Chapter 23
The day after they arrived in London, the five Bennets travelled to Holder House for tea.
Mr Fenster showed the callers to the main drawing room, where the Carringtons received them. As Hadlock was familiar with those his parents and sisters had not met, he made the introductions.
As soon as that was accomplished, Hadlock’s family expressed their unreserved approbation for the engagement between their son and Jane.
Fanny had already become close to the Earl and Countess of Matlock, so when she met the Earl and Countess of Holder, she was not in awe of them, even if their house on Park Lane was the largest London home Fanny had ever seen.
At the same time, Bennet had tempered his sardonic, and often sarcastic, sense of humour. He had far more to worry about now than seeking amusement in the world around him.
When congratulations for the betrothal had been given, Lady Edith asked her guests to be seated.
“It is because of me that Jane met Jamey,” Priscilla stated proudly.
“You mean because of your inattention, Cilla,” Emily teased her younger sister. As all present knew how the two met, Emily’s jest caused some polite laughing.
“Well, I for one will be forever grateful for Priscilla running into me,” Jane said.
Hearing what Jane said caused Priscilla to stick her tongue out at her older sister.
“Now girls, are you not supposed to act like ladies?” Lady Edith admonished lightly.
She turned to Mary. “Miss Mary, Jane tells us that you are an accomplished pianist. My girls love music too. Perhaps you would agree to accompany them to the music room? Mrs Heally, Emily’s and Priscilla’s companion-governess, is there. You will all be summoned for tea.”
“Thank you, Your Ladyship. I would enjoy seeing the music room with Ladies Emily and Priscilla,” Mary responded.
“We will soon be family, so please address me as Aunt Edith, and you may use my daughters’ names without the honorifics,” she allowed. She looked at the other Bennets. “That goes for Miss Elizabeth as well. Mrs Bennet, please call me Edith, and my husband is Paul.”
“I thank you, Edith. I am Fanny, and my spouse is Thomas,” she replied gratefully.
The fathers were soon calling one another ‘Holder’ and ‘Bennet’. The latter was happy to discover that the former was a lover of books like he was. Bennet accepted Holder’s suggestion that they go explore the library until summoned for tea.
“Jane and Jamey, have you discussed a wedding date yet?” Lady Edith enquired once the two fathers had left the drawing room.
“We have not,” Hadlock admitted. “Perhaps if Lizzy joins us, we may go look at the calendar in Father’s study?”
“It would be my pleasure to act as your chaperone,” Elizabeth agreed.
As soon as the three younger adults left the room, Lady Edith turned to Fanny. “I want you to know that Paul and I will not demand a large society wedding in London. I am sure that you and Jane will want her to marry from Longbourn, as it should be.”
Fanny had been ready to accept such a demand if it had been what the Carringtons wanted.
Instead, she was relieved that they had no intention of taking from Jane the bride’s prerogative of chusing where she marries.
Her two eldest daughters had told Fanny that Jamey’s family did not put on airs and graces.
From what Fanny had seen so far, her daughters’ report had been accurate.
“I am certain that would be Jane’s preference.
The only thing I need to speak to Thomas about are the renovations we are about to undertake at Longbourn.
We will think about that once our children chuse a date, and I have spoken to Thomas about the schedule for the construction,” Fanny replied.
“We have Rosings Park now as well, but Jane does not have any ties to that estate, so I doubt she would chuse Kent for her wedding. I am putting the cart before the horse. We need to hear from Jane and Jamey before I begin to worry.”
Lady Edith noticed that Fanny was very different from what Jane had described to Jamey. She suspected that the stability of never losing her home had calmed her significantly.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bennet was impressed by Holder’s library, and even more so when he was told the one here was only about a fourth of the size of the one at Holder Heights.
He was shocked when Holder informed him that Darcy’s library at Pemberley made his large collection look insignificant.
Bennet wondered if he would ever behold the magnificence that Holder described at the Darcy estate.
After looking about and admiring some of the first editions, Bennet sat in a wingback chair opposite Holder. “You have multiple estates, do you not?” he enquired.
“Yes, other than Holder Heights there are two more, not counting Hadlock, but that is administered by Jamey and belongs to whoever is viscount,” Holder replied.
“How do you effectively manage multiple estates? Until recently, all I had to worry about was Longbourn, and even with only one, I did not do all I should have. Now I have two estates; well, I suppose it could be three. However, Netherfield Park will be annexed to Longbourn as soon as the purchase is finalised.” Bennet explained how all of the land used to belong to Longbourn until his profligate ancestor gambled more than half of the estate away.
“I remain actively involved in the running of my estates even though I have good and honest stewards at each of them,” Holder responded.
“I refuse to be an absentee landlord. I would suggest you do what I do, which is to split my time between my properties; that is, when I am not in London to sit in the House of Lords. As Holder Heights is my primary estate, I am there for far more time than at the satellite estates.”
“Once Netherfield Park is annexed to Longbourn, it will be my primary estate, a little larger than Rosings Park. I never saw the need for a steward at Longbourn, but I suppose now I will have to employ one,” Bennet mused. “Do you have any men you could recommend?”
“I may have one or two,” Holder returned. “However, I suggest you speak to Matlock and Darcy as well. They are both landlords with philosophies like mine, and I am sure they could recommend under-stewards who are ready.”
“Thank you; I will speak to them. My days of whiling my time away in my study are well and truly over.” Bennet saw the questioning look from Holder and explained what he meant without glossing over the parts which were not flattering to him.
“Learning that Longbourn would not ever go to that late buffoon of a cousin of mine forced me out of my study and back to actively caring for my estate. That was before I knew of my de Bourgh connection and gaining a second estate.” As he spoke, Bennet’s eyes longingly looked towards the table with a board and pieces set up for chess.
Holder noticed the way Bennet looked at the chessboard. Soon, the men were playing against one another.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It was not too many minutes later that Jane, Jamey, and Elizabeth returned to the drawing room.
“Mamma, Mother,”—she had been asked to call Lady Edith Mother after the engagement was announced—“Jamey and I have selected the twentieth day of June. It is a Saturday. Do either of you object to that date?”
“Not at all,” Fanny replied. She turned to her new friend. “Edith, are you sanguine with what they chose?”
“Indeed, I am. It is more than enough time, so there can be no question about there being a need to marry in haste,” Edith agreed. “Now Jane, you need to speak to your mother about where you want to marry. I understand that there is work being done to your estate’s manor house.”
“To insure that Mr Pierce who christened me officiates, I prefer to marry at St Hugh’s, the Longbourn Village Church. Then, we can have the wedding breakfast at Netherfield Park, can we not, Mamma?” Jane asked.
“That would be perfect, Jane,” Fanny confirmed. “It seems we have a plan.”
“Jamey, did you not tell me that the house, where the breakfast will be, has a ball room?” Lady Edith queried.
She saw her son nod. “In that case, I would like to host a prewedding ball, if no one objects. We can have it three or four days before the wedding so everyone will be well rested beforehand.”
Fanny had no objections to her new friend’s plan.
Not long after the decisions about the wedding were made, Lady Edith rang for tea.
The girls returned from the music room. In the time they had been in company together, they had already begun to form a friendship.
The two men in the library were well aware that their respective wives would not be impressed if they missed tea only to complete a game of chess. They were quite evenly matched.
An hour later, the Bennets left Holder House—after Holder and Bennet played to a draw—with plans to meet on the morrow when Jane and Fanny would tour Hadlock House.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When they arrived back at Bennet House, there was a note from Lady Elaine, inviting Elizabeth, at Lady Catherine’s request, to call at Matlock House on the morrow.
When asked what the summons was about, Elizabeth could not offer any information as she was at a loss as to why Lady Catherine desired her presence.
The next morning when the Hadlock coach came to collect Fanny and Jane, Elizabeth was conveyed to Matlock House in the new Bennet carriage.
When they arrived in Grosvenor Square, she noted that the houses around the square were a little larger than the one her father now owned.
She liked the large green in the centre of the square.
It was not overly manicured and boasted a stand of six to eight oak trees near the centre of the green.
Elizabeth was aware that Darcy House was one of the houses surrounding the green; she just did not know which one.
She was chaperoned by a maid Mrs Hurley assigned to join her that morning, and two de Bourgh footmen—no, they were now Bennet footmen—stood on the back bench.