Jane was about to throttle her mother. Of all the times for her to go on her usual 'Is not my daughter Jane looking well tonight?' rant. One more assembly. One more disappointment, most likely. It was at an assembly, very much like this one, when she had met the man who held such promise, but turned out to be such a disappointment. He had danced with her twice every chance he had during his brief tenure in Hertfordshire. Then he disappeared like smoke in the wind, never to be seen again.
She had gone to London, even visited his sisters, and nothing came of it. When her sister, Elizabeth returned from her trip with their aunt and uncle she intended to ask her more questions about meeting Mr. Bingley at Pemberley. She had a glimmer of hope, but nothing might come of it, again. She was almost ready to give up and put on a spinster's cap at three and twenty.
Her attention was drawn back to the room as new guests arrived. The room had gone quiet, even the musicians stopped playing. All eyes turned to the entrance where Sir William Lucas was welcoming the newcomers. Of course Mrs. Bennet had to round up her daughters to be presented to the handsome man wearing expensive clothing.
"Sir Sheldon, Lady Amelia, may I introduce Mrs. Bennet and her daughters Miss Jane Bennet, Miss Mary, Miss Catherine and Miss Lydia. Mrs. Bennet, ladies, Sir Benjamin Sheldon of Weymouth, Dorsetshire and his sister Lady Amelia Sheldon." The ladies all curtsied as they were introduced. Mrs. Bennet immediately noticed the change in mien of Sir Benjamin when he caught sight of her eldest daughter.
"Pleased to meet you ladies. I hope you are well," he said with a bow. The musicians began their tune again. He turned to Jane and politely said, "Miss Bennet, I must of course dance first with my sister, or incur her wrath for the remainder of the evening, but if you are not otherwise engaged, may I have the honor of your hand for the next dance?"
"Of course Sir, I would be delighted," Jane replied with true animation in her voice. Maybe her sister had learned something from her experience with Mr. Bingley, thought Mary.
Sir Benjamin danced with his sister. He was a fine dancer, but it seemed the brother and sister were more interested in playfully teasing each other than in paying attention to the dance. At last their dance was over and he escorted his sister back to the Bennets and turned to Miss Bennet with his hand extended. "Shall we?" She nodded and took his hand.
Mary immediately drew her mother into a discussion of the lace on Mrs. Long's dress to prevent her from saying anything as the handsome gentleman led her daughter to the dance floor. It gave Mrs. Bennet joy to see a smile on her eldest daughter's face as she went through the steps of the dance, after having been so subdued over the winter and spring. Sir Benjamin was a graceful dancer and all eyes were on the couple as they followed down the dance.
The younger girls had found partners for the dance and that left Mary and Lady Amelia in a stilted conversation. Mary never enjoyed the assemblies, but she went to keep the peace with her mother. Soon Lady Amelia started speaking softly to Mary. "I am glad to see my brother enjoying himself. He has so many responsibilities and he takes them so seriously that it is rare to see him just enjoy himself with a pretty lady. I hope she is not attached to another, that would disappoint him seriously."
Mary knew that Lady Amelia was fishing for information about her sister, but decided it could not hurt to further a possibility here, if he was as taken with her as she thought. "There is no one that I know of that she is currently attached to. We are a quiet corner of the kingdom and few people come this way." Mary did not think it relevant to mention the last gentleman who came through the neighborhood.
As usual in a small town with few distractions and even fewer people of note, the murmurs began about the newcomers. It was revealed that he was the second son of Sir Thomas Sheldon, Earl of Weymouth, a firebrand in Parliament and owner of several estates in England and Wales. More importantly, he was single. Sir Benjamin had leased Purvis Lodge for one year as it was an easy trip to London from here, but he would have good sport, hunting and fishing, and he could avoid the hustle and bustle, and smells, of London in the summer.
As the evening progressed, Sir Benjamin spent most of the evening conversing with Miss Bennet, except when he danced with her sisters and Sir William's daughter Maria. He generally made himself agreeable to all and a few people must have noted the similarity to another gentleman who had made his presence known the previous autumn. Well, they all decided that the less said about that gentleman, the better.
As the evening was winding down, Sir Benjamin asked Miss Bennet if he could call on her in the coming week, with his sister of course, as he had enjoyed his evening and thought they might continue their conversation about the local area. He was keen to get to know his temporary home and felt it would be no punishment to learn the lay of the land from a beautiful young lady. He had not given any thought recently to marrying and setting up his nursery, but all of a sudden he found himself in a quiet little town, enamoured with a pretty young lady who seemed to enjoy his attention.
Two days hence he and his sister visited the Bennets at Longbourn. He intended to make an acquaintance with the master of the house and see if there was a good chess game to be had there, as Sir Lewis had intimated. The Bennets welcomed them warmly and Mr. Bennet even joined the ladies for a while in the parlor. It did not take him long to see the shy glances between his eldest and this handsome young man. Even if nothing came of it, it was good to see his shy daughter opening up a little to the gentleman. He thought it might be time to learn more of this man, before something developed that would be as unsavory as the last time a gentleman came calling.
"Sir Benjamin, could I tempt you with a game of chess and a glass of port in my bookroom?" Mr. Bennet asked his guest.
"Of course sir, it seems the ladies are able to fend for themselves and I always think it is best to remove before the talk wanders into lace and other fripperies," his guest replied with a laugh and a wink at his sister.
His sister had taken a seat near the eldest Miss Bennet and was attempting to get to know her better. Lady Amelia was a warm and caring person, and if her brother was going to pay his attentions to this lovely lady, she wanted to get to know her better. There had been plenty of young ladies in London who fawned over him, but only wanted him because he was the second son of an Earl. The two had a delightful conversation about everything from the estates where they lived, to their favorite places in London, to brothers and sisters and what a delight, and a consternation they could be.
Lady Amelia talked about her eldest brother, Viscount Stanley, who would take over the Earldom when their father passed. He was as studious as her brother Benjamin, but not nearly as much fun to be around. She preferred to travel with her younger brother than to be cooped up in Weymouth or be subjected to a summer in London.
Jane told her new friend about her sister Elizabeth who was traveling in the north with their aunt and uncle from London. They had gone to see the Peaks and saw several grand estates such as Matlock, Chatsworth and Pemberley. She was due home in a week and Jane could not wait to ask her about their trip. Lady Amelia shyly asked why she, as the eldest, did not go on the trip and Jane told her that she stayed to help take care of the Gardiner's four children, who were currently down for their naps, but she would take the older ones outside to run off some energy before their afternoon lessons. Lady Amelia was pleased to see the lady who her brother seemed to be taken with showing potential to be a good mother.
Their conversation was paused when Jane had to correct her youngest sister who was complaining about not getting to go on her own trip. Jane only said "Lydia you remember why you were not allowed to accompany the Foresters to Brighton," and looked sternly at her. Lydia stuck her tongue out, but remained quiet. "My apologies Lady Amelia," Jane said to her guest.
The conversation in the bookroom paralleled the one in the parlor. Sir Benjamin knew he was being surveyed as to his suitability as a suitor for a daughter of the house, and he did not mind a bit. Let him ask his thinly veiled questions; he had nothing to hide.
Mr. Bennet was not unhappy to find that Sir Benjamin was the son of an Earl and would inherit an estate in Hampshire when he married that brought in £6,000 per year. He was 28, had never been married, never had a mistress, did not drink to excess, gamble or visit bawdy houses. He did not particularly care for London, but did the season as was expected of a man of his standing. His sister thought he was only slightly less boring than his older brother, but he only cared if his future wife thought him interesting. The fact that that statement crossed his mind forced him to focus his attention on the man across from him, who, if he was lucky, might become his father-in-law.
He had always thought that deciding to marry would be a long, drawn out battle in his mind. He surprised himself with the speed at which he had come to his decision, but they had only just met. He thought it best if they took some time to get to know one another. Just because he knew what he wanted did not mean that she was ready to accept his suit, or even to accept a courtship. He would bide his time; he had a year's lease after all.
As they were returning to Purvis Lodge, Lady Amelia went on and on about all she had learned about Miss Bennet. She was possibly more enthused than her brother at the prospect of having a kind, beautiful sister. The fact that she probably did not have much of a dowry, or had no august relations, mattered not at all to her, or to her brother. As long as she made her brother happy, which she suspected Miss Bennet would, she would be content.
The next week when Elizabeth arrived home with her Aunt and Uncle she was quite surprised to find a handsome young man sitting next to her eldest sister in the parlor. It took her but a moment to see what was going on here. Although there was no declared courtship, it was as plain as the nose on her face that these two were falling in love. She had never seen her sister so animated and outgoing. She was looking forward to learning everything she could about this young man and figured out that his sister would be an excellent source of information. She hoped he would not be as disappointing as Jane's last suitor.
When Elizabeth had spent time with the Bingleys at Pemberley, she saw that they had not changed in the least. Caroline was still the unpleasant shrew that she had been in Hertfordshire and her brother was still a lap dog who could not make a decision on his own to save his life. No, she liked what she saw in the parlor here and hoped for eventual happiness for her sister with this new beau.
It was barely a fortnight later when Sir Benjamin approached Mr. Bennet to request a private conversation. At first the elder gentleman thought of toying with the young man, but the memory of the genuine smile on his eldest's face made him take pity on the poor man and their talk was concluded quickly. A courtship at Longbourn was a novelty and all the young ladies of the house worked to limit their mother's effusions of delight and to shield the courting couple from the matrimonial hints that the over wrought lady was full of.
Elizabeth volunteered to chaperone the courting couple as they wandered the lanes around Longbourn. As she was a more vigorous walker than her sister, she routinely out stripped them and proved to be a fantastic, that is to say a lax, chaperone. It was on one of these walks that she was surprised by the arrival of two men who she thought she might never see again. The three of them arrived at the front door at the same time as she had outpaced her sister and her suitor yet again.
She greeted Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley with mixed emotions. She was happy to see the former and concerned to see the latter. She wished there was a way to warn her sister before she came around the side of the house, but it was too late. The gentlemen had hailed her; she could not turn around and ignore them. Maybe it would be best to get this over with out of sight of their mother.
She maneuvered the men so that their backs were to where her sister and Sir Benjamin would appear shortly. She made small talk with the men while waiting for her sister to appear. She inquired about their sisters and their journey.
Jane and Sir Benjamin came around the corner of the house, arm in arm; she was laughing quietly about something he said. Elizabeth schooled her features, hoping to give her sister time to handle this unexpected turn of events. The couple paused, she turned to him and said something quietly to him. They had talked about her previous encounters with Bingley and Sir Benjamin was not going to shy away from taking charge in this situation.
He smiled at his companion and told her something that made her laugh out loud as they approached the three people standing at the front door. The gentlemen turned towards the sound and Mr. Bingley's first reaction was one of delight, until he noticed the handsome man who had his angel on his arm.
Without letting go of Miss Bennet's arm, he greeted the gentlemen without extending his hand. "Darcy, Bingley, imagine running into you here; I have not seen you since Cambridge. How do you know the Bennets?"
Bingley was too stunned to speak so Mr. Darcy took over the task. "Bingley has the lease on Netherfield, the next property north of here. We met the Bennets when he was in residence last fall and I was a guest of his."
"Oh yes, I heard of that," Sir Benjamin said flatly, leaving no one unaware of his unflattering opinion of the whole affair.
Elizabeth decided she should intervene before the gentlemen came to fisticuffs. "Would you gentlemen like to join us for tea? I am sure my family would like to say hello again."
Sir Benjamin, as the ranking person present, led the way to the parlor with Miss Bennet still on his arm. Mr. Darcy offered Miss Elizabeth his arm and Bingley followed along behind like a lost puppy.
Sir Benjamin seated Miss Bennet on the small settee and took the seat next to her. Jane began to pour the tea and without asking the gentleman next to her, prepared his tea just the way he liked it. He made it obvious that he brushed his finger against hers as she handed him the saucer.
Bingley was seated across the room, watching the couple with increasing agitation. His angel handed her sister his tea to pass along. He took a sip; it was way too sweet for his liking. Mr. Darcy took a sip of the tea that Miss Bennet handed him and it was obvious from the look on his face that it was just the way he liked it.
Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy began a quiet conversation seated next to each other in a pair of chairs next to the fireplace. Their postures showed them to be a bit uncomfortable with the situation in the parlor, but as they were ignoring the rest of the room, Bingley was left with no one to talk to. He almost wished Mrs. Bennet was in the room; she always included him in her conversations.
Feeling like a petulant child, Bingley rose to depart and stood there looking at Mr. Darcy as if he could make him rise by sheer willpower. Elizabeth noticed him standing there and nodded to Mr. Darcy to pay attention to his friend.
Mr. Darcy stood and said loud enough for the couple on the settee to take note, "Yes, I suppose we should be going. We just wanted to stop by to let you know we were back in the county and we hope to see you again soon."
The remainder of those in the room stood and Elizabeth led them to the front hall to don their outerwear. Sir Benjamin and Jane lagged behind the rest and only came into the front hall when the gentlemen were ready to depart.
Jane decided she needed to say something, "It was nice of you gentlemen to stop by. I hope you enjoy your time in the country. Best of luck with your shooting," and with that she dipped a small curtsy and she and Sir Benjamin turned to return to the parlor.
Darcy had to give Bingley a bit of a shove to get him out the door. Elizabeth followed the men outside and waited with them as their horses were brought around. Bingley seemed to be in a daze so Darcy took the opportunity to speak quietly to Elizabeth. "I did not realize your sister had a suitor. You had not mentioned him when you were in Derbyshire."
"I did not know about Sir Benjamin until I returned home. It is a very new thing. He only asked my father for permission to court her this week. They have only known each other for less than a month. His sister is a delight and she and Jane get along well."
Darcy knew she was alluding to Caroline Bingley in her comment. He did not see a future for Bingley and Miss Bennet anymore. He was not particularly good at discovering others' emotions, but thought Sir Benjamin and Miss Bennet made their intentions pretty clear today.
He was going to have to console his friend and once Bingley gave up on Miss Bennet, he would probably want to go back to London as soon as possible. That would complicate things for him; Bingley was not the reason he was here in the first place. He could always stay at the coaching inn until he got the answer he wanted to a question he was not yet ready to ask.
His friend said not a word on the ride back to Netherfield. Darcy felt sorry for him, and felt especially bad that he had counseled his friend to leave Meryton last fall. When they reached the stables, Bingley turned to him and said, "I am an idiot. But worse than that, I have let others make decisions for me and I have reaped what I have sown. There were no two ways to interpret what we saw today. She is gone; she will never be mine. I wish her every happiness; he seems like a good man. I hope he makes her happy. I will be leaving for London tomorrow morning. You are welcome to stay at Netherfield as long as you like, or at least until my lease is up at Michaelmas. I think I will look elsewhere for an estate. I think I will take a tray in my room if you do not mind. Good night my friend."
After Bingley left the next morning, Mr. Darcy went to Longbourn to have a talk with Mr. Bennet. He intended to court Miss Elizabeth, if she would allow it, and wanted to assure Mr. Bennet that his intentions were honorable; looking towards asking her for her hand, once he thought she might approve of him.
Two months later, Sir Benjamin Sheldon and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy married Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, respectively, in a dual ceremony at the Longbourn chapel, followed by an impressive wedding breakfast at Longbourn estate. The inclusion of two Earls, two Countesses, two Viscounts, two Vicountesses, two titled Ladies and a Colonel in full regimental uniform was the talk of the town for years to come.