4. Chapter Four

Traveling by horse meant it did not take Gabriel long to arrive at his family"s estate, and he nearly regretted not walking instead. He had been so excited thinking of all the possibilities at Longbourn that he had not stopped to think of his family's reaction to the news. He was quite uncertain of how his family would react. Or rather, he was fairly certain how they would react; he was uncertain how he would handle it.

He knew his brother and father would most likely belittle any ideas he had for improvements to Longbourn. They would laugh outright at his plan for growing hops. Neither of them had ever taken well to any of the ideas he had for their own property or the tenant homes. They had summarily refused even his suggestions about implementing crop rotation to increase profits. His family was quite stuck in its ways.

Looking over the building from where he sat atop his horse, Gabriel could see where things were starting to look shabby. He knew money was starting to become fairly tight, not that his father would ever mention it to him. It was clear in the way his father no longer saw to repairs and the smaller portions at dinner.

Dismounting, he gave his horse an affectionate pat and led him around to the stables. After handing him off to a happy stable boy, he took a deep breath, preparing himself to face his family. He entered the home through the kitchen, and stole a biscuit from the cook, Mrs. Humphrey. He had always loved the woman. She was the creator of wonderful things and had not run him out of the kitchen when he would come to watch.

"Only one biscuit, I won't have you ruining your dinner," she said by way of greeting, then smiled broadly as he took an extra biscuit. It was a routine that had been played out repeatedly since his childhood. "Young Master Gabriel, how are you today? Did I hear you were looking over Longbourn with that Mr. Darcy fellow?"

Snacking on the biscuit, he smiled at the wonderful, familiar flavor as it played on his tongue. He swallowed and said, "Yes, he offered me an amazing opportunity to help him renovate Longbourn. There is a lot of work that needs to be done—Mr. Bennet did not do right by his property at all."

Mrs. Humphrey shook her head, one of her rarely seen scowls firmly in place. "The way that man behaved is just deplorable. Treating his womenfolk poorly and his servants and tenants worse." Picking up a cleaver, she began chopping a large chunk of meat into much smaller bits. Then, pausing, she gestured with the knife and proclaimed, "I will say that it is good that the good Lord will be judging him and not myself. I am a Christian woman, but men like that try my patience, that is for certain." She resumed her chopping, then put the cleaver to the side to scoop up the meat and drop it into one of the simmering pans.

Gabriel was surprised to hear that Mr. Bennet was so poorly thought of by Mrs. Humphrey. She was the kindest woman he knew, and it startled him to hear her speak of Mr. Bennet so. More than that, watching her speak while chopping and waving the cleaver made him glad that he had never angered her. Shaking his head ruefully, he considered how society viewed Mr. Bennet. He knew there was sometimes talk about the man, but there was never a big to do about him. It was possible, however, that Gabriel had missed the bulk of the indignation about him while he was off at Oxford. "I never much knew the man, but he left the manor house destroyed and the tenant homes in bad condition."

Washing her hands after dealing with the meat, Mrs. Humphrey dried her hand on a towel before responding. "I am sure that you will set it all right in a trice. You are a good boy, Master Gabriel." Reaching up, she patted his cheek in an affectionate manner. It was a move she had done countless times over the years, and it brought back thoughts of his childhood.

He leaned down to kiss her wrinkled cheek before squaring his shoulders, ready to brave his family. "I will see you later, Mrs. Humphrey."

Mrs. Humphrey called out after him as he left the kitchen. "You come see me in the morning and I will get you something good to eat before you leave for Longbourn. I can't have a great big boy like you fainting away from hunger."

"Will do, Mrs. H," Gabriel called back, laughing at the mental image of him collapsing from hunger.

After changing, Gabriel checked his reflection in the hall mirror. If one hair was out of place, he knew he would hear it from his mother. He understood that he was postponing the inevitable, and yet his feet still did not move towards the stairs.

"Hello, brother. You were gone for quite a while." Looking up, Gabriel spotted his younger sister, Evaline. He was nearly ten years older than his sister. His parents had thought there would be no more children after he had been born and they had been content enough. Though when little Evaline had come along, they had been thrilled.

Her behavior seemed to be all that was proper, but somehow, there was no warmth to her. He had been sent off to Eton shortly after her birth, and he never managed to grow as close to her as he wished. Studying her, he realized she was growing to be pretty, with long brown hair that seemed to be brushed to a shine.

She offered him a smile, though it seemed to stop before it reached her eyes. It was as if she thought herself above such things, and he briefly wondered how a girl so young could have become so cold. "Hello, Lenie. I was visiting with Mr. Darcy and his family. They have taken Netherfield for the time being."

Huffing in frustration, Evaline said, "Please do not call me that. I am too old for such undignified nicknames."

Slightly taken aback by the venom that coated his sister's words, he tried another tactic. He truly wished to develop a better relationship with her but knew that he was fumbling the task. He cleared his throat and tried again. "How was your day, Evaline? Did you do anything of interest?"

With a delicate sniff, Evaline tilted her head. "I worked at my embroidery and practiced the piano and the harp."

Surprised, Gabriel smiled at his younger sister. "I did not know that you had taken up the harp. How is that going? Are you enjoying it?"

Evaline looked at him as if he had forgotten something important. She did not roll her eyes at him, but it looked to be a near thing. "Music is not a matter of enjoyment for me. As a lady, I will need to entertain. First for my suitors and then my husband's guests. If I am to become accomplished, I must become proficient at it."

Once again, Gabriel found himself worrying about Evaline. Perhaps he could introduce her to Miss Bennet and Mrs. Darcy. They were everything that was proper, and yet they managed to find a way to have joy in their lives. "I can appreciate your intentions, but I firmly believe the fundamental objective should be to create a pleasurable atmosphere for your guests with the music you provide. How can you do that if you are not enjoying yourself?"

"You, brother, are being purposely obtuse." Turning away with a swish of her skirts and a flash of her hair, she added over her shoulder, "Do not forget that dinner will be soon. I may not be allowed to dine with the family yet, but you are expected to."

He watched her go before flicking at a piece of lint on his trousers. Resisting the urge to tug at his freshly tied cravat, he straightened his shoulders, hoping his parents would find his appearance—and his news—acceptable.

Gabriel remained still as his father inspected him over his wineglass. "So you were spending time with Mr. Darcy? I approve. That is a favorable friendship to cultivate." Taking a large sip, he set the glass down to partake of his meal.

"Yes, I agree, dear. Brother-in-law to an earl, even if his sister-in-law and wife are Bennets. Do not be foolish enough to lose that connection." His mother, as usual, supported his father's every proclamation while still managing to interject her own points.

"I have confidence in young Gabriel. I believe he is working very hard to keep that connection." Jude's smarmy smile was on full display as he cut into his food and took a bite.

Had Gabriel not been seated so far away from his brother, he would have risked the consequences of kicking him under the table. Was it normal that his older brother annoyed him so? They were four years apart in age and his brother always acted as if he was so much better than Gabriel because of it. Jude was constantly calling him out in front of their parents for one thing or another. More than that, however, Gabriel knew that he suspected his feelings for Miss Mary, and Jude looked down on the idea of marrying a Bennet.

Not that Gabriel would let anything stop him. If he had half the chance to provide a decent life for her, he would propose to Miss Mary in a heartbeat. Stabbing at his supper with more force than necessary, Gabriel cut off a piece of his pheasant and took a bite. It was always better to keep his mouth busy when dealing with his family. Otherwise, he could offend them all.

As his father cleared his throat and took a sip of his wine, Gabriel braced himself for another round of questioning. "Have you given any more thought to your path in life? You are getting rather old to join the regulars or navy, but it is possible you could work at becoming a barrister. You know that as a second son, I will not continue to support your idle ways forever."

Yes, but you will support Jude"s useless ways until you die, Gabriel thought, and looked down to keep himself from voicing those thoughts. Only looking up once he could force a smile, Gabriel responded calmly, "Actually, I received an offer to help Mr. Darcy oversee the reconstruction of Longbourn."

"Longbourn?" his father questioned, shaking his head in disbelief. "That mess of an estate. I will never understand why a wealthy man like Mr. Darcy would throw money away on a property like that."

A snide laugh came from his mother. "Sentiment most likely. He is in love with his wife, they say." Gabriel ignored the remark, knowing his parents did not suffer from, in their words, the plebeian notion of love. It was one reason he had wanted love for himself—he would never choose to live the way they did.

"Yes, Mr. Darcy is quite fond of his wife, doesn't even keep a mistress." Jude's snicker was quickly stopped at the sound of their mother's scandalized screech.

Clearly less bothered by the comment, Mr. Goulding said, "Jude, save talk of mistresses for port and cigars, not at the dinner table." Their father was always permissive and indulgent with his firstborn.

Gabriel had already decided he would not be joining his father and brother for cigars and port after dinner. He seldom enjoyed the pastime and knew they would find every opportunity to make a snide remark. Besides, he was eager to get to work in the morning knowing he now held the fate of Longbourn and its future tenants in his hands.