Upon returning to Longbourn, Mr. Bennet requested his wife and son to join him in the library. He was annoyed and disappointed as he addressed Thomas, saying, "Your mother and I are very disappointed by your behaviour. What were you thinking?!"
"Father, I swear to you on my life that what Mr. Phillips and Miss Gardiner told you were lies. I did not kiss Fanny Gardiner; she was the one who tried to kiss me!" He added firmly "I am not going to marry her!"
Mr. Bennet listened to his son's explanation but shook his head, "I wish it were all that simple, Thomas! You know that if you don't marry Miss Gardiner, her reputation will be ruined, and we will be censured by our acquaintances." He looked directly at his son and continued, "I know you had dreams of marrying Miss Carey, but it won't be possible any more. You must understand that Mrs. Carey is the sister of the late Mrs. Gardiner, and she is also the godmother of Miss Fanny. She is not going to allow her daughter to marry you."
Thomas stood there, his heart sinking as he realized that there was no hope; he had lost Elizabeth forever. "Still, I do not want to marry Fanny Gardiner. I would rather face the censure of our neighbours or even fight a duel with Mr. Phillips. I am sure that with time, our neighbours would forget what had happened."
Mrs. Bennet, seeing the determination in her son's eyes, hugged him tightly and begged him to reconsider, "Please, Thomas, I don't want you to marry her either, but you must do it. I don't want you to die in a duel..." she said, tears streaming down her face, and added, "Please, Thomas. I am sure that in time you will be happy with her. Miss Gardiner is a beautiful young woman..."
Thomas shook his head, his eyes blazing with anger, "I will never be happy with her! I will not deny that she is beautiful, I have eyes, Mother, but she is also frivolous, silly, a liar and from what I discovered today, she has no scruples!"
His mother's pleas continued, and his father was firm in his conviction that as a gentleman, Thomas should marry Miss Gardiner. Finally, Thomas agreed to marry Fanny Gardiner. But he knew that it was a decision he would regret for the rest of his life.
Three weeks later, the wedding was held in Longbourn Chapel, where the most prominent families from the surrounding area were in attendance, including the Careys. However, the atmosphere was sombre, and the groom was clearly distraught. His face showed signs of disappointment as he reluctantly said his vows. He did not even look at his bride, who seemed to be oblivious to his discomfort.
Despite the protests of the Gardiners, especially Fanny, there was no wedding breakfast. Thomas flatly refused to celebrate what, for him, was the worst day of his life. It was evident that he was still struggling to come to terms with the decision he had made.
It was a dreadful wedding night for Fanny and Thomas. The servants who overheard the heated argument between the newly-weds could not help but gossip about it among themselves.
Fanny, who had not had her menses for three months, knew she needed to consummate her marriage with Thomas as soon as possible. She decided to take the initiative and entered Thomas' bedchamber with the intention of seducing him. However, she was met with resistance from Thomas, who lay in bed thinking about Elizabeth and everything he had lost that day.
Despite acknowledging that Fanny was a beautiful woman, Thomas loathed the idea of being intimate with her. He despised her for being the cause of his misfortune and resented the fact that he was forced into a marriage with her. Nevertheless, Thomas knew he had to accept his fate and produce an heir. The mere thought of touching and kissing her made his stomach churn, but he had no other choice.
He was absorbed in such dire thoughts when that uninvited woman, half-naked, barged into his room, and tried to lie down on his bed. Startled by her sudden appearance, Thomas immediately got up from his bed and grabbed her arm tightly.
Fanny, taken aback by his reaction, exclaimed, "You are hurting me!"
Thomas, however, was too upset to care about her discomfort. "I don't care!"
He forcefully pushed her out of his bedchamber, and she fell to the floor. As she got up resignedly, Thomas told her in a vehement tone, "Never come into my bedchamber again. Otherwise, I will push you out again," and he slammed the door shut.
Fanny, feeling embarrassed, walked back to her bedchamber in silence. Thomas was left alone, brooding over the incident and the woman's audacity to invade his privacy.
The following morning, his mother approached Thomas and implored him to reconcile with his new wife. She warned him that, if he did not, he would live a miserable life. Moved by his mother's plea, Thomas vowed to make an effort to improve their relationship. It was a slow and gradual process, but the couple's relationship eventually began to improve.
It was not until five days after their wedding that Thomas became intimate with his wife for the first time. On that particular night, he had consumed several glasses of brandy, which may have contributed to his actions. Ashamed, he realized that he hardly recalled that night.
A few days later, Thomas' father passed away suddenly from a heart attack. This meant that Thomas Bennet was now the master of Longbourn, and had to navigate the responsibilities and challenges that came with it.