Chapter 23
Pemberley
December 10th 1811
Darcy had been home for only a few days. He arrived to Pemberley much later than planned, because he had stayed in town an extra few days on his Aunt Eleanor's instance. She asked him all sorts of questions about his trip. During her inquiry, he somehow ended up disclosing his admiration for a young lady in Hertfordshire. She would not let him leave after she found that out, but asked him questions about Elizabeth, nonstop. He finally told her he found out she was after his money, and his aunt left him alone. His other Aunt, on the other hand, was up to something Darcy did not know what to make of her letter.
Darcy,
I am most displeased with this Bennet family from Hertfordshire. They have tried to swindle my parson out of his rightful inheritance. I need your friend Bingley to let me use his house in the area for a day, so I can sort this mess. I am sure a town like that does not have a suitable Inn for me and Anne to stay. She is stronger every day and longs to hear from you. I assume you will finally do your duty, and honor you mother's wishes and marry Anne. We could have the wedding before the season begins and launch Anne into society. I look forward to your response.
Yours,
Lady Catherine De Bourgh
Darcy crumpled the letter and then uncrumpled it to reread it because surely his eyes were deceiving him. Why would Lady Catherine need to go to Hertfordshire? She is wholly unconnected to the family. How were the Bennets trying to swindle that idiot cousin of theirs?
Darcy was lost in his thoughts for so long, that he was relieved when his butler, Mr. Reynolds, walked into his study and announced an unexpected visitor. "A Mr. Oliver Dover to see you, sir."
"Oliver, it's good to see you," Darcy said greeting. Oliver was one of his father's good friends, who he had not seen in years. The Dovers had been close family friends until the death of Oliver's daughter, which moved them closer to their daughter's family. The funeral for the late Mr. Darcy five years prior had been the last time he had seen the gentleman.
"Darcy, I was coming to check to make sure, you had left the estate at some point recently, but to my surprise your butler informed me that you only returned a few days ago," Mr. Dover said, teasing the young man, who had been reclusive, even in his youth.
"Yes, I was in Hertfordshire helping Bingley with an estate that he was letting," Darcy replied
Mr. Dover face lit up at the mention of Hertfordshire and then frowned at the mention of Mr. Bingley. He was one of Darcy's few friends, but the man had such a fickle character.
"What a coincidence, we depart for Hertfordshire on the morrow, we will stop in London to pick up my grandson and then spend the holiday in Hertfordshire with our grandchildren."
"That sounds wonderful," Darcy said, trying to think of a way to change the subject from Hertfordshire. Why in the bloody hell was everyone trying to go to that damned county? He did not want to think of her. Wickham had outdone himself this time with his latest scheme.
"Yes, we will be in town all season, so when you come to town, we will have dinner and you can finally meet Lucy's kids," Oliver said, thinking of a beneficial arrangement for Darcy and one of his granddaughters in particular, but he would have to get him in the room together to see if they would suit each other.
"Yes, I shall let you know when I am in town; I plan to be there for the season," Darcy replied, thinking keeping busy would be the best way to stop thinking of her. "Are you living in Derbyshire again?" Darcy asked, effectively changing the subject.
"Yes, we moved back in the past three months," Mr. Dover said
This news surprised Darcy. "I wish I had known that you had returned. I stopped in Cheshire on my way to meet Bingley and called at Lyme Park, but no one was in."
"Yes, my housekeeper informed me, and I realized that you did not know of our return to Derby. I visited after your father's funeral, but your Cousin Fitzwilliam said that you were not taking visitors during your mourning period, and things got busy with our grandson moving in with us... timing just did not work out, I am quite sorry, we lost touch." Oliver replied
Darcy nodded in agreement. "Well I am glad, we get a chance to renew our acquaintance."
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Georgiana heard a guest announced and walked down expecting to hear the Colonel's booming voice. Her brother had been more reserved than normal, and she could not figure out why; he was often distracted by his own thoughts, when she would speak to him, since he returned from Hertfordshire. She had no idea why he was acting this strange.
When she finally reached the study, to her surprise, she heard Mr. Dover's gentle voice. He was one of her father's friends. He had not visited the estate in a while, but he used to be a frequent visitor, along with his wife. His wife would comfort her mother, and Mr. Dover did a pleasant job distracting her father.
She then heard, her brother accepted an future dinner invitation and say that he would be in town for the season, and began to worry less. Her brother was obviously looking for a wife, now, he had never participated in more than a month of the season. All she needed to do was get her brother, to allow her tag along with him for parts of the season, to help him pick out his wife and her sister. She thought of just the person to help her plead her case. She walked away to her rooms to begin drafting a letter.
The two men talked and caught up for an hour so, then Mr. Dover departed back to his estate which was about 15 miles from Pemberley.
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Harrow School, London
December 14th, 1811
Alexander Bennet climbed into his grandparents carriage dreading the trip to Longbourn, his father's estate. His relationship with his family was strained at best. They wrote him letters, but he refused to write them back. They had abandoned him; he did not have much time to relish in his thoughts, because his grandfather started speaking.
"Alex, tell me how is your schooling going?" Oliver asked his grandson.
"Quite all right, grandfather," Alex replied, irritated. This was his 4th year of school, he had gotten through the worst of it, already. He loved his grandparents truly, but they were not inclined to ask him his opinion on anything of import. He wanted to have more freedom, but they rarely let him out of their sight. He was a sheep and they were his Shepherds.
His grandfather began a long discussion with him about how parliament's decision in handling Napoleon will affect the estate.
Alex sighed and sat back, thinking, this is going to be a long break.
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Longbourn
December 14th 1811
They arrived at Longbourn in record time. His grandfather's inquiry only stopped because Alex pretended to be asleep.
His grandmother leaned over and shook him "awake" whispering, "We have arrived."
Alex sat up and let his grandparents exit the carriage first. They walked over to his sisters and father to greet them. He brushed his dark hair out of his face and approached his family with hesitancy.
He bowed formally to his sisters and was moving to greet his father, when Elizabeth pulled him in for a hug.
"Alex, come walk with me tomorrow, we have much to discuss," Elizabeth whispered to him.
Alex was taken aback by his sister's actions and stiffened at the contact. He knew Bess would not leave him alone until he agreed, so he nodded in agreement.
Alex walked over to his father and bowed again. His father bowed in return. Alex then turned and walked into Longbourn without saying a word.
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"He still hates me," Mr. Bennet muttered
"Papa, have you tried talking to him?" Jane asked
"No," He replied
"Maybe you should, he deserves to hear your side of the story and know why, instead of guessing," Jane suggested
"He is not a boy anymore, Father, he can handle it," Mary said
Mr. Bennet left the company of his daughters and sat in his study staring out of the window wondering-- Where did he go so wrong? He thought he made the rights decisions for his children to have the life that her and his dearly departed Lucy wanted for their children. He stayed at Lyme Park, raising his children there, even though every hall and room haunted him with a memory of her. When his father's health started failing in 1806, he moved back, to help full time with Longbourn along with, The Dovers, Alex, Jane, Elizabeth and Mary. It was not something he looked forward to; His father was lackadaisical, with running the estate, so many repairs were needed; Longbourn was a good estate, with proper care and management, it could be a great and prosperous estate. Raising children, along with taking care of his father, fixing the estate, and running two other estates, was putting so much strain on him, even with the help of his in-laws.
The supper bell rang.
Mr. Bennet snapped out of his thoughts, and walked to the dining room to join his family.
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Supper was a tense affair at Longbourn. Alex had kept to his room all day, so Aunt Bennett paced the house trying to meet him. She was angry that her brother hid the arrival of her nephew from her. When Alex finally emerged Fanny Bennett looked over at him eagerly, then her expression changed to disdain. He was the spitting image of his mother with his dark hair and blue eyes.
He walked in the room past his Aunt, without greeting anyone, and took his seat between Mary and his grandmother.
Mr. Bennet watched his son's behavior and decided enough is enough. He would have to talk to him tonight.
The conversation flowed easily despite the tension, between certain members of the family.
Lydia drank too much wine and began talking loudly and complaining about Mr. Bingley leaving.
Alex sat quietly throughout dinner ignoring his older cousin's Lydia brash behavior. He had heard stories about her, but they did not do her outlandish behavior justice.
The party forgoed the separation of sexes after dinner and all sat in the drawing room.
Mr. Bennet departed to his study and, after a few moments, Mr. Hill called Alexander to join his father.
Alexander was taken aback that his father had summoned him, and walked to the study slowly, thinking what could he possibly want?
"Alex, have a seat, we have much to discuss," Robert said to his only son, while pouring a glass of brandy.
"I do not think we do, you always make decisions for others without consulting them, there is no need to start now," Alex said, turning on his heel to leave.
Robert Bennet walked over to the door and pushed it shut, preventing Alex from leaving.
"Sit down, Alexander. I have let you behave this way for far too long."
"Let me? You are not even the one who raised me!" Alex shouted at his father.
"You are right, but if you will sit down, I will explain why."
Alex's curiosity got the better of him and he sat down.
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Back in the drawing room Marianne, began discussing the season, with her granddaughters. "Girls, are you excited to attend a season in London? You shall have many suitors."
Lydia snorted loudly. "La! As if they would be able to keep their attention, Jane lost Mr. Bingley in a month and Lizzy lost Mr. Wickham in less than fortnight."
Mr. Dover heard Mr. Bingley's named mentioned and knew instantly that Darcy had accompanied Bingley to help him let Netherfield. It was a small world. But upon hearing that Bingley had famously flirted and discarded his dear sweet Jane, made him irate. When Darcy got to town, he was going to get Bingley's address and they would have words.
"Mr. Wickham? I have never heard of any Wickham being in the area before," Marianne Dover said, hoping that she had missed a family native to the area or this was some other Wickham -- not the one from Pemberley; It was not a common name, nor was Bingley. She looked over at Jane's appearance and she did not look troubled by the mention of Mr. Bingley. Of course she did not like the fact that fickle Bingley had raised Jane's expectations, but she seemed well enough.
"He is not from the area Grandmother, he is from Derbyshire near Pemberley," Lizzy answered, scanning her grandparents' faces.
"I see," Mrs. Dover said through gritted teeth. "You girls need to steer clear of this Wickham fellow, it seems to be the same fellow who caused trouble near our home."
Mr. Dover was also grimacing and made note of his need for a trip to town, sooner rather than later.
Lizzy was about to protest, but her grandmother glared at her. Her grandmother did not understand. Wickham had explained his debts and it was all Mr. Darcy's fault, he had withheld his living.
Jane, Mary and Kitty nodded their heads at Mrs. Dover. Lizzy grunted her agreement.
Lydia laughed. "Well, I shall have dear Mr. Wickham all to myself."
Mrs. Bennett was giddy with glee and responded, "My Lydia will be the first married! Mark my words!"
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Alex sat in the chair across from, Mr. Bennet glaring at his father.
Mr. Bennet took a long sip of brandy to calm himself, and began speaking.
"Your mother and I agreed to raise you in a simple country lifestyle, keeping you out of society until you were out or of age. She had wanted you to raise you similar to her upbringing. When she passed away, I shut myself off from people. My father pressured me to remarry, like he did, so my children could have a mother. I half heartedly tried to see if I could find a wife in town, but I knew, no woman could ever compare to Lucy. I eventually gave up because there were matchmaking mamas everywhere who wanted me to marry one of their daughters, for money and connections. They did not care one lick of you or your sisters; Nor were they willing to live in the country and give up moving in society. I did not want you growing up with a stepmother like mine. I eventually stopped going to town. I ended up a recluse, I poured myself into my duties, I tried to give you all as much attention as I could, but it was never enough. I missed your mother, so much. I felt like I was failing you all." Mr. Bennet said choking back a sob.
Mr. Bennet took a deep breath, to regain his composure before continuing. "As you all got older, I could see not having a motherly guiding influence, in your life was affecting you for the worst. You all were much like you mother, and thrived in social settings, even the limited ones, I exposed you to. I could teach you about the estate with my eyes closed, but social graces and moving in society, was not something I could tackle, something I was unwilling to give. I had tried to hire a governess, but the governesses I had interviewed were, women of the ton, and not the right fit for our family.Your grandparents moved to Cheshire, to help, things did get better for a while, but then my father became sick. We moved back to Longbourn, but trying to manage the northern estates from here was not working; We had new stewards, that needed more attention in Thornridge Hall and Lyme Park. The Dovers agreed to move back north to help manage the estates and offered to take you with them and teach you until, it was time for you to go to Harrow. Your Aunt Sophia had been offering to take the girls and start their lessons; I agreed. I chose the path of least resistance, which I thought would benefit you all, so I sent you all off, while I cared for my father and the estate. I maybe too much like my father. " Mr. Bennet finished, hanging his head down.
Alexander stared at his father in anger, but also understanding. "Why could I not learn how to run Longbourn? Why did my sisters return, but not I? Why did I get left in Cheshire? "
Robert sighed at his son's accusation. "About a month after your grandfather passed away, Your Aunt and cousins were thrusted into my care. I had a duty to take care of them and I did not want them to influence you. Their behavior is somewhat outlandish." Mr. Bennet paused a rubbed his temples and began to explain. "Alex, you were not left. Your grandparents wanted you with them and I agreed that it would be beneficial for you to learn how to run the larger estates first, and then you would come back and learn how to run the smaller estates."
"I was coming back?" Alex questioned.
"Yes, starting in a year or so, you would have come back to Longbourn, for breaks."
"Would have? Am I not now?" Alex asked.
"That will be your choice. Sending you and your sisters away to be raised by relatives was selfish. I could not bear to fail your mother."
"So you gave up trying with us and now you're giving up on trying with our cousins?" Alex said, changing the subject. "You are letting Cousin Lydia and Aunt Bennet run wild, in your household, under your protection."
"That is different! My father tried to pawn them off on me after his failure!" Robert griped to his son.
"Is it really, father?" Alex questioned.
Mr. Bennet sat in contemplation of his actions, or lack thereof. His son was right, he was giving up on his sister, like he had given up on his children. Except he has no one to send them off to. "You are correct, Alex. I need to at least try for everyone's sake, instead of giving up. Kitty came around eventually, maybe I can do the same for Lydia and Fanny."
Alex hugged his father. He was done holding his father's shortcomings against him, now that he had answers. Hopefully he and his father's relationship would grow.
AN: Yes, Elizabeth's grandparents know the Darcy's. So timeline wise the Dovers moved in with the Bennets in Cheshire in 1800ish. The Bennets move to Hertfordshire and Darcy's dad passed away in 1806. Alex and the Dovers leave Longbourn after a month. The Old Mr. Bennet dies in late 1809. Fanny moves to Longbourn in early Jan 1810, a few weeks after the death of her second husband.
