Of Whispers and Wisdom: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Jae George

Author:Jae George [George, Jae]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2023-02-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“Good morning, Georgie,” William greeted his sleepy sister the following morning as she entered the breakfast room. “Thank you for planning that lovely dinner party last night, dearest. It was splendid.”

“You’re welcome, Brother. It was honestly a pleasure to host such a cordial group of guests. Unlike like one of our dinners with extended family,” she laughed quietly.

“Too true, dearest. Now, I am going to Mr. Gardiner’s warehouse to speak to him this morning. What are your plans?”

“I thought that I might call on Gracechurch Street today, William. Should I take another carriage or ride there with you? Surely you will stop at the Gardiner home after meeting with Mr. Gardiner at his office.”

He glanced at his pocket watch and then nodded. “I will be leaving in an hour. You can travel with me if you can be ready to go by then. Otherwise, you can ride over with a maid and Bingley whenever he rises and prepares to visit Miss Bennet.” He placed on kiss on the top of her head as he left the room, a habit left over from her childhood.

When Darcy returned to the room, Bingley was there drinking a second cup of coffee after breaking his fast. When he had informed his friend of his plans to go ahead to Cheapside to speak privately to Mr. Gardiner before arriving at Gracechurch Street, Bingley stopped him by lifting a letter up to his view. “A letter from Caroline, Darcy. As we predicted, she has instructed Mrs. Nicholls to shut up Netherfield, and she and the Hursts are probably at the Hursts’ townhouse by now. I will send an express to Mrs. Nicholls to make sure that she was able to give Caroline the impression that she was shutting up the house while keeping it open as I instructed her.”

“This actually works into our plans, Bingley. With no one at Netherfield to receive news of our outings here in London, we should be able to keep our secrets until we are ready to return. Shall I tell Mason to inform your sisters that we are not at home when they call?”

“Definitely,” was Bingley’s overly cheerful reply.

*****

“Please come into my office and have a seat, Darcy,” Mr. Gardiner beckoned the young man. “Would you care for some coffee?”

“Absolutely, Gardiner. If you have some of that blend I so enjoyed at your home available, I would love a cup.”

After giving his secretary the order for coffee and biscuits, Gardiner returned to the chair behind his cluttered desk. “What can I do for you today?” he asked with an expectant smile.

“First, sir, I have been meaning to tell you that I would like to make sure that Elizabeth has all the outerwear she will need for a Derbyshire winter: fur-lined hats, cloaks, boots, and anything else Mrs. Gardiner thinks she may need. And, of course, send the bill to me and then send the clothing on to Pemberley, if you will. And anything else your wife may think of to add just because Elizabeth would like it.

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