Chapter 5
The day after those from Yorkshire arrived, three Gardiners—Edward was visiting his parents—and the two Phillipses had arrived at Longbourn.
There had been questions about how Fanny and Bennet had a new babe.
The latter two answered the questions honestly.
After they had been told from what and how Lizzy had been rescued, they all accepted her as part of the family and swore not to speak of the fact that she was not a Bennet by blood.
Since then, she had become as loved by her Gardiner grandparents, Uncle Frank, Aunt Hattie, and Uncle Edward as much as Jane and James were.
All members of Lizzy’s newly met family fell in love with the little mite as soon as they met her.
After the new master, mistress, and their family had been at Longbourn for about a sennight, callers from the neighbourhood began to arrive.
The three Bennet children were universally commented on in the way that two looked like their parents—Miss Bennet like her mother and Master Bennet like his father—while the newest Bennet looked like a much younger version of her Grandmama Beth.
Rather than prevaricate and tell the callers that Lizzy was a child of Fanny’s body, the Bennet adults, and the Gardiners or Phillipses, if they were visiting, simply never corrected the impression that she was born to Fanny.
It seemed that no one considered the closeness in age between James and Lizzy.
That could have been because of Lizzy’s slight size, leading their neighbours to assume she was born nine or ten months after James.
That assumption was borne out by comments about how advanced Lizzy was for such a young babe.
Even with their expanded duties as master and mistress of a medium-to large-sized estate earning close to seven thousand pounds per annum, Bennet and Fanny made sure they were able to spend as much time with their children as possible.
Thankfully when they were called away by their duties, Grandmama Beth and Aunt Penelope were more than willing to be with the children.
Grandmama Jane and Aunt Hattie were present often, and besides spending time with the adult residents of Longbourn, they were with the three Bennet children as much as they could be.
In addition, Sophie was still present as was the new nursemaid she was training, so the children were never alone. Just as they had promised Sophie they would, the Bennets had immediately begun to search for a nursemaid to replace her.
Fanny had asked Mrs Hill to assist in finding a replacement nursemaid so they would be able to release Sophie to travel back to Grantham.
The cart, which had arrived three days after the Bennets reached Longbourn, had begun the return journey two days subsequent to being unloaded.
The coach had not returned yet. With Lord Grantham’s permission, it would be able to convey Sophie back when she completed the training of the new lady Fanny had chosen to employ.
It was planned for Sophie and the coach to depart on Thursday, the first day of September.
During the first few weeks after arriving at Longbourn, Bennet worked very hard to make sure his estate was running efficiently and to familiarise himself with the management of it.
Thankfully, his late father had made sure that his younger son learnt about estate management for a ‘just in case,’ which had, much to the sorrow of all of the Bennets, come to pass.
As strange as it felt to ride his father’s stallion, Bennet had pushed his discomfort aside and ridden out to meet with each of his twenty tenants.
He wanted to make sure they knew that he would continue on in the manner his father and brother had and that they could bring their concerns to him.
What helped was that the steward his father had employed, Mr Brian Mason, had been assured that the new master had no intention of removing him and installing his own man.
Word that Mr Mason was remaining as the steward went a long way to calm any apprehension some of the tenants had about the change in ownership of the estate.
Something else which ended any remaining doubts among the tenantry had been when, within the first sennight of their arriving at Longbourn, Beth Bennet and Penelope called at each tenant’s cottage with Fanny to introduce her to the ladies of the houses.
Their mourning notwithstanding, the fact that the previous mistress and Mrs Penelope Bennet accompanied the new mistress to introduce her, assured Fanny of a very warm welcome by the wife of each tenant.
As much as the two Bennet widows missed their respective husbands, the three children brought light into their lives. Just like Beth had predicted, Fanny and Thomas would not hear of either widow living anywhere—not even the dower house—but in the house with them and their family.
With that settled, Penelope decided to lease out her estate, Netherfield Park, and asked Elias Gardiner to act as her agent.
As he was too busy to give the task the attention it required, Gardiner recommended that his head clerk, Frank Phillips, should be the one to manage her property.
Penelope was happy to work with Frank and asked that her name not be mentioned on the lease agreement.
Netherfield Park had an income of three thousand pounds per annum.
From that income, Penelope took a small amount of pin money, estate expenses were paid, and the remainder was turned over to Edward Gardiner to invest.
Bennet also intended to send Longbourn’s profits to Edward. He wanted to make sure that not only would Fanny always be secure, but that he could build decent dowries for his two daughters and any future children they would have.
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A letter had arrived for Collins from a man he would never have expected to write to him, which had given him much to cogitate over. Thereafter, he had been working on a sermon for the upcoming Sunday.
Collins knew that at this time of the day William would be in the back parlour having lessons with his mother.
Ophelia taught him his letters and sums. Collins tutored his son in other subjects he would need to grasp before going to school one day.
They could afford a governess but had decided not to employ one.
Lady Catherine had forbidden them to have a governess as they were not of the gentry.
Collins and his wife had ignored that drivel, like they did all of the woman’s pronouncements.
Besides, he had been of the gentry before his late father had lost the estate in games of chance.
They were saving to send William to school so they had sacrificed employing a governess.
William, six in June past, was their pride and joy and very keen to learn whatever they taught him.
The Lord had not seen fit to bless them with another child, so they were grateful for what He had allowed them.
One thing Clem Collins refused to do was lift his hand to either Ophelia or William in anger, or ever.
When he was not in his cups, his late father had done so to Collins and his late mother.
Rather than follow what his father did, Clem Collins took his example as what not to do.
Thinking of the gentry, Collins had been notified about the death of James and Henry Bennet.
He had been very sorry to hear about his cousins’ deaths.
His late father had caused a rift between the Bennets and Collinses.
Soon after his father passed away, Collins wrote to James Bennet to reestablish family ties.
He was aware that he was not in line to inherit Longbourn because of the second Bennet son, Thomas, and the fact he had a daughter and son already.
He wondered how the new master of Longbourn was doing after the death of his father and brother, followed by his unexpected inheritance.
His thoughts were interrupted when Collins heard the doorbell jangle. He was sure that one of the servants would answer the ring.
They only had three full-time servants at the parsonage, made up of a cook-housekeeper, a maid of all work, and a nursemaid for William, who would assist the maid when needed.
There was a manservant who took care of some of the heavy work around the house for a few hours each day, and for the rest of his day, he worked on the glebe.
By the time de Bourgh arrived at the parsonage, he had drained the decanter of cognac in his study; hence, he was well and truly foxed.
It was all he could do to drown out his wife’s insane and shrill shrieking pronouncements.
Rather than try to walk to the parsonage—he was aware he would not arrive on foot without walking into trees and tripping over his own feet—de Bourgh had a groom hitch two ponies to the phaeton and then drive him to the Collins’ house.
After he pulled the bell—having missed three times as he was seeing more than one chain to pull—the door was opened by one of the female servants, he knew not which one. “Tell your mashter I want to sshe him,” de Bourgh slurred.
The maid of all work bobbed a curtsey to the caller and made her way to the master’s study. When bade to enter, she announced, “Sir Lewis is ‘ere to see you, Mr Collins,” Jenny said as she bobbed him a curtsy.
Collins was sure his patron was foxed, but he did not feel he could turn the man away. “Show him in,” he allowed. “Sir Lewis,” Collins bowed when he entered.
“Not shir anything anymore,” de Bourgh lamented as he fell onto one of the chairs before being invited to sit. “Do you hash some brandy or even port? No, you donsh ‘cause you donsh imbibe.”
“You said you are no longer a ‘Sir’; why is that? I am sure Lady Catherine is seriously displeased.”
“She is not a lady anyshing anymore!” de Bourgh spat out. “Itsh all her fault!”
“It may not be mine to ask, but are you willing to tell me why both you and your wife were stripped of your titles?” Collins enquired.