Intertwined

by Ldibo

Mr. Bennet on his deathbed asked his cousin to take 17-year-old Elizabeth to live with her. He was afraid his wife would make Elizabeth's life miserable. Darcy managed to save Georgiana, but not before her ruination became gossip among the Ton. A surprising gentleman proves to be their salvation. Edited by Sam.H

1. Chapter 1

Dear Readers,

After receiving several requests to repost my stories on this platform, I have decided to do so. My stories are copyrighted and published on Amazon under my real name.

Kind regards,

Lorena

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For almost 200 years, the Bennet family had lived in Longbourn. In 1758, George Bennet married Clara Rochester in an arranged marriage. With the bride's £10,000 dowry, Mr. Bennet paid off his father's gambling debts and made some repairs to the estate. They were blessed with only one son, Thomas, who was born in 1762.

Clara Rochester had two younger sisters, Maria and Elizabeth. Maria was married in 1760 to Mr. Bennet's cousin, Mr. Samuel Collins, and four years later, Elizabeth married Mr. Thompson, who had a small estate in Derbyshire.

Mr. Collins had a habit of drinking too much wine and became violent when drunk. Shortly after their son was born in 1762, Samuel Collins lost a lot of money playing cards. When his wife reproached him, he struck her hard several times, and Maria fell, hit her head, and died. As a result of that terrible incident, the Bennets and the Thompsons severed relations with the Collins.

The Thompsons, on the other hand, were a happy couple. They had two daughters: Marianne, born in 1769, and Victoria, born in 1770.

In 1770, Thomas, then five, fell ill with pneumonia. Due to his mother's care, he survived the terrible illness, but for several years, his parents overprotected him and controlled his outdoor activities. Thomas was a curious child; he liked to read and asked his father questions of a philosophical nature. He disliked physical activities and only learned to ride a horse when he was 12 years old.

Although the relationship between the Thompsons and the Bennets was very good, due to the distance between Hertfordshire and Derbyshire, they rarely saw each other, but they maintained communication by letter.

The years passed, and when Thomas turned 18, like his father, he attended Cambridge. A month before starting his last year at university, Thomas returned to Longbourn for the holidays. That year, the Thompsons visited Longbourn after not seeing the Bennets for five years.

During that visit, Thomas fell deeply in love with his cousin, Marianne Thompson. Marianne was 17 years old, and in addition to being an educated young lady with a dowry of £10,000, she was also very pretty and charming. She had entered society a few months earlier, but until meeting Thomas, no gentleman had caught her eye.

Since Marianne was still quite young and Thomas had to finish university, their respective parents suggested they wait at least a year before becoming engaged.

That year, with Mr. Thompson's permission, Thomas and Marianne were able to send each other letters. As the months passed, both became more and more convinced that they had much in common and wished to marry. When Thomas finally graduated, he traveled to Derbyshire to ask for Marianne's hand. Three months later, they were married at Longbourn.

Victoria Thompson was very happy because her sister was marrying for love, and she had a good relationship with Thomas as well.

During Thomas's first year of marriage, George and Clara Bennet died in a carriage accident. Thomas Bennet was now the master of Longbourn, and he also inherited the remaining £2,000 of his mother's dowry. Unfortunately, George Bennet and Thomas Bennet had not yet broken the fee entail on Longbourn.

In 1790, Victoria Thompson married Mr. Harrison in a love match. The gentleman was intelligent and amiable and owned a small estate in Derbyshire.

In 1791, after four years of marriage and two miscarriages, Elizabeth Bennet was born. When the midwife told Thomas that a girl was born, Thomas was initially disappointed, as he wanted to have a son and an heir. But the first time his little Lizzy looked at him and smiled, Thomas knew he would adore his daughter.

A year later, Marianne died during childbirth along with the child. Thomas was completely devastated, as he adored his wife and could not imagine continuing on without her.

A week later, the Thompsons, along with the Harrisons, arrived at Longbourn to attend the funeral. Thomas amended his will, bequeathing the £12,000 dowry from Marianne and his mother to Elizabeth.

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Fanny Gardiner was the youngest daughter of the local solicitor. Her mother had died a few years earlier, and her father paid little attention to her as he concentrated on raising his only son. She was the prettiest girl in Meryton. But she was also vain, shallow, and poorly educated. In 1788, when she was 16, she fell in love with a soldier, Mr. Smith. Her father opposed the marriage because the soldier did not have enough money to support her. But the couple anticipated their vows, and Mr. Gardiner finally consented.

Seven months after the wedding, Jane Smith was born. After three years of marriage, Mr. Smith died in combat on the Continent, and Fanny had to return to her father's house with little Jane.

At 20 years of age, Fanny was a beautiful widow with a 3-year-old daughter. Shortly after the mourning period ended, she decided to marry again. During her first marriage, she had been unhappy due to a continual shortage of funds, but now that she was more mature and astute, she would choose a wealthy husband. The gentleman who best met her requirements to be her future husband was Mr. Bennet.

Fanny took every opportunity to fawn over Mr. Bennet, especially Lizzy. A few months later, Thomas proposed to her, and they married. Soon afterwards, he realized that he had made the worst mistake of his life.