AU Pride and Prejudice

Reminder In this AU ALL ESTATES except Pemberly, are within either walking distance, or no further than a day's drive.

Unbreakable Bonds

Previously

Therefore, Anne let the body be taken away, and hugged Tandy, who was sobbing uncontrollably. She whispered words of comfort and consolation.

Consent

Ch. 8

Adelia sat on a blanket on the ground, enjoying the warm sun and the gentle breeze. She was in the backyard of the Philips' home, where she had been invited by Kitty and Mary Bennet. They had something important to tell her, something that involved their father's will and their mother's wishes. Adelia looked around and admired the well-kept garden, with its colorful flowers and lush greenery. A small pond with a fountain added a soothing sound to the atmosphere. A few birds chirped and fluttered among the branches of a large oak tree that shaded them from the heat. Adelia felt a sense of peace and curiosity as she listened attentively to what the sisters had to say.

"Let me get this straight." Miss Perry tried to keep her ire under control. "Your mother came home, cracked down on her spending, went behind your father's back and got help in making a will that your father feels he cannot afford to fight. And it would be unwise to do so even if he wanted to because he feels as if there is too much at stake. Thus, you two have a say in whom he is to marry, and this Lady Catherine - who once was a snobbish, arrogant lady - who is now befriending your family and not speaking ill of any of its members, is supporting you in choosing?"

"I would say that covers it extremely well." Kitty spoke softly, not quite daring to mention the last piece of information. However, Mary had no such reservations.

"Mother wanted us to pick you if you came here unmarried."

"She really did that?" Adelia was stunned. It seemed odd, why would Mrs. Bennet have done such a thing? "But he does not even know me. How fair is that?" She did not focus on the money for at this point she had no more answers than the Bennet sisters.

"Many marriages around here are done out of convenience. Love has nothing to do with it. If it did, I doubt Mr. Collins and Charlotte would have ever married." Kitty spoke dryly. "How she puts up with his lack of intelligence is beyond me."

"How will you explain our friendship to people?"

"We told father we met you on our trip to Brighton." Kitty replied.

'On our way over, I told him our friendship was an instant bond, and that you would have come sooner to Meryton but you had promises to your family to keep first; otherwise, you would have come sooner.

"I definitely need to meet your father. There is no question there." Adelia had to talk to him about what she suspected about the money, if nothing else. "What if - after I meet him - I do not want to marry Mr. Bennet? I took longer to get here than I planned. I thought it would only be a year; it is closing in on two. Surely, there would be a way to break that will if I were the one to say no."

"Maybe Mr. Philips can work it so that Papa does not lose his home at Longbourn." Mary said biting his lip; I only know Momma went behind our father's back in what she did -nothing more.

The three continued to talk, unaware that Mr. Bennet had entered his sister-in-law's home and was now watching them through one of the windows. Thomas held his hands behind his back. He could tell his daughters were opening up to this Miss Perry in a way they had not done since their mother's death. Hearing footsteps behind him, Mr. Bennet turned and saw Mr. and Mrs. Philips walk up behind him and then next to him.

"Your daughters are really helping Miss Perry. I have never seen anyone who has been as ill as she was recover so quickly." Mrs. Philips said, continuing to watch the trio as they seemed deep in conversation. "How did they meet?"

"My daughters say the met in Brighton." Thomas repeated what they had been told and then asked. "Do you have any idea how old she is? That is not something Mary, or Kitty, mentioned on the way over, nor did I think to ask." Mr. Bennet asked. He did not need to hear his offspring's conversation to guess what they had been discussing.

"No, Miss Perry's skin condition says one thing; her eyes another and the way she talks shout another." Mr. Philips shook his head. "My own eyes tell me she cannot be a day over twenty-three, my ears tell me she could be as old as twenty-eight or twenty-nine."

"Still young enough to have a couple of children, at the very least, either way." Mrs. Philips pointed out the obvious. "Do you think it is she your girls will pick?"

"Maybe. I will go wait in the carriage for them." Mr. Bennet said, after he saw the three stand up and head towards the house. He walked across the lawn, admiring the neat rows of vegetables and herbs that his sister-in-law had planted. He reached the carriage and climbed in, settling into the leather seat. His mind was still on his daughters, the will, and Miss Perry.

Miss Perry did indeed appear to be the same age as Jane. And yet, even from where he had been standing, Mr. Bennet sensed an old soul sitting with his daughters. It had been on her face, the way she had held herself; it was impossible to explain or to pen it in his journal, but it had been there. His thoughts remained on the subject until his daughters joined him and they started home. It was Mary who spoke to her father about Miss Perry first, before they had even gone a hundred feet.

"Papa..." Mary took a deep breath and dove right in, figuring Miss Perry was correct. There was no real tactful way to approach the subject, not with the way the late Mrs. Bennet had her will drawn up. "I told you I would know your wife when I saw her."

"You did at that."

"We have picked Miss Perry, only..." Mary gave a soft smile. "She says it is not fair to you to agree to such a marriage without giving you the right to at least converse with her once or twice. And that we are to back off if you do not like the results of your conversation, or conversations. She says if that turns out to be the case, she is certain there is something Mr. Philips can do to rectify the conditions of the will, as she would willingly be the party to say no if you wished it to be so."

Someone who was considering his feelings without even having talked to him? Yes, his wife had 'talked' to him, but it had always been to complain. No, he should not have hidden behind humor and books, that part was his fault to take. However, the idea of not having to repeat that part of his first marriage was quite appealing.

"Yes, we should talk."