Vol 2, Chapter 1
Miss Caroline Bingley was not a happy person.
While it was true, she had long since been unhappy as her aims to gain the status as Mr. Darcy's wife were denied at every turn, her banishment and being abandoned by her siblings were the latest in her long line of failures.
Now, stuck living with her spinster aunt in Scarborough, unhappy did not even begin to describe her state.
To her displeasure, her forty-some pounds of interest each month was sent to her aunt who took some for board, lodging, and breakages, before the remainder was turned over to Miss Caroline.
She had written letters ad nauseam to both her sister and brother without a single response.
After almost three months of exile, she was starting to realise she had pushed her siblings too far this time.
She had been so sure her gambit to convince her brother to take her to Pemberley would bear fruit, but the exact opposite had been the result.
She missed London terribly, but none of her friends had extended invitations, regardless of how she hinted in her letters, and she would not give in and institute an establishment for herself in Town, as that would be like pasting a label on her forehead that read: ‘On the Shelf.’
What she could do, she had no idea, but she scoured the gossip rags and society pages each time she was able to lay her hands on them to be on the lookout for an opportunity that she could take advantage of.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The last month had seen Lord Sed deteriorate significantly, but he still spent as much time with Thomas Bennet as possible to acquaint him with the running of all of the Bedford holdings.
In the last month, the stewards of all of the Bedford estates, along with the Birchington estate, had been to London to meet with the Duke since his final rounds had been cut short and he had been unable to reach those estates.
The final one was the steward of the estate in Ireland that bred horses. He had departed a few days previously.
Respecting Bennet’s desire not to disclose himself as the heir as yet, to give his children as much time as possible to be carefree, in all of the meetings with the stewards and the managers of the other Bedford assets, Bennet had been introduced as an associate of the Duke’s.
Tom Bennet would arrive in London at the end of March. Elizabeth, who had left for Hunsford a day earlier, would be retrieved before she planned to return. The others were in London, including Jane, who was once again happier than ever, as Andrew had returned a sennight ago.
The two earls and his brothers-in-law had been an immense help as Bennet learned from the Duke while Gardiner had been advising him on the matters of business.
One irony for them both was that Gardiner was also a client of Bennet’s now, as he exclusively used Dennington Line ships for his import and export business.
The same could be said for Priscilla Bennet who, in addition to Aunt Rose, as she now called her, and the two countesses, her sister and sister-in-law were always willing and able to assist. It had only been a month, but Thomas and Priscilla Bennet believed that although it would be daunting, the tasks ahead no longer seemed insurmountable.
The vast library at Bedford House had ensured Bennet had fallen in love with the home.
They had access to Birchington House on Grosvenor Square, but until the investiture the Bennets preferred to remain at Gardiner House.
Thankfully, with Jane busy with her suitor and Elizabeth on her trip to Hunsford, the two oldest Bennet daughters, who under normal circumstances would have noticed something was up with their parents, had been sufficiently diverted.
If they had asked their parents direct questions neither would have prevaricated, but thankfully they were busy with their own lives.
Esther did notice something out of the norm but knew that when there was something to tell, her parents would do so, and she too was busy spending time with her cousin Allie and helping with Mark and her young Gardiner cousins.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The previous day, Lord Andrew Fitzwilliam had gained Bennet’s approval for a private interview with Jane. As yet, neither he nor Richard had been informed of the massive changes about to effect the Bennets' life.
He arrived at Gardiner House at exactly ten and was shown into Gardiner’s study.
Bennet, having informed Gardiner of the approval for the interview, was well aware what the Viscount was about and had his butler summon his niece.
“You have ten minutes, and the door will not be closed,” Gardiner stated as he left the couple alone.
“Jane Francine Bennet,” Andrew began as he sunk to one knee and took her hands in his.
“I find that I am irrevocably in love with you. It was not love at first sight, but I felt an attraction to you like I had never felt for another from the first. You are strong, intelligent, compassionate, generous, and if all of that were not enough, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever beheld. I respect, esteem, and love you, Jane, and I know there is none other for me. Jane, will you grant my fondest wish and agree to be my wife?”
“Andrew Reginald Fitzwilliam, I, too, am in love with you and could never marry anyone else. There is no other man for me, so yes Andrew, a thousand times yes, I will marry you,” Jane responded as she beamed and blushed with absolute joy and pleasure.
Andrew was so pleased he felt like he was floating on the clouds.
He stood and slowly slipped a ring onto Jane’s forth finger.
It was a gold band, adorned with a huge sapphire and not-so-small diamonds on either side of the blue stone which he had chosen because it matched Janes eyes.
He then drew Jane to himself, and she lifted her head, indicating that she did not object to being kissed.
The first kiss was soft and sent tingles of anticipation through both.
The next was a lingering kiss as his tongue gained entry to her mouth and they truly tasted one another for the first time.
Not wanting to risk the ire of her uncle, Andrew took a step back, though their hands were intertwined as their foreheads rested one on the other. There was a sharp knock on the door and Gardiner waited a moment, giving them time to separate fully.
When he entered, and before Andrew could request anything, he could tell he had been accepted by Jane. “Bennet gave me leave to convey his consent and blessing to this union. Welcome to the family, Andrew. I believe you will be very happy, Jane,” Gardiner intoned.
“Thank you, Gardiner. Will Bennet place the announcement, or should I?” Andrew asked, keen to shout his good fortune from the rooftops.
“Bennet had a request. He asks that you wait until the end of the month for the official announcement, as Tom will be here, and he also plans to bring Lizzy home early.” Gardiner conveyed Bennet’s requirement.
“Your mother is here with Jane’s mother and grandmama; and I am sure they would be happy to hear your news. ”
Jane and Andrew entered the drawing room and Jane immediately noticed one lady she had not met before; she was an older lady of perhaps sixty.
“Jane, my dearest Andrew, welcome. Andrew, I think you know my good friend, Lady Rose, the Duchess of Bedford. Rose, this is my oldest granddaughter, Jane,” Lady Sarah covered so Jane would not question the Duchess being present.
“By the ring on your finger, I take it that my son has finally done the smart thing and asked for your hand in marriage? The ring was most becoming on my late mother, but it looks like it was made for you, Jane,” Lady Elaine enthused.
“I requested Jane’s hand and she accepted me. Her uncle bestowed her father’s consent and blessing,” Andrew reported to exclamations of joy from all of the ladies.
“Welcome to the family, Andrew,” Priscilla hugged her future son-in-law while Lady Elaine returned the favour by enfolding Jane into her arms. Jane hugged her grandmama and Aunt Maddie and accepted best wishes from the Duchess.
“It is about time, Andrew,” his mother teased as she playfully swatted her son on the arm. All talk of duties of a duchess were forgotten for the afternoon as the talk turned to weddings.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Charlotte Collins had been overjoyed to welcome her good friend to her home the previous day.
Charlotte had endured two months of marriage to her husband, but it felt more like years than months.
A week after taking up residence at the parsonage, Charlotte had finally relented and allowed her husband to have his way with her.
She had expected pain and blood, there was neither.
Collins had come into her darkened room, lifted her night dress, climbed on top of her, and grunted and sweated as he moved around, seemingly without purpose.
Charlotte could not help but notice that her husband sweated profusely with any activity that he partook in.
She had felt something small and soft push against her leg, then after the longest two minutes of her life there had been a little sticky discharge, and, soon after, Collins had thankfully departed leaving his mortified wife to clean her leg.
Her management of her husband, for the most part, was successful.
The hardest part was his unbridled reverence of his patroness.
Whenever needed, Charlotte would employ her successful strategy of getting Lady Catherine to reverse an edict, making it look as if were the lady’s intent the whole time.
It was not lost on Charlotte that Miss Anne de Bourgh seemed to be highly amused when the rector’s wife was able to manipulate her mother to reverse some of her ridiculous edicts.