Mr. Darcy's Daughter (35 page)

Cassandra
watched them, as they walked across the lawn and down towards the terraced
garden, filled now with Spring blooms, her heart warmed towards all of them,
yet she could not deny feeling some degree of trepidation at the task she had
undertaken. When they moved out of sight, Cassy returned to her correspondence.

She
had already attended to most of the formal letters of condolence and the many
notes from friends, but a letter from her cousin Emma Wilson remained to be
answered.

Emma
had written after hearing from her brother Jonathan of Julian's decision to
renounce his inheritance in favour of his son and leave the boy to the
guardianship of his aunt.

Cassy
had always enjoyed a special friendship with her cousin Emma and, when she had
discovered what impossible anguish Emma had suffered during ten years of a
harrowing marriage while she, Cassy, had enjoyed only the sweetest contentment
in hers, the two young women had drawn even closer together. And now, Emma,
widowed and happily married again, was someone to whom Cassy turned with
confidence.

She
read again her cousin's letter:

My
dear, dear Cassy,
she wrote,

With
what a heavy heart must your poor brother have taken sucha step?

He
must have known how deeply he would disappoint your parentsand, as for yourself
and Richard, the added responsibility for youngAnthony must weigh upon your
mind.

James
and I wish you to know, dear Cassy, that we will support you in any way
possible and let me please ask you to call on us, if ever you need us, without
hesitation. I gather from Jonathan's letter that there will be no problem with
money, since the child will be well provided for from the estate, but it is
surely in the expense of time, energy, and feelings, that such a responsibility
is measured.

Dear
Cassy, if you should wish at any time for us to take Anthony and his nurse for
a while, so you may be free to pursue your own life, we would be happy to have
them, or should you and Richard wish to take a holiday in Kent, you must know,
you will always be welcome at Standish Park.

Remember,
if there is anything at all we can do, you need only ask.

The
rest of Emma's letter was filled with news of her two boys, Charles and Colin,
who were their mother's greatest joy, and her daughter Stephanie's forthcoming
visit to Europe. Her husband James was busy with the new Parliament and she was
well, and they both looked forward to a visit from Richard and Cassy.

Cassy,
replying, thanked her cousin for the kindness and generosity for which Emma and
James Wilson were renowned. It would be very pleasant, she thought, to spend
some time in the haven of peace and tranquility that was Standish Park.
However, it was about another, more serious matter that Cassy was anxious to
consult her cousin. After telling her the good news of Lizzie's engagement to Mr.
Carr, she came to the point of her letter:
Dearest Emma,

It
is not easy for me to write this, but I have need of some counsel and I cannot
think of any other person I would trust to keep this confidence. Ever since
Julian left, my dear Mama has been living as if in a state of shock. I do not
wish you to misunderstand me, it is not that she is at all ill or suffers
overtly from depression, indeed, she seems to go about her normal life without
any obvious hindrance, but there is no mistaking the intense sadness in her
eyes.

Papa
has suffered similarly, but with that heroic stoicism that is bred into men, he
soldiers on. I know, from his remarks to me and to Richard, that he is bitterly
disappointed in my brother, but he is better able to cope than poor Mama, to
whom the loss of Julian to Pemberley is no less a blow than the death of
William all those years ago.

She
must wonder why it is that she, among all the women in our family, has been
twice stricken in this way.

I
wonder, dear cousin, if it would be too much to ask that you and James invite
my parents to spend some weeks of the Summer with you at Standish Park?

I
am aware that they plan to travel to the farm in Sussex in May; I fit were
possible for you to have them to stay later in the month, I feel sure both of
them will benefit immensely from the change, as well as being with you and
James.

I
hope I do not presume too much upon your kindness, by asking this favour...

...and
having concluded her letter, Cassy was about to ring for a servant to take it
to the post, when she saw one of the smaller carriages from Pemberley, arriving
at the entrance to the house. Going out into the hall, she was astonished to
find her father standing there, alone.

"Papa!
Why, it is so good to see you," she said as she embraced him and, holding
onto his arm, steered him towards the morning room, where a good fire had been
burning since breakfast, keeping the room comfortably warm. "I have just
now finished a letter to Emma Wilson. She is keen to have us all at Standish
Park this summer. But what brings you out, Papa?" she asked. His answer
was not exactly specific to her question.

"Oh,
it seemed such a pleasant Spring morning and, with your Mama busy introducing
your cousin Jessica to the new Rector and his wife, I thought it would be a
good time to call on you."

Cassy
smiled as though she did not quite believe this tale, but said, "Well I am
very glad you did. It is some time since you have been here."

Having
seated him down, she wanted to ring for tea, or perhaps he would prefer some
sherry, but her father would take neither. It was soon clear to her that he had
something on his mind, which he wished to speak of and, to enable him to do so,
Cassy closed the door and sat down beside him.

"What
is it, Papa? While I am delighted to see you, I know there is more to this
visit than a pleasant Spring morning, so why do you not tell me? Is there some
problem? Is it Mama?" she asked, hoping by her directness to induce him to
be frank, too.

Mr.
Darcy shook his head. "No, my dear Cassy, your Mama is not the problem;
she never has been, not in all the years we have been married. Though, if I am
to be honest with you, I must confess I have rarely seen her so deeply
disappointed, so grievously hurt, as she has been by the actions of your
brother and his late wife."

Cassy,
took her father's hand; despite the warmth of the room, it was cold and she
rubbed it between hers, as he used to do to her little hands when she was a
child and they used to ride out together all over the Pemberley Estate. He
smiled, remembering, too.

"Does
Mama find it hard to forgive Josie?" Cassy asked quietly. "Does it
rankle still that she left Julian for such a trifling reason and caused so much
upheaval and sorrow?"

Mr.
Darcy sighed. "Cassy, my dear, I do not know that your Mama has ever
forgiven Julian for not being more like William, for marrying Josie instead of
Amy, and for preferring to be a scientist and live in Cambridge, rather than
watching over Pemberley with me."

Cassy
drew in her breath sharply, shocked by his words, as he went on. "And as
for Josie, well, she made the mistake, in your Mama's eyes, of marrying Julian
in the first place, when she had no real interest in Pemberley at all. Your
Mama had set her heart upon Julian marrying Amy Fitzwilliam, you see. I told
her the boy did not seem interested, but she kept hoping it would work out. She
thinks that Amy would have helped keep Julian at Pemberley. Besides, in the
future, she would have made an exemplary mistress of the estate, would she not?
Like her mother, Caroline, she has all the talents and skills, as well as the
resilience required for the role.

"As
for Josie, poor child, she was a shock to your Mama. Restless, ambitious,
impatient to go to London and be a writer, Elizabeth could not see her ever
becoming the perfect Mistress of Pemberley.

"Josie
was bored with country life; she loved meeting new people and writing about
them. She wrote well, a good deal better than her mother, yet no one would
publish her work. I did try to argue that it was possible she would come to see
the place differently, as she grew older, but in the end, I suppose, the way
things turned out, your Mama feels she was right all along." There was a
deep sadness in his voice and Cassy bit her lip to hold back the tears that had
filled her eyes as she listened.

It
was not difficult to understand her mother's disillusionment and yet sympathise
with the predicament of her father, who loved her dearly, yet appeared in this
instance, unable to assuage his wife's sorrow.

"Do
you wish me to speak with her again, Papa? I have before, but I can do so again,
if it will help," she asked and his hand tightened around hers.

"If
you would, my dear, I think it
will
help her to speak of it again; she fears her words will upset
me. I have sometimes spoken up on Julian's behalf, trying to see his point of
view, but I cannot seem to convince her."

Not
wishing to appear critical of his wife, he explained, "Cassy, my dear,
your Mama feels bitter at times and she does not wish me to see her so and will
not say anything to me. It may do her some good if you could see her and let
her speak her mind. Will you? I know it may be painful for you but..."

Cassy
spoke up at once. "Of course, Papa, I shall go over tomorrow and stay to
lunch and then perhaps afterwards, Mama and I could talk again..."

Then
turning to him, she said, "Now will you take some refreshment? It is quite
a long drive back to Pemberley."

And
once again, he surprised her. "No, my dear, I am not returning to
Pemberley just yet, I have an appointment with Sir Thomas Camden at Camden
Park. Indeed, I do believe we are to lunch together, so I shall be all
right."

Cassy
was interested. Sir Thomas and her father were good friends as well as
neighbours. Their properties adjoined one another and their families had been
intimate for many years.

"Is
this a special occasion?" she asked, half expecting a negative reply. The
two men often met to discuss matters pertaining to local politics and their
mutual interest. Both had an abiding interest in the prosperity of the area and
the welfare of the people on their estates.

"Indeed
it is," said her father, "a very special occasion. Sir Thomas has
decided to sell Camden Park. This is not generally known and you must not speak
of it to anyone for the moment, except Richard, of course; and here, I am
letting you into a secret, Cassy, I am considering bidding for the
property."

Cassy
was astonished. Such a possibility had never entered her mind.

First
the thought of Camden Park, where several generations of the Camden family had
lived, being sold and then her father wanting to bid for the estate!

"Sir
Thomas is selling Camden Park? But why?" she cried.

Her
father replied that the departure of Will Camden's family to New South Wales
and the death of his wife had left Sir Thomas very lonely.

"He
has another, smaller property, in the South, one that used to belong to Lady
Camden, near Mayfield, much closer to London and his daughter, who lives in
Tunbridge Wells. I understand he intends to settle there. Which means Camden
Park, which though it is only half the size of Pemberley is a jewel of a
property, is available, and Camden has promised me the first option on
it."

"Papa!
Do you really think..." she had meant to ask if he really wanted to take
on a new property at this time, but they heard the children returning and Mr.
Darcy put a finger to his lips to remind her of the need for discretion in the
matter. Then as he rose and went out, he was surrounded by his grandchildren,
with whom he was universally popular.

The
boys insisted upon riding with him in his carriage to the top of the drive,
where he would drop them off, and the indefatigable Miss Longhurst went with
them, preparing to walk all the way back with her charges.

Lizzie
and Laura, meanwhile, had a million things to do, they claimed, and rushed upstairs.
There was certainly no more talk of Camden Park.

*

When
her husband returned home, however, it was quite another matter.

Cassandra
could hardly wait until he was in their room to break the news of her father's
visit and his intention to bid for Camden Park.

She
was disconcerted to find that Richard did not appear as surprised as she had
expected him to be, when she told him the news.

"Your
father is very keen, no doubt, to prevent such a fine estate, one adjoining his
own property, from falling into the hands of developers from London or
Birmingham, who would probably subdivide it or enclose the commons or some such
dreadful scheme, which would destroy the entire character of the
district." he said. "Many of the landowners in the county have similar
concerns."

These
were the exact reasons her father would have given, had she had time to ask.
Cassy was curious as to how her husband had them down pat.

"Have
you known anything of this, Richard?" she asked, to which he replied
truthfully and a little sheepishly that his father-in-law had discussed the
matter with him on their last visit to Pemberley.