Chapter 6
Just before Jane turned two, Fanny found herself to be once again with child. Again, arrangements were made to send her off to Edward with Jane in tow. Unlike Jane, Elizabeth Margaret Bennet was born a colicky child. Like Jane, she quickly charmed any adult within a five foot radius. Any adult, except Mr. Bennet. Elizabeth was a vocal child, and upon her return to Longbourn Mr. Bennet took an immediate dislike. Women were to be seen and not heard. The original Luffenhall property would require far more work than initially planned, with cottages just starting to get their desperately needed repairs, the estate would take time to prosper. The main house itself was leaky and needed some significant improvements. The previous land was also starting to get some updates to the fields. At the end of the year, Luffenhall (new land and all) would make three thousand pounds. With interest, Fanny now had nearly five thousand pounds into her account.
As the new year began, Mr. Bennet would cross a line that no one had expected. Frustrated with the constantly moving and vocal Elizabeth, he would enter the nursery for the first time. Immediately striding over to the crying babe, he picked little Elizabeth up and began to shake. Moments later Fanny ran in to settle the crying to see Mr. Bennet starting to shake her dear Elizabeth. Immediately pulling the child from him, she set about checking Elizabeth for injuries or signs or trauma. Elizabeth started to settle but was still upset. Fanny suspected she needed a change of napkins but knew not to do that in the presence of her father-in-law.
"Mr. Bennet, if you would remove yourself from the room. I will take care of the situation."
"She must leave."
Startled, Fanny looked up. "Excuse me?"
"Get rid of the child. I don't care if you drown her or send her to a tenant, but I will have quiet in the house."
"I will do no such thing."
"Some of us must earn a living so that you might go and squander it on your fripperies."
"I will not surrender my daughter to any man for any reason."
"She will leave."
"Right now sir, you will leave this room so that I may correct the situation that has brought you into this room."
"You will not order me in my own home."
"Then would you like to stay while I change her napkin. It is quite a stench. I am not sure that you are up to such a stench."
Not ever having to deal with Fanny's backbone, and the idea of dealing with a child's napkin, Mr. Bennet bowed out. That evening Fanny discussed the event with Thomas. They once again wrote to Edward asking to impose upon his good will. Edward wrote back that he would happily accommodate the family. Thomas offered to hire a Nanny to assist with things so as not to trouble Edward too much. Everything was arranged and once again Fanny, Elizabeth and Jane were off to London. They would remain in London until the death of Mr. Bennet when Jane was five and Elizabeth was three.
By this point the major repairs on Luffenhall's main house would be completed and a tenant would take up residence. Almost all the cottages would be repaired and the land on the newly appended property would be two years from completion of the major improvements. The property was returning a spectacular seven thousand pounds with a tenant in the main house. Fanny's account had over twenty thousand pounds in it.
Edward had purchased some of the old store fronts in Meryton and started financing a few new shops moving in shortly after Fanny and Thomas purchased Luffenhall. With improving land values, new tenants starting to move into the area and decreasing unemployment rates, Edward had hoped that trade in the town would see significant improvements. His bet paid off. As Luffenhall's cottages started accepting tenants, the need for local shops increased. Edward's eight thousand pound investment was returning a comfortable three thousand a year and growing.
While in London, Jane and Elizabeth were treated as little ladies. When Edward began courting a Ms. Madeline Brown, who was visiting an Aunt and Uncle, she would remark on the two children. Edward and Madeline would end up marrying in the spring. Thomas came up to stand as Edwards groomsman and Fanny would stand as Madeline's bridesmaid. Fanny worried how Madeline would feel upon marrying and having to deal with Edward's wed sister. Madeline upon learning the true reason that Fanny lived with Edward, immediately told Fanny to first call her Maddy (they were sisters now) and told her not to fret.
While the newlyweds went on their wedding tour, Fanny decided to surprise them by doing up one of the old back parlors. She would leave it undecorated so that Maddy could decide how she wanted it to look, but the place would be cleaned and repaired so that it would be serviceable. Maddy returned, and was thrilled that the back parlor was clean and immediately pulled Fanny in to talks of decoration. The two sisters would get along like old friends.
Just before Jane turned six, Mr. Bennet would pass away. While on his deathbed Mr. Bennet made sure to pay one important visit to him.
"Come to pay your father a visit? Never thought I would see the day."
"Indeed. I am sure you didn't."
"Have you finally realized that I was right."
"You father, had an uncanny ability to be wrong about everything in your life."
"That is where you are wrong. You are merely bitter that I outmaneuvered you giving the estate to your daughter."
"Again you are wrong."
"How so? You are merely determined not to admit defeat."
"I have no need. I am here to tell you a story. I no longer have to worry about this story going past the grave."
"And what story is that?"
"The story of how I outsmarted you. While you have spent your life trying to write my daughters out of Longbourn, I have been working with Fanny to give them alternative options. The marriage contract was my idea. We took Fanny's dowry and bough some neglected land. I thought at best we would see maybe fifteen hundred a year from it. After some care and continuous reinvestment of profits, the land now returns just north of three thousand pounds. More money than Longbourn makes. Don't worry, in order to make sure your precious entailment can't touch it, we made sure not a penny from Longbourn went into the property and it is entirely in Fanny's name. A few years ago, we then purchased Luffenhall, which was also in a state of neglect. Fanny seems to enjoy buying destroyed property and turning them around. And I must say, she is very good at choosing completely destroyed property. Luffenhall with its current tenant in the main house returns just shy of three thousand pounds. In fact, Fanny's dowry account is now worth north of twenty thousand pounds. Had you shown her an ounce of respect, you may have seen a few pounds added to your poker money. But never mind, I am content to let you spend the last of your days stewing in your own failure at beating me."
Mr. Bennet had turned red and was sputtering in anger. Ignoring the words coming out of his mouth, Thomas quit the room. In fact, he never returned to Mr. Bennet's deathbed. Few bothered to attend the funeral, and while the family wore appropriate mourning colors for society, many knew that the colors meant nothing. Longbourn was relieved that Mr. Bennet's reign of terror had come to an end.
When Jane started learning her letters and numbers, Elizabeth would constantly barge in to watch the lesson. As Jane practiced reading, Elizabeth would sit and listen raptly. The house quickly learned that if you wanted Elizabeth to settle for a moment, the treat of reading aloud would instantly halt whatever mischief she was in the middle of.
About ten months after the death of the previous Mr. Bennet, Mary Louise Bennet was welcomed into the world. With the absence of Mr. Bennet, Mary's early days were not nearly so closely monitored as Elizabeth or Jane. No one feared the wrath of the previous Mr. Bennet.
Fanny's account held just shy of thirty thousand pounds at the time of Mary's birth. The neighborhood remained entirely unaware of the true wealth of the Bennet ladies.
The following spring, Edward would approach Thomas with a business proposition. Edward had started building connections in his trading firm and with the new technology boom wanted to buy out his current firm and diversify its investments. Starting a new company would mean reestablishing trade lines and purchasing warehouses. Investors were wanting to divest their shares. In order to buy a majority stake in the company, Edward needed at least fifty thousand pounds. Over the years with his investments in Meryton and his inheritance (and its interest) he had around forty thousand pounds that he could invest. After talking it over, Thomas and Fanny offered thirty-five thousand pounds to be silent partners in the venture and giving their votes to Mr. Edward Gardiner. This would give Edward control of seventy-five percent of the company.
Upon returning to London to buy out investors, Mr. Gardiner took control of Long's Imports and changed the name to Gardiner Imports. He wrote back that the takeover had been successful. The first year was spent sorting through the accounting and management practices to try and improve productivity. Edward also started looking into attending local technological demonstrations and subscribing to magazines with the latest in new technology and science.
It would be one of these magazines that an eight year old Jane Bennet would open while visiting her beloved Uncle. While she understood very little of the words that were written, the schematics and drawings were beautiful to her. Not like the oil painting and sketches her governess made her practice. Upon asking Uncle Ed about the pictures he explained that they were drawings of how an engine worked, in fact next week he was attending a demonstration of that very picture. Jane begged to go with him. Aunt Maddy said she would probably find it boring, and Jane gave her very best pout. As Jane was so rarely vocal about anything, Uncle Ed promised to talk to her mother.
Once Elizabeth heard about it, she begged to go. And soon Fanny found herself being talked into allowing Edward and Madeline to take Elizabeth and Jane to watch a demonstration at the museum. No one could have predicted that Jane would fall in love with machinery and Elizabeth would be taken the newer fields of mathematics and the natural sciences.
