Chapter 21
Lydia was looking forward to starting school after Elizabeth’s wedding.
When Charlotte and Bennet described the strictures and rules of the Wrightfield School for Young Ladies it did not concern her, because she was keen to learn.
It was not only Kitty who benefited from Gigi’s example of how to behave; Lydia had been absorbing lessons rapidly.
Conversely, due to Lydia’s lively and outgoing personality, Gigi had been drawn further out of her shell—to the point her brother and the Fitzwilliams hardly recognised the withdrawn girl who cried at the drop of a hat just a few months ago.
The Bennets were approaching two months of marriage; neither would say they were in love with the other at this time.
However, against the expectations of both Charlotte and Bennet, each was developing tender feelings one for the other.
Much to their mutual pleasure, they did not spend time together because they had to—they wanted to.
Bennet had thought the most difficult of mandates to live with would be Charlotte’s condition that he no longer sequester himself in his bookroom to the exclusion of all else.
However, as time passed, he found he did not have to force himself to leave his study; he preferred to.
His whole world had been turned on its head and, far from objecting, Bennet found that he was much happier than ever before.
Charlotte’s other condition, that he allow her to take the younger two in hand with drastic measures, ended up being a not necessary.
Bennet no longer claimed his youngest two were the silliest girls in the Kingdom.
He started to give them attention, as he had done with his three older daughter, which had borne fruit already.
“I have never looked forward to an assembly as I do to the one upcoming,” Bennet shared with his wife as they lay in bed one night, the afterglow of marital relations evident in both.
“It will be something to watch our neighbours when they see our Mary. If it were simply her looks it would be one thing, but it is her confidence and the fact she no longer hides her intelligence. When I started working with Mary after Fanny’s death, I was able to see just how smart she is.
She is not quite as quick as Lizzy, but she is close.
I saw what Fanny was doing to Mary, and Lizzy to a lesser extent; to my shame I thought it would be too much effort to exert myself.
Lizzy was older when it started, and she had me.
Mary was on her own, and I allowed her to withdraw into herself,” Bennet remonstrated with himself.
“That is more than enough self-indulgence, Thomas. There is naught you can do to change the past. You started making small changes after my predecessor passed, and now you are no longer the indolent man who used to hide in his study with his books and port. You are a good man, a man I am not sorry for marrying as I could not imagine myself with a man better suited to me,” Charlotte avowed.
She leaned toward her husband and kissed him languidly, and what followed was a pleasure most men at his age would not be able to indulge in a second time, but they did not have Charlotte, and he counted her as one of his principal blessings every day.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Franklin Lucas, Matilda, and her father visited Longbourn on Friday afternoon, the day of the December assembly.
When Hill showed them into the drawing room, there was little doubt of the news about to be shared.
No one was taken by surprise when Mr. Dudley announced the betrothal of Matilda and Franklin.
Genuine words of congratulation were shared, and although no one mentioned it to the bride to be, the difference between her current expression of pure joy and the tepid acceptance she showed about her previous betrothal was marked.
“I will not expect you to call me Aunt Matti after I marry your uncle,” Matilda quipped with Jane and Elizabeth.
“Regardless of your expectation, it will not happen,” Elizabeth stated.
“You realise Matti will be Papa’s sister, do you not?” Jane pointed out.
“I stand by my previous statement,” Elizabeth feigned being put out.
“When will you marry?” Jane asked.
“We discussed having the wedding around the end of January. My father will start calling the banns this Sunday, so once we pass the third calling, we can marry any time if we choose to advance the date,” Matilda shared.
Just then Mary entered the drawing room. Matilda had not seen her since her metamorphosis. The woman looked familiar, but Matilda could not put her finger on who she was.
“Matti, I hear I need to wish you happy,” Mary stated, her lips offering a slightly amused expression.
Matilda started at the recognition. She knew the voice but did not recognise the beauty before her. “M-M-Mary?” Matilda stammered.
“Matti, yes, it is Mary; not somebody who has stolen her voice,” Elizabeth informed her gaping friend. The three sisters satisfied Matilda’s curiosity and related all Matti was unaware of about Mary’s past with her mother and her decision to stop hiding.
“Will Meryton see you for the first time at tonight’s assembly? Matilda asked, and her friends nodded.
“The single men are safe,” Mary replied to Matilda dryly, “I am being courted by Mr. Richard Fitzwilliam.”
“You are betrothed, Lizzy, and both Jane and Mary are being courted—by brothers no less! Longbourn will be a lot emptier,” Matilda opined.
“Not if Charlotte becomes with child,” Mary replied.
“I supposed so,” Matilda agreed thoughtfully.
Not much later the two Dudleys and Franklin Lucas departed to prepare for the assembly, leaving the Bennets to make their preparations as well.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Seeing Miss Bennet on the Viscount’s arm and Miss Elizabeth on Mr. Darcy’s was expected when the Longbourn and Netherfield Park parties arrived, shortly before the first dance was called.
Many mothers with daughters of marriageable age, having heard the former Colonel was master of a large and profitable estate, were looking forward to his arrival.
At least they were until he walked in with a beauty on his arm.
The unknown lady resembled Jane Bennet, but she had darker hair like the second and third Bennet daughters.
The resemblance caused many to look from one to the other in surprise.
Speculation spread through the room quickly, but the truth was revealed only after Lady Lucas and Mrs. Phillips approached the couple, and Mrs. Phillips hugged the unknown lady.
“Congratulations on your courtship with Mr. Fitzwilliam, Mary; he is a very lucky man,” Mrs. Phillips stated loudly, so those nearby could not fail to hear her.
“Thank you, Aunt Hattie.” Mary kissed her aunt’s cheek.
Those standing closest heard the lady reply to her aunt, realising only then that she was none other than their own Miss Mary Bennet. The news swept through the room; one and all found her transformation to the handsome and confident young lady before them nearly unfathomable.
The few exclamations of disbelief were put paid to very quickly by her family’s continued use of her name.
After the end of the first set, before Mary was collected by Andrew, she and Richard were inundated by well-wishers.
Those who had had designs on the former Colonel were so pleased for Mary that their own desires were put aside.
Mary was relieved all of her sets had been taken before she set foot into the assembly room.
Richard, who claimed the first and last, her father, the Earl, William, Andrew, Sir William, and his sons claimed the rest. Many who had never looked at her twice in the past requested a set; all were as disappointed as she had been when they never asked when she acted the part of a wallflower.
Elizabeth and Darcy enjoyed the first set of the night together, much as they did anything they did in each other’s company.
If Aunt Elaine and Charlotte had not told them it was not done, the two would have danced every set together.
Instead, Darcy surrendered his betrothed to Richard and sought out Jane for the second set.
The citizens of the area at the assembly were almost as astonished by Mr. Darcy’s transformation but believed if anyone could draw out someone’s better nature and help them smile it would be a Bennet daughter.
Their Lizzy had been doing it for years.
Mr. Darcy had never been seen as he was with Elizabeth; he appeared fairly ebullient, and he was dancing every set.
The three older Bennet sisters enjoyed the December assembly infinitely more than the first one the then-new Netherfield party had attended.
The same was true for their father, who found he enjoyed dancing with his wife.
It was remarked that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet enjoyed three sets with each other, for the first time in many a year.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As Mrs. Purvis required an answer before the Gardiners arrived for Christmas, Bennet was worried he might miss out on the chance to buy the property at such an unexpectedly low price.
Charlotte suggested he approach his future son-in-law, not for a loan but with an investment opportunity.
After some internal debate, rather than approach only Darcy, Bennet decided to ask for a meeting with Lord Matlock, his two sons, Darcy, and Mr. Phillips.
Bennet explained the purpose of the meeting, and the projected income which could be produced by this investment. “It seems like a sound investment to me,” Darcy stated.
“Andrew and I agree,” Lord Matlock replied affably.
“And me,” Richard granted.
“I have a little over forty percent available for the purchase,” Bennet revealed.
“In that case, we will each invest twenty percent,” Lord Matlock proposed.
Darcy and his two cousins put their heads together and seemed to come to a quick agreement. “In Elizabeth’s marriage settlement, my stake will be given to her,” Darcy informed the group.