In her imagination, her husband would write, and she would make fair copies for him, and encourage him, and welcome his interesting friends to the house, and they would enjoy precisely that balance of solitude and sociability which represented the ideal existence for both of them. They would be very happy indeed.
Even practical-minded Susan gloried in the secret romance, and to Betsey, who already loved him, William Gibson continued to be a revelation. She was greatly benefitted by the advent of this new brother, this kind, patient, and intelligent man, in her narrow world.
Mr. Gibson enjoyed his visit to Scotland - enjoyed it only as much, that is, as a man very much in love and parted from his sweetheart, can be supposed to do. In his walks with Fanny, he was no less eloquent on the landscapes and beauty of that northern country as he was on the visions of the future conjured up by the steamboat Comet.
The pictures of the lochs and the crags which he sketched with words were delightful to Fanny, and of equal interest were his speculations about the epochs to come.
As well, he and Fanny were able to untangle some perplexing misunderstandings and talk over the blunders and delights of the past two years, and in fact traced and re-traced them together more than once.
“When Lady Delingpole told me you were to marry Mr. Edifice,” he exclaimed in one such conversation, “I could not believe it—would not believe it—and yet, I feared it was true.”
“I should have thought you knew me better than to suppose it!”
“You must account for the effects of jealousy and wounded pride, upon an otherwise rational man,” Mr. Gibson rejoined, drawing Fanny’s arm more securely within his own. “But you are so free from such petty emotions as jealousy—I dare say you cannot even conceive of the state of my mind at the time.”
“Oh, but I have been jealous, very jealous!” Fanny confessed, and told him of the real reason she had fled the reception at Lady Delingpole’s.
“Jealous of—of that woman!” Mr. Gibson exclaimed, shaking his head in wonder. “How I have blundered! I recall the occasion perfectly, for when I saw you in Mrs. Butters’ carriage, and observed how you were behaving so coolly toward me—I was bewildered. I can still picture the way you turned away from me, and would not speak. But then I met you again at the academy, and to my great gratification, we were friends once more.”
“When you came to Camden Town to report on Mrs. Perceval’s visit, was this the first time you had occasion to meet Mr. Edifice?”
“The first and last, in fact.”
“Oh...” And of course Mr. Gibson could not rest until Fanny explained the meaning of that one little sound, and gently prised from her the story of the day Mr. Edifice told her “Mr. Gibson only wanted a mercenary marriage.”
Now it was her suitor’s turn to look astonished, and to laugh. “No, Fanny, I was urging Mr. Edifice not to marry anyone but an heiress! Discouraging his designs on you! All is fair in love and war, you know. But,” he added more soberly, “It was money—the want of money—which held me back and kept me from declaring myself.
“I had always seen myself, where you were concerned, as a sort of knight errant. From our first acquaintance, I wanted to assist you, to protect you. But how was I to do it? I had no money and no prospects. And then, instead of rescuing you from your situation as a governess, I was myself abducted into the Navy. But happily, this afforded me with the experience to write my book. So then, I began to hope I could acquire the means to support a wife.”
“You rescued me at Christmastime,” said Fanny. “I shall never forget the joy of hearing your voice in the darkness, when I was hiding in the dumbwaiter!”
“I shall never forget that moment either, Fanny. But you were not really in danger—not at that time, at any rate. It was I who frightened you nearly out of your senses.
“And,” he added, with great emphasis, “Fanny, instead of keeping you safe from danger, instead of protecting you, I carelessly led you into mortal danger.”
“Do not blame yourself for what happened with Mr. Bellingham!” Fanny assured him. “You know that I wanted to help John to prove his worth to his superiors, so even if you had forbidden me to follow Mr. Bellingham, I should have done as I did.”
“When it comes to those you love, my dear Fanny, you are absolutely fearless. I have noticed. As I said, I had always longed to be your rescuer, to give you the comforts, the security, the protection you deserved. But perhaps you don’t need a rescuer. You are so extraordinarily different from other young women. Quiet, but strong. Gentle, but firm. So superior in understanding, in integrity, but without vanity. Wise enough to see the foibles of mankind all around you, but too kind to make sport of them. Perhaps that is why I feel myself to be a better, stronger, man when you are by my side, when your arm is holding on to mine.
“But soon, Fanny, soon... when propriety and you permit, I will tell you everything I could not say before. And should you permit it—but, yes, I understand you Fanny,” he stopped, when his fair companion shook her head. “I will honour your convictions in this matter. I will give your late father the respect
