Chapter 4 #2
From Gardiner House, Oscar went to his solicitor who made a copy of the deed for his client’s record and locked the original in his safe until Mr Bingley returned home where he would place it in his own safe in his study.
When they arrived home, Louisa, Harold, and little Jane were present. There was much celebrating on Gracechurch Street that day!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bennet, Tammy, and Jane were shown into Bedford House on Russell Square.
It looked to be at least twice the size of the townhouse that they had seen earlier in the day.
The butler showed them into the mistress’s study, which would be Jane’s in a matter of months.
Lady Rose was behind the nice-sized desk with Perry sitting on a settee off to the side.
There were two chairs in front of the desk where Bennet and Tammy sat, while Jane joined her fiancé on the settee, sitting as close to him as propriety would allow.
“I understand from my son that my mother’s house meets with your approval,” Lady Rose smiled at her soon to be family.
“Indeed, Lady Rose, there was nought that we found to fault with the home,” Bennet informed her.
“Especially the library, Papa,” Jane added importantly.
“It has only been a few days since we were reunited with Lizzy and here you are, displaying her reported impertinence. Where is the serene daughter I used to have?” Bennet teasingly asked his Jane.
“Perry did happen to mention how large your eyes became when they beheld the library, Mr Bennet. I am afraid that your hand was shown then.” Lady Rose smiled.
“You do not know the half of it, Lady Rose,” Tammy teased.
“Am I correct that you wish to purchase the old Winslow House and that you agreed to the terms that my son outlined to you when you made the decision,” Lady Rose verified.
“On my honour, yes, I did,” Bennet said. He was confused and then saw the lady with a wide smile on her face and froze, as it could not be but perfect pleasure to gain such a smile from anyone.
“Please sign the deed, Mr Bennet,” she indicated the purchaser’s signature line.
Bennet’s confusion grew. “But you have not mentioned price!” he exclaimed in exasperation.
“What has price to do with it?” Lady Rose challenged. “You agreed that you would not argue the price, did you not?”
“I did,” Bennet admitted again, his suspicion that he had somehow been hoodwinked growing.
“Perry also guaranteed that the price would be at or below market, did he not?” she confirmed again.
“He did.” Bennet knew that whatever the price, his honour was involved, so he would accept it and so signed in the indicated place. Lady Rose signed as the seller while Tammy, Jane, and Perry signed as witnesses.
“Perry, please deal with the money matters,” Lady Rose instructed as she handed the deed over to the new owner.
“Do you have a Guinea on your person, Bennet?” Perry asked nonchalantly.
“I do…you are not selling me that property for one Guinea, are you?” a flabbergasted Bennet managed.
“No not selling, Bennet, sold!” Perry said with a big grin on his face.
“But…” Bennet started to object.
“You just confirmed that you would not argue the price, did you not?” Perry closed the coming argument.
“He did say at or below market, Thomas. You did not ask how much below,” Tammy said with resignation, realising there was nothing to be done. They now owned a grand townhouse on Grosvenor Square for the price of one single Guinea!
“Please feel free to rename your house,” Lady Rose suggested. “A Winslow has not resided there since before I was born; and besides, it is yours now, so please name it what you will.”
“Bennet House,” Tammy suggested, and her husband nodded. “We will name it Bennet House.”
“A fitting name,” a smiling Lady Rose offered sweetly.
When Bennet looked at his daughter, he saw that there was no surprise on her countenance. “Jane Florence Bennet, did you know what your betrothed and his mother planned while you told us nothing!”
“Sorry Papa, I was sworn to secrecy, and as with yourself, my word is my bond,” she replied without an ounce of repentance.
“This is how it begins, even before you are married, your allegiance is shifting,” Bennet stated wistfully.
As if by magic, the Bedford House butler materialised from nowhere with five fully charged champagne flutes.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
That evening when the families met at Matlock House, there was understandably much talk about the newly renamed Bennet House. There was understated excitement that the families would live so close, one to the other, when they were in Town.
It was not long before Marie, Elaine, Lady Rose, Maddie, and Anne Darcy volunteered their help if Tammy wanted anyone to go over the house with her, to make suggestions as needed, regarding redecorating.
As the house had not been decorated since Lady Rose’s grandmother’s time, everything from cellars to attics would need attention.
Tammy shared that once the decision to acquire the house had been made, she had authorised the housekeeper and butler to start interviewing servants.
After a lively family dinner, the men were in Andrew’s study with cigars and drinks. Bennet pulled Perry to one side and simply asked: “Why?”
“After she gave up Netherfield to be sold to increase her sibling’s portions, I knew that I wanted to gift her the townhouse and Mother agreed wholeheartedly.
When I discussed it with her, she refused, and that is when I considered the neighbourhood and had the idea to offer it to your family.
Mother seconded the idea, and only then did I tell Jane, as I did not want her to think that I was going behind her back.
She too added her approval to the scheme,” Perry related.
Noting that the young duke had not mentioned the plan to ensure he agreed not to fight the price, Bennet made an educated guess. “It was Jane, was it not?”
“What was Jane, Bennet?” Perry chuckled.
“Do not be so obtuse with me, Perry, you know what I mean. Jane suggested the ruse so that I would not object, as she knew that I would never accept such a gift without having no option,” Bennet surmised, fairly certain he was accurate in his assessment.
“Please do not censure her for it.” Perry did not think that Bennet would, but he wanted to be sure. “Even though it was her suggestion, it was I who executed the plan.”
“Make yourself easy, Perry. I know how generous my daughter’s heart is.
Unless, of course, you ever make the mistake of running afoul of her.
It is then one discovers that she can be quite strident when pushed to it.
Jane would take the gown off her back and give it to someone whose gown was soiled if she could find a way to do it and still maintain propriety.
That is why I guessed that it was her suggestion.
” Perry relaxed as Bennet assured him Jane would not know that her father was aware it was her idea to make sure he could not refuse.
When the men returned to the drawing room, they arrived at the tail end of the ladies making plans to visit the modiste. “Thank you, Mama,” Georgiana said as she kissed her mother on the cheek. “This is the first time that I will go to the modiste,” she effused.
“Do not forget, Georgie, that it will only be two dresses, a day dress and gown for Perry and Jane’s wedding. In a year or two, you will have more dresses made by Madam Chambourg,” Anne told her daughter.
“Andrew, while you were out, we were talking. What think you of the De Melvilles and Ashbys being informed as to the true nature of the Bennet’s relationship to us?
We do expect Ian Ashby to be calling after he returns from Surry.
I do hope the problem that called him to his estate was not serious,” Elaine hoped.
“I have no objection as long as Uncle Thomas has none,” Andrew replied. The relationship to both families was explained to Bennet.
“There is no objection from either of us,” Bennet responded after a quick glance with his Tammy. The benefits of such an intuitive wife were innumerable.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It was a few days later when George Wickham found out why his employer had thrown the London papers down in disgust and stormed off to her chambers.
As if they did not have enough connections already, now some long-lost relations of the Fitzwilliam and Darcys had been discovered; of course, they were wealthy too, and their daughter was marrying the Duke of Bedford! Life was just not fair!
He had hoped that at least Hodges would do some good and make both families suffer after the Earl’s murder, but it seemed that they were living well again while he was stuck in this nowhere town under the thumb of Mrs Fitzpatrick.
They just kept on getting more while he had nothing; less than nothing.
He had thought that the old lady would have an apoplexy when the news about the triumphant coming out of Miss Anne de Bourgh as the ward of the Earl of Matlock had been reported.
What made George Wickham want to throw caution to the wind and ride to London to dispatch his half-sister, was when he read that it looked like she was being courted by an ‘IA’.
He did not know or care who that was, but he did know enough that if she married, any chance he had of claiming Rosings would be dead.
There was but one thing that held him back; how would he be able to prove that he was the son of Sir Louis de Bourgh?
He acknowledged that without that information he would have no claim whether his half-sister lived or died.
He even considered snatching her and whisking her off to Gretna Green, then making her disappear as soon as Rosings Park was his, but he quickly eliminated that as a viable plan.
If he showed his face, married or not, he would end up at the end of a hangman’s noose.
He did not know how he would achieve his aims of gaining Rosings or dispatching the mongrel, but he would keep trying to determine a way to achieve all his goals while ruining all of their plans.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Martha Bingley had to pinch herself from time to time to remind herself that she was not dreaming.
They were landowners. It hit her while she was savouring the thought that she had achieved all the things that she used to aspire to and pretend that she had, all without having to climb over anyone to get there.
Her darling granddaughter had just turned two and was the apple of her grandmother’s eye. Louisa was increasing again, the Hursts hoping for a son to continue the line and inherit Winsdale after her son-in-law, hopefully, many years from now.
Martha had written to Sarah Lucas, Cheryl Long, and Jenny Goulding to inform them that they would never be leaving the neighbourhood as they were now the owners of Netherfield.
Tammy Bennet, Hattie Phillips, and Maddie Gardiner had accepted invitations to tea for that morning, and Martha was looking forward to seeing her friends.
Once Charles had admitted to himself that he was not really in love with Jane Bennet, it helped him to become far more introspective.
He finally realised that he had been in love with her beauty, not the person Jane had grown into.
He promised himself that he would start looking at character and compatibility first, and then after he would consider the looks of the young lady.
He needed to be sure when she looked at him, she saw him as the man that he would be with her at his side.
He was nothing compared to Darcy or Perry in looks, but the woman who looked at him to fill her dreams was the one he would be able to make happy without regret.
Oscar Bingley was sitting in his study going over the numbers for the three Bingley Carriage works, for they had added the third some two years previously in Liverpool.
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left arm and tried to ignore it; then it hit him a second time and this time it was in his chest too.
He felt like his heart was about to explode and then Oscar Bingley’s world went black, and he slumped forward onto his desk.