~O~

Curious Cousins

After everyone had gone to bed, Fitzwilliam joined Darcy in the sitting room of his suite for a nightcap and to find out how much of Miss Bingley's information was fact and how much was unsubstantiated gossip.

'So, tell me, what is going on here. Based on what Miss Bingley says, you and Bingley have lost your wits and have fallen for two penniless country nobodies and fortune hunters.'

Darcy grinned at his cousin. 'I am afraid that Miss Bingley is not as well informed as she thinks she is.'

Seeing Darcy so cheerful, Fitzwilliam relaxed back into his chair as he asked, 'Which of her ideas is wrong?'

'It will be quicker if I tell you which one is correct. I have come to greatly admire Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn. Everything else which she believes is wrong.'

Wanting to be certain, Richard started to enumerate Caroline's assertions, 'Your lady's family estate is small.'

'I have seen Longbourn. It is not.'

'The estate is entailed to the male line and the ladies will lose their home when their father dies.'

'While the estate is entailed, it is simply entailed to the bloodline. One of the sisters is likely to inherit.'

'They live in a hovel.'

Darcy burst out laughing. When he caught his breath he stated, 'Think of Rosings but in exquisite taste.'

Infected by Darcy's good humour, the Colonel, who could estimate the Bennets' wealth from that description, raised an eyebrow and grinned as he said, 'Your lady is a fortune hunter.'

Continuing to chuckle, Darcy shook his head as he said, 'She has no need to be.'

'The family is poor.'

'If they are poor, I am a pauper.'

'Bingley is enamoured with the oldest sister whom he refers to as an angel but who is only interested in his fortune.'

'Miss Bingley is well behind the times. Initially he was attracted to Miss Bennet but in the meantime, he has come down to earth and is no longer interested in angels. He is in love with the daughter of Sir William, who, while pleasant looking, is no raving beauty. Although in her case I suspect her dowry is quite small. But Bingley did all the chasing.'

That statement at last caused a true surprise. 'Heavens, it sounds like the boy is starting to grow up at last.'

'I am pleased to report that is the case.'

'I am curious though. How do you know so much about the Bennets?'

'I met them just after I arrived. I was impressed by the intelligence of Mr Bennet and the daughters I met. Since then, I have spent as much time as possible at Longbourn. I have seen the size of the house and the size of the estate. It is well managed. The family does not flaunt or squander their wealth and based on what I have seen of the estate I am convinced that they are anything but poor.'

'But why does Miss Bingley not know this?'

'Perhaps because she refused to accept any of their invitations and none of us bothered to tell her the true state of affairs. Can you imagine how much of a nuisance she would be if she knew? She would try to drag Bingley away from the lady he likes to one he does not like.'

'I do not have to imagine this; I just watch how she fawns over you despite the lack of encouragement she gets from you.'

'Since I promised to introduce you to them, you can find out for yourself tomorrow.'

Fitzwilliam finished his drink as he said, 'I shall look forward to it.'

In the morning it was still raining. While it was not a deluge, it was still a steady soaking rain. Looking out the window of the library, where the men were hiding from Miss Bingley, Darcy judged that the road would be difficult to navigate in a carriage.

'Richard, if you wish to meet the Bennets, I am afraid you will have to get wet.'

'How far is it to Longbourn?'

'About three miles.'

'Since the rain is not that heavy, I suppose I shall survive without melting.'

Darcy turned to Bingley. 'It is too wet to do much on the estate, will you come with us?'

Bingley grinned. 'I think I will. At least as far as Lucas Lodge.'

'Since we cannot rush in this weather, it will be visiting hours by the time we arrive,' Darcy decided. Having had to wait for his cousin's arrival the day before, he had been unable to visit Elizabeth. Now he was impatient to see her again.

Having taken their time, Darcy and Fitzwilliam arrived at Longbourn rather damp but not splattered with mud.

Fitzwilliam's first impression of the house was, 'It does not look very impressive.'

'Wait until you get inside,' was all that Darcy bothered to say.

Once they had entered the house and a footman was taking their damp outerwear, Fitzwilliam stated laconically, 'Much better taste than Rosings.'

'I thank you for your kind words,' said Mrs Bennet, who was passing through the foyer after dealing with a minor household emergency.

Darcy made the introductions, Fitzwilliam claimed, 'Darcy mentioned the beauty of the ladies of this family, but he did not do you justice.'

Mrs Bennet gave him an amused look and merely said, 'Flatterer.' She then durned to Darcy, saying, 'You must be pleased to have your cousin's company.'

Darcy shot an exasperated glance at an unrepentant Fitzwilliam and replied succinctly, 'Indeed.'

Anticipating their reaction, Mrs Bennet smiled and informed them, 'As it happens, we also have a cousin come for a visit.'

'I thought Mr Collins left two days ago.'

'He did leave. The new arrival is one of my cousins.'

She led them to the drawing room. Entering, she announced, 'Susan, we have visitors.' Stepping aside Darcy and Fitzwilliam were confronted by an unexpected sight.

'Grandmother, what are you doing here?' Fitzwilliam blurted out.

'Good morning, Richard. It is good to see you too,' Lady Susan said with a haughty look before she smiled impishly and added, 'I told you that I was on my way to visit some cousins.'

Darcy's lips quirked at his cousin's discomfort, but he restrained himself and said politely, 'Good morning, grandmother. I am pleased to see you.'

'Good morning, Fitzwilliam. I am pleased to see you too,' Lady Susan said with a fond smile and held out her hand to Darcy, who took it and bowed to kiss her cheek instead. She in turn patted his cheek before he straightened up again.

Turning to the Colonel, she said, her smile firmly on her lips, 'See, that is how one greets one's grandmother.'

Richard laughed and copied Darcy's performance.

'That is much better,' she complimented him. 'Now, I would like you to meet the rest of the family.'

The lady introduced Richard to Bennet and all his daughters who were enjoying a lesson in how to behave when having tea with a countess.

Colonel Fitzwilliam was impressed with his newly discovered cousins. He could see why Darcy was enamoured by Elizabeth. The lady was very attractive and even more important for Darcy, she was intelligent, had a lively wit, but at heart she appeared exceedingly kind.

It was also obvious why Jane had caught Bingley's eye, but it did not take long for him to silently congratulate the young man for his discernment in finding a different subject for his interest. Miss Bennet might be decorative but had little else to recommend her.

But when he came to Miss Mary, Richard found his interest arrested. Superficially, her beauty was not as overt as her elder sisters. That was not to say that she was not attractive, simply more subdued. It was not long before he found himself in conversation with the lady and discovered she had a lively interest in history which matched his own.

Richard was so focused on Mary that he did not notice Lady Susan's sly smile as she watched their interaction.

Even though Richard and Mary were focused on each other, the rest of the family enjoyed a lively conversation which ranged over a variety of topics. Lady Susan delighted in sharing some stories about her grandsons' childhood which left Darcy squirming in his seat.

When he tried to protest, Lady Susan smiled repressively. 'Do you not know it is a grandparent's duty to embarrass their children and grandchildren. It is intended to build their character and to ensure they do not get too big for their breeches.'

Elizabeth came to his rescue. 'Because of the rain, I have been unable to go for a walk or a ride. Whenever that happens, I walk the in hallway and the ballroom. Would you care to join me in my walk?'

Darcy happily agreed. As they were leaving the drawing room, Mr Bennet called out, 'Make sure you have a footman stationed in the entrance to the ballroom.'

That comment caught the attention of Richard and Mary, who declared that they could do with some exercise as well and would be happy to chaperone the couple. While Bennet agreed, 'Lady Susan's acute hearing caught a mutter of, 'Sending the fox to guard the henhouse.'

Taking his arm, Elizabeth led Darcy to a large set of double doors opposite the front door. Throwing open the doors revealed a short corridor with another set of doors at the end. As they walked towards the next set of doors, Mary indicated several doors on the right, casually mentioning, 'If you need to refresh yourself, you will find adequate facilities in any of those rooms.'

The next, longer, section of corridor was lined with seven doors on each side, each topped with a fanlight, which provided adequate illumination. Between the doors, Darcy could see sconces with unlit candles.

'When we have guests, we light the candles along the corridor, but while it is just family, we rarely bother,' Elizabeth explained.

They traversed a final section of corridor until they reached the door, which, when opened, revealed the ballroom Elizabeth had mentioned.

Darcy had had an inkling of what awaited them, but even he was stunned by the sheer size of the room. Richard was flabbergasted. 'Good grief. How many people live in this neighbourhood that you would need such a big ballroom?'

'We dine with four and twenty families on a moderately regular basis. But I cannot remember us ever using this room as a ballroom,' Elizabeth replied. 'Before you ask, the room is nearly a quarter acre in size. We have used it for dance practice and other exercise.'

'Other exercise?' Darcy prompted.

'Papa uses it as a salle.'

They walked into the room and the men looked around, spotting the minstrel gallery above the entrance. 'How do you get the musicians up there?'

'There are servants' stairs at the end of the corridor. They open out onto the gallery on the first floor.'

The men were left shaking their heads, but soon enough their company distracted them with pleasant conversation as they drifted to opposite ends of the enormous room.

Darcy was pleased to have a chance to speak to Elizabeth without an audience. And no one objected when he placed his free hand on top of the small, ungloved hand on his arm. The gesture was rewarded with Elizabeth laying her head against his shoulder.

The surprises had not yet finished for Fitzwilliam. After an enjoyable meal shared with the family, Bennet invited the Colonel and Darcy into the library for a game of chess.

'On days like this we usually prefer the library because there are more choices for amusement,' Bennet commented as he led the way.

Elizabeth and Mary, as well as Mrs Bennet and Lady Susan accompanied them, to watch the game or read, whichever was their pleasure.

As Fitzwilliam was not a bibliophile like Darcy, he was not as overwhelmed by that room. Ignoring the books, they made their way to the table where the chessboard was set up. Taking their places, battle commenced. Fitzwilliam thoroughly enjoyed his game with Bennet as they were well matched.

He was still feeling good when Lydia wandered into the room. 'Papa, is it time for chess lesson yet?' she asked with an innocent expression.

Knowing what was coming, Darcy watched with amusement ass Bennet lured his cousin into playing against Lydia. Richard was amused by being magnanimous to the young girl… until five minutes later she had trounced him.

'That was a fluke,' he exclaimed.

'Would you like to try again?' Lydia asked with a happy smile, practically bouncing in her chair.

Richard agreed and this time Bennet removed Lydia's queen. As a consequence it took her ten minutes to claim victory.

Uncertain whether to be angry for being embarrassed or whether he should be amused, Richard asked 'What happened?'

Darcy could not contain himself any longer. He laughed and said, 'Do not feel bad. As far as I know, no one can win against Miss Lydia. She is a prodigy at chess.'

'Thanks for the warning,' growled Richard at Darcy.

'You deserved that for the time you set me up with that monster of a man at Gentleman Jackson's club. At least you did not get any bruises.'

'Only a bruised ego,' mourned Fitzwilliam.

The various cousins had a most enjoyable afternoon, but eventually Darcy and Fitzwilliam had to return to Netherfield.

Along the way, Darcy asked, 'What do you think of that poor family of fortune hunting Bennets?'

'They are neither poor nor fortune hunters.' Fitzwilliam replied and then groaned, 'Do you remember how this spring I kept dodging grandmother Fitzwilliam because she wished to introduce to me her latest protégé whom she sponsored for her presentation?'

'Yes, I remember. I confess that I was surprised and relieved that she did not try to palm her off on me. Perhaps she realised that I would not be agreeable, since two years earlier she was hinting that she had found my perfect match.'

'What happened?'

'I had several issues to sort out a Pemberley caused by the winter weather and did not make it into town until late.' Darcy grinned as he added, 'I was most distraught about having missed the young lady.'

'Lucky you. It required a great deal of ingenuity to avoid being dragged into grandmother's schemes. According to her, she was some country cousin who had a fortune sufficient for me to retire from the army. I considered it fortunate that the young lady had no taste for town and did not linger.'

'I remember mention of several such protégés over the years. What is so special about that one?'

'I found out today that her name was Miss Mary Bennet.'

'Bennet mentioned that grandmother presented Miss Elizabeth two years ago and I have come to suspect that she wanted us to meet. But I cannot remember anyone saying anything about Miss Mary being presented as well.'

'It seems she did, and Miss Mary was the country cousin I avoided.' Richard sported a grimace of chagrin when he added, 'Now I wish I had agreed to meet her.'

Darcy sighed. 'As much as it pains me to admit it, grandmother has a gift for introducing people who are perfect for each other.'

Fitzwilliam nodded in agreement, thinking of Mary while Darcy's head and heart were full of Elizabeth.

~O~

A Most Attentive Father (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2024