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“Lady Maria has already warned me that attending church on Sunday will be a trial and that we will have to be ‘at home’ on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to satisfy the curiosity of those members of the Ton with nothing better to do with their time.”
“Should I be in attendance?”
“Honestly, I have no idea. I will consult with Lady Maria and let you know.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Not in the slightest. Who is going to cast aspersions while I am sitting in the morning room of Leonard House with Lady Maria Leonard and the Countess of Matlock beside me. Lady Maria is also planning for her sister to attend one morning.”
That lady’s husband was an Earl and a member of the Cabinet; the President of the Board of Trade. If there were going to be snide comments by the disappointed female members of the Ton, it would not be while in Leonard House.
--
Jane Bennet hugged her sister before they went to their separate carriages. Other than worshipping at different churches, they had been in each other’s company throughout the weekend. Saturday had been spent sharing the news of Elizabeth’s engagement and life in London for the previous three months. When she returned after church the rest of the Sunday had been spent thinking and talking about their futures, and the rest of the family.
“If I was thinking only of myself then I can see how staying here with Uncle Gardiner is the most sensible action. But you have read Mary’s letters, she needs my help. Kitty has started to help with the tenant visits but they are still behind. And that is before dealing with Lydia. Sending her off to Brighton with the Colonel’s wife when the Militia decamp is madness even by the usual standards at Longbourn.
“As for our parents, I am not going to lie, but at the same time I am not going to endlessly answer every question from Mama. She will have as many questions about Uncle Edward as about your situation. Well maybe not that many, but I will use it as a distraction. And I have been charged by Charlotte to visit Lucas Lodge to inform them of how she has settled in Kent. I have a letter for Mariah that Charlotte does not want intercepted by their mother.”
“We will write every week, and if there is a way for you, Mary and Kitty to attend my wedding then hopefully we can discover it. I am sorry that it is not easy and normal but I do not want the day ruined by either of our parents.”
Jane Bennet did not scold her sister for her words. She knew the truth of them.
Half a day later and she was handed down from the Gardiner’s carriage back at Longbourn. Although Elizabeth’s return had been more than six months earlier there were eerie similarities to that day, not least her mother’s volume.
“Allow me to clean myself and remove the road dirt and then I will sit with you all. Mary, will you give me a hand please.”
Other than handing a letter from Elizabeth to her, Jane and Mary did not delay upstairs. Longer discussions could wait for the evening. Soon they were in the parlour with the other female members of the house. Of Mr. Bennet there was no sign.
“I had a very pleasant time in Kent with Charlotte, the five weeks passed quickly. The parsonage felt very like Lucas Lodge. Not in size but in the way it was maintained. There was a fresh smell and each room was immaculate. She has taken immense pride in her new establishment.”
Mrs. Bennet was not ready to hear praise about the woman who would supplant her as the Mistress of Longbourn. They had barely started talking and she was already being ‘sniffy’.
“That is as maybe, but I am sure they must talk about the day they will inherit Longbourn.”
“Charlotte never mentioned it once Mama, she is better mannered than that, especially with me as a guest of the house.”
It took a moment for Mrs. Bennet to realise what Jane was saying.
“But Mr. Collins is not silent on the matter, is he?”
Elizabeth had struck true with her jab about the 10th Commandment. William Collins was a covetous man and there was rarely a week went by without him imagining himself as the Master of Longbourn. Even with Jane residing in the parsonage he had not curbed his tongue.
“No Mama, Mr. Collins talked of it several times.”
“I knew it. And there is Lizzie, now engaged to that disagreeable man, not a care for her family. We will be starving in the hedgerows because she would not do her duty and marry Mr. Collins. If my brother does not save us I do not know what we will do. Tell me about his new situation.”
“There has been little change since the start of the year. The house is unchanged from when you last visited all the way back in ’07. Cousin Edward just turned 18 last month, Angela is 12, Rebecca is 11 and Michael is 8.”
It was clear Mrs. Bennet did not care about her nephews and nieces, at least right at that moment.
“Are they thinking of moving? Has the house been redecorated? What is Agatha’s taste like? Is there new tableware and silverware? How is my brother marking his distinction?”
The questions were all material and mercenary, and asked in rapid succession. Jane gathered herself.
“I did not ask if they were moving”.
A truthful answer as she had been told of the move to Bryanston Square, but hardly a full and complete one.
