Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Although Darcy preferred to remain in Meryton for a few days for Elizabeth to rest and visit her friends, she convinced him the only person she cared to see was Charlotte Collins. Charlotte understood Elizabeth’s desire to depart in haste, so they journeyed to London the next day.
An angry Lydia travelled with them to Darcy House.
After her parents spoke with her about her behaviour and the possible consequences for her and her family, she agreed it would be good for her to go away to school, at least for a time.
Despite this, Lydia was angry—with her parents, with Elizabeth and her husband, and with anyone else set on ruining her ‘fun.’ However, the conversations she had with her mother and father had made her consider her behaviour for once, and while she was visibly unhappy with being forced to go to school, she had begun to contemplate her actions and the potential impacts of them on not only herself but her family.
Two days after they arrived in London, Darcy escorted Lydia to the school near Bromley.
As they travelled, he spoke to her in his own quiet but firm way, and although she was determined not to show it, she listened, and the words of this handsome, wealthy man had more impact than anything anyone else had said.
Her sullenness did not improve, but she was considering some of her brother’s comments.
The travel to and from Lydia’s school took an entire day, and Darcy returned home, satisfied both with the school and Lydia, who was no longer openly rebelling against the strictures being placed on her.
He had little idea his words impacted his youngest sister-in-law, but he and his wife hoped something would eventually convince Lydia to change her ways.
At least at school, she would be somewhat contained, and there would be no men or boys around for her to flirt with—or anything worse.
Jane originally intended to accompany them but decided to remain at Longbourn as she had little desire to return to London.
At Pemberley, especially during the house party, Jane realised she was not suited for a life like her sister’s.
She was happy being a simple country girl.
Her wishes were simple: a man who valued her for the person she was rather than her beauty and would support her and their family in the style of Longbourn or, just possibly, Netherfield.
She had no desire to be mistress of an estate like Pemberley.
With that in mind, she considered the few gentlemen in Meryton, most of whom she had known her entire life, a little more closely, but none of them particularly interested her.
Some days later, Mrs Bennet heard Netherfield was leased to another young gentleman and spoke to Jane at length about the young gentleman, who must surely be single, wealthy, and in want of a wife.
Jane was determined to slow her mother down and not repeat her mistakes with Bingley.
“Mama, we know nothing of this man who is leasing Netherfield. I will only remain if you promise not to push me at single gentlemen like you did with Mr Bingley. Mr Bingley was not at all what he seemed to be, but he did help me understand what I do and do not want in a husband. And I want to get to know any gentleman before I agree to a courtship or you say anything about a potential match,” Jane stated.
Mrs Bennet looked at her daughter in surprise. “But Jane!” her mother whined, but Jane cut her off immediately.
“No, Mama, nothing you can say will change my opinion. I will not tolerate your matching us before we even meet, and I will not allow you to push me towards any gentleman. Either a man will call on me and want to get to know me better, or he will not, but you will not push, claim a match, or announce anything to the neighbourhood until the gentleman speaks to my father. If you do any of this, I will leave for London as soon as Lizzy can send the carriage for me.”
Having never spoken to her mother that way, Jane was proud of herself. Mrs Bennet, on the other hand, was shocked into silence for several moments, after which she merely nodded her agreement with her daughter’s demands.
The man leasing Netherfield was a newly-married man who, as Bingley had been, was looking for an estate to purchase to become a landed gentleman.
Also, like Bingley, he did not come alone, bringing his wife, an unmarried sister, and a cousin, the second son of a gentleman who made his living as a barrister in London, who was just thirty and already successful in his chosen profession.
Mr and Mrs James Stanhope, Miss Rebecca Stanhope, and Mr Frederick Hastings visited Longbourn a few days after Mr Bennet called on the gentlemen at Netherfield.
In an effort to do better than he had the previous year, he did not wait for his wife to berate him into visiting but arranged with Sir William to visit the newcomers shortly after they arrived.
During the visit, he suggested the ladies call on his wife and daughters at their leisure, which they promptly did.
Continuing his efforts to improve, when Mrs Hill announced the visitors, he joined his wife and eldest daughter in the drawing room to receive their guests and spoke to the gentlemen about Netherfield.
On that first visit, Mr Hastings’ attention was quickly drawn to Jane, and he sat near her and engaged her in conversation during the call.
She was quiet, but she asked him questions about himself and his profession, and at the end of the visit, he was interested in learning more about her.
Therefore, he asked his cousin’s wife to frequently invite Miss Bennet to Netherfield Park during his stay.
He knew he could only spare about a month before he needed to return to London, and he very much wanted to know the lady better.
Perhaps, he hoped, she had relatives in London to visit.
“Miss Bennet, business and familial obligations require me to depart for London within a fortnight,” he had said on the fourth meeting between the residents of Netherfield and Longbourn. “Would you be in London this winter so I might call on you there to continue our acquaintance?”
Jane froze when he mentioned leaving, worried he would abandon her as Mr Bingley had the previous autumn, but her outlook brightened when he asked about calling on her in London.
“Yes,” she whispered, “my sister is to depart soon to go to London to stay with my aunt and uncle. They live near Cheapside—my uncle is in trade and prefers to live near his warehouses. I am certain my aunt would not object to my accompanying Kitty to town, and I could perhaps stay the entire winter. I would be delighted to continue the friendship we have developed in these last few days.”
Mr Hastings smiled broadly at her and, looking around to ensure they were not observed, reached over to lightly squeeze her hand. “I look forward to it, Miss Bennet,” he said.
Unlike Mr Bingley, Jane believed Mr Hastings saw her for who she was.
Mr Bingley perhaps admired her beauty, something her mother liked to proclaim but had not truly listened to or solicited her ideas.
Mr Hastings seemed to see beyond her physical appearance and enjoyed speaking with her.
They exchanged ideas, but unlike the conversations at Pemberley, Jane had something to contribute to the discussions with Mr Hastings.
“Tell me of your family, Mr Hastings,” Jane asked, moving the conversation to a new topic for a while.
In London, Elizabeth and Darcy visited his family, settled Mary, Georgiana, and their companions at Matlock House, where they would remain until the autumn, and hired masters to tutor them in drawing, art, and languages.
When Elizabeth suggested Kitty would benefit from working with the art master, the Gardiners, who were aware of the situation at Longbourn, suggested Kitty stay with them for a while as they had not spent much time with her and recognised her need for a more positive influence than she had at home.
Elizabeth agreed, and the invitation was sent to Kitty in the next post.
“Aunt Maddie, you have influenced me more than anyone else,” Elizabeth told her.
“Papa encouraged my reading; Mama taught me to sew, or rather, she made sure I was taught; Mrs Hill trained me to keep house; and Mr Todd, with only a little help from Papa when I pestered him with questions, helped me learn to manage Longbourn. You taught me to be a lady; I have always modelled my behaviour after yours. You already know I am modelling my own marriage after yours; my parents’ marriage is not one anyone should emulate. ”
Mrs Gardiner patted Elizabeth’s hand. “You always seemed to understand that your mother’s behaviour was less than it ought to be, but I was never certain if you realised your father did nothing more than provide you with access to books.
Your uncle and I are very disappointed with your father and may not go to Longbourn for Christmas this year as we usually do. ”
“You should come to Pemberley!” Elizabeth enthused. “The Matlocks are bringing Georgiana and Mary, and we can make a coach available for you to bring Kitty and Jane along with your children. We would love to have you.”
Smiling, Mrs Gardiner merely shrugged. “I will have to speak to your uncle, but taking another trip north this year may be too much. Edward needs to hire someone who can manage when he is absent, but you know he prefers to run his business himself as often as possible.”
Elizabeth smiled at her aunt. “Of course, Aunt, I do understand. Perhaps it would be best to wait until late March?” she suggested.
“Is it definite then, Lizzy?” Mrs Gardiner enquired. Elizabeth nodded at her aunt, and they hugged and talked of the little Darcy expected in the spring.
Nearly a fortnight later, the Darcys travelled to Meryton, where they intended to stay a night or two in their leased home before they continued to Pemberley.
They confirmed Kitty’s visit to London for November with Mr Bennet and were very surprised when Jane informed them she preferred to remain in Hertfordshire and travel to the Gardiner’s with Kitty so Mr Hastings could call on her as they had agreed.
“Jane, are you certain you wish to do this?” Elizabeth asked her sister.
“I am,” Jane said. “I enjoyed spending time with Mr Hastings during his brief visit to Meryton. He asked me if I could spend part of the winter in London since he cannot return to Hertfordshire due to his work, and we both would like to continue our friendship and get to know each other better. My aunt has already agreed to host me, and I will go to London with Kitty in a few weeks.”
Although Elizabeth was happy for Jane, she would miss Jane’s company, even though she knew she and Darcy would appreciate time alone before they became parents in the spring.
Elizabeth was pleased Jane arranged for her and Darcy to meet Mr Hastings during their short visit to Meryton and was not surprised he and the Stanhopes were pleasant company.
“Do you know anything about Mr Hastings or his family?” she asked Darcy that night.
“Frederick Hastings was a couple of years ahead of me at university,” Darcy replied.
“I know him only by reputation—he was very studious and always worked hard. I never heard any rumours about him or anything negative about his character. I know the family a little; he is a second son, and his father owns a modest estate west of London. His elder brother was a bit wild but has since married, settled down considerably, and spends most of his time on the estate.”
Elizabeth considered this for a moment. “I am not certain where he lives in London, but Jane is interested in him and will go to London with Kitty as he has asked to call on her there. He is a barrister, which means he likely earns a good living, although Mama will object as he does not own property.”
“Ahh,” Darcy said, realising what she was about. “Should I have my man of business enquire about Mr Hastings then?”
Elizabeth grimaced at the thought of investigating her sister’s suitor but soon nodded her agreement. “With the mess my father has created, I think it would be best to see what we can learn about him.”
Darcy agreed and quickly composed a brief letter to his man of business, who had conducted similar enquiries in the past. “We will ensure she and your sisters are well, dearest. I noticed some improvement in your parents since we spoke with them; your mother seems quieter and far less vocal in her complaints regarding you. She almost seemed happy to see you when we returned from London.” He chuckled at the face Elizabeth made at his words.
Sighing, Elizabeth replied, “Perhaps we should have done this in the first place, but Papa agreed to all of the stipulations in the contract, and neither of us wanted to subject ourselves to the fuss Mama would have made. Papa’s responsibility was to inform his family of his debt and these changes, not ours.
I do hope these changes we are finally seeing are lasting. ”
“I hope so as well, my dear,” Darcy replied.
“Perhaps they will improve together and do what is required. All of their children will be living elsewhere for the rest of the autumn and into the winter, so there will be just the two of them and little reason to spend on entertainment or other nonsense. If we need to address anything we learn from Mrs Hill and Mr Todd, we can do it from a distance.”
Elizabeth leaned into her husband to embrace him. “You are too good to my family, William,” she told him.
“They are my family as well, dearest,” Darcy replied, leaning down to kiss his wife. Soon, this conversation was forgotten as they conveyed their love for each other in the best way they knew.