Chapter 2 #2
To Anne, the possibility of marrying her cousin represented a way to escape the stifling confines of living with a mother who wanted to control every aspect of her daughter’s life. Hence, the desire to marry her cousin became her wish as well, for vastly different reasons than her mother believed.
Lady Catherine was ranting about her brother-in-law refusing to do his duty to her by betrothing his son to Anne, thereby combining the fortunes of Pemberley and Rosings Park.
It was the only way Lady Catherine could see where she would retain control of the fiefdom she had created for herself since her husband had drowned some five years previously.
Anne shook her head out of her mother’s line of sight.
The Darcys owned eight estates, and outside of the main Pemberley estate, three of them were as large, if not larger than, Rosings Park.
Why ever would they need an estate in Kent?
Even at her tender years, Anne was sure her mother’s push was about herself gaining access to the Darcy coffers after failing to entrap her Uncle Robert some years ago, and, in truth had nothing to do with her daughter’s happiness, for it was long established that anything which would give her pleasure was not to be borne.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The deed was done. Bennet was married to the last woman he would ever choose to marry. “You could have looked a little happy,” Martha Bennet whined as her husband handed her into the carriage after her children.
“I have no reason to be happy. You fully know this is not what I desire. Let us depart; I want to return to my daughters as soon as may be.” Bennet said, as he closed the door.
“How is it that you are only telling me you have children now?” Martha asked carefully.
“If you had not deigned to compromise me, and had I been even a little interested in you, I would have shared everything about my family with you.” The woman had the decency to turn red at that statement.
“Well, at least now your unfortunate daughters will have a mother,” Martha drawled.
“Let me be rightly understood,” Bennet wheeled his head around toward her with a thunderous look, “I give you no authority over my children. You may not question them, discipline them, or anything else. They are not now, nor will they ever be, under your care! Do I make myself clear?”
For the first time, Martha was afraid of Bennet and decided that, for now anyway, she would obey her husband.
She was still confident she would be able to use her feminine wiles to bring him to heel as it had never failed to work before.
Her former husband was compliant and had never questioned that none of his children looked even a little bit like him.
Charles was tallish with sandy blond hair and grey eyes; Louisa had mousy brown hair, brown eyes and was plump, to put it nicely, for she never saw any food that did not call to her.
Even Martha had to own the fact that her older daughter was homely.
Caroline had orange hair, almost yellow eyes, and was a bony young girl, quite the opposite of Louisa.
Unfortunately, she was homely as well, if one were being generous in their description of Caroline Bingley.
Martha had hoped that her daughters’ appearances were not obvious, as the disparity between her daughters’ looks and her husband’s was great.
Martha did not know how yet, but she had to convince her husband to adopt her progeny so they would have the name of a gentleman and not a tradesman. She would just have to seduce him. It was as simple as that.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Four hours later, with Bennet riding ahead, they arrived under the portico at Longbourn.
Martha was not happy, for there was no one to receive her, no servants lined up, and her husband’s daughters were also nowhere to be seen.
“You would think my new daughters…” She got no further as Bennet interjected.
“Madam, I will tell you one last time. My daughters are not now, nor will they ever be your daughters! If you make me say it again, Mrs. Bennet, you will have a choice before you: annulment or divorce!”
“You would not do that; either would cause you scandal!” For the first time Martha began to realise she may have underestimated her husband.
“If you break a single rule of my house, I most certainly will. No matter the cost or the scandal, I will be rid of you. Before our wedding, I explained that you are not mistress of this house; in truth, you have say over nothing, most particularly, my children. Under no circumstances will you or your children claim they are Bennets to anyone! Do I make myself clear, or do I need to summon my solicitor and begin proceedings to rid myself of you and your spawn?” Bennet demanded.
His anger was palpable, and Martha knew now was not the time to test his will.
She may have to bide her time, but at some point, she would prevail.
As she was standing in shock, two of the prettiest girls she had ever beheld burst out of the front door and jumped into their father’s arms. As homely as her daughters were, her husband’s daughters were at the very opposite end of the scale.
She immediately resented the two girls who were receiving love from their father in a most unreserved way.
Louisa and Caroline stared wordlessly at the visions before them.
No matter how much they told themselves otherwise, when they saw their stepsisters, they saw what beauty truly was, and it was not what they found when they looked in the mirror.
Caroline especially hated the two beauties, for all they had, from the quality of their dress to their looks, things she apparently would never have, as her new father had said he would buy them nothing!
Charles was almost twelve and had a habit of spying on his sisters when they changed or bathed.
When he saw the two Bennet sisters for the first time, his eyes opened wide, especially when he saw the older of the two—a blond angel.
He, however, soon learned he would have no opportunity to ply his trade with his stepsisters.
His mother, his sister, and he were shown to chambers on a different floor from the family.
Between them, they had three small chambers and they were told, in no uncertain terms, that there would always be a footman on duty in the hall below that led to the family chambers.
As a safety measure, Bennet moved his daughters into a bedchamber next to his and out of the nursery, which was on the floor where his wife and her children had been placed. Miss Jones was then ensconced in the bedchamber next to Jane and Elizabeth.
There was an uneasy truce among the inhabitants of Longbourn, which lasted for a little more than six years.