It has been 2 days already, so here's the next chapter. It got away from me so it is the longest one so far, with a little bit of redemption at the end, but not for who you think.

Chapter Thirteen

Without Jane, Elizabeth's room in Longbourn was enormous and cold, and life was a little less satisfying than it had been for over twenty years; luckily the presence of the Gardiners, who would remain until after Christmas, provided a welcome distraction. During the day, the noise and bustle of a full house kept the new Miss Bennet from becoming too melancholic, but alone at night, she could not help feeling regret at having rejected a proposal from the man she now believed would have suited her so perfectly; she had been right to release him from an attachment that would have lowered him in his own eyes and in the opinions of the society he lived in, yet she wished she had better connections, had been more successful with Longbourn, or had fewer sisters to provide for; in short, she wished circumstances had been just a little different and allowed her to become Mrs Darcy without remorse.

Mrs Bennet observed her daughter discretely; she could recognise all the signs of a broken heart, but other than being available should her child need someone to talk to, she was powerless; the rest of the family attributed Elizabeth's depressed spirit to Jane's absence; such an affectionate younger sister was expected to miss her closest friend and confidante acutely, making her behaviour perfectly natural.

Preparations for Charlotte's wedding, which had been set aside temporarily for the Bingleys, resumed, and Mrs Hurst happily joined Elizabeth and Mary in their sewing sessions and the little tasks the ladies were undertaking on behalf of their friend and neighbours. Kitty and Lydia, having completed their tasks and made a lovely cream and chocolate matron cap and a matching chocolate-coloured shawl with cream edging, undertook the entertainment of their young cousins with pleasing enthusiasm.

Of Mr Bennet, they saw very little; the gentleman remained hidden in his library in fear of losing control of his tongue and angering his wife or second daughter, and by extension the local gentry. He was not missed.

"Mama, Aunty Bennet, Aunty Phillips, look!" Little Elise Gardiner, who was nearly four years old, was holding the new doll she had just unwrapped on Christmas morning, "my new dolly is the most pretty, she has brown hair and blue eyes like me. And Lizzy says if I am a good girl, I can have one of the kittens she made too. Please Mama, can my dolly have the kitty, we are both very good girls, dolly and me, please?"

Her mother laughed and briefly hugged her excited daughter. "If your cousin says there are enough little toy cats for you to have one, then yes, your dolly can look after it."

The little girl ran back to where her siblings and cousins were sitting and playing with a loud whoop of joy.

"Lizzy is such a sweet young woman, Fanny, so good with all the children and so sensible at the same time. You can be very proud of her." Mrs Gardiner said as her daughter ran off.

"Indeed I am, sister," Fanny replied, "all my girls are lovely and bright, as you know, but my Lizzy has taken so many responsibilities in the past five years; all these things I did not even know needed to be done on an estate, and yet she has remained as upright and generous a girl as you can find. I do not know what we would have become without her, yet I wish I could help her more. Even this year, she made all the tenants' boxes alone as I spent so much time with the younger girls, and all these sweet toys for the children too. They will all be so pleased, more so because it comes from their little estate master as they call our Lizzy."

Her sister Phillips sighed, "None of us had any idea about estate management, sister, we were not raised for it; we all did our best, but Lizzy was the only one with the intelligence to learn all that was needed; my Frank always says she is brighter than most of the young men he met at university. I hope her new brother will invite many nice gentlemen and one of them sees how wonderful our girl is. Oh, I will miss her so when she marries and goes away, but it would do her good to have her own home and fewer responsibilities, and someone to treasure her."

Mrs Bennet shook her head sadly but did not reply and the conversation moved to safer topics. She would need to write to Jane and ask her to keep Mr Darcy away from Netherfield for a few months; Elizabeth needed time to heal and fully regain her liveliness before being in that gentleman's presence again; hopefully, dear Charles would understand.

The Gardiners returned to London soon after Christmas, and Mr Collins arrived on the second day of the new year to assist with the final preparation for his wedding. The following day, he sought out his favourite cousin on his return from Lucas Lodge.

"My dear cousin Elizabeth, Miss Lucas has entrusted me with a most important mission, and I hope to discharge it successfully," the voluble man started, "as you may know, my dear Charlotte and I will be staying in London for a week as a small wedding trip, in a charming little inn Lady Catherine recommended, before returning to my humble parsonage in Kent. Your friend was initially determined to ask you to join Sir William and my soon-to-be sister Miss Maria for their visit at Easter, but she tells me that your love of Longbourn would most likely restrict the length of your visit as you will wish to be present for the duration of the planting season. With that in mind, I would like to modify the invitation my dearest betrothed meant to issue and beg you to come to Hunsford at the end of January and remain with us for six weeks at least. Indeed I will very happily come myself to escort you so that there can be no reason for your amiable mother to worry about your safety."

Elizabeth was highly entertained by this discourse and, after receiving a nod of approval from her mother, she answered: "Mr Collins, cousin, I am honoured by your consideration of my safety, and, if you can assure me that my visiting so early in your marriage will not be an imposition, I will be delighted to come and assess for myself the happiness and delight of my dearest friend."

The gentleman was elated by his success and loquacious in his thanks to his cousin; Mrs Bennet and her daughters bore his speeches serenely.

When the gentleman appeared to have exhausted his supply of ready compliments, Elizabeth raised the topic of estate management again.

"Mr Collins, you correctly assessed the importance of the spring planting at Longbourn just now, and I wonder whether you would enjoy visiting some of the farms and tenants in the next few days. I would be quite happy to share my knowledge of your future estate with you, and our Uncle Phillips can show you the type of contracts and legal documents you will be responsible for when you inherit; we will have plenty of time to review the intricacies of accounts and crop markets with Charlotte while I am in Kent." Elizabeth's offer was genuine as she loved Longbourn and wanted to do all that was possible to ensure the estate's success in the long term.

"My dear cousin, that is a gracious offer indeed! I will return to Lucas Lodge at once to invite dearest Charlotte to join us if you are agreeable, I am sure she will help me retain a lot of this information, and perhaps we may use some of this new knowledge in Hunsford."

Elizabeth could not help laughing as her cousin all but ran out of the room in his eagerness to consult with Miss Lucas.

Mrs Bennet shook her head, amazed at Mr Collins' boundless energy once more. "That was well done, Lizzy, very well done. Charlotte's future husband appears ready to not only listen to advice from a woman but to involve his wife in the decisions. The man never ceases to surprise me, and I am more grateful than ever that he will be the next master of Longbourn; I do love our home in spite of everything, and I will be glad to know it is well cared for."

Mary chuckled: "Indeed the estate may be cared for, but I must admit I am glad it will be Charlotte who is subjected to his near-constant babbling and not me. I find our cousin exhausting."

"Ah, but sister, you are used to having many hours of silent contemplation, while Charlotte has grown up listening to Sir William; your situations and tempers are so very different, it is quite natural that you would seek different qualities in your life partners," Elizabeth stated with a smile. "And for now, I believe teaching estate management to Mr Bennet's heir and my best friend will liven up the next few days quite nicely. As luck would have it, I bought a new stock of notebooks just last week so they will both be able to take as many notes as they need."

The eve of Charlotte's wedding was on a Sunday, and as usual, the crowd of worshippers remained in the churchyard for some gossip after service; while the pastor was greeting his parishioners, Sir William dragged Mr Bennet away from the assembled community, toward the exact spot that man had stood in a few weeks earlier for his daughter's wedding.

"Well, well, well, I have been meaning to talk to you," the garrulous knight stated.

"If it is to discuss travelling arrangements for my daughter to visit Kent, I am not interested," Bennet growled in reply.

"Indeed, I did not expect you to be. But first I think setting a few ground rules for the next few weeks and months may be of use. And I believe you mean Mrs Bennet's daughter, for you have not been a father to any of the girls, and certainly not to our dear Miss Eliza, who has worked so hard at improving Longbourn to compensate for your laziness." Sir William's face was stern, which was a rare occurrence for that gentleman. "The way you have treated the lively and sweet Fanny Gardiner and the children she gave you is no longer secret in Longbourn village or Meryton, and I was chosen as spokesperson today; make no mistake however, I am speaking for the four and twenty families that make up the gentry around here. It appears that, from a misplaced sense of duty, Mrs Bennet has protected you and kept your maliciousness hidden for many years, but she will no longer allow her daughters to be threatened. This is all so repulsive to me; you were given every advantage in life, a prosperous estate, a gentle and witty wife, and five healthy daughters, and yet you could not appreciate or love any of these blessings. You have hidden in your book room while Fanny and the girls took care of everything. Your apathetic, indolent habits are as nauseating as your vicious tongue. Your hour of reckoning is here, Bennet; we will no longer allow you to abuse any of the girls, and from now on, each of your actions will bear consequences."

Bennet's face had turned red once more, flushed with a mix of anger and distress. "I am the master of Longbourn and I will do as I wish in my domain."

Sir William smirked at his neighbour's empty bluster and added with a return of his jovial voice and manners: "You will not be for long if we all act against you, my Charlotte has told me about Miss Eliza's list of empty farms in the neighbourhood, as well as the nearly expired leases for the Turners and the Smithsons, who manage two of your most profitable farms I believe. Do not believe this to be an empty threat, Bennet, we can ensure all your farms are vacant before spring if you step out of line. For now, your wife and remaining girls wish to stay at Longbourn and continue looking after the estate so that the people on it thrive, but they can change their minds at any time. And the best thing is that you cannot sell or mortgage any of the land that is part of the entail, while you may come close to bankrupting the estate as you nearly did after inheriting, our Eliza has shown that a good manager can restore it within two or three years of taking charge. My daughter will still inherit a place worthy of her and her new husband when the time comes, and the whole community will help her bring it back to profit. You may be thinking of ways to get your revenge on the girls or all of us, but I would advise you not to try the patience of the whole of Meryton, you would not win. I assume you understand me."

Sir William stared at Bennet who remained silent, unable to think of any way to regain control of his family or estate.

With his jovial smile back in its usual place, Sir William continued, "Capital, now, for the travel arrangements, the plan has changed and I will convey Miss Eliza and my Maria to Hunsford myself in a fortnight, although I will only stay with them for three days, then Mrs Bennet's brother will ensure their safe return in March when he brings Miss Mary and Miss Catherine back to Longbourn as well. For the week I am away, Lady Lucas, Mrs Phillips and the two Long girls will visit your wife and remaining daughter daily. And of course, the Bingleys will be back by that time too."

With a last friendly-looking tap on Bennet's shoulder, Sir William turned and walked towards his carriage to take his family home.

On the sixth of January, at eleven in the morning, William Collins and Charlotte Lucas exchanged their vows in front of their family and friends. The wedding breakfast at Lucas Lodge was a smaller affair than Jane's had been, but the mood of all the participants was just as cheerful and the bride and groom were delighted by the many presents and congratulations they received.

"Oh, Fanny, can you believe we finally have managed?" Lady Lucas sighed, taking a seat next to her friend, "We both have a daughter married, and well married too at that. It is such a relief."

"Indeed, it is, dear friend," Mrs Bennet was in a happy mood, which seemed to be a daily occurrence since she had revealed her true nature to her friends, "Our two oldest and most deserving of girls, such a happy thought. But we are not done yet, not while there are still so many young ladies in Meryton; we have six more just between us, and then their friends cannot be ignored, as they all will need good situations too. I think you and I can enjoy many more years of matchmaking and organising wedding receptions; it will be quite a lot of fun." The two ladies chuckled.

Lady Lucas became pensive for a moment: "You know, I wish we had known the truth much earlier, we would not have been so hard on poor little Kitty and Lydia. They really are good girls, lively and generous and very much like their second older sister. They have taken to helping my Maria and Susie Long with all sorts of things, fashion and drawing mostly, but I overheard your Lydia explaining how to balance a budget by using ingredients you can buy from each other's farmers when their crops are in season; and just yesterday, Miss Kitty was showing my little Annie how to sew little toy cats for our tenants just as your Eliza did for Christmas; Annie is too young at only ten to make enough for all the children, but with Maria's and my help, it will turn out very well, I think."

The friendly, and quiet, conversation continued until it was time for the newlyweds to depart, amidst more congratulations and a few tears due to the distance that would separate the former Miss Lucas from the people who loved and respected her.

Longbourn seemed very quiet after the wedding, with Jane still at the seaside and the two middle Bennet daughters gone to London. Left without their respective favourite sisters, Lydia and Elizabeth spent most of their time together, with Lydia even joining her older sister in the large room that was now Elizabeth's for a night or two, as she felt lonely without Catherine.

The Hursts had remained at Netherfield Park with Miss Bingley; they would leave shortly after Charles and Jane's return and travel first to London, then to the Hurst family estate in Somerset, without Caroline. Louisa continued her daily visits to Longbourn, enjoying conversations with Elizabeth or Mrs Bennet mostly. On a day when Mrs Phillips was visiting at the same time and Elizabeth was out helping one of her tenants, she found herself debating the length of sleeves that was both appropriate for the countryside yet fashionable with the youngest Bennet sister; Lydia was bright and lively, and her opinions were supported by practical notions such as the weather and activities a lady had to contend with, and a surprising knowledge of the current London fashions. By the time she returned, Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised at the unlikely friendship that was growing between her fifteen-year-old baby sister and the six-and-twenty-year-old married lady. It appeared that her worries about Lydia being lonely during February and the start of March were unnecessary after all.

Elizabeth had just entered Netherfield's gardens when she noticed Miss Bingley sitting on one of the benches set a few feet away from the footpath she was on.

"Miss Eliza Bennet," the lady wore her usual sneer, yet the shine in her eyes and her heightened colour was unmistakable, she had been crying, very recently.

"Miss Bingley," Elizabeth replied with a small polite curtsy, "I was on my way to see Louisa, as she has asked me for my help with her tenant visits and the level of support she should offer, or request from your brother on their behalf."

"Why?"

Elizabeth was confused by that question. "I believe Mr Hurst will inherit his parent's estate, making your sister responsible for the welfare of the people living there."

Miss Bingley shook her head, "I know that, I mean why would Louisa request your help? She went to an exclusive seminary, as did I, and she learned all she needed to know about estates from the instructors there; she is likely to know more than you do about the topic, for she was a very fastidious student. Besides, she will have staff to take care of most of the work, she will not need to visit tenants often."

Elizabeth smiled and, guessing the discussion would take quite some time, sat at the other end of the bench Caroline occupied. "Now I understand your question, thank you. You both learned the theory behind the work the mistress of an estate performs, and that is indeed a very useful start, but in practice, things may be quite different; issues will always arise that you have not encountered before. I can tell you that Jane and I made many mistakes at Longbourn over the years, mostly when we forgot to consider people's feelings when making decisions; when it comes to their livelihood, tenants may be less logical and rational than you might wish for." She paused for a moment before asking: "You say that Louisa will have servants, and indeed Mr Hurst may also have a competent steward to help him, but dealing with people is very complex, and if they believe you do not pay attention to their work, or care for them properly, they will be disgruntled, and work less efficiently."

Miss Bingley's frown was getting deeper, "but then you would replace the servants or tenants who do not produce what they are supposed to, surely."

"How would you know whether they did the work properly if you do not oversee what happens during planting or harvest? A poor crop may be due to many factors, some as simple as the weather or the quality and availability of seeds, and you would not replace a tenant for something out of their control. Part of your contract with them is your responsibility to maintain their cottages, yet many would not dare to make requests to the master; the mistress' visits are more informal and issues come to light much more easily."

Miss Bingley sighed. "I believe I see what you mean, but what if one does not like this type of work."

Elizabeth hesitated a moment, long enough for Caroline to notice: "Will you tell me what you are thinking Miss Bennet? I suppose I will not like it, but I will survive it."

After a small chuckle, Elizabeth answered: "I think you and I could get along very well after all. Well, you asked, so here it is: have you considered that the type of gentlemen you have been taught to look at for marriage would expect you to perform these duties? Unless you marry someone who neglects his property, which would be a mistake, you will need to spend most of your time in the countryside and organise your life around the cycles of planting and harvesting. You are young, beautiful and rich, you can expect to marry extremely well, but will it make you happy? Forgive me for saying so, but you seem fonder of town than of the quiet country life we lead here."

"Whatever I expected you to say, that was not it." Caroline was looking down at her hands, flexing and opening them rhythmically, as if to help her concentrate on her thoughts. At long last, she shook her head once more. "My parents wanted all three of their children to join the gentry; Louisa has done just so by marrying Hurst, and Charles will buy somewhere with your sister. I cannot disappoint them."

"If you mean your parents, I cannot say. For your siblings, maybe you should discuss this with them; their wishes for your future may surprise you, as I would guess Louisa at least would want to see you happy more than anything. I will be leaving for Kent in a few days, but Jane will be back before I leave; if you give her a chance, she will do all she can to support you in any decision you make." With that Elizabeth stood and continued her walk towards the main house, leaving a thoughtful Miss Bingley behind. Perhaps Jane's new sister would turn out well after all.