Chapter 22 #2
“I feel sympathy for Lady Catherine,” Fanny averred.
“She lost her daughter and home at the same time. Lizzy says she is much altered from how she was when she and your Maria first arrived in Kent. That being said, Lizzy told me about the gaudy and ostentatious décor. As I was but a few weeks ago, I may have enjoyed that; now I am not so sure. I will judge it when we see the house. Thankfully, Edward has said that he will be able to sell anything we want removed from the house. The truth is I am rather intimidated by what I have been told about the size of the house at Rosings Park. I understand that the dower house is not too much smaller than Longbourn.”
“Why did Lady Catherine not want to occupy the dower house?” Lady Lucas enquired.
“According to Elaine, Reggie, Lord Matlock, convinced Lady Catherine to join them at their estate of Snowhaven in Derbyshire, where she will reside in the dower house,” Fanny revealed.
“She agreed because she knew it would be too difficult for her to see any other as master and mistress of the estate.”
“I suppose I could understand that, after reading Charlotte’s letters, which told of how Lady Catherine used to command everyone within the reach of her influence. To go from that to nothing would not be easy,” Lady Lucas stated.
By the time Sarah Lucas departed Longbourn, the friendship between her and Fanny Bennet was a much healthier one than it had been for many a year.
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It was decided that the Bennets, sans the two youngest and their governess-companion, would travel to London to see their new house on Berkeley Square.
Kitty and Lydia did not complain too much because Anna and Mrs Annesley, along with several Darcy footmen, were to remain with them at Longbourn.
Fanny and Bennet were also keen to meet Jane’s betrothed’s parents.
While they were there, Fanny would assess the house—with help from Elaine and Maddie—the latter having already been assisting to get the newly renamed Bennet House ready for the family to take up residence.
With the Gardiner’s house not far distant, it would be an easy task for Maddie to join the other ladies at the house.
Bennet had sent an instruction to the butler which he expected would be carried out before they arrived. He looked forward to seeing the faces of his wife and daughters when they noticed the change.
He was very grateful that Gardiner had agreed to manage the money for him.
When the amounts of the de Bourgh fortune and the late Miss de Bourgh’s dowry were revealed, Bennet almost had an apoplexy.
The de Bourghs had amassed an impressive fortune of more than three hundred thousand pounds, which in the four percents, added twelve thousand pounds per annum to their income.
Most of the interest was unused, and that money had been sitting in a separate account in the four percents.
That amount which had been untouched since Sir Lewis’s death some seventeen years past, had grown to more than two and one half million pounds.
If that were not enough, the late Miss de Bourgh’s dowry had sat in the four percents untouched for almost five and twenty years, and the initial amount had grown to be more than one hundred and twenty thousand pounds.
Before Gardiner returned to London, Bennet gave him instructions to set up dowry accounts for all five daughters in the amount of fifty thousand pounds each. Bennet increased Fanny’s portion to the same amount so that no matter what happened, she would never have to worry about her security again.
Bennet smiled as he thought of how Hadlock had claimed he did not care what dowry Jane had because he had more wealth than what he knew to do with.
When the new dowry had been mentioned, Hadlock had been, to say the least, a little surprised, and he had insisted that the money would be under Jane’s control, and would be so stipulated in the wedding settlement.
He would be conferring with Gardiner in Town regarding what to do with the bulk of the fortune.
Bennet had never imagined owning Longbourn, never mind a much larger estate, a house in London, and a fortune in amounts he had not thought of in his wildest dreams. There would be very large bequests to his daughters, but while he lived, he felt like he wanted to use at least a portion of the money to benefit those who needed a hand up.
It was on the final Friday of April that the convoy of coaches left Longbourn for Town.
The five Bennets were riding in the former de Bourgh conveyance.
It was far larger and much more comfortable than the Bennet carriage.
Elizabeth never verbalised it, but in her opinion, the Darcy equipage was more comfortable.
Hadlock had sent his carriage back to London, so he was riding with Darcy and Fitzwilliam in the former’s conveyance. Lord and Lady Matlock followed in the last of the three coaches, and the older Matlock carriage with the personal servants brought up the rear.
In observance of her mourning, Lady Catherine had elected to remain at Matlock House.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When the Bennets arrived in Berkeley Square, they were alone. The rest who had travelled with them had headed for their own homes to give the Bennets time to become familiar with their house in London.
Bennet alighted first when the liveried footman placed the step and opened the door.
That was another thing the Bennets had to become used to; they had liveried footmen now, and had more of them than all of the staff and servants combined at Longbourn.
He handed his wife and then, in age order, his daughters out of the conveyance.
The butler and housekeeper, Mr Grant and Mrs Hurley, were waiting for the new master, mistress, and their family.
Elizabeth was the first to see the brass plate on the brick facing of the house, just to the left of the double front doors. “Papa! It says Bennet House; I thought this house was named de Bourgh House?” Elizabeth queried.
“When there were de Bourghs here, that was the name. Although we have de Bourgh blood, we are Bennets,” Bennet responded.
Matlock wrote to the solicitor who had a copy of the entail on the de Bourgh holdings and the late Sir Lewis’s will.
It says that only one of de Bourgh blood may inherit, but nowhere does it dictate what the names of the properties must be. Hence, we now have Bennet House.”
“Sir, Madam,” Mr Grant intoned as he bowed. “Mrs Hurley and I stand ready to serve you, as do the servants waiting for you inside.”
Bennet offered his arm to his wife, and led her and his daughters into the house, followed by the butler and housekeeper. There was a line of servants either side of the hall. Bows and curtsies were offered to the family for whom they now worked.
Maddie had been a great help in working with the senior staff to fill all the vacant positions at the house. As it had been years since any de Bourgh had used the house, there had been a skeleton group of employees. Now, the house was fully staffed from a cook down to scullery maids.
According to the report his sister-in-law had sent him, Bennet was aware that, although not gaudy like Lizzy described the décor at Rosings Park, it had been many years since this house had been updated.
Given the vast wealth at his disposal, Bennet would not be miserly with the budget to redecorate the house, as long as Fanny did not spend unnecessarily.
For the girls, Maddie had chosen three suites which together had six bedchambers. She had made sure that the footmen moved the best available mattresses in the house—after Thomas’s and Fanny’s chambers, of course—onto the five beds which would be for the Bennet sisters.
After some of them exploring and others resting, the five Bennets met in the main drawing room, there were three of those plus five parlours, a half hour before dinner.
“Papa, you know that I am comfortable almost anywhere, but this house needs much updating,” Elizabeth, who had been exploring with Mary, stated.
“And the pianoforte is beyond repair,” Mary added.
“Your Aunt Maddie has been sending me reports as she added to the staff and servants for this house,” Bennet revealed. “Your mother and I are well aware that much needs to be done to make this house truly habitable.”
“I will be working with Elaine and Maddie to refurbish and redecorate the house,” Fanny related.
“However, each of you, even you, Jane, will have a say on how you want your own rooms decorated. Elaine will arrange an appointment at her modiste, and we will order new gowns and dresses. Yes, Lizzy, I know you hate being poked and prodded, but you will endure it.”
As she and Jamey had not set a date for their wedding yet, Jane did not object to Mamma’s plan for redecoration.
Besides, when she was married and she and Jamey were hosted at Bennet House, they could use that suite.
Her other four sisters would be in the two suites leaving one open.
Besides, if need be, there were more suites to chuse from.
“Lizzy and I, with Darcy’s assistance, will work on restocking the library, and Mary, you will accompany us to Golden Square, where we will visit the store of John Broadwood and Sons, where you may select grand pianofortes.
Well, one for here and one for the expanded music room we will have at Longbourn.
” Bennet grinned as his daughters looked at him in shock.
“Did I not mention Longbourn will be renovated and that your uncle Frank is negotiating to purchase Netherfield Park on my behalf so I may return all the land to Longbourn that William Bennet caused to be sold? The house at Netherfield Park will become our dower house. In the meanwhile, I am leasing it, so your sisters and Anna will be there while the renovations occur.”
Mary had been overjoyed when a music master had been employed to help her develop her talent on the pianoforte.
Now, she would have excellent instruments on which to play.
The once-forgotten middle Bennet sister’s confidence was growing daily, especially as Jane and Lizzy included her in their circle of friendship.
“How long will we be here before heading to Rosings Park?” Elizabeth asked.
“Some weeks,” Bennet responded. “Lord Hilldale is happy to supervise the running of that estate until then. There is much to do here in London, so we need some time. I will be meeting with the solicitors to finalise everything, and I need much time with Gardiner to make sure he has the access that he needs to manage our money.”
The butler announced dinner, and Bennet led his wife into the dining parlour, his three eldest daughters following.
The meal was excellent, and they all had praise for the cook Maddie had found. That night, the exhausted Bennets went to bed rather early. For the first time since Lydia’s birth, the Bennet parents shared a bed.