Uncommonly Intelligent Chapter 2: Netherfield Park, a pride and prejudice fanfic

Chapter 2: Netherfield

Gwendolyn Rayburn was the eldest child of the Duke of Walfordshire. Although she was a sweet and intelligent child, she did not figure prominently in the thoughts of her parents. The duke lost interest in her almost the moment she was born, because she was not a son. Her mother, whose great beauty had won her the duke, lost interest in her when it became obvious that Gwendolyn would not also be beautiful.

Her parents were by no means consciously cruel to her, although depriving an affectionate child of affection was certainly badly done. Gwendolyn enjoyed all the advantages of having a very wealthy father, and received as good an education as any female of that era could hope for. The bill for that came due, however, when she reached marriageable age. The duke was not at all concerned with her feelings toward the husband he would select for her; he was interested only in the political advantages of the alliance. And thus it was that in an exclusive London men's club, a deal was struck with the Duke of Mayfield, contingent on the approval of Mayfield's heir Frederic, the Marquess of Rutherford.

Gwendolyn was given no choice in the matter, and though she tried to be optimistic, she was very well-read, and could not stop thinking of stories, fact and fiction, of cruel and repulsive husbands forced on women in arranged marriages.

She was therefore pleasantly surprised when she beheld her prospective husband for the first time, during a visit to his impressive estate in Staffordshire. Although ten years her senior, he was well-favored in both face and figure. Even better, he did not look disappointed when he first saw her. As mentioned earlier, Gwendolyn was not a beautiful girl. She had a plain face with a rather square jaw, and next to nothing in the way of womanly curves. When she had come out the previous year, she had no lack of attention because of her dowry of 40,000 pounds, but almost all of that attention came from fortune hunters. The scions of noble families who did not need her money or connections did not try very hard to hide the fact that if they did ask her to dance, it was done only out of duty or courtesy.

But Lord Rutherford seemed to approve of her, and this was confirmed when he turned to his father and nodded even before being formally introduced to her. Gwendolyn couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw relief in the eyes of Lord Rutherford's father, which made no sense - he was fabulously wealthy, and Lord Rutherford seemed quite charming, so he should have had no trouble finding a wife. Gwendolyn had not noticed the fact, let alone its significance, that all of Lord Rutherford's footmen were unusually young and handsome.

Fate smiled on the newlyweds, as Lord Rutherford somehow managed to impregnate Gwendolyn within the first month of their marriage. When she was delivered of a son, named Clarence after his grandfather, Gwendolyn was overjoyed, as was the Duke of Mayfield, who now had his succession assured. Gwendolyn's husband Frederic also seemed well pleased, but not for the reason Gwendolyn would have wished. Approximately a week after Clarence was born and was clearly thriving, Frederic informed Gwendolyn that as they had both done their duty, he would be repairing back to his London townhouse, and that she would not accompany him. She would be relocated to one of his father's minor estates, a place in Hertfordshire called Netherfield Park, which was close enough to London that she could be summoned on short notice for events that required Frederic to be seen with his wife. He left for London that same day, taking his very handsome footmen with him.

Gwendolyn, now Lady Rutherford, wondered what she had done in a previous life to be sentenced to never receiving any affection from the people who should have been closest to her. But as Clarence grew to be a very loving and lovable child, she realized how truly lucky she was. She doted on Clarence, and for the first time in her life, her love was reciprocated.

Her husband was neither stupid nor cruel, and he realized that she must be lonely, so he granted any request of hers that did not inconvenience him, and it did not inconvenience him to give her a very generous allowance. Gwendolyn had little need for gowns or jewels since she was seldom in London, so she spent the money on making Netherfield the most comfortable and happy place imaginable for herself and Clarence. Along with a first-class staff and a wonderful French cook, a large component of this was education - the best tutors for Clarence, and the best masters for herself. Gwendolyn was intelligent, and had always loved learning. She had benefited from tutors and masters for all the usual feminine accomplishments when she was a child, but her younger brothers had gone to Eton to learn the things boys learn, and she had wished she could learn those subjects as well. Now, she could. Her husband did not care what she did with her time, as long as she remained at Netherfield and did not cause a scandal, so she indulged herself by hiring masters in whatever subjects interested her.

Another request that Frederic granted her was playmates for Clarence. Frederic had several younger brothers and sisters, and they each had several children, so it was not difficult to arrange for cousins near Clarence's age to visit Netherfield, especially during the summer when London was not nearly so pleasant as Hertfordshire. Clarence was a happy and outgoing child, so for him it was the more, the merrier. And even when his cousins were not visiting, Lady Rutherford had no objection to his playing with children from the neighboring estates, particularly Longbourn and Lucas Lodge, which were the closest estates to Netherfield, and had very agreeable children.

In June of 1795, Clarence's eighth birthday was marked by a party at Netherfield. And that was the day that Elizabeth Bennet's life changed forever.

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire, June 16, 1794

Clarence's party was held outdoors on Netherfield's sprawling lawn. It was well attended, with several of his cousins, along with Charlotte and John Lucas from Lucas Lodge, Jane and Lizzy Bennet from Longbourn, Mary King, Anna Goulding, and others from the Meryton environs. Charlotte was ten, and a favorite of Lady Rutherford, who knew how lonely a plain little girl could be. Jane was nearly six, and Lizzy barely three, but Jane was one of Clarence's favorite playmates, and where Jane went, Lizzy went.

To the disappointment of Lady Rutherford, her husband Frederic did not attend, but at least he (or more likely his secretary, Lady Rutherford thought) had sent a gift of a pall-mall set, with which the older children were having a wonderful time, despite an almost total lack of skill.

As they all sat down to eat, the clouds began to grow dark. They were just finishing their cake when the rain started to fall.

Lady Rutherford looked up with dismay. "Come inside, children, before we all get soaked," she called. They adjourned to the large parlor, where they tried to decide what to do next. Clarence and those of his cousins who knew where the best toys were quickly claimed them, leaving the children with less knowledge or foresight at a loss.

Lady Rutherford saw that one of her older and more sensible nephews, Bert, was unoccupied, and asked him if he could suggest any indoor games that several children could play.

"I know a game with cards, Aunt Gwendolyn. Do you have cards?"

"Yes, of course," and Lady Rutherford walked to a desk and retrieved a deck of cards. After handing them to Bert, she said, "You children play while I see if there are any more biscuits," and left the room.

Bert spread the cards out, and removed the face cards. "We only use the numbered cards, and aces count as one," he said. He separated the red from the black, and handed one stack to his younger brother Ned. "Here, shuffle these," he said, as he spread the red cards face up into a rectangle while the other children gathered around.

"Now, everybody look at the cards, and remember where they are," Bert said. He did not notice that Lizzy Bennet, who had been looking at her sister Jane, turned her head and looked at the cards, as ordered. After a minute, he said, "Now I will turn them over, but they will be in the same place," and did so. "Who wants to go first?"

Ned instantly cried, "Me!" and Bert took the cards Ned had shuffled and put them next to the array. "All right, we will take turns around the table, first Ned, then me, and so on. I will turn up a card from the top of the deck, and you must pick a card with the same number from the table. Ready?"

"Ready!" said Ned. Bert turned up the five of clubs. Ned frowned, then reached for a card from the array and turned it over. It was the three of hearts.

"A miss!" cried Bert. "Turn it back over. Since you failed, the card goes back to the bottom of the deck. When you succeed, you keep the card. When no more cards are left in the deck, the one with the most cards wins. My turn."

He turned the next card in the deck, the ace of spades. He smiled and reached for a card in the array, and turned over the ace of hearts. "Ha! I can usually remember the aces, the others are harder," he said. "So I get to keep the ace of spades, but we turn the ace of hearts back over and leave it on the table, so there are always twenty cards to pick from. Your turn, Jane."

The next card was dealt, the seven of spades. Jane thought a moment, but had no clue. "Which one, Lizzy?" she joked to her three-year-old sister.

Lizzy smiled and reached for a card, and showed it to Jane. The seven of diamonds.

"Good girl, Lizzy!" said Jane, as Lizzy laughed and clapped her chubby hands.

Bert said, "You get to keep the card, Jane. That was really lucky."

Charlotte tried and failed to match an eight. Mary King had the same results with a nine, and Anna missed with a two. In the second round, Jane drew a four and showed it to Lizzy. "Find a four, Lizzy, " she said, still thinking it was a joke.

Lizzy quickly turned over a matching four.

Bert looked perplexed. "How is she doing that?" he asked Jane.

Jane shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I was only joking when I asked her to help. Maybe she is just lucky."

Bert said, "Lizzy, find a ten." Lizzy did. Just then Lady Rutherford walked back into the room.

"Aunt Gwendolyn!" Bert called. "Come and see what Lizzy can do!"

Lady Rutherford came over and said, "What are you playing?"

"We are playing 'Match', but Lizzy never misses. Name a number for her."

"Twenty-three," said Lady Rutherford, amused.

"No, Aunt Gwendolyn, it has to be the number of a card. Ace, two, three, up to ten."

"Oh, I see. How about five?"

Bert said, "Lizzy, find a five."

Smiling, Lizzy dutifully turned over a five.

"Find an eight."

Lizzy did.

Lady Rutherford suspected that Bert was somehow making sport of her. "May I shuffle the cards again?"

Bert gathered the cards up from the table and handed them to his aunt. She shuffled the cards inexpertly, but at least she did enough to satisfy herself that whatever order they had been in was destroyed. She then proceeded to deal them back out into an array, face down.

"No, Aunt, you must deal them face up first, so we can see where they are, and then we turn them over."

"Oh, I see," said Lady Rutherford again, realizing with some relief that the game was a test of memory, rather than clairvoyance. She turned the cards up, and said, "Lizzy, can you remember where all the cards are?"

Lizzy smiled and nodded. "Yes, Lady Rutherford."

"All right, I will turn them over now," Lady Rutherford said, and did so.

"Now, Lizzy," she said as she finished, "where is a five?"

Lizzy promptly turned over both the five of hearts and the five of diamonds.

All the children clapped, and Lizzy giggled merrily.

"Seven!" called out Ned, and Lizzy turned over both sevens.

"Two!" called Bert, and Lizzy turned over the twos.

"Lizzy, where did you learn to do this?" asked Lady Rutherford.

Lizzy pointed at Bert. "Bertie taught us."

Lady Rutherford, still suspecting a trick, looked at Bert. "How does she do it, Bert?"

Bert shook his head. "I don't know, Aunt. All I did was show them how to play the game. I didn't even know she was listening."

"Well, Lizzy," said Lady Rutherford, smiling, "you are very good at this game. You children go on playing." She turned to go back to her sofa, then had another thought. Wasn't Lizzy barely three? She turned back to Lizzy. "Lizzy, who taught you your numbers?"

Lizzy said, "Charlotte."

Charlotte, hearing her name, looked up. "What is it, Lizzy?"

Lady Rutherford said, "Lizzy was just telling me that you taught her about numbers."

Charlotte looked pleased. "I wanted to play cards with Jane and Lizzy, but they didn't know their numbers, so I showed them. They both caught on very rapidly."

"I see," said Lady Rutherford. "Well, you must be a very good teacher, Charlotte."

Charlotte beamed. She didn't get a lot of praise at home, and everyone knew that Lady Rutherford was the most important woman in Hertfordshire.

"You children go on playing, and we will have biscuits and punch in a while," Lady Rutherford said with a smile.

She went back to her sofa, but continued to watch the children. The game had devolved into an exhibition by Lizzy, where they tried to stump her first by adding the face cards to the array, then by moving the cards around after they were turned face down. As far as Lady Rutherford could see, Lizzy never missed, even with the extra difficulty.

It then dawned on her that since Lizzy was only three, it couldn't have been very long ago that Charlotte had taught her numbers. But didn't she say she taught Jane at the same time? Jane was nearly six!

She walked over to Jane and said, "Jane, would you please help me with my knitting for a moment?"

Jane smiled and said, "Yes, Lady Rutherford." She started toward the sofa, but Lady Rutherford put her hand on Jane's shoulder and said, "I have some yarn in the other room, let me show you," and steered her into the study.

She closed the door behind them and said to Jane, "I told a little fib. I don't need help with my knitting, but I wanted to talk to you privately."

Jane had a clear conscience, so she was not worried, and merely nodded.

Lady Rutherford asked, "Do you have a governess, Jane?"

"No, Lady Rutherford."

"Does your mother or father teach you letters and numbers?"

"No, Lady Rutherford."

"Do you have any instruction at all?"

Jane frowned in thought. "Sometimes Mrs. Hill shows us how to make candles and things."

Lady Rutherford tried very hard to control her expression, but inside she was seething. She knew that Thomas Bennet was an indolent man; her steward was constantly complaining to her of his lack of attention to problems that would affect Netherfield if left unchecked. She had considered it noblesse oblige to repair border walls and fences entirely at her expense, when the cost should have been shared. But until now, she had no idea that Bennet's neglect extended to his own adorable daughters.

Controlling her voice, she said, "Clarence sometimes gets lonely over here while he is being tutored. Do you think that you might like to come and join him in his lessons?"

Jane smiled. "I would like that very much, Lady Rutherford." But then her face fell. "But I could not leave Lizzy at home alone."

"Lizzy could come with you. I will speak to your father."

Jane smiled brightly. "Thank you, Lady Rutherford."

"You're a good girl, Jane. Go back to your friends, and we will have some biscuits and punch very soon."

After Jane left, Lady Rutherford rang for a footman, and instructed him to set up a biscuits-and-punch buffet in the dining room. She then sat and thought for a moment, after which she walked back to the children and used the same knitting ploy on Charlotte. When they were alone in her study, she asked Charlotte whether she had a governess.

"Yes, Lady Rutherford."

"How long has she been with you?"

Charlotte screwed her face up in concentration. "I think it must be nearly five years, Lady Rutherford."

"Do you like her?"

"Yes, she is very kind to me."

"Thank you, Charlotte. I believe that they are setting out biscuits and punch in the dining room. Please go and help yourself."

"Yes, Lady Rutherford," Charlotte said, a bit confused.

Lady Rutherford sighed after Charlotte left. She had wanted to include Charlotte in her offer, but if Charlotte was happy with her governess, there was no need for her to be educated at Netherfield, and it would be cruel to put her governess out of work. It was too bad, because she enjoyed having Charlotte visit. She saw a lot of herself in the little girl.

Now, how to approach that lazy lump Bennet. Obviously, she couldn't be honest with him and say he was a terrible father to let an intelligent young girl like Jane grow up without any instruction. He would no doubt claim that he was seeking a governess, but he should have had one for her at least a year ago. Imagine, a six-year-old depending on a ten-year-old for her education!

His malfeasance was so obvious that he was bound to become defensive about it no matter how she approached the topic. Unless...

He had no excuse for Jane's lack of education, but Lizzy was a different case. Nobody could blame him for not having tutors for a girl who had just turned three, but it seemed that Lizzy was ready for them. She could offer Lizzy access to masters he could not afford, without any hint of criticism, and use the fact that Jane and Lizzy were so close to include Jane in the package. And to be honest, she was very interested to see what else Lizzy could do.

She thought long into the night.

The next day, Lady Rutherford called on the Bennets. She was greeted effusively by Mrs. Bennet, so she had to wait a minute for her to wind down. During this time, she heard a baby crying, and noticed with surprise that Mrs. Bennet seemed to be in the early stages of yet another pregnancy. Perhaps Mr. Bennet had more energy than she had thought? But Mrs. Bennet paused for breath, so Lady Rutherford took the opportunity to ask, "Is Mr. Bennet in his study?"

Mrs. Bennet huffed. "Yes, that is where he always is, when he is not eating or sleeping or -"

Lady Rutherford quickly interrupted, "I wonder if I could have a word with him. About Lizzy,"

"Oh, what has she done now? The good Lord knows I do my best, but she is always getting into things. Did she break something yesterday?"

"No, no, nothing like that. She behaved perfectly. I just wonder if Mr. Bennet is aware of a talent she has."

"Talent? She is only three. What kind of talent can she have?"

"She seems to have an exceptional memory. But please, this will take some time to explain, and I would rather not do it twice. May we see if your husband is available?"

With some trepidation, Mrs. Bennet knocked on the study door and informed Mr. Bennet that their neighbor wished to speak to him. Mr. Bennet had no objection, as he had marked Lady Rutherford as fairly intelligent for a woman. And she was an excellent neighbor by his definition, meaning that she kept her estate in good order, and did not pester him.

To his confusion, Lady Rutherford produced a deck of cards from her reticule, and said, "Please bear with me. I realize that this will seem strange, but I believe it will save time in the long run." She then showed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet the game the children had played the previous day, asking them to play a few rounds. After several trials, Mr. Bennet got only two cards right, while Mrs. Bennet got none. Lady Rutherford called a halt to the demonstration when she saw how frustrated Mrs. Bennet was becoming, and noted with displeasure that his wife's discomfort did not seem to bother Mr. Bennet in the slightest. She said, "It is a silly game, of course, but I just wanted you to see that it is not easy to get them all right."

Mr. Bennet said, "I concede the point, but what is your purpose in demonstrating it?"

"The children were playing this game in my parlor yesterday." She hesitated, then went on, "Lizzy never missed."

Mr. Bennet looked at her skeptically. "My dear Lady Rutherford, coincidence is not as rare as most people think. When someone flips a coin, a man can call it four or five or even more times in a row as a matter of chance. Not often, perhaps, but also not never."

Schooling her features to ignore his patronizing tone, Lady Rutherford said, "Let me be clear, Mr. Bennet. I am not talking about a few turns in the game. When we saw what was happening, the game was abandoned, and we just watched Lizzy perform. We did dozens of trials. Dozens. She never missed. We even moved the cards around after turning them over. She... never... missed."

Lady Rutherford took a deep breath. "Mr. Bennet, I believe that Lizzy may be a prodigy. I would like to ask your permission to let her join my son and his cousins in their lessons with their tutors. I have some who specialize in very young children." This last was not yet true, but she intended to hire a specialist as soon as Mr. Bennet agreed to allow Lizzy's instruction. She tried to make her next words sound casual. "Jane is also invited. She is a bit younger than Clarence, but she seems quite bright, and I know that she and Lizzy are inseparable. I will, of course, provide my carriage to transport them to and from Netherfield."

Mr. Bennet was astonished. "Lizzy is but three years old!"

Congratulations, Lady Rutherford thought, I'm surprised you know that. Aloud, she said, "And I am eight and twenty years old, and as this is no time for false modesty, I will tell you that I was considered brilliant by my masters. Yet I cannot do what Lizzy can do." She almost said, And neither can you, but she told herself she had to conceal her contempt for this man, and appeal to his vanity. "Mr. Bennet, you would be doing me a great favor by allowing Lizzy and Jane to share Clarence's tutors. As it is, they are grossly underutilized, and not only do I feel I am wasting my money on them, but they are unhappy at only having an hour a day each with Clarence. And Clarence is so lonely. I would be most grateful to you if you would allow your daughters to visit."

Mr. Bennet's head was spinning, but he could see the advantages this offer held. He had been meaning to get a governess for Jane for some time, but had never quite gotten around to it. If Lady Rutherford was willing to allow his children to be educated at her expense, how was that a bad thing? At worst, it would make the house quieter for several hours a day.

But first things first. He had to see whether Lizzy really could do what Lady Rutherford claimed. "Mrs. Bennet, please fetch Lizzy here at once."

Mrs. Bennet, who had been observing in silence, all but flew from the room.

She returned in a few minutes practically dragging Lizzy into the study. Lizzy's eyes were large, for she had always been strictly warned never to enter her father's study. As she looked around and saw only shelves full of books, Mr. Bennet thought he saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She had no doubt expected skeletons in chains hanging from the walls.

Well, to business.

"Hello, my girl, how are you today?" said Mr. Bennet.

"I am very well, papa," said Lizzy, smiling. She turned to Lady Rutherford. "Hello, Lady Rutherford," she said, giving a slightly wobbly but creditable curtsy.

"Hello, Lizzy. That is a very pretty dress."

Lizzy beamed and said, "Thank you, Lady Rutherford."

Lady Rutherford told Mr. Bennet quietly, "I have nieces twice her age who do not have her manners. Nor can they pronounce 'Rutherford' correctly."

Mr. Bennet kept his own counsel, but he was thinking furiously. He knew that Lady Rutherford was correct about Lizzy's manners, and chided himself for not noticing it before. Could he have been so mistaken about his wife? Had it been Mrs. Bennet who was responsible for this miniature paragon?

Or no, wait. Lizzy always followed Jane around, and Jane spent a great deal of time with Charlotte Lucas, who must be ten or eleven, Bennet thought. He was not aware that Charlotte preferred Jane's company over that of girls closer to her own age because Jane was never unkind, but he did know that the three children often held make-believe tea parties where Charlotte was pleased to act as hostess. He would bet a guinea that it was Charlotte who was instructing his daughters in etiquette. One look at his wife, gaping at Lizzy as if she were a stranger, confirmed this.

It took only a few minutes to verify Lady Rutherford's claims about Lizzy's amazing memory, and that was more than enough time for him to decide. Even if Lizzy learned nothing at Netherfield but society manners, it would be worth it.

"When would you like to begin Lizzy's lessons, Lady Rutherford?" Mr. Bennet asked.

"Tomorrow."