Here, Mary was on surer ground. The imputation of selfishness had penetrated Julia’s defences—Mary saw the younger woman flush and chew her lip unhappily.
“Your entire family, Julia, on the one hand, hoping and expecting you to do your duty by them,” Mary repeated, “and on the other hand, a hopeless dream. A dream that the other party has probably forgotten by now. Is it not possible that he is in fact, regretting the youthful impetuosity which tied him to you? After all, what can you do for him? You cannot help him advance in his profession. True love, I have always heard it said, is unselfish. “
“Enough! I think you have said quite enough, madam.” And Julia fled to her carriage.
* * * * * * *
It is a reliable maxim that the true heroine should be utterly surprised by the revelation of a suitor’s affection, and completely astounded by his proposal of marriage. But Mr. Edifice’s attentions, always persistent but formal and polite, had become so pointed, that Fanny actually wondered if he was forming expectations on her. At the risk of denigrating the intelligence of other heroines, Fanny had sufficient penetration to understand the meaning of Mr. Edifice’s compliments and his gallantries; his smiles when he greeted her, and his sighs upon departing. These attentions could tend in only one direction. The only aspect of his conversation which perplexed her was, his frequent enquiries after Mrs. Butters, his lavish praise for her philanthropy and her generous nature, and his remarks on the evident fondness of the older lady for Fanny.
Mr. Edifice lingered in the school room every day, waiting for her arrival; he followed her, and commended her work, her patience, her artistry, and her resourcefulness, seemingly oblivious to the sly grins and smothered laughter of the pupils.
He gave every impression of being a man who wanted only a little encouragement to declare himself. She felt it would be best, of course, if he never proceeded so far. She was sorry—for his sake—that she could not like him better than she did, but she could not like him well enough to encourage him. But how to gently dissuade him? She had not flirted with him, she had always received his attentions calmly, and sometimes even went so far as to tell him, “excuse me, Mr. Edifice, but I must be about my duties now. Good day to you.”
No heroine, not even Fanny, could prevent herself from meditating on the differences between the attentions paid to her by Mr. Edifice, who she spent time with six days out of the week, and Mr. Gibson, whose visits were rare, brief, but looked-for and remembered with fondness. There was, on the face of it, nothing lover-like in Mr. Gibson’s conversation.
Though she had tried, Fanny could not dismiss Mr. Edifice’s assertion that Mr. Gibson wanted a wealthy wife. At first, she told herself she was disappointed only because she regretted that a man of Mr. Gibson’s elevated principles should, in the end, have a mercenary turn.
But—was this the only reason for her dismay, for the strange pangs of regret that she felt whenever she recalled Mr. Edifice’s words? Would Mr. Gibson overthrow his intention of remaining single, if he met with a wealthy young lady? And, Fanny knew, he was meeting eligible young ladies constantly, as he dined frequently in Society.
In the meantime, she had to contend with Mr. Edifice, her unwanted suitor. But Fanny was no judge of her own manner. Her address was incurably gentle and polite; and she was not aware how much it concealed her indifference to him.
Mrs. Bellingham’s knowing little smile when she saw Mr. Edifice hanging over Fanny, told Fanny that she would welcome a confidence. Fanny was equally curious, if not more so, about the state of her new friend’s marriage.
Mrs. Bellingham had mentioned that her husband lived in London, but she herself took the cheapest possible lodgings in Camden Town. She spoke of her children, her three little boys, and her failed business in Liverpool, which she greatly lamented, but said very little about her husband, except for one day when Fanny happened to remark that the “afternoons were now much lighter, and the days growing longer,” and Mrs. Bellingham replied: “Oh, Miss Price, as for long winter days--that winter I passed in St. Petersburg when my husband was— away from me! The darkness, the endless darkness and the cold while I waited for John to come back to me!
“And I was all alone! I could not afford the candles to work by! I remember standing by the window in the morning, scraping the frost off the glass, watching for the sun to rise on the horizon, and trying to keep up my cheer for the sake of little James...”
She shook her head. “It was so dark and so cold, Miss Price, you would not believe how cold. When you stepped outside, the cold snatched your breath away. The snow was piled high in drifts on the streets and the ground was still frozen as hard as iron in April! Why anyone would want to be born in that miserable country, I have no notion.”
“You must be so pleased to be back in England again,” Fanny exclaimed sympathetically.
“Oh indeed yes, Miss Price.”
Mrs. Bellingham’s lips curved into a smile but her eyes, Fanny noted, were blank and sad.
* * * * * * *
Julia dined in company with Mr. Meriwether on a few occasions following their first meeting. After her return to Thornton Lacey, she was surprised
