Jonathan Long knew that his wife, Cheryl, was disappointed that she had not been able to become with child and that she liked to gossip. Until Bennet entered his study, he had always thought that she indulged in harmless on-dits, but what he had been told was beyond anything that he would accept from anyone in his household. He rang the bell and asked the housekeeper to inform the mistress that she was required in his study forthwith.
Mrs Long walked into her husband’s study and was smiling, until she saw the thunderous looks on her husband’s and Mr Bennet’s faces. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that this time she may have gone too far when the Bingley women visited her. Her hope was that mayhap the men did not know everything she had said. She was disabused of that notion very quickly when her husband repeated everything that had been repeated to Mr Bennet, which was all of what she had shared, almost verbatim.
“Mrs Long,” her angered husband said,“do you deny that these vile things came out of your mouth?” She shook her head in shame, knowing that she could not deny that she was the source of the words.
“What have my wife or I ever done to you to deserve such vile falsehoods to be repeated?” Bennet asked the woman as tears of mortification ran down her cheeks. The only question left was whether she was upset at being caught, or that she had to admit that she had done the wrong thing.
After a few minutes, she was able to squeak out,“Nothing.” She collapsed into a heap onto her husband’s settee. Long handed his wife his handkerchief so she could dry her eyes.
“Help me understand what motivated the vitriol that you spewed, Cheryl,” her husband urged her in a much calmer voice.
“T-they t-told m-me h-h-how h-high they are, and I w-was t-trying to impress them,” Mrs Long managed between sniffles.
“How high they are?” Bennet scoffed.“Did you, who prides yourself in knowing what is going on in the neighbourhood, not know that they are in trade?” Mrs Long’s mouth made a perfect‘o’as she realised that she had been trying to impress pretenders, which further sunk her behaviour and she hung her head in shame.
“You know that Mrs Bennet is a gentleman’s daughter, do you not, Cheryl?” Without looking up she nodded.“You also know that the only reason she agreed to help the Bennets was because of her desperate situation!” Again, his wife nodded.“You are well aware…” Her husband ran through each of her false hoods, and to her mortification she had to acknowledge that she knew the truth in each case.
When Mr Long finished listing all of the falsehoods, he looked to his friend to see if there was anything he had missed, to which Bennet shook his head.“I promise you that my wife’s days of gossiping are done,” Long vowed, as he looked at his wife, who still had her head down and nodded but she knew that this would not be the end of their conversation.“That is correct, is it not, Mrs Long?” he asked in a firm voice.
“Y-yes, Mr Long,” she said just above a whisper.
“You will be visiting Longbourn with me tomorrow to apologise to Mrs Bennet,” he stated evenly,“and I expect a sincere apology, Cheryl!” She nodded her acquiescence.
“There is one last piece of news that your wife can make known in the community,” Bennet said as his friend looked on in question.“She can simply make the truth known, that the Bingley women try to pass themselves off as what they are not when they are rooted in trade. You know that I have never judged one for being in trade, both of my brothers-in-law are, and I am heavily invested with Gardiner, but for them to try and judge others as below them…they need to learn a lesson.”
“Not unlike my wife, who needs to learn that words can hurt, it is never acceptable to prevaricate,” Long said as he looked at his wife who had raised her head a little.
As Bennet turned to leave, Mrs Long spoke in a soft voice.“I will apologise to your wife on the morrow, Mr Bennet, but please know that I am disgusted at myself. Not for being called into account for my words, but for allowing myself to say them in the first place,” she said sincerely.
“You have my forgiveness, Mrs Long,” Bennet said magnanimously.“Please let us never have the same problem between us again.” After wishing the Longs goodbye, Bennet left the study.
“I was going to share with you later that my brother’s girls will be with us for three months,” Mr Long informed his wife. She brightened up at the prospect of her nieces, Mandy six and Cara four, spending so long with her.“He and my sister-in-law are taking a holiday to the Continent for a long-delayed wedding trip. The girls will arrive in a fortnight.”
Although chastened, it was a much happier lady that left her husband’s study as she began to plan for her nieces arrival.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Lizzy had just been informed of how she came to be a Fitzwilliam and of the evil that was Lady Catherine. All of the family other than Georgie and baby Alex were present in the family sitting room to support her if need be. Her expression was inscrutable as everyone held their collective breaths, hoping that the little mite was not hurt by the disclosures.
“I knew that I was not born a Fitzwilliam,” she finally said her expression neutral,“but why did the bad man discard me?” she asked.
“That, my dear daughter,” Lady Elaine said,“is a question that we would love to have answered, but we have no idea. The man drove his carriage away as fast as he could as soon as he saw the one with your brothers getting close.”
“Did my other family look for me?” she asked.
“I am sure that they did,” her father said.“When Andrew and Richard brought you home, you mentioned Papa,‘aney, and John. I believe that these were the people who loved you and looked for you, sweetling.”
“We helped your parents by having notices placed in newspapers and had posters placed in all of the surrounding counties, but no one ever came to claim you,” Uncle George told her.“Either they never saw any of them or they were unable to reach you.”
“This cross,” Lizzy reached up and touched the ruby encrusted cross that she wore most days,“is all that is left from my old family?”
“Yes, my love,” her mother confirmed,“we had to burn the blanket and nightgown you were found in as they were dirty beyond reclamation.”
“I have heard that I had a sister Tiffany who would have been close to me in age and she is with God,” Lizzy state thoughtfully,“Did she go to God before I joined the family?”
“Yes,” Andrew answered to spare his mother the task.“She had an accident when she was but six months old.”
Looking at her brothers she said,“Both of you have my everlasting gratitude for bringing me home to Mama and Papa. I am sorry not to know my other family, but I love my family here.” After a short pause she asked,“Why is my aunt so evil?”
