Chapter 5
The fourth year of marriage provided a much brighter prospect for Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bennet. With the management of Fanny's lands no longer a daily burden and Mrs. Hill aware of the additional investment, a weight had been taken off the pairs shoulders. While they knew breaking the entail of Longbourn was now unlikely if not impossible, a decision had been mad to provide no major improvements to the estate or its holdings. If no male heir was born, William Collins would have to prove his worth before Thomas Bennet offered him a helping hand. The elder Mr. Bennet was a constant cruelty that had become manageable. He mocked the couple on a lack of child, unknowing that Thomas and Fanny had made every effort to ensure no child was conceived in hopes of Mr. Bennet meeting an untimely death. There was little desire to introduce a small babe to his cruelty. And if the babe was a boy then Mr. Bennet would merely attempt to find another way to cheat the child out of his inheritance. Precautions would be taken to prevent a child from entering the world.
Under Mr. Hill's guidance, Fanny's land brought in fourteen hundred pounds in the fourth year. It looked like it would be another two years before all the cottages were finished, then improvements would start to focus on the land. One thousand pounds went into the account in Fanny's name, while the rest went back to the property. Mr. Hill Had reported hearing whispers that the Elderly Mr. Heald was considering selling Luffenhall and the remaining land. If he did sell it, Thomas and Fanny agreed they would be very interested in purchasing the property as it bordered the land they already owned. Mr. Heald reportedly had no interest in the property and wished to finish his days enjoying a tour of the Continent without the burden of a property. He had no children or heirs the estate was entailed to. With Fanny's account currently holding a little over two thousand, they hoped that the estate would not be coming up in the near future or they would be hard pressed to purchase the estate that abutted the existing property.
The fifth year of marriage would see Fanny sent off to London for an extended stay. In the first days of spring, Fanny noticed a peculiar set of symptoms, to which nothing seemed to help. One morning, while discussing the kitchen stock with Mrs. Hill, a particularly bad wave of nausea overcame Fanny.
Mrs. Hill, noticing something was off with her mistress, asked, "Mrs. Bennet, are you feeling well?"
"I suddenly feel quite ill. I do not think my stomach intends to stay put."
"Sarah, fetch a bucket." Mrs. Hill immediately summoned a scullery maid, into which Fanny's stomach was promptly emptied. "Let me help you back to your chambers ma'am."
Sent back to bed, Mrs. Hill sent for the new apothecary, Mr. Jones, though she already suspected the cause as Fanny had had several minor instances of nausea and headaches over the recent weeks. Mr. Jones confirmed their suspicions: Fanny Bennet was with child.
That evening, Thomas dined alone with his father, while Fanny remained upstairs with Mrs. Hill. As Mr. Bennet mocked his wife for being too cowardly to dine downstairs, the waste of money on Mr. Jones, and any other perceived flaw, Thomas knew that Longbourn was no place to birth a child.
That evening Thomas discussed his concerns with Fanny, who understood that pregnancy with her father-in law in the house was not an experience she wanted. The next morning an express was sent to Edward Gardiner explaining the situation. Two days later a letter was received inviting Fanny to London to stay with her brother in his new townhome. It appeared he needed help decided what drapes went with what wallpaper. By the end of the week a carriage containing Fanny was off to London.
With his wife safely at her brother's, Thomas decided to inform his father of an impending grandchild. Thomas decided the best time to approach the topic would be when Mr. Bennet broke his fast. Of course, as any discussion with the elder Mr. Bennet goes, the focus turned to the shortcomings of all involved.
"Mr. Bennet, I thought I should apprise you of some recent family news." Thomas said while walking into the breakfast parlor.
"That you found out your whore of a wife was sleeping with another as she was looking for a real man." Thomas barely refrained from punching the Master of Longbourn but decided to take the high ground. He refused to dirty his hands stooping to his level.
"While I am sure such news would please you, no. Fanny is with child. In less than 7 months you shall be a grandfather."
"Took you long enough. Almost though you didn't have it in you. So where is the wench?"
"I suppose you haven't noticed her absence these past few days. She is staying in London until the birth of the babe. Her brother invited her to stay."
"Finally got sick of her? Sent her to someone else do deal with? Good for you. I never did like kids much myself."
"If thinking that way makes you happy, I give you free reign to do so. But it is not the reason she was sent away."
The next six months passed with little more discussion between the two.
Mrs. Hill made arrangements to air the nursery and prepare for the child's arrival. Mr. Bennet offered Mr. Hill an extra 5 pounds to manage Longbourn in his absence, an offer that was gratefully accepted. In the last month of Fanny's confinement, Thomas and Mrs. Phillips left to assist Fanny in the last days of her confinement.
Jane Francis Bennet was born an early morning in September after a long night of labor. Named for the late Mrs. Bennet, she was declared to be the mellowest child ever born by the midwife. For 2 weeks, the three Gardiner siblings and Thomas orbited around the child. Too soon, it was time to face reality and return to Meryton. Thomas and Fanny hoped for the best, but prepared themselves for the worst.
As expected, Mr. Bennet immediately scorned the girl.
"You brought another trollop into the house?"
"Silence, you will not speak of my daughter in that language."
"I may speak however I wish. I thought you knew better. I thought an entail may encourage you to make me proud of you by having a son. But it seems you are determined to be an eternal disappointment to the family name."
Fanny quickly moved to remove the child to the nursery, away from Mr. Bennet's vitriol. Mrs. Hill followed. In the safety of the nursery, Mrs. Hill commented on the beautiful child and how it was the calmest babe she had ever seen. Thomas and Elizabeth were such a colicky babes, it was a wonder the child was such a serene thing.
Soon the household feel into a new routine, Jane was kept as far away from Mr. Bennet as possible with the two never in the same room. At the end of the year, Fanny's property had returned another impressive yield of two thousand pounds. Only a handful of cottages were left to be repaired, so plans were made to start improvements to the fields. While the repairs had taken longer and been much more costly than Thomas had predicted that night at the table with Fanny and Edward, the income the property generated had far exceeded his expectations. Fanny's account now held a little north of four thousand pounds.
That winter, Mr. Heald had officially announced his plans to sell Luffenhall for six thousand pounds. Knowing that Edward's capital was currently tied up, Thomas and Fanny wrote the solicitor to offer all of their money for the property. Mr. Heald rejected the offer.
The following year, no further offers had been made on the property. As Jane started to take her first steps, Fanny began carrying the child outside in the morning for fresh air. Jane was a curious child, who observed the world with a wide-eyed expression arms reaching out to touch the world around her before her robes, blankets, or some other piece of fabric prevented her arms from awkwardly reaching to objects to far for her to touch. Occasionally, Fanny would sit in the garden while Jane would toddle about before clumsily falling over. Fanny cooed at her beautiful child and showered her with kisses for every successful step. Mr. Bennet soon discovered this habit and started waking up early to remind the whore that her brat was a waste of space and she needed to produce an heir. Of course, the fear in Fanny's eyes as her gaze darted between Master and her precious Jane was a bonus. Every morning Fanny would quickly gather Jane up and rush back up to the nursery where Mr. Bennet refused to enter. Nurseries were for women, it was no place for a man.
The harvest drew to a close, with Fanny's property bringing in over two thousand pounds. After another round of improvements and interest on the current balance, Fanny's account now held nearly seven thousand pounds. Luffenhall remained on the market with no new offers. Thomas and Fanny once again approached, this time offering five thousand pounds. With no offers and a costly empty estate, Thomas and Fanny felt Mr. Heald would accept their offer. Rumor had it he was desperate to see the continent and feared his time was drawing close. The offer was accepted and the property was toured with Mr. Hill to discuss improvements and plans. Three hundred pounds were immediately set aside to start repairs on the new land and cottages. Mrs. Hill walked through the unoccupied manor to work out what staff would be needed to start cleaning the estate up before work was started. The other property was quickly moved to be a piece of Luffenhall. With an estate and fifteen hundred pounds to her name, Fanny hoped Jane wouldn't be forced to marry. While Fanny had come to respect and love her husband and she knew she had been extremely lucky. As six years of marriage drew to a close, Fanny hoped that Jane would never face a marriage to a man like Mr. Bennet.
