Chapter 26 #2
Darcy had joined Bennet and the three Fitzwilliam men in the study. When they related the complete change in his Aunt Catherine to him, Darcy could scarcely credit what they were telling him. It took quite a bit of explaining for him to understand the truth of what they were saying.
It was not that he did not believe his uncle and cousins, for he had long believed them implicitly.
He was having difficulty reconciling what he knew of his aunt to what the three were telling him, with Bennet’s own voice as backup.
Knowing how much his late mother would have liked to see such a change in her older sister, once his mind acknowledged the truth of Lady Catherine’s change, Darcy was most pleased and looked forward to seeing her when they next went into Kent.
Lord Matlock informed the group he had received a letter from his sister earlier that day.
Anne was somewhat weaker so Mr. Starkey had recommended she should not travel unless there was an improvement.
Lady Catherine would remain at Rosings Park with Anne, so the de Bourgh ladies would miss the upcoming wedding.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The ball at Netherfield was a spectacular success.
In the end, Darcy had enjoyed himself immensely.
It did not hurt that he had danced all three significant sets with his wife.
In addition, he danced almost every other set.
Kitty, Gigi, Mariah, and Lydia—who was home for the wedding—were only allowed to dance with family or approved close family friends.
They all had enough partners to dance practically every set as well.
Charlotte, who was suffering from fatigue, only danced the first and the supper set with her husband.
She had informed Bennet that morning of her suspicion, having missed her third set of courses.
It was no surprise to her that he had recognised the signs before she told him anything.
What was surprising to both was there was already a slight bump they could see when she readied for bed.
As Bennet remembered it, his late wife did not show until around the time she felt the quickening, which should be in about one month for Charlotte.
Although her mother could tell already, Charlotte decided, with her husband’s agreement, not to share the news with any others until she felt the babe move.
Many in the neighbourhood had expected the brash, flirtatious Lydia they had known in the past, so were truly and pleasantly surprised at the demure, well behaved young lady Lydia now was.
In the past, some of the parents of young ladies in the area had decried their daughters spending time with the youngest Bennet.
After seeing her behaviour at the ball, that became a thing of the past.
The two betrothed couples danced the same three sets as the Darcys. At dinner, they sat at a table with Elizabeth, Darcy, and Matilda and Franklin Lucas. “It will not be long before none of us seated at this table will be single,” Matilda observed.
“As one who has been married to the man she loves this past month,” Elizabeth stated as she smiled at her husband, “it is a state I highly recommend.”
“To think I would have been married to…” Matilda started but her betrothed cut her off.
“Did we not discuss this Matti? You realised your error before it was too late, and as my niece likes to say…” Franklin grinned at Elizabeth, who gave him a mock scowl.
“Only remember the past as that remembrance gives you pleasure,” everyone at the table besides Elizabeth recited in unison.
“It is the truth, Matti. Look how happy you and Franklin are; you will have a most felicitous marriage. You will be living close to your father, who we all know dotes on you,” Elizabeth agreed. She turned to Franklin, “I will never call you uncle, Franklin.”
“Thank you for the use of Seaview Cottage for our wedding trip, William,” Andrew stated appreciatively.
“And for the use of the house in Ramsgate for ours,” Richard added.
“When we were in London, Uncle Gardiner shared that everything from Rosings Park and Fitzwilliam House has sold. Has any of the new furniture been delivered yet?” Elizabeth asked.
“Most for Rosings has, Lizzy,” Mary gushed. “I cannot wait to see how well it looks. Both Anne and Aunt Catherine report a vast improvement. There are only a few guest suites left to be completed.”
“Gardiner informed me of the good news. In the end most of the money our aunt diverted from Rosing Park’s profits to pay for her baubles, artwork, and furniture has been recouped, and even after all we are doing to redecorate and refurnish both the estate and townhouse, there will be a little left over,” Richard reported.
“Did you like Hilldale House, Jane?” Elizabeth asked.
“Very much so. As you discovered at Darcy House, I only needed to have the mistress’s chambers redecorated. Thankfully, Mother Elaine redecorated the rest of the house at Andrew’s behest a few years ago,” Jane replied.
Mary shared how they had found Fitzwilliam House, and that the work on it would begin in earnest after Rosings Park’s redecoration was completed. After dinner, the dancing recommenced, and it was a happy group of guests that departed in the early hours of the morning.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The next day Bennet asked Charlotte to join him in the study. “The purchase of Purvis Lodge has been finalised,” Bennet informed his wife. “The land will be annexed to Longbourn, and Phillips will include it in the new entail.”
“It has three tenants, does it not?” Charlotte asked, and Bennet nodded. “And none want to depart with the change in ownership?”
“None. They will have the same terms as they had under old Mrs. Purvis, so they are all happy. Added to the fact our tenants have told them they are most satisfied with us; it cemented their decisions not to move on. Within a year, our income should be over six thousand pounds per annum,” Bennet reported.
“Were any of your girls moved from their positions regarding their stakes in the former Purvis Lodge?” Charlotte enquired.
“To my chagrin, no. I was never asking for a gift, and now it is what has occurred. Each of my daughters have signed their stake back to us. No matter how much I cajoled, they would not be gainsaid. It is my opinion the men knew exactly how it would be when they put their part of Purvis Lodge into the marriage contracts for their wives-to-be.” Bennet shook his head.
“At this point, after making my feelings known, it would be ungracious of me to continue to push them on the subject.”
“Then it must be so.” Charlotte kissed her husband before returning to the drawing room.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
That night, Charlotte gave Jane and Mary a very similar talk to the one she had given Elizabeth before her wedding.
Aunt Gardiner talked to them as well, and this time she was accompanied by Elizabeth.
Without going into personal details between her and William, Elizabeth was able to confirm the validity of the advice Jane and Mary had received from Charlotte and Aunt Gardiner.
Already mortified enough with the subjects of the discussions, when asked if they had any questions, both demurred.
After their aunt departed the bedchamber, the three eldest Bennet daughters talked late into the night before separating with the intention to get some sleep before the upcoming big day.