Elizabeth hesitated. “Very well, I suppose I should tell you. Yes, he can. He has an inheritance from a relative, he can sell his commission, and then there is the small matter of your dowry.”
“My dowry? My share of Mama’s four thousand pounds? Even if you and Jane forego your share, as I suspect my two generous and wealthy sisters will insist upon, there is still only one thousand and three hundred pounds apiece for myself, Kitty and Lydia. I could live on the interest of that, of course, but I cannot access it until Mama dies.”
“My husband has settled five thousand pounds on you, Mary.”
Mary’s mouth opened but no sound came out.
“I was going to let him tell you, but this seems the right time,” Elizabeth continued.
“I do not know what to say,” Mary said. “That is the kindest, most generous –“ And here her voice failed her.
“He was happy to do it, Mary,” Elizabeth said earnestly. “He reallyisthe kindest, most generous man in the world!”
“Does the Colonel know?”
“He does now, but he did not when he first spoke to William about his interest in you. He was planning to live a frugal life with you, if you were willing to accept him.”
“He was? Truly?”
“Yes, truly. He was thunderstruck when William told him about your dowry. Much as you are now,” Elizabeth added, mischievously.
Mary spent the next hour wondering how she could possibly thank her brother-in-law, who had shown himself to be far more concerned about her future than her own father.
Chapter Seventy-Six
On the afternoon of the second day, the coach pulled up in front of a rather unprepossessing-looking home about the size of Longbourn.
“Rather a come-down from Pemberley!” Mary said.
“But still a good-sized home for one woman,” Elizabeth said. “Do not forget that our parents raised five daughters in a house no larger than this one, so let us not feel too sorry for Lady Anne.”
The coachman escorted the two ladies to the door. Elizabeth stopped to speak with him. “John, there is no guarantee that Lady Anne will even allow us entrance; we may need to repair to an inn for the night and then return to Pemberley. I know you would like to unharness the horses as soon as may be, but that may not be a good idea.”
“I understand, Mrs. Darcy; the master spoke with me about it before we left. We will wait here until your welcome is assured.”
John knocked on the front door; after a few minutes, it was opened by a butler. John spoke before Elizabeth could do so. “This is Mrs. Darcy and her sister, Miss Bennet. They have traveled from Pemberley to visit Lady Anne. Is she at home?”
The butler looked astonished, but seeing that the two ladies were well-dressed, he admitted them immediately and escorted them to a parlour. A few minutes later, Elizabeth and Mary heard a voice. “Who? No, I do not believe it. What in the world could she –“
And then Lady Anne walked in. Elizabeth and Mary rose to their feet and curtsied. Lady Anne stared at them both and then slowly curtsied.
Elizabeth spoke matter-of-factly. “Lady Anne, may I present my sister, Miss Bennet? Mary, this is Lady Anne Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s mother.”
The three ladies then sat in silence. It was broken, finally, by Lady Anne saying, “Refreshments?”
Elizabeth replied, “Yes, I thank you. Lady Anne, the horses would doubtless like a rest. Might I beg the use of your stables for – well, for as long as we are here?’
Lady Anne nodded at the butler, who was hovering in the doorway. He nodded back and vanished. “Bromwell will take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
Lady Anne pulled the bell cord, and everyone waited in silence while the tea tray was brought in.
“I am sorry to say that I do not recall your tea preference, Mrs. Darcy,” Lady Anne said, very politely.
“Milk and one sugar.”
“Miss Bennet?”
