My Cousin Caroline: The acclaimed Pride and Prejudice sequel series The Pemberley Chronicles Book 6

by Rebecca Ann Collins

  Emily, who as her brother's only confidante had been privy to the burgeoning romance between them over the Summer, had broken the news to her incredulous sister.

  “Caroline, I think he means to write to her father first and ask Rose very soon afterwards,” she said.

  Involved in her family and her father's business—for Mr Gardiner had been so pleased with her organisation of his paperwork, he had begged her to continue—Caroline had had less time with her brother and no indication at all of Robert's intentions.

  As the younger sister in the family, Emily had been closer to Robert, and since Caroline's marriage, when Emily had assumed the responsibilities of an elder sister, he had turned to her often for counsel. His confidence shaken by previous errors of judgment that had deeply disappointed his parents, Robert had sought Emily's advice on the matter of Rose Fitzwilliam before proceeding to approach her father. Having courted her through the Summer, he was ready to propose but was unsure of the response he would get from the lady in question and her father.

  “I have never proposed to a lady before,” he had confessed, adding that Rose was so beautiful, he felt unworthy of her and worried that he may not be considered suitable by Mr Fitzwilliam, who was expected to succeed to his ailing brother's title in the very near future.

  Emily had attempted to reassure her brother that neither Miss Fitzwilliam's beauty nor his own occupation should be a reason for any objection. She had sent him away feeling buoyed by her encouragement and sound advice.

  “He was unduly concerned that the Fitzwilliams would look askance at his long exile in the colonies and the fact that both Robert and Papa made their living entirely through commerce,” she revealed.

  Caroline, who was as yet unable to absorb the shock of the news she had just received, asked, “Emily, do you mean to say Robert, who has never been in love before, having only just this minute returned from the colonies, has within the space of one season, fallen in love with Miss Fitzwilliam and means to marry her before the year is out?”

  Her sister had an amused smile whilst she nodded and replied, “Indeed, it does seem rather sudden, but it is not unlike a certain Colonel, who fell in love with someone I know within a few days of returning from the colonies and arriving in Derbyshire.”

  Caroline was outraged at the comparison,

  “But Emily, he had known our family for many years and corresponded with Papa regularly. All of us and Cousin Lizzie knew him well. Rose Fitzwilliam's parents, on the other hand, know nothing of Robert and as for their disapproval of Papa making his living out of commerce, let them look to their own relations, Fitzy or Mr Darcy, who are his partners.”

  Clearly incensed by the implications of snobbery, she continued, “Fitzy maintains that without the valuable contribution made by men like Papa and others in trade and commerce, England would not have enjoyed the prosperity she has today. I have heard Mr Darcy say it too—'trade is the life blood of modern England,' he said the other day.

  “The Fitzwilliams may have their family estate and no doubt enjoy its many comforts, but it contributes little to the common wealth of our nation, whereas trade feeds and clothes many millions of people.”

  It was clear to Emily that her reformist sister was not going to be easily persuaded that Robert was making the right choice in courting Rose Fitzwilliam.

  She decided to try another, more acceptable, argument, “But think, Caroline, if Robert loves Rose and she accepts him, of which we cannot yet be certain, then he will have every reason to abandon this tedious job with Mathesons in Liverpool and take up Papa's offer of a position in his business. Would that not be a good thing?” she reasoned.

  Caroline set down her work and looked directly at her sister.

  “Has Robert told you he is prepared to do this? Can you be certain?”

  “I cannot be certain, but yes, he has hinted at some such arrangement. I do know he is not averse to working for Papa,” Emily replied.

  “Not averse?” Caroline was affronted by the suggestion. “My dear Emily, poor Papa has been awaiting Robert's return in the hope of persuading him to take up some of his own work and offering him a partnership in the company. He will need to be a good deal more enthusiastic if he is to make a success of it. But, now there is Rose to consider. She is beautiful, accomplished, with very fine tastes and a great liking for things Parisian; how will she like living in Derbyshire with her husband running a trading company?” she challenged her sister who had no answer to this except to say that if Rose really loved Robert, she would not mind living in Derbyshire.

  “It really is a matter for them, Caroline, but for Robert's sake, I confess I am pleased, for I have not seen him so buoyant since we said good-bye after that sad farewell in London, before he sailed for Ceylon those many years ago. He appeared so dejected; if falling in love with Rose means he will be happy and cheerful, I am delighted,” she said and Caroline, realising that her sister was probably committed to support their brother, replied, “Indeed, Emily, and I am determined to be delighted too, for Robert's sake. If that is what he wants, I do hope Rose accepts him and makes him very happy. Do you know what Mama thinks? Does she approve? Has he told her yet?” she asked.

  “I believe he hopes to tell Mama and Papa when he returns from Liverpool at the end of the week. He will write to Rose's father before then,” said Emily.

  Caroline recalled that her mother had remarked that Robert had been spending a great deal of time with the Fitzwilliams, but it had not occurred to her that it was more than a happy social coincidence. She knew Rose was a talented and attractive young woman but, for a variety of reasons, had never considered her a prospective sister-in-law.

  “You could have knocked me down with a feather, Fitzy,” said Caroline as she told her husband the news, whilst urging him to keep it to himself. “Robert has said nothing to my parents yet,” she warned and Fitzwilliam laughed a very knowing laugh.

  He had already heard from Mr Darcy that Rose Fitzwilliam's parents had been making anxious enquiries about Robert Gardiner and quipped that he could not understand why his brother James had not simply asked him.

  “Perhaps he was embarrassed, on account of Robert being my brother,” Caroline suggested. But her husband had other ideas.

  “It would seem, Caroline, that when it comes to matters of matrimony, my brother and sister-in-law value the opinion of Mr Darcy more than they do mine. Well, I shall say nothing, but I am prepared to wager a considerable sum of money that young Robert, if he marries Rose, will be ruled by his wife and his father-in-law. They are both stronger and more determined than he is.”

  And with that pronouncement, Fitzwilliam appeared to tire of the romance of Robert and Rose and wanted to hear no more about it. Caroline, though a little disconcerted by his prediction and the certainty with which it had been made, decided to oblige him and said no more.

  It was not, however, a prognostication she would easily forget.

  Robert's declaration that he had resigned his position with Mathesons came a week later, and soon afterwards, there followed the announcement of his engagement to Miss Rose Fitzwilliam. If either Caroline or Mr Gardiner had expected him to take up his duties with the company immediately, they were disappointed.

  Rose had planned an Autumn wedding followed by a long wedding journey in Europe, principally to Paris, which was her favourite city. Robert had never visited France, and his wife-to-be had insisted that this was a gap in his cultural education that had to be remedied at the earliest opportunity. Consequently, there was little time before and none at all after the wedding for Robert to be inducted into his role as the manager in charge of the Manchester office of his father's company.

  It fell to Caroline, therefore, to continue with the work she had begun and, it has to be said, carried out to the complete satisfaction of her father. In her task, which was considerable, she was ably assisted by the experience and loyalty of Mr Upton and the almost unbelievable capacity for hard work of Mr Peter Kenne
dy.

  Indeed, by the beginning of the new year, Mr Kennedy had become almost indispensable. Mr Upton and his staff relied upon him, Caroline trusted and respected him, and Mr Gardiner was absolutely delighted with the improvements he had made, which enabled the office to hum along with hardly a problem to speak of.

  Caroline had hoped that following their return to Derbyshire, her brother's wife would involve herself with the charitable work in their communities. There was much to be done and volunteers were welcome.

  The harshness of the new Poor Law, as it was administered by local authorities, the lack of schooling and health care for the children of the poor, and the cruel treatment meted out to those who fell foul of the law, even with the most minor misdemeanour, had created a whole class of people whose welfare depended totally upon private charity.

  There were also the Irish immigrants: whole families fleeing the potato famine, some of whom had settled on the fringes of the moors around the district. In addition to their impoverished state, they suffered the hostility of the villagers, who regarded them as unwelcome interlopers.

  The women of Pemberley and its environs had worked tirelessly throughout periods of prosperity and depression to bring some hope into the lives of these unfortunate people.

  Caroline and Emily had hoped that with Robert and Rose settled at Oakleigh, where Mr and Mrs Gardiner had invited the couple to live after their marriage, they would be available to help them in their work in the community. In this too, they were to be sadly mistaken, for Rose, despite being almost completely free of any household duties, on account of the efficiency of her mother-in-law's large and capable staff, always seemed to have other things to do.

  “I cannot believe she is too busy to attend a meeting of the hospital board or the school council, Mama,” Caroline had complained when Rose, beautifully gowned, had come downstairs and asked to be excused from a meeting before driving off to visit her mother. With Robert away in Manchester, Caroline had hoped for his wife's assistance in a charity fair for the Irish children, but it was not to be.

  “I would love to join you, Caroline,” she had said, in a voice that lacked some sincerity, “but I did promise Mama I would spend the day with her. With Papa away in Derby, she will be quite alone.”

  It was not the first time, and Caroline's impatience had almost got the better of her, but seeing the expression on her mother's face, pleading wordlessly that she should say nothing untoward, Caroline held her peace.

  Not when she met her sister, though, for she was most irritated by the fact that Rose made so little contribution to their work in the community.

  “Emmy, I do believe it is time your dear husband preached another of his excellent sermons on charity and the milk of human kindness. But, let him ensure that our dear brother Robert and our sister-in-law Rose are present in church when he does so. I am heartily tired of waiting for Rose to do her share. Oh I know she is but recently married and they are still getting accustomed to their responsibilities in the community, but I cannot escape this dreadful feeling that neither Rose nor Robert has any sense of duty about the people of this district,” she said, leaving Emily in no doubt of her feelings.

  Emily understood her sister's anger. Caroline worked harder for the poor than anyone Emily knew, while continuing to assist her father with his business affairs. With two young children, a son who was growing up fast and a daughter who was of an age to be wed, she had her hands full, yet never failed to give of her time for the community in which they lived.

  “Don't be too hard on them, Caroline, both Robert and Rose have grown up rather differently to the way we did,” said Emily and even she was surprised by the sharp retort.

  “Oh yes, indeed, in selfishness and the pursuit of personal pleasure, no doubt. I have no recollection that either Rose or her mother ever found the time to help with work in the parish and Robert, well, when was he ever at home?”

  Emily was rather more charitable. “I am quite sure when Robert has settled into his job and Rose realises that, as Robert's wife, she has responsibilities to the people of the village, they will participate. I shall ask her to be on the committee at the library; Isabella helps but then she does a great deal of work at the hospital and doesn't have much time. Lizzie and I could do with some help. I am sure Rose would enjoy it; she is both intelligent and well read.”

  Caroline wished her sister luck. “She is indeed—educated and well read, and she has many interests and diverse talents, including art, music, and the like, but Charity does not appear to rate very highly on her list of priorities,” she said and there was no mistaking her meaning.

  Meanwhile, Robert had taken over the management of the Manchester office while he and his father considered the matter of a possible partnership. His initial response had been rather casual when his father had said, “You do realize, Robert, that it will have to be approved by all the partners, but, if you are keen and show that you are willing to contribute your time and effort to improve the business, I can see no reason why they will not agree.”

  “Oh indeed, Father,” said Robert with barely a trace of anxiety, “I am sure it will all work out very well.”

  And for a while it did seem to be doing just that.

  Robert began by spending some time with Caroline, as she explained the workings of the office and the role of each of its employees.

  Afterwards, he went regularly to Manchester, where he seemed to get along well with both Mr Upton and Mr Kennedy. Mr Upton, who remembered him as a very young man, had welcomed him enthusiastically, hoping he would be like his father: keen and hardworking. He knew little of Robert's earlier problems or his present situation.

  As for Mr Kennedy, in a brief report to Mr Gardiner, which Caroline read to her father, he detailed how he had spent some hours with Mr Robert Gardiner, explaining his own role, the systems he had introduced, and the training he had given the staff.

  He concluded optimistically:

  I cannot be certain of course, sir, but it seemed to me that Mr Robert Gardiner was interested in and pleased with the work I had done. I look forward very much to working with him for the further improvement of the company.

  Both Caroline and her father were pleased indeed.

  Then, quite without warning, some months after he had begun work, Robert complained that he was unhappy with Mr Kennedy's administration of the office and wished to appoint a man who would supervise the staff more closely and report directly to him.

  “I am not convinced that Kennedy is able to maintain discipline, and since I am not at the office daily, I feel I need a man I can rely upon to do so and to keep me informed of the work that is going on. Someone who is not directly connected to the present staff,” he had said, and while Mrs Gardiner thought that was reasonable enough, both Mr Gardiner and Caroline felt it was unnecessary.

  “Discipline?” Caroline was amazed; she had no indication that there was any lack of discipline in the office.

  “Whatever do you mean, Robert?” she asked, but her brother only talked vaguely of punctuality and too much conversation and drinking of tea in the office.

  Mr Gardiner was unimpressed. “It would be an expense we do not need and cannot afford,” he said, adding that Mr Upton was like a father to the younger lads and kept them working well.

  “He may even be offended by the appointment,” he added.

  Caroline intervened to say the obvious, “And it may well cause some ill-feeling among the staff. It might appear that you do not trust them, Robert.”

  But Robert was determined, and soon afterwards, announced the appointment of a man recommended by his father-in-law, James Fitzwilliam, a Mr Caddick.

  “John Caddick has had many years of experience in the textile industry; he is very familiar with the business of exporting cotton goods to the colonies, which is a growing part of our enterprise,” Robert explained.

  “I shall bring him round to meet you, Father, after which he will travel with me to Manchester.”
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  Mr Gardiner seemed content to let him have his way, though he did warn of possible aggravation among the current staff.

  To Caroline, his actions spelt disaster.

  Having tried in vain to dissuade Robert, she begged her father to go with them to Manchester and reassure Mr Upton and Mr Kennedy that Caddick was not some sort of spy sent to observe and report on them.

  “If you do not go, Papa, it will be seen as a vote of no confidence in Mr Upton and his staff—including Mr Kennedy, who has done such excellent work all year. It may well undo all the good we have achieved. “

  Reluctantly, Mr Gardiner agreed and arranged to accompany Robert and Mr Caddick, if only to set Caroline's heart at rest.

  On the day they were to travel to Manchester, Caroline had visited her parents early and was already leaving when Mr Caddick arrived complete with his luggage. She could not stay to take tea but was introduced to him by Robert as she waited in the hall for the carriage to be brought round to the front door.