Page 41 of Gold and Good Sense

“I suppose I can see that,” said Mary, though she did not seem mollified in the least. “What I cannot understand is why you would propose marriage to someone else so soon after Mama’s passing.” Her attention was once again fixed on Bennet.

There was a moment of silence while Bennet attempted to gather his thoughts. How could he explain to his innocent daughters that the temptation of a Lady such as Esther was too much to resist when he encountered her daily, sometimes hourly, in his own home?

Before he could speak, however, Mary had gone from stern to angry. “Papa, I cannot accept this. You never respected Mama when she was alive, and you cannot even bring yourself to pretend to respect a decent mourning period for her. I withdraw my congratulations.”

Silence filled the once peaceful room as every pair of eyes was fixed on Mary. Such a speech from her was the equivalent of the absolute worst of Lydia’s tantrums.

“Mary…” Lady Esther began, but she was not given the chance to explain or mollify.

“No!” said Mary as strongly as she could. “I will not listen to anything that comes from you. Nor will I look upon you as my mother. Not until I have completed mourning my real mother.”

Before anyone could respond, Mary walked out of the room. Moments later, the sounds of the piano drifted through the house from the music room down the hall.

“That was unexpected,” said Lydia, breaking the silence and forcing everyone out of their shock.

“Such an understatement,” said Bennet. After a moment’s thought, he turned to Esther and said, “She has a valid point. Perhaps we should wait until November.”

“You know we cannot do that, Thomas,” said Esther, gently. “We’ve talked all of this through, and even though Mary’s behavior, while unexpected, is certainly understandable, you know that we cannot put off this marriage that long.”

Bennet looked at his future bride. There was firmness in her expression, but the passion they had shared only minutes ago still lingered in her eyes. He reached forward and brushed her cheek with his fingertip. “You are correct,” he said. “Still, I do hate to move forward when one of my daughters objects so vehemently.”

“Oh, don’t worry about Mary,” said Lydia. “She’s always so dour, and she takes everything so seriously.”

Bennet couldn’t prevent the corner of his lip from turning up in a slight sardonic smile. It was a relief to see that his youngest daughter hadn’t completely transformed and reformed all of her less than sensible behavior. She was still prone to occasionally saying exactly what she was thinking, which wasn’t always completely charitable.

Esther said with mild sharpness, “Lydia, that is unkind. You know better than to speak such thoughts aloud. Doing so reflects worse upon you than it does upon the person you are criticizing.”

Lydia accepted the rebuke, though she didn’t say anything more. Instead, she returned to her seat.

“Perhaps I should go speak with her,” said Jane.

“If you like,” said Bennet. “I don’t think it will make much difference, but it can’t hurt either.”

Jane immediately rose and exited the room while Bennet and Esther settled in for a long conversation about plans and explanations. Several minutes later, Jane returned, though her expression indicated she was not pleased with the results.

“I’m afraid Mary is quite adamant about completing her mourning period for Mama,” said Jane. “I told her it would be inappropriate to continue to mourn after the wedding, since it would show disrespect to you both, but she insists that she will not return to normal clothing until she has shown her mother all the respect she deserves.”

“She may do as she feels she must,” said Esther. “It will not bother me in the slightest. As far as I am concerned, her strong respect for her mother does her credit. Not that any of you girls are more or less correct in your acceptance of the situation. It is tricky, and there is no single correct answer.”

“I suppose you are right, Lady Esther,” said Elizabeth. “For myself, however, I will say that I am truly glad you will be joining the family.”

This declaration was greeted with warm affirmations from both Jane and Lydia.

“Well, now that that’s settled,” said Bennet, “what do you say to planning a short shopping trip to London for some wedding clothes?”

This suggestion was met with overwhelming pleasure. The very next morning, Bennet, Esther, and three of his daughters boarded the barouche to make their way to London. Mary had elected to stay behind with Mrs. Jamison for company.

Chapter 22

As Mary watched her family leave, she felt a pang of loneliness and a smaller pang of guilt. Perhaps, she was wrong to be so strict with her mourning. If all the rest of her family did not mind her father’s marriage, why should she?

Without turning, she said, “Mrs. Jamison, do you think it’s possible I am wrong?”

“It is always possible for someone to be incorrect, Miss,” replied the older lady. “However, I do not think you are necessarily wrong to mourn your late mother longer than the rest of your family does. Nor do I think their behavior is incorrect. In this case, it is much more a matter of feeling than principle, and who am I to say whether someone’s feelings are correct?”

Mary liked this about Mrs. Jamison. In some ways, the older lady was more of a philosopher than most men she had met.

“While you may be correct that it is a matter of feeling, the feeling involved is not sadness or grief as my sisters seem to believe. The feeling is respect,” said Mary. “Respect for my mother and for the eighteen years of guidance and oversight she gave me. While she wasn’t always the most sensible woman, she is the only mother I have ever known, and I am certain she genuinely cared for us all.”