I’m done picking a date for this novella that has taken a year+ to write. I give up! It will be done when it’s done. I have 2.5 more chapters to write, (there will be 13 total like every Season of Serendipity book). I have to write the ball scenes and those require happy. I will find a way. I promise. đÂ
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XOXOXO Elizabeth Ann West
Chapter 7 - A Spring Society, a Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation
The morning after the follies, the entire household appeared to require a longer lie in than usual. Mrs. Darcy opened her eyes to her husband, lying on his back, snoring away, with his dark, brunette curls tapering down his forehead and around his ear. Scrunching up her nose as she rolled to her right side properly, she groaned as her ligaments stretched to accommodate the shifting weight in her midsection.
“What? Is it the babe? Are you well?” Mr. Darcy exclaimed at hearing his wife’s slightest distress, though his eyes were still closed.
“I’m perfectly well, William!” Elizabeth managed as she took a deep breath. Somehow the adjustment had repositioned the baby in a manner that crowded her lungs. She closed her eyes and laid a flat palm on the crest of her swollen belly, willing the child to move. Fitzwilliam gently rolled toward his wife, his hands joining hers to offer aid, though he did not know what the problem was.
“Is there pain?” his baritone voice sounded louder and more awake. To Elizabeth’s relief, the baby stirred at the added pressure and perhaps his father’s louder voice, but either way she could breathe more easily.
“This ball is a mistake,” her husband continued.
Elizabeth sighed. “I am not in pain. There was discomfort. I’m afraid this child will be here sooner than later, but the ball is not a mistake. The full moon is next week and we began the invitations last night. The farthest estates have already dispatched this morning and today we will finish those closer to home.”
Elizabeth silently thanked Mr. Darcy’s aunt, Lady Matlock, for insisting they aim for the next full moon and not a month later. She wasn’t sure the babe would wait until next month.
“But that is just before Easter? Surely we cannot expect many to come,” Mr. Darcy rationalized.
Elizabeth smirked. “Is that all the faith you place in my hosting skills?” She laughed as he stumbled to ply her with compliments before she granted him a reprieve. “I do not want a grand ball, dear. Just a ball, before . . .” she looked down at her hand and his, still protectively placed on her midsection.
Mr. Darcy leaned his forehead against hers. “Do you fear?”
Elizabeth bit her lower lip, afraid to even give words to her worst fears. So instead, she declared her most fervent prayers. “I shall not be like Lydia. But are we not called to rejoice each and every day we are granted? Not one of us is promised tomorrow. But of that day and hour knoweth no man . . . “
“No, not even the angels,” Mr. Darcy whispered. He lifted his chin and pulled Elizabeth into an embrace, as much as he could manage with her expected to give birth in less than two month’s time. He calmly reflected how that was another mystery of the Lord: the day and time of a child’s birth.
Before either could speak again, a knock sounded on the door. Husband and wife looked at each other, puzzled, as both of their servants never knocked anymore and had long seen them both many times in any state of undress. To be safe, Darcy called for their visitor to wait while he helped Elizabeth into her robe, and donned his own. Finally, he called for whoever it was to enter.
“My apologies, sir, but I could not locate your man. I have just received a message from the main gate that an unexpected carriage has arrived.”
Mr. Darcy stood and held out his hand as Elizabeth moved to sit up to signal she not bother herself. “The livery?”
The butler blanched. “The House of de Bourgh, sir.”
“Oh heavens!” Elizabeth exclaimed as she ignored her husband’s wishes she stay in bed and rolled to her side. “Have Mrs. Reynolds prepare the green suite.”
“The green suite, ma’am?” The butler asked, looking confused.
“Forgive me, the Matlocks are there. The . . Â no, not the blue one either,” Elizabeth began to run through the various suites of rooms in the house that were in a proper state to host guests. That was one of the tasks to tackle before the full moon. The house had gone so long without social engagements of a grand scale, there were a number of rooms that boasted furnishings and linens from over forty years ago when Mr. Darcy’s parents first wed. Long out of fashion and not inspected with regularity, there was no telling the state of any of it.
Realizing she couldn’t think of any other suite because she still did not have the whole house memorized, Elizabeth looked to her husband. “Mr. Darcy? Do you have a suggestion?”
Mr. Darcy frowned. “Ready no rooms, not until we see who it is. If it is Cousin Anne, she may seek refreshment in Mrs. Darcy’s suite if necessary.”
“Very well, sir,” the butler left to find Mrs. Reynolds, regretting that he was now tasked with an errand fit for any maid to relay.
“Fitzwilliam, what if it’s your aunt? We cannot deny her board,” Elizabeth cautioned.
“We certainly may deny any and all. This is our house, as you have repeatedly pointed out. Besides, I thought you wished for a less full house.” Mr. Darcy began pulling bell cords as Elizabeth smirked.
Suddenly, he dashed around the bed and opened the door to call out down the hall. Only, the butler was gone and instead, Mr. Darcy had the unpleasant opportunity to spy another far down the hall, leaving a room. His uncle, Alistair Darcy, calmly walked away from Mrs. Bennet’s suite of rooms in the same attire he wore last night.
With a scowl, Darcy watched as his philanderous uncle turned the corner, unaffected by any concern of detection.
âFitzwilliam?â Elizabethâs voice reminded him of the other pressing matter.
Darcy stepped back into his suite and closed the door.
âDid you catch him?â she asked as she walked around the bed towards the adjoining door between their rooms.
âNo, but it is no matter.â Fitzwilliam gently waved his hand to comfort his wife just as her maid appeared in the doorway between their rooms, ready to help her mistress with her toilette. Elizabeth paused and looked at her husband expectantly. Quickly, he devised an explanation. âI was merely calling for a tray to be brought up since we will unlikely break our fast.â
Elizabeth nodded at his plan and finally followed her maid into her private dominion of the household.
Alone for a moment, Mr. Darcy closed his eyes and counted as high as he could until his man arrived to help his master. When counting would not relieve his ire, he reviewed the plans for the planting that was in progress, wishing he might ride out and inspect the fields himself if he wasnât so concerned about Elizabeth.
Naturally, the gossip of Mrs. Bennet and Uncle Alistair and the mysterious carriage already carried in whispers from hall boys to junior maids, and Mr. Darcyâs man understood his master to be under enormous pressure. In the span of just half a year, the house of Pemberley had gone from a dormant relic to a bustling hive of drama. Hardly any of the occupants possessed the experience to cope.
****
Chapter 7 (cont'd) - A Spring Society, a Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation
Mr. Gardiner stared at the open sidewalk before his carriage on Oxford Street while his footman waited patiently for his employer to disembark. Swallowing hard the pool of saliva his anxiety produced, Mr. Gardiner slid his body across the bench and handed his walking stick out the door. Using both hands on the newly fastened handles along the doorframe, he cautiously stood on the first step with his good leg, gently placed weight on his bad leg, and used his arms to lessen the weight on his bad foot before his good one hopped down to the last step. As he reached for his walking stick, he took his last step with his bad leg. The ornate fashion accessory provided much needed dignity since his accident, but Mr. Gardiner was still thankful he could walk to his appointment with his solicitor.
“Thank you, Henry.” Mr. Gardiner said to the young footman who handed his employer his top hat before scrambling onto the back of the carriage. Mr. Gardiner told his driver to return in one hourâs time, then turned around and sighed at the daunting flights of steps up into the building. Perhaps his pride against a sedan chair was folly after all.
It felt as though the entire town of London fell under some great spell of reconstruction. Edward Gardiner distracted himself from the onerous task of taking the stairs slowly and deliberately by recounting all of the homes of his friends he had seen remodeled in the last year. Madeline had asked for him to raise the topic with his solicitor, but Edward felt their family had endured enough disharmony in the last year that they did not need wall movers and plasterers in their humble home.
Despite his new affliction that remained from his carriage accident the previous year, Mr. Gardiner was never late for an appointment. The same was true for today and so he only waited in the foyer a few minutes before being ushered into Mr. Sandbach’s office.
“Edward!” Mr. Sandbach held out a hand to greet his client. Edward and John Sandbach had grown to know each other well over the decade plus that John had been managing the Gardiner affairs. An old classmate of the deceased Robert Bennet, the connection was afforded to the Gardiner family after Robert married Edwardâs sister, Fanny.
“I had just been reading the arrival announcement for your vessel. Was she not due to come in in two weeks?”
Edward Gardiner smirked. He nodded.
“Arrived last week.” Mr. Gardiner accepted a cup of tea from the young maid who served both men before discreetly leaving the office.
John Sandbach sat back in his chair and marveled at the man in front of him. “Last week? You managed to find a sea captain who brings goods back ahead of schedule?”
Mr. Gardiner shook his head and took a sip of the excellently strong brew in his hand. “Time and tide wait for no man. Nor can I bend the seas to my will. I can, however, report different dates of expected arrival to both improve the confidence of my investors and avoid any premeditated curiosity over my goods.”
Over the past ten years, Gardiner’s Imports and Exports had expanded through the careful investing of Edward, Mr. Bennet, and a few other gentlemen who wished to remain anonymous. From the small warehouse owned by Mr. Gardiner’s father, the business now boasted three warehouses near the heart of London and four vessels that kept the arrival of goods from around the world readily available so long as the Thames was not frozen over. The first few years had been a real struggle for Mr. Gardiner and his wife as the margin of error between success and ruin had laid upon a razorâs edge. Unfortunately, Edward Gardiner had not disabused his wife of still living as though his business were still so precarious, a policy that fattened his ledger year after year.
John Sandbach tapped the side of his nose in respect of his client. “I received your note and I must say, I found the request rather odd. So perhaps you might explain in more detail the changes you wish for me to make to the account for Miss Mary?”
“Miss Bennet,” Mr. Gardiner corrected him and the solicitor’s eyes widened. Mr. Gardiner chuckled, “You knew of Elizabeth’s marriage, but I’m afraid Jane has also tiptoed down the church aisle without any of us being the wiser. She is now Lady Graham Hamilton in Scotland. However, there has been a request for half for Lydia’s portion to be reallocated to the name of this child,” Mr. Gardiner handed over piece of parchment to his solicitor rather than speaking the name aloud, signaling no discussion necessary for the transaction. “And I should like Mary’s account to become her own.”
Mr. Sandbach read the name on the scrap of parchment, then looked up at Mr. Gardiner, very perplexed. Mr. Gardiner grimaced and shook his head and the solicitor pursed his lips.
âHe is not Robertâs natural child,â Edward offered.
With Lydia’s unexpected death of fever last summer, Mr. Sandbach could guess who birthed the child named for the deceased Mr. Bennet. But ever a man of discretion, Mr. Sandbach did not press for details. The request for Miss Bennet’s account, however, was more difficult.
“I’m afraid there is a small obstacle to your request. We both know the particular wording of the last will and testament of your brother and my friend.”
“Indeed,” Mr. Gardiner said. “While Mary is not of age for the money to become hers in her own right, she has left a letter for my wife and I that she has eloped with Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. So I believe she would qualify under the marriage clause her father instituted.”
NEW RELEASE
For the Love of a Bennet
What if Elizabeth Bennet traveled with Lydia to Brighton?
A reimagining of Jane Austen’s most beloved tale, Pride & Prejudice, join author Elizabeth Ann West as she writes the romantic adventure story she always wanted! When Lizzy and Lydia arrive in Brighton, it’s very clear that the younger Bennet sister came with very serious plans towards Mr. Wickham. Thankfully, an old ally is also in town, with problems of his own to solve. After Mr. Darcy, himself, is summoned to Brighton to hopefully solve two dilemmas with one wealthy member of the gentry, the whole militia is thrown into an uproar by Wickham’s most dastardly deed, yet. Together, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have to save Lydia from her own undoing, or it will mean more than just mere reputations are ruined.
For the Love of a Bennet is a novel length story, currently being posted chapter by chapter on Elizabeth’s author site. This story was originally conceptualized in 2019 as a part of the All Go to Brighton challenge.
Chapter 7 (cont'd) - A Spring Society, a Pride and Prejudice Novella Variation
The second letter that Mr. Gardiner handed his solicitor still did not erase the grim expression on the man’s face.
“I’m afraid this is still irregular, and elopement? I imagine there are objections to the match?” Mr. Sandbach knew better than any the additional restrictions placed on the monies transferring to the Bennet daughters. He had written them. They had to be most careful to move the money out from under control of the estate, yet still use civil law to prevent the young women from abusing the generosity or becoming victims of a fortune hunter.
Mr. Gardiner laughed. “As irregular as it sounds, there is none who object to the match. The good colonel is due to deploy and I’m afraid the middle Bennet daughter turned out to be a dark horse where it came to pursuing her aims. They had planned a grand occasion here in London during the Season, but it would appear the groom will not be able to attend such an engagement. Afraid his bride has taken matters into her own hands and insisted on the anvil.”
John Sandbach joined his client in his laughter, a hearty tale of good news both men could appreciate.
“I’m still afraid,” Mr. Sandbach said as he brought himself back under good regulation, “until there is proof of their marriage, I cannot overrule the particular restrictions placed on her funds.â
Mr. Gardiner was afraid of this, but he was also no fool. He had another solution in mind. And so he handed over the third letter in his possession to his solicitor, one penned in the Colonel’s own hand. The bottom was signed and witnessed by both Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Darcy. “Then please add Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam to the account so that he and Mary may withdraw the funds freely.”
The solicitor was impressed Mr. Gardiner had found the solution he was just about to suggest. As Mr. Sandbach arranged the three pieces of parchment to address later, he noticed his client making preparations to leave. So he politely interrupted him.
“Edward, before you go, there is one matter I wish to address and I hope I do not cause offense.”
Edward Gardiner slowly turned his head back to his solicitor, as he did not care for surprises.
“Oh dear, as my wife would say, this sounds ominous.” Mr. Gardiner offered the deadpan humor and made his solicitor nervously laugh.
“No, though I have a feeling Mrs. Gardiner will greatly appreciate what I’m about to propose.” John Sandbach stood up from his desk and walked over to his one window staring out over the bustling streets of London below. “Fifteen years ago, you came to me with my friend Bennet, and employed our firm to handle your affairs. No one knew the Gardiner family, though all might suspect the roots, it was a name that would not open doors like say the name of Bennet.” Mr. Sandbach reminisced, but spoke frankly. He glanced at his client to see that Edward was nodding. “Have you given any thought to your legacy? No one could deny that your family is on the rise.”
Edward thought about his five children and his wife, crammed in their townhome near his warehouses. Mrs. Gardiner had never complained greatly about their ever-shrinking living accommodations, but with him taking up one room on the ground floor for his office, and the arrival of little Constance, even he had begun to recognize time was coming to change their living conditions.
“Are you suggesting that perhaps I move my family to a larger home in London? Or perhaps we could make an offer to my neighbors and I could expand our townhome into the neighboring one? I’ve heard they are doing such things over in Grosvenor Square where the front is maintained as though it is a number of residences, but inside through a series of connecting doors and hallways, the home is much larger.” Mr. Gardiner tried to guess what his solicitor was suggesting, but John shook his head.
“I would say the real estate market in London is far too speculative at the moment.”
Both men sagely nodded their heads in agreement as the solicitor made the extraordinary gesture of respect and poured Mr. Gardiner another cup of tea. “I was suggesting a country estate for your wife and children to enjoy, and yourself, to restore your health.”
Mr. Gardiner’s hands shook slightly as he accepted the teacup. “I could hardly afford such an extravagance.”
John Sandbach collapsed in his chair and the grim expression held so often by a man of his profession returned. He opened a drawer and pulled out two portfolios to place them upon his desk.
“In full disclosure, the two pieces of property here before me are not on the open market. I would need your assurances that it remains so. But as I represent these families as well, and knowing your assets, I believe either one of these homes would go a long way to raising the Gardiner name. Think of your children, Edward, think of your children the way Robert thought of his. You will have no difficulty setting aside for their futures, but we both know money is not all that makes a man respectable.”
Edward Gardiner sighed as he felt a slight discomfort in the reminder of his family’s position in trade. While he had married within his sphere, his sister had found her way into a more elevated position — the flexibility afforded women with large dowries when they could help support an old ancestral home like Longbourn. But Edward thought of his two sons, and realized his solicitor was correct. Resigning himself to his fate pursuing an identity of a country gentleman, he calmly asked his solicitor for a note be given to his driver that his meeting would run longer.
“Certainly,” Mr. Sandbach answered, ringing a bell that made a messenger appear almost immediately at the door. After instructions were dispatched for the Gardiner driver, John placed his hands over each portfolio and had a question for one of his favorite clients. “Before we begin, is there any feature you would prefer on a property of your own?”
Mr. Gardiner finished his second cup of tea and leaned back in his chair, puffing his chest out with sudden joy of something he had not given himself license to think about in many years.
“Just one thing I would require, and that would be a stream or pond for fishing.”
You’ve been reading A Spring Society.
Book 6 of The Seasons of Serendipity, continues to tell the fate of the Bennet family after the death of their patriarch, Mr. Bennet, in Book 1, A Winter Wrong.Â
After a winter of wonders, from a Darcy babe making his growth known to the arrival of Darcy’s uncle, Alistair Darcy, the Bennet, Darcy, and Fitzwilliams families became further entwined with the engagement of Mary Bennet to Colonel Fitzwilliam. Spring 1813 continues to delight the Darcys as they come up on their first year anniversary and welcome a new addition to the family. Â
The Seasons of Serendipity are novella length episodes to be read and enjoyed like our favorite hour-long BBC dramas. The series has 5 novellas in the main storyline, and a bonus novella that follows Jane Bennet’s adventures in Scotland with the handsome, reluctant Lord Graham Hamilton in A January for Jane.
A Spring Society Book 6 of the Seasons of Serendipity.
a Pride and Prejudice novella variation series
Release Date: TB, 2018 (direct preorder), TBD other vendors
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~ 175 pages in print
+ 23 additional Pride & Prejudice variations are available at these fine retailers . . .
Thank you for your comments. They help me write more.Â
XOXOXO Elizabeth Ann West
A Jane-of-all-trades, mistress to none! Elizabeth Ann West is the author of 8 novels and 11 novellas, 18 of which are story variations of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.
Just reading this novella. Even with all the upheaval in your personal life, you have written such an engaging story.
Your writing is like a fine wine , it gets better with time!
Excellent. I wish I had one out of my many uncles with a character like Mr. Gardiner. Unfortunately, I have many resembling Uncle Darcy. I think Mary is very special to him. He is very protective of her even though she scare him routinely.
What is Ann like? She has a mind of her own, but does she have the willpower to overcome her motherâs abusive control. Love when Aunt Catherine submits to being âhumanâ instead of ending a pathetic super villain. Wouldnât it be something if she and Mrs. B had a like for old Uncle D…..
Although I resisted reading the chapters, I couldn’t stop reading once I begun. You are an amazing writer and strong woman to do such beautiful work at this difficult time. I admire you. Of course, I read the series and then couldn’t wait for “A January for Jane”. Bought it, love it and re-read it over and over. I pre-ordered this book. Thank you, thank you for such lovely entertaining and engaging books.
I just found more chapters and am happily continuing the story.