Chapter 7
Bennet arrived at Lucas Lodge at ten in the morning, two days before the ball. It was a bright day, and warm considering it was the second to last day of October. At his knock, the door was answered by none other than his betrothed.
“Good morning, Miss Lucas,” Bennet bowed.
“Mr. Bennet,” Charlotte curtsied. “My father is in his study,” Charlotte informed Bennet at his questioning look.
“Come!” Sir William’s welcoming voice boomed after the knock on his study door. Bennet hoped the voice would still be warm once he stated his purpose for being there.
“Sit Bennet,” Sir William indicated a chair, then he noticed his daughter Charlotte had entered the room with his friend and had closed the door. “Charlotte?”
“What Mr. Bennet needs to discuss with you affects me, Papa, and I want to make sure there are no misunderstandings,” Charlotte stated evenly.
Sir William could not imagine what his friend wanted to discuss which somehow involved his eldest daughter.
“Lucas, Sir William, I have asked for Charlotte’s hand in marriage, and she has done me the great honour of accepting me,” Bennet stated in as matter-of-factly as he was able to. “We are here seeking your blessing.”
“Charlotte, are you out of your senses accepting a man who is just a few years younger than myself?” Sir William demanded. Then he remembered it was his friend who was standing opposite him. “No disrespect meant, Bennet.”
“None taken,” Bennet assured Sir William.
“Papa, do you have any other objection, other than my betrothed’s age?” Charlotte asked.
“No, I do not. We all know Bennet is a man of impeccable character and honour, so if he is truly your choice, I will not stand in your way. However, let me urge you to think on this. Are you doing this only because you see yourself as a burden to me? Is it because you do not believe you have any other chance at marriage, my daughter?” Sir William asked seriously, the jovial side of Sir William not in evidence.
“No, Papa, it is not that. He is my choice. It is not one made of desperation or my worry of being a burden to you and Frank in the future. It is my firm belief we are more than compatible, and the additional bonus is if I bear a son, I will be securing the future of the estate for Bennets for generations to come. It is a choice I made to help the Bennets, both with discipline of the youngest two and hopefully for the estate’s future,” Charlotte stated emphatically.
“Help?” Sir William questioned.
“That despicable toad of a parson has engaged himself to Matilda Dudley. After his insulting proposal to me, he hied to the parsonage at Longbourn, and she accepted him. You remember I relayed to all of you what the vindictive clergyman said he would do as soon as he inherited?” Charlotte reminded her father. Sir William nodded.
“Charlotte,” Sir William did not react to his friend using his daughter’s familiar name, “came to see me after she had been proposed to and told me all—what the sycophant ranted about—which she overheard, and his words to her.
But it is not just for the possibility of an heir that I proposed to your daughter, Lucas.
“As she correctly stated, we are well matched in intelligence and interests. I spoke to my three oldest daughters. Charlotte was present and she will affirm for you that, Jane, Lizzy, and Mary all gave their blessing and quickly realised we would be good for one another. If children come of this union, and one is a son, so much the better. We do not love one another, but we do respect and honour each other,” Bennet relayed to Sir William.
“If that be the case, and this is truly what you want, Charlotte,” Charlotte nodded, “then Bennet deserves you. I could not have let you go to one less worthy, my Charlotte. Welcome to the family Son,” Sir William jested with his soon-to-be son-in-law.
“Do not expect me to call you Father, my friend,” Bennet returned the jest as the two men shook hands. “Phillips will have a settlement to you for signing later today.”
“When will you two marry?” Sir William asked.
“On Saturday,” Charlotte informed her father.
“I will receive a common licence from Dudley today, now that we have your blessing, Lucas,” Bennet told Sir William.
“Come; we need to inform your mother, brothers, and sister,” Sir William started towards the door.
“We will not announce this publicly until Friday, after Collins marries and departs,” Bennet explained.
“We do not want a scene at the ball, making the evening about us. Further, we both agree the man does not know how to regulate his mouth.” Bennet saw the quizzical looks from Sir William and his daughter.
“If I understood Dudley properly this morning, his daughter and Collins want to be married as soon as may be, so he will issue a licence and they will marry Friday morning after the ball, and then depart directly for their home at Hunsford in Westerham, Kent.”
Sir William nodded his understanding, and the three left the study to join his wife, his two older sons, and Mariah in the sitting room. Nick, the only Lucas not present, was away at Oxford and would receive the news by letter.
“Our Charlotte will become Mrs. Thomas Bennet on Saturday,” Sir William announced.
For a full minute there was shocked silence.
Then the questions started, initially by Franklin.
A half hour later, the betrothed couple had accepted good wishes for their future felicity from all present.
The rest of the Lucases well understood the need for silence on the subject until the objectionable man departed the area, even Mariah, who found it amusing she would be her friends’ aunt.
“Mariah, you understand you may not tell Lydia and Kitty, do you not?” Charlotte verified.
“I do. I do not believe I will see them before the ball at any rate,” Mariah opined.
“If all is settled, I will return to Longbourn.” Bennet started to stand, but Charlotte stayed him with a hand on his arm.
“There is another issue we need to discuss: Lieutenant George Wickham,” Charlotte stated.
“What about Wickham?” Sir William asked.
“From my observations, he seems to have opened accounts with most of the merchants in Meryton. From the information I have gleaned, his debts with two or three merchants will be more than a junior militia officer will earn in a few years. Papa, you were a merchant, so you know the damage even a ten-pound unpaid debt can cause. What will happen to our friends and neighbours if the man’s debts are many multiples of that amount? ” Charlotte postulated.
“But his countenance is so pleasant! I see no duplicity in him,” Lady Lucas stated, “I am sure you are mistaken, Charlotte.”
Charlotte proceeded to relay her misgivings about the man’s character and informed her parents how Mr. Wickham had told Eliza his tale of woe on their first meeting, noting how many times the man contradicted himself in the space of one recitation.
Bennet added his opinion, which concurred with his betrothed’s.
“What I suggest, Papa, is that you and Thomas quietly visit each merchant; mayhap Frank and John should help in case the officer sees the same men visiting every merchant.
I am sure he is the type who will run as soon as things become uncomfortable for him.
Once we have a tally of his debts, we will know how to act.
We all care about this town too much to allow one profligate man to ruin many of our merchants.
“If it is as I suspect, the next step would be for Papa and Thomas to meet with Colonel Forster. I would wager the Lieutenant has many debts of honour with his fellow officers,” Charlotte opined.
It was decided the men would gather information on all the officer’s debts, that way there would be no mention of Mr. Wickham specifically.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Bingley, I have a note from my Cousin Richard, who is in Town and has liberty. Would you be willing to extend him an invitation to the ball? If we send it express, he will be able to arrive this evening,” Darcy requested.
“Go ahead and send the express; you know how much I enjoy the Colonel’s company. Have him invite his brother, the Viscount. Mayhap having him here will give you some relief from my sister’s attentions,” Bingley grinned as Darcy scowled.
“I will include Andrew in the invitation as well,” Darcy returned.
Not long after, Darcy sealed the missive and wrote the direction. He summoned one of his couriers, and the man was soon heading to Matlock House in London. “Do you think they will both decide to come?” Bingley asked after the courier left his study.
“I am confident Richard will; I am less sure of Andrew. It will depend on his social calendar,” Darcy surmised. “Your sister would be wise to behave more properly in their presence; neither of them will be as patient as I am with her.”
“In two days, I will open the ball with my angel, Miss Jane Bennet. She is the most beautiful lady,” Bingley said wistfully.
This was not the first time Darcy had heard his friend extoll a young lady with whom he was currently in love. As it had been in the past, Darcy expected as soon as the next angel presented herself, Bingley would forget about Miss Bennet and move on, so he said nothing to discourage his friend.
“Darce, why did you not ask them to bring Miss Darcy with them?” Bingley asked.
As much as he hated to tell an untruth, for he abhorred deception, Darcy knew he had to.
Even to Bingley he would not reveal Gigi’s near ruin.
“My sister has too many studies and sessions with her music master to leave London at this time. In the future, we will see.” Darcy would not chance his sister being exposed to the rake again.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Just over three hours later, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam entered the family sitting room at Matlock House on Grosvenor Square. “Andy, you and I are invited to a ball,” Richard drawled.
“By whom and where?” Andrew Fitzwilliam, Viscount Hilldale, asked.