The girls took the chance to go downstairs and get some comfort from their husbands, but Mrs Bennet stayed and put her ear to the door. She needed to know how this interview would go. Jane should not be upset at this time.
“Oh, Jane.” Mrs Bennet knew that Bingley had taken Jane’s hand just as he had so many times during their engagement. “I cannot live without you. I have tried, and I will try again, but I find I do not have the will to live without you. You said you did not love me. Yet the Jane I knew was full of love and joy and so selfless. I know not what effected your change of heart my love, I only know that without you my life has no meaning.”
Mrs Bennet opened the door surreptitiously so that she could hear Jane’s response. Mr Bingley had his back to the door so did not see Mrs Bennet’s actions. “Charles, I am sorry. I... did love you, it just was not enough.”
“Do not say that, my love. If you were stronger, I would still marry you today.”
Jane laughed a weak laugh. “It is too late, my love. I cannot and could not be what you needed. You seem to like my sister, Lydia. Marry her. Make her happy and find some peace in that you have my sister to hold and to cherish. You have my blessing. May she be to you everything I was and more. I did not deserve you.”
Mr Bingley did not deny what Jane had said, but was too overcome by grief to say anything more. He did not relinquish Jane’s hand, and she did not try to remove it from his grasp. Mrs Bennet slowly withdrew and gave the couple some further privacy. She went downstairs and flung open the door to her husband’s study, but where she and her husband usually sat was another couple locked in a warm embrace. Mrs Bennet blushed, they obviously had not noticed her entrance.
“Hush, Elizabeth. Everything will turn out for the best,” Darcy said.
“I know,” Elizabeth sniffled into the lapel of his jacket. “I just... She is my sister, and we had so many cross words just the other day. I said some awful things to her. My tongue is too sharp sometimes.”
Darcy gently caressed his wife’s back, unaware that they were being observed. “My dearest, sweetest Elizabeth. Jane was not acting according to her character, you said so yourself. You need to forgive yourself and her. This guilt will only harm your memory of her.” Gently he cupped her chin and lifted her face to look in his eyes, “I love you, Elizabeth, and I know that you would never deliberately harm or hurt another person. With every fibre of my being, I will always love the beautiful woman that you are.”
Mrs Bennet was about to interrupt them when she felt the warm arms of her husband sneak around her waist. Gently he backed her out of the library and quietly closed the door. “Allow them their privacy, Mrs Bennet. Come, we shall retire to your chambers; we can both join Bingley in the vigil in a little while. He needs this time alone with our Jane.” Mrs Bennet could not remember the last time her husband had been so gentle in his handling of her. The cares of having a child who was special had built walls between them that seemed to be crumbling at the present time. She melted into her husband’s embrace and the two of them went upstairs, thankful that their girls would have the support of men who loved them. Mrs Bennet could support Lydia when the time came. She would make sure of that, but right now the support of her own husband’s serenity and care was worth more to her than anything else.
It was around eight at night when the family joined Bingley once more in Jane’s room. Jane was not speaking anymore and the room had the stench of impending death in it. The warm atmosphere had become oppressive, and Mrs Bennet flung open the window in the vain hope that it would breathe life into the room and animate her eldest daughter once more. Each married lady in the room leaned on her husband for support, and Lydia once more held Catherine’s hand. It was as if by these simple actions of love and peace they could keep away the impending melancholy. Yet death is a sullen and cruel master that none can defeat, and soon they would all feel his cruel blade.
Chapter 12 – 5th January 1813
Twelve Pipers Piping
Death had thrown it melancholy pall over the proceedings, and there was no getting away from it. Tonight was Twelfth Night, but none of the Bennet clan felt like celebrating. Too much had happened these past twelve days for the family to be in a festive mood any longer. The inevitable end had come for Jane at three that morning. Mrs Bennet had stayed with her daughter until the undertakers had arrived to remove the body. Mr Jones had promised that he would look at Janes brain quickly, but Mrs Bennet had not the will or patience to listen to his assurances. She was tired and had lost her eldest daughter. The grief was too much at this time for her to care whether or not her daughter’s brain would be examined quickly or not. She was not sure she wanted Jane’s brain examined at all.
MR BENNET WAS WAITING in her rooms when she arrived to sleep. She smiled at her husband sleepily. He knew exactly what she needed. He always had. They retired to bed together, much the same as they had in the early days of their marriage. She smiled. Many on the outside mistook her husband’s caustic humour for being uncaring, but she knew better. They were closer than ever before. They had always been close. They were a unit, and nobody had ever come between their love. This morning she was just happy to sleep in her husband’s comforting arms. Later on, they would need to deal with their visitors, and a Twelfth Night celebration that they had no taste for. Together they would face anything and everything that would be thrown at them. Mrs Bennet quickly fell into a disturbed and restless slumber.
For a brief few minutes Mrs Bennet’s mind was calm and free of the recent cares that she had undergone. She woke tightly embraced and tangled in her husband’s arms. She wished with all her heart that she might never have to leave this safe cocoon that they had for themselves, yet it was not to last. News of the sad events at Longbourn had spread throughout Meryton, and the local militia had sent a couple of pipers to play a tribute to the poor departed girl. It had been a sweet but misguided gesture. They woke the whole house after just two hours of restless slumber. Lydia was the most vocal in her complaints asking how they could be so inconsiderate, yet her complaints were mirrored to varying degrees by all the occupants of Longbourn house. It was eventually Darcy who went down to talk to the sergeant major and arrange for the pipers to return later in the day when the family would appreciate them better.
Mrs Bennet was surprised to see that Mr Bingley had gravitated towards Lydia, and had paced himself on the sofa next to her in the parlour. His red eyes betrayed the grief that he was quietly bearing, as he unconsciously pulled Lydia into his arms as she wept for her sister. Mrs Bennet would have been very uneasy about this if she had not heard Jane’s command to Bingley on the subject. This was Jane’s wish. Elizabeth had quietly picked up the mantle of being the eldest sister, and was watching her sisters express their grief. Mrs Bennet was proud of her daughters and their husbands. None of them betrayed the same hysterical nervousness that she herself suffered from and knew was coming. Yet for now it was more a nervous agitation, there was still much that needed to be done, but it would wait until after the guests had left the next day. The group retired to rest for a few more hours before beginning a muted Twelfth Night.
Lady Catherine had been better than her word. Everything had been looked after and went like clockwork. Mrs Bennet was both impressed and awed at the beautiful decorations she saw around her parlour. They almost made her want to sing and dance. Yet there was a muted edge to the decorations that spoke of the grief and recent events. A second room had been prepared for the evening also, that was far more sombre. Each member of the family was given a choice. Lady Catherine had taken over as the hostess of the Twelfth Night celebrations so that none might be disappointed and the family could sit in the second sitting room and observe their grief and enter mourning. Mrs Bennet was thankful for the consideration of her esteemed guest; recent events weighed heavily on her mind so she chose to sit out with her family. All of the Bennets sat in quiet grief as they listened to the raucous events of the night play out.
Mrs Bennet
sat closest to the door, and she heard when Sir Thomas Bertram pulled his niece out of the party. He had found a suitor for her, and she no longer had any say about marrying Sir Thomas’ choice. The glee with which Sir Thomas forced the girl to accept the match made Mrs Bennet wince. The poor girl would not be happy in a match that was not of her choosing, and this one sounded truly awful. The man had all the pomposity and dullness of Mr Collins and Mr Rushworth combined, and was three times the poor girl’s age. Miss Fanny Price was to become Mrs Fanny Hastings. Mrs Bennet listened with interest to the information, but all she could glean was that Sir Thomas had written to find out if there were any men of fortune who would be suitable for the girl. Mr Hastings, it transpired, was the one who most closely fit the requirements. He was a widower who had no children. His estate was worth a clear seven thousand per year and all he wanted Fanny for was to provide him with an heir. He cared not for her looks or her mind. She was a young woman of childbearing age, who needed a husband. She was therefore suitable. That Sir Thomas had sweetened the deal with a dowry double that of the Bennet girls, was immaterial. Also, his estate was at the furthest reaches of Cornwall, so Fanny would be separated from her cousin Edmund and could no longer cause any trouble in that regard. It had been in Sir Thomas’ mind an elegant solution to a situation that threatened to undo them all. She would be married in four weeks' time. The banns were already being read in the two parishes.
Mrs Bennet shook her head and could not help thinking that the poor girl had been punished too harshly. Yes, she had publicly humiliated her family, but she had done so because she believed that Edmund had made promises to her. Mrs Bennet had to admire the courage that it took to stand up and do that. Her punishment should not be the complete banishment that she was experiencing. Mrs Bennet shook her head to try and dispel her thoughts. She barely had the time to return her thoughts to her family when Emma entered the room.
“Lizzy, I am so sorry you lost Jane.” She sat down next to Elizabeth and grabbed her friend’s hands. Elizabeth’s tears flowed but she thanked her friend for her consideration. Throughout the night, so many of their friends had stopped by to condole with them that the family was overwhelmed. Each one meant well and it as a show of love for Jane that they could not have imagined, but each condolence was a reminder of the girl that they had lost. The hole that was left by Jane in the family would always be there, Jane would always be missed. Each one that came to condole made it harder to face the next. Catherine and Lydia had already retired for the night because the struggle was too much for them. Mrs Bennet wished that they could all retire for the night, but the number who wished to express their condolences just kept coming. In the end, she had to content herself with instructions to the servants that they were not at home to the callers. The Twelfth Night party that was going on would have to continue without the visitors being allowed to see the family.
The four and twenty families of Meryton society had the tradition that they would take turns hosting the Twelfth Night celebrations. Mrs Bennet had begged to host the celebrations this year as the final social event to celebrate the weddings that took place on the fifth day of Christmas. Eventually the Gouldings had conceded and allowed the Bennets to host the celebration that was important to masters and servants alike. Mrs Bennet knew that she had organised a good party, and that the servants would remove all greenery including the yule log that burned in the grate before they went to bed. The sounds of revelry came through the walls and Mrs Bennet was thankful for Lady Catherine taking over as hostess for her, thus enabling the evening revels to go ahead, while allowing the family to retire into mourning the loss of the eldest Miss Bennet in private.
“Mrs Knightley, who is the King and Queen of Misrule?” Mrs Bennet’s curiosity had gotten the best of her.
“Mr Vickers and Mrs Hill. The two of them have led everyone a merry dance this evening.” Emma reported. “There have been mini plays, and all sorts of readings. Oh, and games too. It really has been most fun. Mrs Hill and Mr Vickers are very imaginative and kept us guessing as to what they will come up with next. Lady Catherine de Bourgh has proven to be a formidable hostess and frequently adds to the mayhem by subtle suggestions or blatant calls for this or that to happen. Most of which the king and queen are happy to oblige. There are none who sit out on the side so all are having an absolutely marvellous time this evening.”
Mrs Bennet smiled. The night was a success despite the unfortunate events. Meryton would not see another night like this for many a year. Lady Catherine had done it all for Mrs Bennet, and she was exceedingly thankful. The servants too were amazingly loyal and deserved this night that most of them would look forward to for the whole year. The night would carry on for many hours yet, but the family decided that it was time to go to bed.
Nobody arose very early the next day, except for Mrs Bennet and the Gardiners. Mr and Mrs Gardiner had said their goodbyes the previous night and apologised that it they would be unlikely to attend Jane’s funeral due Mr Gardiner’s need to be in London for his business for the foreseeable future. Shortly after nine o’clock that morning, the Gardiner carriage was the first to leave the Longbourn estate, and Mrs Bennet waved them off. It would be another hour before the any other guest or family member would rise. Mrs Bennet sat down in the morning room with her sewing and allowed the grief to settle into her bones. She no longer felt the usual hysterics, though her nervousness was fully present. There was an air of calm about her that meant anyone who observed the matriarch would have thought her to be unfeeling and uncaring. Jane was gone and the excess of worry that had dogged Mrs Bennet’s steps for twenty years was relieved also. Grief threatened to overcome her as Mrs Bennet silently shed tears for the loss of her first child.
Mr Bennet and her remaining daughters were the next ones to rise. None of them disturbed her silent reverie as they too felt the sting of the loss. It was Mr Collins who finally disturbed Mrs Bennet. Unrestrained and bordering on the rude and arrogant, he not only interrupted her silent grief, but in his arrogance placed himself in a position that usurped that of the local Longbourn vicar and her son-in-law Edmund Bertram. “Madam,” he began, “As your cousin and as a clergy man I feel it is my duty,” Mrs Bennet would have happily reminded him what his duty was, and it was not whatever it was he felt to be his duty, “to condole with you on the loss of your daughter. Her recent behaviour and the scandal that she brought upon the family have rendered her death to be a blessing in disguise.”
He would have carried on but Mrs Bennet whirled around on him, “My daughter’s death is a blessing? How? What possible reason could the death of a child, who should be buried only after their parents, a blessing? How dare you comment on my daughter’s situation? How dare you say that her death is a blessing? You know nothing of my family and my daughter. She had some kind of illness that changed her character, and I do not believe that to be a ‘blessing’ when it is the same illness that killed her.”
“My apologies, ma’am. I merely meant to say that she can cause no more damage to the family or her own reputation. It is grievous and to be lamented that you and your husband should have lost your daughter in such a horrible way. Especially as this should have been such a time of great joy. That the death should have come on the heels of Miss Bennet’s scandal and of Miss Lydia’s disappointment is truly unfortunate. I am sorry to say that I and my wife will be leaving today with my mother-in-law. I know that we could be of great service to your household at this time. Why I believe that my wife’s mother has already been a major help to you and your family, and that the magnificent party last night was due to her efforts. I do believe that was the best of the social engagements that we have had these past two weeks.” Mr Collins carried on for another half an hour waxing lyrical over the accomplishments of Lady Catherine, and of the beauties and achievements of his wife. All the while insulting his hostess and the family that was hosting him and had provided the fortnight’s entertainments. By the end of his soliloquy, Mrs Bennet not only wa
nted to throw him from her home, but for once in her life she wished that she were strong enough to do physical violence against the man. Despite being a vicar and using his clergyman status as a reason for his soliloquy not one word of actual comfort, or of biblical hope came from his mouth. It had all been pompous nothings and personal aggrandisement. She was glad when the annoying little man finished his speech and walked off to annoy his wife and her mother in their preparations to leave.
A breakfast of cold meats, fruits and dainties had been laid out for the party. Each one drifted into the breakfast parlour to have their breakfast at various times, as there was no set time for everyone to gather together, but by midday all breakfasts had been finished and the breakfast foods were cleared away. Lady Catherine and the Collins left directly breakfast had been finished and the rest of Mrs Bennet’s guests left shortly thereafter, with her married daughters going back to Netherfield, but postponing leaving the area until after Jane’s burial. The end of breakfast rendered another surprise for Mrs Bennet, she did not know what it was about, but Mr Bingley entered Mr Bennet’s study and stayed there discussing something until long after the other guests had left the house. Once the interview was done, Mr Bingley had a hurried whispered conversation with Lydia, and then left the building.
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