“How wealthy is ‘quite wealthy?’” asked Elizabeth.
“She owned three mansions in Mayfair, which she rented out. Additionally, she had over eighty thousand pounds in various investments. All told, I believe her portfolio contained shares from more than twenty businesses. Her personal expenses were small. She lived in a townhome in Cheapside, which she owned, and no one other than our firm knew that she had any wealth whatsoever.”
“If she had family, which you implied by referring to her older sister, why did she not leave it to them?” asked Elizabeth.
“There are none remaining,” said Mr. Porter. “The older sister married the younger son of a viscount, but they were not blessed with children. Both passed away more than ten years ago. The terms of Mrs. Blythe’s will were so unusual that the courts determined they would search for relatives before executing it, but none were found that were close enough to overturn the will.”
“And what were these rather unusual terms?” she asked.
Her father chuckled and replied, “Apparently, even after sixty years, Mrs. Blythe still resented being the second daughter. She stated in her will that all her worldly possessions would go tothe second daughter of the second wealthiest gentleman within three miles of Meryton.”
Elizabeth wanted to laugh at such an outrageous stipulation, but she was still puzzled. “Why Meryton?” she asked. “Was she originally from this area?”
“No,” said Mr. Porter. “It was chosen completely at random. Mrs. Blythe set out a large map of England. Then she dropped a handful of tiny beads onto it. Most of the beads were silver, but one was gold. Obviously, the beads scattered when they hit the map. She chose the town which was closest to where the gold bead landed.”
Papa chuckled, and Elizabeth couldn’t help but join him in his laughter. It was absolutely ridiculous. It must be the work of Jeanie, but even so, it was highly irregular.
“So, I am now the owner of three mansions, a townhome, and a great deal of investments. Is that accurate?” asked Elizabeth. Even as she said it, the idea sounded completely surreal.
“It is accurate for the most part,” said Mr. Porter. “The will stated that all her worldly goods would go to you, so that includes the furnishings of all the homes as well as her clothing and personal items. It would be good if you could come to London to go through it all in person.”
“What do you think, Papa? Shall we go to London to collect my wealth?” asked Elizabeth.
Her father studied her for a few moments before replying, “You are taking this better than I expected. I assumed you would at least feel a bit overwhelmed, but you seem to find this all just as humorous as I do.”
“I am certain I shall feel overwhelmed soon enough. I would not wish to disappoint your anticipation on that front,” saidElizabeth. “At this moment, however, it seems so unreal as to be entirely humorous.”
“Well, humorous or not, unreal or not, we have no choice but to go to London and straighten this mess out,” said Papa. “We will need to make decisions concerning what to do with every little thing. Will we sell the houses, the investments, or the personal belongings? And if we do sell everything, what will we then do with such wealth? There is no way forward but to investigate.”
“Well, when you phrase it in such a way, I think I might be just a touch intimidated after all,” said Elizabeth.
~~~~~
Elizabeth, Papa, and Mr. Porter discussed everything for another hour or more, during which time there were several papers to sign and multiple inventories to look over. By the end of the conversation, it was agreed that they would not tell anyone about Elizabeth’s inheritance until they returned from London.
Papa immediately set about making arrangements for them to leave for London the very next day. They would be staying with Mrs. Bennet’s brother, Mr. Gardiner, and his family, who lived just outside Cheapside, until they could determine if Mrs. Blythe’s townhome should be made habitable. It would all depend on how long their business took.
Mama was not well pleased when she was informed that Papa would be taking Elizabeth to London. She was always asking Papa to take her to the city, but since he disliked traveling and disliked excessive spending even more, he had always refused.
“I don’t know why you should be the one to go to London,” said her mother to Elizabeth. “If he is going to be stirred from his study, he should take all of us, and we could make a lovely holiday of it all.”
“It isn’t going to be much of a holiday,” said Elizabeth. “We are just going to stay with the Gardiners for a couple of weeks while Papa takes care of some business. You know Uncle Gardiner doesn’t have space for our whole family.”
“Well even if we can’t all go, your father should at least take me. I haven’t seen my brother since last Christmas, after all,” said Mama.
“I am afraid that decision isn’t up to me,” said Elizabeth.
In the end, Mr. Bennet stood firm, and when the family coach left Longbourn the next day, only Elizabeth and her father were within.
Chapter 5
Mrs. Gardiner, being just eight years older than Elizabeth, was on very good terms with her oldest two nieces. Both Elizabeth and Jane had been invited for extended stays multiple times in the last few years, and they all carried on an affectionate and frequent correspondence.
Mr. Gardiner was also held in high esteem by Elizabeth. Despite her uncle’s profession as a shop owner, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner were among the most genteel people she knew, well-mannered, soft-spoken, well-informed, and slow to anger. In short, Elizabeth was very much looking forward to staying with them as she learned more about her new situation in life.
Elizabeth and her father were welcomed warmly upon their arrival in the mid-afternoon. They rested and washed up from their journey. Then, after dinner, Elizabeth was fortunate enough to attend the theater with her relations.
It was a perfect start to what promised to be a very busy and possibly trying time.
