Chapter 20
The day after the excitement at Longbourn, Bennet, Phillips, and Sir William met with Collins at the gaol.
“Mr. Collins, are you doing this of your own free will or has someone coerced you into breaking the entail on Longbourn?” Sir William asked as he held a document to that effect in his hand and passed it to Collins.
“Why is this needed?” Collins asked belligerently.
“You are in gaol, so if you ever change your mind and claim you were forced to break the entail on Longbourn, we will have this document,” Phillips elucidated for Collins.
“If it is your choice, Mr. Collins, you may sign all of the documents and receive the sum I agreed to pay you, or you may return to your cell and pray my young wife never delivers a son. I must caution you, if that is your choice, the next time you set foot on my land while I am alive, I will take it as a threat against my family and act accordingly,” Bennet explained.
Collins could still feel the foil pressed against his neck, even though that fateful day in his cousin’s study had been weeks ago. He had no doubt his cousin was not making an idle threat. “I will sign everything,” Collins opted.
Once three copies of each document were signed, Phillips summoned his courier to ride to London and have one copy filed with the Court of Chancery.
Once that was done, the entail on Longbourn would be no more, ensuring the continuity of the Bennet line at the estate.
“Once we receive the proof of filing and the cancelled entailment documents on the morrow, you will be free. My two younger brothers will escort you to London and you will board your ship. Once the ship has sailed four days out from Liverpool, the captain will present you with your funds; you will be able to verify he holds the funds when you board. He will present the amount we agreed upon, along with the fifty pounds Mr. Lennon found hidden in the Hunsford Parsonage study.” Bennet explained all so Collins would be fully aware. “Do you have any questions?”
The sullen man shook his head and was locked back in his cell.
“That was fairly painless,” Phillips opined as he gathered the remaining paperwork.
“Bennet, you should institute a new entail on Longbourn, not restricting which gender may inherit, but ensuring some future descendant cannot sell off pieces or the whole to satisfy a gamester’s lifestyle,” Phillips suggested.
After this, the gentlemen walked to Phillips’ office, only a few doors down from the gaol, for glasses of celebratory port.
“That sounds like a good idea. I will talk to Charlotte and canvas her opinion,” Bennet replied.
“Did you see Collins’ face when I mentioned who would accompany him to London?
He has not met Nick yet, but he is the strongest of my three new brothers.
If he gives any trouble, either John or Nick would take pleasure in punishing him. ”
“Hattie told me she heard from Lady Lucas that Franklin is courting Matilda Dudley. They are well suited, and unlike that defrocked fraud of a parson, he will place her needs above his own, and he has no patroness to worship,” Phillips opined.
“Charlotte informed me, as did Dudley during our weekly meeting,” Bennet answered. “I am for home; thank you for your assistance and port, Brother.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy and Elizabeth were walking in the park. The three younger girls, two Bennets and one Darcy, were pushing each other on the swing under the oak tree, as the day was unseasonably warm.
“Have you thought about when you would like to marry, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked. “I am sure I mentioned I would prefer a short betrothal. I assume you would like to marry from Longbourn?”
“As to the second part of your question, yes, I want to marry in the church where I have worshiped all of my life and where I was christened. Like you, I do not require a long betrothal; if it is all the same to you, I prefer a small wedding attended by our closest family and friends,” Elizabeth responded.
“What say you after Twelfth Night?” Darcy asked.
“That would be perfect, William,” Elizabeth replied. “That is close to six weeks from now so no one will be able to say we rushed to the altar.”
“As it will be winter, I suggest we go south for our wedding trip. I own a house on a bluff near Brighton, overlooking the sea. It is called Seaview Cottage, but it is not a cottage; it is about the size of Longbourn’s manor house,” Darcy revealed.
“That sounds perfect, William. I have always wanted to try sea bathing, but I suppose January is not ideal for the exercise.” Elizabeth looked at her betrothed with warmth.
“You have the right of it. I believe it will be too cold, unless there is a day with unseasonable warmth, far greater than today. We will visit Seaview in June before we return to Pemberley after the season, then you and I will bathe in the sea. There is a private beach in a protected cove which is not visible from the sea.” Darcy waggled his eyebrows and Elizabeth blushed scarlet.
She had to own, to herself, she could not wait for the weather to be warm enough to explore the beach.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“It is done,” Bennet reported to his wife as they were sitting in the study after he returned home.
“Everything was done and done for the best. The last piece is to wait for the confirmation from the Court of Chancery, which I expect to receive in two days. For all intents and purposes, there is no longer an entail on our estate.”
“Did Collins behave?” Charlotte asked.
“Like a child whose favourite toy had been lost,” Bennet related. “I am very glad you suggested I make him that offer. What made you think he would accept?”
“Once he was defrocked and then discovered his patroness had no power to arrange things as she desired, I surmised he would rather have something than nothing,” Charlotte explained.
Bennett pulled his wife into his lap and kissed her soundly. “You said you wanted to talk to me, Charlotte,” Bennet remembered when they came up for air.
“I did, though your kisses are almost powerful enough to make me forget. You gave our brother Gardiner your late wife’s dowry to invest just after she passed, did you not?” Charlotte checked.
“I did,” Bennet confirmed.
“Have the funds grown?”
“Very nicely. Gardiner used the initial investment to purchase a large load of textiles, mostly ones never seen in England. He doubled the investment. When I pointed out it was rather risky to invest all on one venture, he pointed out had I listened to him twenty plus years before, there would have been a very respectable sum saved up for the girls’ future.
To my shame, he was correct,” Bennet owned.
“And now?” Charlotte asked.
“After two years, and having paid Collins, there is over fifteen thousand pounds in the fund. After the initial investment, our brother used less risk in his investing,” Bennet revealed.
“Have you been adding excess profits from the estate to the fund?” Charlotte asked.
“No. Gardiner wanted me to, but I have omitted doing so,” Bennet admitted.
“An omission you will repair, will you not?” Charlotte suggested with raised eyebrows.
“Yes dear,” Bennet answered.
“I have started to economise in the running of the house, and as the estate’s profit approaches three thousand per annum, we should be able to give Edward over one thousand each year to add to the portfolio.
It is not just the girls we must plan for, but any potential siblings as well,” Charlotte explained.
“Did we find a school for Lydia yet?” Bennet enquired.
“I believe we have,” Charlotte responded.
“Lady Elaine recommends the Wrightfield School for Young Ladies in Wiltshire. It is a school with a rigid structure, which can only be beneficial to Lydia. Ever since Gigi’s revelations to Lydia, she has been like a different girl.
In my opinion school, which you remember she wants, will help her become the young gentlewoman she wants to be. ”
“Kitty should be encouraged in her endeavours in art,” Bennet opined.
“Agreed, although I do not believe Kitty needs such instruction at a school; we can hire an art master for her. She no longer follows Lydia around, and ever since Gigi has been here, Kitty has come into her own,” Charlotte suggested.
“There are two things I would like to ask your opinion on, Charlotte…” Bennet explained Phillips’s suggestion regarding a new entail.
“His suggestion is sensible. What was the second issue?” Charlotte asked.
“It just came to my notice Purvis Lodge will be offered for sale soon. Old Mrs. Purvis would like to retire to Bath and has no family, and no heir. She offered her estate to me first,” Bennet said.
“Would we be able to purchase it without taking a mortgage?” She inquired.
“If Gardiner agrees to invest with me, then yes,” Bennet averred.
“It is worthwhile. The additional land and tenants will add about one thousand two hundred pounds per annum, and as we apply better farming methods, eventually the combined profit could reach five thousand pounds. In my opinion, if we purchase the estate, the house should be turned into Longbourn’s dower house. ”
“If Gardiner agrees to invest, then I think it is a worthwhile purchase,” Charlotte opined.
There was a knock on the study door, but before Bennet responded, Charlotte climbed off his lap and took a seat on one of the chairs in front of the desk after straightening her skirts.
Once bade to do so, Darcy and Elizabeth entered the study and informed Bennet and Charlotte of their proposed marriage date. There was no disagreement, so after consulting the calendar, they chose Tuesday, the eighth day of January 1811.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~