Page 23 of Miss Gardiner
The footmen left without another word to make certain all doors were locked and blockaded. Mrs Banks asked two of the workmen to help her husband to their chamber near the kitchen while Miss Gardiner gathered her other workers and once the footmen reported the doors safely locked, Elizabeth and the workmen continued their usual exit through the kitchens. Mr Clemmons returned to his office to write a detailed letter that he would send at first light to Mr Darcy. In the kitchen, Cook, an elderly woman with white hair, stood near the outer door of her domain with a large meat cleaver in her hands.
“No louts will break into my kitchen and keep their heads!” the womandeclared vehemently.
“Good night, Cook. I am certain you can defend the kitchen well,” Miss Gardiner said as they passed through the kitchen and into the London evening air. The coach waited to take Elizabeth to Gracechurch Street and two of the workmen decided to ride along, one up front with the coachman, and one at the back with the footman. The other workmen climbed into the wagon that they usually rode back into their neighbourhood.
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The next day being Sunday, no workmen or coaches appeared at any door of the Darcy house. Mr and Mrs Banks sat at the front door while the two footmen sat at the side door. Cook and her staff were armed with long knives and cleavers to protect the kitchen door.
Mrs Annesley kept Georgiana above stairs the whole day and when her charge wished to go for a walk, the two of them climbed to the third floor and walked about the ballroom. There were clear pathways through the remaining boxes, barrels and crates and Georgiana giggled as she imagined playing hide-and-seek with her brother and Miss Gardiner in the room.
The first letter written by Mr Clemmons went by special courier to Mr Darcy at Netherfield in nearby Hertfordshire on Sunday; something that only occurred when there were emergencies or deaths. Clemmons wrote a second letter that was delivered to Mr Gardiner by one of the Darcy footmen and it ‘suggested’ that Miss Gardiner and the workmen not return until they received direction from Mr Darcy.
Mr Darcy could not escape from Netherfield, but he did send blistering letters to Lady Catherine and to his new attorneys who called at the home of Lady Catherine’s brother in London with writs and lawsuits on Monday afternoon. The Earl of Matlock railed at his sister for causing more problems and banished her to Kent.
On Wednesday, Miss Gardiner and the workmen returned to the Darcy home to begin their final days in the house. It was Friday evening when they finished moving and cataloguing all the items to the Gardiner warehouses. After the last box was carried off and Elizabeth left the ballroom for the last time, she was surprized to find Miss Darcy and Mrs Annesley waiting on the second story landing.
“Miss Darcy, I am pleased to see you,” Elizabeth greeted her young ‘friend’.
“And I am pleased to see you, Miss Gardiner. Thank you for all you have done for my brother this summer,” the girl said.
“It was my pleasure,” the young woman replied.
Suddenly, Georgiana hugged Elizabeth, and confided, “I shall miss you, Miss Gardiner. If you do not mind, may I ask my brother for permission to write to you?”
“I should like that a great deal, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth replied before she nodded to Mrs Annesley and then descended two more flights of stairs to the ground floor. There Mr and Mrs Banks wished her well and Mr Clemmons slipped her a note from Mr Darcy. Elizabeth placed the note into her pocket and only opened it to read in her room that night.
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Miss Gardiner–Thank you for placing the jewellery box in the care of Mr Banks. I believe it contains several pieces of family jewellery missing since before my mother’s passing. You have found yet another treasure hidden away by my mother. Fitzwilliam Darcy
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As the weeks between Michaelmas and the next quarter day passed, Elizabeth returned to caring for her cousins, sewing and exchanging letters with her eldest sister. In these exciting letters, Jane wrote of her many meetings with Mr Bingley and before many weeks, Jane wrote that she had fallen in love with him. Most shocking was how Mr Bingley ignored convention to write Jane beautiful letters with promises of marriage and a love that would last for their whole lifetimes; these letters he delivered to her as they walked in the gardens or sat in the parlour, often without a chaperone of any kind. In October, Elizabeth was pleased to read of the couple’s plans to become engaged at Christmas and married before Candlemas.
“Mr Bennet has written nothing about an engagement,” Uncle Edward explained after Elizabeth shared Jane’s news with her aunt and uncle. “Certainly, Jane expects it but let us wait until there is an official announcement.”
“I wonder where your mother is when Mr Bingley is handing letters to Jane?” Aunt Madeline wondered aloud.
From Jane’s next letters, Elizabeth learned that on a forthcoming November evening, Mr Bingley would host a ball at Netherfield. Her sister shared every detail of her gown, the gowns of her sisters, the food Miss Bingley planned to provide, and then the most exciting detail of all, Mr Bingley had asked Jane for the first dance. Elizabeth immediately imagined the couple announcing their engagement to the applause and best wishes ofneighbours and family.
On the night scheduled for the ball at Netherfield, Elizabeth was quiet even before her young cousins were sent to bed. Edward and Madeline exchanged glances but did not question their niece’s mood. Beside the fire, Elizabeth sat without turning the page in her book, staring at the flames.
In her imagination, Elizabeth saw Jane in her beautiful gown walking along a hallway in Netherfield, approaching a great room that was filled with laughter, music, and gentlemen dressed in their finery. She imaged herself in a new gown and with her hair piled upon her head, waiting with her sisters for the ball to begin.
And standing there in the room was Fitzwilliam Darcy, in a fine coat, a black curl falling across his forehead and his blue eyes staring at her. The rest of the room vanished and only the music filled the air around them as Mr Darcy approached and held out his hand. She slipped her hand into his and saw a smile appear on his lips as they began the steps of the dance.
“Lizzy…”
The dance steps took her away from Mr Darcy for a moment and suddenly, she recognized the parlour on Gracechurch Street.
“Lizzy, where is your mind my dear?” Aunt Maddie asked, as Elizabeth blushed brightly to be caught daydreaming by her aunt.
“You are a young woman, and it is expected that you should wish to attend the ball,” her aunt explained with a smile. “I remember dancing with your uncle at an assembly in Lambton before we wed. I was excited to see my friends and neighbours enjoying themselves…”
“My Madeline wore a new gown, and I knew she was most beautiful woman in the room,” Uncle Edward explained. “We were newly engaged, and it was our first time to dance.”
Elizabeth confessed, “I was imagining the music and the dancing…”
