I'm glad to read that you are still enjoying the story.

~~H~~

Welcome

While Darcy was busy introducing Elizabeth to his aunt and uncle, the other passengers exited two other carriages.

Reginald Fitzwilliam, Viscount Harshaw and his wife Sarah, as well as Georgiana Darcy emerged from the second coach, while four children tumbled out of the third, and rushed to greet their cousins.

Meanwhile the rest of the Bennets had caught up with Elizabeth and introduction were made.

When Mrs Bennet invited the whole party inside for refreshments, Darcy's family politely declined, stating that they would prefer to continue to their final destination, although they did accept the invitation to dinner, when Darcy informed them that Richard was already planning to attend.

Since Georgiana looked quite uncomfortable about being hosted by a stranger, Darcy made a reluctant farewell to Elizabeth and joined his family on the short ride to Purvis Lodge.

~~H~~

At Purvis Lodge the welcome was more restrained, although just as warm. From all that Edith had learnt of Richard's parents she was inclined to like them.

Edith, as well as Charlotte and Richard had been whiling away their time in pleasant conversation in the front parlour when Charlotte noted the arrival of the coaches.

As the hostess, Edith went immediately to the front door to greet her guests, accompanied by Richard to make the introduction.

'Welcome to Purvis Lodge. I am delighted to meet you all, having heard so much about you from Colonel Fitzwilliam,' Edith said after they had been introduced, as she ushered them into the house.

Lady Matlock had been curious to meet Lady Wentworth, after hearing a great deal about her in Richard's letters. What she saw confirmed her suspicion. The lady was beautiful as well as moderately tall and slim, and she moved with unconscious grace. There was a strength and quiet dignity about her, but her smile hinted at a sense of humour. Perhaps there is another match in the making? she thought delightedly.

Her delight was visible in her smile as she said, 'we are grateful that you have opened your house to a group of strangers.'

'As I said, I have heard so much about you that I feel I know you already. Not only that, in a few days we will be family.' Edith returned the smile. 'But instead of exchanging pleasantries in a chill foyer, may I show you to your rooms?'

When Lord and Lady Matlock agreed, Edith turned to Richard and Darcy, 'Gentlemen, I suggest that you show your siblings to their accommodation. I will have tea served in the drawing room in an hour, but feel free to come down sooner if you wish.'

~~H~~

Meanwhile at Netherfield Charles Bingley was speaking to his aunt, Mathilda Bingley, who had arrived just that afternoon. He chose the study for privacy.

'I am afraid that Caroline has made a mess of things and I need her out of my house.'

'It must have been bad for you to take such a drastic step.' Mathilda speculated.

'It was,' admitted Bingley and went on to describe what had led to his decision.

Mathilda Bingley was shaking her head in disbelief. 'Caroline must have been an incredibly bad mistress of the house that the staff did not inform her of the gentlemen switching rooms.'

'You mean the staff were supposed to tell her even if Fitzwilliam and Darcy did not?'

'Naturally. The mistress of the house must be aware of everything that goes on in the house. Considering how well run this place seems to be, you obviously have an excellent housekeeper. Caroline must have truly upset the woman for her not to have kept her informed.'

'Mrs Nicholls might have tried to tell Caroline, but she could not be bothered to listen. A much more likely explanation.'

'There is that.' She gave him a gimlet stare. 'I presume you are telling me this because you are hoping that I will take her off your hands?'

Her nephew gave her a rueful grin. 'I am afraid so. Although, since she has seen the error of her ways in the meantime and apologised, I am prepared not to cut her out of my life.'

'Caroline is in luck, since I have to go to London for business. Perhaps while we are there, I can find her a husband amongst my associates.'

Bingley sighed in relief. 'Thank you, Aunt Mathilda. You have saved, if not my life, possibly my marriage.' He hesitated a moment. 'I still cannot understand though how you can conduct business on your own. I know you have done so for years, but women are not generally accepted in the business world.'

'I will let you in on a secret. Businessmen care more about money than the person with whom they are dealing. They also expect that because I am a woman, they can get the better of me in a deal. If I act a little scatter-brained, they usually agree to just about anything and think they have won.'

Bingley laughed. 'Aunt, I do not believe that those methods are quite ethical.'

'If those patronising men are stupid enough to fall for it, who am I to complain.' She cocked her head as another thought occurred to her. 'If Caroline manages to catch a husband, I hope you will let me arrange the marriage settlement.'

'Should not I…'

'Charles, please understand that I have no wish to offend you when I say that I can negotiate better terms for Caroline than you can.'

Bingley looked somewhat chagrined but agreed.

~~H~~

Only half an hour had gone by before Lady Matlock entered the drawing room, having rushed through a wash and a change of clothes.

She smiled graciously at Edith before delivering a message to her son and to Darcy. 'My husband wishes to have a word with you both,' she informed them, before sitting down near Edith.

The gentlemen left to discover that the Earl had not sent a message.

Since it was obvious that Lady Matlock wished to have a private interview with Edith, Charlotte claimed an errand and excused herself.

'Your friend is exceedingly tactful,' commented Lady Matlock with an appreciative smile.

'It is but one of her many excellent qualities.'

'Lady Wentworth, I wanted to thank you for what you are doing for my son. I have been exceedingly worried about him since he returned to England, both his physical health and his mental state.'

When Edith wanted to protest, she held up her hand. 'Please let me finish. Based on his letters to myself and his father, I know that he considers you a trusted friend, who is completely aware of his situation. I am therefore not breaking his confidence. Reading his most recent letters made me hopeful of a small improvement but seeing him today was wonderful. Richard is still not quite himself again, but he is much further along that path than I dared hope for.'

She smiled playfully. 'I also noticed something else. There is an understanding between you, the like of which I have rarely seen. I hope you will not take it amiss if I confess that I hope that your friendship will develop into something… more.'

'Lady Matlock —'

'Please call me Eleanor since I would hope that you will consider me a friend.'

'Thank you, Eleanor, and I will be happy for you to call me Edith.'

'Rich in battle. What an appropriate name.' Lady Matlock smiled but recalled herself to the conversation. 'Forgive me, I interrupted you.'

'As I started to say. Richard has become a dear and trusted friend and I am proud that he considers me the same. Whatever else you think you saw may be resolved in the future or it may not. I will certainly not allow anyone's expectation to push me into something I might regret later.'

'Ah, you are one of those terrible people who will cut off their nose to spite their face. You rebel if anyone tries to force you into a course of action, even if that action is something you would have chosen if no one had tried to force the issue.'

'You are an excellent judge of character,' Edith agreed with a slow nod. 'That is one of my less admirable qualities.'

'Very well, Edith. I shall mind my own business and hope all will turn out for the best.'

'Since you are dealing with independent adults, that is probably the wisest course of action,' Edith could not resist but agree.

~~H~~

The Earl laughed when his son and nephew found him relaxing in the sitting room of the suite.

'I see my wife wanted a private conversation with our hostess.'

Richard looked concerned as he murmured, 'I wonder why?'

'Possibly to discover why you are head over heels in love with the Countess,' Darcy suggested with a mocking grin.

'I am not…' spluttered Richard, his eyes darting as if he was trying to discover an escape route.

'Oho, is that how the wind blows?' boomed the Earl with a grin. 'I must say that I congratulate you on your taste. She is a remarkably handsome woman and judging by the house, quite well off in her own right. It seems she is just the kind of heiress you were looking for.'

'While I agree that she has everything a man could ask for, what makes you think that she would be stupid enough to tie herself to someone like me?' Richard asked with some asperity.

'Women will do the darndest things when they like a man,' his father advised. 'Look at Miss Elizabeth. Despite all his disadvantages she has agreed to marry Darcy.'

'And none is more grateful than I,' Darcy agreed with an annoyingly broad smile.

~~H~~

A quarter of an hour later, the Fitzwilliam and Darcy families presented themselves in the drawing room, having washed off the dust of the road and changed into clean garments.

Charlotte too joined the party and assisted Edith in serving tea or coffee according to their preference.

'You have a lovely home, Lady Wentworth,' Lord Matlock complimented their hostess.

'Thank you. It is small but it suits me perfectly.' Edith replied politely. 'But since your wife and I have agreed to use given names, you may as well call me Edith.'

Lord Matlock raised his brows in surprise. 'That was quick. Very well, in that case feel free to call me Matlock.'

'Perhaps I should get you to call me Wentworth instead,' Edith teased and was rewarded with a shocked expression.

Matlock recovered more quickly than she expected. 'No, I do not think Wentworth suits you, but in the spirit of equality which my wife likes to promote, perhaps it would be better if you used Andrew.'

'Thank you, Andrew, I would be delighted,' she replied with an unrepentant grin.

Richard laughed out loud. 'I told you Edith is no simpering push-over.'

'So you did, son.'

They spent an enjoyable hour becoming acquainted before going to their rooms to change for dinner.

~~H~~

Longbourn was full to bursting it seemed. With all the Gardiners, Fitzwilliams and Darcys, as well as Charles Bingley and even Charlotte Lucas, it was quite the merry party. Fortunately, the bulk of the Bingleys remained at Netherfield, being looked after by Louisa.

Fortunately, the Gardiner children were sent to the nursery shortly after the arrival of the guests, thereby reducing the crush. They had been curious about the men their favourite cousins were to marry and insisted on meeting them.

Elizabeth was delighted when Darcy greeted the children with dignified courtesy and twinkling eyes, winning the hearts of the boys. The girls on the other hand thought that Cousin Lizzy was lucky to marry such a handsome and tall man, although all the children liked Bingley for his friendly demeanour.

~~H~~

Mrs Bennet proved why she was considered the premier hostess of the neighbourhood since dinner consisted of three full courses of nine dishes each, not counting the additional desserts.

Edith was impressed that in the short time since their conversation, Mrs Bennet had been able to alter a dress which now sported considerably less lace, although a few simple ribbons had taken its place to hide the evidence of the stitching which the removal of the lace had left behind.

All the Bennets were on their best behaviour. Mrs Bennet usually remembered to moderate her voice and not raise any objectionable topics.

Lydia's generally good manners had been accomplished by the simple expedient of a threat to withhold her pin money for a month for each infraction against polite manners. She was also informed that if she did not learn at home, she would be sent to a school for the next three years or until she learnt the behaviour and accomplishments of a lady. She had complained but for once her mother had been adamant and Lydia had lost her pin money for a month for the complaint. Now she sulked but mostly minded her manners.

Over dinner, Mr Bennet set out to charm Lady Matlock, mostly succeeding since she enjoyed his biting wit, leaving Edith at his left mostly speaking to Richard.

Mrs Bennet, who was flanked by the Earl and the Viscount, was supported by Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner respectively to keep the conversation appropriate.

The centre of the table was occupied by the youngest members of the party which included Georgiana. Her shyness never had a chance against the onslaught of good cheer and welcome from Kitty and Mary.

~~H~~

The rest of the evening was enjoyed by all.

After the separation of the sexes, which Mr Bennet thoroughly enjoyed as he was in company with several intelligent gentleman with whom he could converse, most of the ladies took a turn entertaining the company.

The Fitzwilliams were impressed with the accomplishments of the Bennet ladies.

Lady Matlock paid particular attention to the reaction of her younger son when Edith performed. She nodded to herself to see the rapt attention on Richard's countenance. She would not interfere, but she was determined to provide them with every opportunity to reach an accommodation.

Once all the guests had left, Mrs Bennet exclaimed, 'I had no idea that saying nothing could be so utterly exhausting,' as she slumped onto the settee.

~~H~~

~~H~~

The Colonel and the Heiress (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2022