Again, Mrs Bennet scowled. “They should have gifted you the funds you needed,” she insisted. “I still do not understand why they required it to be a loan.”
“Mr Darcy claimed to have experience with men who gamble and felt it best to forfeit my ‘pound of flesh?ii’ to ensure I do not do anything like this again. Lizzy also felt that I needed to take steps to provide for my other daughters and ensure they were well brought up since she thought we had not done so well. Regardless, with very little expense to me, my second youngest daughter now has a companion, which you have bragged to all our neighbours about, and Lydia has gone to school. Jane is married, although perhaps not as high as you would have liked. Mary and the other girls will attend events at a much higher level of society when they accompany Mrs and Miss Darcy into society. We will have little to do to ensure the rest of our daughters make admirable matches, and I dare say our son-in-law will be persuaded to foot the bill for them as well when that happens.” Mr Bennet proclaimed all of this airily as though it made little difference to him.
“You would deprive me of seeing any of my other daughters court and marry as you did with Lizzy?” Mrs Bennet asked disbelievingly. “If they remain in London with Lizzy, we will surely never see them again. All my girls report that Lizzy is adamant that she will never visit here.”
“Again, madam,” Mr Bennet said, “were you to offer a sincere apology, she might entertain the notion of being in your company again. With all our daughters from home, our expenses have been far less, and we still have funds to provide ourselves with some of the luxuries we prefer. I have even been able to catch up on what we owe to our son-in-law as he has been a demanding task-master, and I prefer to have him off my back as soon as possible.”
Mrs Bennet did not respond to this provocation but continued to ponder what her husband said. She felt frustrated with his nonchalance in this and was aggravated with his attitude towards the future of their youngest daughters. However, she recognised that if something were to happen to her husband, Elizabeth was the only daughter in a position to assist her. Jane was married, yes, but her husband was merely a barrister.Mrs Bennet did not realise that his position was different from that of a solicitor and that he had a far better living, as she thought his income would be similar to that of her father and brother.
She was also troubled by the thought of offering a ‘sincere’ apology. Part of her knew her letters had upset her daughter tremendously, but it did not change her belief that Elizabeth did not deserve the life she now had. It was beyond her imagination to think that a man like Mr Darcy could have been willing to accept a girl like Lizzy, and she still wondered what Lizzy had done to make that gentleman marry her. Having never truly loved anyone besides herself, she could not see or comprehend the love between the pair.
Similarly,Elizabeth could not evade news about her mother, as her sisters would occasionally share updates from Longbourn. Nonetheless, she refrained from actively seeking information. Mary occasionally broached the topic, urging Elizabeth to forgive their mother and mend the fractured relationship, citing the Bible’s words about forgiveness. However, Elizabeth frequently stated her firmly held belief that the onus lay with their mother to take responsibility for her actions and refused to make any overtures towards restoring the relationship.
Though Elizabeth had forgiven her mother, she recognised that the relationship would remain severed. Even in the event of an apology, the prospect of a complete restoration seemed doubtful. Before her marriage, her mother had been prone to belittling and chastising her, which had left lasting scars on their bond. This tendency to demean and berate her had deep roots, going back to Elizabeth’s formative years. Despite forgiving her, Elizabeth could not ignore the emotional scars and lingering pain caused by her mother’s hurtful behaviour and struggled with resentment towards her mother. Those wounds were not easily mended, and apologising might not be enough to heal them thoroughly. The longer her mother refused to apologise, the harder it became for Elizabeth to feel the situation would ever have a resolution.
Her relationship with her father had suffered nearly irreparabledamage as well. His callousness in risking his family in the way he did and his subsequent conduct made it exceedingly difficult to reinstate the bond to what it had been before. His failure to fulfil his responsibilities towards his daughters, leaving the burden on the Darcys to care for them, added to the complexities of the situation. Mr Bennet only did what was required after forfeiting the new and expensive books he had purchased using funds meant for the loan’s payment. Mr Bennet’s refusal to disclose the true state of affairs to his wife until circumstances compelled him to do so had created additional problems, primarily in the letters Mrs Bennet sent criticising Elizabeth.
Regardless, Elizabeth had hoped that, eventually, there would be some restoration, especially after the birth of her son. It pained her that her father had so little to say about the event and that her mother remained silent. She was well aware that Mrs Bennet knew of the birth of the heir to Pemberley and, under normal circumstances, would have expected her to be elated. However, there continued to be no word from Longbourn, at least not addressed to Elizabeth.
“I received a letter from Mama today, Lizzy,” Mary began one morning after breakfast.
“That is nice, Mary,” Elizabeth said abstractedly.
“She and Papa spoke about your estrangement recently,” Mary continued.
Elizabeth cut her off before she could say more. “I do not want to know, Mary. Mama and Papa were wrong, and neither feels the least bit repentant. Papa has attempted to do what he should, and perhaps Mama has too, but she wrote such awful things to me, and until she apologises, I do not want to hear any of it.”
“Papa said they spoke of her apologising, but he doubts it is likely. She cannot seem to move past the idea that you have the life Jane should have,” Mary sighed. “I think sometimes it was better to be the sister that was ignored.”
“You are right, Mary, but speaking of this will not change matters. William and I have discussed it, and I have forgiven our parents and attempted not to resent them. I cannot help their attitude towards me, but I can limit their ability to influence me and my family. William and I have our family now, and I have all my sisters,” Elizabeth said, smiling atMary. “The Gardiners and the Matlocks will act as our children’s grandparents, so our children will not miss out on having a slew of people who love and spoil them. Alex is quite spoiled already, with you and Georgiana addressing his every need and barely allowing William and me time with him,” she teased her sister. “I am happy and content, and if our parents continue to hold on to their resentment, then it will only affect them. I will not allow their resentment to become mine, and I will be satisfied.”
Mary laughed, as her sister intended, but considered her words for some time afterwards.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
As the summer moved into autumn, the Darcys began to plan for a trip to London. Darcy delayed his business there as long as he could, but it was becoming imperative he visit town to deal with some investments and other items requiring his personal oversight. The family prepared to depart early in October, shortly after the annual harvest celebration for the tenants and staff.
This year’s Harvest Celebration was as successful as the previous one. The single ladies organised the events for the children of the estate while Elizabeth met with Mrs Reynolds to plan and make arrangements for the picnic lunch, the supper and the dancing that would occur in the evening. Since Longbourn never hosted such an event, the Bennet girls found all of this fascinating and were slightly awed by their sister’s role. Elizabeth encouraged all the girls to participate in learning how to run such a large household, and they were constantly amazed at what required Elizabeth’s time and attention.
When the celebration arrived, all were eagerly anticipating it. Mary was the only one considered ‘out’, but all the girls would be permitted to dance since only the Pemberley ‘family’ would be in attendance. They were high-spirited leading up to the celebration, but a warning from Elizabeth and the girls’ companion helped to settle them down. All fourgirls helped with the children’s games during the afternoon while Mr and Mrs Darcy mingled with their guests and ensured everyone received the baskets intended for them.
Later that evening, when it was time for the dancing, Mr Darcy delivered his traditional address, thanking the tenants for their hard work, ending it with, “Ladies and gentlemen, please join us on the dance floor. Let us celebrate this harvest with joy and merriment.” With that, he offered his wife his hand and led her towards the dance floor to open the dancing.
After this first set, Darcy danced with each of his sisters before finally leading his wife back out. As they danced, Elizabeth smiled at her husband and said with her typical arch look, “It’s been such a wonderful day, has it not, Mr Darcy?”
He nodded, a contented expression on his face. “Indeed, it has, my love. I am continually impressed by your ability to manage such events with grace and poise. And I am always delighted to dance with you. I have danced with you and all my sisters; it is time for us to depart.”
She nodded her agreement and finished the dance before escorting their sisters back to the house. While their servants and tenants respected the master and mistress, it was established custom for the residents of the manor to depart before supper while the celebration would last into the wee hours of the morning.
A few days later, Georgiana and the three remaining Bennet sisters travelled to London with the Darcys. Georgiana was to be presented the following spring—her come out was delayed by a year in part due to Elizabeth’s confinement and because she wanted to wait. Despite this, she and Mary would attend a few events while they were in town, which meant a visit to the modiste was high on the list of priorities for this trip. Kitty would also occasionally attend events with the other two but would not attend dances, and Lydia was to attend school for one more year. The Darcys and the Gardiners offered for Lydia to stay with them instead of returning to school, but Lydia asked to be permitted to return. At the end of the previous term, she was asked to mentor some new students arriving that autumn and Lydia was looking forward to it. It was such a change from Lydia’s previous attitude that everyone wassurprised but agreed that one more year of schooling would benefit the girl.
Since befriending Georgiana Darcy and living apart from her mother, Mary was more willing to wear gowns that flattered her, something she was reluctant to do in Meryton. This was partly because her mother tended to decry her as the least attractive Bennet daughter, as she sought to set herself apart by being severe and studious instead of ‘pretty.’ However, she learned to accentuate her best traits, and even her brother-in-law noticed the difference in her appearance. Kitty and Lydia likewise helped her learn to trim her bonnets in more flattering colours and style her hair less severely. The confidence this engendered in her added to her new appearance, and men in the village took notice.
One of these gentlemen was the vicar of Kympton, Samuel Kingsley, a gentleman in his late twenties who held the living for the last several years. He was sufficiently dedicated to the responsibilities of his parish and was not yet concerned with pursuing a wife, but the eldest of his patron’s three sisters-in-law intrigued him. During the summer, he frequently called on the family at Pemberley and spent hours in conversation with Miss Bennet. Just before they left for London, Mr Kingsley spoke to Darcy about his desire to court Miss Bennet upon their return.
“Mr Darcy, I realise Miss Bennet could make a far better match than a simple rector, but I have come to admire her greatly. If she returns from London without her heart being touched by a man there, I would like your permission to begin to court her,” Kingsley said.
“Have you spoken to my sister about your desire to court her?” Darcy asked.
