Mrs. Bennet reached over and patted her sister-in-law’s hand, “Oh yes, sister, you must guide the girls, for they do not understand the way of London society,” she told her. “You know very well that in order for Kitty to find a rich husband, she must go to all the parties and balls.”
Mrs. Gardiner placed her teacup down, “I am sure we will have plenty of balls to attend; as many as Kitty may wish, in fact. Why we have already been to three with Kitty since you have arrived.”
“Oh yes, the ball Mrs. Wessham gave was very agreeable. Your friend is very amiable and so attentive to her guests. I think Kitty had such a wonderful time, did you not, my dear girl?” Mrs. Bennet asked her.
“Yes, Mama,” she answered. “I did have a very nice time. Everything was very enjoyable, and I did have a particularly pleasant time visiting with some of the other ladies. Mrs. Wessham’s daughter is very nice, and her son is very agreeable.”
Mrs. Bennet looked over at Elizabeth, “It is a shame you could not attend!” she snapped at her. “I suppose now that you are married to Mr. Darcy, you have more important engagements to attend to!”
Jane looked over at her mother, “Mama, that is unfair,” she told her. “Lizzy would have joined us, but Mr. Darcy already had a previous engagement with a very old and dear friend whom he wanted to introduce Lizzy to.”
Mrs. Bennet rolled her eyes, “I suppose if you would rather go and spend the evening with some stuffy old acquaintance of Mr. Darcy’s than enjoying the ball, so be it,” she complained. “There is no accounting for how one chooses to spend their time, I suppose.”
“Mama, Doctor Eldredge is a very old and dear friend of Mr. Darcy’s. He has known him since he was a child. Doctor Eldredge helped to deliver both Miss Darcy and Mr. Darcy. He cared for Mr. Darcy’s mother and father and was of great comfort to him when they passed away. It was expected that Doctor Eldredge would wish to meet me. After all, he has been a very important part of both Miss Darcy and Mr. Darcy’s life. There was no intention to give slight to Mrs. Wessham, but Mr. Darcy was anxious for me to meet his friend.”
“You said yourself, Doctor Eldredge lives near Lambton,” Mrs. Bennet reminded her. “I do not understand why it is that you could simply not have met him another time!”
“I told you, Mama, Doctor Eldredge has been in London for these past few months. He does not spend as much time in Lambton as he once did,” she told her again. “As he has gotten older, he spends most of his time here in London.”
“Yes, yes, so you have said!” Mrs. Bennet snapped. “I still say you have done your sister a grave injustice by not going to the ball!”
“Mama, we had a very lovely evening with Mrs. Wessham,” Jane told her. “I think she was very kind to include us all in her invitation, but I do not believe she was offended that Lizzy could not attend.”
“Mrs. Wessham is new to London society,” Mrs. Gardiner told her. “I know her from my time in Lambton. We grew up together there as girls. Of course, she married very well, but we have kept in touch over the years. I must say, I was very surprised to find her so very agreeable upon meeting her again. Some ladies who marry well can become distant and think themselves better than others. I was very happy to see that she was just as she always was, very agreeable. I believe her ball a smashing success, and I dare say with so many guests, she could hardly have noticed that Lizzy and Mr. Darcy were unable to attend.”
Mrs. Bennet pursed her lips and furrowed her brow in irritation. “Yes, but if Lizzy had come to the party, it is very likely that Mr. Fitzwilliam might have come as well!” she complained.
“Mama, just because Mr. Darcy and I attend a party hardly ensures that either Colonel Fitzwilliam or his brother would choose to attend,” Elizabeth told her.
“Yes, but he might have!” Mrs. Bennet insisted. “And then he would have time to spend with Kitty! I still think Mr. Fitzwilliam could be persuaded to see Kitty if she would only encourage him more!” she complained. “Next time you are in company with him, you must find an opportunity to sing for him!”
“Mama, I can hardly go around singing every time I am in company with Mr. Fitzwilliam,” Kitty told her. “Besides, I have already told you; Mr. Fitzwilliam is a very nice man, but he made it very clear he was not interested in seeking to spend time with me for any other reason than friendship,” she told her.
Mrs. Bennet heaved an exasperated sigh and narrowed her eyes, “Why should he spend any time with you at all, then!” she shrieked. “It is most vexing to me that he should invite you to walk in the gardens then only say that he seeks to have more friends. Who cares about friends when husbands are in want!?”
“Mama, Mr. Fitzwilliam is a very agreeable gentleman,” Jane tried to reason with her. “He has been very friendly to all of us. We cannot force him to be interested in giving his attentions to Kitty.”
“If Kitty would try harder, he may decide he wants to be more than her friend!” she said, growing more annoyed. “You have changed so much, Kitty! You do not try as you once did when Lydia was with you. Perhaps you should return home and let her be your guide in how is best to find a husband!”
Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide; she was shocked her mother would think to suggest such a thing. “Mama, lest you forget, Lydia’s way of finding a husband was not at all acceptable, nor is it to be emulated!”
“Lizzy is right, Mama,” Jane scolded her. “We are all very glad Mr. Wickham could be persuaded to marry Lydia, but we would never want Kitty following her example!”
Mrs. Bennet pursed her lips and made a face as she shook her head in frustration. “Oh very well!” she said as she placed her teacup down on the table. “I suppose you will have your way!” she pouted. “I only hope Kitty will not return to Longbourn unmarried still. What will I say to the neighbors? She will be labeled an old maid!”
Kitty thought about what Elizabeth had told her and did her best not to lose her temper. She decided perhaps the best way to deal with her mother was in teasing her. “You never know, Mama; perhaps I will one day marry Captain Hathaway!” she said to annoy her. “He is very handsome, after all.”
Mrs. Bennet began shaking with anger, “A farmer!” she cried out. “Oh, that will not do. Lizzy, you must promise me not to let Kitty marry a farmer!”
Elizabeth smiled mischievously, “Kitty may marry whomever she wishes, Mama,” she teased her. “After all, Lydia married Mr. Wickham, and he has far fewer prospects than Captain Hathaway.”
Mrs. Bennet began wailing, “Oh Jane, how she vexes me!” she cried. “I send my dear girl to Pemberley, and all she can manage for a match is a farmer!”
Elizabeth did her best not to laugh at her mother’s ridiculous behavior. She took in a deep breath and said, “Mama, I promise only to guide Kitty into marrying a man who is worthy of her and whom she loves. If he is a farmer, I can see no disgrace in that,” she told her, to which Mrs. Bennet began beating the armchair and crying more.
“You will not marry a farmer!” she said looking over at Kitty, “You must marry Mr. Fitzwilliam or someone very like him!”
Jane sighed, “Mama, both Kitty and Lizzy are only teasing you,” she said attempting to calm her down. “Besides, Captain Hathaway does very well for himself…”
Elizabeth got up and walked over to the door. She could still hear Jane attempting to calm their mother’s worries as she walked down the hall and went into the study. She knocked on the door and then stepped inside. “I have come to say goodbye,” she said as she walked over and kissed him on the top of the head.
Mr. Bennet reached up and held her hand in his for a moment, “Oh Lizzy, my only regret in leaving London so soon is knowing it shall be some time before I am to see you again,” he told her.
Elizabeth took in a deep breath, “If only there was a way to return Lydia and Mama to Longbourn and take you with me to Pemberley. I would be very content,” she told him.
He laughed as his eyes began to mist just a little, “If there were such a way,
you know I would find it, my dear girl,” he assured her. “As it is, I shall have my worst nightmare coming true. I shall be alone in the house with only Lydia and your mother for company. You must think of me often.”
Elizabeth did feel bad for her father. It would be difficult days ahead for him learning to adjust to having only Lydia and her mother there with him. “It will not only be Mama and Lydia. You will have someone new to occupy your time with,” she suggested. “Little Ben will be there.”
Mr. Bennet sighed heavily. “Aye, and I believe my grandson will be with us for some duration,” he said as his tone grew more serious. “I have never been as ashamed of anyone in my life as I am of George Wickham. To abandon his own son as he has done is unpardonable.”
Elizabeth took in a small breath and walked around the chair to sit down. “Papa, do you think perhaps when all is said and done, it might have been a kindness on his part to leave Lydia here with you?” she asked him. “Knowing him to be the sort of man that he is, perhaps being here with you is better for Ben. You can help shape and guide him in a way that Wickham would not. At least with you, there is a far better chance of him growing into a respectable young man than if he were exposed all the time to Wickham.”
Mr. Bennet considered what she said. “I have been thinking on that as well,” he told her. “Lizzy, I am getting older, and some men my age might be willing to live out there days in the comfort of home, sitting near the fireplace reading books and sipping port.”
Elizabeth smiled, “Yes, some men might be very willing to do that,” she teased him.
Mr. Bennet smiled playfully as he continued talking, “Well my dear, I have decided I shall not be one of those men,” he told her in all confidence. “I have taken a vow to do things differently. I realize there must be a reason that this has all unfolded as it has, and now I know it. I am going to take an active role in the rearing of young Bennet. I believe there is much that I can teach him before I leave this earth. I believe I can yet be of service to my grandson, and who knows what the future might bring. If Mr. Collins should be as lucky as I and only be blessed with daughters, then perhaps one-day, Longbourn might again be in the hands of my family.”
“Is that truly possible?” Elizabeth asked. “I will admit, I have never fully understood the entailment beyond knowing how entirely unfair it is, and since I am not a man, I could never inherit.”
Mr. Bennet sighed, “This blasted entailment has always been an albatross to me, and it is very likely it will continue to be. However, I am not planning to spend the remaining days I have left in living as if it is so,” he told her. “It is possible that one day Bennet could own Longbourn. If Mr. Collins were to pass from this life into the next without producing a male heir, Longbourn would go to Bennet. You see Lizzy, after Collins, my family has the distinction of no other living male heirs in line to inherit except for young Bennet. Collins has no brothers, only two sisters. One of whom I am told is very plain and already considered an old maid, and the other is quickly approaching spinsterhood.”
“I did not realize there were so many girls born to your family,” Elizabeth said, somewhat surprised. “Still, I would never wish anything bad on Charlotte or Mr. Collins.”
Mr. Bennet shook his head, “Nor do I,” he assured her. “I do not hope for his early demise, nor do I wish him any ill will, but if he should be blessed with only daughters as I have been? Well, I can see no harm in that, can you?”
Elizabeth laughed just a little, “No Papa, I suppose there is no harm in that,” she agreed with him.
Mr. Bennet sighed, “Oh Lizzy, I am not a hopeful man by nature. I know the reality before me is that Mr. Collins will come as soon as I leave you all. I know he will have every right to toss your mother out into the hedgerows and do what he will with Longbourn if he should have a son of his own,” he said somewhat melancholy. “However, for now, for this time I have with my grandson, I will think on it differently. You will not begrudge me that, will you?”
Elizabeth took in a deep breath, “I will not, Papa,” she encouraged him. “You should do exactly as you have said and spend your time with Ben, and raise him to be the kind of man that would make us all proud. For I believe having you with him is a blessing, and he will be a very fortunate young man to have such a grandfather,” she told him.
Before he could respond to her, a knock came to the door. “Come in,” Mr. Bennet called out.
Beatrice stepped inside, “Beg your pardon, but there is a delivery here for you, sir,” she said.
Mr. Bennet shook his head, “I am not expecting anything by way of post,” he told her.
“This package did not come by post, Mr. Bennet,” she explained. “It was a young man in regimental uniform that delivered it, sir. He gave me strict instructions that it was to be given directly to you by order of Colonel Wellington,” she said as she gave the package to him.
Mr. Bennet furrowed his brow, “All right then, Beatrice,” he said as he took a small package with a letter attached from her. “Please do not make mention of this arriving to either Mrs. Bennet or Mrs. Wickham.”
Beatrice curtsied and nodded her head, “Very well, sir,” she said before leaving the room and closing the door.
Mr. Bennet sat at the desk and placed the package in front of him. “Well, what do you suppose this is?”
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, “I cannot think what it could be,” she told him honestly.
Mr. Bennet opened the letter first and read it over. “Well Lizzy, I find myself feeling astonished. I am not sure what to make of it,” he told her as he handed the letter to her. “I am astounded that Wickham would do this; perhaps he has some sense of what is right after all.”
Elizabeth took the letter and walked back over to sit down and read it.
Mr. Bennet,
It has come to my attention that Mrs. Lydia Wickham has recently been staying with you at Longbourn while her husband performs his duties here in the North. As a newly promoted officer who has helped with several missions of a rather delicate nature, Wickham is now to be provided with a small wage as compensation. Of course, when it was made known to me that his family now resides in Longbourn with you, I felt compelled to forward half of his wages to you for the care of his wife and son. I have enclosed the amount of £4 with this letter, and a further £3 will be sent directly to you per month until such a time when Wickham may rejoin his family. I would ask for your discretion in this matter. Please do not make this arrangement known to anyone.
Regards,
Colonel H. Wellington
Elizabeth folded the letter back up and returned it to her father. “Do you believe it was Wickham who suggested this money be sent to you?” she asked him.
Mr. Bennet furrowed his brow, “Do you have reason to believe it otherwise, Lizzy?” he asked her.
Elizabeth chewed her bottom lip for a moment and thought about how to respond. She did not tell her father about the woman Wickham was having an affair with. She kept the secret from him knowing it would only further strain the acquaintance whenever her father found himself in the company of Wickham. She shook her head, “No, I think you must be right,” she said to him. “Wickham must have had a sudden attack of conscience and decided to take responsibility for once in his life. I am glad for Lydia to have the support, and I know it will help you, Papa.”
Mr. Bennet took the letter and carefully tucked it away in his pocket. He picked up the small package and carefully placed it in his pocket as well. “I do not want your sister to know about this, Lizzy,” he commented. “If she knew of this money, she would only rush out and spend it. I want this money to be set aside for my grandson. I may not be able to leave him much when I die, but I can ensure he has something when that time comes. For once in my life, I hope I have learned finally what it means to plan and think for the future.”
Elizabeth understood. She walked over and kissed her father on the cheek, “My nephew is very fortunate to have you, Papa,” she told hi
m. “I think putting the money aside and keeping it from Lydia a very prudent thing to do. Perhaps you should not make mention of it to Wickham either,” she cautioned him. “If he is the one who has had this money sent for his son and has done so in such a manner, it is possible he seeks no recognition for it at all, and therefore, should never be mentioned.”
Mr. Bennet nodded his head, “I think I understand your meaning, Lizzy, and will follow your counsel in this,” he assured her as he got up and walked around the desk towards her. “I shall miss you, my dear girl,” he said as tears formed in his eyes.
Elizabeth stood up and kissed him on the cheek, “And I will miss you,” she said softly.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It was just before tea when Elizabeth came into the library to choose a new book to read. Darcy had bought several new books and assured her that there were a least three that would be to her liking. She decided it would be a lovely way to spend the afternoon since little else required her attention. William was busy with Mr. Fletcher, leaving her to fend for herself. The weather had turned rather gray and stormy overnight, so spending some time reading seemed like the ideal way to spend the afternoon. As she came into the library, she saw Caroline sitting near the fire with a book in hand. “Caroline, I am surprised to see you here,” she commented.
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