Mr. Darcy's Daughter

by Rebecca Ann Collins

  Every so often, the umpire's signal meant that someone was"out" and there would be cheers or groans from all around the ground. One never knew whether the groans would be louder than the cheers, or whether some anonymous voice would call out encouragement or abuse as the wicket fell or the runs were taken.

  As the day wore on, these voices became increasingly vociferous.

  When the"innings" came to an end, with the last of the home-team batsmen given out on a catch behind the wicket, the girls cheered loyally as Darcy Gardiner, who had carried his bat through the entire innings, walked off the field undefeated, to tremendous applause.

  Mr Carr noticed that Darcy's mother was cheering even louder than the others as he came in and disappeared into the tent that served as a dressing room for the players.

  "Time for lunch," Laura Ann announced, packing up the score sheets and other impedimenta on the table. It was explained to Mr Carr that lunch was always taken between the innings, when the first team batting was"out," which in fact meant they were in and not out on the field at all, because they had lost all their wickets.

  "Unless of course, they have declared," said Lizzie.

  "Declared? Declared what?" he asked.

  His question brought gales of giggles and it was left to young Tim to explain that occasionally a team, which had made a large number of runs, would declare their innings closed before every wicket had fallen. Despite the fact that his head was spinning with all the esoteric information he had tried to remember through the morning, Michael Carr could not deny that he was enjoying himself.

  * * *

  At lunchtime, Dr and Mrs Gardiner came to take him across to the very elegant tent on the other side of the ground, which housed the parties from Pemberley and Camden Hall.

  "You must meet my parents," said Cassandra, and as they entered the tent, Richard made the introductions to the very tall and distinguished Mr Darcy, his lovely, amiable wife Elizabeth, and their guest, Sir Thomas Camden.

  Mr Carr could see immediately to whom Cassandra Gardiner owed her looks. Striking, though not conventionally pretty, she was quite the most charming woman he had met in many years. Both her parents still retained their handsome features, softened by the years, no doubt, but remarkable nonetheless.

  Michael Carr had expected to be treated with some reserve and courtesy by the Darcys, but he was overwhelmed by their genial hospitality, as they congratulated him both on his scoring of the match and his purchase of Rushmore Farm, in that order. Quite obviously, his success at one counted almost as much as his accomplishment of the other. Mr Carr could not help but be amused as he explained that the young Misses Gardiner had done most of the hard work. He did not have to say anything more; people just nodded and shook his hand, saying,"Well done, excellent! Can't do a thing without a good scorer…"

  Elizabeth Darcy caught him smiling after Sir Thomas had congratulated him heartily on his scoring, while acknowledging his purchase of the Rushmore property with a mere nod and a gruff,"Very glad to hear it."

  "Mr Carr, are not your American friends as keen on their sport as we in England are?" she asked, with a barely concealed jest in her voice. He realised she was teasing and said,"Indeed, Mrs Darcy, they are, but never to the extent of enthusiasm I have seen here today at a little village cricket match!"

  Elizabeth had to assure him that she had taken quite a long time to become accustomed to it herself.

  "My brother-in-law, Mr Bingley, still coaches his team at Ashford Park; unhappily he is not able to join us, having suffered an injury to his knee at their last outing! I am grateful Mr Darcy is only the patron of our team—if he were as involved, we would hardly see him at home," she said, with a light laugh, as their grandson, Darcy Gardiner, arrived to the applause of his admirers. He was quite clearly the hero of the day. Sir Thomas and Mr Darcy were both lavish in their praise of his excellent innings and urged him on to win when the opposing team went in to bat.

  Darcy promised he would do his best."I can hardly wait, sir; I think we have their measure," he said, pretending to bowl an orange he had picked up from the table, before rushing away to join his team, their advice ringing in his ears.

  Mr Carr commented on Darcy's popularity and Elizabeth asked,"Have you known my grandson long, Mr Carr?"

  "Long enough to recognise him for one of the finest young men of my acquaintance, Mrs Darcy," he replied, adding,"We met in London at the home of a mutual friend some eighteen months ago. I was only briefly in England on business, but we got on so well together, I sought him out when I returned last year and we have been good friends ever since. He is an exceptionally intelligent young man, and charming with it; since I have been in Derbyshire meeting his family, I can see where he gets it."

  Elizabeth looked quickly across at him and it was not just the way he said"Der-by-shire"; she hoped he was not flattering her with good reports of her family. Seeing his expression and judging from the sincerity of his voice, she decided he was not.

  It was almost time for the teams to go out on the field again, when a loud clap of thunder exploded across the grounds and Elizabeth, startled, covered her ears with her hands. Several people went outside to take a look at the sky, which was a brilliant blue with hardly a cloud in sight.

  Laura Ann came to get Mr Carr."Do hurry; we have to start keeping scores again," she urged. Yet, even as the players took the field and the batsmen took their places, there was a further rumble in the distance. This time the entire crowd groaned as one, seeing, far away over the peaks, a Summer storm brewing.

  With the wind from the West, it was only a matter of time before the storm would be upon them. A few more overs were bowled, a wicket or two fell, and then the scudding clouds were over the ground; minutes later the rain came, falling, as it often did in Summer, not gently but in sheets.

  The spectators all ran for cover, but Lizzie and Laura insisted that the score sheets be collected and protected from the rain first.

  "You cannot lose the score sheets; it's important for the records," said Laura, and Lizzie agreed, making sure everything was packed up before they ran indoors.

  Mr Carr was wet and not a little put out. He had to hide his relief, while everyone around him was expressing their disappointment, especially young Darcy, who was confident they could have had the visitors out before tea.

  The rain persisted for over an hour and, even when it ceased, the light was too poor to allow a resumption of play. What was worse, there were still heavy clouds above the hills, threatening to fall down upon them at any moment. With no hope of continuing, the match, sadly, was declared to be a draw and the crowds, disconsolate and damp, began to wend their way home. They'd had a good day, but were disappointed not to see a result.

  It was as they were packing up that Mrs Darcy sent word to her daughter, inviting everyone in their party back to Pemberley for tea. Cassy was delighted. She knew immediately that her mother had a plan in mind. Within minutes, she had spread the word, and soon they were packing themselves into their carriages for the short journey to Pemberley.

  Mr Carr was at first not sure he should go. He was wet and weary of cricket talk. Besides, he had not been invited specifically, he said to Mrs Gardiner, and he needed to change his coat, which was quite damp.

  "Oh, what nonsense is this, Mr Carr? Of course you are invited. You are with our party, are you not? What is more, you have been working so hard to keep scores, we cannot let you go home alone and sit by yourself in front of the fire. Of course you must come to Pemberley. As for your coat, I agree it is damp and we must have you out of it or you may catch cold, but it is quicker to drive to Pemberley than to return to Matlock. Come now, Richard will take you and you can have one of my father's coats until yours is dry."

  She was so persuasive and would not take no for an answer, it seemed churlish to refuse. When little Laura Ann added her weight ("Do you not want to see Pemberley, Mr Carr?" she asked."It is beautiful."), he could no longer argue and went without further ado to jo
in his host who was waiting to convey him in his vehicle.

  * * *

  Mr Carr's first glimpse of Pemberley was overwhelming. The rain had passed and the afternoon sun was falling upon the stonework and glass as they drove into the park. Richard Gardiner, who was by now so familiar with the place, he knew every part of it, fell silent, allowing his guest to take in the particular beauty of the house and surrounding grounds.

  As they crossed the stone bridge and drove towards the house, Mr Carr said in a voice that betrayed his astonishment,"This is superb—a most magnificent estate, Dr Gardiner."

  When they alighted, entered the hall, and were then shown into the splendid saloon, which looked out over the park, he continued,"I have seen many richer and more opulent mansions in America, and older, more historic houses in France, but this surpasses them all.

  "It is grand without presumption, noble in its proportions, yet not in the least ostentatious. Mr and Mrs Darcy are truly blessed to have such a home."

  Richard could not but agree and, while the servants were busy fetching a coat for Mr Carr to wear until his own was dried and pressed, he prescribed some hot sweet tea and whisky to ward off a cold. When Mr and Mrs Darcy and the rest of the family arrived, both men were enjoying the comfort of an excellent blaze.

  "I can see they have been looking after you, Mr Carr," said Elizabeth as the gentlemen rose."No, do sit down and enjoy your tea while I change my shoes. I cannot afford to catch cold; it would ruin the Summer for me."

  The gentlemen were left on their own until the younger members of the family arrived and then it was all cricket talk, as the misfortune of the rain-drenched match was discussed again. Mr Carr was beginning to wonder if they talked of anything else, when Mrs Darcy returned and, taking pity on him, said,"Mr Carr, I am sure you have heard quite enough of the cricket for one day, probably for the whole Summer; would you like to come with me and see something of the house?"

  He leapt up to join her."Oh, indeed I would, Mrs Darcy; I have heard much about Pemberley from young Darcy, but nothing prepared me for this. I have been truly astonished by its elegance and beauty. I would love to see more."

  Once again, Elizabeth, wary of flattery, looked sharply across at her companion and, again, she was sure there was only sincerity, despite the extravagance of his words.

  Perhaps, she decided, Americans were more lavish with praise. She had heard they were, but not having known any of them before, she could not judge. Mr Carr was probably just being enthusiastic, she thought.

  As they went upstairs, Elizabeth saw Cassandra cross the hall and called to her to join them. Understanding her mother's meaning, Cassy followed them up the stairs. Approaching the gallery, Elizabeth took them past the portraits of Darcys of generations long gone, until they approached that part of the room where the recent family portraits were hung. There, on the wall, beside the portrait of Mrs Fitzwilliam and the smaller picture of the young man in a green coat, was a singularly lovely cameo-style portrait of Lizzie Gardiner. It had been started last year, when Lizzie had stayed with her grandparents while her parents travelled overseas, and had only recently been framed and hung. It had a delicacy that was very appealing indeed.

  Cassy, seeing the finished work for the first time, was amazed at her mother's clever scheme of drawing attention to all three pictures grouped together on the wall. She said nothing, waiting for some response from Mr Carr, but for once he seemed to have been struck dumb, not, as it happened, by the charming portrait of Lizzie, but by the picture of the young man in a green coat, which hung beside it.

  Looking at the picture, with Mr Carr standing in front of it, the resemblance was quite uncanny. Cassy had no doubt of the connection between the two men.

  When he did speak, having recovered his voice, Mr Carr immediately acknowledged that the portrait of young Miss Gardiner was beautiful and did the young lady justice, but soon afterwards, he had turned to Elizabeth with the question she had been expecting."Mrs Darcy, may I ask if you know who the young man in this picture might be?"

  As Cassandra stepped back and held her breath, her mother said, in a voice so casual as to be astonishing,"I know very little of these family portraits, Mr Carr; you will understand that many of them were acquired before I came to Pemberley. Both these portraits were brought to Pemberley from Ireland by Mr Darcy's parents. It is thought the lad used to work on the Fitzwilliams' estate and I have heard Mr Darcy say he was one Robert Carr."

  The words were hardly out of her mouth, when he, almost bursting with impatience, cried,"Robert Carr!Why Mrs Darcy, then this young man must be my grandfather! Is anything more known about him? When was this portrait painted?" he asked, eager for more information.

  Even as Cassy watched, her mother explained with great sensitivity the connection between the portrait of young Robert Carr the stable boy and that of Mrs Moira Fitzwilliam."This was all very long ago, of course, when Mr Darcy was a boy, but Mrs Reynolds knew it all and related some of it to Mr Darcy," she explained and so, very gradually, was the mystery of the boy in a green coat revealed to Mr Carr.

  He was truly astounded by his fortuitous—as he thought—discovery. Understandably, for he had heard one side of the story from his own parents, but there had been no suggestion whatsoever of a link with the distinguished Darcy family of Derbyshire.

  "I have always wanted to discover the story of my grandfather's flight from Ireland," he confessed."I knew only that he had married a young woman from the village of Rowsley in Derbyshire, while he was working as a groom for a family in Derby and she was the children's governess. I believed I would have to travel to Ireland to uncover the rest. I cannot tell you how delighted I am, Mrs Darcy, and how very grateful to you for having given me this opportunity. I must thank you very much indeed."

  Now it was Elizabeth who was beginning to feel uneasy, for all his gratitude was based upon a belief that she had not contrived this entire episode. Cassy was watching her mother with some anxiety, wondering what she would do, when Mr Carr had a very particular request:"Mrs Darcy, I wonder if may have your permission to have a copy made for my father? It would give him and my mother so much pleasure to see it. Unfortunately, there is not a single likeness of my grandfather in the family, save for a small pencil sketch done by an itinerant artist. A copy of this painting would be a wonderful gift. Would you permit it?" he asked, and Cassy could see how keen he was for her answer.

  Elizabeth said she would need to ask her husband, but she was confident he would have no objection. Mr Carr was overjoyed.

  As they went downstairs together, those gathered in the saloon, oblivious of what had happened in the gallery, were enjoying the excellent afternoon tea that Mrs Grantham had provided. They greeted Mr Carr and proceeded to congratulate him all over again on his fine performance as a scorer or his acquisition of Rushmore Farm or both. It was plain he had made his mark in the community on both counts.

  Cassy went directly to tell her husband of Mr Carr's response to the portrait of the young man in the green coat, while Elizabeth took Mr Darcy aside to pass on Mr Carr's request. As she did so, she revealed to him the rest of Michael Carr's story. Mr Darcy smiled."So it is as I said: he is the grandson of Robert Carr the stable boy," he said.

  "Indeed, so it seems, and he is exceedingly pleased to have discovered the portrait here, for it seems the family has no likeness of his grandfather at all, save for a pencil sketch. You would not mind if he had it copied, would you dearest?" Elizabeth asked, confident of his reply.

  Mr Darcy had no objection at all."Of course not," he replied."It is a pretty piece of work, but not one of any great value—he can have as many copies made as he likes."

  Pleased, Elizabeth told their guest of her husband's consent and earned his undying gratitude."I cannot thank you enough, Mrs Darcy. I shall proceed to Derby at the earliest opportunity and engage a suitable artist for the work," he said.

  Mr Carr was plainly delighted and could scarcely wait to get back to Matlock with the
Gardiners, before revealing his"discovery" to the entire family. He had no suspicions at all of the elaborate scheme that had been hatched to bring him and his ancestor's portrait together.

  * * *

  Much later, when all their visitors had left and they were alone in their private sitting room, Elizabeth asked her husband a question she had been turning over in her mind all evening."Do you not mind, my dear, that Mr Carr has decided to purchase the Rushmore property?"

  Darcy, who had been contemplating the fire and a particularly enjoyable afternoon, seemed surprised by her question.

  "Mind? Why should I mind, Lizzie?" he replied."I have never had any interest in the place, though I confess, I was concerned that it may go to some crass developer from Birmingham. I have made it plain to Will Camden that I would rather not have one of them as a neighbour."

  "You do not mind, then, that Mr Carr, who is the grandson of your Uncle Fitzwilliam's stable boy, will buy a valuable property in the neighbourhood?" she asked, seeming to press him further. Mr Darcy appeared affronted and hurt by this suggestion.

  "Lizzie, how could you ask such a question? Surely, you cannot be serious? Mr Carr appears to be a young man of substance and good sense. Why would his grandfather's occupation have any bearing on his suitability to own and manage Rushmore? Indeed, might one not argue that an interest in horses appears to run in the family and that may well be a good thing, if he is to make a success of the stud?"

  He was clearly outraged, as he went on.

  "Besides, I believe my uncle treated young Robert Carr very badly. As Mrs Reynolds told it, the lad was totally innocent and yet, because my uncle was a jealous old man with a pretty young wife, he dismissed the boy and his father at a time when work was hard to get, condemning the family to a life of privation and possible penury. I am glad to learn that he came through it well and the family has made good in America. Now, if his grandson has returned to live in England and wishes to purchase Will Camden's farm, for what I am informed by Sir Thomas is a very fair price, why should I mind?"