The occupants of Longbourn awoke late the morning after the assembly to a bright, sunny day. The peaceful skies reflected the newfound peace in Jane's heart. Although her experience with Bingley had occurred years in the past, she hadn't fully realized the weight she carried from the experience. Seeing him had been freeing – her shoulders felt lighter from the unseen burden that had weighed on her.
As the Bennets ate their breakfast (that was almost considered a lunch due to the hour of the day), a servant entered with the recently arrived post. Mr. Bennet sorted through the mail and handed his wife a letter. Recognizing the handwriting of her beloved youngest daughter, she began to read eagerly.
"My dear Mr. Bennet!" she cried with excitement. "Lydia is coming home!"
Her family stared at her in shock. "Why is she coming home?" asked Kitty warily. She had quite enjoyed having her younger sister absent, as she was no longer overshadowed by Lydia's exuberant nature.
"Is Forster sending her back?" Mr. Bennet asked sardonically. "If so, I am afraid that I will not accept any returns. She has already been purchased and used."
"Oh, Mr. Bennet!" exclaimed his lady, "how can you be so tiresome? No, Mrs. Forster and her husband will be returning to Meryton in less than a fortnight with the regiment to settle here for the winter. What fun we shall have! I long to see my dear Lydia, and dear Forster, too. It has been so quiet without her lively presence."
Lizzy and Mary let out small sighs of relief, then smiled at one another. There had existed the very real possibility that Lydia was being returned to her father in shame due to misbehavior. Any concern they might have felt evaporated with the news that her husband was to accompany her.
"I expect our little town will be quite changed with the influx of so many officers and members of the militia," remarked Mary as she spread some jam on a slice of toast.
"Yes!" said Kitty enthusiastically. "I will no longer have to stand up with my sisters and assemblies! Perhaps Colonel Forster will even hold a ball."
"Is that the thanks I get for all the dances we've shared?" cried Lizzy in mock indignation. "What an ungrateful sister I have!"
"Oh, Lizzy," sighed Kitty as she rolled her eyes at her sister. "You know I adore dancing with you. However, it is much more exciting when I do not have to remember whether I am dancing the steps for the lady's part or the gentleman's!"
"I once was fond of a redcoat myself, once," Mrs. Bennet sighed in remembrance. "I cried for two days together when Colonel Miller's regiment went away. I thought I should have broken my heart."
Jane smiled fondly at her mother. "I look forward to making many new acquaintances."
Mrs. Bennet shook her head, her thoughts returning to the present. "Girls, we must head into Meryton immediately after breakfast. We cannot allow the officers to see you without new lace and ribbons to freshen your gowns."
"I believe that is my cue to leave," said Mr. Bennet.
His daughters laughed at him as he briskly strode from the room, anxious to avoid any tedious conversation that included how his women adorned themselves.
As Mrs. Bennet began to discuss the necessary colors and lengths of ribbons they were to purchase, she was interrupted by a loud clap of thunder.
"What on earth?" she said in bewilderment.
Lizzy looked confused. "It was sunny not an hour ago when I returned from my morning walk. There was nary a cloud in the sky!"
All faces turned towards the windows, and Kitty drew back the curtains. The once-bright skies had darkened with rainclouds and lightning lit up the sky.
"I imagine we will have to postpone our shopping," said Mrs. Bennet in disappointment.
"No matter, Mama," said Kitty kindly. "It will give us time to go through our closets to determine exactly what purchases we shall need to make."
Mrs. Bennet brightened at this. "Indeed, my love, what a clever idea! Come, we will begin with you."
She led the way out of the breakfast room with Kitty following closely behind. Once the doors closed, Lizzy turned to Jane. "How are you doing this morning, Jane, dear?"
"Quite well, Lizzy," said Jane with a slightly confused expression. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"
"I merely wanted to assure myself that you were still doing alright from Mr. Bingley's visit," Lizzy admitted.
"Lizzy," said Mary in admonishment, "you should do Jane the courtesy of believing her when she stated that she is quite recovered from the heartache that occurred seven years ago."
"Yes, thank you, Mary," Jane said. She turned to Lizzy impatiently. "Elizabeth Bennet, as I stated last night, I am completely recovered. Mr. Bingley and I may meet as indifferent acquaintances, for that is all we are. He is a married man, and I am no longer the naïve girl I was all those years ago."
Chastened, Lizzy merely nodded. Before she could respond, Hill entered the room. "Miss Lizzy, Miss Jane, your father has requested your presence in his bookroom."
Jane and Lizzy looked at one another curiously. "I wonder what that could be about?" Lizzy wondered.
"We shall never know if we do not go to him," laughed Jane.
The two ladies stood, and Mary rose. "Not you, Miss Mary," said Hill.
Mary smiled kindly at Hill and said, "Thank you, Hill, but I was not going to go to my father. I will join Mama and Kitty upstairs while they look through gowns. I know Kitty enjoys such things, but sometimes Mama can be a bit tiresome. Hopefully my presence will help temper the multitude of purchases she wishes to make."
With that, Mary went above stairs, while Jane and Lizzy followed Hill down the corridor and into their father's study.
"Did you have need of us, sir?" asked Jane.
"Ah yes, do come in, girls." Mr. Bennet beckoned his daughters into the room and closed the door, indicating them to sit.
"I have just received a letter this morning from your uncle Gardiner. He writes to inform me that his wife is once again in the family way. Unfortunately, this time she is more ill than usual and has been ordered to her bed until she has felt the quickening, which should be in a month or so. He writes to see if one of you would be able to visit them in Gracechurch Street to help manage the household and your young cousins. Whichever of you is to go will need to leave tomorrow, and you will not return until they come for Mary's wedding and Christmas."
Jane and Lizzy exchanged looks. "Which one of us do you think should go, Papa?"
"It matters not to me," Mr. Bennet with a sardonic tone, "as either way, the amount of sensible conversation I have will be cut in half for the duration." He softened this pronouncement with a wink.
At one point Mr. Bennet had considered himself the father of two (if not three) of the silliest girls in England. Over the past few years, however, he had witnessed the changes in Mary and Kitty with pride and no small degree of shame at having neglected them. Lydia, he knew, would always be silly, but she was no longer his concern with regards to her behavior and propriety. Kitty and Mary no longer gave him any reason to blush, and he quite enjoyed the presence of any and all of his daughters.
Jane looked at Lizzy and said, "I believe I should be the one to go. After all, I have more patience in tending the younger children than you do. Plus, you hate London in the winter."
Lizzy laughed, "That is true, Jane, but you had to go to London the last time our aunt was ill. Are you sure you are willing to take my turn?"
Jane gave her sister a meaningful look. "I am quite certain, Lizzy. There is nothing for me in Meryton at the present time, even with the new tenants at Netherfield and the militia about to arrive."
"I do confess that I would much prefer to be in Longbourn for the upcoming months," Lizzy admitted. "As you said, I do hate London in the wintertime. It is the Season and is considered the fashionable time to be there, but I do not enjoy being confined to my aunt's house when I am unable to take the children for walks in the park to divert them."
"Then it's settled," said Mr. Bennet. "I will write to my brother Gardiner immediately, although since I do not want to bear the cost of an express, I believe you may arrive before my note does, Jane."
The girls excused themselves and went upstairs to begin Jane's preparations for her journey. As she began packing a trunk, Jane noticed Lizzy giving her a strange stare.
"Lizzy," warned Jane.
"What?" said Lizzy in an attempt at innocence.
"I know what you are thinking, Lizzy. You are thinking that I am using this opportunity as a way to escape Mr. Bingley's presence."
Lizzy blushed slightly. "I admit, the thought did cross my mind."
Jane sighed and faced her sister with her hands on her hips. "I will not repeat myself again, Lizzy. I have no feelings for Mr. Bingley. I wish him all the best, and I hope he is happy. My heart is not touched. Truly, Lizzy, you must believe me. Although," she sighed, "I do wish that you had not told our neighbors about what happened. It will appear to everyone that I have left to escape his presence."
Lizzy lowered her head in shame. "I am very sorry, Jane," she said quietly. "It was thoughtlessly done. I will do what I can to quell any gossip I may hear."
Jane expressed her gratitude, and the two girls began to focus on Jane's preparations for London.
The Netherfield party also arose later than was their custom. The only person to enjoy a full night's rest was Mr. Hurst. Mrs. Hurst was disturbed by her husband's snoring, even from her own chambers. Miss Bingley's sleep was filled with dreams of never being allowed to return to London.
Colonel Fitzwilliam was concerned for Georgiana, who in turn spent a sleepless night considering what she would say to her husband. Darcy and Bingley had sufficient drink to leave them with a terrible headache the next morning.
As the awake members party gathered in the breakfast room, Fitzwilliam smirked at the green looks of pain on Darcy's and Bingley's faces. "It serves them right," he whispered to Georgiana as she took her seat next to him.
"I quite agree," she replied, smiling slightly as her husband went pale when the footman offered him a plate of bacon.
The two kept up a steady stream of polite banter as Darcy and Bingley took their seats. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst had chosen to take breakfast in their beds, while Mr. Hurst was sleeping off the drink from the previous day. Or has already begun the current day's alcohol consumption – it is difficult to tell, thought Georgiana sarcastically.
Over the last 18 months since she had married Bingley and relocated with him to Pemberley, she had come to know Miss Bingley and the Hursts more than she ever would have cared to. She was grateful to Charles, however, for saving her reputation that awful day in Ramsgate. Their presence brought him joy, and although she found them annoying, they also caused her no real harm.
When a footman arrive to inform Bingley that there would be no one else from the household to join them at breakfast, the atmosphere lightened slightly. They had all been in one another's company for a very long time, but the cloying presence of Miss Bingley often elevated the tension in whichever room she occupied.
"So, gentlemen, what is the plan for today?" Georgiana asked her brother, her husband, and her cousin.
"I have quite a bit of business that will keep me in my study for most of the day," said Darcy quickly. "I believe Bingley was going to accompany me so he can continue learning."
"I believe I'll join you, lads," Fitzwilliam said.
"Er, yes, that would be fine," said Darcy with a strained smile.
"When have some time to spare from your business, Brother," said Georgiana as she daintily wiped her mouth with her napkin, "I would appreciate a few minutes of your time. I have some particular I wish to discuss with you."
At those familiar words, Bingley turned slightly red. Darcy swallowed nervously, then said, "I would be happy to meet with you this afternoon. Perhaps over tea?"
"Excellent," she said, standing. "I shall inform the housekeeper that you and I will have tea in my private sitting room. Charles," she added, turning to her husband, "I understand that you wished to have a conversation with me as well. Would you prefer to speak tonight or tomorrow?"
Fitzwilliam hid a smirk as Bingley paled and tugged at his cravat. "I think tonight after we all retire would be best." Best to get it over with, he thought privately.
"Wonderful. I look forward to it. Now if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have some business of my own to attend to."
As Georgiana left the room, she finally allowed herself a smile. Oh, the looks on their faces! she thought. They looked as thought I had informed them they were required spend the day with Caroline and her friends!
The previous evening, Georgiana had spent many hours considering her life. She was extremely grateful for the comfortable situation she was in. She had her reputation, a loving brother, and an understanding husband. Any ills in her life were simply minor nuisances, like dealing with Caroline. Nonetheless, she felt as though she had been going through the motions since Ramsgate. For the first time in eighteen months, she was awake and wanted to take charge of her life.
She strongly suspected that Colonel Fitzwilliam had
First, she wanted to issue an invitation to Longbourn and invite the Bennet sisters for tea in two days. They seemed like genuine girls, if their discussion from the previous evening was any indication, and she desperately wanted for sincere friendship. Their history with her brother and husband was immaterial. But we must have a frank conversation, away from the prying eyes of their parents and friends. I would not want to provide fodder for gossip. Before we can become friends, we must clear the air.
This afternoon, though, she needed to discuss matters with her brother. Although she had seen him be kind to tenants and servants, he had an abominable sort of pride that often caused offence. He was an odd mix of selfless and selfish at the same time. Raised with good morals, he was left to follow them in pride and conceit. It had never directly affected her, so she had allowed him to continue to be who he was, especially as he was more father than brother to her.
Lastly, she needed to talk with her husband. She winced slightly as she used the word. Even though it had been so long, she still was not accustomed to using that word. They lived in separate rooms, and he was like a brother to her. While that had been sufficient while she was recovering her heart from Ramsgate and Wickham, she now needed to move forward with her life. After all, it would be nice to have children someday, if nothing else. She appreciated he patience with her; she was still young, nevertheless, if they were to have progress in their relationship, she needed to be the one to instigate it.
As Georgiana was writing her invitation to the Bennet girls, Fitzwilliam had ushered Bingley and Darcy into the study.
"Is it to be another haranguing, then?" asked Bingley miserably as soon as the door closed.
Fitzwilliam laughed, "And if it were?"
"Then we would take it like men," said Darcy firmly. "It's no more than we deserve."
"It's less than I deserve," said Bingley.
Fitzwilliam shook his head. "Remember, lads, that one action does not define you. Yes, you made a foolish choice that had far-reaching consequences on persons other than yourselves. But you also have made many, many good decisions over your lifetimes."
Bingley looked a bit cheerier at this comment, but Darcy shook his head. "But none so grievous as this."
"You aren't the first man to have misinterpreted what a woman says or does, and I doubt you'll be the last," reassured Fitzwilliam. "If you want to continue to blame yourself, though, I will not stop you, as you do deserve the guilt. But no matter, that is not why I wanted to join you today. I truly meant what I said in the breakfast room: I will be resigning my commission and taking control over my estate at the end of training these officers, and I need to learn the business. Who better to learn from than Darcy and his protégé?"
"I know why Darcy needed to teach me," said Bingley, settling into a chair, "but you aren't from trade. Why don't you know how to manage an estate?"
"As a younger son of an earl, and with the elder son having now fathered three sons, there was little point in teaching me much as a youth," explained Fitzwilliam. "The estate that I am to control is in reality the property of a great-uncle on my mother's side, who in a fit of pique against his wastrel son, changed his will and left it to me without telling anyone. It was quite a shock last year upon his death when the will was read."
"Now I being to understand," said Bingley. "I had often wondered why you had chosen a life in the militia. I figured you had a strong sense of patriotic duty and were merely waiting until that had been fulfilled."
"That is why I chose to be a soldier instead of taking orders or studying the law," Fitzwilliam admitted, "but had I been raised knowing about the estate, I may have found other ways to serve my country that weren't as hard on the body."
"Well, Darcy is the best person to learn from," Bingley said. "I have appreciated being able to shadow him for several years. So many landowners have their sons with them from a young age to teach them all they know. I have learned more from observation than I could have from direct instruction. Even now, I only feel comfortable to lease an estate."
"I had wondered why you had spent so long at Darcy's," said Fitzwilliam. "To be quite honest, I was concerned when Darcy wrote that your sisters were joining you at Pemberley. I thought you may have grown accustomed to an indigent life and was bleeding Darcy dry."
Darcy began to laugh. "Bingley, take advantage of me? Never!"
"Those who are being taken advantage of are rarely the first to recognize it. Or the second," Fitzwilliam pointed out.
"I understand and appreciate your concern, Cousin," Darcy said, "but it is quite unnecessary. At least once a month, Bingley has offered to set up a house for Miss Bingley and the Hursts. He has even offered to leave himself, but I want him and Georgiana to be together, and I will not abandon her to her sisters-in-law until she is ready to face them herself."
Bingley nodded in agreement. "I wrote a few letters of inquiry for houses in town. When Darcy found out, he was a bit upset. He reminded me that any money I save goes towards dowries for my future daughters and increases the quality of estate I can purchase."
Fitzwilliam was taken aback. "Begging your pardon, but I was under the impression that your father left you a sizeable fortune that should have been more than adequate to make the purchase."
Bingley looked a bit embarrassed. "Well, yes, he did. However, the difficulties in the North caused me to liquidate some of those assets in order to purchase the business of a man who was relocating to the Americas with his daughter. Those funds are tied up; while the investment is proving to be fruitful, there isn't enough capital at the moment."
"There would be if he would take Georgiana's dowry," interrupted Darcy.
"Darcy," Bingley hissed.
"He's her guardian as well," Darcy said defensively. Turning to Fitzwilliam, he continued, "When Bingley first offered to marry Georgiana in Ramsgate, I was relieved. I would have gladly given up her dowry in order to keep her safe. I knew the vicious tongues of the ton would cut her deeper than marriage. Bingley, I knew, could be trusted to treat her with kindness and respect."
Here Darcy paused and poured himself a brandy. Fitzwilliam raised his eyes; it was a bit early in the day to be indulging. But it has been a rather difficult twenty-four hours, he reminded himself.
After downing the entire glass, Darcy continued, "When it came time to draw up the settlements, Bingley refused to sign unless Georgiana's dowry was tied up in a trust."
"I was not going to be accused of being a fortune hunter," said Bingley hotly. "I don't care what society thinks, but Georgina had just had an unfortunate escape from a rake of the worst kind. Her self-esteem was in shatters. I knew that one day, in the future, we would want to have a real marriage, not just in name only. To that end, I wanted to be able to show her that she was worth more than her dowry."
"So Bingley hasn't used any of her dowry?" asked Fitzwilliam incredulously.
"Not even a penny of the interest," Darcy informed him. "The principal was put into the banks and the interest has been marked for Georgiana's sole use. Bingley cannot touch a shilling of any of it, and it was all his idea."
Bingley blushed in embarrassment as Fitzwilliam gave him a long look. The colonel stood and gave him a deep bow. "You have my most sincere apologies, Bingley."
"For what?" asked a confused Bingley.
"For thinking you a bit of a cad."
Darcy moved to protest at this, but Fitzwilliam silenced him with a wave of his hand. "I've always known you were a true friend to Darcy – your actions when you first met at school demonstrated your integrity. But I've always assumed that your offer to marry Georgiana was in part motivated by her dowry. So again, sir, you have my sincerest apologies."
"Of course, of course," Bingley muttered with an embarrassed wave of his hand.
The three men sat in silence for a few minutes. Then Fitzwilliam clasped his hands together. "So, gentlemen, what do you have in store for me for my first lesson in estate management?"
The awkwardness broke as they all chuckled, then they bent over the estate ledgers to begin Fitzwilliam's education.