Battle of the Dragons Chapter 3, a pride and prejudice fanfic

~O~

Second Dragon

Elizabeth arrived home in comfort and in good time for dinner. Isabella had offered to send her in her carriage, but Elizabeth had not wished to cause a stir. They had compromised with the use of the small gig Isabella used for casual visits.

The gig was plain enough not to have occasioned suspicions when she mentioned having met the new occupant of Hayes House without alerting the family to the rank or the relationship of the lady. Despite those omissions it had been a good strategy to distract Mrs Bennet from her laments about Elizabeth's refusal to do her duty and save the family by marrying Mr Collins.

'Are there any single young men at Hayes House?' Mrs Bennet asked eagerly.

'I am afraid not, mama. There is only one lady in residence. Her name is Isabella Deveril. She is a widow with grown sons living in different counties,' Elizabeth explained over dinner.

'What a pity.'

'At least there is no one to get our hopes up,' murmured Jane to Elizabeth.

The sadness Elizabeth saw in her sister's eyes tugged at her heart.

She was still thinking of that when they went up to their rooms later in the evening. Remembering Isabella's reasoning, Elizabeth sought out Jane for a conversation. 'I have been thinking about Mr Bingley…'

'Please, Lizzy, stop telling me how much Mr Bingley loves me,' Jane pleaded.

Elizabeth took her hands as she answered, 'I was not going to. On the contrary, it has occurred to me that if Mr Bingley does not return in the next few days, you deserve better than him.'

'What has come over you? For the past week you have insisted that Mr Bingley loves me. Why this sudden change?'

Pulling her sister to sit beside her on the bed, Elizabeth confessed, 'It was something that Aunt Isabella said.'

'Aunt Isabella? Is that not a rather familiar way to speak about a lady whom you only met today?'

'It might appear to be so, but I discovered that she is our great-aunt in truth.' At Jane's disbelieving look, Elizabeth explained what she had learnt from the lady. 'Jane, you will meet her tomorrow and one look will convince you. The family resemblance between the two of you is unmistakeable.'

'If all this is true, why did you not tell mama about it?'

'Considering the rank of our great-aunt, I think she will be the only one able to restrain mama from going completely distracted.'

Jane did not wish to imply that their mother was likely to be too enamoured with the connection, and therefore chose to return to the initial topic. 'You did not tell me what changed your mind about Mr Bingley.'

'Aunt Isabella pointed out that if he does not love you enough to stand up for you against his sisters, then he does not deserve you. And I must confess that I am pleased that Miss Bingley did not know about our aunt.'

'Surely she would not have thought us so high in the instep that we would look down on her brother because of that connection?'

'No. My thinking is that she would have pushed him to gain the connection. In that case you would never know if he loved you or our aunt's rank.'

Jane became thoughtful while Elizabeth watched her sister process the information. Eventually, Jane gave her a tentative smile. 'If Mr Bingley returns unbidden before Christmas, I shall be thrilled to see him,' she said firmly. 'If not, then I shall endeavour to put him out of my mind.'

That night, both sisters spent quite some time considering the implication of their new connection.

~O~

Mrs Bennet was looking forward to the visit by the new resident of Hayes House even though there were no young men for her daughters. She still felt excited to be the first to receive a visit by the new addition to the community. She would be the first with the gossip.

Yet, since she was only a widow on her own, Mrs Bennet did not think it necessary to have all her daughters present to greet the lady. As Kitty and Lydia were not interested in meeting a widow, only the three eldest sisters attended their mother.

Mrs Bennet's hopes to have exclusive knowledge of the new resident were diminished when Mrs Phillips arrived for a visit to catch up on the latest news.

'Did you hear that a widow has moved into Hayes House?' Mrs Phillips asked.

'Yes, I have heard about it from Lizzy who met the lady yesterday. That is why she will be visiting us shortly,' Mrs Bennet was pleased to reply.

Over the next few minutes, the two women speculated about the lady until Mrs Bennet saw a carriage pulling up in front of the house. A minute or two later, they were shocked when a white-faced Mrs Hill announced, 'Her Grace, Isabella Deveril, the Duchess of Markham.'

Mrs Bennet scrambled to her feet as Isabella entered the parlour. The sisters also rose, although with more grace. Mrs Phillips was the last to gather her wits to rise. All the ladies curtsied.

Elizabeth greeted their guest with a smile and then asked, 'Might I introduce my family?

'I would be pleased to meet them,' Isabella replied.

Elizabeth introduced the Bennet ladies in order of seniority, 'My mother, Mrs Bennet; her sister, Mrs Phillips; my oldest sister Miss Jane Bennet and my next younger sister, Miss Mary Bennet.'

'And do not forget your old father,' Mr Bennet said from the doorway. He had been alerted by Mrs Hill about the identity of the visitor and thought to gain some amusement from his wife's effusions or nerves.

'As you can gather, the gentleman is my father, Mr Bennet. Family, the lady is Her Grace, Isabella Deveril, the Duchess of Markham.'

'Your Grace, you honour us with your visit,' enthused Mrs Bennet.

'It is indeed an unexpected pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,' seconded Bennet. Mrs Phillips as well as Jane and Mary echoed the sentiment.

'The pleasure is all mine,' Isabella replied politely to the assembled company before she addressed Bennet directly. 'I would request that you address me as Lady Deveril or Lady Markham if you prefer, as I dislike being graced to death.'

The comment caused Bennet to chuckle, and he readily agreed.

Isabella turned to the ladies and suggested with a mischievous grin, 'It would be more appropriate if you ladies called me Aunt Isabella, as Robert Gardiner was my brother.'

'A-A-Aunt…' gasped Mrs Bennet and gratefully grasped the hand which Elizabeth extended to her and then assisted her to her chair.

As soon as Mrs Bennet was securely seated, Elizabeth reached into a pocket and extracted a vinaigrette which she had the foresight to keep handy and waved it under her mother's nose. It took only a minute for Mrs Bennet to recover her senses, such as they were.

Mrs Phillips, who was not quite as highly strung as her sister, still sat down heavily at the disclosure. Even Bennet was lost for words when he heard the declaration that his silly wife was niece to a duchess.

Jane was grateful for the warning she had received. It allowed her to keep her head and suggest, 'Shall we all be seated and enjoy a nice cup of tea?'

~O~

Everyone had enjoyed their tea while Isabella related her story.

'But why did you never come back?' asked Mrs Phillips.

'After the old Viscount died, I contacted my parents, but father was a stubborn man and would have nothing to do with me. From what I have learnt in the meantime, soon after I married, Robert chose to relocate to Meryton. Because of that I lost contact. It was only after my last husband died that I hired investigators to find my family again.'

Bennet cocked his head and asked, 'Are you sure these ladies are your nieces? You do not seem old enough.'

Isabella gave him a pleased grin. 'I am flattered that you should think so, but my brother was about ten years older than I was. He was already married and even Edward was already six months old when Alistair and I married. As it happens, my oldest son Phillip is almost eight and thirty.'

'Is he married?' Mrs Bennet could not resist asking.

'Indeed, he is, and he has provided me with two grandsons and one granddaughter. Alistair is ten, Annabelle is seven and little Robert is five.'

'Grandchildren! I would dearly love to have grandchildren,' Mrs Bennet exclaimed with a pensive look at her daughters. 'But none of my girls are even married yet.'

'Elizabeth did mention your hopes for them.'

Mrs Bennet glared at Elizabeth, who ignored the look and kept a bland expression as her mother complained, 'Do not remind me. Lizzy could have saved our family, but she simply refused to marry Mr Collins and to make it worse, her father supported her selfish behaviour.'

'But why would you want one of your daughters to marry a man whom she despised?'

'If she had married him, we could all remain in our home after Mr Bennet passes away,' Mrs Bennet explained her reasoning as if she were speaking to a child with limited understanding.

'Do you not think that if you had successfully forced your daughter into this marriage, she would have evicted you from Longbourn the moment she returned as its mistress? Apart from that, your husband is not old and appears quite hearty. It could be many decades before he shuffles off this mortal coil, while Elizabeth would be condemned to a lifetime of misery.'

'Misery? How can you say that? Her looks are nothing to Jane and with her penchant for reading no other man will ever offer for her. She should have been grateful that I directed Mr Collins towards her.'

'Mama, Aunt Isabella is correct. If you had managed to force me into that marriage, I would have thrown you into the hedgerows at the first opportunity.'

'But now you will never find a husband,' Mrs Bennet wailed, choosing to ignore the rest of Elizabeth's response.

Mr Bennet, who had been amazed at the unexpected family history of the Gardiners, relaxed back into his chair, thinking that it had been a long time since he was so well entertained.

Mrs Phillips squirmed in her seat, being uncomfortable at her sister's attitude as well as Elizabeth's response. While Lizzy's attitude appeared harsh, she had some sympathy for her niece, whom she wanted to see happily married to a man who appreciated her. She hoped for the same fate for all her nieces.

She was about to ask Isabella about her other sons when the lady surprised them. 'I see no reason why Elizabeth should not find a husband to her liking. While men may be in short supply in Meryton, there are plenty available in London. I have it in mind taking Jane and Elizabeth to town for the season if they are so inclined,' Isabella offered, an offer which both young women accepted with a smile and a nod.

'Thank you, Aunt Isabella,' Jane said for both of them.

Mrs Bennet's eyes lit up. 'If Jane is in town, perhaps she will encounter Mr Bingley.'

Jane surprised her mother when she responded, 'Mama, if Mr Bingley does not return before Christmas like he promised, I am not interested in meeting him again.'

'But–'

'Jane is quite sensible in her attitude,' Isabella cut off Mrs Bennet before the lady could voice her complaints… again. 'Do you not wish for her to marry a man upon whom she can rely, rather than a boy who is so easily diverted by a new toy?'

When it became apparent that Mrs Bennet was reluctant accepting the truth of Isabella's statement, the Duchess offered, 'I would happily take Jane and Elizabeth to town, where I will outfit them appropriate to my station and then introduce them to my friends.'

'You will provide Jane with a new wardrobe and introductions? How wonderful... I am sure with your support she can capture a duke. After all, she cannot be so beautiful for nothing.' Mrs Bennet drew a breath before she continued, 'But if you truly want to find husbands for my girls, do not bother with Lizzy. Take Lydia instead. She is beautiful and lively and is sure to capture a General.'

'NO,' Isabella forcefully denied Mrs Bennet's demand. 'London is no place for children. Apart from that, Elizabeth is beautiful and intelligent, and her manners are suitable for society. Perhaps in three years, once Lydia is grown up, I will consider taking her to town, but certainly not before then.'

Isabella observed her nieces. Jane looked embarrassed for her mother's attitude. Elizabeth appeared torn between anger and resignation since she had heard her mother's opinion too many times. Mary sat quietly in the background with a wistful expression.

'On second thought,' Isabella started to say, and Mrs Bennet brightened. 'Perhaps I will take Mary as well as Jane and Elizabeth. While in town, I could provide you with music masters, if you would like?' Isabella addressed the last question to Mary.

'You want to take me to London and hire music masters for me?" exclaimed the astonished girl.

'Indeed. I gather you like that idea?' Vigorous nods welcomed Isabella's offer.

'Aunt Isabella, how can you offer to take such a plain girl like Mary to town. She cannot be a credit to you. Surely, Lydia would be much better.'

'Fanny, you must be wilfully blind to call Mary plain. Except for different coloured hair and eyes, her face is almost identical to Jane.'

'But her glasses…'

'Give her face a certain piquancy.' Isabella refused to give in to her niece. 'No. I am decided. Your three oldest shall accompany me to London for the season after Christmas. That is if Mr Bennet gives his permission?'

'It is gracious of you to give me a say in the matter,' Bennet drawled sarcastically.

Isabella was not easily cowed. 'Considering it will cost you nothing extra and the house will be quieter, I did not think you would object.'

'I never said that I would object,' Bennet replied, deliberately misunderstanding the woman who seemed to take over his home within an hour of stepping foot in it. But since Isabella's offer would indeed provide him with more peace, and also benefit his daughters, he was only too happy to agree. 'If you are set on saddling yourself with three of my girls, you and they are welcome.'

Mrs Bennet had to be satisfied with Isabella's and her husband's decision.

~O~