December, 1811
"Viscount Grayson?" Bennet commented as he carefully rolled the last remnants of port around the bottom of his glass. "The elder Viscount died some five years ago, if memory serves me, and was succeeded by his eldest son who is, I assume, your wife's much older brother?"
"That is correct," Aaron agreed placidly. "Sophia is the youngest of a large family, so the current Lord Grayson is close to twenty years her elder."
Mr. Bennet, Aaron, and Edward had repaired to the library after dinner, and Bennet seemed delighted to have the company of male companions when he was usually surrounded by the six Bennet women.
The library certainly supported Edward Gardiner's claim that Bennet was an intelligent and well read man; the Iliad, Shakespeare, Pepys' Diary, Matthew Henry's Biblical commentaries – they all adorned the library shelves, plus many dozens more. Indeed, Aaron was quite certain that a substantial amount of Longbourn's wealth had gone to stocking the library.
"I know little about the current Lord Grayson," Bennet continued, "but I doubt he has any interest in either you or Mrs. Gardiner after all these years."
"I doubt he does," Aaron agreed.
"But still, you remained in India until recently?"
Aaron shrugged slightly, "After more than two decades, India is my home. However, our eldest son, Philip, whose father was the fourth son of the old Earl of Chartham, recently came into an inheritance. By necessity, we had to return to England."
"And startle your family immensely," Bennet said with a chuckle. "What was your reaction when your long lost brother washed up on your doorstep, Edward?"
The two brothers exchanged a slightly guilty look, which made Bennet laugh openly, "Oh ho, I see! You have been in touch for some time?"
"For almost ten years, yes, though exclusively by rather sporadic correspondence" Edward admitted. "Indeed, we have been in business together for the last decade as Aaron has extensive business holdings in India. We did not tell you or the Phillips because neither of my sisters remembers Aaron well, and we thought it best to avoid even the slightest chance that Grayson would cause difficulties. Nevertheless, I apologize for the deception."
Bennet waved a languid hand, "It was both sensible and reasonable. Fanny has not thought of you for many years, Aaron, and was not distressed on your behalf, nor was Mrs. Phillips, I believe. Besides, I thoroughly enjoyed watching her excitement when you appeared so unexpectedly."
/
"Dear Brother, you only just arrived," Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. "I did not imagine that when my long lost brother returned, he would only stay three days!"
Aaron smiled gratefully at his sister. For all that Fanny was loud and uncouth, she obviously was devoted to family.
"I must meet my wife and three younger children, who may reach London by ship within the next few days. Of course, with the vagaries of travel, it may be weeks longer, but I would not wish for them to arrive without being there to greet them."
"Ah, of course you most go then," his sister agreed. "Will you bring your family to Longbourn soon? We very much wish to meet your wife and children, Aaron."
The older man shook his head regretfully, "I must stay in London to deal with some business matters, Sister. I understand Miss Bennet plans to spend the early part of the year with our brother Gardiner, and I plan to call on her with my wife and children."
"How old are your sons?" Fanny inquired, speculation in her faded blue eyes.
He suppressed a chuckle and replied gravely, "Our eldest, Philip, is 23 years of age, Rebekah is 21, Alexander is almost 17 and our youngest, Ruth, is 15.
"And what is your eldest son like, Brother?"
"He is a fine young man with a passion for music. He plays the pianoforte exceptionally well."
"That is an unusual accomplishment for a young man, though I vaguely remember that you played the pianoforte very well, but then, I know you were originally destined for the church. Is your son planning to seek a living?"
Aaron shook his head, "In India, the conventions are not the same as in England, Fanny. Many of the other local young men in our circle are excellent musicians."
Fanny Gardiner nodded absently, her mind whirling. If Philip was a musician, he might well be attracted to either Elizabeth or Mary. While Mary was more accomplished, Elizabeth was far more beautiful, so she was a likelier candidate. Perhaps she could convince Edward to take both Jane and Elizabeth back to London with them for a visit.
/
Late January, 1812
London
Mrs. Sophia Gardiner walked down the gangplank to the shore, shivering slightly in the brisk English wind. The debarkation area on the shore of the Thames River was a whirlwind of activity and noise with seamen rushing to and fro, with porters carrying trunks and baskets from ship to shore and shore to ship. England was the land of her birth but now it seemed entirely foreign, so different from the heat and humidity and bright colors and familiar sounds of Calcutta.
"Where is Father?"
Sophia glanced down with a reassuring smile at her youngest child, 15 year old Ruth. The three younger children had all missed Aaron, but Ruth the most of all. It had been the longest period of separation their family had ever experienced, and it was nearly at an end. She anticipated some upheaval for the children, as none of them had any memories of fair England; Philip had been but two when they had left these shores, Rebekah had been an infant, and the younger two had been born in India.
"Your father may not know of our exact arrival time ..." she began, even as her son Alexander, 17 years old only last week, cried out with excitement.
"There he is!"
And indeed, there he was, striding purposefully toward them, his face alight with joy.
"Sophia, Rebekah, Alexander, Ruth!"
"Aaron!"
"Father!"
They had always been an affectionate family and in spite of the crowd around them, they embraced, though quickly, and then separated to gaze with glowing delight into one another's faces.
Aaron glanced up and smiled at his wife's maid, who had faithfully followed her to India more than twenty years ago, and now had followed her back again, "Good morning, Polly."
"Good morning, Mr. Gardiner," the woman replied cheerfully. "It is very good to be back on England's shores."
"England is cold!" Alexander complained with a laugh.
"Indeed, it is, my son," Aaron replied. "Come, I have a carriage waiting for us. Philip and I moved into a hired house only a few days ago in Cheapside. It is not particularly large, but it is well built. James!"
"Yes, sir," his manservant, who had accompanied his family on their journey, replied.
"Arrange to have our family's belongings transported to this address."
He handed James a slip of paper and turned back to his wife, "Come! I know Philip is eager to see you and you need to get warm."
"I do not know whether I am more excited about seeing Philip or a fire!" Ruth replied, drawing closer to her father's bulk.
"You will be able to enjoy both," he assured her, his body relaxing for the first time since he had left with Philip to sail for England. The children would grow up and leave them, but he never wanted to be separated from his Sophia again.
/
"Tell me about your family, Aaron," Sophia asked.
Aaron placed an arm around his wife, who was wrapped in a blanket from neck to feet. Sophia's reunion with her elder son Philip had been heartwarming, but now Philip was playing on the pianoforte and the three other children, exhausted and happy to be at the end of their long journey, were in bed.
"That will take some time, my dear."
"We have time."
"True. My brother Edward Gardiner lives nearby; indeed, I chose this house to hire, with his recommendation, as it is so close to his family. He is married to a delightful woman and they have four quite young children; the eldest is but nine years old."
"Is Mrs. Gardiner young?"
"Yes, I believe a decade younger than Edward."
"And what of your sisters, Aaron?"
Her husband laughed ruefully, "I visited them for but a few days in December in Hertfordshire. My sister Fanny married Mr. Bennet, who owns the estate of Longbourn outside Meryton. They have five daughters and no sons. My sister Emma married a Mr. Philips, a solicitor in Meryton. They have no children."
"I suppose both of your sisters are somewhat disappointed, then."
"My sister Emma seems satisfied enough to dote on her nieces, but the lack of a son is more than a disappointment to the Bennets, as Longbourn is entailed away from the female line. My sister Frances is not a sensible woman. Her fears of being 'cast into the hedgerows' when her husband dies permeated many a conversation while I was visiting. The second daughter, Elizabeth, refused an offer from the heir to Longbourn a few weeks before our arrival, and Fanny was still prone to scold her for it."
"Given the circumstances, I am surprised that your brother by marriage did not insist that Miss Elizabeth accept his offer."
Aaron pulled Sophia closer even as he kept his eyes fixed on the leaping golden flames in the grate.
"I do not entirely approve of Bennet," he admitted. "Longbourn is a fine estate with a reasonable income of 2000 pounds per annum, and he has not saved anything for his wife and children in the event of his premature death. However, he clearly loves his children, and Elizabeth in particular. The young heir is apparently an obsequious fool and our second niece is extremely intelligent. They would not have dealt well together. Unlike your father, Bennet was unwilling to force Elizabeth into an unwanted marriage."
Their hands intertwined and she murmured, "Then she is a lucky woman."
/
The Edward Gardiner Home
Gracechurch Street
"But then, it hardly matters that your dress is so quaint, Miss Elizabeth," Caroline Bingley said with a disdainful glance at Elizabeth's simple green morning dress. "It is highly unlikely that you will ever be allowed the honor of associating with the truly refined of the haut ton. Your country manners, plus your penchant for rushing through the countryside with dirty stockings and clothing askew, are hardly permissible among the polished members of our society."
There was a gasp from Miss Bingley's right, and she turned her vindictive glare away from Miss Elizabeth to Miss Bennet, who was seated on a chair near the window. Miss Bennet's eyes were wide with disbelief and hurt, and for a brief moment, Caroline Bingley felt a twinge of conscience. She disliked Miss Elizabeth intensely, but Jane was a sweet girl.
A moment later, the twinge had passed. Her fool of a brother had come very close indeed to asking for Miss Bennet's hand in marriage. The thought of being connected to such a family, with a vulgar mother like Mrs. Bennet and close family ties to tradesmen, made all her efforts to separate Miss Bennet from Charles completely honorable.
"I believe it is time that you leave, Miss Bingley," Elizabeth said icily, her concerned gaze on her sister.
"It will be my pleasure," Caroline retorted, rising to her feet. "I believe you would be happier, Miss Bennet, if we did not meet again. I assure you that my brother's attentions to you were but the flirting of a man toward a pretty girl, but he is destined for Miss Darcy."
She turned on her heel, her head held high, and walked rapidly out of this pathetic house, in this pathetic part of London, to her waiting carriage. As she exited the house, she noted a couple step onto the front walk, an older man and woman, both dressed unfashionably. This was why she had had to keep Charles free from Miss Bennet, to avoid such despicable connections.
She brushed past them and climbed into her carriage, ordering her coachman to take her back to her brother Charles's home. She was well satisfied with this morning's visit, though she had found herself speaking more harshly than she had originally intended. If Jane had been the only one in residence, she would have confined herself to being cold and distant; however, Miss Eliza had been in the sitting room as well, and thus the full power of Caroline's vituperative tongue had been unleashed.
Miss Eliza had drawn the attention of Mr. Darcy, the man Caroline Bingley intended to marry. She loathed Elizabeth Bennet, and had thoroughly enjoyed giving the pert girl a set down.
/
"Oh, Mr. Gardiner!" Mrs. Gardiner exclaimed, rushing to the hall as he and Sophia were announced.
"Mrs. Madeline Gardiner," Aaron replied with a smile. "May I introduce you to my wife, Mrs. Sophia Gardiner?"
Madeline Gardiner was thoroughly flustered but her good breeding held, "Mrs. Gardiner, welcome to our home; indeed, may I say, welcome to England?"
Sophia Gardiner, whose ears were sharper than her husband's, responded quickly, "Mrs. Gardiner, it is my great pleasure to meet you but I must ask, is something wrong?"
Madeline turned her head toward the parlor, where the sound of a soothing feminine voice combined with quiet sobbing.
"I am afraid we had a most difficult visitor just now," she explained softly.
"The overdressed young woman with her nose in the air?" Aaron asked.
"Yes. She came intending to be offensive and she succeeded. She was absolutely vicious to Elizabeth, and Jane is devastated. She thought Miss Bingley to be a genuine friend."
Aaron and Sophia exchanged quickly glances before Sophia spoke, "We can come back another time, Mrs. Gardiner."
"Not at all," Madeline replied firmly. "I can hear that Elizabeth is taking Jane upstairs and Lizzy can comfort Jane better than anyone else. Please do come in."
Her relations did so, though with some hesitation. The sitting room was a pleasant one, with comfortable blue furniture and very few ornaments. Sophia, remembering the exuberant spirits of her own children when they were young, took this as a sign that her new sister had a sensible streak. White cushions, for example, would no doubt have been a disaster.
"So, this Miss Bingley," Aaron commented as he had seated himself on the couch with his wife at his side. "Is she a relation to the Mr. Charles Bingley whom Mrs. Bennet was hopeful would offer for Miss Bennet?"
"His sister," Madeline said with a sigh as she poured tea for them all. "Elizabeth mistrusted her, which was wise. Clearly Miss Bingley was extremely opposed to a marriage between Jane and Mr. Bingley and no doubt was instrumental in keeping her brother here in London. Mr. Bingley holds the lease on Netherfield, an estate only three miles from Longbourn. He left for London in late November after telling Jane that he would return shortly. The next day, the other residents of the house packed up and left for London, and there has been no indication that Mr. Bingley will ever return. Jane visited Miss Bingley as soon as she came to London and waited several weeks for a return visit, only to have the woman she genuinely believed to be a friend insult her dearest sister."
"Does Miss Bennet truly care for Mr. Bingley?" Sophia asked softly.
Madeline took a sip of tea and nodded, "She is very attached to him, and given her character, she will not recover as quickly as Elizabeth would in such a circumstance. I never met Mr. Bingley, but he seems a kind, pleasant young man who was, it seems, Jane's nearly perfect match. Regrettably, his friend Mr. Darcy and Bingley's sisters seem to have decided that our niece is not worthy. But then, as I said, all I know is from what others have told me. Perhaps Mr. Bingley was merely flirting with Jane, in which case he is, at the very least, guilty of toying with her heart and reputation. It was expected by the local families in Meryton that he would make her an offer."
She exhaled slowly and looked up with a slight shake of her head, "But please, I do not wish for our first meeting to focus on the troubles of our nieces. Mrs. Gardiner, how do you find our English weather after so many years abroad?"
"Cold!" Sophia chuckled in return. "But please, tell me about your children, Mrs. Gardiner. We also have four children, though they are older."
Madeline's eyes lit up at this most favorite of topics, and in a few minutes she and her new sister were discussing the characters and antics of their children.
Mr. Aaron Gardiner was content to sit back and watch, and think.
/
/
Author Note: Many thanks on your kindness in reading and reviewing. And dear husband, thank you for editing!
I had one reviewer comment that it was insensitive of me to say that Aaron Gardiner made his fortune in India when British colonialism caused such hardships for India and her people. There is no doubt some truth to that, but if I were to address every rotten thing that was happening in the world during that time, my books would be quite dark. England was rather a mess too in some ways (from the perspective of 21st century American) with its class structure and the power of the gentry. Not to mention that India was, at that time, ardently committed to the caste system which was also really hard on the Untouchables. In America, millions of her people were enslaved, which is horrifying. So yes, Gardiner made his fortune in India. If that is too offensive to anyone, please feel free not to read on.
/
Extra Author Note: I keep being harangued by one or more readers who are upset about Aaron Gardiner and his fortune from India. Reluctantly, I am now going to moderate guest/anonymous reviews so I can weed these out. As one of my kind reviewers pointed out, this is just fanfiction. If you want to fight evil in this world, attacking me about a story written about fictional characters from 200 years ago isn't really the best way. I have also tried to delete all the antagonistic reviews from the social justice warriors. I welcome helpful feedback but this is not helpful at all.
/
My P&P books on Amazon:
I am Jael (if you are interested, this ebook is on sale for the next week in the United States.)
The Blind Will See