A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by J Dawn King

  Before she could continue her tirade, her younger brother pulled his arm away from hers and stepped back, stepping closer to the fireplace in his study. He briefly looked to his brother-in-law, Thomas Bennet, who was seated with a stack of books at his elbow, to see that he was ignoring his wife, as usual. Mr. Bennet was so absorbed in thinking of all he needed to do at the attorney’s office that he failed to respond at all to his wife’s demands. “Sister, you are spending money that you do not yet have. You need to control yourself, Fanny.” His voice was stern. Edward Gardiner had long wished that his brother-in-law would take his wife under control and curtail her silliness. She was an embarrassment to the family and likely would repel more suitors than she would attract them. His niece, Jane, was beautiful, with a passive, serene manner. All four of the Gardiners preferred the liveliness of their niece and cousin, Elizabeth. How could his children not love a cousin who thought up and told wonderful stories of make-believe adventures that could grasp a child’s imagination and set it alight? With their cousin, Jane, the children were not stimulated to step outside themselves and learn the wonders that the world had to offer them, as Jane, herself, would never do such.

  “Fanny,” Her brother continued. “I need to return to my offices. While I am gone, you need to calm yourself. My household is a place of peace and refuge, not a place for upset and nerves.” He looked at his sister closely and realized that she was not listening to a word he spoke. Too polite to interrupt, she waited until he took a breath.

  “Mr. Bennet. Mr. Bennet. You need to call the carriage. Jane and I have much shopping to do and you need to find Lizzy to get those shares.” When she realized that her husband had not been listening to her in the same manner that she had ignored her brother, it caused no guilt or shame. She would have her way.

  Mr. Harrison, the butler, stood at the entry to the room with a folded, sealed missive in his hands. “Excuse me, Mr. Gardiner. A messenger has just arrived and is waiting for a reply.” The servants of the household had heard Mrs. Bennet’s shrill demands, both in person and as they moved throughout the home. It was grating to the ears and the maid assigned to care for the woman had already retired to the kitchen for a restorative cup of tea. The staff at the Gardiner’s was always respectful and not prone to gossip, but when the staff at Longbourn was mentioned, it was with deep appreciation for what they must put up with daily.

  “Excuse me, please, Bennet, Fanny.” Mr. Gardiner hurried to accept the letter. As he suspected, it was from Haggerston. “I will take this upstairs to Madeline. She is currently tending the children and this business relates to her as well as me.” He bowed and rapidly left the room.

  Fanny Bennet was not an intellectual woman. However, from almost five and twenty years of marriage to Mr. Bennet, she knew much about scheming and manipulation, ever diligent about striving to get her way. “Mr. Bennet,” She had never in all of those married years called him by his Christian name. It was unthinkable for her to presume such in a relationship such as theirs. “I believe that message is from Lizzy. It would not surprise me if my brother decides to keep those shares for himself and his family.” When her husband failed to give any response, in desperation, she reached over and pulled the tome right out of his hands. “Mr. Bennet!” He looked up at her then, as if seeing her for the first time.

  “Mrs. Bennet,” he demanded. “Why ever would you so rudely remove my book from me? What has you in such a flutter?”

  “Oh, if only you lived in the real world and did not always have your nose buried in some silly book.” She paced in front of him. “My brother just received a message from Lizzy. I know he is going after those shares. You need to follow him, now!”

  Mr. Bennet’s ire was instantly raised. Without acknowledging his wife’s presence or comments, he left to have his carriage readied and gathered his coat and hat. Not a moment later, when his brother-in-law, Mr. Gardiner came downstairs requesting the same, Mr. Bennet followed him out the door as if he had an errand of his own. He waited until Mr. Gardiner’s carriage left Gracechurch Street and then followed with his own.

  Mr. Gardiner was aware of his brother-in-law’s presence behind him so first had his driver take him to his warehouse. After climbing out of the carriage, he dismissed the driver and sauntered inside, even pausing so that Bennet could catch up to him. Walking through the front door, he hurried through the building and exited through a different door, hailing a hackney cab and heading to Mr. Haggerston’s office. He looked back as they turned the corner and saw his brother-in-law still waiting at the sidewalk in front of his office. He would have a long wait, indeed. Only Edward and his wife, Madeline, knew that the message was not from Lizzy, but about Lizzy.

  Mr. Haggerston’s Office, Broad Street, London

  “Come in, come in,” Mr. Haggerston welcomed Mr. Edward Gardiner into the meeting room. When he entered, he saw his niece sitting alongside Mr. Darcy. They both rose and Elizabeth hurried around the table to her uncle, hugging him tightly. “Uncle Gardiner, how pleased we are to see you. Are Aunt and the children well?”

  After greetings were dispensed with, they all sat and got down to the business at hand. Mr. Haggerston spoke first. “Mr. Gardiner, were you able to bring the letter with you from Mr. Bennet’s hand, dated the 11th day of November in the year 1806?”

  Elizabeth’s uncle placed the letter on the table. Finding it extremely offensive and hurtful, Elizabeth kept her gaze on her uncle, not even looking at the letter. Mr. Darcy pulled it to him, opened it, and read. It was just as Elizabeth had stated while at Netherfield Park. Mr. Bennet had clearly disowned and cast off his second daughter.

  Mr. Gardiner addressed Mr. Haggerston. “This letter, though not signed by a witness, can clearly be identified as the handwriting of Mr. Thomas Bennet. I have other correspondence of his that can easily verify this as his hand. He has had no contact with my niece for five years and only contacted her just under three weeks ago with a demand that she return to Longbourn, his estate, to marry his heir, Mr. William Collins. It was because of this demand that I approached you about the issue of legal guardianship, as Elizabeth is not yet one and twenty.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Gardiner.” Mr. Haggerston now focused his attention on Elizabeth. “Miss Bennet, I was able to speak with the Honorable Judge Pierce about this matter. He has had many years of handing down decisions concerning guardianship. It was his expert opinion that Mr. Bennet conceded any rights to you, not only by his letter, but by his actions over the prior five years. For all intents and purposes, Mr. Edward Gardiner is your legal guardian. Therefore, in the matter of your intentions to marry Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, you will need the consent and blessing of that man prior to any official engagement being entered into or marriage taking place.”

  To say that Mr. Gardiner was pleased would have been grossly understated. He was delighted as he watched Mr. Darcy take his niece’s hand in his. The look that they gave each other showed tender affection. It was Mr. Gardiner’s greatest desire to see his Lizzy settled in a marriage of love and respect and it appeared that his desire would be met.

  “Elizabeth,” Mr. Gardiner felt that the matter of his niece’s betrothal was of serious concern, so endeavored to make his voice sound as serious as possible. “Are you to marry Mr. Darcy?”

  Before she could answer, Darcy responded. “Mr. Gardiner, I have asked her to be my wife and she has accepted. Now, I ask your permission to allow me to have your niece’s hand in matrimony.” He held his breath until Elizabeth’s uncle answered in the affirmative. Exhaling, he squeezed Elizabeth’s hand again. Now that the betrothal was official, he could call her Elizabeth when in company. He was even more delighted than her uncle appeared to be.

  Mr. Haggerston cleared his throat again to gain everyone’s attention. “Now that that is taken care of, there are a few more matters that we need to see to. The first is when and where this marriage should take place.” He looked to the others. “It is my opinion, and it coincides with Mr. Darcy’s, t
hat the marriage take place early on the morrow. My reason for hurrying this blessed occasion is that Mr. Bennet will, apparently, not approve. In fact, he will try to stop this wedding from taking place. This holds true for Mr. Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as well. The sooner that they are united and can have Miss Bennet’s assets transferred to Mr. Darcy, the better. Until then, she and her property are endangered. For that reason, I also do not believe that it would be wise for Miss Bennet to return to her home at your residence, Mr. Gardiner. What say you to this?”

  “I concur, Mr. Haggerston.” Mr. Gardiner was deeply concerned for his niece. “At what time will the license be available in the morning for them to wed?”

  “I will have the license in hand no later than nine o’clock in the morning. My clerk has already gone to the Archbishop’s office to procure the required paperwork.” To Mr. Darcy he inquired, “Is it possible to have a small wedding at your home in Grosvenor Square at half past nine in the morning?”

  “Certainly,” Mr. Darcy replied. He gazed lovingly at Elizabeth. “If it would meet with Mr. Gardiner’s approval, Elizabeth could stay this night at Darcy House with my sister, Georgiana, and me. She would be adequately chaperoned and it would save her from having to relocate to the same house after the wedding.”

  Both the lawyer and Elizabeth’s uncle smiled at the gentleman before them. Young love! It had been many years for both of them, but they remembered as if it were yesterday the interminable length of their own engagements and how anxious they were to bring their brides home.

  “That is settled then.” Mr. Gardiner tapped the table with his agreement. “That also takes care of the issue of Elizabeth’s parents. My sister, Fanny Bennet, is not an early riser and neither is my other niece, Jane. Thomas Bennet and my brother-in-law, Philips, have the habit of rising early but tend to withdraw from company immediately after breaking their fast with the morning news, a good book, and a cup of tea. My wife and I should have no difficulty sneaking out of our home to attend the wedding. It would be my pleasure to escort my niece down the aisle, even if there is no actual aisle.”

  All of them found the humor in his comment. Mr. Haggerston brought up one more point. “Mr. Darcy, Miss Elizabeth, I am aware that it is the practice to have a wedding presided over by a clergyman. However, with the potential for relatives on both sides of this union trying to either stop the wedding from taking place or having it annulled once they hear of it, I would ask two things. The first is to have my friend, the Honorable Judge Pierce, conduct the wedding ceremony. He was ordained by the church just out of University and continues to hold that position even though he later studied law. That way, if the event is called into question, it would be much harder for anyone to challenge. The other is that the wedding takes place in secret. Invite only those that could keep the knowledge of it taking place secure for at least one full day, until all assets can be transferred to Mr. Darcy, and, please forgive my blunt speech, Miss Elizabeth, until the marriage can be consummated. In that way, there would be absolutely no basis for an annulment.”

  Both Darcy and Elizabeth blushed at Mr. Haggerston’s comment, but both could see the wisdom in doing as he directed. The meeting concluded soon after, with Mr. Haggerston indicating that he would arrive with the Judge and the wedding documents before the appointed time in the morning. Mr. Gardiner left for Gracechurch Street to secretly inform his wife of what would take place and Mr. Darcy was able to take his Elizabeth home.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Darcy House, Grosvenor Square, London

  Elizabeth could not help but be impressed with her first glimpse of Darcy House. It was the finest residence she had been invited into. The staff had been prepared for the possibility of her arrival, the arrival of a friend of his sister, when Mr. Darcy had stopped by to clean up from the horseback ride from Hertfordshire. Darcy had not known that it would be this soon, but he was happy that Elizabeth was here. His long-time staff was pleased to see their master so relaxed around the young lady. Georgiana had arrived earlier with the Matlocks and was resting after the journey.

  Elizabeth had gone straight to the attorney’s office once she had arrived in London, so had had no opportunity as yet to change out of her traveling clothes. It was good that neither she nor Mr. Darcy cared whether her gown for her wedding was the height of fashion, as her valise contained the same simple gowns she had worn at Netherfield Park. The maid that Mr. Darcy’s housekeeper assigned to care for Elizabeth would have a difficult time cleaning and pressing them for such an early wedding, but it was of little concern to Elizabeth. Her priority was to become Mrs. Darcy. She lay back on the bed in her chamber and listened as the maid directed the footmen to deliver the water to the dressing room for a bath. By tomorrow, she would be Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. How wonderful that sounded. She had been a Bennet for the majority of her life and, until the events that resulted from the smallpox epidemic; she had loved each and every one of her family members. From the time she was young, she enjoyed wandering the land surrounding Longbourn, observing the changing seasons and its effect on nature. She loved reading and learning. Elizabeth knew that she only had one life to live on this earth, so she had determined during her youth to be content and find joy in whatever her circumstances would become. Even though she had longed to visit exotic locales and experience life outside their small community, Elizabeth never could have imagined the path her life had taken to lead her to this point. Mrs. Darcy. How beautiful that sounded.

  Darcy was ecstatic to have Elizabeth in his home, but even more so knowing that he would not ever have to be without her again. The past several weeks had been trying and in all honesty, the bullet wound was a mere pittance compared to the letter from his father that he had read in Mr. Haggerston’s office earlier that afternoon. Darcy’s heart ached with the memory. That his father went to his death believing that George Wickham was the better man hurt Darcy to his core. He thought of the impact that Wickham had had on his life, especially since his father died, and wondered if George Darcy would have still felt the same about his eldest if he had to be faced with the dissolute behaviors and their fruitage. Darcy would never forget the memory, which was clearly imprinted in his mind, of his own brother pointing a loaded pistol at the head of his sister with the intent to do harm. He understood that Wickham had resentment toward himself. He had displayed his bitter jealousy and hatred repeatedly, to the point that it frustrated Darcy more than angered him. To have Wickham desire to harm his own sister, the daughter of his father, was outrageous. Wickham’s wanton disregard for the sweet innocence of a young girl that longed to be loved and cherished by both her brothers pained Darcy in the extreme. Selfish, selfish Wickham! Blind, blind George Darcy!

  After Elizabeth bathed and rested for a bit, it was time to go downstairs for dinner. As she dressed carefully in what she had available, she looked forward to seeing Georgiana and pondered how the young girl would feel knowing she would be getting a sister, and so soon. When Elizabeth entered the drawing room, they hurried to each other and warmly embraced.

  “Elizabeth!” Georgiana’s excitement was palpable. She almost bounced as she hugged her friend. “William just told me the good news! I could not be happier!” They released each other and clasped hands. Darcy watched the two females that he loved more than all others and a sense of completeness and contentment filled his pained heart. Earlier thoughts of his older brother and his father vanished.

  When his butler, Ramsey, announced that dinner was ready to be served, Darcy extended each arm and had the immense pleasure of escorting the women into the dining room. The room was all that was elegant and lovely. Elizabeth had been impressed with the few rooms she had seen of Darcy’s house. Absent was the ostentatious display so favored by the elite in society. Mr. Darcy had no need to announce his wealth; his bearing and demeanor indicated to observers that he had reason for pride. There was no need for pretentiousness, and Elizabeth was grateful. She had come to the conclusion, during her t
ravels, that grandeur and wealth did not guarantee happiness. A simple life filled with simple pleasures was her desire. She knew, with what she already knew of the Darcy’s lifestyle, that the brother and sister’s definition of simple may not be the same as her own, yet she understood that both Darcy and Georgiana eschewed the preening and finicky posturing of most of the members of the first circles.

  Elizabeth was seated on Mr. Darcy’s right, while Georgiana was across the table on his left. The meal was deliciously prepared and formally served, and the conversation was light and refreshing.

  At Georgiana’s inquiry as to who would be attending the wedding service, her brother responded, “Uncle and Aunt Fitzwilliam and our cousins, Bingley, Elizabeth’s Uncle and Aunt Gardiner, Mr. Haggerston, our attorney, and Judge Pierce, who will be performing the ceremony. It will be a small gathering.”

  “This does not bother you, Elizabeth, to have such a small wedding?”