Vol 2, Chapter 6 #3
As they departed, the butler informed them the Fitzwilliam brothers had arrived and were in the small parlour.
“Lady Jane, Lady Elizabeth,” Andrew and Richard bowed as the ladies entered the parlour, followed by Mrs. Ponsonby who seated herself in a corner unobtrusively.
“Richard and I wanted to convey our sympathies for your family’s loss,” Andrew spoke on behalf of both brothers.
“I do not want to discuss matters today, but, when possible, I would like to discuss an alternate date for our wedding, Jane.” He stated quietly as he took her hand.
“Do you want to change the day? For I do not, and Uncle Sed did not want us to. But if you want to postpone, I understand, sir.” Jane’s smile grew wider as he stared at her in incomprehension, relieved of his primary worries when his Jane explained the late Duke’s wishes.
Now the only thing she was not sure of was from where they would marry.
“My assumption would be Longbourn, Jane,” Elizabeth opined. “Notwithstanding Uncle Sed wanting you to marry without delay, doing so at the estate where he lived would, in my opinion, not be acceptable.”
“I agree with Lizzy,” Andrew offered. “Unless your parents want it otherwise, I propose we keep the wedding at Longbourn. It is, after all, where you grew into the woman I love.”
“Andrew, at least wait until Lizzy and I are not present before you act so besotted,” Richard ribbed his brother. “We understood from Father, before he departed to join Mother at Bedford House, that the investiture is this afternoon?”
The sisters confirmed the same. Just then, Darcy and Georgiana were announced. “We just heard and wanted to convey our sympathies,” Georgiana stated as she hugged her soon to be cousins.
“Please pass our sympathies on to their Graces,” Darcy bowed. “And if there is anything I may be of assistance with, it will be my honour and my pleasure, my Ladies.”
“It was bad enough when Andrew used our new honorifics, in private can we please stay with ‘Jane’ and ‘Elizabeth’?” Jane requested after a slight nod from her sister.
“Unless of course you would like to be Mr. Darcy to us again,” Elizabeth teased with an arched eyebrow and Darcy raised his hands in mock surrender. “Would you join us at Buckingham House this afternoon?”
“Is that not only for family?” Georgiana asked.
“Are you not family, or soon to be so?” Jane asked.
“In that case, we will be happy to witness the investiture,” Darcy promised, smiling as he watched Georgiana’s excitement grow.
The sisters informed them of the time their mother said they needed to arrive.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Before they entered the chamber, the Lord Chamberlain had explained how they should present themselves to the Regent and what would occur, and exactly at two, the Bennets and their family and friends were ushered into the receiving room at Buckingham House by the Lord Chamberlain.
In the centre along the back wall were two thrones, the Regent sat in one and Queen Charlotte in the other.
To their left and right were a half dozen smaller thrones, some of them filled by Princes and Princesses.
The walls to the left and right were lined with some of the highest-ranking peers of the realm.
The arriving party genuflected to the royals.
“Rise,” the Regent intoned. Bennet, Tom, and Mark walked forward to a point and kneeled.
The Regent stood, and, after receiving a ceremonial sword from a page, moved his corpulent body to stand in front of Bennet, tapping him on both shoulders with the dull blade.
Tom and Mark then received one tap each.
After handing the sword back, the Regent sat and the three rose.
“Your Royal Majesty and your Royal Highnesses, I present to you Lord Thomas and Lady Priscilla Bennet, Duke and Duchess of Bedford; Lord Tom Bennet, Marquess Birchington; Lord Mark Bennet, the Earl of Meryton; Lady Jane Bennet; Lady Elizabeth Bennet; and Lady Esther Bennet.” Each one bowed or curtsied as the Lord Chamberlain presented them to the royals.
“Cousin Rose,” the Queen recognised the Dowager Duchess first as was most appropriate.
“We are most sorry to hear about our cousin’s passing.
We wish you our deepest sympathies.” Lady Rose curtsied to Her Royal Majesty.
“Lady Priscilla, it is good to see you back in society even for this sad reason.” The Queen looked to Lady Sarah and Lord Cyril.
“We note your youngest was well hidden in the wilds of Hertfordshire.”
Next the Queen turned her attention to the three Bennet daughters.
“Once the mourning period for our late cousin is observed, we invite you to take tea with us and some of our daughters. Word of the musical prowess and talent you possess has reached our ears, and we would like to hear you exhibit. We understand we need to wish you happy, Lady Jane and Viscount Hilldale.”
After a few more questions directed at the Matlocks, Jerseys, Holders, and Westmores, the Queen dismissed them with a flick of her fan. The group backed out of the receiving room as was expected.
No sooner had the courtiers who had been present at the investiture departed, the rumours about the Bennets began to circulate.
Outside of the royal family, no one quite understood how an unknown family had come to be one of the most powerful in the kingdom, but all were going to search for answers.
They would, for the most part, never gain anything beyond that which the family desired them to know.