The gentleman laughed kindly. “From your spectacles, young lady!” and Mary laughed too, delighted. It was so rare that anybody noticed her.
But it was not over. There still remained Kitty and Lydia.
“And who am I, Uncle Thomas?” Lydia asked with her usual aplomb.
“You are Lydia!” he said, and she clapped her hands in wonder.
“How did you know?”
“Because you put your hand upon your hip,” he replied, then turned to Kitty and bowed. “And last, though certainly not least, you are Catherine!”
Pleased to hear her full name, which was rarely used, Kitty blushed and performed a perfect curtsey.
“Now, sir, please let me lead you to your apartment,” Mrs Bennet said, and no one could have suspected that only two months earlier she had opposed Uncle Thomas’s arrival.
“Apartment?” he asked in surprise. “When I left Longbourn, it did not have an apartment. I even imagined that one of these enchanting young ladies might be obliged to surrender her room. Do not worry, I would never have permitted such a thing!” he added, addressing Elizabeth and Jane, who walked beside him, whilst Mrs Bennet and the younger girls were ahead.
“You remembered correctly, sir.Webuilt this apartment for you!” Mrs Bennet said. It was a generous use of the word ‘we,’ which comfortably included herself. Mr Bennet, the last in the procession, merely smiled; it mattered little who had built the apartment now that it stood ready to receive its occupant.
Thomas Bennet entered his new parlour alone whilst the rest of the family waited outside, excited and a little anxious. Would he like their work? The question occupied every mind.
But then he turned and, bowing to his family, cried, “I am stunned, shocked, enchanted!” All the worries they had entertained concerning their uncle’s presence vanished instantly.
He looked around on and on with visible pleasure, his green eyes bright with interest. His delight was genuine, and he appreciated with all his heart what they had done for him. Then, with the air of a host rather than a guest, he invited them into the apartment. “I have brought only one man with me,” hesaid as his servant entered carrying the first trunk, assisted by Longbourn’s footman. “This is Tom.”
When the man set down the trunk, he attempted a very clumsy bow. He had plainly never bowed before in his life and had learned the gesture solely for their benefit. Not particularly tall but strongly built, he had fair hair that immediately attracted the attention of the housemaids.
“Tom has accompanied me throughout the last four-and-twenty years in Africa, and it was entirely his own decision to come to England. I warned him about the cold rain and even the snow, but he wished to see such marvels for himself. His Dutch ancestors settled at Cape Town in 1652, though the family fortunes were lost long before he was born. I found him living amongst the Fulani people when he was sixteen, and he has never left me since. He is more son than servant, though I assure you he works very hard.”
As Thomas noticed a shadow of concern upon Mrs Bennet’s face, he continued. “You need not worry. He is accustomed to sleeping near my chamber and will make a bed for himself in the parlour. Your servants need not trouble themselves on my account. Besides, his principal occupation will be in the stables.”
Mr Bennet smiled. “I fear, Uncle Thomas, that we possess only a rather small stable.”
Again, Thomas detected concern in Mrs Bennet’s expression, so he added in haste yet in a weary voice. “We have no wish to disturb your life. Please believe me, madam. Before long, you will scarcely know we are here.”
“It is not what we want,” said Elizabeth firmly, though with a smile, having also noticed her mother’s hesitation. “We invited you here because we wished you near us, and you are most welcome to do exactly as you please.”
“Yes, Uncle Thomas, Lizzy is perfectly right. We are delighted to have you amongst us. If a larger stable becomes necessary, we shall build one,” Mr Bennet said.
“The stables are the only place where I shall interfere,” Thomas declared cheerfully. “These young ladies shall have horses to ride.”
“Thank you!” Lydia cried. “We rarely ride because our horses are nearly always required for work.”
“That shall change, my dear. Tom knows everything there is to know about horses, and before long, four magnificent horses will arrive from Morocco.”
“Now, ladies,” said Mr Bennet, “we shall allow Uncle Thomas some time to rest and become accustomed to his new home.”
The family obeyed, though not without reluctance.
∞∞∞
“I am a little worried,” Mrs Bennet said as she followed her husband into the library, which was a rare occurrence, usually reserved for matters that could not be discussed before their daughters.
“Whatever can concern you, madam?” Mr Bennet asked in the kindest voice he possessed.
“He is certainly very agreeable, and I am glad he has come. Yet he seems likely to introduce so many changes into the household that I do not know how we shall manage his requirements or his servant.”
“He will have very few requirements, you shall see. As for Tom, I am sure we shall find him extremely useful. Our own John is far from being a good groom. Besides, I imagine we shallalso benefit from the fine carriage that brought Uncle Thomas here.”
