“That is because, they did not hold themselves above others. They judged people on merit, not titles.”
“And now, the earldom has fallen to you.”
“It has. With every one of the first earl’s progeny producing only one son per generation, eligible heirs are thin on the ground, and as you may recall, Arthur’s own son died a few yearsback. Because of that sad fact, the title has now passed to the line that follows my ancestor, Timothy, the second son of the first earl.”
Mamma gasped out loud at a sudden realisation. “Lady Lucas will now have to address me as Lady Frances.”
“No, my dear. Like Lady Lucas, you cannot be addressed with your given name, you are not the daughter of a peer. You will be called Lady Rumley. However, I have no plans to broadcast my recent elevation, as I do not want every fortune hunter knocking on our door. Our neighbours and friends will find out after we leave for our new estate.”
Six sets of eyes widened at his announcement of them leaving Longbourn and Hertfordshire.
“Will we have a substantial dowry, Papa?” Lydia asked, bouncing with excitement on the small couch she shared with Kitty. “I shall have my choice of officers, now that we are wealthy. Captain Carter will do nicely. He is so handsome in his uniform.”
“Not one of my daughters will be marrying any time soon.”
“Are you certain of this?” Elizabeth queried, taking Jane’s hand in hers. “Mr. Bingley has been giving our dear sister an inordinate amount of attention.”
“Of which his sisters and Mr. Darcy seek to end.” At the collective gasp of all the females, he began to explain. “I learned of their plans, which was one of the main reasons I removed all of us from the ball early.”
“Even if they convince him to stay in town, the minute they hear of our elevation in society, he will rush back to Jane’s side,” Elizabeth argued, silently fuming at the machinations of the supercilious sisters, and the arrogant Mr. Darcy. “We must send word to Mr. Bingley, so he can return to Netherfield.”
Papa raised an eyebrow at Elizabeth’s impassioned plea, then with a heartfelt sigh, turned to his eldest.
“Is that what you want, Jane? A man who loves you for your title, or a man who would defy his friends and family to marry a poorly dowered gentleman’s daughter because he loves her just as she is.”
“I… I would want him to love me as myself, but we do not know for certain that he will not return. He may come back as promised to dine with us this Thursday.”
“For the sake of your heart, dearest Jane, I will put all plans to leave Hertfordshire on hold until the new year.”
“Papa, you still have not told me how large my dowry will be,” Lydia whined.
“I will not know exactly until the reading of the will, but given what I know of my cousin’s wealth, I imagine each of you could expect a minimum of ten thousand pounds.”
“Ten thousand pounds!” Mamma shrieked. “I shall go distracted.”
“Before you get carried away with the idea of this sudden influx of wealth, Mrs. Bennet, be advised your daughters will only receive their portion if your brother Gardiner and myself approve of their betrothed… or, failing that, when they have reached the age of five and twenty. They will receive nothing if they are ruined, or hare off to Scotland.”
“I want to be the first to marry,” Lydia pouted. “I don’t want to end up an old maid, like Jane.”
Another collective gasp resounded throughout the room.
“This brings me to the second part of this meeting, and that is about the lack of deportment I witnessed at the ball last night.”
A heavy silence fellover the room as Papa finished recounting the troubling behaviour he had observed, and the measures he had taken to address it. The quiet was broken when Lydia, her cheeks flushed crimson, leapt up from the couch.
“I shall not! I shall run away and elope with Lieutenant Denny or Captain Carter!” she cried, before storming from the room. Her footsteps pounded up the oak staircase, each step a thunderous declaration of her rage, ending with the violent slam of the bedchamber door.
Her fury stemmed from Papa’s grave pronouncement, delivered with uncharacteristic firmness, that not only were she and Kitty no longer permitted in society — no balls, no assemblies, no morning calls — but that he had also written to their uncle about suitable schools for both girls.
“Papa?” Elizabeth ventured, breaking the uncomfortable silence that hung over the remaining family members like a shroud.
“Yes, Lizzy?” he replied, removing his spectacles to pinch the bridge of his nose, suddenly appearing older than his years.
“What will become of our friends at Longbourn? And our tenants who rely upon us for their livelihoods?” she asked, her brow furrowed with concern.
“Longbourn will be divested of everything not specified in my great-grandfather’s original entail,” he said, replacing his glasses with deliberate care. “I intend to offer the Turners a lease of one pound per annum, asking only half of whatever profits the estate yields in return.”
Mamma began to sputter and fuss.
