Mr. Darcy's Daughter (6 page)

When
Cassy returned to the parlour, Rebecca invited them to dinner.

"I
am sure Julian will want you to stay," she said, smiling, and to her
husband's surprise, Cassy accepted with some alacrity. She was very keen to
meet Mr. Barrett, whose appearance had caused so much activity and interest in
the household.

Julian
Darcy arrived home earlier than usual. So happy was he to find his wife
downstairs taking tea, he rushed out again immediately, returning with a bunch
of Spring flowers, which he presented to her. Mrs. Tate, beaming with pleasure,
summoned Susan to fetch a vase and arrange the flowers, which were then given
pride of place on the centre table, which had been cleared of all its clutter.

Julian
looked ecstatic, but Cassy could not help noticing that her brother's joy was
not exactly matched by the response of his wife. Josie, she noted, had smiled
and thanked her husband softly, but with no more enthusiasm or warmth than she
would any stranger who may have brought her flowers.

Cassandra
was beginning to wonder whether the malaise afflicting Josie and Julian was
rather more deep-seated than any of them had believed. She said nothing to her
husband though, not even when they went away to dress for dinner, and he
expressed some surprise that she had so eagerly accepted the invitation to
dine.

"I
would not have thought you would want to return there tonight," he said,
but she smiled and replied that she had been so very glad to see Josie
downstairs and Julian was obviously so happy, it had seemed appropriate to join
them and celebrate the occasion.

Richard
nodded and said no more.

"You
do not mind, do you, dearest?" she asked, and he said no, he did not.

"For
my part," he claimed, "it should afford me an opportunity to observe
my patient without intruding upon her. It is possible that she has realised
that it is in her power to change her situation. I sincerely hope that it is
the beginning of her recovery."

Josie
was already downstairs when they arrived at the Darcys' house.

Dressed
in a most becoming gown of a peach-toned silk, which lent colour to her pale
cheeks, with her pretty hair brushed and looped up into a very attractive
style, the hostess looked remarkably well. Few would have believed she had been
an invalid for weeks.

When
Cassy commented upon her changed appearance, Josie smiled and said it was all
her Mama's work and Susan's. Cassy could well believe it. When Mrs. Tate
appeared, she looked so pleased with her daughter, she could not stop talking
about how well she looked.

As
for the maid Susan, she was so excited, she could barely attend to her duties
and once or twice Cassy caught her exchanging a knowing glance with her
mistress, as if they shared a secret.

When
their visitor arrived, he was ushered in and introduced to Richard and
Cassandra by Julian as "our friend, Mr. Barrett" and to Mrs. Tate,
who was effusively pleased to meet him.

Mr.
Barrett was neither handsome nor very tall, nor was he particularly elegant in
dress and manners, affecting the somewhat informal attire that was fashionable
with writers and the like. Indeed, he seemed a very ordinary sort of gentleman,
until he spoke. Cassy noticed then that his voice, which was quiet and well
modulated, had a most genteel accent and a warm, intimate quality. It was what
some people called "a cultured voice." Very suitable for reading
poetry, Cassy thought. When they were introduced, he had bowed to her and Mrs.
Tate, then kissed Josie's hand as she sat on the sofa in front of the fire,
presenting her with a little book bound in green leather. He said something to
her quietly, as he handed it over, which made her smile. Cassy did not hear his
words; clearly she was not meant to, nor was anyone other than Josie, who
managed a very acceptable smile and said, "Thank you very much indeed, Mr.
Barrett."

Julian
and Josie had both greeted him cordially and welcomed him to their home and Mr.
Barrett was determined to please them all.

At
dinner, although she ate very little, Josie sat at table, listened carefully,
spoke quietly, and even managed to ask their guest a question or two, which he
answered with great attention and courtesy. Mr. Barrett, who sat between her
and her mother, maintained a conversation with both mother and daughter
throughout the meal, turning frequently from one to the other, as if to
ascertain if they had been satisfied with his remarks. Richard said later that
you could see the man was in business, so well did he apply himself to the
business of making a good impression upon the people he met.

Richard
concentrated his attention upon Julian, with whom he spent most of the evening,
while Cassy observed the rest of the party.

Once
they moved back into the parlour--for the house had no real drawing room--tea
and coffee were served and Josie, assisted by her mother, managed very well,
Cassy thought. Later, Mrs. Tate excused herself and went upstairs, but Josie
appeared not to tire at all.

It
was late when Mr. Barrett took his leave, and Josie almost immediately decided
that she was tired and would like to retire. Susan was sent for to assist her.
An attentive husband shepherded her to the stairs before returning to his
guests.

Taking
the opportunity of being alone with him, Richard spoke gently,

"Now,
Julian, Josie appears to have made an excellent start; it is you who must make
her feel that it is worth going on and making a complete recovery. There must
be no sliding back. You must do all you can," he advised, and extracting a
promise that Julian would keep them informed of her progress, they returned to
their lodgings for the night. Their earlier feelings of frustration had been
replaced by relief and a fair degree of bewilderment, as well, for they could
find little to account for Josie's rapid recovery.

Two
days later, finding no sign of any retardation in Josie's progress and on
hearing only good news from her mother and husband, Cassy and Richard left for
home, leaving Mrs. Tate to continue the good work and watch over her daughter
and her rather chaotic household.

When
they saw Josie and Julian for the last time before their departure, Cassy
promised to send young Lizzie to them in the Summer, and while Josie did not
seem very enthusiastic, both she and Julian declared they would look forward to
her visit.

"It
will do us all good to have a bright young person around," said Julian.

Josie
agreed and sent her love to Lizzie and the rest of their family.

*

Returning
to Pemberley, bringing what they deemed to be a satisfactory report of Josie's
condition, they were to discover that there was already plenty of good news
around. The Sutton children had been found and restored to their mother; their
violent father was now safely in the hands of the constabulary.

"Thanks
mainly to the prompt action of Mr. Elliott, the new Member of Parliament. He
seems to be a most resourceful man," Mr. Darcy told them.

They
were pleased to be able to relate that Josie's condition seemed to have
improved quite markedly in the past few days, confirming the belief of both
Richard and Mr. Darcy that it had been a malaise brought on by disposition
rather than disease. Cassy still had some reservations, of which she chose not
to speak to her parents, but hoped to put to her husband when an opportunity
arose. Now, she decided, was not the right time; there were far too many things
happening.

Her
mother had even more interesting news.

"The
same Mr. Elliott who rescued the Sutton children is now engaged to Anne-Marie
and they are to be married before Christmas!" she announced. "We have
had letters from Jonathan and Anne-Marie."

All
this had taken place in the space of a week! Richard was astonished and his
wife absolutely delighted. She had been well aware of the romance between
Anne-Marie and Mr. Elliott, Cassy said, and was exceedingly pleased with the
news.

Ever
since she had learned the truth about Anne-Marie's desolate marriage to Mr.
Bradshaw, Cassy had prayed that her cousin would, one day, find happiness. She
fervently hoped that this marriage would be the answer to that prayer.

Of
Mr. Colin Elliott, they had had excellent reports from their cousin Emma Wilson
and her husband James, who sat in the Parliament with him. More recently,
Colonel Fitzwilliam and Caroline had spoken in glowing terms of his courage and
determination to leave the Tory Party and join the Reformists.

Earlier,
they had met at Pemberley, when both Mr. Elliott and Anne-Marie had been
visiting Derbyshire, separately but at the same time. Seeing them together,
Cassy and her mother had been convinced that he at the very least was very much
in love, while she was probably on the verge of it, even if she did not appear
to be aware of it at the time.

The
news of their engagement was, for Cassy, the very best news of all. So pleased
was she, and so much did she have to say about it to her family, it helped push
the problems of Julian and Josie into the background for a while.

*

As
if that were not sufficient, Summer brought a further distraction, with the
return from London of their younger son Darcy. He came bearing plenty of news,
as he always did. There had been much excitement in April and May, with the
visit of Mr. Garibaldi from Italy bringing his supporters into the streets,
followed by the clear and unequivocal declaration by Mr. Gladstone of his
support for the Reform Bill, giving working men the vote.

"Everyone
says Mr. Gladstone will soon be Prime Minister," Darcy declared, as he
joined his parents for breakfast.

"Your
uncle Fitzwilliam may have a different view," said his father, reminding
them that Colonel Fitzwilliam remained a staunch admirer of Palmerston. Young
Darcy was sceptical. "Palmerston's finished; he has little support even
among the Whigs, and Gladstone is the favourite of the Liberals.

No
one doubts that he will soon be Prime Minister," he said, with the
confidence of the young that will brook no contradiction.

His
parents smiled, aware that things were rarely that simple.

Darcy
Gardiner's interest in politics was, as yet, somewhat peripheral. He enjoyed
listening to the big speeches in the Parliament and seemed to revel in the cut
and thrust of debate. But, like many other young men of his age, he was unsure
if he wanted to endure the tedium of Parliamentary membership and all that it
involved. It was something he expected to have to decide sometime in the
distant future.

His
uncle, Jonathan Bingley, once a distinguished Member of the Commons, had urged
him to take it seriously, because, as he had said, "The Parliament needs
young, active men, and the people deserve better representatives than men who
have few enlightened views and hardly any vision at all, voting only to
preserve their privileges." Jonathan Bingley was an ardent Reformist.

Young
Darcy had been very impressed with his uncle's words and had promised to give
it serious thought. He was, however, at twenty-four, still unsettled about his
future ambitions; attracted to both business and politics, but too young to
have much experience of either, he appeared reluctant to commit himself to any
cause. The declaration at breakfast had been the first time his parents had
heard him speak so emphatically on the subject.

Recently,
Darcy Gardiner had spent a good deal of time in the company of a gentleman
lately arrived from America. Of Irish descent, his parents had emigrated to the
United States at the time of the potato famine in the 1840s and made good
there. He had been sent to school in England, had spent some time travelling in
Europe, and had inherited a substantial fortune from an uncle who had moved to
Canada, where he had died without an heir.

Mr.
Michael Carr had fascinated young Darcy with his width of experience, his wide
range of interests, and the two had become firm friends. He was, he had
revealed, looking to purchase a suitable property in England, preferably in the
Midlands. Darcy, who knew nothing of land values and real estate, had suggested
that he talk to his grandfather Mr. Gardiner, who, he had said, "was
prodigiously good at business and knows everything there is to know about
property in the district." He had added, however, that it was a pity his
grandfather was ill, else he was sure he would have assisted him in every way.

Having
related all this to his parents at breakfast, Darcy announced casually that he
had invited Mr. Carr to stay. What was more, he would be arriving that
afternoon. This announcement caused some mild consternation, as his mother
suggested that she might have liked a little more notice; but in the end Cassy
was, as usual, prepared to welcome him. Any friend of her son's was sure to be
treated as one of the family and room would always be found to accommodate him.

It
was no different with Mr. Carr, who was due to arrive on the coach from Derby
that afternoon. Darcy took the curricle to meet him, while the rest of the
household rushed to prepare a room for their guest, and Cook had to be advised
about an appropriate menu for dinner.

"He
is American and may be fairly fastidious," said Cassy, but young Lizzie
reassured them. "Darcy says he's Irish first and will eat anything at
all," she said, which was well and good, except Cook thought it meant he
had a very good appetite, so she had better make double the quantity of
everything!