One more chapter, not many left now. And as I had more time than planned today, in addition to this chapter, I have posted the first part of the short story I mentioned as a teaser earlier - so if you want a very different Lydia, a good one this time, telling her own story, check 'That Older Sister of Mine' under my profile (this will be a short vagary, not serious at all)
Chapter 18 – Lydia Bennet
As soon as they could, the Darcys and Isabella followed the Phillipses back to their house. Edward Gardiner was already present, having come from London following an express sent the previous day; Mr Phillips had informed his wife and her brother of the situation at Longbourn, so all were ready to discuss what to do next as soon as tea had been served.
"I have all the paperwork signed," Mr Phillips stated, "Miss Catherine Maria Bennet, formerly of Longbourn, Hertfordshire is now under the guardianship of her brother-in-law, Mr Fitzwilliam Alexander Darcy of Pemberley, Derbyshire. Thomas signed all the copies, with Mr Hill and Mr Thompson as witnesses without reading them first. I also got him to sign the same documents, more extensive than the letter he already gave Edward, so that Mary Helen Bennet will officially be Edward's ward.
I sent my clerk to London first thing this morning to file these with the court. He will come back with the official confirmation statements we need, so we all have copies of the documents for both girls."
Elizabeth let out a relieved breath. "Mary and Kitty are now safe." She closed her eyes for a moment then looked at Gardiner. "Uncle Edward, William and I will be providing a dowry for Kitty, and we would like you to invest it on her behalf. I know you have set money aside for Mary, and we would like to add to it, so she has the same amount as Kitty."
"While I would normally refuse this type of assistance, for Mary's sake I will accept. We can sort out all the details when we are all back in London."
Mrs Phillips had been sitting silently up to that point; she sighed and asked: "That is all good, and I am happy the girls will be spared any shame they do not deserve. But what are we to do with my sister or with Lydia? Frank and I will still live in Meryton, and we cannot deny our family links. Can we not at least try to minimise the scandal, so that Frank's business is not damaged?" She looked down at her hands, tears starting to run down her cheeks unhindered. "I know that is selfish of me, and I know I did not protect Lydia in Margate. Kitty and I had such a good time, I let Lydia and her mother alone; I could have saved her. But even if I did nothing, I do not want Frank hurt, and I do not want to leave my home."
Elizabeth knelt in front of her weeping aunt and took her hands. "No, dear aunt, no," she said gently but firmly, "you are not to blame, please do not let your mind travel in that direction. Mama was supposed to look after Lydia, and Jane was with them too. If anyone is to blame it is Mama, never you." She raised herself to sit next to her aunt and hold her. "I am so grateful you kept Kitty safe for William and me. We will think of something to keep you and my uncle safe in return, I promise you."
Darcy stood and walked to face his wife and her aunt, and bowed to Mrs Phillips. "Elizabeth is correct, you have done all you can, and our new ward is safe and free to enjoy her time with my sister and come out in London next season just as she deserves. Now we need to plan the next steps to protect you, and possibly Miss Lydia if we can."
"When I spoke to Thomas yesterday," Phillips started, "I got the impression that he had suspicions but was not certain before I confirmed it. He barely reacted, only stating that Lydia was always going to ruin herself, it was only a question of when. He stood up, walked to the parlour where his wife and daughters were and without any care or warning told Lydia that her secret visitor was no longer a secret, that she had ruined herself by getting pregnant outside of wedlock so would get nothing from him as a reward." Mr Phillips wiped his forehead with his hand. "He asked in front of the ladies whether I wanted Jane as well as the younger girls. I asked him what he planned to do for Lydia, and his answer was that he would do nothing, she was under her mother's care when she got herself with child, therefore she was now her mother's problem before returning to his study without another word."
He looked tired but continued. "I did not stay much longer after; he had signed all I needed and I had enough of him and his wife. Fanny was wailing, Lydia was silent, her eyes wide; I expect the child was in shock, as I am not sure she had realised she was with child before her father's cruel statement. Jane looked frightened, so at least one of the ladies understand the full situation. As Fanny was not at church this morning, I must assume she is keeping to her room as she does every time life does not go the way she wants."
Even knowing of Mr Bennet's behaviour over the previous twelve months, Mr Gardiner was shocked and disgusted. "That is it, then, he will do nothing and if we want a chance to avoid scandal it is down to us, for Fanny will not do more than complain and create more work for everyone at Longbourn."
"Mrs Phillips," Darcy was speaking slowly, attempting to sort his thoughts as he spoke, "can you think of any reason Lydia could be sent away from Longbourn without raising gossip? Your neighbours all know that Elizabeth and Isabella have no contact with Longbourn, and officially the Gardiners already have Mary and Kitty for an extended visit; I do not think anyone would believe Lydia would be invited to visit with either of our families. Does she have any friend away from Meryton that would invite her?"
"Lydia has never been anywhere before Margate, and she has few friends even here. She did get friendly with Mrs Forster when the militia was in town, but after Lizzy's banishment, even that friendship cooled, months before the militia left." Mrs Phillips could not think of anyone who would want Lydia.
"We could invent a friend from Margate asking for her company." Mr Phillips suggested.
"I do not usually like deception, but in this case it may work." sighed Darcy.
"The choice is either to deceive the good people of Meryton or to find a man to marry Lydia and claim the child as his." Elizabeth said sadly. "And even marrying her would involve deception."
"Where would we find a man ready to take on a pregnant, unruly and ignorant sixteen years old girl with loose moral?" Mr Phillips was angry at his niece. "I believe sending her somewhere secluded to have the child is a better option. That girl is not ready to be a wife or a mother."
"I may have a solution, then," Mr Gardiner started, "I will need to consult with Margaret, but one of her cousins in barren and her husband and her may accept to take Lydia in for a few months to finally have a child to complete their family. We visited them in Derbyshire a few years ago, they have a small farm about fifteen miles from Lambton, they are good people and would raise the child well."
"I will return to Longbourn again, and you should join me, Edward," volunteered Mr Phillips, "as soon as we confirm Bennet and Fanny will allow us to send Lydia away for her confinement, you can return to London. We can arrange the rest by post."
"One of Pemberley's couriers came to Netherfield Park with us." Darcy offered. "He will remain at your disposal until the whole sorry affair is resolved. I will make discreet enquiries to find another family in case Mrs Gardiner's cousins do not wish to host Lydia. They must be told all about her character and habits for she will be with them for many months."
Elizabeth had remain quiet until then. "I believe it is time to impose some financial penalties on our father, for we should not carry all the burden of his mistakes for him. Uncle, can you ensure that he fully settles half of the money he had saved on Lydia, half of my mother's settlement too, as well as some form of quarterly allowance so that she has something to live on? None of us should bear the burden of my parent's neglect any more than we already do. He can then be free to settle the rest on Jane as her dowry if he wishes, as Mary, Kitty and I no longer need his support."
All agreed and after a few more words, Mr Phillips prepared Lydia's settlement and departed with his brother-in-law to secure Lydia's future with the Bennets.
The atmosphere at Netherfield Park that evening was festive despite the worries Elizabeth and Darcy carried.
Mrs Hurst had been happy to see her aunts after several years apart and was happy to help her host the Darcys and the extended Bingley family, for the whole clan had descended upon Hertfordshire to celebrate with Charles.
Mr James Bingley, Agatha's brother, who was as cheerful as his nephew, had arrived with his wife, two sons, Edmond and Joseph, and Joseph's wife.
"Well, Aggie, you never told me how grand our nephew's estate was." Edmond stated as everyone was gathered in the large parlour after dinner that evening. "I will need to find excuses to visit the boy more often."
"Charles told me he wanted you to stay here, aunt. Will you?" Louisa asked, not letting her uncle tease Agatha.
"Both Charles and Charlotte have asked, my dear, and I believe I will stay." Her aunt replied with a smile. "There is enough work on the estate for the three of us, and I suspect Charlotte will still need to spend time at Lucas Lodge to finish training Miss Maria. I should say Miss Lucas now I suppose."
Mr Hurst, who had surprised everyone in attendance with his newly trimmed figure, his bright eyes and more importantly his sobriety, continued Louisa's thoughts: "Then if both the Mrs Bingleys of Netherfield agree, Louisa and I could visit for Easter, so that you can meet Marianne; she will be old enough to travel so far by then."
"Will you be returning to London before, or will you remain in Somerset?" Agatha asked.
"Neither actually," a beaming Louisa replied before her husband could, "Gerald has bought the house we stayed in at the start of the year, in Bath. He even had it all redecorated for me as a surprise, it is so very beautiful and elegant now." Mr Hurst blushed slightly. "Well, my dear, you loved Bath so much, I could do nothing else. And the London townhouse can still be used by any Hurst or Bingley needing to be in town. Is Charles considering buying Netherfield then."
"More than considering," Edmond Bingley laughed, "he has bought it already, I helped him with some of the paperwork. Mr and Mrs Charles Bingley are officially the first landed Bingleys with Netherfield Park. My uncle would have been so proud of his son."
"That is good news," Louisa was pleased for Charles, "Aunt Agatha, you must tell him that he can write Gerald if he has questions, for he has learned so much helping his father, he is now quite the estate manager. Of course," she added turning towards Mr Darcy, "he will ask you many questions too I expect." The conversation carried on in such a friendly manner late into the night.
In the morning the Darcys returned to London, and the following day the Hursts and Bingleys returned to their respective homes, leaving Mrs Agatha Bingley happily alone.
While her family and their friends were celebrating the newlyweds in Netherfield Park, five and twenty miles away in London, Caroline Bingley was sitting in her rented house with Mrs Smith, her companion, a widow who shared many character traits with her employer, being convinced that her reduced position in life was due to the spite of her family rather than her poor choice of husband. It was not unusual for them to spend the evening alone at home.
"Will you visit your brother and his bride to pay your respects once they are in town?" Mrs Smith asked, hoping for a visit to a nicer part of London. The house Charles had rented for Caroline was on the wrong side of Russell Square, in a respectable street but not near Mayfair or any fashionable area of town.
"I would prefer not to, but cannot avoid it or I would attract gossip," Caroline sneered, "we will go, but nothing will make me stay more than fifteen minutes."
"Perhaps you should befriend your new sister-in-law and invite her to visit you here." The companion suggested. "If she saw how far from Portman Square your brother placed you, she may ask him to increase your allowance and move us to a better street, where you can invite your fashionable friends often."
Miss Bingley remained thoughtful for a long time. Mrs Smith's idea had value, but she was not certain the former Miss Lucas would help her as Caroline had treated her like the country mushroom she was during their short acquaintance in Meryton. "The new Mrs Bingley is unlikely to even notice anything wrong with this house or with Marshmont Street, unsophisticated as that woman was when I met her." Caroline finally said. "I will consider your suggestion, but I hold little hope for any help until Louisa returns to town. I just hope she leaves her brat in Somerset, for I dislike babies and mothers who only talk about them."
What Caroline did not voice out loud was the fact that she no longer appeared to have any fashionable friend to invite; without her brother's support or any access to Mr Darcy, her former friends had distanced themselves fast. And since the announcement in the Times that Miss Elizabeth Bennet was now Mrs Darcy, Caroline would not dare approach any of the people who had heard her brag about being his future wife.
She had at first disbelieved the announcement altogether, for the uncouth girl had been sent away from home in disgrace, how would she have come to Mr Darcy's notice again. But doubt had lingered in her mind, and she had finally written and asked her brother a week or so later. His reply had left her dumb and unbelieving. Mr Darcy had married that Eliza Bennet, and Charles had been at the wedding. Caroline's hopes and dreams were finally shattered; she had held tight onto the belief that there had been a terrible misunderstanding and her Mr Darcy would arrive and offer for her, saving her from a life of obscurity; it was all lost. Surprising even herself, her reaction to accepting Mr Darcy's nuptials was silence, simple, extended and oppressive silence.
In the same missive Charles had informed her that he was on the verge of proposing to Miss Lucas and that she was not welcome in Hertfordshire until a week before the wedding. As if she would attend that event. A further letter, this time to Louisa, confirmed that there were no misunderstanding. Charles would marry and no one would support her objections.
Charles had only paid for the first six months of rent for the house in Marshmont Street; this had run out a week before the wedding in Meryton and his sister was not sure she could afford to remain for many months before having to move to an even less fashionable part of London. Louisa and her disgusting husband would not let her return to their townhouse even though it sat empty while they were in the west country somewhere; Aunt Agatha had let out her house in Scarborough as she was staying with Charles; nobody was thinking of Caroline or helping her and she could not see how to repair all she had damaged. She may have to move back to Scarborough if she could not find a way to limit her spending, but without her aunt in residence she would be even more isolated there than in London.
Leaving Mr and Mrs Phillips to deal with the sorry business in Hertfordshire while Mr Gardiner assisted from London and organised the official name changes for his nieces, all four Darcys journeyed to Rosings Park to enjoy two weeks with Anne De Bourgh.
Georgiana could barely remember Rosings, as she had avoided her overbearing aunt for many years, and of course Kitty and Elizabeth had never travelled to this part of Kent, although the journey to Margate had taken Kitty within twenty miles of the estate. William, however, had been very familiar with his aunt's tastes and the dark, oppressive decors of most rooms; he was surprised to find that in only a few months, Anne had already completed the refurbishing of all the common rooms; she would need another half year to completely renew all the bedrooms, for Rosings was a large manor house.
"This room is a delight," he noted when they settled in the large drawing room after refreshing themselves, "I used to feel trepidations coming here with your mother on her throne and the drapes always drawn."
Anne laughed, "This was the first room I tackled, for it was unbearable really. You will be pleased to know the throne has now gone to De Bourgh House in London for Mama's use. In fact, I sent so many pieces of hers to London that some rooms look positively bare."
"I cannot reconcile what I have seen of your home, Anne, with what William told us of. Every one of the rooms I have seen for the moment is elegant and comfortable looking; perhaps Georgie's and Kitty's rooms are a little over-ornate, but nothing near what I expected. If you have a room or two still in the style preferred by Lady Catherine, you must show us before you renew them." Elizabeth had indeed enjoyed what she had been shown of Rosings, but the mischievous part of her would appreciate the garish and expensive style her husband had described.
"Then let us spend the morrow exploring." Anne said. "I have always loved this place, it was my father's pride and joy, and I will be happy to share it with you all. I will not even tell you which rooms have not changed as you will guess easily."
That Sunday, after church, Darcy took his wife on a long walk in Rosings' meadows. "How do you feel now that you have met Mr Collins again, my love?" He asked his wife
"As I expected I feel very little." Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I can appreciate his wife; she has made a pragmatic and practical decision to marry a man of lower intelligence than she possesses and is managing him better than I would have believed possible. I do not think I would ever have chosen such a life, but she is content, and Mr Collins is already significantly improved."
"Some of it must be attributed to his change in patroness, for Anne will be happy to support his wife's efforts to reform him." Darcy added, "I think he may make a decent clergyman in the end."
The Darcys' stay in Kent was brief but highly enjoyable for all. Kitty was soon added to Anne's expanding list of correspondents; while a year before Anne's only regular letter exchanges were with Georgiana and her Aunt Susan, with William, Henry and Richard as infrequent participants, she had added Lizzy first to that short list, then after the wedding at Adlington Hall, Mary, Charlotte and Isabella joined them. With Kitty enthusiastically accepting the offer of friendship, Anne felt blessed. Her health may not allow her to participate in society as much as she wanted, but she now had firm friends that were well on their way to eradicating definitely the former loneliness of Rosings Park's mistress.
