become rather noisy over their dinner before being checked gently by their father. The conversation in the Gardiner dining room was certainly of a more intellectual nature than that at the Bennet dinner table.
“Of course I can find a young man to journey to Scotland,” Mr. Gardiner said cheerfully. “In fact, I think young Ezekiel Jenkins would be the perfect man for the job; he has a fine head on his shoulders, and his clerical skills are remarkable. He can ride the stage along the Great North Road to Scotland, assuming that you are not in a great hurry, that is. If you are in a hurry, he could travel post, but it would be expensive.”
Elizabeth twisted her lips thoughtfully and said, “I am eager to learn more, but realistically, there is no great hurry; I will not inherit Ravenswood until next May, if there is indeed anything to inherit.”
“Very well,” Gardiner said. “I will arrange the details with Jenkins tomorrow.”
“When he does return, perhaps he could ride to Longbourn and acquaint us of the facts?” Mr. Bennet suggested. “Mr. Appleton, the solicitor, seems entirely overwhelmed, and I expect that having Jenkins report first to him would only cause delays.”
“He did seem quite confused,” Elizabeth agreed. “The poor man just lost his father, though, so perhaps that is the reason.”
“I bear him no ill will,” Bennet said. “I merely think it would be better to remove him from the equation.”
“As you like,” Gardiner said. “Now, do you wish Jenkins to visit your step mother in Northumberland as well? It must be peculiar, dear Lizzy, to know that you have a half-brother whom you do not remember.”
Elizabeth wrinkled her nose, considered, and said, “I think that for now, I prefer to focus my attention on Ravenswood. According to my father’s letter, my stepmother is not a particularly kind woman. She has done nothing to seek me out all these years, after all.”
“That is wise, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Gardiner said. “You have enough upheaval without welcoming an evil stepmother into your life!”