Chapter 21
Four days later, John was shown into Mr. Bennet’s study. “Mr. Porter,” said the older man. “This is a bit of a surprise. I don’t think any of us expected to ever see you again.”
“Ah. Well, I have come to complete some business that I started two years ago but was unable to finish at the time,” said John.
“And what business is that?” asked Mr. Bennet. “As far as I know, your only business was to tramp around your property and play cards.”
Something in the belligerent tone of the man’s words told John that Mr. Bennet might not be as oblivious to Mary’s actions as she had believed.
“I have come to ask for your blessing for me to marry your daughter, Mary,” said John.
The complete lack of surprise on Mr. Bennet’s face confirmed John’s suspicions. He knew of their meetings two years ago. The question, then, was why he had done nothing to stop them.
Mr. Bennet’s eyes narrowed. “And why did this conclusion of your business have to wait for more than two years?”
“Because I was married at the time,” John said.
“You what?!” cried Mr. Bennet, his anger and shock so strong they caused him to stand.
Within moments, he had controlled himself enough to sit back down.
He said, “What could have possessed you to secretly court a lady, a young, lonely, impressionable lady, when you had no ability to follow through on your unstated intentions?”
“I cannot defend myself other than to say that Mary is absolutely delightful,” said John. “I was already in love with her before I realized I was doing anything wrong. It was only when I realized how very much I would end up hurting her that I managed to tear myself away.”
“Well, you didn’t tear yourself away nearly soon enough,” said Mr. Bennet.
“She was a shell of herself for months after you left. She had managed to gain a certain amount of animation and sociability before you came, and your disappearance dashed it all to pieces. Do you know what it does to a father to see his daughter suffer so much and not be able to do a single thing to help?”
So, Mr. Bennet did pay attention to his daughters, thought John.
“I may have hurt her, sir, but the pain I inflicted was nothing to what you have done to her. You have ignored her for her entire life, enough so that she was even hesitant as to whether I should seek your approval for our marriage. She doesn’t need it, either legally or emotionally.
I was the one who insisted we at least try. ”
Mr. Bennet was stunned silent, though his mouth flapped open as if he wished to defend himself.
“Not only did you ignore everything she has ever done, but for most of her formative years, your only feedback was criticism in the form of teasing. Not one word of praise from you has she ever heard. Even her mother, who never understood anything she did, gave her more praise than you. Despite this, and despite everyone around her treating her the same way, she has taught herself to be one of the most accomplished ladies in London, including all the grace and manners necessary for such acclaim.”
Mr. Bennet rallied. “I knew well enough how much she had improved. Did she not tell you that I haven’t said a single negative thing to her in the last two years or more?
As far as I can tell, she is the most outstanding of my daughters, though not necessarily the most intelligent or the most witty. ”
The more Mr. Bennet praised Mary, the more John’s stomach began to protest at this conversation. It was sickening to see the man so aware of the treasure he had possessed yet know that he had done nothing to protect her and nothing to nurture her.
Mary had been correct. They should have simply married from Pemberley and then sent a letter to inform her parents after it was done.
“I grow sick of this game of blame,” said John. “I admit that I hurt her two years ago, but she has forgiven me and has agreed to become my wife. Do we have your blessing or not?”
Mr. Bennet hesitated. He clearly wished to continue his criticism.
John half expected he would. However, when he finally spoke, he said, “I am afraid I cannot grant that immediately. After all, I know nothing about you other than the fact that two years ago you had enough money to rent Netherfield. Can you at least provide a comfortable, stable home for my daughter?”
John put his hand in his pocket and pulled out one of his cards. “Mr. Porter is a pseudonym. This is my real name.”
Mr. Bennet looked at the card and his jaw visibly dropped. “You must be joking,” he said after he had pulled himself together. “Anyone can order cards to be printed to say anything they wish.”
“It is accurate,” said John. “Mr. Phillips can testify to it, since I had to use my real name when I signed the lease. If you require further validation, Darcy can vouch for me. He is, after all, my cousin.”
“I suppose if you were going to pretend to be a lord, you would not choose to be the one lord who is closest to my family,” mused Mr. Bennet.
“Well, I could not ask for a more comfortable home or stable income than that. The whole country knows that Matlock is currently one of the wealthier earldoms in the kingdom.”
John was satisfied, and he began organizing his thoughts to bring this uncomfortable conversation to a close.
His thoughts were completely knocked off course, however, when Mr. Bennet said, “Are you certain a man of your station wishes to marry someone like Mary? I admit, I was quite surprised when Mr. Darcy proposed to Elizabeth, but there I can at least see the appeal. Mary, while quite accomplished, is fundamentally boring in both appearance and behavior.”
John felt his hand close into a fist as he sternly repressed the desire to punch this old man’s face in.
“You know nothing,” he said, “and I pity you for it. This conversation is over. I will tell Mary what took place here, and I suspect she will wish to be married from Pemberley. Unless you receive a specific invitation from Mary herself, you, sir, are not invited to attend.”
John rose from his seat and left the room before Mr. Bennet could find words to respond.
Once in the hall, he turned toward the front door, but he paused.
After the disastrous conversation with Mr. Bennet, John would not have been surprised to find out that the old man never told Mrs. Bennet anything about it.
He sighed and turned towards the parlor, hoping to find the lady of the house there.
He was in luck.
“Ah, Mr. Porter,” she said with a smile. “I did not know you had returned to the neighborhood.”
“I am only here for today to complete some business,” he said. “I will be returning home tomorrow.”
“And where is home for you?” she asked politely.
“Derbyshire.”
“Derbyshire? Why, my son-in-law is from there. Perhaps you have heard of him as he is very well known in those parts. His name is Mr. Darcy.”
“I am quite familiar with him, Madam, since he is my cousin.”
“Your cousin? The only cousins of his that I am aware of are Colonel Fitzwilliam and the Earl of Matlock, and neither of them go by the name of Porter.”
John explained once again who he was, though he gave more explanation as to why he had gone by a pseudonym since, after the shock wore off, she was quite curious.
Eventually, he managed to bring the conversation around to the subject of Mary.
“You should know, Madam, that I will be marrying your daughter, Mary, in about a month or so. My purpose in visiting here was to obtain your husband’s blessing.
He gave it but in such an insulting manner that I am not comfortable bringing Mary back here for our wedding. ”
Mrs. Bennet’s cheerful expression fell. “I can well believe it. He has never had much patience with any of his daughters, but Mary has often received the least attention from either of us. I have tried to make up for it these last few years, but she is so independent now that she simply ignores me. I suppose it is a justified return for the years when I ignored her.” Tears gathered in the lady’s eyes.
“Please tell her that I wish her all the happiness she can grasp,” said Mrs. Bennet. “I can tell that you care for her very much, and I am certain you shall take good care of my girl. Though she may not believe you when you tell her, I will certainly miss her company.”
“I will tell her,” promised John. “I am afraid my time here is up, but I wish you well, Mrs. Bennet.”
With that he left Longbourn, hoping to never set foot in the place again.
~~~~~
Mary and John were wed in the middle of June once Mary had had a chance to have some wedding clothes made. Mary signed her own marriage contract, and Mr. Darcy added his name as a witness to ensure it was followed.
Neither of Mary’s parents was invited to the wedding. When John told Mary an edited version of his conversation with Mr. Bennet, she agreed he would not be welcome. She hesitated over whether to invite her mother. After all, Mrs. Bennet had been much more pleasant to be around these last two years.
In the end, Mary decided against it for two reasons.
The first was that it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, for Mrs. Bennet to travel to Pemberley by herself.
The other reason was simply that Mary allowed resentment to win the day.
While Mrs. Bennet’s treatment of Mary had improved, it was only after all her other daughters were gone.
When Mary had needed a mother the most during her formative years, Mrs. Bennet had been less than useless.
On the day of her wedding, Mary had no thought to spare for either of her parents. All her thoughts were on John and the life they would weave together. They had spent hours contemplating their future, and every idea which had been presented made Mary look forward to it even more.
When the wedding vows had been spoken and the wedding breakfast had been consumed, Mary and John left Pemberley in John’s new carriage, heading for Matlock, which was a little more than ten miles away.
Though the details of that carriage ride should remain private between them, the fact that they immediately retired to the mistress’ chambers upon arrival at Matlock says all that needs to be said.
Mary was never particularly close to any of her sisters, though she was on good terms with Jane and Elizabeth, who she saw frequently both at Pemberley and in London in the winter, and she kept up a steady correspondence with Kitty. She did, however, develop a close friendship with Georgiana.
The two of them leaned heavily on each other for moral support every winter they spent in London, even after Georgiana finally wed the winter after Mary’s wedding.
Georgiana’s husband was the second son of the Earl of Dartmoor.
He was a rather quiet, bookish sort, whose passion was only on display when he played piano, which he seldom did in public.
Georgiana said that she found him both soothing and endlessly fascinating.
Mary and John eventually had three children, all boys.
They spent innumerable hours taking the boys for rides and walks and pointing out the names of the various plants around them.
However, when the boys gradually began to express boredom and irritation at the process, Mary looked for other things they might be interested in learning.
After all, she would never force them to learn anything unless it was necessary to their safety or future well-being. She had done enough of that to herself that she could not want that for her dear boys. She would, however, go to great lengths to satisfy any curiosity they had.
The Matlock boys, once they grew up, were lauded as the best catches in London, but they could not be caught simply by a pair of pretty eyes of perfect manners. Each of them respected the intelligence of their mother far too much to be willing to settle for an empty-headed wife.
Mary and John lived their lives as they saw fit.
Mary learned to be an excellent hostess to help her husband with his duties in parliament, and John became more active in that realm as well.
They became known as a fierce pair of whist players, enough so that few but Lord and Lady Castleton were ever willing to play against them when they were paired up.
In private, however, they behaved just as they had always imagined they would.
They played cards, danced, explored, practiced archery, and did anything else they chose to do behind closed doors.
It was a home unlike any Mary could have conceived of before John entered her life.
She was free to learn and grow and stretch in any direction she chose.
She was free to change her mind and her hobbies as often as she wished.
And she was free to love and be loved by her favorite person in all the world.
The End