A Different Kind of Woman (Mansfield Trilogy Book 3)

by Lona Manning

  Fanny, as we have seen, had sent out letters to America, to the Far East, to Portsmouth, London, Bristol and Norfolk, and a harvest of love and good wishes flowed back to her, with congratulations to Mr. Gibson and praise of her. As for her own family, none of her relatives and friends opposed the match or were inclined to decry it in any way. Her mother, her brothers and sisters were of course only too delighted. William and Julia were likewise overjoyed at the news. Susan was perhaps the happiest of them all, for she had always suspected Fanny had refused Mr. Gibson on purpose so that she might marry Jacob Miller.

  Her brother John’s brief note enclosed a longer letter from Prudence, expressing her fond hope that they might soon become acquainted. Madame Duchesne wrote that she was happy but not surprised, and Fanny could thank her properly later when they met in London. Captain Duchesne expressed his infinite joy at the prospect of seeing two such excellent persons united in matrimony.

  Fanny’s uncle Sir Thomas behaved more handsomely than she could have hoped. This came about because he had been carefully reading Mr. Gibson’s account of the tragedy at St. Peter’s field in the newspapers. The old baronet had justice enough to acknowledge that Mr. Gibson expressed his criticisms of the government sensibly and well. Mr. Gibson’s reproaches went no further than the facts would allow. His conclusions were reasonable and candid. He was not a radical like Mr. Hunt, who was crying up the incident as an intentional slaughter, but even the loss of Sam Price did not persuade Mr. Gibson that the authorities intended to murder anyone. He wrote that the tragedy had come about because of folly rather than malice, and was chiefly owing to the irresolution and over-alarm of the magistrates.

  Sir Thomas’s appreciation of Mr. Gibson’s genuine merits overcame all of his prior objections to the match, and he wrote a kind and conciliatory letter to Fanny, which she treasured—and wept over a little.

  Sir Thomas would have been affronted had anyone suggested his revised opinion had anything to do with Mr. Gibson’s fame or wealth. His daughter Maria, however, did not trouble herself with such nice distinctions. Mr. Gibson, the eminent novelist, was to be her relation! What were her cousins in Bedford Square now, compared to Mr. Gibson? A complete set of his novels now adorned her chimney-piece, and her acquaintance heard frequently of “their cousin, Mr. Gibson,” thereafter.

  Fanny delighted in telling Mr. Gibson about the letters of congratulation she received as they went strolling through the streets of Huntingdon on a fine autumn afternoon. “But I shall be married to you long before Richard even receives my letter in Cathay.”

  “For years I had no family at all, and now I have something of a superfluity,” Mr. Gibson answered. “You must allow me some time to become accustomed to so many brothers and sisters and cousins, to say nothing of learning how to make myself agreeable to all of them.”

  “You are very patient with my mother,” said Fanny complacently, taking his arm, “and I fancy you will do as well when you meet my uncle.”

  “You mean you hope I shall resist the urge to tell him when I disagree with him,” said Mr. Gibson. “I think I can do that, if we keep our visit to Everingham brief enough. To have acquired so very high a degree of self-control by the early age of six-and-thirty augurs well for the future development of my character, don’t you think?”

  Fanny nodded. “But do not suppose I am scheming to change you or reform you. I will take you, Mr. Gibson, just as you are.”

  Mr. Gibson covered Fanny’s hand with his own, and said simply, “for which I thank you. I may be a writer, but when it comes to the woman I love, I cannot find the words to express what you mean to me—what you have always meant to me. And how else can I prove my devotion? How do I pay court to a woman who is indifferent to jewellery or finery?”

  “Perhaps I am not entirely indifferent,” said Fanny calmly, “when the means are in proportion.”

  She met his eye, they laughed together, and he exclaimed, “How I have missed being with you, Fanny! I missed you so miserably, and so I tried to blame you. I knew in losing you, I had lost the one woman I could love, and it was my own fault.”

  This of course was not the first time since their reconciliation when Fanny had been assured of his constancy and his remorse, but to lovers in the first raptures of blissful reunion, such pledges of devotion are never unwelcome. Nor did Fanny hesitate to ask again, “you do not suppose I blame you, or resent the past?”

  “You are too good—and I know that,” answered Mr. Gibson warmly. “You have forgiven me for demonstrating, in the most callous and unfeeling way, what little value I once placed upon your opinions, your feelings, your comfort.”

  “Oh no!” Fanny protested. “That is much too harsh. I would say rather, you have forgiven me for being over-timid.”

  “If only I had written to you from prison!” Mr. Gibson added in a tone of deep emotion. “You cannot know how many hours I spent, lamenting my loss.”

  “But at that same time,” Fanny pointed out, “you published your novel and became famous. So I persuaded myself you must have rejoiced to escape your connection with me. When we first met, you were a poet without even a greatcoat to wear in the winter!”

  “Don’t you see, my dearest?” answered Mr. Gibson tenderly. “I know you esteem me for myself—not for my money, not for my fame, such as it is. And—confess it, Fanny, I think you loved me then, just a little.”

  Fanny blushed, naturally. “Indeed I had never met anyone like you.”

  “Nor I. I have never met a woman to compare with you. And at last, here we are.”

  Fanny looked around. “Where?”

  “Do you see we have rounded the shrubbery here, and are out of sight of the houses? Let me show you, Fanny, what sort of an unreformed character you are about to marry.” And he gathered her up in his arms, and kissed her most decisively.

  * * * * * * *

  The contemplation of Edmund’s situation was the only blight upon Fanny’s perfect contentment as she entered upon married life with Mr. Gibson. At a time when she most earnestly desired to hear news of him, she received few letters from him. But fortunately, she now had another correspondent in Mrs. Bellingham, who kept her advised of the gossip circulating through Mansfield and Thornton Lacey.

  For, it was the united opinion of the inhabitants of both of those towns, that Miss Owen deserved to attach the Reverend Bertram. Her father was a clergyman, her brother was also a clergyman, it followed that Reverend Bertram was her lawful property; he fairly belonged to her. Mrs. Norris began to hint, only to a few friends, that a wedding might take place, so soon as the proper interval of time was passed. Until then, it would not do to be spoken of.

  The proper interval of time did pass, although Edmund could not really name the day on which his regard and respect for Portia Owen ripened into warmer feelings. On her side, of course, she could not remember a time when she did not prefer Edmund Bertram to any man she had ever met. There was, in the end, quite enough love between the two of them to establish a marriage upon.

  Anna Imogen and her brothers, in defiance of tradition, were delighted in the acquisition of a step-mother, and for Edmund, married to a very different kind of wife than his first, home became a place of tranquillity and pleasure.

  Edmund Bertram’s school continued to prosper, though his genial philosophy was sorely tested when his sister Maria enrolled her son Henry there.

  Mr. Gibson purchased a small dwelling in London, but this was not for himself and Fanny. It was for John Price, so he could bring his bride Prudence to a home from which the bailiffs could never evict them.

  Fanny and Mr. Gibson made their principal home just outside of London, where the air was fresher and they could walk together in the country, living just the life they had planned together when they used to walk upon the Ramparts in Portsmouth, many years before. The busy, useful, cheerful life they had sketched out in those days became a reality in every respect and their recollection of their past difficulties only served to add sw
eetness to their happiness in after days.

  THE END

  END MATERIAL

  Thank you, Gentle Reader

  Thank you for following my story of Fanny Price, Edmund Bertram, Mary Crawford and William Gibson to the end.

  If you enjoyed this book, please take a moment to leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads, or tell a friend. This means so much to an author!

  If you would like to be notified when my next project is published, I invite you to follow me at Amazon, Goodreads or BookLife, or visit my website at www.lonamanning.ca, for updates.

  Background and Research Materials

  If you’d like more details about some of the historical events, people, or social customs referenced in this story, visit www.lonamanning.ca/research for lots of interesting background details, including lots more about Percy Bysshe Shelley and Peterloo.

  Alternate Ending — a Note to the Reader

  At the conclusion of my Mansfield trilogy, we at last see Julia Bertram Price, Maria Bertram Crawford Orme, Portia Owen Bertram, Prudence Imlay Price, Susan Price Miller, Madame Orly-Duchesne and Fanny Price Gibson all happily married to the men they love. And perhaps Richard Owen and Mrs. Bellingham will take a trip down the aisle in future years.

  But, what if you, gentle reader, had your heart set on Fanny marrying Edmund Bertram? Yes, there are a few people—me, for example—who like Edmund Bertram. “Let us not desert one another; we are an injured body.”

  In the introduction to her edition of Mansfield Park, Jane Sturrock writes: [I]n Mansfield Park, Austen provides alternative narratives, other possible outcomes, as she does in no other novel.” Fanny surmises what her mother might have been, if she had made a better marriage, and how well her Aunt Norris would have coped with nine children and a narrow income. “Readers are permitted to know that Mary Crawford would have made a good wife for Edmund Bertram,” and Fanny would have eventually married Henry Crawford, if Maria Bertram had stayed married to Mr. Rushworth.

  In solidarity with the Edmund Bertram fans out there, may I say that if Fanny had accepted Edmund Bertram’s wedding proposal there in the rain amidst the shrubbery, they would have been very happy together.

  Acknowledgements

  I could not have written the book I wanted to write without doing research. Back when I went to university, there was no such thing as the internet or on-line journals. Now, I can digitally visit the university library from my home. Thank you, Simon Fraser University, for granting library access to this old alumna. Thank you to the kind librarians in Ireland who answered my enquiries. Librarians are awesome.

  My son Joseph Manning served as my helpful and encouraging first reader.

  Thanks to my beta readers for your encouragement. My writing buddies A.E. Walnofer, Calista Hunter and Allie Cresswell gave me excellent advice, some of which I was wise enough to listen to.

  Dramatis Personae

  Persons in bold face are real persons. Persons in italics are characters originally created by Jane Austen. The rest are fictional characters created for this variation.

  Portsmouth

  Mrs. Frances Price, widow of the late William Price (Sr.), lieutenant of Marines

  Fanny Price, her oldest daughter

  Susan Price, another daughter

  Charles Price, her youngest son

  Betsey Price, her youngest daughter

  (Other Price sons not living at home: William, John, Richard, Sam, Tom)

  William Gibson, a friend of the family and suitor of Fanny

  Mr. Miller, a prosperous baker

  Jacob Miller, his son, in love with Susan

  Eliza, an unsatisfactory servant

  Bristol

  Mrs. Harriet Butters, Fanny’s benefactress

  Madame Orly, her lady’s maid

  Mr. Birtle, president of the Bristol Society for the Suppression of Vice

  Mr. Henry Hunt, a celebrated radical orator

  Belfast

  Edmund Bertram, a clergyman and schoolmaster, second son of Sir Thomas

  Mary Crawford Bertram, his wife

  Thomas, Cyrus Crawford and Anna Imogen, their children

  Dr. and Mrs. Ritchie

  Captain Templeton, a man who does not improve upon acquaintance

  Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm

  London

  Margaret Fraser Meriwether, a happily married young lady

  Mr. Nathaniel Meriwether, a uxorious husband

  Maria Bertram Crawford, sister of Edmund, widow of Henry Crawford

  Henry Crawford, Jr., son of the late Henry Crawford

  Admiral Crawford, uncle to Henry and Mary Crawford

  Mr. Greville, Mr. Fenwick, and Mr. Orme, suitors to Maria Crawford (whose names are taken from Jane Austen’s favourite novel, Sir Charles Grandison)

  John Price, another son of Frances and William Price, clerk at the Thames River police office

  Richard Price, yet another Price son, third mate with the East India Company

  Prudence Imlay, book-seller and aspiring poet

  Mr. Ives, jailer at Surrey Gaol in Southwark

  Benjamin Walker, Luddite and informer

  Mrs. Godwin, second wife of William Godwin, proprietress of a bookshop

  Newcastle

  William Price, ship captain

  Julia Bertram Price, his wife (and his cousin)

  Italy

  Percy Bysshe Shelley, an obscure poet with radical views

  Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, his wife, authoress of Frankenstein

  Claire (also known as Mary Jane or Clare or Clara) Clairmont, Mary’s step-sister, erstwhile lover of Lord Byron

  Paolo Foggi, an untrustworthy servant

  Lucenza, a romantically inclined lady’s maid

  Admiral Sir Thomas Fremantle, an eminent British sailor, and his wife Betsey. Fremantle was staying at Bagni di Lucca at this time.

  Roberts, an English valet (name unknown)

  Madame Ciampi, a disapproving landlady

  Lt. Vannini, a policeman

  Rebecca Robinson, an expatriate Englishwoman, friend of the Shelleys and Mr. Godwin. In real life, her name was Maria Gisborne

  Mr. Robinson (Gisborne), her tedious husband

  Dr. Roskilly, an eminent English surgeon in Naples

  Northamptonshire

  Mr. and Mrs. Owen, parents of at least four children

  Mr. Owen, their son, who I have named Richard

  Their three daughters, grown up – whom I have named Portia, Sarah and Helen

  Mrs. Norris, sister to Mrs. Price and Lady Bertram, a censorious self-regarding busybody

  Christopher Jackson, Mansfield Park’s carpenter

  Dick Jackson, his son

  Mr. John Shepherd, a solicitor, from the novel Persuasion

  Two Clay grandsons, sons of Penelope Clay from Persuasion, whom I have named Henry and John

  Manchester—Peterloo

  Henry Lomax, owner of the White Lion Inn, member of the Cheshire militia

  Mrs. Lomax may have existed but I don’t know

  John Thacker Saxton, radical and managing editor of the Manchester Observer

  Annabel Wheeler, a spirited girl

  Mary Fildes, president of the Manchester Female Reform Society

  Jemmy, an impoverished weaver from Oldham

  Thousands of working-class people in and around Manchester, special constables, Yeomanry and regular army

  Off-stage Correspondents

  Sir Thomas Bertram, father of Edmund, Maria and Julia, and uncle to the Prices.

  Lady Bertram, his wife, who is sister to Mrs. Price and Mrs. Norris

  Lord Delingpole, peer of the realm, friend to William Gibson

  Lady Delingpole, his wife, friend to Mary Crawford

  Henry Hobhouse, under-secretary to Lord Sidmouth

  William A’Court, His Majesty’s Envoy to the Kingdom of Naples

  Mary (Sarah) Bellingham, widow of an assassin, mother of three boys

  Other Historical
Persons Mentioned

  William Godwin, a philosopher and novelist, widower of Mary Wollstonecraft

  Mr. Leigh Hunt, radical journalist

  Lord George Byron, poet and celebrity sex-symbol

  Lord Wellington, commander and victor at Waterloo

  Lord Sidmouth, the Home Secretary

  Lord Castlereagh, the Foreign Secretary

  Lord Liverpool, the Prime Minister

  William Wilberforce, MP and moral reformer

  Thomas Smith, George Mellor and William Thorpe, Luddites executed for murdering William Horsfall

  The Marquess of Donegall, patron of Belfast

  Princess Adelaide, later Queen to King William IV of England

  Joseph Nadin, deputy constable of Manchester, who arrested Henry Hunt at Peterloo.

  Francis Philips, Manchester Merchant very worried about an uprising

  Mr. Longdill, a solicitor who represented Percy Bysshe Shelley in his custody battle for his children by his first wife. Shelley was given visiting rights to see his children, but there is no indication that he ever did.

  Mr. Chiappa, landlord to the Shelleys at Bagni di Lucca

  Allegra, daughter of Lord Byron and Claire Clairmont, who died at the age of five in a convent where Byron had placed her.

  Clara and William, son and daughter of the Shelleys, who also died young.

  Elena Adelaide, Shelley’s “Neapolitan ward,” whose parentage is unknown, who also died young.