"Richard left everything to you?" Lizzy asked. "What does that mean, exactly?"
"I have not seen the exact figures, but my uncle said it is substantial. Although he was never miserly with his funds, Richard was always frugal. He wanted to be in the Army, but he also knew he ran the chance of being injured. He planned to breed horses for a living if he had to leave the Army. To make that possible he saved everything he could, starting when we were at Eton together. On top of that, his captain's commission was worth a good amount and Alex was able to sell it, which adds those funds to the mix."
"Does this mean you do not need to work as tutor any longer?" Mary asked.
"We will find out tomorrow. My uncle has agreed to go over the details with the three of us."
"All three of us? Why are you including me?" Mary asked in confusion.
"You are my sister and part of our little family, Mary. As long as you choose to remain with us any decision Lizzy and I make about our futures will affect you as well. You need to have enough information to decide what you want to do. In addition to the inheritance from Richard, we will discuss my uncle's request for the three of us to go to Rosings Park in response to an invitation from my aunt."
"You had not mentioned that yet," Lizzy said. "What about the Admiral and the job you are doing here?"
"I had not gotten to that part yet either. You both know I had already noticed the Admiral is not as happy with life on land, and especially estate ownership, as he had hoped. Apparently, this visit has given him a solution, although I have not yet heard it directly from him. My uncle says Mr. Bingley has decided to purchase the remainder of the Admiral's lease, placing Jane and Charles in charge of the house. That will leave the Admiral free to find a situation that pleases him more."
"That explains all the quiet conversations and significant looks I have been seeing between the three men," Lizzy said. "It also explains the hints Charles gave Jane that he might soon have a place for them to live away from his sisters. She said he had promised to explain everything after the wedding."
"I think she will be pleased to stay in the neighborhood," Mary added. "She will be able to keep an eye on Tom, Kitty and Lydia while still starting her new life with Charles."
"Exactly," Will said. "And that leaves us able to go somewhere else if we wish without worrying as much about the younger three."
"It may be harsh to say, but I will worry less about Tom now simply because Mama is gone," Lizzy commented. "Mrs. Hill cannot exactly take the place of a parent, although to some extent she has done so for all of us, but she can make sure he has regular meals and a reliable adult to assist him. He will be free now to be as active as he wishes and to do the work necessary to run the estate without interference. In fact, without Mama's over-spending, Longbourn will see a much higher profit each year."
"Mr. Phillips will probably be a frequent visitor to Longbourn as well. I know he will want to look out for Tom." Will told them.
"Of course," Lizzy agreed. "He and Aunt Phillips will ensure Tom feels included in the family and will invite him over regularly."
Will realized that being able to ride would give Tom the freedom to visit with his sisters at any time, in addition to making his management of the estate easier. When all the current decisions that needed to be made were settled, he would talk to Charles about continuing the lessons so Tom could become a skilled rider.
"What kind of visit are we to consider with your aunt?" Mary asked. "Is this just a short visit of a few weeks or a month and then we find another place to live? Or do you think she wants us there for a longer time?"
"The way my uncle and Alex talked about it made it seem like a longer visit. We will know more tomorrow. I just wanted you both to know the subjects under discussion and be prepared to think about them."
"We need to talk to Jane about Mama first," Lizzy said. "I agree it was wise not to tell her or Charles tonight, especially after the other frustrations of her day. However, it needs to happen before they overhear it from anyone else or their feelings will be hurt."
"My uncle has already asked the servants to deliver a note requesting Charles and Jane come to him as soon as they choose to emerge from their rooms tomorrow. He requested that Mrs. Nichols to keep the staff from gossiping, at least until all the family know. I am certain she will handle the situation properly."
"Yes, I have no doubt of that," Lizzy said. "I wonder how the village will take the news. Mama was rather popular with the merchants, at least when the bills were paid regularly, but everyone else was out of all patience with her."
"I think she might not even have been so popular with the merchants despite her spending habits," Mary said. "She could be very demanding. I once overheard the dressmaker comment to her assistant as Mama left the store that Mama made so much trouble over her orders that it was almost not worth the time and effort of keeping her on as a customer."
"I had forgotten about that. You told me when it happened, but I had not thought of it since. At any rate, I am glad Aunt and Uncle Gardiner are there with Tom and will take care of the funeral arrangements. Papa would probably have expected one of us to deal with the matter otherwise or left it to Aunt and Uncle Phillips," Lizzy said with a look of annoyance.
"If the weather permits, we should probably go into the village tomorrow and order at least a minimum of mourning clothes for you both. No matter what your personal feelings may be, at least an outward show of mourning is expected."
Lizzy groaned. "One gown for Sundays and black ribbons for my bonnet," she said. "That is the limit. You worked too hard for that money to waste it on a show of mourning."
"We can get black shawls to wear over our regular clothes for the rest of the time," Mary suggested a little timidly, possibly discouraged by Lizzy's vehemence on the matter.
Lizzy caught the note in her voice and nodded to her. "Good idea, Mary. That is an excellent solution. In fact, it could save us the trouble of buying a black gown to wear on Sunday."
"We should do at least that much, Lizzy," Mary told her.
"Oh, very well," she agreed. Will could tell it rankled even though she knew Mary was correct.
"It sounds like we will have a busy day tomorrow," Will confirmed. "First the meeting with my uncle, and then a trip to the drapers and the dressmaker. Perhaps Charles and Jane will go along with us."
"Has anyone sent word to Aunt and Uncle Phillips?" Lizzy asked.
"Mr. Gardiner sent a brief note as soon as we found her. With the bad weather, he did not want to risk going in person and then not be able to get back to his wife and Tom, but just as with Jane, he did not want them to find out from rumors. I am certain Mr. Phillips will break the news to your aunt and younger sisters appropriately."
There was little more to discuss, and soon all three retired for the night, not sure what would be confirmed on the following day.
~0~
It was still snowing when they woke that morning. After taking a good look from their little balcony, Will and Lizzy decided it was a good day to forgo their usual early morning walk or Will's morning ride. Will built up the fire in their sitting room and the couple sat in their chairs enjoying one another's company.
They had much they needed to discuss, but decisions on any of it depended on information from others. Instead of hashing out the same concerns again, they simply sat quietly, soaking in the warmth of the fire and the comfort of each other's company. Soon enough, it was time for the day to begin and Will went off to have his breakfast with the boys in the schoolroom.
As they were finishing up, the Admiral joined them. He sat down and chatted with his sons for a few minutes and then asked Will to join him in his study when he had finished setting the boys to the lessons the nursery maid would oversee that day. When the boys told their father they missed having Will give their lessons, the Admiral assured them things would be back to normal the following week, although they might change again later. Will knew he was referring to a probable move.
"Ashby tells me he has informed you of your inheritance," Admiral Blackwood said as Will sat down in the offered chair in the study.
"In general terms, yes, sir."
"He also mentioned to you the agreement I have made with Bingley."
"Yes, sir. Of course, that was also general information. I expected to get the specifics of how that would affect my employment from you."
"Just so. Well, I have located lodgings for my family in Bristol. They are reasonably sized, but not enough to keep you and your family with us comfortably. If you were still a single man I would definitely do what I could to bring you along. I still wish I could. I have become very fond of all three of you. However, this agreement with Bingley gives me a perfect opportunity and knowing that you have inherited enough to keep your family comfortably makes me feel better about leaving you behind."
"Thank you, sir. I have felt very fortunate to work for you even if it has not been for very long."
"You are a good man, Mr. Alexander. I hope we can keep in touch. I will want to know how you and the young ladies get on. Now, my agreement with Bingley is to completely vacate by the end of January, although I plan on leaving as soon as we can get things sorted. Winter travel may not be the easiest, but I miss the sea and would travel through a blizzard to get there. Young Bingley and his wife will stay on here, assuming Mrs. Bingley agrees to the plan. That way we can easily transition over the running of the house. I think you will have one full week with the boys next week, if you wish to continue, and then we will be in the midst of moving. I understand you might go visit an aunt at that point."
"We are considering the invitation from my aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. My uncle plans to tell me more about the situation this morning."
"So he said. I hope the matter with Mrs. Bennet does not cause problems for anyone."
"When it clears up enough, I intended to borrow either my uncle or grandfather's carriage to take my wife and sister into Meryton to order a mourning gown and a few other items."
"Most of their clothes were made here in Meryton, were they not?" the Admiral asked thoughtfully.
"I believe so."
"Mrs. Nichols asked permission to send a cart to the village for some provisions. She is sending a few of the staff to run various errands. The dressmaker is certain to have measurements on hand for your wife, Mary and Mrs. Bingley. So long as they do not care too much about picking just the right pattern and fabric, they can put in an order by messenger. If they need anything else we can have it picked up as well."
"They did want black shawls to wear instead full mourning in the house."
Have them write up whatever they need. Ashby is talking with young Bingley and his wife now. I am certain the ladies can figure out what they need together. I wanted to wait another hour or two to see if the snow dies down before I send them in."
"Thank you for the idea and the offer, sir. I will pass it on."
"Very good. Unless you need anything from me at the moment, you are dismissed."
"Thank you, Admiral," Will said as he rose. He needed to go find Lizzy and Mary.
~0~
Contrary to all expectations, Jane was not feeling sad or guilty about her mother's death. She was angry, primarily at her father. Will joined Charles, Jane, Lizzy and Mary in Netherfield's library, where his uncle had given the eldest Bennet daughter the news. As he entered the room, he heard Jane speaking.
"Mama could be frustrating beyond belief. Like the rest of you, I was regularly embarrassed by the many outrageous things she did. But much of the problem can be laid at our father's feet. I remember enough to know he never treated her very well, although surely he knew he was marrying a foolish woman from the beginning. Like Uncle Gardiner, I also remember how she changed for the worse after Lydia was born. She rejected her own daughter, yet Papa did nothing to oppose her. Even then he laughed at her. If she was ill, she deserved help, not ridicule. Yet even now, it seems he cares less about the loss of a life than the loss of his source of amusement. I am fed up with him. If it were not for Tom I would say to just let Papa rot in that study of his until Longbourn falls down around his ears."
The others looked at Jane in surprise. Lizzy looked both shocked and amused.
"You sounded just like me for a moment," she told her sister.
"Well, we are sisters," Jane said with a half-hearted and somewhat bitter laugh. "I am tired of it, Lizzy. First, I had to stay away from home when I should have been here celebrating my engagement with my sisters and my friends. Then I came home to find nothing done despite all my requests. We had to balance all the plans between celebrating and trying to circumvent Mama. Yet even when we did, Papa undid it all by bringing her here and then tried to blame us. He just laughed when he heard me tell Mama she was not welcome at the wedding, and then did not even care when she disappeared. It is enough to make anyone angry."
"Yes, Jane. It is," Lizzy agreed.
"Do the three of you want some time to talk this out among yourselves?" Will asked. Lizzy started to nod, but Jane interrupted.
"No, Will. I do not think I want to talk about it. Instead I want to talk about whatever news is floating around here. I sense there are several things going on."
Will nodded. "There are. I will let Charles tell you part of the news.
"Ah, so you have heard," Charles said.
"I just came from the Admiral's study. He confirmed what my uncle had already revealed."
"Well, tell me," Jane said impatiently.
"My father has bought out the lease for Netherfield from Admiral Blackwood. He is hoping you and I will live here where we can be away from my sisters and I can get a taste of life as a landowner to see if we really want to purchase an estate in the future, possibly even this one."
"Why would the Admiral make such a bargain?" asked Jane.
"He has not been as happy on land as he hoped he would be," Will responded. "He had already been looking into moving to Bristol to be near the sea. I would not be surprised if he ended up back aboard a ship before long."
"But what will you and Lizzy do?"
"We still have to find out more from my uncle, but I have inherited a sum that will support us and my Aunt Catherine has invited us to visit her in Kent. Once we have spoken with my uncle we will decide if we plan to accept the invitation."
"Then I suppose you should go speak with him, while Charles and I discuss living here," Jane told him.
"Are you certain you will be well, Jane?" Lizzy asked.
"Yes, Lizzy. Charles is here with me. I will be fine."
"Before we go," Will said, "I needed to pass on a suggestion from the Admiral. Lizzy, Mary and I were going to go into Meryton if the weather cleared so they could each order a black dress to wear on Sunday and to purchase black shawls to wear the rest of the time. The Admiral suggested that if the dressmaker has your measurements and knows your tastes you could simply send an order to her with the servants Mrs. Nichols is sending to get more provisions. You could also request them to purchase the shawls for you."
Jane sighed heavily. "I had not even considered that we would have to wear mourning. Yes, that sounds like a very good idea. Mrs. Dillon always keeps black fabric on hand and she does have all our measurements. I do not really care much about the style. I will gladly accept the Admiral's offer and send my order that way. A black shawl sounds perfect for the rest of the time."
"That was Mary's idea," Lizzy told her. "I agree about the gowns. Give us a few minutes to write up our orders and get them to Mrs. Nichols and then we can go see your uncle."
"Of course." Will walked over to a writing desk in the corner and found paper, a pen and ink, which he brought to them. The sisters gathered around a small table and began their list, with Jane acting as scribe. Will and Charles moved to the side of the room.
Charles quietly said, "I am sorry I had not said anything to you about the house. They asked me to keep it quiet until your uncle told you the news he had. I did not know it was about an inheritance. It is from Richard?"
"Yes. He left me everything he had saved. I will be able to care for Lizzy and Mary without problems."
"Mary is always welcome with us as well if you ever do run into difficulties."
That is good to know, Charles." They both took seats after their brief conversation and waited in silence for the ladies to finish their list.
~0~
"Those are all the figures," Lord Ashby said. "Do you have any more questions about the inheritance?"
Will looked to the ladies. They shook their heads.
"No, Uncle. It all seems very clear. I am still amazed that it came to so much. As long as we are reasonable in our lifestyle, that money combined with my savings will support us for several years. And thank you for setting up the bank account in my name, Alex. It is good to know it is all settled and available for me to access whenever I might need the funds."
"You are welcome, Will. I believe I now owe you a letter." Alex took a folded and sealed parchment from his inside pocket and handed it to his cousin. He, his father and grandfather all sat back and watched as Will broke the seal. He read aloud.
My dear nephew.
I must first thank you for being such a regular correspondent over the years. I know I have never matched your consistency and often allowed long stretches to lapse before making a response, sometimes sending only one letter for five or six of yours. Nevertheless, although I have not said so before, your letters have meant a good deal to me. Will you think me too sentimental if I admit I re-read them frequently because they bring light into my dark days?
I was both sorry and proud to hear of your break with your father. Sorry that he drove you to it, but proud that you were willing to strike out on your own and put to good use the education you worked so hard to gain. I know your mother would be proud of you as well. Your father was in the wrong and you handled the situation well.
I was recently reminded of how many years it has been since I have seen you. I felt I lost so much that year your mother, my very dear sister, died, along with Lewis and my darling Anne. I did not realize that by keeping to myself in my grief I was also losing the company that could be my consolation. And yet, each letter of yours brightened my day. You have grown from a child to an adult whose face I do not even know, but I know your words and the goodness of your heart.
Now you tell me you are married to a lovely young woman who makes you happy. Considerate and caring man that you are, you are also supporting her sister who, from your words, properly returns affection for your brotherly care. It is what I would expect of you and, again, I know your mother would be pleased.
I want to meet these young women and to meet you, the man you have become, as well. I have things I must say and memories I must share that belong best in your keeping. Above all, this lonely house needs loving people in it.
Please come to me. Bring your wife and her sister to live here for as long as you are willing to stay. I have an estate that needs your clever mind and steady ways and a heart the needs to be gladdened by the two young women who mean so much to you.
I pray you will do me this favor and come soon.
Your lonely aunt
Will's voice was cracking with tears by the time he reached the end of the letter. Lizzy took the letter from his trembling hand and gave him her handkerchief, although she looked like she might need it as well. She rested her head against his shoulder and softly whispered, "Yes."
Will looked to Mary. She nodded. Clearing his throat, Will turned to his grandfather who sat across from the three on the sofa with a hopeful but sad expression on his face. That look was mirrored by his uncle and cousin on either side of the old man. Will cleared his throat again.
"It seems we will be going to visit Aunt Catherine," he finally said.
