Chapter 9
When Andrew was informed that the man who had tried to hurt his sister wanted to meet with him, his first inclination was to refuse, until Marie had placed a calming hand on his arm as they listened to what those who had spoken to the man earlier had to say.
Once he had calmed down and considered it logically, he allowed that he needed to hear the young man out.
He would decide about him delivering an apology to Lizzy if he decided that the apology was sincere, and only if Lizzy agreed to it.
Rather than keep her in the dark, Andrew sought out his sister and asked her to join him in the large drawing room, where all except the youngest three were congregated.
Bennet relayed the gist of the conversation that had been held with Franklin Lucas, with her mother and others giving their perspectives as well.
When they were done relaying the information, she looked to Andrew.
“It seems that he has seen the error of his ways and is truly repentant. If you make the same judgement after you speak to him then I will listen to what he says, but who will be with me?” Elizabeth asked.
Even though it sounded as if he were sincere, she would not feel comfortable having just Mrs Annesley with her if Andrew gave his permission for the apology.
“As many of us as you desire,” her mother answered emphatically. “That too is your decision, dearest. We can all be there or some of us; you can let us know.” Elizabeth considered her words carefully.
“I would like Andrew, Marie, Mama, Will, Uncle George, Aunt Anne, Anne, Aunt Tammy, and Father Bennet,” she imparted. The room went silent at the new appellation for Thomas Bennet, who was holding his breath, hoping that he had not misheard.
“As the true relationship is known, there is no purpose in calling my birth family anything except what they are,” Elizabeth informed all matter-of-factly.
“Father Bennet is in fact my birth father, and his children are my sisters and brothers. Rather than losing my loving family, I have a larger one that I have only recently gotten to enjoy spending time with.”
Jane rose with tears in her eyes and enfolded her sister in a hug similar to the one she did the night that they were reunited.
“Since we found you, I have been praying to be able to call you sister and to be called thus in return,” Jane said softly in her sister’s ear as the hug was returned in full measure.
When Jane withdrew, she was replaced by a line of three brothers who all hugged their sister in turn;, next was Tammy.
“What am I to call you?” Elizabeth asked softly.
“Aunt Tammy or Tammy will be fine, Lizzy,” she answered.
Last was her father, with tears in his eyes as he heard the words that he had dreamed of hearing for nigh on fifteen years. “Please say it again,” he asked quietly as he hugged her.
“Father Bennet,” she responded just as softly. “I hope you are not disappointed that I am not able to call you Papa. I had the best of men as my papa, and I will never call another such, not even if, and when, I marry one day.”
“As I understood that, and I could never tear you from your Fitzwilliam family. I will happily be your ‘Father Bennet’ going forward,” Bennet told his daughter as tears freely streamed down his face.
Once they separated, the twins and Alex were brought down from the nursery as the new status was explained to them. Kitty and Tom were relieved that they did not have to remember to call Lizzy cousin rather than sister.
“I must write to Maddie,” Tammy remembered as she wiped her tears of joys from her eyes.
“She predicted that this would happen before Lizzy left Longbourn.” The Gardiners had returned to London the previous day and would return on the three and twentieth and then remain until after the wedding.
“I will also send a note to Hattie; she will be most pleased for us.”
The family soon migrated to the large dining parlour for the midday meal as the younger Bennets, especially, used ‘sister’ in front of Elizabeth’s name as much as possible. Bennet quietly called her daughter a few times, warming the heart of his daughter and himself when he did.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At Netherfield Park the party was reduced to the Hursts, Grandmother Beckett, who could never have enough time with her first great-grandchild, Mary, Paul, and Henrietta Bingley, their two younger children, and of course Martha and Charles Bingley.
“I think of my husband all the time and see him everywhere in this house,” Martha shared as she blinked back the tears.
“That is but natural when you lose one that you love, daughter,” Gwendolyn Beckett comforted her oldest child, “it was like that after your father passed, Martha. Although it slowly becomes better, you never stop missing him nor should you try.”
“I am so pleased that you have decided to live with me, Mama,” Martha kissed her mother’s cheek.
“How much longer can you stay with us, Louisa?” Charles asked, “I know that Grandmama Beckett would be happy if you never left, and you know that all three of you are welcome for as long as you desire to stay with us.”
“Well, brother, you do have very good brandy and food,” Hurst ribbed. “It is up to my lovely wife as we have no fixed engagements for the foreseeable future.”
“It would warm my heart to stay with Mama, Charles, and our Grandmother for an extended stay,” Louisa responded.
“Then it is settled!” Charles exclaimed. “You will stay as long as you wish.”
“If I may, I would like to accompany you and Darcy when he starts teaching you about estate management. It will put me in good stead for one day in the distant future when I inherit Winsdale,” Hurst requested.
“There would be no objection from me, brother, and I am fairly sure that Darcy will not object either. I will put the request to him the next time I see him. He will move to Netherfield after the wedding next month,” Charles shared.
“We are very glad that it will not be the two of you in this big house alone,” Henrietta Bingley stated. “We will miss all of you, but it will make it somewhat easier to leave you.”
“Do not forget our friends from the neighbourhood,” Martha reminded her sister-in-law.
“That is true, you have had a steady stream here to support you, especially your five friends from the board that you serve on,” Henrietta stated.
“When I am ready, I suppose that I will go back to working with the board and the various projects it has planned. It will keep me busy,” Martha said.
The truth was that Martha had been deeply touched at the outpouring of genuine love and sympathy from the neighbourhood, and not just from the families of her five best friends.
She knew that it would be hard, and, like her friend Elaine Fitzwilliam, she had decided on two years of mourning for her husband while her children had followed the Fitzwilliam children in choosing to mourn their father for a year.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As Franklin approached Longbourn he grew nervous, not at the rectitude of his mission but at the way that the Earl would receive him.
He could not blame Lord Andrew or any of his family for the way that they had reacted to his request. Now with a full understanding and hindsight, he knew that if anyone had tried to treat his sister in such a way, his reactions would not have been any less than that of Lady Elizabeth’s family, including the Lieutenant-Colonel who had cost him two of his teeth.
Though truthfully, he was not certain he could be as effective.
He was shown into Mr Bennet’s study, where the Earl was seated behind the desk. After a bow, he sat down when his Lordship waved him to do so. “You wanted an interview with me, Mr Lucas. The floor is yours,” Andrew said coldly.
“You have my thanks for even agreeing to see me, your Lordship. I know that my behaviour was beyond the pale, and no matter my imagined justifications there was nothing that could make what I wanted to do, what I did do, right or proper. I am as disappointed in myself as are my parents and everyone else.” Franklin took a deep breath before carrying on.
“If you decide that I am not to deliver my apology in person, I will understand and honour your wish to never approach Lady Elizabeth.
In fact, if I know that we are to attend the same event, I will absent myself from the said event.
In that case, I beseech you to convey my deepest contrition.
Neither your sister nor Miss Bennet before her deserved my attentions, which were misguided attempts to right the wrongs from Oxford.
“As Mr Bennet correctly pointed out, I have to confront those who actually hurt me, rather than to misdirect my anger toward those who have never done anything to deserve it.”
Andrew could see that the man sitting opposite him was genuine in his declarations, that he genuinely wanted to correct his mistakes and was offering sincere contrition for his actions against Miss Bennet and his plans for his sister.
Bearing in mind Elizabeth’s agreement if he considered the proffered apology to be sincere, he made a decision.
“I believe that you are in earnest, Mr Lucas and, as you are, my sister will hear your apology. As I am sure you are aware, there will be a number of us in the room with her, and I do not want you to attempt to get close to her. Do you understand and accept my terms?” Andrew demanded.
“Yes, your Lordship, I absolutely accept your terms,” Franklin said, while looking Andrew in the eye.
“Please wait for me here,” Andrew instructed as he stood and exited the study.
“Well?” Elizabeth asked as her big brother entered the parlour.
“In my humble opinion, Sprite,” he smiled at his sister, “he is sincere. However, it is still your decision, so if you do not want him to address you directly, I will tell him to put his apology in writing, which I will read before you do.”