Chapter 11
Around noon the following day, an express was delivered to Longbourn, addressed to Elizabeth. Hoping to find news of Kitty within, Elizabeth opened it with haste.
Inside, she found news that her sister had been found and that a marriage was being arranged. Papa also gave her permission to inform the family and the servants of what had taken place.
Elizabeth hesitated at this last instruction. Why would he want the news to come out before Kitty was officially married?
She did not immediately share the news. Instead, she waited until she had another private moment with Lady Esther and asked for her opinion.
Lady Esther said, “I suspect your father is aware that if Kitty shows up in the neighborhood married after being apparently bedridden for at least five days, everyone will know what happened anyway. He is merely trying to take the sting away from the inevitable barbs by spreading the news around the neighborhood just a few days early.”
“So you believe I should share the news as he has asked me to?” asked Elizabeth.
“Undoubtedly,” said Lady Esther. “Doing so will relieve a great deal of stress from the shoulders of your servants. Additionally, it will allow your family to prepare to receive their sister in her newly married state. Truly, I don’t think you can avoid it.”
Elizabeth sighed. “I believe you are correct, though I am not looking forward to this. Mama already knows about the elopement, but she is likely to be overly excited at the news that one of her daughters will be married in a few days. As for my sisters, I genuinely don’t know how they will take the news, but their reactions are certain to be unique. ”
There was silence between the two ladies for a few moments before Lady Esther said, “I believe it speaks highly of you that your father entrusted this information to you rather than your elder sister. I will add that I agree with him that you are the best person to bear this burden. Still, I do feel somewhat sorry for you that the burden existed to be borne in the first place.”
“Thank you Lady Esther,” said Elizabeth. “Praise from you is high praise, indeed.” It was the truth. Elizabeth had known the Lady for a fortnight, and she had always been impressed with her impeccable manners and calm way of handling any difficulty that came her way.
She was truly grateful to Judge Darcy that he had found such a reliable and steady companion for them.
~~~~~
Elizabeth was resolved to find a time when she could share the news with her entire family at once, because she did not wish to have such a difficult conversation multiple times. Such an opportunity came a few hours before it was time to change for dinner.
Mary’s lessons were over for the day, and she had joined the rest of the family, along with their two companions, in the drawing room.
As soon as she found an opportunity, Elizabeth said, “I received an express from Papa earlier today.”
Six pairs of eyes turned to look at her, and she suddenly felt very nervous.
She gathered her courage and said, “Kitty has not been ill as Mama and I have pretended. Instead, she eloped to Scotland with Alan Goulding a few days ago, and we have been hiding it. Papa has found her, and they are even now in London while Papa seeks a marriage for them as quickly as possible. He hopes to return here to Longbourn within a few days with the newlyweds.”
Elizabeth had barely registered the surprise on Mary’s and Mrs. Jamison’s faces before Mama cried, “Oh, my dear girl. I knew how it would be. I will finally have one of my girls happily wedded. We shall have so much fun visiting all our neighbors while I introduce her as Mrs. Goulding. Ooh, how well that sounds.”
Though her mother’s voice was piercing, Elizabeth took some comfort from the fact that her effusions would make it entirely unnecessary to inform the servants that the secret was out, because they would hear it clearly enough just from Mama’s joyful cries.
As Mama continued her effusions with some additional excitement, tinged with jealousy, from Lydia, Mrs. Jamison leaned toward Elizabeth and said, quietly, “Am I to understand that your younger sister eloped and your mother is happy about it?”
Elizabeth’s stomach sank into her toes. She truly hoped that Mrs. Jamison would not be so scandalized that she wished to leave because of such behavior.
“I’m afraid that is the case,” said Elizabeth, unable to prevaricate.
“Kitty left the day before we came home, and Mama was the one who kept it secret, even from our father. She is currently celebrating that her machinations turned out well.”
Mrs. Jamison’s stern face took on a distinct expression of disapproval, and Elizabeth despaired. Jane and Mary were already enjoying their lessons under this lady, but if Mrs. Jamison was too scandalized by such behavior, she might very well quit her position.
“I believe I understand why your father deemed it necessary to hire two companions instead of just one,” said Mrs. Jamison. She then leaned back in her chair and returned to listening.
Elizabeth did not know whether to laugh at the lady’s observation or cry with embarrassment over her mother’s behavior.
At the very least, she was relieved that Mrs. Jamison did not seem inclined to leave.
Lady Esther, who already knew of the circumstances, showed no change in expression.
She merely observed those who were doing the talking.
~~~~~
Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as he finally approached Longbourn late in the afternoon, though he knew his relief would be short-lived.
He had given a great deal of thought as to how to prevent his other four daughters from falling to the uneducated and ill-informed machinations of his wife, but every solution required more effort on his part than he was used to.
He was already quite fatigued from chasing down Kitty, but it seemed that he had not yet earned any real rest.
He tried to shrug off his frustrations and leave the future to be worried about later. At least for tonight, he would eat his own food and sleep in his own bed.
As Kitty and her new husband were greeted with joyful effusions by Mrs. Bennet, Thomas grimaced. It seemed odd that his wife would be so happy at a circumstance that could very nearly have ruined the entire family.
After greeting the rest of his family, he left them all to seek the comfort and quiet of his bookroom. He was quite certain Kitty and her husband were perfectly capable of telling the tale for themselves.
His peace was soothing though short-lived. Less than an hour later, it was time for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Goulding joined the Bennet family for dinner, but once the meal was complete, they made their way to Mr. Goulding’s cottage, which he had spent hours describing in detail.
Once the happy couple had left, Thomas once again retreated to his bookroom. Under normal circumstances, he would have joined the family in the drawing room simply to save coal and candles, but tonight was not normal circumstances.
He did make one short stop in the drawing room to ask Lady Esther to join him.
Once he was settled behind his desk and the Lady was seated in front of it, he said, “I apologize, Lady Esther, for bringing you into such trying circumstances so suddenly. Though I hope you are willing to stay and help my other daughters, I fully understand if you wish to leave, and I will not hold such a decision against you.”
“On the contrary, Mr. Bennet, seeing such a situation play out in front of my eyes has convinced me far more than your words ever did how much I can help your daughters,” said Lady Esther.
“If I can prevent the other four of them from falling into the hands of fortune hunters, or worse, fine upstanding men like my late husband, it will be completely worth every ounce of effort it takes.”
Thomas observed Lady Esther for a few moments with admiration. This was a Lady with sense in her head and steel in her spine. Eventually, he said, “I am grateful for your kindness.”
“Don’t mistake me, Mr. Bennet,” said Lady Esther. “I am not doing this for you, and the pay you are giving me is only a small part of my motivation. I am doing this for my past self. If I can prevent your lovely daughters from sharing my fate, my own past torture will feel a little more bearable.”
“Whatever your motivations, I am still grateful,” said Mr. Bennet.
“Now, I need your advice as to how to proceed. It has come to my attention that if I am to protect my daughters from ill-advised marriages, I will need to separate them from the one person in their lives who can give nothing but ill advice, namely their mother. I plan to leave Longbourn for at least a few months with all my remaining daughters, and I will be leaving Mrs. Bennet behind. My question for you is, where shall we go?”
Lady Ester’s face remained impassive, though Thomas thought he saw tension around her eyes. “It is a hard thing for a mother to be separated from her children,” said Lady Esther.
“I am well aware,” said Mr. Bennet. “However, if I do not separate them, Mrs. Bennet will encourage any and every attachment my daughters make regardless of safety or wisdom. She will not learn from her mistakes, for she does not ever see them. In this case, I must choose between the happiness of my wife and the safety and happiness of my daughters. Under such circumstances, I cannot see any successful course of action other than what I have told you. If you can see an alternative, I will listen.”
Lady Esther sighed. It was the most expression he had seen from her yet. “I do not like it, Mr. Bennet,” she said. “However, I cannot truly disagree with you. Very well, I will help you. I would recommend going to either London or Bath.”
“That is unexpected,” said Thomas. “I would have assumed that you would suggest somewhere quiet until you and Mrs. Jamison have had a chance to educate my girls a bit.”
“Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary all have enough of the necessary manners to navigate most of society,” said Lady Esther.
“What they lack is experience and wisdom. There is no better place to get such a thing than in London during the Season, especially if they are guided by companions who can watch over them effectively.”
Thomas sighed. “I hate London,” he said.
“I suspected as much, which is why I suggested Bath as an alternative,” said Lady Esther.
“Still, if you would rather go somewhere a bit quieter, Ramsgate is a rather sleepy seaside town, unlike Brighton or Margate. There would still be social opportunities, but little in the way of scheming or debauchery.”
“No, no,” said Thomas. “You are quite right in everything you’ve said. London likely is the best place to go. I assume I can count on you for introductions in that quarter.”
“That depends on the level of society you wish to enter,” said Lady Esther. “While I am acquainted with almost every titled person in the country, not all of them would wish to associate with those of your status, no matter how wealthy.”
Thomas waved his hand. “I care nothing for status, and I am certain my girls feel the same. I only wish for them to become acquainted with gentlemen who know how to handle such wealth and who would treat my daughters with the respect they deserve.”
“If that is all you require, I believe I can be of assistance,” said Lady Esther. “I would also recommend you turn to your friend, Judge Darcy, to assist you with this as well. Through his relations, he is connected to some of the most respectable people in the land.”
“I will consider what you say,” said Thomas, “and I will begin making preparations for a journey to London as soon as possible.”
~~~~~
Thomas sent his most trusted manservant to London the following day to seek out lodgings for the family. It took a few days to find something suitable. By the time the servant returned, all other preparations had been made.
On the fourteenth of March, 1811, exactly one week after he had returned from arranging Kitty’s wedding, Thomas Bennet once again left Longbourn, though this time he was accompanied by four daughters, two companions, two ladies’ maids, and two footmen.
Mrs. Bennet did not wave them off as they pulled away, for she had been extremely resentful of not being allowed to accompany them. Not even the offer of doubling her pin money for the year soothed her disgruntled state.
Thomas did not regret his decision, though he spent many hours mourning the necessity of it. Still, his girls’ safety was his highest priority, and he was determined to protect them.
With a heavy weight on his shoulders, Thomas Bennet watched as Longbourn faded in the distance.