Mr. Darcy's Daughter (54 page)

*

Some
days later, Frank Wickham arrived at Pemberley with a folio of his drawings.
Cassandra had been invited to assist her father in appraising his work and
negotiating his fee; to her great delight, the matter was quite amicably and
swiftly settled. Mr. Darcy seemed well satisfied with the work presented to him
and, for Mr. Wickham, the singular honour of working at Pemberley far
outweighed the monetary value of his commission. He made it quite clear that he
felt very honoured to be asked to do the work. Neither man mentioned the
connection between their families.

Over
the next few weeks, Frank Wickham worked on his assignment with great zeal, and
a series of sketches of the house, the terrace, and features of the park were
duly produced. Though not in the same class as the masters of the art, Wickham
demonstrated an eye for line and perspective and simplicity of execution that
his patron clearly appreciated. Having had the first two or three sketches
approved, he was left to complete his commission, which he did to the complete
satisfaction of Mr. Darcy, his wife and daughter.

Writing
to her friend Charlotte Collins, Elizabeth expressed amazement at the ease with
which her husband had accepted Mr. Frank Wickham:
Irritated and angry as I
have often been, with complete justification, at the behaviour of my sister
Lydia and her late husband, I have to say, dear Charlotte, I am pleased to see Mr.
Darcy move to make peace with Frank, their youngest son. Indeed, I can find nothing
of either Lydia or Wickham in this young man, who is both talented and modest,
a rare combination these days, as I am sure you will agree.

It
is partly Cassy's doing, of course, and Mr. Carr's. For it was they who made
their first meeting possible and what followed thereafter. I know you
will not speak of this matter to any
one else, Charlotte, for if it were to become generally known and spoken of in
Meryton, I have no doubt at all that Lydia will feel it is her right to arrive
at Pemberley herself, to view her son's work.

While
my dear husband is most appreciative of Frank Wickham's work and speaks well of
him, I have no illusions that he will be as charitable towards his mother. I
trust you are still well, my dear Charlotte, and look forward to seeing you
when we visit Jonathan and Anna in the Summer.

Yours
etc...

Elizabeth
Darcy.

Postscript...

SPRING
HAD BROUGHT SOME significant changes, though many things stayed the same.

The
Gardiners, now Sir Richard and Lady Cassandra, with their younger children and
young Anthony Darcy, had moved, without mishap or undue fuss, to Camden House,
which was soon to become one of the most admired properties in the county. For
Cassy, much pleasure was to be derived not only from the elegance of her new home,
but from its close proximity to Pemberley and her parents as well as her
daughter's home at Rushmore Farm. The distinction bestowed upon her husband by
the Queen was but one more element in the sum total of her happiness.

Visiting
her parents at Pemberley, Cassandra went upstairs to the library, where she
found her father supervising the hanging of the series of sketches, which had
been appropriately framed.

After
spending some time admiring them and proffering advice on how they might be
hung, Cassandra approached her father, to ask, gently, if it were not fitting
that the artist be invited to dine at Pemberley.

"I
know how you feel about the family, Papa, I understand that the prospect of
Aunt Lydia at Pemberley is abhorrent to you and Mama; but, would it not be
possible to ask Frank, so he knows that we do not hold his Rebecca Ann Collins parents'
misdemeanours against him?" she pleaded, and her father laughed and put an
arm around her.

"My
dear Cassy, so you are concerned that Mr. Wickham may feel slighted?

Well,
we cannot have that, can we? Talk to your Mama and, if she agrees, you can send
out the invitations. I cannot have you worried about the fellow's tender
feelings. Besides," he added almost as an afterthought, "he has done
some good work and, like any artist, is entitled to see it in its proper place,
is he not?"

Cassy
smiled and embraced her father; she had been very confident of his magnanimity.

"Indeed
he is, Papa. I knew you would not be unfair to him. Thank you. It is but a small
matter for us to ask him to dine at Pemberley, but to a man in Frank Wickham's
occupation, where so much depends upon recognition and patronage, a generous
gesture of appreciation is far more valuable than a fee,"

she
said, and Mr. Darcy could not help being moved by the fervour of her voice.

"Sage
words, Cassy. I know I can count on you to remind me of my obligations, if ever
your mother should forget. Whatever shall I do without your wise head, my
dear?"

Cassy
laughed. "Why should you, Papa? I am even closer at hand, now we are
neighbours," she said and went to find her mother, whose astonishment at
this turn of events rendered her almost speechless.

Never
had Elizabeth expected to see the day when Mr. Darcy would volun-tarily and
gladly invite one of "Wickham's boys" to dine at Pemberley. Again she
was convinced, as she had written to Charlotte, that it must have been all
Cassy's doing.

"I
shall never understand how you persuaded your father to do this, Cassy,"

she
declared, as they went together to find Mrs. Grantham and make arrangements for
the occasion.

*

Frank
Wickham came to dinner at Pemberley and, though he never did become a close
friend of the Darcys, his work for them enhanced his reputation.

He
continued to occupy the cottage at Rushford and to teach at the parish school.
Moreover, his friendship with Darcy Gardiner, whose charm opened many doors for
him, also gained him entry to Camden House, where he was invited to dine with
the Gardiners.

He
had the highest regard for Sir Richard and Lady Cassandra, to whose compassion
and generosity he owed much of his present good fortune. A modest man of
moderate habits, he never overstepped the bounds of propriety, nor did he
presume upon his acquaintance with the family. He was well aware of the need
for discretion and, despite the untiring efforts of his mother to discover
where he spent his Summers, he kept his secret very well.

As
for Cassandra, with her son Darcy taking over most of her duties at Pemberley
and young Lizzie drawn more deeply into her husband's work at Rushmore Farm,
she was free to enjoy the pleasures of her own family. As the wife of Sir
Richard Gardiner, one of the country's most respected physicians, she now had
several public duties to perform, and these she did with a grace and elegance
that greatly enhanced her husband's reputation and standing in the community.

As
the guardian of the young heir to the Pemberley estate, Cassy had her hands
full ensuring that young Anthony was being trained to take on his appointed
role one day, which she hoped with all her heart was in the distant future. Her
parents, with whom she met often and whose love strengthened her every resolve,
were prouder of their daughter than they would admit to anyone but each other.

Cassy's
life was busier and happier than it had ever been. Yet in spite of the many
demands upon her, she still found time for those she loved and neither her
husband nor their children ever felt any diminution of her care and affection.

Love
and respect, deeply felt, given, and received, brought enhanced satisfaction in
every aspect of her life, and she contemplated the future with an enviable
degree of equanimity and contentment
.