Chapter 5: Butterfly
To say Mr. Bennet was surprised by Mr. Aldridge's offer would be an understatement. He had been inspecting the cows in the barnyard and sidestepping slippery mud and manure from the recent rain when Mary had told him about her encounter with Mr. Aldridge that morning. Luckily, Mr. Bennet was relatively surefooted and grabbed onto his walking stick to catch himself. Only one of his knees hit the mud puddle.
"My dear daughter, are you sure?" Mr. Bennet asked, standing up and brushing the mud off his britches.
"I think so, Papa. He is a nice gentleman. He likes to read and he cares deeply for his tenants," Mary said.
"There's a bit more to love and marriage than you think. Are you sure you could live with this man the rest of your life and be happy?" Mr. Bennet asked.
"Yes, Papa, I am. In the past fortnight, I have found him to be very agreeable and a most gracious companion."
"Will he make you happy? Will he still let you read books, play your music and run the household?"
"I believe so. Please Papa, let us go to Cambridge on Monday and see for yourself if he is an agreeable man. I think you would like him very much," Mary said.
"Very well then. Run and tell your mother, it will send her into fits. I will send Mr. Aldridge a letter to accept his invitation," Mr. Bennet said.
"Thank you, Papa!" Mary said, hugging him and then running to the house.
Mrs. Bennet and Kitty were in the drawing room, discussing plans for a new ball gown. Mary burst into the room and told them what had happened earlier in the day.
Naturally, Mrs. Bennet was sent into a fit of nerves, at the idea that her middle daughter, the quiet one, would be visiting a prospective husband's estate. Kitty was just as happy for her sister, though more controlled.
"I say! We should expect a wedding in a few weeks. It's the way your eldest sisters' marriages went. Jane visited Netherfield and a while later, a wedding! Lizzie met Mr. Darcy at Pemberley and a wedding soon after that!" Mrs. Bennet said, gathering a few things in the drawing room and then hurrying both girls upstairs to their rooms.
In Mary's room, Mrs. Bennet began to look at her dresses.
"Mama, what are you doing?" Mary asked.
"Well you need something appropriate to wear," Mrs. Bennet said. "You cannot wear your gray dress to his house. What about this blue one?"
Mary looked to Kitty for help.
"Don't worry, Mama, I will help Mary find something suitable to wear," Kitty said.
"Oh my, such a help you are, Kitty," Mrs. Bennet said, finally plopping herself down on the bed and taking a few breaths. "Mary, you must be sure to ask if Mr. Aldridge has a brother or fair cousin that might suit Kitty."
"No, Mama, I think Kitty is well capable of finding her own husband and I do not recall him mentioning a brother, or a sister for that matter."
"Perhaps a cousin?" Mrs. Bennet asked. "Oh, Mary, when did you ever grow up so fast? It seems like yesterday, you were just learning how to play the piano, read books and be the sensible one of your sisters. And now you've met someone."
"I think it's wonderful, my dear sister," Kitty said. "You two are very much alike. You're both quiet, left to your own thoughts, you love to read and so does he. From what Louisa has told me, since meeting you, Mr. Aldridge has grown up very much and he is not as quiet as he used to be."
"And so the caterpillar becomes the butterfly," Mrs. Bennet said, eyes tearing up.
"Oh Mama, please. I do not even know what Pine Hollow looks like. What if I do not like it? What if there's no library?" Mary said. "Papa has not met him yet. Let us wait and see what happens."
Finally, Mrs. Bennet calmed down and they finished packing Mary's outfit for the trip.
Mr. Bennet sent the letter promptly the next morning and by the late evening, a footman had arrived at the door with Mr. Aldridge's reply of waiting for them on Monday.
On Monday morning, the Bennet household was a flurry of activity with last minute instructions and things to bring along. By midmorning, they had left Meryton and were well on their way to Cambridge. Mr. Bennet recalled visiting Cambridge once before and said it was a nice town, coming along very well among other towns in England.
Upon entering Cambridge in the afternoon, Mary had to agree with her father. The main street was filled with shops of many varieties. There was also a park in the middle of town. Mary thought it would be a good place to read on a sunny day.
Mr. Aldridge supplied directions to his estate in his letter, which was easy enough to follow. Mary's heart fluttered in perturbation of seeing the estate. The road was very wooded with dark green pine trees and bright ferns along the side of the road. Specks of red brick began to peak through the trees ahead on the road. The road itself became smoother and less dusty. The carriage rounded the corner and there, Mary got her first look at Pine Hollow.
The house was a modest size, nowhere near the size of Pemberley or Netherfield for that matter. It was perhaps larger and slightly taller than Longbourn, but Mary could see her own home in it very much. The windows were of the same style and two gardens of medium size fenced in by stone were at the front of the house with the pathway in between, leading up to the door.
The driveway circled around small pine trees and that was where the carriage stopped. Upon hearing the carriage arrive, Mr. Aldridge's butler, Mr. Downing, greeted the family at the door and showed them to the drawing room, where Mr. Aldridge waited.
He greeted Mr. Bennet first and bowed to him, Mr. Bennet returning the gesture.
"Mr. Aldrige, may I introduce my wife, Mrs. Bennet. Mary and Kitty you already know."
"Mrs. Bennet, it is a pleasure to meet you. Your daughters speak highly of you," Mr. Aldridge said, taking her hand. Mrs. Bennet smiled and blushed. "Miss Mary, Miss Kitty, it's good to see you again so soon."
"And you, Mr. Aldridge," Kitty said.
"Would you like tea after your long journey?" Mr. Aldridge offered.
"That would be most gracious," Mrs. Bennet said. Mr. Aldridge called for tea and he must have told his maid it would be expected after their arrival because it was produced right away.
Mary moved her eyes around the layout of the room while Mr. Bennet and Mr. Aldridge made conversation. The room was appropriately decorated, though Mary felt as if the drawing room lacked something. The furniture was neither plain nor splendor but just right. Mary thought flowers might brighten up the room and perhaps a different color of curtains, similar to Longbourn's drawing room.
"How does your estate run, Mr. Aldridge?" Mr. Bennet asked.
"Very well, I think. There are three farms, which are 40 acres each. The farms are owned by the North's, the Wood's, and the Webster families," Mr. Aldridge said.
"Was there not a family by the name of Cole living here once?"
"Ah, the Coles," Mr. Aldridge said. He thought for a while before saying, "Yes, they did live here with six children. Four of the children were ill last winter and Mr. Cole brought the doctor. I offered to supply the doctor, but Mr. Cole is a very honorable man and he is not in favor of outside help. I have learned to keep books very well and I knew Mr. Cole was short of money, so I offered for him to stay on until he could farm again, but he refused and they left."
"Where are they now?" Mr. Bennet asked.
"I believed they moved west, towards Warwick, but not so far west," Mr. Aldridge said.
"They had a daughter about Kitty's age did they not?" Mr. Bennet asked.
"Yes, Anna was her name and she was a sweet girl, always helping her mother with her younger siblings. I lent her some books from the library here," Mr. Aldridge said. "Would you like a tour of the estate?"
"I think that would be very nice," Mr. Bennet said.
As they walked through the house, Mary grew more impressed with Henry and his ability to live in a modest luxury. Mary's favorite part was the library and adjoining alcove where a pianoforte sat and five long rows of books waited to be read.
"It has not been played since my mother lived here. I think it probably needs some tuning," Henry said. Mary pressed a key and it sounded a flat tone.
"It would not require so much tuning to render it impossible to tune," Mary said. "How did you ever acquire so many books?"
"My mother loved to read. Many of these are her books," Henry said. "She passed away two years ago, shortly after my father."
Mary looked closely at the books. Most were familiar to her but some she had not heard of. She was tempted to pick one up and start reading it, but that would be rude and she desired to see the remainder of the house. Perhaps if she were mistress she could read them and maybe add some of her own collection.
By the end of the tour and nearing the end of the day, Mary was greatly satisfied with Pine Hollow and its master. Mr. Bennet also seemed satisfied and he thought to himself Mary and Mr. Aldridge would make an excellent match and indeed, Mary would be most happy here.
They dined with him later that night and then bid him farewell for the inn, for it was far too late in the night to return to Longbourn now.
The next morning, a letter arrived at the inn for Mary. Naturally, it was from Henry, requesting her family stop by for a luncheon with him. Mrs. Bennet begged Mr. Bennet to send a favorable reply immediately, and this being the only time Mr. Bennet responded quickly to his wife's requests, did and they arrived at Pine Hollow at noon.
The food was deliciously prepared by Henry's cook and Mary told him to relay the message to her. Henry offered a short walk on the grounds, but everyone except Mary refused. He thought it must have been the turkey.
So around they walked, just far enough so they could still see the house. They stood by the tallest pine tree, Mary thought it was, and looked back at the brick house over the park.
"What do you think of Pine Hollow?" Henry asked.
"It's lovely, very handsome," Mary said. "How do you manage to keep it by yourself? It must be a large job for you."
"I have to agree, it's quite the job and I don't get away very often. My staff had to force me to take a fortnight off because I was tired and exhausted from the work. I helped with some of the harvest, you know, in addition to bookkeeping and the household."
"That's very noble of you," Mary said.
"What might make this estate easier to run is an additional person living here, a somewhat permanent position," Henry said, turning to Mary. He kneeled down on one knee.
"Miss Mary Bennet, would you do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage?"
Mary's hand flew to her mouth. She gasped. She didn't know whether to cry or squeal in joy (though the idea of squealing scared her a bit). She took his hand offered out to her and simply nodded.
"Yes, a thousand times yes."