Posted on 2013-03-10

Fitzwilliam Darcy was a man at war with himself. His duty was in conflict with his emotions. He knew he was wrong to be so attracted to the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet. He knew he was right to stick with all the tenets he had been brought up with: honor the family, consider his bride's connections, marry well, find someone of financial worth and stay in your own social circle. He knew he should not show Elizabeth Bennet any preference, but he was in very great danger of doing so. He was in conflict but he had to remain in control.

Leaving was the answer. Darcy returned to Town and left Miss Elizabeth Bennet behind him. How could he possibly endure the degradation of his family by mixing with hers? The family was a nightmare, oh let me count the ways, he thought. First there was the mother. She was throwing her daughters at every man who passed by. No, that isn't fair. Her intent was no worse than the London mamas, but she did it in such a horrible way. The father seemed astute enough but where were his manners and his sense of duty? Allowing your children to run wild or embarrassing them (and yourself) when you do bring them into line is simply not done. The sisters - ugh - what could he say? Those two youngest were little hellions and the middle child Miss Mary was - well what was she? Certainly not a singer or pianist. Then there was the aunt, shrill and vulgar like her sister, and the uncle a country attorney. Gad, what connections. How could I ever consider aligning myself with them? And relations in trade in Cheapside. More indignity.

"No," thought Darcy, "I must conquer this and think no more on her." As Darcy meditated on the very great pleasure a pair of fine eyes brought to him, his iron will snapped to the surface and squashed those seductive thoughts. "No. Again. No. Get over it, man!"

Darcy sought refuge in work and in men's play. He delved into estate business that had needed attention while he was diverted in Hertfordshire. He fenced with his friends. He rode with his best buddy Bingley. He took out Georgiana more often than usual. He played chess at White's. He spent the holidays with the family at Matlock. He did anything and everything to distract himself and keep himself from thinking about her.

Thursday, late morning

At White's Darcy had just sat down to read the paper while waiting on Bingley to arrive. Not one to pay much attention to the conversations around him, he could not help overhearing the spirited chatter from the group of chairs behind him.

Mr. Clark was claiming "Yes, I tell you, GG has helped me make a fortune. He has good business advice and really he is very hard to get in to see. You know my estate has lots of land but honestly we are a bit short on cash right now. GG has helped me find some investments that are producing cash and helping me over the hump."

Mr. Clarke countered, "GG has helped ME make a fortune. I have partnered with him on an expansion in the canal business to help bring the newer pottery makers to London. He has helped me to work on both sides of the product to invest in the potteries and the new canals to safely transport them to the London distribution area. GG is a genius."

Mr. Aston chimed in with "You fellows are all wet. I tell you GG is advisor solely to my pater. He gives advice to no one else. You must be dealing with an impostor. GG is elusive and exclusive."
At that point, Darcy could eavesdrop no more because Bingley arrived and they wandered off to luncheon. But for all his gentlemanly instincts, Darcy was curious about the discussion he had overheard. Note to self, find out about GG.

Darcy visited his banker two days later. He too had some extra money to invest. His land was extensive, the crops and sheep were doing well, the tenant farms were in good condition but Darcy could see that he needed to do something with the capital he was accumulating. Who better to discuss this with than his banker? Diversify, yes that was the word.

After they finished their exchange of information on other matters, Darcy opened a new line of inquiry by saying, "Mr. Percival, what can you tell me about GG? I heard him mentioned at White's but I know nothing. Can you enlighten me?"

Mr. Percival was very discreet and kept his words at a minimum. "GG is a very shrewd business man who has a keen eye for finding good investments. He has spurred business development in a number of areas and helped many of the Ton increase their capital. We have had several business dealings, all on the up and up. He has done very well. His inventors have done very well. He is a tradesman, an importer I believe, but he knows business. He has his finger on the pulse of many current business opportunities. Are you thinking of investing this extra capital with him? Would you like an introduction?"

Darcy replied that he would, and a meeting was set for the following Wednesday. That afternoon, Darcy was nearing Bingley's home when the front door opened and Miss Jane Bennet exited the home and climbed into a well-maintained carriage. What was she doing here?

Darcy hung back a bit waiting for the carriage to pull away before he approached the door. Thank goodness she did not see him but it awakened thoughts of another Bennet lady. "I will conquer this," he thought. Darcy went into the house and was immediately pulled aside by Miss Bingley.

"Mr. Darcy, one minute earlier and you would have run into Miss Jane Bennet! Oh the presumption she had of coming here. She is just chasing after Charles. I told her that her letters had been lost. Can't that woman take a hint?" Caroline Bingley was flustered and angry. As easy as it was for her to dissemble and step away from the truth, she did get a telling little flush to her neck when she did so. Unfortunately it did not go well with the warm colors that she usually wore, especially the orange.

"Now that she has called on me I shall have to return the call to her. I cannot believe I will be safe there. Cheapside, can you imagine? Mr. Darcy, do you think we should tell Charles she was here? I do not believe we should attempt it. I think it would rekindle those ideas he had while in Hertfordshire last November. Come into tea. Louisa and I were just ready to ring."

Darcy had not a moment to reply to any of the questions he was asked, and he was quickly dragged into tea with the sisters. He thought it was odd that they were sitting down to tea when a guest had just left. Surely they had offered tea to Miss Bennet?

"Mr. Darcy, how nice to see you," said Louisa Hurst. "We are so glad you could join us for tea."

"I will. Thank you. Did you not just have tea with Miss Bennet?" he asked.

A faint little blush crept up Miss Bingley's neck once again as she replied, "We told her that we were leaving the house for an appointment. We did not want her to stay long, you know, the greater chance to run into Charles. The sooner we got her out of the house, the better. So, we did not offer her tea. But now you are here, we are delighted to invite you to stay with us. Charles will be here shortly."

Darcy thought about the duplicity in all that was said and implied. He could not be easy with it but then again, he knew it was for Charles' own good. That matchmaking mother was simply throwing her daughter at Charles. Miss Bennet's affections surely were not engaged. But if they were not engaged, why did Miss Bennet make this visit? Was it solely to see the Bingley sisters? Or did she have another motive? Darcy thought he needed to think on that some more. Could it be possible he was wrong about Jane Bennet's affections?

Wednesday

Darcy and Mr. Percival were waiting in the banking conference room when an elegantly dressed man was ushered in. This man was of middle height, young middle age, impeccably groomed, and had bespoke clothing. Darcy was unsure whether he was with the bank or someone else because he appeared to be as much a gentleman as Darcy himself, neither overly fine nor ostentatious. Mr. Percival introduced the men to each other. The newcomer was Mr. Edward Gardiner.

"How do you do, Mr. Darcy? I am very pleased to meet you. My wife has mentioned your family. She grew up in Lambton, you see."

"Mr. Gardiner, it is a pleasure to meet you. Lambton village is not five miles from my estate. What was her father's name?"

"Burford. Her father was the banker."

"John Burford was your father in law?" A nod from Mr. Gardiner showed that he was. "What a small world. He is the only banker I know who had so many books that he had a small, private lending library. He was truly an amazing man. I was sorry to learn of his death last year."

"Thank you. Yes, he was amazing. My wife misses him very much."

Mr. Percival cleared his throat and Mr. Gardiner continued, "Now, how can I help you Mr. Darcy?"

Darcy explained that he had extra cash on hand and that he could see that there were other revenue avenues open to gentlemen with a broader view of the world than just land, crops and sheep. Mr. Gardiner explained a number of investment opportunities, projected returns, etc. He gave references to Darcy and details of some upcoming ventures that seemed worthwhile. Darcy took the information and promised to review it. They set a meeting for the same day and time the following week.

"Mr. Gardiner, would you explain to me the significance of your name? GG is a bit obscure to me."

"Surely, I will be glad to do so. My home is on Gracechurch Street and my warehouses for my import/export business are nearby. The GG is just shorter and easier to remember then Gardiner's of Gracechurch, the formal name of my firm."

The meeting at the bank ended and Darcy headed home. He had a lot to read and a lot to think about with these investments. And Darcy considered what a gentleman-like man Mr. Gardiner was, even if he was in trade.

Saturday night
Darcy went to the theater that evening alone. He wanted further distraction, but he wasn't that interested in this Shakespeare tragedy. Too much tragedy in his own life. When would he stop thinking about the loss of Elizabeth Bennet? Those investment papers had been a great distraction the past three days. Mr. Edward Gardiner prepared documents that were easy to read and understand for the dangers, benefits and rewards that were associated with each opportunity. Maybe he should get more reading from Mr. Gardiner to further divert himself!

Darcy arrived at the theater with just enough time to spend a few minutes in the lobby and then head to his seat. He was very surprised upon entering to see GG and a woman standing just inside the entrance speaking with Clarke and Clark. Mr. Gardiner was well attired as before and the woman with him was very attractive and just a few years older than himself.

Clarke saw him and motioned him over to say hello, and it was at this time that he was introduced to Mrs. Gardiner. Darcy claimed an acquaintance with her father and expressed his condolences. Mrs. Gardiner's genteel reply encouraged Darcy to continue the conversation on the delights of Derbyshire and the play that they were to see. Soon the gong summoned all to their seats.

Darcy felt his mind wander during the play. "Mr. Gardiner is in trade. He dresses the gentleman, he speaks like a gentleman. Mrs. Gardiner is the daughter of someone that I knew and respected. She was able to hold her own when discussing some of the finer points of this play. What did I expect? Be honest. I expected people in trade to not be so companionable, so amenable to decent society. I would not have considered such a conversation with tradespeople before."

Darcy was a thinker. He had to think more about Miss Bingley and his near-encounter with Miss Bennet. I thought Miss Bennet did not have any affection for Charles but if that is true, why did she visit Bingley's home? Was it to see the Bingley sisters and to further her acquaintance with them? Surely Miss Bennet could see through the falseness of the superior sisters. Even though Miss Bingley might use friendship with a sister to further relationships with a brother - oh yes he knew that was why she was so friendly to Georgiana - Darcy would not ascribe that motive to Miss Bennet. Did her mother make her go? Surely at this distance Miss Bennet could have contrived a way to get out of the visit, had she wanted to do so. He had to admit Miss Bennet was all that was proper and found it difficult to impute any ill motives to her. Did Miss Bennet have an interest in Charles? He needed to think some more on that.

Charles was clearly still infatuated with Miss Bennet, if his daily misery were any indication. Was it right to keep Charles from Miss Bennet when it was obvious Miss Bennet had an interest? So much for my keen observations of Miss Bennet at the Netherfield ball. Did she perhaps mask her true feelings for Charles? Gad, I do that and how can I condemn her for the same behavior? Would I have preferred for Miss Bennet to be forward and express her feelings? I would have condemned that certainly. Would I have preferred that she simper and bat her eyelashes at Charles, like Miss Bingley does for me? Ick. Darcy was thinking he needed to think some more about his expectations of ladies and his relationship with Charles.

Darcy realized he was going around in circles and turned his mind to another topic. Instead of focusing on the play, he thought a bit about his objections to Elizabeth Bennet. One of them was his objection to her relations, including the country attorney and his wife and the other uncle in trade in Cheapside. Well he had to admit that he had recently had a good experience with people in trade. Mr. Gardiner was in trade and clearly he was all that was gentlemanly. Could all tradesmen be so informed, gentlemanly and well bred? And, he had presented Darcy with several business opportunities that looked very good. In fact, he had made up his mind to invest and was looking forward to their next meeting on Wednesday. Certainly Mrs. Gardiner was a help-meet in the truest sense of the word. Maybe he needed to rethink his views on tradesmen. Is it possible that he has been too censorious about other classes? Were there people of worth who were not in the first circles? Darcy needed to think on that.

Darcy realized he was doing a lot of thinking. Well this is good. More thinking about other things means less thinking about Elizabeth Bennet. Oh self-deceit! I'm thinking about her again!

Two weeks later

Darcy arrived at Bingley's just in time to see a carriage pull away from the house. Mrs. Hurst was still in the entry way and said, "Oh Mr. Darcy. You have just missed Caroline." Louisa looked around her to see who was nearby. "She has gone to return the call on Miss Bennet. Hopefully that will be the end of their contact. It is so dreadful. Dear Caro is going into the wilds of Cheapside by herself. Can you believe it? I can't think how she will manage with Miss Bennet and her dreadful aunt Mrs. Gardiner at their little hovel on Gracechurch Street. Poor dear."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Hurst. Did you say Miss Bennet was with her aunt, a Mrs Gardiner on Gracechurch Street?"

"Why yes. That is what she said. Charles is in his study and …"

"Excuse me, Mrs. Hurst. Please give Charles my apologies and tell him that I will see him later. Thank you." Darcy executed a neat bow and hurried out the door.

Think, think. Darcy had to think. Miss Bennet's uncle in trade is GG? Can it be true? How many Gardiner families live on Gracechurch Street? If that is true, then certainly the Miss Bennets have no reason to be ashamed of this aunt and uncle. It dawned on Darcy that the ladies were not ashamed of their relations. It was he who had the problem. Well that is one thing I can strike off the list of objections to Miss Elizabeth.

Think, Darcy. You already considered ideas about Jane Bennet - smiling too much? No. What a stupid thing to say. Not interested in Charles? No, surely she is. Too flirty? No. Too reserved? Gad man, you can't have it both ways. What has happened to your rational thought?

Well if Miss Bennet has an interest in Charles and I have to disregard all my stupid thoughts about her, then should I tell Charles? Would I lose his friendship to admit I may be wrong? Should I see Miss Bennet? What would I say to her? Would she tell Miss Elizabeth? How would Miss Elizabeth feel about learning my part in this subterfuge?

What about her relations? After all, Mrs. Bennet was no worse than the London mamas and her lack of decorum is no worse than Aunt Catherine. The younger sisters should go to school to learn some department. Mr. Bennet was a man out of his depth in a household full of women but he is not Elizabeth. I'm not marrying the family. What? Marry? Yes, man, admit it. You want to marry Miss Elizabeth. You are a fool, a poor besotted fool.

I must conquer this. I will conquer this. I will be going to Aunt Catherine's in a few weeks. The country air, all the estate work and the haranguing of Aunt Catherine will surely help me forget all about Miss Elizabeth Bennet!