Chapter 26
Several days later, Jane and Mary joined the Pemberley ladies in the sunny morning room which Elizabeth preferred as a workroom, bringing Ellie with them to join her cousins on the floor, surrounded with toys and nursemaids.
Jane pulled an unfinished dress from the basket at Elizabeth’s feet and set to sorting her embroidery threads.
They were sewing for the tenants and Elizabeth liked to add some fancy work to the dresses for the poorer of them, who otherwise would have little time and funds to add it themselves.
Mary began on the sleeves of a man’s work shirt.
She had been very quiet since the day of the funeral, even when Mr. Kirby visited to take tea, she spent most of the time listening as the rest of them entertained him.
Jane knew she was struggling with some unvoiced issues, but she allowed her the time to digest her feelings; she knew that she would speak of her troubles when she was ready.
“Kitty,” Mary spoke suddenly. “That color of red is lovely. Do you think that I would look well in it?”
“Oh, no, Mary! It is much too yellow of a red,” she replied without looking up.
Mary looked down, hunching her shoulders.
“You need a blue sort of red to bring out the roses in your cheeks. Just like a plum-y purple, and weirdly a butter yellow. You also look beautiful in black, unlike the rest of us. That white muslin with roses which Mama bought for me would look very well on you as well. The flowers are not a good pink for me, too near rose.”
Mary’s eyes shown with pleasure when she looked up to meet Jane’s gaze. “Are you finally ready to cast off your cocoon, dearest?”
“Yes, I— Mr. Kirby said something which made me rethink my manner of dress. I believe, like you all, I should dress to enhance my God-given beauty rather than attempting to mask it like a monk in his hair-shirt.”
“That is excellent!” Elizabeth cried. “We shall order you new dresses! By the time our mourning is finished they should be ready! Shall we go to Lambton tomorrow?”
“I could not possibly accept such generosity, Lizzy. I have the funds for two dresses, if I do the finishing myself,” Mary demurred.
“Nonsense!” she laughed. “I cannot spend even half my pin money each month. You will allow me to order twelve dresses.”
“Twelve—” Mary sputtered.
“Or perhaps fifteen…” Elizabeth tapped her chin with her finger.
“Three!” Mary pleaded.
“Eighteen,”
“Six!”
“Eight; I will hear nothing else or I shall go back to eighteen.”
Mary gave in with little grace, pouting her lip in vexation and making Jane laugh. “She only allowed me to buy two dresses when she first came to me. You are a much better negotiator, Lizzy. I did not think to threaten her by going up instead of compromising.”
“It is the method which William always uses to convince me I need another piece of jewelry,” she admitted with a smirk.
“Well, I know just what you need to do!” Kitty exclaimed, nearly giddy with excitement. “Once we find the fabrics it will all be as I say, for I am the best among us with designing gowns.”
They all agreed and began discussing other colors and styles which would accent Mary’s tall, thin frame without ‘gilding the lily’, to which she was adamantly opposed.
In the end, she was pleased with the fabrics they were able to find in Lambton and even more so that Kitty did not insist that her necklines be lowered further than she was comfortable with.
They pressed her usual boundaries, but not too far, and she was happy to place herself in their hands.
Mr. Kirby visited every day at teatime, spending a pleasant half hour with the family and speaking with Elizabeth and Jane while Mary shyly answered when asked a direct question.
The last day before they were to return to Ivy Well, Elizabeth received a note from the rector apologizing for not joining them and explaining that one of his parishioners had need of him.
Mary was disappointed but did not speak of it to her sisters.
The next morning, after breaking their fasts, Jane and her entourage loaded into the carriage and made the four-hour trip back to Ivy Well.
Jane had to hide her smile as Mary repeatedly sighed as she watched the fields pass by the window.
It was obvious that she was missing a certain reverend whom she had been unable to bid farewell.
She hoped, for her sake, that the man would prove persistent, though for her own, she would be disappointed to lose Mary’s competent assistance and companionship should it end in marriage.
“What on earth?” Mary exclaimed as they entered the park.
Jane leaned forward to see what had caught her attention and was surprised by the number of carriages which stood before the house and wondered aloud who was visiting.
They stepped down with the assistance of John and handed off their outerwear to Mr. Fackrell. “Your neighbors have come each day to give their condolences,” he announced, a sardonic lift to his brow. “Mr. Yates has been attempting to send them on their way for at least ten minutes.”
“Oh dear,” Jane fought a grin. “I had best assist him. Mary could you—”
“I shall take Ellie upstairs and get her settled,” her sister finished for her. “Do not allow them to occupy your whole day.”
Jane’s travel costume was only slightly wrinkled as she sailed forth to do battle with her inquisitive neighbors.
She was surprised, when she entered the sitting room, to find it filled with a number of gentlemen as well as their female family members and Mr. Yates looked a bit harried as Lady Killian demanded to know when Mrs. Bingley would return.
“Just this moment, Lady Killian,” Jane announced as she entered the room.
“Ah!” she cried bustling toward her with her eldest son in tow. “We were just hoping that we could give you our condolences in person, were we not Harry? This is my son, Harold Killian.”
“Most sorry to hear of your loss, ma’am,” he muttered before looking up and setting eyes on her, which left his mouth agape. He was nearly trampled by the others as they pushed forward to offer their own sympathies.
Mr. Yates offered introductions, as there were several who had not condescended to meet her previously, and Jane was as polite as she could be, though not at all warm.
She gave them a quarter hour of her time before gently hinting that she wished to refresh herself from her travels and thanking them for their visit.
They left, several with ill-disguised frustration, just in time to admit the next wave of condolers.
“What on earth, indeed?” Jane groaned as Mary joined her.
“All is forgiven, I see,” Mary smirked as they were joined by Mrs. Redmond and Baroness Greenleigh, as well as, Mrs. Redmond’s eldest daughter and her younger brother.
“James is visiting from Trenton,” the woman explained as her brother bowed over Jane’s hand. She continued to sing his praises until Lady Greenleigh snorted and demanded that she stop.
“Mrs. Bingley has only just buried her husband, she is not in the market to take on a new one!” She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “After the reception she received due to the circumstances, how would you expect her to willingly marry at all?”
“You are one to talk!” Mrs. Redmond scoffed. “If your Terrance was seven and twenty instead of only seven, you would be presenting him along side me!”
“I would like to think I have more respect for my neighbor than that.”
Jane gaped in horror, not having realized their purpose, though she had seen, and did not appreciate, the hypocrisy.
“You are free to inform our neighbors that it will take a man of unusual excellence to persuade me to marry again after my last experience. I shall never marry just to gain a husband, any husband. I believe I shall bid you farewell. I have only recently arrived, and I would like to change and see my daughter settled.”
Mrs. Redmond was red as a beet and bid her an embarrassed farewell before hurrying her family from the room. Lady Greenleigh offered her hand, giving Jane an encouraging squeeze. “I do understand your position, Mrs. Bingley. If I was so lucky to have lost my spouse, I would never marry again.”
“I am sorry to hear of your troubles,” Jane murmured, so that they would not be overheard. “And I appreciate your support. If you would like to return tomorrow, I will be better prepared to act as hostess.”
“I will do so,” she promised, bidding Mary and Mr. Yates a breezy farewell as she left.
“I cannot believe the audacity of your neighbors,” Mary declared once there was no chance of their being overheard. “Have they no respect for mourning?”
“I am just glad that Baroness Greenleigh said something for it would likely have been weeks before I realized what was happening.” She blushed in mortification and shook her head. “Apparently there is still some lingering amount of naivety in me.”
“You say that as if it is an unfortunate part of your personality,” Mr. Yates observed. “I would think that your bright and hopeful outlook would be admirable.”
“Perhaps when tempered with a healthy dose of reality,” Jane sighed heavily. “I am sorry to be so morose, I need to rest, I think, and perhaps eat a little something. Tea will chase away a multitude of ills.”
“Well, I am pleased that you returned safely, ladies.” Mr. Yates bowed to them both. “I believe I shall bid Miss Ellie welcome home before I return to my work.”
Jane gave him a pleased smile as she turned back at the door. “You are so good with her. She adores you, sir.”
“The feeling is mutual, I assure you,” he grinned, following them from the room.
The next morning, after a good night’s sleep, Jane felt much better and was even slightly ashamed of her candor with the visiting ladies.
She spent several hours with Mr. Yates, discussing estate matters before they joined Mary in breaking their fasts.
When the time for polite visiting hours came, they were shocked to greet Mr. Kirby.