Chapter 10

The day after Mr. Bennet learned that the daughter he had cast away had gotten married and could not be forced to marry the heir of Longbourn, Bennet sat in his study, making plans. While his brother Phillips had assured him that the heir presumptive could not force Bennet to turn the estate over to him, he could sue for breach of contract. Of course, the simplest option would be to allow Collins to marry another daughter, but Mrs. Bennet would not agree to Jane marrying the man and Mary, at sixteen, was far too young. .

Bennet recalled what he knew of his cousin. They were of a similar age; Collins was perhaps a year or two younger than his own forty-eight years. His son was several years older than Jane, and Bennet wondered why he wanted such a young wife. He already had his heir, and marrying a Bennet daughter would not give him Longbourn any sooner.

He heard his family stirring above stairs and he considered what had transpired that led him to this. Once Elizabeth had gone, Jane had stopped seeking him out. As young girls, Elizabeth and Jane regularly visited his study. These forays were typically instigated by the younger, but Jane had enjoyed reading and learning nearly as much as her sister. But with her Lizzy gone, Jane had little reason to seek him out any more and Mr. Bennet had become more isolated.

From that point on, Mrs. Bennet was solely responsible for the education of all the girls. She had encouraged Jane to eschew reading anything more complex than the occasional novel. All the girls were now competent seamstresses, with the exception of Lydia, who was spoiled and flighty. Lydia was far more inclined to take apart a seam than sew one. Instead of forcing her youngest to do things she did not enjoy, Mrs. Bennet made others fix what Lydia spoiled.

Though she was older by just over a year, Kitty followed Lydia in most things. At fourteen and thirteen, the girls were already attending most social events in Meryton. Mrs. Bennet encouraged all of her girls to seek husbands, despite the tender ages of the youngest three. Jane was approaching her twentieth birthday, and Mrs. Bennet was already worried that she was headed for the shelf.

Despite this, she was unwilling to force her most beautiful and serene daughter to marry a man nearly as old as the girl's father. When she read the letter, addressed to her husband, offering to care for his cousin's widow and any unmarried daughters if he were joined to one of said daughters. She had demanded that Bennet sign the marriage settlement and name "that awful Lizzy" as the daughter to give him.

Bennet had put up a token protest, citing the agreement with Gardiner surrendering any claim to Elizabeth, but Mrs. Bennet had refused to listen. To silence her, he had signed the contract and penned the note to Gardiner demanding her return. His wife had watched him as he completed these tasks, and she took the second copy of the contract and the note to the Gardiners, demanding a servant immediately arrange for both to be sent express. That done, she began to consult with the housekeeper to arrange a room in the servant's quarters for "that awful girl" when she returned and prepared the best guest rooms for Mr Collins and his son, who would arrive in three weeks.

With those arrangements done, she began to make plans for the wedding and the wedding breakfast. She debated speaking to the rector about having the banns read, but she considered that Mr. Collins might not like it, so she began making plans for the wedding breakfast. She was uncertain how quickly Mr Collins would want to marry, but recalling what she knew of her most obstinate daughter, she expected it would need to happen soon after she arrived home.

It never entered Mrs. Bennet's head that Elizabeth would refuse. She was incapable of believing that her daughter might have already married since, in her mind, no one would want such an opinionated, poorly-behaved little brat. In her mind, Elizabeth had changed little from the awkward, thin, ragamuffin nine-year-old she had sent away.

As Bennet sat in his study, he heard his wife, yet again, calling for her salts. Ever since Elizabeth arrived the day before, already married and wearing a fine dress that was clearly the height of fashion, Mrs. Bennet had been in her room. Her least favourite daughter, the one who she cast aside, was married to a very handsome young man, who, judging from the quality of their clothes and the fine equipage they arrived in, must be well off. The matron could not comprehend how all her plans should have gone so awry.

Bennet merely shook his head as he listened to the caterwauling from his wife's room. It was, rather unfortunately, directly above his study, and while he had considered adding an extra layer of wood or something to help muffle the sound from above, he had never had the money to do so. There was always a new book, or a new dress for one of the girls, or a new bottle of port that needed to be purchased, so the small amounts he did manage to set aside were always spent.

He sighed heavily, but before he could pick up his book and begin reading, he heard a tentative knock on the door.

"Come," he reluctantly replied.

Mary and Jane peeked around the door when it opened. "Papa, may we speak to you?" Jane asked, her brow furrowed.

At his nod, the two girls entered. "Papa, am I really promised to marry the heir to Longbourn?" Mary asked, tears evident in her voice. "Mama has gone on and on about the heir, Mr. Collins, and how he is on his way here to marry one of us, and Mama claims that since Lizzy is already married, I must be the one to marry him. Papa, I am just barely sixteen; I have no desire to wed anyone right now. Surely you cannot mean for me to marry your cousin, can you?"

"If we do not let him marry one of you, he will sue us for breach of contract, and there is no money to pay him," Bennet told him. "If only Lizzy were not already wed, your mother would have had him marry her, but she arrived with a husband in tow."

"Lizzy is here?" Jane asked, looking up in excitement. "I have wished to write to her so many times, but Mama forbade it when she discovered that I was writing to her. How was she? Is she married?"

Bennet nodded, not speaking until Jane prodded him again with a quiet, "Papa?"

"Forgive me, Jane. Yes, she stopped in yesterday to discover why we had called her home. She brought her husband with her, a gentleman named Mr. Darcy. I do not know anything about him since our interview was rather short. Phillips thought they were to stay with the Bingleys, but I do not know if they are still there."

"She knows Mr. Bingley?" Jane asked. Mr. Bennet merely shrugged.

Although they asked a few more questions, they received only terse responses. Deciding to find out what else they could learn, they went to visit their Uncle Phillips and were surprised to see a large, very fine carriage pulling away from his office.

"Could that be Lizzy? I remember her a little, but wish I could have known her better." Mary asked. The curtains were drawn, and they could not see any of its occupants.

Jane shrugged, and the two hurried into their uncle's office. "Uncle," Jane called. "Was that Lizzy just leaving?"

Their uncle informed him it was. "They are returning to London today. They attended the dinner at Lucas Lodge last night and met many of Elizabeth's former friends, introducing them to her husband. I suppose she wanted everyone to know she had married so nothing could said about her coming home to marry Longbourn's heir. Do you girls know about the marriage contract your father signed?"

They nodded. "I think that you, Jane, and Kitty and Lydia are safe from the heir. I am concerned that Fanny will attempt to force you to wed Longbourn's heir, a man who is likely three times your age."

"I do not want to marry him, Uncle," Mary quietly stated.

"My wife and I will think of some way to protect you, Mary. I am not certain what we can do at the moment, but I will write a letter to the Gardiners to see what they think. I doubt they will be able to take you, and I do not believe your parents would allow you to go. They cannot force you to wed Mr. Collins, as the vicar will not marry you if you do not agree to it, but they can make it impossible for you to remain at home. If that happens, we will allow you to live with us," Phillips reassured his niece.

"But do I not have an obligation to obey my parents?" Mary protested.

Phillips closed his eyes as he considered it. "If your parents were making choices in your best interest, I would say you do. However, in this case, I do not think your parents are taking into account what is best for you. Your mother is doing this because it makes her feel secure, and your father is unwilling to stand up to her and force her to do what is right. He has also been indolent and has allowed Longbourn to fall into a decline over the last decade. Had he saved funds to provide dowries for you and your sisters, you would not need to marry Mr. Collins. I suggest you stop and speak to the rector to see what he says about parents forcing a child to marry."

Mary nodded, sitting down in a corner and pondering what her uncle had said to her. Jane, however, asked the next question. "How is Lizzy, Uncle? Papa said she had married. I did not even know she returned home, but apparently, she was not there for long. Why has she never returned before?"

Phillips looked at her in surprise. "She was not permitted to come home. After you were injured in the barn when you were eleven, Lizzy was sent to live with the Gardiners. Your father signed a contract that gave Elizabeth to your uncle and surrendered all connection to her. In truth, Elizabeth had no obligation to return at all but thought that perhaps your father's summons was a step toward restoration. She left immediately after your father demanded she marry the heir and Elizabeth informed him she was already married."

"I did not know. Mama told me that Lizzy asked to go to the Gardiners since she felt guilty about hurting me. She wrote to me for a time, but then Mama found a letter and forbade me from writing again. I considered defying her, but I was unsure how I would receive letters back." Jane hung her head, feeling guilt for not finding a way since she knew Lizzy would have found a way had she been in Jane's position.

"You could have asked your aunt and me for help. We have kept up a correspondence with the Gardiners and would have included your letters with ours," Phillips said softly.

"I never even considered it. Even now, I can scarcely believe what you are saying. Mama has been so happy for the last fortnight, making all manner of plans, although she did not share any with me. I was surprised when she took to her bed yesterday and spent the whole day about Lizzy ruining all her plans. It was odd to hear her mentioned when her name had not been spoken by any of us in years. I am not certain Kitty or Lydia even remember her."

"Lydia does. Lately, she has made a few comments that indicate she has been very aware of your mother's plans for your sister. My wife found her laughing a few times about the plan for Lizzy to marry 'an old man' and how your mother intended to continue running Longbourn even after Mr. Collins inherited. The two of them had big plans for what they would do when they were in charge."

"Lydia is awful. I wish I could get away from Longbourn and Mama. I would volunteer to marry Mr. Collins just to get away, but Mama would not let me since she still believes Mr. Bingley will ask me to marry him."

"The Darcys indicated that there was trouble at Netherfield and that it would likely be empty soon. From what Mr. Darcy said, I doubt Mr. Bingley will ask you to marry him, and you are better off for it."

"Mr. Bingley is a nice enough gentleman, and while I might have married him if he offered, it would have ben to get away from Mama. I am sorry to say it, but at this point, I would accept almost anyone who asked," Jane replied. "If you find a way for Mary to leave, will you see what you can find for me, too? I do not want to stay."

Phillips patted her hand. "We will see what we can learn, Jane. I make no promises about what we can do, but we will see."