Page 23 of Gold and Good Sense

Though her mother’s voice was piercing, Elizabeth took some comfort from the fact that her effusions would make it entirely unnecessary to inform the servants that the secret was out, because they would hear it clearly enough just from Mama’s joyful cries.

As Mama continued her effusions with some additional excitement, tinged with jealousy, from Lydia, Mrs. Jamison leaned toward Elizabeth and said, quietly, “Am I to understand that your younger sister eloped and your mother is happy about it?”

Elizabeth’s stomach sank into her toes. She truly hoped that Mrs. Jamison would not be so scandalized that she wished to leave because of such behavior. “I’m afraid that is the case,” said Elizabeth, unable to prevaricate. “Kitty left the day before we came home, and Mama was the one who kept it secret, even from our father. She is currently celebrating that her machinations turned out well.”

Mrs. Jamison’s stern face took on a distinct expression of disapproval, and Elizabeth despaired. Jane and Mary were already enjoying their lessons under this lady, but if Mrs. Jamison was too scandalized by such behavior, she might very well quit her position.

“I believe I understand why your father deemed it necessary to hire two companions instead of just one,” said Mrs. Jamison. She then leaned back in her chair and returned to listening.

Elizabeth did not know whether to laugh at the lady’s observation or cry with embarrassment over her mother’s behavior. At the very least, she was relieved that Mrs. Jamison did not seem inclined to leave. Lady Esther, who already knew of the circumstances, showed no change in expression. She merely observed those who were doing the talking.

~~~~~

Thomas breathed a sigh of relief as he finally approached Longbourn late in the afternoon, though he knew his relief would be short-lived.

He had given a great deal of thought as to how to prevent his other four daughters from falling to the uneducated and ill-informed machinations of his wife, but every solution required more effort on his part than he was used to. He was already quite fatigued from chasing down Kitty, but it seemed that he had not yet earned any real rest.

He tried to shrug off his frustrations and leave the future to be worried about later. At least for tonight, he would eat his own food and sleep in his own bed.

As Kitty and her new husband were greeted with joyful effusions by Mrs. Bennet, Thomas grimaced. It seemed odd that his wife would be so happy at a circumstance that could very nearly have ruined the entire family.

After greeting the rest of his family, he left them all to seek the comfort and quiet of his bookroom. He was quite certain Kitty and her husband were perfectly capable of telling the tale for themselves.

His peace was soothing though short-lived. Less than an hour later, it was time for dinner. Mr. and Mrs. Goulding joined the Bennet family for dinner, but once the meal was complete, they made their way to Mr. Goulding’s cottage, which he had spent hours describing in detail.

Once the happy couple had left, Thomas once again retreated to his bookroom. Under normal circumstances, he would have joined the family in the drawing room simply to save coal and candles, but tonight was not normal circumstances.

He did make one short stop in the drawing room to ask Lady Esther to join him.

Once he was settled behind his desk and the Lady was seated in front of it, he said, “I apologize, Lady Esther, for bringing you into such trying circumstances so suddenly. Though I hope you are willing to stay and help my other daughters, I fully understand if you wish to leave, and I will not hold such a decision against you.”

“On the contrary, Mr. Bennet, seeing such a situation play out in front of my eyes has convinced me far more than your words ever did how much I can help your daughters,” said Lady Esther. “If I can prevent the other four of them from falling into the hands of fortune hunters, or worse, fine upstanding men like my late husband, it will be completely worth every ounce of effort it takes.”

Thomas observed Lady Esther for a few moments with admiration. This was a Lady with sense in her head and steel in her spine. Eventually, he said, “I am grateful for your kindness.”

“Don’t mistake me, Mr. Bennet,” said Lady Esther. “I am not doing this for you, and the pay you are giving me is only a small part of my motivation. I am doing this for my past self. If I can prevent your lovely daughters from sharing my fate, my own past torture will feel a little more bearable.”

“Whatever your motivations, I am still grateful,” said Mr. Bennet. “Now, I need your advice as to how to proceed. It has come to my attention that if I am to protect my daughters from ill-advised marriages, I will need to separate them from the one person in their lives who can give nothing but ill advice, namely their mother. I plan to leave Longbourn for at least a few months with all my remaining daughters, and I will be leaving Mrs. Bennet behind. My question for you is, where shall we go?”

Lady Ester’s face remained impassive, though Thomas thought he saw tension around her eyes. “It is a hard thing for a mother to be separated from her children,” said Lady Esther.

“I am well aware,” said Mr. Bennet. “However, if I do not separate them, Mrs. Bennet will encourage any and every attachment my daughters make regardless of safety or wisdom. She will not learn from her mistakes, for she does not ever see them. In this case, I must choose between the happiness of my wife and the safety and happiness of my daughters. Under such circumstances, I cannot see any successful course of action other than what I have told you. If you can see an alternative, I will listen.”

Lady Esther sighed. It was the most expression he had seen from her yet. “I do not like it, Mr. Bennet,” she said. “However, I cannot truly disagree with you. Very well, I will help you. I would recommend going to either London or Bath.”

“That is unexpected,” said Thomas. “I would have assumed that you would suggest somewhere quiet until you and Mrs. Jamison have had a chance to educate my girls a bit.”

“Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary all have enough of the necessary manners to navigate most of society,” said Lady Esther. “What they lack is experience and wisdom. There is no better place to get such a thing than in London during the Season, especially if they are guided by companions who can watch over them effectively.”

Thomas sighed. “I hate London,” he said.

“I suspected as much, which is why I suggested Bath as an alternative,” said Lady Esther. “Still, if you would rather go somewhere a bit quieter, Ramsgate is a rather sleepy seaside town, unlike Brighton or Margate. There would still be social opportunities, but little in the way of scheming or debauchery.”

“No, no,” said Thomas. “You are quite right in everything you’ve said. London likely is the best place to go. I assume I can count on you for introductions in that quarter.”

“That depends on the level of society you wish to enter,” said Lady Esther. “While I am acquainted with almost every titled person in the country, not all of them would wish to associate with those of your status, no matter how wealthy.”

Thomas waved his hand. “I care nothing for status, and I am certain my girls feel the same. I only wish for them to become acquainted with gentlemen who know how to handle such wealth and who would treat my daughters with the respect they deserve.”