Mr. Darcy's Daughter (7 page)

The
coach from Derby was late, delayed by a sick passenger who had to be set down
at Ripley. When young Darcy and his friend reached the Gardiners'

house,
it was after six o'clock and the ladies had already gone upstairs to rest
before dressing for dinner. Only Dr Gardiner was downstairs in his study,
having just returned from Lambton, where he had gone, as usual, to attend on
his father.

When
Mr. Carr was introduced to him, Richard was immediately struck by his
resemblance to a portrait in the long gallery at Pemberley. However, not
wishing to embarrass their guest, he said nothing, greeting him cordially. As
they shook hands, Mr. Carr thanked him most sincerely for his generosity in
accommodating him at such short notice. "I'd have stayed at the local inn,
rather than inconvenience you, sir," he said apologetically, "but
Darcy insisted it was all right." Richard endorsed his son's words and
welcomed their visitor, reassuring him he had not inconvenienced anyone at all.

"My
eldest son Edward is staying temporarily with my parents at Lambton, so we have
plenty of room," he said.

Mr.
Carr immediately asked after Mr. Gardiner's health, saying Darcy had intimated
that his grandfather was gravely ill.

"I
do hope his condition is not serious, sir," he said, to which Richard
replied that it was no more serious than it had been yesterday, but could
worsen, without warning, at any time.

"Which
is why Edward, who is himself a physician, stays with him," he explained
as they went upstairs.

Darcy
was eager for his parents to approve of his new friend. He had found Michael
Carr a more stimulating and interesting companion than many of the rich young
men in the city and had hoped, by inviting him to Derbyshire, to persuade him
to settle in the county.

Richard
found Cassy completing her toilette, when he joined her in their apartments. He
stood behind her as she sat at her dressing table, pinning up her hair.

"Mr.
Carr appears to be a very personable young man," he said and seeing her
start, added," Don't worry, my dear, everything has been attended to. He's been
shown to his room and his bags have been taken upstairs. He seems quite
comfortable."

"How
does he look? Is he handsome and tall? Does he speak like an American?"
she asked, smiling.

"Hmm.
Tall, yes, not really handsome, but very striking, a memorable face, I would
say, and remarkably like one I have seen on a portrait that hangs in your
father's collection at Pemberley."

Cassy
was intrigued. Meeting his eyes in the mirror, she asked, "Which portrait?
Not one of the ancient ancestors?"

Her
husband laughed. "With all that armour, I doubt I would have noticed a
resemblance if there had been one. No, it's not one of them. I cannot recall
exactly, but you will probably know it as soon as you see him." Cassy was
intrigued and questioned him further, but he could tell her little more.

They
dressed and went down to dinner and, when the gentlemen joined them, Darcy
Gardiner introduced his friend Mr. Michael Carr to his mother and sisters, whom
he greeted with great courtesy.

It
was Laura Ann who whispered to her sister, "Lizzie, Mr. Carr looks very
like the picture of the gentleman in a green coat, which hangs next to the
pretty lady with a big hat, in the gallery at Pemberley, does he not?"

When
Lizzie reported this to her mother, while the gentlemen were getting their
drinks, Cassy remembered it well.

The
pretty woman in the big hat was the wife of her father's uncle, James
Fitzwilliam, who had lived all his life in Ireland; but Cassy had no idea who
the man in the green coat was, nor what his picture was doing in her father's
collection. They had never paid much attention to him, but she promised her
daughters she would ask her father at the first opportunity. She did caution
them both, however, not to stare at their guest on account of this. "It is
very rude and we do not want him to think we are uncouth country bumpkins, do
we, my dears?" she had said, as she went to join the others.

Mr.
Carr proved to be a very pleasant and entertaining guest, and they spent a
lively evening being regaled with tales of Ireland, America, and France, where
he had lately visited. They heard of his plans to purchase a property in England
and his hopes to settle in the country. He could certainly tell a good story,
and he could sing, as he amply demonstrated when they repaired to the drawing
room after dinner, entertaining them with a couple of lyrics, proving he had an
excellent voice as well as a good sense of humour.

When
at last they retired to their rooms, Cassy admitted to her husband that Mr.
Carr was indeed a most agreeable young man.

"I
do hope he finds a suitable property in the area," she said. "He
would make an excellent neighbour, I am sure."

Richard
had to agree and then, just moments before turning out the light, he said,
"Of course, there is Will Camden's place, with the farm and horse
stud..."

Cassy
sat up in bed, wide awake. "Of course there is. Will is keen to sell; he
and his wife are all excited about emigrating to New South Wales."

"I
cannot think why; it's the other side of the world and Will has never farmed
sheep," said Richard, sleepily, no longer interested.

"But
it does mean the property is available, Richard," she persisted, adding
reasonably, "Perhaps, my dear, you ought to tell Mr. Carr."

Richard
promised to draw his attention to it on the morrow, smiling to himself at the
sudden eagerness of his wife to assist Mr. Carr to acquire a property in the
area.

"This
keenness of yours for our guest to purchase this property would not be linked
in any way to the fact that he is an eligible young bachelor, and our little
Lizzie will soon be eighteen, would it, my love?" he asked quietly, only
to provoke an indignant protest from his wife.

"Richard,
how could you suggest such a thing? Our Lizzie is only a child; I would not
dream of it. But, you must agree, Mr. Carr is a very presentable young man. He
is Darcy's friend and has a small fortune to invest in a suitable estate, so
why should he not purchase it from Will Camden? We know it to be an excellent
property; surely there is no reason why they may not both be happy with the
transaction?"

"Oh,
no reason at all, my dear, none at all. I shall certainly let him know it's on
the market," her husband replied, chuckling as he put out the light,
wondering aloud as he did so whether Mr. Carr would have any idea at all of the
plans that were afoot for his future happiness.

Cassy
had hoped, when they were in bed, to quiz her husband about his impressions of Mr.
Barrett and the remarkable recovery his visit had effected upon Josie's
spirits. But, what with the excitement of Mr. Carr's arrival and now the
expectation that there was a property he could like well enough, Josie had gone
right out of her head. So pleased was she with the prospect of the sale of the
Camden property, she fell quickly and peacefully asleep.

*

The
following morning dawned with mist and light rain, but soon cleared to a
brilliant day of blue skies and sunshine.

Richard
had risen early, as always, and ridden out across the dales. Returning from his
ride, he came upon Mr. Carr taking a solitary walk along the banks of the Wye,
which formed one boundary of their property. Seeing his guest, Richard pulled
up, dismounted, and continued the rest of the journey on foot.

"This
is a most attractive place you have here, Dr Gardiner," said Mr. Carr.

"I
have been admiring the changing prospect that greets the eye at almost every
turn in the road."

Richard
acknowledged his praise, modestly informing him that it had been a wedding gift
to them from his parents.

"It
is both pretty and convenient, situated halfway between Bakewell and the dales
of Matlock. If it were not for their generosity, I should not have been able to
afford the place, being only recently qualified at the time. My wife and I were
very grateful; we have been exceedingly happy here," he explained, and
there was no doubting the enthusiasm in his voice.

"I
can well believe it. It is a remarkably beautiful place," said Carr,
adding,

"I
would pay anything for such a property."

Richard
laughed. "Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Carr, but it is not for
sale."

His
guest, fearing he had offended his host, apologised immediately.

"Oh
sir, I do apologise. I did not mean to suggest that I would offer you money for
your home..." He was quite red with embarrassment and Richard swiftly
reassured him that no offence had been taken.

He
seemed genuinely relieved and then, to his surprise, Dr Gardiner said, "My
son tells me you are looking to purchase a property in Derbyshire.

Is
this correct?"

"Yes
indeed, sir, I most certainly am, but I know little of buying and selling
property, especially in England. I just know I love the countryside in these
parts and, since my grandmother was originally from around here, before she
married my grandfather and returned to Ireland with him, I would very much like
to buy in the area."

"Would
a small mixed farm interest you? One with a horse stud?" Richard asked,
casually. Mr. Carr's eyes lit up. "A farm with a horse stud! Is there such
a property here? And is it on the market?" he asked excitedly.

Richard
nodded. "There is--at Rushmore, over towards Lambton, and not far from my
parents' property. The owner, Will Camden, is looking for a suitable buyer; he
and his family are emigrating to Australia to start a farm in New South Wales.
They have had several offers for the stud; it's an excellent investment, but
Will refuses to break up the property.

"He
will only sell it together with the home farm because of his concern for his
tenants. He does not wish to leave them at the mercy of some land-grabbing
developer, who will turn them out and enclose their farms or subdivide and sell
the land from under them. This has meant that he has not yet been able to close
a sale. Now, if you are genuinely interested, I could introduce you. I must
warn you, however, since he is soon to leave the country, he will insist on a
cash settlement."

Mr.
Carr looked ready to dance, so pleased was he with this news.

"I
would appreciate that very much, sir, and there would be no problem about a
cash settlement; my intention is to use the money left to me by my uncle. It is
in my bank already. When do you think I might see the property?"

Richard
smiled at his enthusiasm. He was very American, he thought, impulsive,
enthusiastic, throwing caution to the winds...

"Well,
I usually visit my parents every afternoon. If you and Darcy would meet me at
the inn at Lambton, I could take you to meet Will Camden. It is a very short
distance from the inn. I shall have to send a message to advise him of your
interest, of course. If he is agreeable, you could inspect the property, and if
you are still keen, you could meet later to negotiate terms," he
explained.

They
had almost reached the end of the long drive to the house when Darcy Gardiner
and his two sisters came out to meet them; they were obviously keen to show Mr.
Carr around the grounds. Richard, leaving his guest in their care, handed his
horse to the groom and went upstairs to change.

Cassy
had seen them arrive together; she was eager for information. Yet she knew from
the smile on his face that her husband would tease her before he would reveal
anything. Which he did. She plied him with questions about Mr. Carr's interest
in the Rushmore property, but he revealed little. When he was dressed and ready
to go to breakfast, he stopped in front of her and put his arms around her. She
was rather flustered, not at all like her usual amenable self.

"Please,
Richard, do stop teasing. I am not matchmaking, I promise; our Lizzie is far
too young and anyway, girls are not as eager to rush into marriage these
days."

He
kissed her then and said, "Of course, my dear; I am sorry. I did not mean
to provoke you, but I know how much you want to help our guest secure a good
property in Derbyshire and I thought you would like to know that, this
afternoon, I am to introduce him to Will Camden."

Cassy
almost exploded at having been kept in the dark this long and it took all his
loving charm to calm her down.

"Hush,
dearest; they may be back, and we would not want him to think we are a noisy,
quarrelling family, would we?" he argued.

This
was the last straw and Dr Gardiner was only saved from dire retribution by
Laura Ann, who put her head round the door and begged them to come down to
breakfast, because she was very hungry.

Her
father escaped, taking his daughter with him, while Cassy followed, still
flushed with impatience. She was unwilling to admit, even to herself, that Mr.
Carr had seemed to her like the first truly eligible gentleman they had seen in
these parts in quite a while, and though she had no desire to be making a match
for Lizzie, she thought her daughter deserved to see a little more of him.