Follies and Nonsense

by Martin Hunnicutt

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  Chapter 41.

  In Which Georgiana Meets the Bennet Family

  Elizabeth Hamilton was meeting with Mr. Smyth in the dining room early in the afternoon when Barrow stepped into the room.

  “Forgive me, my lady. Mr. Darcy’s carriage has turned into the drive.”

  Smiling Elizabeth turned to her steward. “We shall have to ask Mr. Darcy about hay and oats in Derbyshire Mr. Smyth. Mr. Tanner’s letters do not tell me of any available lands for additional hay for the horses.”

  “I am certain that Mr. Darcy will be very interested in discussing hay crops this afternoon, madam,” Oliver Smyth teased his employer gently.

  “Where is my son?” Elizabeth asked Barrow.

  “I believe Mrs. Barrow went to tell Nanny Brice of the return. She will bring Master Matthew down shortly,” the footman replied.

  Elizabeth rose from the table, glancing at the scattered papers for a moment only before Mr. Smyth smiled and said, “I shall return our letters to your box, my lady. Perhaps we can talk with Mr. Darcy this evening regarding Mt. Pleasant and Derbyshire.”

  Almost running, Elizabeth reached the door as Mr. Hill opened the portal to allow Mrs. Bennet to greet their guests.

  Darcy had a young girl on his arm – beautiful but as young as Kitty and Lydia who gathered behind their mother to be introduced. Elizabeth stepped forward after her mother’s greeting to take Georgiana’s hand and then embrace her future sister-in-law.

  “Welcome Miss Darcy! You are most welcome indeed!”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hamilton,” replied Georgiana, glancing toward her brother for support. His face was bright and his smile warm as he stepped closer to take Elizabeth’s hand and raise it to his lips.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs. Hamilton,” he greeted and though his smile was not as broad, his eyes were darker and his voice was deeper as he stared at Elizabeth. Mrs. Bennet cleared her throat and broke the spell.

  “Shall we gather in the parlour?” Mr. Darcy suggested as Mr. Hill and Barrow began to bring in Miss Darcy’s trunks. Mrs. Annesley was speaking with Mrs. Bennet as Elizabeth introduced Georgiana to her sisters while everyone walked to the parlour. They had barely taken their seats before the door opened again and Nanny Brice entered with a wiggling Matthew who reached out his arms to Mr. Darcy.

  “Darc! Darc!” Matthew called. “Up peas! Up peas!”

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  Before supper, Georgiana found that she was very comfortable with her brother’s fiancé and her family. There had been time to discuss music with Miss Mary and Miss Kitty, gowns with Miss Lydia and to mention the mysteries of young men with all the sisters. When Lydia and Kitty told her the story of Zeus and Dreaming Lady, Georgiana had blushed but then joined the sisters in fits of giggles.

  They were waiting for the others to join them in the parlour before going into dinner, when Kitty mentioned sewing a gown.

  “Can you sew?” Georgiana asked. “I enjoy embroidery but I have never been able to repair a split seam.”

  Kitty nodded. “Elizabeth’s maid Mrs. Barrow is a seamstress and she has taught us how to repair tears and splits very quickly and you cannot tell where we made repairs.”

  “She is trying to teach me to sew,” Lydia admitted. “Though I am not as good a student as Kitty.”

  “But will you be able to sew a gown complete?” Georgiana persisted in asking.

  “I shall before Christmas!” Kitty answered. “We have been sewing shirts for the tenants each day and Mrs. Barrow works with me each evening.”

  Glancing toward Lydia, Kitty said, “And my sister is the most excellent hat maker in Hertfordshire, she makes bonnets with feathers and leaves that everyone admires.”

  “Miss Lydia, I have four old bonnets that need to be redone,” Georgiana said. “Will you help me?”

  “I should be glad to Miss Darcy,” Lydia replied. “Do you ride, Miss Darcy?”

  “I enjoy riding a great deal,” Georgiana replied.

  “Then we shall take turns with Elizabeth’s horses. There are four of them and six of us ladies so we can ride almost every day!”

  “Where do you ride?”

  ++**++

  “What do you think of my sister for your brother?” Kitty asked Georgiana that evening after the maids had left them for the evening.

  “I am not certain that I can speak so soon with a great deal of authority,” Georgiana answered. “He has written of her in several letters and I knew he had a high regard for her before I heard they were engaged. Your nephew certainly likes my brother.”

  Kitty smiled, “Would you like to braid each other’s hair tonight? We can practice hair styles.”

  “Yes, please!” Georgiana answered. “I have always wanted to do that!”

  The door to Kitty’s room opened and Lydia slipped in with a box of bows, ribbons and brushes. She lit three other candles and the girls sat up until very late when Elizabeth stepped into the room and sent them to bed.

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  “Where is my sister this morning, Elizabeth?” Mr. Darcy asked at the table where they shared tea.

  “Miss Darcy sat up with Kitty and Lydia until almost dawn braiding their hair and trying different hair styles.”

  “Until almost dawn?” Darcy looked perplexed. “How many ways can young ladies arrange their hair?”

  Elizabeth reached out her hand to touch his arm, “William, it was a good thing for the young ladies to sit up late, talk and play with their hair.”

  He frowned but inclined his head, acceding to her superior knowledge of young women. “And in a few years when Matthew is a moody young man, you must allow me to guide you in appropriate directions for him to burn off the energy of youth.”

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  Chapter 42.

  In Which Fences Are Repaired

  On the third day after the Darcy brother and sister returned to Meryton, the gentlemen and tenants of Longbourn and Netherfield gathered with their horses, wagons, tools, stone and wood to repair the pasture fences that formed a goodly portion of the boundary between the estates.

  Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Hill packed a wagon with lunch, hot tea, coffee and cakes just after the clock struck one, and then wrapped in cloaks and bonnets, the ladies bundled into the Hamilton coach with Nanny Brice and Master Matthew for the short ride – just a mile and a half – to the edge of the pasture. The fall day was sunny but cold and they found the ladies bored with watching the men work so it was not hard to convince them to distribute the hot beverages and food to the tenant men and boys, and the gentlemen.

  “Lizzy, how did Mr. Darcy get so dirty?” Mrs. Bennet asked as Matthew climbed into Mr. Darcy’s dirty lap to eat with him.

  “He helped to move several of the large stones into place,” Elizabeth replied. “He and Mr. Bingley have been in competition all morning. They wanted to see who could carry the most stone.”

  “Oh,” Mrs. Bennet said with a smile on her lips that disturbed her daughters.

  “What are your thoughts Mamma?” Jane asked.

  Mrs. Bennet whispered, “I believe the young gentlemen are attempting to impress their young ladies with their strength.”

  Elizabeth and Jane exchanged looks, laughed and then hurried back to Darcy and Bingley with cake and more coffee.

  ++**++

  The fence repairs were completed that morning and shortly after luncheon, while the ladies and servants packed the hampers to return them to the wagons, and the men removed scraps of wood and any small stones, Lydia wandered away, along the lane that would lead back to Longbourn. She was first to notice the approach of a carriage from the house and after a moment, she recognized the horses and vehicle.

  “Uncle Gardiner is come!” Lydia called from the path. “That is my uncle’s carriage!”

  Everyone stopped as the carriage pulled by a team of bays approached the corner of the pasture.

  “Why would Uncle Gardiner come from London today?” Elizabeth asked Darcy. “Would our marri
age settlement send him out here?”

  “I cannot imagine…” Darcy started to say as the carriage came to a stop. The door opened and Edward Gardiner stepped out, a large grin on his face as he was followed by Thomas Bennet.

  For a moment, the Bennet family stared in silence and then pandemonium erupted in joyful cries.

  “Thomas! Father! Papa! Father! Papa! Papa!” called the women as they ran across the pasture and through the gate to converge on Thomas Bennet, to surround him with tears and gowns, bonnets and kisses.

  Mr. and Mrs. Hill hugged as they wiped away a few tears and the tenants from both estates came to welcome Mr. Bennet home. Mr. Talbert assured Mr. Bennet that his hunting dogs were fit for a hunt as soon as the master of Longbourn was rested. Young Mr. Talbert told of a few pheasants remaining if the master wished to walk out on a sunny day.

  After a very improper public hug and kiss from his wife, Thomas Bennet hugged each of his daughters while his wife refused to remove from his side. And he noticed strangers in the crowd.

  “Mrs. Bennet, I returned to Longbourn to find it filled with unfamiliar servants and absent of my family – what has occurred to bring everyone to the edge of the pasture in November?”

  “We are repairing the fences, Mr. Bennet,” his wife replied. “Our steward, Mr. Oliver Smyth,” the young man bowed, “has worked with our neighbour, Mr. Charles Bingley,” a second young man bowed from beside his daughter Jane, “to make necessary repairs to the fences before winter.”

  “But why are you all here?”

  “Jane and Mary who oversee all matters of Longbourn insisted that we feed our tenants and neighbours to reward their labours this day,” Mrs. Bennet replied.

  “Have our daughters done well then, madam?”

  “Indeed, they have sir,” Mrs. Bennet replied with pride in her daughters evident in her voice. “They have kept Longbourn prosperous in your absence.”

  “And Mr. Smyth? When did he become our steward?”

  “That was my doing Papa,” Elizabeth said. “When Mr. Peterson died in June, my father-in-law provided Mr. Smyth to act as steward until you returned and made your own selection.”

  Nodding his head toward Mr. Smyth, Mr. Bennet now turned toward the dirty young man holding the wiggling boy.

  “Lizzy, would you introduce me to the other young men?”

  Stepping away from her family for a moment, she took Matthew into her arms and bumped against Darcy to make him follow her, Elizabeth stepped closer to her father and said, “Papa, this is your grandson, Matthew Hamilton. And this is Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy who I hope you will come to know.”

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  Chapter 43.

  Mr. Bennet Interviews Three Gentlemen

  The morning following his return to Longbourn, Thomas Bennet rose early and enjoyed his coffee with his wife and daughters. He kept returning to his grandson’s laughing face as the boy ran around the table, asking his grandmother and aunts for kisses. Fanny would not leave his side for more than a few minutes and his daughters kept coming to his side for a hug and a kiss.

  As soon as the morning had aged enough, the visitors began to call. Sir William Lucas and Mr. Goulding appeared first to welcome Thomas back.

  “Tell your ladies that we shall host the entire neighbourhood for supper tomorrow night,” Mrs. Bennet told her husband’s friends as the men sat in the parlour.

  “Bennet, have you surrendered your library and your port?” asked Sir William.

  “My daughters have not vacated my library as of this morning. We have to review the account books and we have to meet with the steward later this morning,” Thomas said. “But my house will return to normal before many days.”

  Sir William Lucas smirked behind his tea cup but said nothing else. Mr. Goulding mentioned how good the shooting had been that fall and the visit was soon over. At the door to see his guests depart, Mr. Bennet was surprised to see three more gentlemen approaching Longbourn, young Mr. Lucas and the two recent additions to Meryton society, Mr. Bingley from Netherfield and Mr. Darcy who was lodging at the White Pig though his younger sister and her companion helped to fill his house to capacity.

  Stable boys, coachmen, stewards, footmen, and maids inhabited his kitchen; and the horses filling in his stable were beautiful creatures. He looked forward to riding across the pastures with his daughters in the next few weeks though he wondered how soon these men would take three of them away from him.

  He glanced at Sir William who smirked again and tipped his hat to all the gentlemen before heading toward his home – at least his wife would only be planning a single wedding.

  “Good morning, Mr. Bennet,” echoed all three gentlemen.

  “Mr. Lucas, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy – good morning gentlemen.”

  “I believe we each wish to speak to you, sir,” Mr. Darcy said.

  Smirking, Mr. Bennet waved the three young men toward his front door where Mr. Hill stood waiting with the ladies of the household gathered to greet the gentlemen.

  Addressing his wife, Mr. Bennet said, “Mrs. Bennet, would you take our daughters and Miss Darcy into the parlour? We shall join you in time.”

  “As you wish, Mr. Bennet,” agreed his wife as she herded her daughters out of the entry hall and into the parlour, closing the door behind her after smiling at her husband.

  Mr. Bennet led the way down his hallway to his library.

  “Well now… who shall venture first into my august presence?”

  “I believe I shall, Mr. Bennet,” replied John Lucas stepping forward.

  “Hmm… an interesting tactic; start with a familiar face,” Mr. Bennet said, leading John Lucas forward. Closing the door, Mr. Bennet motioned for the young man to sit while he took his chair behind his desk.

  “Mr. Bennet, thank you for seeing me this morning,” John began. “I have come to speak on a most serious matter.”

  Nodding solemnly, Mr. Bennet waited, allowing the young man to remember his speech. “A most serious matter. In the past few months, I have spent a great deal of time in company with your daughter and in that time, we have come to an understanding of mutual understanding…”

  Lucas paused, “Mutual agreement…”

  “Mr. Lucas, with which of my daughters have you been spending time?”

  Surprised by the question, John answered, “Miss Mary, sir.”

  “Sit Mr. Lucas,” Mr. Bennet encouraged the nervous young man. Sitting down, Lucas cleared his throat and Mr. Bennet waited once again.

  “Miss Mary and I… I would like your permission to court Miss Mary,”

  “Court? Are you still courting, Mr. Lucas? Or have you asked my daughter for her hand?”

  “We discussed marriage sir but wanted to await your return to ask your permission,” the young man admitted.

  “Then I grant my permission for courtship,” Mr. Bennet replied.

  “Courtship?”

  Mr. Bennet sat forward, “Does Mary expect to be engaged this morning?”

  “Uh…” Mr. Lucas paused; he looked unto heaven as though he would faint. Mr. Bennet rose to pour the young man a small drink of brandy which he swallowed and then gathered his thoughts.

  “I did not expect to be so nervous, sir.”

  Nodding his head, Mr. Bennet counselled the young man, “Speak plainly and from your heart.”

  “I love Mary sir and wish to make her my wife. Her wishes are the same,” John blurted.

  Mr. Bennet refilled the young man’s glass and said, “I believe my wife expects you to announce the happy news very soon with a wedding next Easter.”

  Mr. Lucas nodded, a smile forming on his face.

  “Now, tell me of the arrangements at Lucas Lodge for you and my daughter once she is your wife.”

  “My sister Charlotte will soon marry Mr. Fielding and they will set up housekeeping at Purvis Lodge in the steward’s home.”

  “Your sister’s husband will be steward at Purvis Lodge?”

  “Not steward,” John exp
lained. “He will lease two of the farms from the new owner and fatten cattle, geese, and sheep for sale to the butchers in London.”

  “My wife did mention something about a flock of geese we are expecting to march across our fields on their way into London in the next few days,” Mr. Bennet said. “She said something about there being a wedding in the feathers.”

  Mr. Lucas nodded. “Mr. Jack Fielding will marry my sister after the successful delivery of the geese to the market in the city.”

  “And then you can marry my daughter in spring,” Mr. Bennet said.

  ++**++

  “Ah, Mr. Bingley,” Thomas said to welcome his second visitor. Mr. Lucas was headed for the parlour and the sounds filling the hallway meant his arrival was greeted by happy ladies. Mr. Bennet was not surprised to find his grandson had joined Mr. Darcy as he waited in the hallway. Nanny Brice was headed toward the kitchen while Matthew and Darcy were involved in an animated conversation regarding a toy horse.

  “Thank you for seeing me this morning, Mr. Bennet,” Bingley began. A slightly older man than John Lucas and one that was used to dealing with men of business, Charles Bingley struck Mr. Bennet immediately as a man who would increase his fortune during his lifetime rather than live on the interest payments.

  “Tell me Mr. Bingley, why should I permit you the opportunity to court my daughter Jane?”

  Bingley grinned and replied instantly, “Because we have discovered that we love each other sir – a bright and strong love that has grown from the sparks we felt upon our first meeting just two months ago.”

  “Two months?”

  Nodding his head, Bingley said, “We understand that we have to wait for a while sir. Two months is not long enough for our families to bless this union but we will enjoy company this winter and ask you to bless a wedding next spring.”

  “Very good planning,” Mr. Bennet said. “But consider the length of time that we shall have to deal with Mrs. Bennet discussing lace and wedding plans.”