Chapter 11

The following day, Mr Holmes and Mr Barnes paid a visit to the Bartons and Emily, who had been informed of Lilian's conversation with the former, received them in great spirits. However, Mr Holmes behaved as usual, and Mr Barnes used this occasion to give Lilian her present, which proved itself to be a very fine muslin gown. Lilian was obliged to receive it, and Mr Barnes was delighted at seeing her happiness.

At their leaving, Emily looked very confused. Lilian could not find a reason for his delaying the proposal in this manner, and assured her sister of his being only nervous.

"Lilian, it is not true; Mr Holmes is not nervous or shy at all, and I was quite convinced that he needed to talk to me in private."

"But it was so, my dear sister, perhaps he -"

Lilian stopped, trying to find a reasonable excuse. She was startled when Emily said, "You are right, Lilian, he must have been nervous - there can be no other reason." Lilian, poorly pleased with her sister's state, told her to join her in her walk. Just when they were heading indoors, one hour later, a note was brought in, from Mr Holmes.

"Oh, Lilian, this must be it!" Emily said, extremely joyful. After reading it, however, her spirits lowered, and she told her sister through tears:

"Lilian, he is leaving for Richmond with Mr Barnes! What is the meaning of all these? Why does he let these things happen?"

"Emily, he must have been forced to leave - perhaps something has occurred and they both have to leave today, you must not think of him as being cruel and irresponsible for his actions."

"But he is, Lilian, he is," she said before bursting into tears.

The two gentlemen left, indeed, and Emily was sad, but she knew how to mask it, and their parents did not know anything of the matter. Emily had expected their absence to be long, but it was, though not fully, redeemed by a letter from Mr Barnes, which brought no excuses, yet assured the two sisters that no such thing as vexation had removed them from Hertfordshire.

Lilian taught Emily to reconcile herself, but Emily was so steady in her belief, that not even Lilian could soften her situation.

An invitation from Mrs Redford to the two sisters was refused, for Lilian considered Emily too weak for this kind of entertainment, and the following three weeks passed with no news from those in Richmond.

On the second day of Christmas, Lilian went with Sir William and Lady Elizabeth to visit some relatives two hours from them, by carriage. Returning home, Lilian was welcomed with great spirits by Emily, but she could not find the source of all this happiness, for Mr Holmes was waiting for them in the sitting-room.

"Mr Holmes, how pleasant of you to be here!", Lilian said, with evident cheerfulness.

"Miss Barton, I am very delighted to see you again in such good health. I believe you have realized the reason for my coming; it is a settled thing, but there is still one aspect that I need to resolve, and that of your parents' consent. Please excuse me."

After leaving the room, Lilian expressed to Emily her kindest and most sincere congratulations on her marrying Mr Holmes, and Emily told her how surprised she was at seeing him call on her.

The wedding took place one month later, and Mr and Mrs Holmes set off for their newly purchased house in London, leaving Lilian and her parents at Barton Hall, in the company of Miss Cassandra and Miss Catherine, who had been chosen to remain and take care of the estate. Lilian thought Emily's leaving as both painful and pleasant, for this should have been a trial for both of them, since neither of the two could do without each other. The mother of the Barton sisters was extremely happy, but could not help a feeling of regret; Emily was surely to be missed by everyone. She promised, however, at their leaving, that she would write as often as she could; this respect assured Lilian of their keeping close in the future.

Although the two Holmes sisters expressed their infinite pain at Emily's moving, the matter was exceedingly soon forgotten and they began to walk every day, in the mornings or in the evenings, to Barton Hall, and kept Lilian company, without her definite demand. At first, they let her know how much they regretted Emily's absence; Lilian thought it exaggerated for hitherto none of the two sisters had shown much interest in her sister's presence. From a particular time, however, the Holmeses fancied themselves Lilian's most intimate friends and began placing her inappropriate questions, such as, "Miss Barton, what do you find appealing in a man's countenance?" or "Miss Lilian (growing very attached, as to call her by her Christian name), how did you find our brother's assembly this winter?". Lilian was not particularly affected by these inquiries, but found them undoubtedly improper and sought an escape from answering them. At first, there was none, but Lilian was convinced after some time that asking the same ridiculous things should threaten them so much as to stop asking themselves.

"Miss Lilian," they replied unaware of Lilian's ways, "what do you mean? Of course that all the matters of love are our property only. It is a most uncomfortable situation to speak on such a subject."

"That is my exact thought, my dearest friends," Lilian thought; after this incident, she could see the effects on the two young ladies. They grew more distant, and did not say anything related to the heart from that day on.

One evening, as the three left members of the Barton family were sitting by the fire, Lady Elizabeth said to the rest:

"I do not know how to announce you, for it may not be pleasant for either of you, but my brother has reminded me in a letter which I have received lately of an old invitation that I have sent to him and my nephews, and he has expressed the wish of returning to Barton Hall, since my youngest daughter has left." Speaking the last few words concerning Emily, she threw her gaze upon Lilian. "Your answer shall be of greater consequence than your father's, therefore I shall ask you whether to welcome them or not."

"Maman, you cannot refuse them - nor can you approve their coming; it is up to you to decide. I personally think that their presence shall do me no good, since they are very disagreeable and may have not altered since I last met them."

"However provoking your opinion may seem, I agree with you, Lilian. Your cousins are not an appropriate acquaintance and no benefit can be received from your meeting them again. My dear, I say you had better find a decent excuse," Sir William said, being of the same opinion as Lilian.

"What should I tell my brother? Oh, I know - Emily has invited us all to spend at least one month in London!"

"It is a little exaggerated; you should not tell him the period of time. Tell him that it is an indefinite visit and could last several weeks or even months," Lilian responded, seeming disappointed in her mother's poor excuse.

"Very well; I shall write him tomorrow."

The following week a letter was brought to Lilian, which appeared to have been sent by Mr Barnes.

Dear Miss Barton,

I have not made the slightest movement that could have brought you an account of my present existence, and I find it an obligation to fulfill your sister's wish, which has been made known at Mr Holmes' ball, and that of writing more often.

I should firstly offer my most sincere congratulations and apologies, the first for your sister marrying well, and the second for my not being present at this joyful event. You must have been acknowledged of my duty to remain in town due to some complications concerning my estate in Richmond. Yet this has been thoroughly solved and I am no longer oppressed by this kind of affairs, except this last commitment that I am forced to fulfill.

I hope that your family is well and that Mr and Mrs Holmes are in good health; I must confess that I have not written my friend a word all this time, but I do trust his friendship and understanding.

I am well-disposed and joyful as always and no alteration concerning my health has been made. Forgive me for writing so limited a letter but I must admit of my being a little occupied with the before-mentioned affair. Receive once again my congratulations and apologies. I remain,

Yours sincerely,

Edward Barnes

Lilian ought to have been happy at the news from him, but she felt only a feeling of disappointment, without a particular cause. She thought at first that the source of all unhappiness was the dimension of the letter. It was, indeed, very short, but it contained the very excuse for its being so. Therefore, Lilian found the reason of her bad disposition in the distance between them and in the fact of his being worried about his own concerns, and not about hers. Hearing this from another, Lilian would have thought it foolish and childlike, but she sank in her own misery, thinking that nothing but Mr Barnes' coming at Barton Hall would save her from this state. Thanks to her loving parents and their way of bringing her up, Lilian expected and demanded his presence in Hertfordshire, but nothing of the kind was planned or thought of. Lilian suddenly decided to write him back, expressing her disappointment, but immediately after writing the first two lines, she realized her own stupidity. Moreover, her mother wondered one day if they should invite Mr Barnes to spend some time at Barton Hall. Lilian did not say anything in response, therefore her mother took the liberty of writing him herself.