The Colonel and the Heiress Chapter 3 - Inheritance, a pride and prejudice fanfic

Thanks for all your comments, particularly Siciliana for making me realise that I got the girls' ages wrong. I was playing around with years and forgot to go back and correct their ages. At the beginning of the story, they are all 1 year older.

~~H~~

Inheritance

Once they returned inside, Edith went to check on her son to help him settle into the unfamiliar surroundings. She was grateful that on the whole, James was a placid child, comfortable in any environment and not easily flustered.

Since he was tired after a day spent travelling, it did not take long for him to go to sleep after she tucked him into his bed, giving Edith a chance to tidy herself up before joining the family in the parlour which Elizabeth had pointed out to her.

When she entered the room, Elizabeth was ready to introduce her to her sisters.

The introductions went as expected. Jane was sweet and welcoming, Mary was dubious, Kitty was reserved, and Lydia was loud.

'La, what a joke. She is even prettier than Jane,' cried Lydia to Mrs Bennet's chagrin.

Edith had a ready answer. 'Cousin Lydia, I am pleased that you think I am pretty, but you and all your sisters are pretty as well. We are simply pretty in different ways.'

Mrs Bennet was mollified by the answer but had a question she needed to ask. 'Will your husband join you while you are visiting.'

'I am afraid that will be impossible since he passed away last year.' Edith smiled in a conciliatory manner. 'I have come to Meryton because Cousin Bennet is the only family I have in the world and my husband appointed him the guardian for my son.'

'Does that mean that you will be living with us?'

'Tempting as it is to have a large family about me, I will be looking for accommodation of my own. Cousin Bennet has offered to escort me to view Purvis Lodge tomorrow.'

'But Purvis Lodge is for sale, not for rent.'

'It does not matter. If I find the house congenial, I shall purchase it. James' father, Mr Farrington, has left us adequately provided for.'

Bennet, who had just entered the parlour heard the comment. 'Cousin Edith has an estate in Warwickshire but felt it was too big and lonely for her.'

'Too lonely? Perhaps you are now looking for another husband to alleviate your loneliness?' Mrs Bennet gave Edith her best gimlet stare.

'My son James is the only man I want in my life for many years to come. I shall be quite content with his company and the company of my cousins,' Edith replied with a conciliatory smile, indicating the sisters.

'Good. Since you might find it difficult to find a single man of the right age in this neighbourhood. Jane has been out for almost three years already but despite her beauty has not yet found a husband.'

'And Mrs Bennet has certainly sung her praised to any single man of any age, yet all refused to listen,' Mr Bennet muttered loud enough for all to hear.

Jane was embarrassed by her father's comment and desperately thought of something to say to change the subject. Inspiration struck. 'Cousin Edith, since you will remain in the neighbourhood, there is one person you absolutely must meet. Charlotte Lucas is our very dear friend and I believe that you too will find her company congenial. She is the daughter of Sir William and Lady Lucas and I believe you might have much in common.'

'Another young lady with whom to converse would be delightful.'

Mrs Bennet chimed in, 'Charlotte is not as young as all that. I believe she is almost as old as you are.'

Edith noticed Elizabeth and Jane blushing at that comment.

'Three and twenty is not old, Mama,' protested Jane. 'I simply thought that because they are of a similar age Cousin Edith would enjoy a more adult conversation with her.'

To save her cousins more embarrassment, Edith said agreeably, 'I would be delighted to make the acquaintance of Miss Lucas.'

~~H~~

The following morning Bennet escorted his cousin to inspect Purvis Lodge, having sent a note to arrange a viewing.

Edith was charmed by the house which was large enough for her purposes and the garden was substantial. There were enough public rooms that she could entertain if she chose, but not so many that it would be difficult to clean and heat them. The master suite had a delightful outlook onto the garden as well as the front driveway. The mistress suite was more private, overlooking only the gardens, and Edith decided that it would make for a perfect nursery.

As the house needed to be completely redecorated, the price was quite reasonable, and Edith immediately agreed to the purchase. Whereupon Bennet escorted his cousin to Mr Phillips, the local solicitor and his brother-in-law, to finalise the contracts.

As Bennet introduced his widowed cousin, Mr Phillips recognised the name of his new client and suggested that Mr Bennet take tea with Mrs Phillips or visit a bookshop while he and Mrs Farrington conducted their business. Bennet eagerly took the opportunity to browse the latest arrivals in the bookshop.

Once they were in private, Mr Phillips said, 'Mrs Farrington, since Bennet introduced you as his cousin, I presume that Mr Peter Field was your father?'

'That is correct,' replied Edith with a smile. 'I presume you wish to know since my birthday is soon and my inheritance will come into my control?'

'Ah, you know about the will?'

'My mother told me that my father's estates would be mine on my twenty-fifth birthday.'

'That is almost correct. I would have approached you shortly after you were widowed, but I did not hear about your husband's death until today. I presume you wrote to Bennet to inform him?'

'Yes, and so did my husband's solicitor since Cousin Bennet is to be the guardian of my son.'

'I would normally wait until I can confirm the change in circumstances to broach the subject, but seeing that you wish to purchase Purvis Lodge, I thought it prudent to advise you that it will not be necessary, since you will have a home in this area. I presume that you were considering the purchase since you wish to live here?'

'You are quite correct, Mr Phillips. But I have no wish to manage an estate at present, which is why I still wish to proceed with the purchase of Purvis Lodge.'

'Are you quite certain? Your estate is currently unoccupied, and you could view it at any time before making a decision. You might find it more congenial than Purvis Lodge.'

'I would like to view my inheritance, but as I said, I am not currently inclined to manage more than a house. If you could find someone to lease the estate, I would be most obliged.' Edith suddenly sported a mischievous smile. 'Although it would suit me quite well if you used my official name for the lease to hide the identity of the owner. I presume you are aware of my husband's station?'

It was Phillips' turn to grin. 'I do indeed, Countess, but I will respect your wish for anonymity. Your mother wrote to me shortly before her passing and enclosed your father's will. She asked me to execute said will when you were widowed.'

'Mama assured me that I would always have a home no matter what happened,' murmured Edith as she nodded in understanding.

Phillips diplomatically kept silent about his assumptions. Instead, he said, 'since you wish to purchase Purvis Lodge regardless, shall we speak about the contract?'

An hour later, Mrs Farrington had the deed to Purvis Lodge in exchange for a bank-draft.

~~H~~

The next few days were hectic for Edith.

The previous owners had already vacated the house and only the staff were still in residence. Mrs Purvis had requested that the new owners would keep her loyal staff, many of whom had provided several years of good service to the family. Edith was pleased to accede to the request on a trial basis.

One quiet afternoon, she joined Mr Phillips when he visited Netherfield.

They were welcomed by Mrs Nicholls, the housekeeper, who took one look at Edith and exclaimed, 'goodness me, you must be Miss Edith. You are the spitting image of your dear mother.'

Before anyone else could be alerted to the news, Mr Phillips ushered the ladies into the study where he explained that Mrs Farrington did not wish it known that Netherfield belonged to her.

'I suppose that you have a much grander estate to live in now,' Mrs Nicholls nodded in understanding.

'As a matter of fact, I have purchased Purvis Lodge since I wanted something much smaller and more comfortable,' replied Edith and went on to explain that she was a widow and Mr Bennet was the guardian for her son.

Mrs Nicholls hesitated a moment but asked, 'Mr Phillips called you Mrs Farrington, but your mother wrote that you had married an Earl…'

'That is correct. But I do not want anyone to fuss. I just want to live in peace and quiet. Which is why I have asked Mr Phillips to find a lessee for the estate. But if there are problems in the meantime, please feel free to speak to me or Mr Phillips.'

'Thank you, my lady.' Mrs Nicholls smiled, as the lady was just what she thought she would be – everything kind and gracious. 'Would you like to look around? I would be happy to give you a tour of the house. We tried to look after it the way Mrs Field would have wanted us to do.'

Edith agreed and was impressed by Mrs Nicholls' efficiency as well as the house. It would be a wonderful place to live if you had a large family and you were interested in managing an estate.

There was an added benefit to the inspection. There was a great deal of furniture stored in the attic which allowed Edith to choose enough pieces to furnish her new house very comfortably.

She arranged for the items to be transported to her new home, where she consulted with the housekeeper, Mrs Hayes about arranging the furniture and setting the house to rights for herself and her son.

~~H~~

At the end of a fortnight, Edith and James were comfortably installed at Purvis Lodge, and ready to receive the first visitors.

Once Mrs Bennet had been convinced that Edith had no interest in living at Longbourn and Edith was not in the market for a husband, she had become quite accommodating and even helpful. Especially when Edith offered to teach her daughters the kind of accomplishments required of a gentlewoman if she hoped to attract a wealthy husband.

Even Mr Bennet had been won over by the addition to his family. During their stay at Longbourn the gentleman had been completely charmed by his young ward.

The first visitors to arrive were Elizabeth and Charlotte since Purvis Lodge was only a short distance past the Lucas home. When Edith and Charlotte had met the previous week, the two had liked each other on sight. It was to Charlotte's credit that she did not feel any jealousy towards the newcomer, who greatly surpassed her in looks.

'Lizzy, Charlotte, welcome to my new home,' Edith greeted her new friends enthusiastically.

'I am exceedingly pleased to be here,' replied Elizabeth with a smile, 'especially as Mama is vexed with me again.'

'I to have looked forward to seeing your new home,' Charlotte said and gave Elizabeth a pointed look.

'You can tell me about Mrs Bennet's vexation over tea, but first allow me to give you a tour of the house,' offered Edith.

The friends were delighted to see the changes Edith had wrought to the décor.

'I love how light and airy the house looks now,' Elizabeth complimented her cousin when they returned to the parlour and their hostess served them tea. 'But I could have sworn that I have seen a sideboard just like this at Netherfield.'

Edith gave her friends a searching look and came to a decision. 'I have something to tell you, but I need you to keep it confidential.'

Elizabeth and Charlotte were puzzled but immediately agreed. 'I will keep your secret, although Jane too is most discreet…'

'You may tell Jane, or I will tell her when I get a chance,' Edith agreed before she explained her background. 'My father liked to live at his estate in Warwickshire, because that was where he grew up. His mother had grown up at Netherfield, which she inherited since she was an only child. On her death he inherited that estate. It was on a visit to Meryton that he met my mother. Once I became a widow, those estates passed to me.'

'I am all astonishment that no one has made the connection,' cried Charlotte.

Elizabeth gave Edith and Charlotte a mischievous smile. 'Mrs Hill has worked it out since she remembers Aunt Mary, and one of her cousins was working for your mother and went to Warwickshire with her. She kept in touch with Mrs Hill and even mentioned your marriage…'

'Whom did Mrs Hill tell about this?' Edith needed to know.

'Only myself since I noticed some of the looks which she was giving you and questioned her about it.'

'So, you have known, but not said anything.'

'It was obvious that you wished to remain incognito.'

Edith smiled and nodded. 'I thank you, Lizzy.' She turned to a confused Charlotte. 'Because Lizzy already knows and since she trusts you, I am pleased to tell you that the mistress suite in this house is occupied by the Earl of Wentworth.'

'You were married to an Earl?' Charlotte gasped. 'But why are you keeping that secret? Your neighbours would delight in having such a distinguished addition to our community.'

Edith bit her lip while deciding how best to answer. 'I prefer to be judged on my own merits, rather than a title.'

'Well, I judge you to be excellent company,' declared Elizabeth and Charlotte concurred.

For the rest of the visit, they discussed lighter subjects, including Mrs Bennet ire at the muddied hems of Elizabeth's dresses.

~~H~~