Chapter 22

As Darcy waited for his wife to prepare herself for bed and join him in their chamber, he thought over what he had learned that day.

The confrontation with the Bennets had been unpleasant, but not unexpected. He knew from the letter his wife's uncle had shown him that the family expected Elizabeth to essentially sacrifice herself on the family's behalf and they had guessed marriage was intended to be the method. Elizabeth was likewise unaware of a second letter sent to Gardiner emphasising the importance of Elizabeth's returning home. Darcy had wanted to share both letters with his wife, but Gardiner had been insistent he not do so.

Gardiner also told the younger man of the letters he had received through the years from Fanny Bennet. There were only a few, perhaps one or two a year, always making demands and speaking ill of the daughter she had cast aside. Neither his niece nor his wife were aware of these, and he doubted the lady's husband was aware of them either, but he had kept them as proof of her hatred for her daughter.

"I cannot say why I have kept these over the years, and have, on occasion, thought to confront Thomas and Fanny with them, but saw no reason to do so. However, I will turn these over to your safe keeping, in case it becomes necessary to remind my sister of what she has said. Once she discovers Elizabeth is married to such a wealthy man, she will likely begin demanding the world."

"Elizabeth hopes for a restoration, but if it is as you say, she will want nothing to do with them. She looks forward to seeing her sisters, and hopes she can forge a relationship with them, at the very least," Darcy replied.

He shook away from those thoughts, and returned to what her other uncle had shared with him that evening.

"My brother came to see me earlier, not long after you departed the house, I believe. Like the short-sighted fool he can be, he had signed a contract with the heir presumptive, promising an unnamed daughter as a wife in exchange for a promise to allow Mrs. Bennet and her remaining daughters to live there after his demise. If he fails to meet the terms of the contract, the heir can claim that he has forfeited his estate, at least, that it was written. I am uncertain it is enforceable as it is, but he is obviously concerned about it now. It is unusual for him to exert himself so much as to actually seek me out, rather than sending for me to visit him," Phillips said after introductions had been completed and the basic civilities accomplished. "Apparently, Mrs. Bennet was the one who read the letter from Mr. Collins, and after corresponding with the man in secret, demanded her husband sign the contract without ever ascertaining if the stipulations it contained were legal. He signed it without question," Phillips said, shaking his head as though he could not believe the words he said.

"No man of sense could sign a contract without first reading it first, and being certain that he could fulfil it. Before he agreed to give his daughter, particularly one he had disowned and had not lived with him in years, in marriage, he should have ascertained that she was free. Though, a wise man would not have sent his daughter away in the first place," Darcy replied.

Phillips laughed derisively. "You are not wrong, nephew, but Bennet has always done what was easiest instead of what was wise. Case in point, his sending Elizabeth away due to his wife's insistence and then calling her back home years later for the same. Had he ever stood up to her, he might have found a far more compliant wife, but it was easiest to merely do as she demanded."

Darcy grunted in reply. "And foolishly, he cannot recognise that he has made his life more difficult due to his lack of backbone. Had he ever stood up to his wife, he might have found her less difficult to deal with."

"As intelligent as Bennet is, I do not think he had ever considered such a thing. To him, it is easiest to allow his wife to do as she wishes and not attempt to educate her or guide her actions. To do otherwise would have required too much effort on his part," Phillips agreed.

"It was short sighted of him. However, he has made his bed and will have to live with the choices has made. There is little that can be done about it now," Darcy replied.

"Returning to the point at hand, it is my professional opinion that the contract he signed with Collins is unenforceable as it is. However, I am uncertain what steps need to be taken next. Part of it depends on how reasonable a man he may prove to be. He may demand another wife in Elizabeth's place, or he may recognise that something can be done to assist both families. Since I am unaware of any correspondence that was shared beyond the contract, it is difficult for me to say what may have been promised. There are too many variables for me to make an accurate prediction of what the gentleman might say once he arrives here. Truly, all of my nieces are too young to marry a man who is nearly the same age as their father, but apparently, he wishes for a young bride."

Darcy grimaced at that. "That does not speak well of the man or his motives. I cannot imagine any of my new sisters wishing to marry such a man, though I do not know any of them well. Did not someone say he has a son nearly the same age as Miss Bennet?"

"His son is twenty-three, as I understand it, and has recently finished at university. Fanny claims he intends to seek a position as a curate since he hopes to take orders while he waits to inherit either from his father or his distant cousin," Phillips replied.

"If he proves competent, then I might be able to aid him in finding a position. I have experienced too many of my aunt's rectors to believe that everyone who is ordained is worthy of being so," Darcy retorted. "Once you meet him, let me know if I can be of aid."

Phillips nodded and offered his thanks to the gentleman. The two spoke a little longer about the matter before separating to join the ladies. It was then that Darcy encountered his new sister speaking poorly of his wife, and the previous conversation was nearly forgotten.

The Darcys remained at their cottage the day after this meeting but went into the village the following day to take tea with Mrs. Phillips. They arrived in town early and decided to peruse the shops for a short time before they needed to arrive at Elizabeth's aunt.

As they were leaving the milliners, they encountered Elizabeth's sister. Having been used to London, they were surprised to see all four of the Bennet daughters in town unaccompanied by any sort of servant. The two younger girls barely acknowledged their sister, while Jane and Mary stopped to speak to the couple. Mary appeared to be genuinely pleased to see the pair, while Jane sidled up toward Darcy in an attempt to flirt with the gentleman.

"Mr. Darcy," she cooed, before turning toward her sister, "and Lizzy. How pleasant it is to encounter you two in town today. Might we join you in your shopping this morning?"

"We are nearly done with our shopping," Darcy said, stepping away from the cloying lady and bringing his wife's arm more firmly to his side.

Elizabeth murmured her agreement. "Yes, we are due at our aunt's very soon. I think we have completed our shopping this morning, since we were mostly engaged in looking in windows and seeing what the shops have to offer. We also enjoyed our chance to walk through town and speak to those we have encountered."

"Oh, in that case, perhaps we can join you at Aunt Phillips's house. She will not mind the additional company for tea. We did not have the opportunity to speak the other night and I would love to hear about your time in London," Jane said, her voice simpering toward her new brother.

Darcy and Elizabeth glanced between each other. They knew one of their purposes in meeting with the Phillips was to discuss how matters stood at Longbourn. "William, perhaps you can join my uncle in his office while my sisters and I join my aunt in her parlour. I cannot imagine you enjoying too much conversation about the season in London, given how much you detest the experience," Elizabeth said with a teasing glint at her husband.

He sighed in evident relief. "Yes, I will greet your aunt and then join your uncle, that is, if you ladies do not object."

Mary quickly agreed, forcing Jane to do the same, because if she did otherwise, she would appear petulant. After gathering the younger Bennet girls, the party headed across the street to the Phillipses. If either Mr. or Mrs. Phillips were disturbed by the additional company, neither showed it.

Once the gentlemen were able to separate from the ladies, Phillips immediately began. "I wanted to speak to you of your new sisters, Darcy, though I admit I had hoped to speak to Elizabeth along with you. I am afraid that their father paid them no mind as they grew; his lack of resolve that led to Elizabeth's being sent away appeared to take away any desire he had to do any better. Before that time, he taught her as he would have a son, including Jane in many of these conversations at Elizabeth's insistence, and a little of Jane's. For months after Elizabeth left, he scarcely left his study, preferring to spend all of his time reading his books. The estate nearly fell into disrepair, and several horses had to be sold. I think that brought him back to himself, at least a little, forcing him to at least do the minimum to keep the estate running and solvent, though not much else. The funds he was saving for the girls' dowries were used to restore the estate, and he never bothered to replenish them.

"As a result, your new sisters are unruly and, well, rather wild. Lydia is very young yet, only twelve, though she is already the subject of much gossip in our little village. They ought to have a governess, or someone who is attempting to teach them, but neither my sister nor brother can be persuaded to restrict their spending enough to hire one."

Darcy sighed at hearing this but halted Mr. Phillips before he could continue further. "Phillips, I am truly sorry to hear this, but please help me understand why you think I should know this. Elizabeth has not been a Bennet for nine years. She had heard nothing from Longbourn in that time until this summons to return, where she was informed that she was expected to 'rescue' the Bennets from their own laziness. I am truly sorry for my new sisters and wish they might have had someone to care for them and guide them as their parents should have done, though there is little I can do about the matter. As you said last night, perhaps it would be best to settle Mr. Bennet and his family elsewhere while Mr. Collins takes over the estate. The younger girls could be sent to school, perhaps, and I would be willing to help with that. Not to mention, it seems likely that Mr. Collins will desire to sue Mr. Bennet for breach of contract. He may insist that Elizabeth be replaced by another daughter, thereby honouring the contract. The eldest Miss Bennet seems to be the only one of age to marry, though she is not entirely suitable to act as mistress of the estate at the moment either, at least as far as I can tell."

Mr. Phillips shook his head. "Mrs. Bennet will not agree to Jane marrying the man. He is at least forty-five, if not closer to fifty, and my sister believes Jane deserves 'better'. Bennet mentioned it yesterday when he came to show me the contract, and I made the same suggestion. Last autumn, the man who leased Netherfield had paid your eldest sister a small measure of attention, so Mrs. Bennet decreed they would marry. However, it came to naught, but my sister still feels that Jane deserves to marry a wealthy man. That Elizabeth married you will only further cement that in her mind."

Darcy snorted. "How will she meet this wealthy man who is destined for her? Elizabeth has not grown up on an estate, though she did spend her formative years there, and she will have much to learn when it comes time for her to take on the role. Miss Bennet does not seem interested in learning what will be required; she has flirted with me both times I have been in her company so far. Perhaps that has coloured my impression of her, but she does not seem like the type of woman who would be willing to learn what is necessary. Not to mention, her lack of dowry will make her far less interesting to the type of man she seeks to attract. Few men will marry a woman based solely on her appearance. Does she have accomplishments to speak of?"

Phillips shook his head slowly. "No, my sister has convinced Jane that all she needs to do to attract her husband is bat her eyes at him and smile. She can sew fairly well, mostly because to do otherwise would mean she did absolutely nothing. The tenants of Longbourn are among the poorest in our parish and require the most assistance from the church and the community. None of the Bennets take any interest in assisting them. The rector's wife has attempted to hint at matters to Mrs. Bennet and a few of the gentlemen have spoken to Bennet outright about the matter, but neither seem to think any of it."

With a grimace, Darcy looked at his uncle for several moments. "It seems that nearly any other owner for Longbourn would ultimately be better than the existing master. Can any of the girls be encouraged to help the tenants, even a little?"

"I think Mary could be persuaded, but my wife does not know enough to help her. I suppose the rector's wife could; she already helps the poor in the parish a great deal, and I believe she was the daughter of an estate owner. If Mary begins to meet with her on occasion, they might be able to do something for the tenants to ease some of their suffering," Phillips said thoughtfully.

With a heavy sigh, he continued. "I also wanted to put you on your guard. Your new mother will learn who you are and what you have and will expect your assistance both monetarily and in advancing the other girls in society."

Darcy returned the sigh. "Yes, I can imagine she will. However, I cannot imagine Elizabeth will desire to give into those demands. In fact, that was the point of the argument between Elizabeth and Miss Bennet last night; she informed her sister that she owed her family nothing. I think Elizabeth intends to treat her mother as her mother has treated her for much of the last decade: pretend she does not exist. I will ignore any letters she sends and have no desire to allow her in my home. If she approaches me, I will ignore her. She cannot have the ability to travel to Derbyshire, so she will be unable to disturb us there."

"Will you share what we have discussed with Elizabeth?" Phillips asked.

"I will. I cannot say that any of it surprises her, but based on our conversations from yesterday, I know that Elizabeth will not easily give in. She will accept any letters from her sisters, but will wait to determine what kind of relationship she will have with them based on the correspondence," Darcy replied.

Phillips nodded. "That is wise. I would not expect the younger girls to write, but Mary and Jane have appeared to be interested. I am uncertain what Jane might intend, but Mary appears to be more interested in forming a real relationship, at least from what I have seen. I am afraid that Fanny has ruined the other girls. Mary shares Elizabeth's looks, so she has been largely ignored by both her parents. She spends a fair amount of time with my wife, with the Lucases, and even the rector's wife."

Darcy nodded. "Elizabeth has enjoyed her conversations with her younger sister. Other than a moment at Longbourn, today was the first time she had seen her younger sisters, and they had little to say on that occasion."

The gentlemen turned the conversation to less personal topics then as they waited for the ladies to finish their tea in the parlour.