“Can we please dispense with titles? As Lizzy correctly pointed out, we are all family hereUncle Thomas. Sorry, Uncle George, you are no longer our only uncle,” Andrew grinned.
“Very well Andrew, then back to my question,” Bennet said.
“What I suggest,” George said,“is that we announce we have discovered a connection to the Bennets of Longbourn, and we are recognising them as an uncle, aunt, and cousins.” Then he added,“While not revealing the whole truth, there will be nothing announced that is a lie. With those who are not in this room now, and we trust implicitly, we can share the full story, but in my opinion that will allow the families to become well acquainted with one another and make decisions about the way forward.”
“Uncle Thomas and Aunt Tammy, you will not force me to leave my Fitzwilliam family, will you?” Lizzy asked with concern.
“No Lizzy, we will never force you or even ask you to do that. Being stripped from your family once in a lifetime is already once too many, so we would never put you or your family through that again,” Thomas assured his daughter.“Just having you back in our lives is so much more than I ever dreamed of. As long as we are part of your life in some small way as we all walk this new path together; we will be satisfied.” Everyone in the drawing room that loved Lizzy was happy to see her visibly relax with the assurance that her birth father provided her.
‘I will not be losing the family I love and who love me,’Elizabeth exhaled in relief, hugging Gigi tightly as her cousin sobbed with relief.‘Instead, I will be gaining more relatives to love.’
“Oh, Uncle Thomas,” Lizzy cocked her one eyebrow.“There is the little matter of a game of chess, is there not?” She asked playfully.
“That will be a game at which I want to be to be a spectator,” George Darcy surmised.“I have looked up your record at Cambridge, Bennet. Will and I are not the only ones in this room who were unbeaten at ouralma mater.”
“And who has the distinction of being beaten by a certain, impertinent miss,” William added.
“Well, there is that,” Bennet said.
“I think that, given the emotions of today, we should take a break. What say you that we all meet at Gardiner House on the morrow, so we can continue to get to know one another? We will make sure that Lizzy has the five minutes that it will take her to wipe the board with Bennet,” Gardiner ribbed.
“I resent that,” Bennet chuckled,“if anyone wants to wager, I say that I will last at least ten minutes!” For the first time since Jane’s exclamation some hours ago, there was laughter in the room that contained the newly reunited, now expanded family.
“I would like to extend an invitation to dinner. I do not know about the rest of you, but I am just a little hungry. What say you, Marie, would the cook revolt if we addone or twofor dinner?” Before Marie could answer, Lady Anne Darcy had a suggestion.
“The cook at Darcy House always prepares far too much. What if we have the footmen bring over the food prepared at our house, Marie? I am sure between our two cooks there will be more than enough, and a good variety of dishes served.” Marie agreed, and a message was dispatched to the Darcy’s cook while Marie went to smooth any ruffled feathers in her kitchen.
Anne Darcy, Tammy Bennet, Elaine Fitzwilliam, and Maddie Gardiner ascended to the nursery with Elizabeth in tow. Other than baby May, they had the children sit on the floor, so they could explain as easily as possible the changes to the family. When they were done, Tom stood.“So, Lizzy is my sister, but she is my cousin now?” he asked.
“That is correct, Tom,” Tammy confirmed.
“Alex is our cousin as well?” Tom asked hopefully.
“Yes, he is,” Anne replied.
“Good,” Tom smiled,“I like him.”
That is all it took, with the added verbal expectation that no one was to discuss anything about the situation with anyone outside of their immediate family. With agreement from the five, the ladies descended to re-join the rest of the family.
When they returned to the drawing-room, Marie let them know that her cook had agreed to the plan for dinner, not without some grumbling about food from another kitchen being served athertable.
Andrew and Marie asked the housekeeper and butler to meet them in the study while the table was being set and dinner prepared to be served. They explained their expectation of absolute discretion from the servants, authorised a bonus as an incentive, but made it clear that any gossip traced back to their servants would lead to summary dismissal with no character.
If dinner was a harbinger of the future, then there would be much joy in the extended family. It was louder than normal with so many conversations being held. No formal seating was used, nor precedence followed, so each one sat where they desired. Elizabeth had Jane on one side, Anne de Bourgh next to Jane, and William on the other, with Georgiana next to William. Richard, Perry, John, and William Bennet sat opposite. It was decided with two Williams in the family that William Darcy would be called Will, as many already called him, and the Bennet namesake would remain William. Knowing how much his cousin disliked his given name as a first name, Richard suggested that he be called Fitzwilliam, a suggestion that was roundly rejected by all parties to the discussion.
Bennet was sitting next to George Darcy on one side and Edward Gardiner on the other, across from Andrew and Marie, with Tammy, Anne Darcy, and Lady Rose seated next to one another and Elaine and Maddie opposite them. Bennet mentioned how happy he was with the library that he had expanded significantly when Longbourn was essentially rebuilt. Gardiner had seen the library at Snowhaven, the one time he had been at the house to appraise some items as a favour to the late Earl.
“If I remember, Bennet, and correct me if I err, Andrew, the library at Snowhaven is exceptionally large. I would estimate twice yours at Longbourn,” Gardiner ribbed his brother-in-law, knowing how much of a bibliophile he was.
“I do not know how large your library is, Uncle Thomas, but I must agree with Uncle Edward; our library is the size of an oversized ballroom,” Andrew informed Bennet, who was thinking about how often he would need to visit Lizzy. George Darcy had remained silent with a smirk on his face, waiting until Bennet was well and truly drooling while thinking about his new nephew’s library.
“I agree, Snowhaven’s library is rather impressive,” George Darcy drawled,“except when compared to that at Pemberley.” He waited and chuckled when he saw Bennet’s eyes widen in hope.
“Are you trying to tell me, Darcy, that your library is larger than Andrew’s?” Bennet was flabbergasted.
“Only three to four times!” George delivered thecoup-de-grâce.
“I cannot imagine so many tomes!” Bennet was in heavenly shock as he imagined the treasures that would be found in such a library.
