Goodly Creatures: A Pride and Prejudice Deviation (18 page)

As she had been warned, music was very important to the service, and young Mrs Jones played the hymns on the pianoforte. Lizzy found the hymns beautiful with a haunting, melancholy sound. Mrs Wilder accompanied her on the harp, and Dr Wilder contributed with an instrument he called an Irish whistle. Though she understood little of the service, Elizabeth felt her worries lessen while in the company of this jubilant congregation.

Mrs Gardiner took her cousin Jamie for a walk after the service. She did not want to be overheard by anyone, especially Lizzy. “Jamie, I am very worried. She is young, and so very small. I allowed her to go alone to visit Mrs Darcy. Her parents would be completely justified in blaming me for her situation. I will never forgive myself if anything should happen to her.”

Jamie looked fierce and said, “You are not to blame for what Mrs Darcy and Lord Wolfbridge did. How could ye know such important personages would be so vicious?”

“I do not believe Mrs Darcy was cruel as much as careless. She thought little about what her cousin might do and only wanted to curry favour with him and so agreed to his request.”

Dr Wilder shook his head in disgust. “Maggie, whether she was thoughtless or cruel, the result is the same. The Darcy and Fitzwilliam families are important to my reputation in Derbyshire, so I must overlook the despicable behaviour of the great Mrs Darcy. Besides, it is she who seems to have come out the winner.” He reined in his anger before he spoke again. “But, I refuse to forget the agony experienced by that slip of a girl. The resilience with which your Lizzy is facing her ordeal is remarkable. Ay, she who is a mere child herself—who could have been destroyed by what happened—is, as we speak, captivating the children with the story of the wrongfully accused Rhiannon.”

“Jamie, I know how brave and sensible she is, but will she be safe?”

“She is small but looks sturdy, and her rosy complexion speaks of health. Tell me about her ma.” Jamie led his cousin to a bench some distance away from the house.

“Her mother had five babies, and she told me before Davy was born that they were all relatively easy confinements. I believe all were born within six hours of her pains beginning. Elizabeth’s mother has a tendency to complain about imaginary ailments, but she has always seemed quite proud of her ability to deliver easily.” A thoughtful expression settled in her eyes as she shared some information that she had been contemplating lately. “What she seems saddened by is that she never had a male offspring. It causes her to feel she has failed her husband and daughters.”

Jamie smiled sadly at Mrs Bennet’s feelings of inadequacy—he had met many women of quality who valued their worth based on the children they were either able or unable to produce. But, he needed to gather information, so he brought the conversation back to Miss Elizabeth. “Has your niece ever been ill?”

“I think my sister said she had a difficult case of measles when she was two. In general, all of the Bennet girls are remarkably healthy. I would not worry about Lizzy, except for her age and size. She is also very saddened by her circumstances, but we have seen her rally a bit lately.” Margaret Gardiner smiled at her cousin as she said, “you made it clear what you think of Mrs Darcy, but what is your opinion of him?”

Jamie Wilder looked thoughtful as he said, “He appears to be a good man and seems serious about honouring his obligations. The Darcy family, as ye well remember, is much respected in Derbyshire. Both of Mr Darcy’s parents were well-liked by their tenants and servants… the same is true of the son.” Jamie returned his cousin’s smile with a smirk. “Maggie me love, until ye told me about this little one’s horrific troubles, I had no opinion of the present Mrs Darcy; but the prevailing gossip in the area wonders why the master of Pemberley settled for a marriage of convenience.”

Margaret laughed at her cousin. “Jamie, how did you become such a master of all the gossip in Derbyshire, and particularly about the goings on at Pemberley?”

Jamie’s eyes could not hide the mirth he felt at his cousin’s question, but he tried to answer her with a sober face. “Ah, it is a hazard of my profession. People just seem to want to confide in me. They are feeling poorly, or a loved one is ill… they feel vulnerable, so they talk.” His face settled into a conspiratorial look before he continued. “As ye know, Sir Gareth is one of my closest acquaintances, and his steward, Mr Reynolds has also become a friend. Mr Reynolds is Mr Darcy’s housekeeper’s brother. They do not talk about anything improper, but she keeps her brother abreast of all the goings-on at the estate and sooner or later I hear of them as well.”

“Well, Cousin, the information you have shared gives me hope the child will have a good life. But, I pray that Lizzy is able to come to terms with the advantages of Mr and Mrs Darcy raising the baby. Suppose as she matures she comes to regret the decision. At times I catch her with her hand on her stomach and a faraway look in her eyes. I believe she has developed a connection with this babe. However, my biggest fear is that something will happen to her during childbirth. Learning of her death and the circumstances would surely destroy her family.”

Jamie gave his cousin a hug and when he released her, a huge grin crossed his face, and he said, “Ye must not worry, Cousin dear. Bronwyn Hinton will feed her the most delicious food and make her strong, Ma will play for her and soothe her savage breast. I will charm her with my delightful Irish wit. Altogether, she will be so distracted she will forget her troubles.”

Maggie Gardiner punched her cousin’s arm, and he doubled over in feigned pain. She was pleased he seemed more cheerful about his own sadness than the last time she had seen him.

Elizabeth was tearful in the carriage after she said goodbye to her aunt, uncle and cousins. She knew she would see them once more the following Sunday, before they returned to London; but she also knew moving to the Wilders was one more door closing. She turned her head so that Dr and Mrs Wilder could not see her childish behaviour.

Dr Wilder knew she was crying but did not disturb her. He was very familiar with the need to shed tears as a way to find comfort. Jamie had learned enough about her that he was certain she would survive and even find a way to thrive. Mr Gardiner had told him the story of her confronting the Darcys and Lord Wolfbridge to demand money. He very much admired that she had a bit of the rebel in her.

The Wilders’ house appeared to Lizzy to be something out of a children’s storybook. It looked like a large cottage and was made entirely of grey stone. The front door was surrounded by an arbour of pink roses and there were beds of colourful flowers on both sides of the door. Elizabeth saw Hollyhocks in the back, fronted by Sweet William, Lilies, Alyssum and Foxglove to name just a few. Mrs Wilder told her that the flowers were her indulgence, and that Mrs Hinton had a serious vegetable and herb garden in the back. She alluded to the fact that Mrs Hinton was both an amazing cook and knew a great deal about medicinal plants.

The house was shared by the Wilders and the Hintons. There also seemed to be little in the way of distinction between master and servant. They functioned quite cooperatively, with a division of labour to keep the house running smoothly. Mrs Hinton cooked, tended the kitchen garden and did the laundry. Mrs Wilder did much of the cleaning, kept the accounts and ordered supplies. Actually, she made lists and Mr Hinton would go into Lambton and get what they needed. The two men did the heavy lifting such as carrying the buckets of hot water for baths.

Reliable transportation was crucial to Dr Wilder’s practice. He had an old Berlin that could convey the entire household when necessary, a gig he used to visit patients, a cart and five horses. They could afford the extravagance because the household cared for nothing but the reliability of the conveyances. They spent nothing on fancy liveries, drivers or grooms as was the fashion. Keeping everything running smoothly was Ferrell Hinton’s main responsibility. He was the son of the blacksmith in Lambton. Though his older brother was due to inherit his father’s business, Ferrell had learned from childhood to be a master metalworker. He could fashion almost anything from iron, and was quickly becoming renowned in Derbyshire for the decorative gates and other objects he made.

Mr Hinton had recently fashioned a madeleine pan for his wife. She had learned to make the delectable little sea shell shaped cakes while working in the kitchens at Bryn Mawr, Sir Gareth’s estate. Lizzy quickly grew to love them, and Mrs Hinton made them a regular at tea for her pleasure.

Elizabeth was given the job of watching the two older children, and it was particularly satisfying to her when she was occasionally requested to help with Morgan. Within weeks, she had become an important member of the group. There was a calm atmosphere and a sense of purpose that was missing from Longbourn. Their existence seemed to be ruled by Ecclesiastes and the verses she had loved since childhood.
‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.’
This was a house dedicated to bringing life into the world and to ease the pain of those who were about to leave.

Elizabeth quickly came to admire Dr Wilder. Though not the most handsome of men, he was in many ways the most agreeable man with whom she had ever been acquainted. He was not tall like Mr Darcy, but she hardly noticed his lack of height due to his beautiful dark wavy mane. He explained his mother and Mr Davies’ hair had been like his before it turned silver. As with both of them, he had an imposing mien with very pronounced features. To Lizzy, he seemed one of those personages that were larger than life.

Elizabeth best liked the fact that he always knew how to accommodate his demeanour to fit the mood of his audience. She determined it must be an important trait for a physician and noticed he often seemed intent on pulling her out of the doldrums with his wit and humour. She was drawn to his way of speaking—his accent was not broad but there was a lovely lilt to the cadence of his words.

When he found out she was interested in the French Revolution, he spent much of their time together telling her what he knew on the subject and suggesting books for her to read. He related history much the way she told stories. It was never dry and boring, nor was his version of events like her father’s cynical interpretation; instead he made the retelling interesting and exciting. She also came to realize he was a passionate partisan of one side or the other in the information he relayed.

Within days of her arrival at his house, she became Lizzy to him, and he became Jamie to her.