Chapter 6
It had not been easy to keep the two younger Bennets away from the officers, especially Lydia, but they had done so by raising the spectre of going back in for Lydia.
She had been most displeased, but she had complied—to their knowledge.
She was determined to have her fun and had decided she would have to wait until her boring sisters were not keeping such a close watch on her.
Their father had allowed each girl to acquire one new gown so they were at their final fittings at the dressmaker.
Without respect to Lydia’s demands for a dress unfit for a maiden, with too low a neckline and an abundance of Belgian lace, the seamstress followed instructions from Mr. Bennet, which he conveyed to her after canvassing Miss Lucas’s opinion.
As he was the parent and the one who would pay, she would not disobey his orders.
The Bennets walked past Wickham and Denny with a curtsy and nothing else, which left the two men scratching their heads. Even if the older Bennets behaved more circumspectly, the younger two usually flirted freely, but not today.
Wickham worried the truth about him would be spread abroad before he could acquire all that he needed. He could not have that yet. He was about to try and charm Miss Elizabeth to determine the cause of their curt greetings, but before he could speak, they were gone.
The five Bennets arrived home just before the time father expected them to return.
Lydia was the only sullen one, and no one doubted the cause was having to pass the officers without having received the attention she believed she deserved.
Was that not how her late mother taught her to behave?
It was, in Lydia's mind, expected and correct.
Since she behaved correctly, why did her older sisters always tell her she would ruin herself and the family?
Even worse, now her father was starting to assert himself.
Things were definitely not going the way Lydia wanted, and she was used to getting her own way.
She would have to increase the number of her secret meetings with the man she loved.
“Lydia and Kitty, please go to your room until you are called; Sarah is waiting upstairs to assist you,” Bennet instructed his youngest. “The rest of my girls, please join me in my study.” Bennet knew Lydia, like her mother before her, had a propensity to listen at his study door when she was being excluded.
To prevent that, Hill was positioned in the hall just outside.
It was a well-considered ploy, as Miss Lydia appeared not a minute after the door closed, scowled mightily, and stamped up the stairs when she saw she would not be gratified in her quest.
After entering the book room, the three older Bennet daughters stopped short when they found Charlotte sitting inside. “Charlotte?” Elizabeth asked, questioningly.
“Hello Eliza, Jane, and Mary. Your father will explain all,” Charlotte greeted them in return.
“Please sit, girls,” Bennet indicated the settee.
“I am sure there are going to be many questions, so I ask you three to wait until we have finished sharing our intentions with my three most intelligent daughters.” None of his daughters missed the ‘we’ intonation but acceded to his request they wait to ask their questions.
For her part, Mary was beaming as he included her in the group of intelligent daughters.
The attention Bennet had given Mary since her mother passed away, had paid off in many ways for Mary.
Giving her confidence in herself and redirecting her away from the book of sermons she once parroted were two of the main benefits of her father’s attention.
“While you were in Meryton today, I asked Charlotte to marry me, and she has agreed to be my wife,” Bennet related the main point first. Three mouths hung open and he could see all three wanted to pepper them with questions, but they caught themselves by remembering their promise to ask questions at the end.
“Charlotte will start by telling you what transpired yesterday, and then I will add some information. After that, you may ask any questions your heart’s desire.
Charlotte related everything, from hearing Collins’s rant until his ill-judged proposal.
She repeated the words he had spoken to her verbatim, and the more she spoke, the more outraged her friends became, almost forgetting the surprising impact of the lead statement—that their father and Charlotte Lucas were betrothed.
Once Charlotte told her portion of the tale, both she and Bennet related everything they spoke of from the time Charlotte arrived at Longbourn—their betrothal, the decision to tell the older sisters together, and everything in-between.
“Now,” Bennet allowed, “if you have any questions, please let us try to answer them.”
“This is what you both truly want?” Jane asked first.
“It is, Jane. You know I have never been romantic, and I will not lie to you by telling you that I love your father for I do not, but I do esteem and respect him, and I believe it is the same for him,” Charlotte shared.
“Our feelings today do not preclude the possibility we may develop tender feelings for one another in the future.”
“Charlotte is absolutely correct. I have tried my best, especially with you, Mary. To my chagrin, only in the last two years have I tried to teach you to think critically as I did for Jane and Lizzy. If you look at the facts—our likes, dislikes, intelligence, and all other factors—Charlotte and I are far more compatible than your late mother and I were.” Bennet saw the hurt looks his three daughters wore.
“Do not misunderstand me; I am not sorry I married your mother because she gave me five daughters who I love dearly, even if two are on the silly side.”
“Charlotte, you cannot expect us to call you Mother,” Elizabeth injected some humour.
“Noted, Eliza. You are exempted from calling me Mother,” Charlotte smiled widely.
“Why were our other two sisters not included in this meeting, Papa?” Mary asked.
“Excellent question, Mary. You know how poorly your younger sisters are able to keep a secret, do you not?” Bennet asked.
Mary and her sisters nodded, as that was a well-lamented fact in their family.
“First, I have not gone to Sir William for his consent and blessing. Good lord, he will be my father-in-law!” Bennet grinned as he considered the implications for the first time.
“Second, we do not want to make any announcement until after Collins leaves the area. I am not afraid of him, but I would rather avoid unpleasant scenes in public with the upcoming ball.”
“I understand, Papa. Is it going to be just like when Mama was alive?” Jane asked with trepidation, hoping she would not offend her father. “Will you be in here all day long, and Charlotte managing everything, including the girls?”
Before Bennet could answer, Elizabeth interjected.
“Will there finally be rules for our younger two, especially Lydia? I truly scrutinized the way she looked at the officers today—and the way they look at her. It made me sick to see the way grown men looked at a child! She may be physically mature for her age, but she is still a child who should never have been out in the first place, Papa!” Elizabeth had never censured her father before, and here she was doing so before her sisters and his betrothed.
“I am sorry…” Bennet held up his hand to interrupt her apology.
“No, Lizzy, let me for once in my life feel how much I am to blame. I am not afraid of being overpowered by the impression. And I will not allow it to pass! Charlotte and I have discussed this. Lydia will be back in after the ball; until then she will be carefully watched. Kitty will be out in Meryton only, unless we see she is not able to comport herself properly. If needed, they will both be sent to school, separate schools!” Bennet stated with purpose.
“I still feel badly…” Elizabeth tried finish her intended apology until Charlotte placed her hand on her friend’s arm.
“Eliza, your father and I discussed this very topic, and I said much the same as you. Mr. Bennet, Thomas, agrees and sees the error of his ways. None of us are perfect; we all have and will continue to make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them,” Charlotte reminded her, looking directly at Elizabeth as she spoke.
Hearing in her friend’s words, especially what had not been spoken, Elizabeth admitted she had much re-evaluating to do.
What she had seen of Mr. Wickham in Meryton, and the way he leered at her fifteen-year-old sister, went a long way to forcing her to admit she may have been wrong about both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham.
“There is no guarantee you will have a son and thwart that man,” Mary pointed out.
“As we all know, the gender of a baby is in God’s hands. But do not forget, I come from a family of three brothers and only one sister,” Charlotte averred. “It does not guarantee anything, but I believe in my heart we will be able to keep the estate in the hands of a Bennet!”
“The good thing is the entail ends with the next heir. If Charlotte and I are blessed with a son, there will be no more entail when he reaches his eighteenth year,” Bennet informed his daughters.
“It will be strange to have you as our stepmother, but welcome to the family, Charlotte,” Elizabeth stood and hugged her friend. She was followed by Jane and Mary, who welcomed Charlotte as a member of the family without reservation.
“For the most part, I expect you will act towards me as you always have, with a few necessary changes. The biggest changes will be for Kitty and Lydia,” Charlotte told the three sisters.
“When will you two marry?” Jane asked.
“After the Netherfield Ball. Collins will have returned to Hunsford by then. We will acquire a common license,” Bennet explained. He still had to face Sir William! Charlotte was of age, but she preferred having her father’s blessing.