Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice, all credit to Jane Austen

Summary: See Previous Chapters

Chapter Eight

Lydia had located a Dance manual for some of the more popular European sets, and was attempting to learn as much as she could from the instructions, just in case. Kitty was sketching a new design, Georgiana's head bent close to hers, both stealing glances at Mary and Mr Crawley, who were engaged in a fierce debate over... something. They'd diverged from the original point of discussion some time ago, and seemed to have stagnated on logistics of some kind.

Colonel Fitzwilliam, lounging against the mantlepiece with an amused expression, caught her eye and smiled. Lydia tried not to blush. The Colonel was not the most handsome of men, but Wickham was proof that a steady character and kind nature was infinitely to be preferred over an attractive face. But a young lady waited to be pursued; she was never the pursuer. Jane and Lizzy had been very firm on that. It was on the gentleman to do the asking, and for whatever reason, the Colonel did not.

Mary and Mr Crawley, that was a much safer place to turn her attention. Mary might not have Lizzy's wit, but they shared the same stubbornness. Mr Crawley seemed a little less rigid, but equally determined. "But such accounts are anecdotal, and difficult to verify. Surely research that has been reviewed by professionals is to be preferred."

Mary huffed lightly, folding her arms. "Does not all research begin with anecdotes? Our knowledge is constantly expanding, and we cannot dismiss possibilities just because the witness did not graduate from University. History is informed as much from rubbish heaps and diaries as by historical records."

Finding himself on the back foot was apparently a new experience for Mr Crawley, at least where young ladies were concerned. "Well, yes, but numbers and figures are far easier to interpret factually. There is less bias to be found from historians."

Papa, when he and Lizzy discussed books, had a number of opinions on histories, particularly when historians disagreed with each other. Lydia preferred to study History only as it became relevant to her, but she'd heard enough discussions through the wall that Papa's bookroom shared with the small parlour that the sisters used as a sort of study to know that facts might be simple, but interpreting them was not.

Mary's eyes narrowed, like a hawk fixing on its prey. "Historians are as subject to bias as any other person, they just don't admit to it! Commoners and young ladies can also be gifted, but lack the opportunities of higher education or admittance into academic circles, and are never taught to write essays or articles, so we must find our own ways to gain and record knowledge."

Mr Crawley did not look frightened, but he held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I agree with you; it is one of the reasons I have been trying to push for chapter-houses. It is always claimed that we do not have the resources to seek out the Gifted, and not all Gifted have the ability to travel to London, if they even know to seek us here."

Perhaps it was time for a less engaged perspective, and Lydia would not be attempting the figure in her dance book without a partner. She set the book down. "Do not most estates have dower houses of some kind or another? Among those families where being Gifted is hereditary, might a long-term lease be arranged?"

Kitty backed Lydia up, as she always did. "Or if not a dower house, at least a hunting lodge? Chapter houses need not be as fully stocked as the headquarters, just one or two permanent residents and a good number of guest rooms."

Longbourn was not so large that it required overnight hunting trips, and what had once been a two-room hunting lodge had long since been turned into the Gamekeeper's hut by the time Lydia was born. Georgiana was more familiar with grand houses, and looked thoughtful. "Actually, that would be an excellent cover for any lower-born Gifted. Staffing a hunting lodge or dower house is not prestigious work, and there is little room for advancement, so most servants will take a lower position at an estate house and work their way up. A position at a chapter house would allow any gifted in Service an employer who would not penalise them when Duty interfered with duties."

Kitty beamed. "Neatly put. Our mentors, Mrs Black and Miss Norris, spoke often of the difficulties when one has to choose between working for a living and fighting evil. They were fortunate that Mr Black and Mr Morris could afford to support them. We are fortunate to be born gentlewomen."

That brought to mind a subject that had been in Lydia's thoughts frequently of late. "It makes me worry what will happen when Papa dies. We will always have a home with our sisters, of course, but I don't imagine Jane and Lizzy wanting to live so far apart, and I do not know that Mrs Black and Miss Morris will be able to mentor another generation after us."

Mr Crawley frowned. "Your estate is entailed? How so, and can the entail not be broken? It would be beneficial be able to keep an eye on Hertfordshire, in case something else seeks to fill the gap left by Netherfield."

Mary shook her head. "To heirs male, yes. It is a simple one, requiring the current owner and the heir to agree to break it, but of course few heirs are willing to give up the chance of being landowners. I believe Papa tried with Old Mr Collins, and was refused."

Mr Collins himself had seemed more persuadable, but he had been too focused on finding a wife that could tolerate him to hear Papa's attempt to re-open the possibility, especially when he had hoped to choose one of the Bennet sisters for the honour, which would have made it a moot point.

Colonel Fitzwilliam leaned against the mantlepiece. "Start by hinting at how noble it is of him to abandon Lady Catherine and Rosings to care for a small estate in Hertfordshire, despite how reluctant he must be to do so."

Would a clergyman, even a well-situated one, really give up an estate to remain in the shadow of his patroness? A sensible one would refuse, but Mr Collins was hardly a man of towering intellect, and even Charlotte would only have so much influence. Lydia smiled, warming to the idea. "Dwell on the fact that it would be some time before he could visit for more than a day or two, and not more than once a year, wait for him to become truly anxious at the idea, then suggest that it could be solved very easily by breaking the entail."

Kitty beamed, bouncing in place. "Then all Papa would need to do once Mr Collins has signed is to decide whether Longbourn should pass via absolute primogeniture, or in the case of no sons, a son-in-law willing to take the Bennet name. I understand that those are the most common methods."

A messenger appeared then, to summon them back to General Mayhew's office. Mr Crawley paused in gathering up papers. "Miss Bennet, may I call while you are in London? I greatly enjoyed hearing your perspective on the matter of chapter-houses, and would hope to discuss other matters. Indeed, if talking to you provides such insights, I must insist upon it."

The smile he aimed at her was not quite flirtatious, but undeniably interested. Mary blushed, having never been on the receiving end of such interest before, but nodded. "I also enjoyed our discussion, and would welcome your visit."

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A/N: Some entails were hideously complex, others were fairly simple. How easy or hard they were to break depended on how the entail was set up.