Pride and Prejudice FF

Unbreakable Bonds

Previously:

Thomas made his exit. He had no interest in sticking around Pemberley any longer. No, he would go upstairs, change into clothing he preferred, inform Mary and Kitty they would be heading to Netherfield in the morning.

Visiting Netherfield

Ch. 6

Yet again, another party was being held, only this time Bennet was nowhere near being tortured by the clothes he wore. He sat in an armchair dressed in his favorite, well-worn, soft-linen shirt. Its color had long since faded, and one could only guess it must have been brown at one point. The gentleman had it unbuttoned at the top to allow for ease of movement, and he wore no annoying cravat. Jane's father would have worn a coat had the weather warranted it. His feet had no fancy shoes but comfortable loafers. Mr. Bennet had made up his mind, after the Pemberley fiasco, to toss fashion out the window in spite of his newfound wealth and dress the way he wanted to; utterly indifferent to any expectations of what society may have.

"Surely, you can get your father to dress better than that," Mrs. Hurst spoke through her nose to Jane.

"Mr. Bennet can dress any way he likes," Mrs. Bingley spoke softly. "He is a full-grown man. It is not my place to pick out his clothes."

Jane walked away from Louisa, relieved that the Hursts and Charles' other sister had opted to leave for London the next morning; most likely due to the fact Kitty had not only come to stay but she was proving to be a force to be reckoned with. Jane had her sister's voice flash into her ear as she heard Kitty responding to Louisa's insinuation about Mr. Bennet, his money, and Mrs. Hurst's friends in London.

"My father is a man of integrity; he may have money now, but he is not going to buy his way into your… society," her eyes narrowed. "And I am my father's daughter. I will not yield in the face of your petty games."

And when Mr. Hurst had the audacity of trying to make 'conditions' for them coming to Netherfield, a place that was not even his, and of them being in 'his' class of society… Kitty had shot back a response without hesitation. Those words too rang in Jane's ears.

"First, my sister invited us. Second, this is not your home. Third, we are where we are on our own terms, and if you cannot accept that, then perhaps it is you who should reconsider your presence in our company."

Jane now walked over to where her father was and sat down in a chair next to him. "What is going on besides you taking Mary up to check out this Mrs. Rhy, who has offered her a position as a means to see a bit of the world before deciding whether or not Mary wishes to come back and stay at Longbourn for the rest of her life?"

The question had been asked because Jane had only been told about Mary's offered position, but her father had talked as if his trip might entail more than simply checking out Mary's situation. It was a fact not even Elizabeth had been told; a fact Jane had only recently learned. And it bothered her.

"Father? Did you hear me?"

"Sorry, Jane, it seems my mind is on different matters. How about repeating your question?" Thomas was not surprised to hear his eldest had picked up on subtle clues that there was more than taking her second sister up to be a companion to some older lady outside of Bath.

Thomas stood up, considered not telling her as he not even told his second. However, having decided he would send a post to let Elizabeth know what was going on, he went ahead and decided since his eldest was just as quiet an adult as she had been as a child, he would open up more about the letter. So, they walked out into the gardens. Flowers were in full bloom, and their colors painted the gardens as artistically as an artist's brush spread pictures onto an empty canvas.

"What I tell you must be kept under wraps, even if you think there is nothing major that warrants the request."

"I promise."

"A Lady Rhy has not only asked for Mary to be a companion but that I come up and go over her late husband's will. She wrote the barrister who drew it up was no longer to be trusted and that her hope was that I would give a second opinion on that particular piece of legal paper. Her first two sons are not nearby, and she does not wish to disturb her third son. It seems the woman has heard I know quite a lot about books and hopes it extends to subjects that would, in fact, protect herself and her granddaughter, a Miss Mahalia Rhys."

"I heard Mother, Mary, and even Kitty say that name once, spoke it with fondness too."

"They did at that," Thomas continued on. "She also wanted me to help revise her own will, or should I say be present when it is done. Why I do not know, but nonetheless, Lady Rhy has begged me to be there." He explained Mahalia's leg condition. "I may be reading more into the letter than her grandmother meant, but…" Mr. Bennet sighed. "I cannot help but sense there is more than that type of protection the lady is referring to. And, perhaps, Lady. Rhy simply wishes to have someone close by to talk to… someone closer than five and twenty."

"What about Longbourn? I mean, how long will you be gone? Surely, not a whole year."

"I have talked to Mr. Hill's brother, who moved back to the area once his boss passed away. He came with good references, so Longbourn is in good hands. As to how long I plan on staying, long enough to help Lady Rhy with her will and her late husband's for sure. Past that, I do not know. Something tells me the lady wishes to tell me more than she can in a letter. I keep rereading her letter, along with the one her barrister gave to our own."

"I hope you will not be riding into trouble."

"Your father, purposely ride into trouble? Now, why would I do that?" Thomas turned and walked towards Netherfield, shooting over his shoulder as he did so. "Just ask Lady Catherine, after all, you do realize I got all my newfound wealth from ill-gotten gains." His statement was only made because no one but Jane was within hearing, and 'that' lady was nowhere to be seen. Him joking around with his daughters was one thing, Lady Catherine slandering his name out in public was another.

Stepping back into the over-sized parlor where many of Jane's neighbors had gathered, Thomas took Mr. Bingley aside. There was no intention of being gone for a whole year, but Jane' s statement -and their talk- and gotten him to rethink a few things.

"Mr. Bingley..." Thomas spoke low when they were alone. "While I have every intention of only staying a week, if things change would you be all right going to Jane and staying with Kitty and Longbourn? I really do not want her around the Hursts for more than a week. And, even if they were to leave, my daughter has obligations there to attend to which she has already committed herself to."

"I understand and, if it makes you feel any better, Mr. Hurst told me just this morning they all will be leaving for London in the morning. It turns out that neither one of my sisters can handle living at Netherfield and Jane refuses to move to London." Charles grinned. "I cannot honestly say it breaks my heart. However, I do agree, Kitty needs to attend to her duties."