Fitzwilliam chuckled. “Her father is a gentleman, two thousand a year, but his estate is entailed to males, and Miss Lydia has no brother. She has a dowry of five thousand pounds. One of her older sisters is married to my cousin, Darcy. Another is married to Bingley, a rich young cit who is looking for some land of his own.”
Robert whistled. “It is quite surprising that her sisters could make such matches with only five thousand pounds each.”
His friend chuckled. “It’s worse than that. At the time, neither of them had a shilling to their name. They married with no dowry other than the promise of a thousand pounds upon their mother’s death.”
“You’re joking,” said Robert. Fitzwilliam shook his head. “Why would the younger sister have a dowry when the older ones did not?”
“Did you meet Miss Catherine Bennet?” asked Fitzwilliam.
“I vaguely recall seeing Miss Lydia in the company of Mrs. Darcy and another young lady. Is that Miss Catherine?”
“Yes. She is the fourth of five Bennet sisters. About six or seven years ago, through a rather strange fluke, she became heiress to the fortune of Lady Slope. It was a scandal here in London, though Miss Catherine may know nothing about it. Old Baron Slope died, leaving a large cash inheritance to his wife, with the understanding that she would, in turn, leave it to their son when she died. All of London was shocked, however, when Lady Slope died and it was discovered that she left it all to her sister.
“The sister, a Mrs. Parker I believe, was a rather poor tenant of Miss Lydia’s father who had befriended Miss Catherine. Only a few days after Lady Slope died, before she even knew she waswealthy, Mrs. Parker passed on as well. Since Miss Catherine was Mrs. Parker’s sole beneficiary, she got it all.”
“That is quite the story,” said Robert, “but it doesn’t tell me about why Miss Lydia has a dowry of five thousand pounds.”
“Miss Catherine’s money has just been sitting in the funds, earning interest. Before she and Lydia came to London this year, she apparently insisted her father allow her to create a dowry for Lydia to help the girl attract suitors. Unfortunately, it is just not enough for most of the gentlemen who associate with the Darcys, so Miss Lydia has been left out quite a bit.”
“That is a shame,” said Robert. “She is an interesting lady.”
“Miss Lydia? Interesting? That is the first time I have heard her described as such,” said Fitzwilliam. After a moment of silence, he leaned forward with an expression of surprise and said, “Don’t tell me you’re serious.”
Robert rolled his eyes. “I’ve spoken with her for one dinner. I’m hardly serious. But it was enough to know that she is interesting. She didn’t flinch at my coarse language or unedited stories of war despite the fact that I am certain two other ladies within hearing lost their appetite.”
“You have got to stop talking like that over meals,” said Colonel. “Even hardened military men don’t want to think about things like that while they are eating.”
“That’s just it,” said Robert. “Not only did Miss Lydia put up with it, she was genuinely interested.”
Fitzwilliam let out a sound that was halfway between a scoff and a chuckle. “Well, if that’s the case and you aren’t simply deluding yourself, I can’t imagine a better girl for you. She’s cheerful enough even in trying circumstances.”
~~~~~
Lydia was pleased when, after dinner, Colonel Benedict asked her if she would be his partner at the whist table. She wasn’t particularly fond of the game, nor was she very good at it, but she thought it might be pleasant to sit across from him for the duration of the evening.
As expected, they lost the game, mostly due to her mistakes, but he never reproached her, not even with his expression. In fact, if she wasn’t certain it was impossible, she would have said he seemed pleased.
Despite the fact that she had been so bad at the game, Lydia had enjoyed the evening. Colonel Benedict wasn’t the most handsome man she had ever met. His face was deeply tanned except for the small scar he carried on the right side of his chin. His hair was a little thin on top, indicating that he would likely go bald at some point in the future. Nevertheless, he was striking, both in looks and personality, and Lydia felt drawn to him.
Her feelings went beyond mere attraction. While she admired his physical strength and masculine figure, it was more that she was drawn to his perspective and way of speaking. She was drawn tohimnot just his looks or his uniform.
Lydia dearly hoped she affected him in the same way, but for the first time in her life her feelings were too strong for words. So, she kept her attraction to Colonel Benedict a secret.
