Chapter 17
To say the reunion at Netherfield the next day was emotional would have paid a great disservice to the word.
No one knew who to hug first. Tommy hugged Elizabeth, lifting her off the ground as he swung her around.
“Tommy, you do know my leg was recently injured, do you not?” Elizabeth smiled at the exuberance of her little brother.
No, she could no longer call him her little brother.
He was as tall as her betrothed, inches taller than their late father had been.
With a sheepish look, Tommy put his sister down most gently.
Elizabeth was then engulfed in Jane’s arms as the two cried tears of both joy and sorrow simultaneously.
“If only Papa could be here to witness this,” Jane sniffed as she held onto her younger sister for dear life, as if, were she to let Elizabeth out of her arms, she would awaken and find it was all a cruel dream.
She pinched herself just to be sure it was not a dream.
“Jane, why on earth did you do that?” Elizabeth asked through her tears.
“I was afraid this was a dream, so I had to make sure,” Jane averred with a watery smile.
Marie was enfolded in her parents’ arms, something she had been fearful to admit, she believed would never happen again. Cassie, Allie, and Phillip joined the group as Marie was surrounded by her parents and three of her four siblings.
Jamey was with his wife and the recipient of one of his new sister’s big hugs, which had earned the nickname Lizzy-Bear.
“I am so happy to have you all home!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
“You two remember my betrothed, William?” Elizabeth asked as she drew the man to her side.
William had been standing back, allowing the family their time until his betrothed pulled him into the fray.
“Yes, we all know William,” Jamey retorted as he shook the man’s hand.
“The last time I saw you, Your Grace, I was but seven or eight,” Jane stated.
“I remember, and please, my name is William; we are soon to be brother and sister after all,” William lifted his soon-to-be sister’s hand and bowed over it.
Elizabeth motioned Louisa over. “Jane, you remember our sister, Louisa?” Elizabeth asked with arched eyebrow. Luckily, Louisa’s unstinting support of her sister had been part of what the Gardiner’s had told her the previous day.
Louisa was not sure what her reception from Jane Bennet would have been, had she not already known of the close friendship she and Elizabeth had formed.
All her worries were for naught when Jane enfolded her in a hug.
“Thank you for all you have done to help our sister,” Jane said quietly in Louisa’s ear, and Louisa could not help but beam with joy.
“This handsome devil here,” she indicated Jamey, “is my husband, Jamey Bennet. Jamey, our sister Louisa.” Jamey bowed to Louisa.
“Well met, Louisa. Another sister is most welcome, one can never have too many.” Jamey grinned at her.
“This shy young lady is the Darcy you did not meet. Jane and Tommy, our Georgiana. You may remember she is called Gigi by all who know and like her, and one cannot know her without liking or loving her! She will soon be our sister too.” Elizabeth soundly complemented the younger girl, who blushed furiously at her words.
While well-pleased by the compliment, she was also embarrassed.
Georgiana blushed even more when she greeted the extremely handsome Tommy, but when she met Phillip Bennet her heart skipped a beat.
There was something inexplicable about the young man that attracted her to him.
She dismissed her feelings as being caught up in the moment, pushing them to the recesses of her mind.
Lizzy was hugged by her aunt, uncle, and cousins, whom she had not seen these long years.
“Uncle, Aunt, Cassie, Allie, and Phillip, I would like you to meet my sister, Louisa.” Louisa curtsied to the Earl and his family.
Any worry she had about acceptance from Elizabeth’s cousins was washed away as each of the five she had not yet met welcomed her to the family warmly.
The Earl of Holder turned to William. “Is there not a question you wish to ask me, your Grace? I am Lizzy’s legal guardian, after all,” he sported with the Duke.
“In that case, may I…” William started and was cut off by a grinning Earl.
“Yes William, you have my consent and blessing. I could not think of a better or more honourable man to whom I can entrust my late cousin’s daughter. Welcome to the family.” The two men shook hands vigorously.
Richard Fitzwilliam could not believe the beauty he saw before him, Lady Cassandra Bennet.
The last time he had seen her she was a young girl barely out of the school room.
Being on the peninsula, he had missed seeing her when Andrew and Marie married, and now she was a poised and intelligent woman standing before him.
He would have to take the time to know her all over again, and his heart constricted with the hope that she would want to know him as well.
“Now that we have all calmed down somewhat,” Elizabeth stated, as she sat on a settee with William to her left and Jane and Jamey to her right, “I have a suggestion. William and I will marry on the seven and twentieth of this month, and we would like to know if the wedding breakfast may be used to celebrate both weddings, ours as well as Jane’s and Jamey’s.
” She looked toward her sister and brother-in-law.
“I am not sure what kind of wedding breakfast you had on one of his Majesty’s war ships. ”
“There was a lot of grog involved,” Phillip piped up.
“Our brother has the right of it,” Jane smiled. “Unless Mother Amy or my husband object, I would like to accept Lizzy’s and William’s thoughtful offer.”
“There is no objection I would allow,” Lady Amelia’s smile was genuine as she again and again scanned all her family here in the room, known and new.
“Nor I, Wife,” Jamey stated.
“Then it will be so, but I would think we need to have the breakfast here, as Netherfield has far more room. It will be a larger event than Longbourn can accommodate,” Elizabeth opined.
Elizabeth then pointed to a small trunk next to the settee.
“When you have time, Jane, there are a quite a few letters I wrote to you while you were away enjoying life on your island. Sometimes I wrote more than once a week; it made me feel as though I could still talk to you. They are all in the trunk for you to read at your leisure.”
Marie summoned a footman and said something quietly to him.
The man nodded and withdrew. Some ten minutes later, two nursemaids entered.
The arriving Bennets all went quiet when they saw a little boy holding his nursemaid’s hand until he spied his mama and ran into Marie’s welcoming arms. The second nursemaid was holding a babe, a little girl if all the pink was to be believed.
“Mama and Papa, I would like to introduce your grandchildren. This is Jamey Thomas, not yet three, and Amy Cassie, who is being held by her nursemaid; she is eight months old.” She looked at her son as he stood holding onto her for dear life, wide-eyed with all the new people before him.
“Jamey, you remember I told you about your other grandparents besides Grandpapa Reggie and Grandmama Elaine?” The little boy nodded tentatively.
Marie turned him towards her parents. “This is Grandmama Amy and Grandpapa James.”
“My new grandmama has the same name as Amy?” little Jamey asked, and his mother nodded. “An’ my new grandpapa has my name?”
“You are named after him and your Uncle Jamey, but in essentials you are correct, my son. Be a good boy and go see your grandmama and grandpapa.” Marie gave her son a gentle nudge in the direction of her parents.
Lady Amy’s eyes flooded with tears of joy.
Here were two miracles she had never thought to meet.
Here in this moment, when she was seeing her family again, which she had also once believed impossible she felt an inner peace.
As it was with young children, it did not take little Jamey long to warm to his newly met grandparents as well as the slew of new aunts and uncles.
Little Amy looked at each successive adult who held her with good cheer, and the biggest blue eyes, ones that were a common hallmark of a Fitzwilliam.
Half an hour later, little Amy began to fuss, so Marie excused herself with a nursemaid in tow to go feed her daughter.
A little while later, little Jamey’s nursemaid returned him to the nursery for a nap, as he was fading fast.
Once Marie returned, the arriving family was apprised of the plans for the masque, and the revelations that the two despicable women would be subjected to.
“The masque will serve as a betrothal ball for you and William, will it not?” Lord James asked. Both nodded. “Also, it will be a reintroduction, or for many an introduction of your family, namely us?”
“That is correct, Uncle James. What are you asking?” Elizabeth questioned.
“Just this, Lizzy. Why have this unpleasantness spoil what would otherwise be a joyous celebration? Why wait? Let us go see them on the morrow and have them arrested and be done with it. As William stated, by attacking you they have committed treason. There is no need for a dramatic scene at your ball. Believe me, it will be but minutes before all in the neighbourhood are aware of their perfidy and crimes.” Lord James said nothing further, allowing his suggestion to percolate.
“I think my friend’s suggestion has merit,” Lord Matlock agreed.
Elizabeth looked at her betrothed who gave her a nod, then she looked to Louisa who also nodded. “It seems we agree; we will rid Longbourn of the vermin on the morrow. We need to contact Mr. Philips and have Sir William ready with some of his constables.”
“I will contact Mr. Philips,” Mr. Hurst volunteered.