I heard a bark in the distance, and Lady Bertram’s dog readily responded with gusto, waking its mistress rather unceremoniously. From the verandah I could see that a man on horseback was approaching the house. It could not be Edmund, for my brother-in-law at that time of day was busy tending to the poor and needy in the village, while Fanny, who was with child again, made her charitable visits with wide-eyed little William by her side. Their selflessness never ceased to surprise me. Judging by the spirit shown by their boy, who was already adept at building nests for the birds in the spring and feeding the sparrows in winter, my nephew had inherited their pious heart.
The gentleman edged closer to the house. He was broad-shouldered and manly, and was wearing a travelling coat and hat. Although he did not look like a stranger, I could not yet recognise him, for he was approaching the house from the south lawn, and the glare of the sun prevented me from seeing his features. All of a sudden I wondered if he was a messenger bringing an urgent note from the East Indies, and my heart turned to lead. It had been five months since Jamie’s last letter to my uncle, an unusually long time.
What began as one-sided missives on Jamie’s part once he arrived in Calcutta slowly turned into a mutually agreeable exchange of correspondence. As I had anticipated, Jamie’s letters, packed with detailed descriptions and amusing stories about life in those lands, had turned into a highlight of the evenings at Mansfield Park when received, to the point that Lady Bertram preferred them to her La Belle Assemblée. Although Sir Thomas had made no promises to reply, his sense of rectitude and the sure knowledge of my affections had driven him to write to his correspondent, short letters at first, then slightly longer updates that, beyond the customary references to the family’s health, often included more personal information, such as my progress with the art of watercolour paint or dislike for the cold winter weather.
As for me, each and every one of his letters was a reminder that he was keeping his love for me alive. They had become regular and relatively steady, in spite of the distance they had to travel, and I looked forward to them with glee, although my uncle had made it no secret that he kept the old ones in a wooden box in the drawing room, and provided plenty of opportunities for others to read them over and over again.
Perhaps something had happened to Jamie.
I stood up from my seat and, wiping my hands with my apron, I prepared myself for bad tidings.
“Susan, are you well? What is happening?” asked Lady Bertram.
“I do not yet know, Aunt,” was all I could say.
The stranger was headed towards us. My heart began to beat like a cannon going into battle, at full force and with barely any respite. When he was but ten yards away from me, I realised who he was, and I gasped.
Jamie.
His skin had a darker shade, acquired no doubt after his lengthy stay in the East Indies, but otherwise he looked just the same as he did the last time I had seen him. He gave me a broad smile as he dismounted. I went towards him, while Lady Bertram, her hand over her heart and her eyes as wide as can be, looked on with some confusion.
“Miss Price,” he said with a bow. His smile was now like a permanent feature on his handsome face, and I knew mine must be, as well.
“Mr Gartner,” I whispered. “You are back.”
“I am. I have come all the way from Calcutta with but one mission. Do you guess what it is?”
He was teasing me, as he always did. I bit my lip and tilted my head.
“I may have my suspicions.”
“I am in England to tell you that I have, at last, found a suitable Chinese cabinet, and I assure you, it is every bit as exquisite as Mrs Admiral Maxwell’s, if not more.”
“You have managed to achieve what you set yourself to do.”
“Did you ever doubt I would?”
I looked into his warm eyes and my whole being trembled.
“Never,” I whispered.
“Susan, what in the world is happening?” asked Lady Bertram.
“Aunt, do you remember Mr Gartner?”
“Mr Gartner! How do you do? What a surprise! I must say, your letters have entertained us on many a dreary winter’s evening. You have a good hand at writing, Mr Gartner.”
“I am a writer, indeed,” said he with a grin, and I almost laughed out loud at his pun, for that was his role as employee of the East India Company.
“So, Mr Gartner, tell us: what is the purpose of your visit?”
“First of all, I wanted to see for myself if you had been enjoying my anecdotes. May I declare myself perfectly satisfied on that account?”
“You may,” said Lady Bertram with a smile.
“And secondly, I have come to request the hand of Miss Price in marriage.”
“Susan’s? Susan’s hand in marriage?” The surprise on Lady Bertram’s voice was palpable.
“I should add that I will only speak to Sir Thomas on that matter if my proposition is as perfectly agreeable to Miss Price as it was when we last spoke,” added Jamie, looking into my eyes.
“Of course it is,” I whispered.
Lady Bertram, after some instants of confusion, managed to recollect herself.
“But I cannot possibly spare you, Susan.”
I had anticipated her objections, and so looked at her sweetly as I took her hand.
“I realise how little you enjoy change, dear Aunt, and I am sorry to cause you any kind of trouble, for I do not wish to appear ungrateful, and you have been like a mother to me for the best part of eight years. But please do not worry. You will not be in want of company or occupation. You will soon have the joy of another two grandchildren, and I would not be surprised if Mr and Mrs Yates begin to spend more time in the countryside once they have a family of their own. Then there are Tom’s upcoming nuptials. Miss Bingley will need your help dearly, for her parents, although very rich, lack the experience of society to turn it into the event we all envision for my cousin.”
“That is true,” said Lady Bertram with hesitation. “But still, I do not know how I will manage without you.”
“I believe that you will have a permanent companion sooner than you think,” I smiled. “As Sir Thomas was good enough to let us know, my cousin Maria is soon to be married and settled in her new home with her husband. I am sure it would make my Aunt Norris the happiest of women to be invited to return to Mansfield Park and regain her position as your most trusted friend.”
“Yes, I had not thought of that. How admirable of Maria to find a husband in spite of everything, but she is very pretty. I always thought her the most handsome of my daughters.”
“Are you in a position to give us your blessing, then?” I asked gently.
“Oh. I must ask Sir Thomas what he thinks. If he has no objections, neither do I.”
“In that case, I must speak to Sir Thomas this instant,” asked Jamie. “Where can I find him?”
I told him where my uncle’s study was and he parted, leaving me with my arm around Lady Bertram’s and a heart full of promise.
The rest of the day was perfect in every way. Sir Thomas smiled as he returned to the lawn with Jamie and gave us his sincerest wishes of marital happiness, and his satisfaction appeared to calm Lady Bertram’s nerves somewhat. With his approval secured, it was time to tell the rest of those present, and soon Julia, Mr Yates, Tom and Miss Bingley were expressing their equal delight in our upcoming nuptials. While Mr Yates shook Jamie’s hand enthusiastically, Tom slapped Jamie’s shoulder repeatedly while assuring him, to my mortification, that he was a very lucky man. Meanwhile, Julia smiled at me; her pregnancy had certainly mellowed her, and our relationship had never been better.
The parsonage was next, and we were soon with Fanny, Edmund and little William to give them the happy news. Fanny did not remember Jamie from her Portsmouth days, for he had only been around six at the time she left for Mansfield Park, but she recognised him as the author of the letters that had so amused us over the last three winters, and expressed her delight
at finally meeting him. My cousin Edmund, however, looked as if he had been taken by surprise, and it took him a while to warm to the idea, which he only did when enough assurances had been provided as to the good character and comfortable circumstances of the person whose marriage proposal I had just accepted. Ever the pragmatic man, Edmund immediately asked when we intended to get married.
“If Mr Gartner is visiting from the East Indies, I imagine he will stay in England for just a few weeks, a month at most.”
“Mr Bertram is right. I must be in Portsmouth by the twentieth of this month.”
“You have but a fortnight to celebrate the nuptials, in that case.”
“And to prepare everything you are likely to need in Calcutta,” added Fanny, in a worried voice. “But do not despair, Susan. There is bound to be enough gauze and calico in the big house for the basics, and we can enlist Lady Bertram and Miss Bingley’s help if need be.”
I thought it was endearing that she should concern herself about such things, but that was Fanny, and not for the first time, I was struck by the perfect compatibility between her and her husband.
Jamie and I wanted it to be a quiet affair, as quickly resolved as possible, and Edmund offered to perform the ceremony on the following Saturday. We heartily agreed, and I cannot express my joy that evening when I went to bed knowing that I would be Mrs Gartner in just a few days. Sir Thomas sent an immediate dispatch to Portsmouth to let my father and mother know that I should be married the following week, but they showed little interest in attending, particularly as we were due to set sail from Portsmouth and we could see my family then. I had no reason to believe that the visit might entail anything other than than the teary congratulations from my poor mother, the perfect indifference from my father and the wonder that always comes from seeing children after a long while, and I was perfectly satisfied with the plan.
The few days remaining were taken up by the practicalities of organising the wedding, as well as our upcoming departure. I spent more hours than I care to count cutting cloth into sheets and sewing them in the company of the rest of the ladies, who were cheerful throughout and eager to help. To my delight, Murphy, whom I had grown fond of, expressed her wish to accompany us to Calcutta, and Lady Bertram readily endorsed the suggestion.
My uncle also consulted me about the kind of object he might give Jamie as a token of his appreciation. Sir Thomas thought that my intended might like a chess board, for they had played on a number of occasions in the few days he had stayed at the house as his guest. Perhaps I could help him select one from his collection. I did not hesitate, and picked the travelling set that I had so long admired, sure in my conviction that Jamie would find it as wonderful as I ever did. If my uncle was surprised at my choice I will never know, for he only smiled and nodded.
The rest of the story, the reader might imagine. Our wedding was perfect, the only mild reproach being from Tom, who thought it a shame that I would not be present at his own wedding to Miss Bingley in the new year. Our trip to the East Indies, although long, was much easier than I had anticipated, and Calcutta proved as inspirational as I had hoped. The flora was a revelation, a far cry from the drawings and pictures I had seen in my uncle’s books, and I set about showing their outstanding beauty on paper, using my watercolours and all the tricks that Herr Schäffer had taught me. It took a few months, but at last I was satisfied enough with my efforts to ship two of my pictures to the owner of the Pultney Bridge print shop in Bath. His response was as enthusiastic as I had hoped. The prints of my drawings were well received amongst his customers interested in botanical subjects.
Our life in India proved infinitely more pleasant and comfortable than Lady Bertram had predicted. We settled in a comfortable house made from brick with a gabled roof, a wide verandah overlooking the garden and a very spacious and airy front room. In one of my first letters to Mansfield Park I made sure to mention that we had half a dozen servants, for I knew my aunt would much admire the figure for such a small household, although in those lands that was the norm. Murphy turned out to be a much better housekeeper than lady’s maid, and she was soon as much at home in the East Indies as she ever was in England.
Jamie, for that is what I call him again, after all these years, is doing as well as Mr Allen predicted, and is rising through the ranks of The Company. He has also proven to be the best husband one might wish, and I still catch my breath when we are in company and I notice him looking at me. He always winks in my direction, as he did as a gangly young man in Portsmouth, and I blush, like the silly girl I once was, only now we have a house of our own with an exquisite Chinese cabinet in the front room.
I do not think there is a happier woman on earth.
THE END
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my friends and family for their support and unwavering patience during the time I was deep into creation mode. I am also very grateful to my beta readers, whose insights proved even more valuable than I had hoped: Rose D., Tim C., Carol D., and A.I. Their views and suggestions were priceless, and I thank them for their time and generosity.
I first heard of Maria Merian about five years ago and was immediately fascinated by her. An exhibition at the Queen’s Gallery in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, further convinced me that I had to include her in my next novel. Stories like hers and of other brave women who pushed back against the limits of society are endlessly inspiring, and we owe much to them.
About the Author
Eliza Shearer is a long-time admirer of Jane Austen's work and emerging writer of Regency romance and austenite variations. Find her on her blog or at Austen Authors. Miss Price’s Decision is the second Austeniana book after Miss Darcy’s Beaux.
If you enjoyed this book, please rate it on Goodreads, Amazon or the platform of your choice. It will make it easier for others to find it.
Miss Price's Decision Page 19
