Anna Bingley, who was Catherine's cousin, had always regarded her with respect, while Jonathan had had reason to be grateful for her steadfast, generous spirit at a time when he had been driven close to despair. His first marriage to her youngest sister Amelia-Jane had ended tragically, but Catherine, unlike some others, had never blamed him nor closed the door upon their familial relationship. He had the utmost regard for her, especially seeing her continuing efforts to contribute to the improvement of the people of the parish at Hunsford, even after the death of her husband.
Both Mr and Mrs Bingley were keen to discover how she was coping with life at the Dower House and what changes were in train at Hunsford. Having satisfied their interest on these and other family matters, Catherine proceeded to the main reason for her visit to Grosvenor Street.
She began by revealing Mr John Adams's proposal of marriage to Lilian.
"I hope, my dear Jonathan and Anna, that I do not presume too much upon our family connections by asking you to read this letter and to let me have the benefit of your thoughts on the subject. I am now placed in a situation where my youngest child Lilian is growing up without the advantage of her father's guiding hand, and in matters such as this, I am wary of making decisions entirely on my own. I should value very much any information or opinion you may wish to share with me, which will enable me to make the right decision for Lilian's sake."
Jonathan and his wife looked at one another, a little surprised but not at all discomposed by Catherine's appeal.
Anna had supposed, when her husband had told her of Catherine's desire to visit them and speak in private, that it was a matter concerning her sister Mrs Tate. She had known for some time that Catherine did not always share Rebecca's views, nor was she comfortable with some of her sister's society friends. Tales of Rebecca's friend Lady Ashton had filtered down to Hertfordshire and thence to Netherfield through letters received by her aunt Charlotte Collins, and they had enjoyed many an anecdote together. While Anna had some sympathy for Becky Tate, she had little in common with her.
Catherine Harrison was not the type of person who would seek to spread gossip or rumour, however, and Anna was not very surprised that her visit concerned not Rebecca—at least not directly—but Lilian and Mr Adams.
"I am not so ingenuous as to seek your intervention in Lilian's affairs, indeed I find it difficult enough to do so myself; yet as her only living parent, I have to decide how to respond to Mr Adams," she said, then appealed for their help. "And to do so, I ask only that you tell me honestly and without prejudice of any information, favourable or otherwise, which may reflect upon his character and his capacity to make my daughter a good husband. I ask no more and I give you my word that neither Lilian nor Mr Adams will ever know of this conversation. Anything you may choose to tell me will remain completely confidential."
After a short silence, it was Jonathan Bingley who spoke first.
"Mrs Harrison, I am sure I speak for Anna as well as myself when I say we are genuinely touched by your trust and the confidence you have placed in us. We are both aware of the onerous responsibility you bear since the death of Mr Harrison, more particularly for Lilian's welfare and happiness, and we would not hesitate to assist you in any way we can.
"As to the matter of Mr Adams's proposal, I think it is a fair letter; he places before you all of the facts regarding his circumstances, openly and without any equivocation. Would you not agree, my dear?" he asked, turning to his wife, who agreed immediately, adding, "Indeed, it is simple, unpretentious, and to the point," she said.
"But is he the right man for my Lilian?" asked Catherine. "Can he make her happy? What do we know of his character and family?"
This time Jonathan Bingley was more cautious.
"My dear Mrs Harrison, on that score, we none of us can say with any certainty that John Adams or any other eligible young man is right for Lilian. That is a matter which ultimately only Lilian can decide."
Seeing her face tauten as with disappointment, he added swiftly, "However, I am able to say, from my knowledge of Mr Adams and on the basis of his excellent references, that he has a fine reputation for hard work and honesty and has conducted himself in an exemplary fashion during the time he has been employed by the Rosings Trust. I can find no flaw in his character or his conduct so far. Both Anna and I conversed with him at length when he first applied for the position and were convinced of his suitability for the job. He has proved us right by performing all his duties and, on occasion, more than his duties, exceedingly well," said Jonathan.
"Did not his previous employer say anything concerning the situation of his family?" asked Catherine. "I understand that his mother has lived all her life in France…"
She seemed puzzled and on this matter, it was Anna who responded. "I have learned that his father was the youngest of three sons of a wealthy family of landowners in the north; but he left England to live in France following a bitter quarrel with his father and brothers," she said, adding, "I know also, and I had this from Mr Adams himself, that his mother was a Frenchwoman, the daughter of an émigré family who settled in England following the revolution. She was, he told me, an accomplished musician and teacher of the French language and he credits her with teaching him to appreciate the fine arts."
Catherine listened intently, appearing to take in everything Anna had said, and when Jonathan intervened to ask, "Have you answered his letter?" she nodded slowly and said, "I have, but only to thank him and say that if he succeeded in securing my daughter's affections, I would consider giving my consent. I know it is old-fashioned, but Lilian is not yet eighteen and I felt constrained to let him know that I need to satisfy myself that he would make her a good husband.
"You see, my dear Jonathan and Anna, I cannot forget the misery that my sister's daughter, Josie, God rest her soul, brought upon herself, poor Julian Darcy, Mr and Mrs Darcy, and all of their family, by making a hasty and unsuitable marriage. Indeed, Becky still blames herself for encouraging Josie to accept Julian, when the girl herself appeared to have reservations about the match. Josie was unsure that she wanted to be Mistress of Pemberley, but the prospect of seeing her daughter in that role at some future date must have been too tempting for Becky to resist. Clearly Josie and Julian were unsuited to marry and made one another miserable. To promote the marriage in the face of her doubts was a serious error of judgment.
"I do not wish to see Lilian make a similar mistake, and while I do not intend to interfere or forbid her to marry whomever she pleases, I would very much like to feel that if she accepts Mr Adams, she does so with the best chance of happiness and with full knowledge of his circumstances."
Both Jonathan and his wife understood Catherine's predicament and sympathised with her. Yet neither could entirely satisfy her quest for certainty regarding Mr John Adams. Catherine spoke softly, almost to herself, "I suppose I shall have to ask him directly if there is anything in his background or character of which I should be told. If he is the frank, honest young man we think he is, he will tell me and I think I shall be able to judge if he is speaking the truth."
Although Anna Bingley felt Catherine's approach might prove rather confronting, she agreed that it was certainly one way of putting Mr Adams's candour to the test.
Her husband was more circumspect. "Catherine, to my mind, John Adams is a personable young man of talent and integrity, who has proved he is capable of doing a difficult job well. If you must ask him such a deeply personal question, it would be best to put it to him as gently as possible. It is my belief that it would be neither fair nor useful to make him feel as though he were on trial."
Catherine smiled, nodded, and thanked him for his good advice. She rose to leave and embraced her cousin Anna warmly and thanked them both again.
"Coming to see you has helped me immensely. Mama always said you had a wiser head on your shoulders than many an older man, Jonathan, and I agree with her. Thank you both for letting me share my problem with you; I am quite clear in my mind now about what I must do."
Jonathan had sent for his curricle to convey Catherine to the Tate residence. As they accompanied her to the door, she asked, "Shall we see you at Rosings Park in the near future, Jonathan?"
To which he replied, "Indeed you shall, for I am due to attend the meeting of the Trust next month, and we hope there to reach agreement on your application for the school."
"And can we expect that you will have time to dine with Lilian and me at the Dower House whilst you are at Rosings?"
"Of course, I should be most happy to do so—I dislike dining alone; it will be a pleasure and I shall look forward to it," he answered.
This put Catherine in an especially good mood as she returned to her sister's house, there to find Lilian packed and ready for their journey to Kent on the morrow.
Chapter Eleven
The journey from London to Kent was accomplished with remarkable speed and in considerable comfort, since they had secured, through the good offices of Mr Burnett, excellent seats in a first-class carriage on the train.
On reaching their destination, they took a hired vehicle that transported the four of them comfortably to Rosings Park, where the early signs of Spring were everywhere and served to cheer them up after the grey skies and fogs of London.
Alighting at the Dower House, they were welcomed home by Mrs Giles the housekeeper, and Mr Burnett was invited in to partake of a much-longedfor cup of tea. Looking out on the garden in which some impatient daffodils were pushing up their heads already and drifts of tiny snowdrops lay under the trees, Catherine sighed, "I am glad indeed to be home, though I must not let myself become too attached to this place."
Mr Burnett looked concerned, "Why not, Mrs Harrison? You have no plans to move away, surely?"
She laughed, "No indeed, but my plans must always be subject to the wishes of the Rosings Trust. We live here, Lilian and I, at their pleasure. It was arranged by Mr Darcy and Jonathan Bingley, following the death of Mr Harrison, to allow me time to make some more permanent arrangement. I have to confess that I have not given that matter much thought, but I shall need to do so fairly soon."
"But should the Trust agree to your parish school, will that not mean you can continue to occupy this house?"
"Not necessarily; that would be a different matter altogether," she replied. "If it were to be extended, I would have to pay something on the lease. I could not impose upon their generosity any further."
"And how long does your present arrangement have to run?" asked Mr Burnett, and then as if realising that he was asking too many questions, he coloured and said, "Forgive me, I know it is none of my business… I did not mean to pry."
Catherine laughed. "There is no secret about it—the lease was paid for one year by Mr Darcy and will expire at the end of Autumn. So there is still plenty of time."
At that, Lilian, who had said nothing during their conversation, rose, and saying she was rather tired, asked to be excused and went upstairs.
Mr Burnett, who had risen to his feet, was about to take his leave, when Catherine asked if he would take another cup of tea. The question was clearly an invitation to him to stay on a little longer, and since it was still light outside, he thanked her and returned to his seat.
Catherine took her time, waiting for a fresh pot of tea to be brought in; when the maid had left the room, she poured out a cup and as she handed it to him, said in a somewhat guarded voice, "Mr Burnett, regarding the subject we discussed last week, before leaving for London, I think you will be happy to learn that having consulted with Mr and Mrs Bingley, who know Mr Adams well, I have decided to let the matter proceed to its conclusion between the two persons involved."
Frank Burnett, amazed at the coolness of her voice and manner, responded with some interest.
"Indeed? I am very glad to hear it. Does that mean you have given your consent?"
"There are one or two matters on which I am unclear. But, if the gentleman secures the lady's acceptance and comes to me, he shall have my consent on condition he gives me certain information, which only he can provide. If he does this to my satisfaction, I shall have no objection at all."
Mr Burnett knew that he could not expect her to tell him upon what matters she intended to question Mr Adams and discreetly took the subject no further, except to say, "I do most sincerely hope he will be able to satisfy you. I have found him to be an exceptional young man."
Catherine smiled and said, "I am happy to hear you say so. That is Mr Bingley's opinion, too."
Not long afterwards, Mr Burnett left to return to his lodgings and Catherine retired to her room, to rest awhile before dinner.
Later that night, after they had dined, mother and daughter were alone in the parlour, before the embers of a dying fire. As the last flames flickered out and the room grew cold, Lilian rose and, pulling her shawl around her, asked, "Shall I stoke it up, Mama? It needs more coal, I think."