The Ashes of Longbourn

by Schertz, Melanie

  The sisters sat in chairs next to each other, with their uncle taking a seat on a settee that he pulled in front of them. Madeline Gardiner sat down beside her husband.

  “Knowing that Jane would soon be engaged after Mr Bingley returned, your father asked me to do a favor for him. He gave me some pieces of jewelry which had been his mother’s, which he had held for you girls. Thomas knew I had a friend in London who took old pieces and turned them into completely new pieces.” Mr Gardiner held out two boxes, one for each of his nieces. “These were made from your grandmother’s necklace pieces. Jane, yours is pearls and sapphires, a necklace with earbobs to match. Lizzy, yours is pearls with diamonds and a single emerald in the center. There were other pieces, two of which are still being made. They were for the other girls. Those pieces will have their futures decided at a later date. I am pleased that I have these treasures from your past, your family heritage, that were prepared for you at your father’s request.”

  Tears were streaming freely on the faces of all in the room, including Mrs Hill and Betsy. Mrs Hill stepped forward. “Miss Lizzy, your father had a trunk made for you and Miss Jane, as he knew you would not be long after your sister in becoming engaged. My son was the one who made them. And he gave me something special to place inside the trunks.” Mrs Hill motioned for the maids to bring the two wooden trunks into the room. Opening the beautifully carved lids, Jane and Elizabeth found each contained a beautiful table cloth with matching napkins, as well as several exquisite handkerchiefs.

  “Mr Bennet told me that his mother and his grandmother had made the items, they hand stitched each piece. After the fire, I forgot about them, as I had left them at my son’s house when I rushed here to tend to you ladies. I remembered later on, but did not wish to bring them out while Miss Lizzy was so ill. I did not wish to make her further displeased with life.”

  Mr Gardiner patted the hand of the woman who had been so devoted to his nieces. Realizing that his brother in law had made all these preparations for his daughters, had sent these precious pieces of their heritage to safe places in preparation to present them, Mr Gardiner wondered if Thomas Bennet knew that his time on earth was soon to be ending and wished to have these items safe in the hands of those he trusted.

  Reaching in his pocket, Mr Gardiner pulled out his handkerchief to wipe his face. He then reached inside his coat’s interior pocket to pull out two beautifully carved hair combs made of wood, with beautiful flowers carved into them. “My father made these as a young boy. He held them until the wedding day of each of his children. They were worn by your mother, your Aunt Phillips, and my dear Helen. We thought it would be perfect for the grandchildren to have the tradition carried on. Lizzy, you may wear them today, and, when Jane marries, I will present them to her if she wishes. My own children will also have the option to wear them. As you each have your own families, we can continue the tradition.”

  “Uncle Edwin, I cannot believe that we have such treasures to bring our loved ones here for this special occasion.” Elizabeth said as she cried. “Mamma wore these the day she married Papa. The jewels from Grandmamma, and the beautiful chests that Papa had made for us, with the elaborate stitching on the items made by our grandmother and great grandmother, I thought all of the pieces of our past were gone.”

  Jane carried over the book of sonnets that Darcy had given Elizabeth. Inside, Jane had placed the single rose petal that had blown on top of Mr Bennet’s head stone in the cemetery. “William did not wish for this to be lost, for he told me how it blew to father’s marker after William asked Papa for your hand. I believe Papa was trying to ensure that you and I would always know how dear we were to him and how much he loved us.”

  Elizabeth nodded her head. “You are correct, Jane. Since William took me there to bid my farewells, I have felt that Mamma, Papa, and our sisters are watching over us.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I can hear Mamma saying that there has not been time to prepare a proper wedding and that I need lace. Mary would have wished to play music for a wedding breakfast, while Lydia and Kitty would plead with Mary to play something which they could dance to.”

  All in the room chuckled with the memories of their loved ones. Jane embraced her sister. “And Papa would be telling you now that you will be a married woman, and I soon after, there would not be any sense spoken in Longbourn again. Of course, now that you and I are no longer at Longbourn, and Mr Collins is, Papa would still be correct.”

  Bingley knocked on the door of the dressing chamber. Calling out to them while the door was still closed, he gave a warning. “Lizzy, your groom is becoming quite anxious for you to come downstairs. He said that if you do not come down soon, he will come up here and the wedding will be held in your dressing chambers and with you wearing whatever you have on.”

  “We are nearly ready to come down, Charles.” Jane called out. “We just had a private family moment. If need be, tie the groom to a chair to keep him in the drawing room.”

  Elizabeth began to laugh aloud. “Well, I believe it is time to make our way downstairs.”

  ~~ ** ~~

  Fitzwilliam Darcy was concerned when the time to begin the ceremony had come and past nearly a quarter of an hour ago. What had happened? Was his beloved ill or had she decided against the wedding?

  Bingley returned to the room, and nodded his head to Georgiana, who was sitting at the pianoforte. She began to play as the doors of the drawing room were opened and Mr Gardiner pushed the wheeled chair into the room, with Jane holding on to her sister’s hand. Each had a small boutique of flowers in their hands. Elizabeth was holding a handkerchief that was stitched with tiny red roses on the edge. Darcy gasped as he saw her coming towards him. The woman he loved more than life itself was to be his wife in just a few more moments. He could not believe his good fortune, looking forward to being able to take her in his arms and keep her with him. She would finally be his wife, his other half. And the look in her eyes told him that she loved him just as much as he loved her. To think that a month ago he was nearly at the edge of doing himself harm for he did not wish to continue living in a world where she no longer existed. And now, the beautiful vixen that had captured his heart and soul was coming towards him, prepared to be his wife.

  The service was done quickly, though it was doubtful that either of the couple would remember any of the words said. They only had eyes for each other. When the clergyman declared them husband and wife, Darcy scooped his wife from the chair and kissed her soundly before his family.

  Mr and Mrs Phillips were shocked and pleased to be at the wedding of the niece whom they had believed would be dead soon. Seeing the look on her face, the life restored to the frail shell of Elizabeth Darcy, knowing that she was dearly loved, the Phillips joined their brother and sister sitting at the table for dinner. “Edwin, I am pleased you have returned, and even more so that you brought this young man with you. We had feared for Lizzy these past months. What a difference in our niece, Mr Darcy truly loves her.” Mr Phillips said.

  “He does. He, unfortunately, had been told that she had died. William was devastated thinking that he would never again have her in his life. Fortunately, we came across each other in Ireland and he came with us to Netherfield. They are very much in love with each other.”

  “I am also pleased to see that Lizzy will be protected by you and Mr Darcy. Collins is becoming more and more difficult. He believes that he should receive Jane and Lizzy’s inheritance, as the house was destroyed and, now, most of his tenants have left Longbourn. Collins thinks that it is only right that he should have the funds to pay for rebuilding.”

  “He has no legal rights to the funds, does he?” Edwin Gardiner knew that the few pounds that Elizabeth and Jane each inherited were nothing to Fitzwilliam Darcy, but Mr Gardiner disliked Collins from the first moment he met the man.

  “No, I am just grateful to have other men to help me put him in his place. Even Sir William Lucas is fed up with his son in law. No one in Meryton wishes to do b
usiness with him. His rude behavior with regards to Lizzy has been vulgar.”

  “What has he been doing towards Lizzy?” Mrs Gardiner leaned her head into the conversation.

  “He speaks about how inconvenient it is that Lizzy did not just die and get it over with so that he could have her share of the inheritance to use for the building.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam was sitting close enough to hear the conversation and nearly choked on his food. “The man, my aunt’s former clergyman, is that the fool who said this?”

  Mr Phillips nodded his head. “He was Mr Bennet’s cousin, who inherited the estate after my brother in law’s death.”

  “I could kill him with my bare hands for such a comment against my new cousin. I believe that my father and I will need to speak with Mr Collins while we are in the neighborhood.”

  “He is still living at Lucas Lodge with his wife’s family, as he refuses to live in the dower cottage at Longbourn. Charlotte’s father is ready to hog tie him and throw him on a ship to Australia.”

  “That could be a possibility. Father has friends in shipping.” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “I never liked Collins before and only tolerated him as his wife and Elizabeth were the reason for my cousin and myself visiting at the parsonage.”

  “It would be best to keep him from Mr Darcy and Elizabeth for some time, for I know that the idiot would approach them with regards to their not needing the inheritance. They deserve to have time to heal without his foolishness.” Mr Phillips stated.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam nodded his head. “I will ensure that he knows he is not welcome to visit my cousins. Perhaps Bingley would be willing to forbid the buffoon from coming here.”

  It was not long before the newlyweds made the announcement that they were retiring for the night. If it were any other couple, their friends and family would have had knowing smiles as to the activities of the evening. But it was obvious that Elizabeth was fatigued and that Darcy wished nothing more than to rest with his bride safely tucked in his arms. Georgiana kissed her brother on the cheek, then her new sister. “I cannot wait until you are well so that I can come to know you better. William has told me so much about you and I have always wished to have a sister.”

  “I look forward to having you as a sister as well, Georgiana. Please forgive me for being so pathetic at the moment.”

  “I am pleased to know that you are alive, and that you are as wonderful as my brother has told me. We have the rest of our lives to know each other better. Now, you sleep well and we will see you tomorrow.”

  Mr Gardiner placed a hand on his beloved niece’s arm as Darcy held her in his arms. “Rest well, my dear girl. I am pleased to see the two of you together; your husband is indeed the very best of men.”

  “He is Uncle. Thank you for all that you have done for us.”

  “It was a pleasure, as you are like my own daughter. Your aunt and I want the best for you.”

  “Thank you, Uncle Edwin. We will be down to break our fast in the morning.” Elizabeth said.

  “Actually, Elizabeth will have already broken her fast before, but we will be down to join all of you so that she can have a second meal of the morning.” Darcy said with an air of being in charge.

  “Yes, my appetite is better now that I am eating small portions nearly every hour. I feel stronger than I did last night. My husband has been keeping a close watch over me, as have all of you. Thank you, everyone, for all your kindness. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Lord and Lady Matlock. It was a pleasure to see the rest of you.” Elizabeth said to all of their loved ones.

  Darcy smiled and thanked everyone as well, before taking the stairs to the second floor and to their shared bed chamber.

  ~~~~~~~ ** ~~~~~~~~

  Chapter 12

  The next morning dawned bright and the men were up early, meeting in Bingley’s study. Mr Phillips had sent word to Lucas Lodge, to Sir William, to have the man join the others at Netherfield.

  Upon the arrival of Sir William and Mr Phillips, the meeting began. Bingley stood behind his desk to make introductions. “Sir William, I thank you for joining us this morning. I have the honor of introducing to you Lord Matlock, Henry Fitzwilliam, Earl of Matlock in Derbyshire, and his second son, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Lord Matlock, Colonel Fitzwilliam, this is Sir William Lucas of Lucas Lodge. Everyone else is familiar with each other.”

  Sir William bowed to the earl and the colonel. “It is a pleasure to meet you gentlemen. And Mr Gardiner, I am pleased to see you have returned from Ireland. I know that Phillips and Mr Bingley have been doing their best to handle all that needed to be done since the fire. They have been remarkable. But I do not understand why the Earl of Matlock and his son, a Colonel in his majesties’ service, would be here.”

  “They are here, Sir William, as they are my family.” Darcy said as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. As my family, they are now affected by everything that happens to the Bennet sisters.”

  Sir William was confused. “Mr Darcy, welcome back to the neighborhood. Forgive me for not understanding, but what does it matter to you what happens to Miss Bennet or Miss Elizabeth?”

  “It matters to me due to the fact that Miss Elizabeth is now Mrs Darcy.”

  Sir William’s jaw nearly dropped. “I had not even heard of your return, let alone that you were engaged to Miss Eliza. Why have you been away so long? And, forgive me for saying it, with Miss Eliza’s health being as it is, your marriage will not be of long duration.”

  “You have not seen my wife these past days. Though she is frail, she is on the road to recovery. All of these men were witness to our wedding, held in the drawing room just down the hall, last night. I arrived here, with Mr Gardiner’s family, the night before. As to my engagement to Mrs Darcy, we had an understanding last spring, when I was at Rosings Park and my wife was visiting your daughter at Hunsford. Due to mixed information, I was told that Elizabeth was dead. My sister and I traveled until we met the Gardiner family, which was when I learned the truth about Elizabeth’s surviving the fire.”

  “Sir William, the reason that we wish to speak with you today concerns your son in law.” Mr Phillips stated.

  “That fool, what has he done this time?”

  Lord Matlock stepped forward. “I was informed that Mr Collins is making inappropriate comments with regards to my new niece. Is it not true that he stated that it was inconvenient that Elizabeth has not perished so that he can force her share of the inheritance to afford to rebuild the main house?”

  Sir William sat down in the nearest chair; a look of pain came over him. “How I wish my daughter was not married to that imbecile. If only I could throttle him and shake some sense into the man, but it is a lost cause.”

  “How is your daughter handling all the frustration with her husband?” Darcy asked.

  “She tries to curtail his talk, but he will not be stopped. Charlotte is ashamed by his behavior, and she has tried to apologize to those who have been offended by Collins. It has become her habit that when there is a gathering for a dinner or dance, Charlotte claims a headache and requires her husband to rub her feet for her. This has caused them a great deal of discord, as Collins wishes to make himself known throughout the neighborhood as one of the larger land owners hereabout and make others respect him. The arguments are becoming hostile, and it will not be long until Charlotte will have to relent and attend functions.”

  A knock came to the study door. Bingley called out “Enter” and the door opened. A young man entered the room and stepped close to Colonel Fitzwilliam, leaning in to speak privately to the man. Colonel Fitzwilliam’s face turned red with fury. “Where?” he demanded the information from the young man.

  “What has happened, Son?” Lord Matlock asked.

  “I sent Sgt. Winters to keep watch of Collins when he left Lucas Lodge. Sgt. Winters has just returned from Longbourn estate, a small cottage at the far end of the estate, where he has overheard an interesting conversation between Collins and
another man. Sgt., please tell us what you have heard.”

  “Collins was furious with the other man, yelling at him. He stated that the other man was incompetent and had ruined everything. He said that only Miss Elizabeth Bennet was to die, and that the other man had been a fool, destroying the house that Collins was supposed to move into rather than inheriting a burned out pile of rubble. The other man stated that he had been paid to eliminate Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and that was what he had attempted to do. He told Collins that it was only a matter of time until she succumbed to her injuries and that he had heard that the young lady was not expected to last much longer. He also told Collins that with all of her family gone, Miss Jane Bennet would soon marry Mr Bingley and move away from here where there is nothing but painful memories. He felt certain that she would want nothing else to do with the neighborhood, and, as she was marrying a man of some means, she would most likely be talked out of the five thousand pound inheritance.”

  Lord Matlock and Mr Gardiner were required to hold Darcy in place, as the newly wed husband was ready to storm from the house and kill Collins as soon as he found the scoundrel. “Forgive me, Sir, but there is more.” Sgt. Winters stated. “From what I gathered from the rest of the conversation, Collins and the other man were not in the plot alone. A lady paid for the man to come here and execute Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

  “Exactly what did the men say?” Colonel Fitzwilliam asked.

  “Collins told the man that ‘She did not pay you to make such a mess of things and you will be fortunate if she gives you one farthing of what you were promised’. The other man said that if he did not receive is pay, and soon, he would make Collins and the woman regret crossing him.”

  All of the men were appalled. Sir William stood and looked at the other men. “I am the magistrate in this neighborhood. I believe it would be wise if we were to have someone else come to hear this case, as I would not wish for any appearance of impropriety. You can keep Collins secure in the shed which is near the back of my house. Colonel, if you would be so kind as to request soldiers to guard the shed and keep this conspirator secure, I would appreciate it.”