Chapter 23

A ll three ladies Bennet interviewed were acceptable for the role he was seeking to fill. It was nothing less than he expected of the candidates his sister-in-law would find. After the interviews, and with Madeline's advice—she had sat in on each of the meetings—Bennet chose the second lady they had met, Mrs Camile Perkins.

She was proficient in a wide variety of academic subjects and had all of the accomplishments one would expect in a gently born woman. Her résumé was similar to that of the other two ladies, but she had one thing neither of them had. She had been the mistress of an estate.

The estate had not been entailed, which in this case had not been a positive. Her late husband was a gamester who fritted away her dowry within two years of their marriage. Then a year later, he lost his family estate in a game of chance. No one knew the truth, but his body had been found floating in the Thames. It was suspected he had thrown himself off one of the bridges, but as none had witnessed the act, how her late husband ended up in the river had remained undetermined.

Mrs Perkins had been with child at the time; the stress of her husband's death coupled with being evicted from her home with almost nothing to her name had caused a miscarriage. She had moved back to her father's estate, but not too many months later, he passed away and her brother took over. There had been no mistaking the resentment pouring off her sister-in-law at having to support her husband's widowed sister .

With her mourning completed, Mrs Perkins chose to use her education and accomplishments and sought a position as a governess. Over the years, as word of her sterling abilities spread, she became sought after more and more. The last two positions had been as a companion, and during the first of the two she had met Madeline Gardiner at a charitable event her charge was attending. The two had become great friends, and when Madeline informed her of the position her brother-in-law was seeking to fill, Camile Perkins decided she would like the challenge. Besides, she would be helping her friend at the same time.

With all of this, Madeline had gone out of her way not to prejudice her brother-in-law. She answered when he asked questions of her after each interview, but had not allowed her personal preference to be displayed.

In the end, even though her requested wages were more than either of the other two, Bennet allowed her experience as the mistress of an estate to decide the matter. Unlike with his mother's attempts to educate his wife, he would not allow his wife to cry off finally learning how to be a proper mistress of his estate.

As her previous position had ended with the wedding of her charge almost two months previously, Mrs Perkins was more than ready to start working again. Unlike when she took her first position, almost twenty years past, she no longer needed to work, if she did not choose to. Each of the families she had worked for had been so happy with her service, they had gifted her a sum towards her eventual retirement when she left their employ. The amount increased with the status and wealth of her employers. When Madeline had met her, she had been employed by a Duchess to watch her daughter. That daughter, Lady Marie had married Viscount Hilldale almost four years past. The gift from the Duke and Duchess of Bedford had been enough for her to retire comfortably, many times over in fact. However, as Mrs Perkins was not built to be idle, she sought a new position.

Her final position before accepting work with the Bennets had been for Lady Felicia, the daughter of the Duke of Devonshire. Lady Felicia had married the Marquess of Birchington, her previous charge's brother, a little more than two months previously. As had always occurred, she was presented with a healthy amount towards her future retirement.

As a woman a few years away from her fiftieth birthday, she had no desire to retire. Her wealth was further enhanced as a few months after meeting Madeline, she had invested about thirty percent of her funds with Mr Gardiner. Before the year was up, eighty percent of her capital was invested with him, and thanks to her using hardly any of it, the principal kept on growing.

Her friend, Madeline, had not attempted to tip the scales in her favour with Mr Bennet, while at the same time, she had not tried to influence her friend one way or the other. Hence, when Bennet offered the position to her friend Camile, and said friend accepted it, Madeline was well pleased with the outcome. As she had nothing keeping her in London, the newest staff member would be ready to travel to Longbourn with Mr Bennet the next morning. Even though she was a widow, and he a married man, a maid would travel with them.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Darcy did not allow the disappointment at not seeing Miss Bennet or knowing where she had gone to intrude on his enjoyment during the journey back to Pemberley with his sister and her companion. It would be the first time they would both be at their home since the near debacle. Said attempt to abscond with his sister had occurred at the end of July of the current year, and since then while he had been in Hertfordshire, Giana had been in London. A rather distracted Darcy had been at Pemberley to oversee the harvest for some weeks, but without his sister. He had been greatly preoccupied, but his steward had never commented on the fact.

The excitement of seeing their home grew as the coach neared the crest in the drive, about two miles from the gate house, where there would be a magnificent view of the house across the valley. Yes, it was enormous, but to the Darcys, it was just a home.

"I never tire of seeing that view each time I arrive home," Georgiana sighed as soon as she saw the structure built on rising ground on the eastern edge of the Pemberley Valley.

"In that we are in complete accord," Darcy returned. No matter the burdens he carried, they felt lighter as soon as he was at Pemberley. All Darcy needed to make his estate perfect was a wife to be its mistress. He knew there was none other than a certain raven haired, emerald-green eyed, intelligent, witty lady who he would ever want to fill the role.

When the coach was pulled into the internal courtyard, where the sounds of the horses' hooves on the cobblestoned surface reverberated on the walls which surrounded the area, Darcy was happy to see his housekeeper and butler did not have the staff and servants lined up outside waiting for them. It was too cold for that. Unlike many masters of estates across the realm, Darcy cared for the comfort of those who he employed.

Mrs Reynolds and Mr Douglas, the housekeeper and the butler, respectively, were standing on the small veranda in front of the door by which guests and residents entered the mansion from the courtyard by ascending a half dozen stone steps. The footmen who unloaded the trunks, and the personal servants travelling with the Darcys used a servants' door close to the stairs, but only a single half step up from the surface of the courtyard.

"Master William, it is good to see you more like yourself again," Mrs Reynolds stated with a smile. She had come to work at Pemberley as a senior maid when the master was four years of age. Over the years, especially after first Lady Anne and then the previous Mr Darcy had passed away, she had become more family than member of the staff to the Darcy siblings. As much affection as she had for them, Mrs Reynolds was always careful not to cross that invisible line between employer and employee. "Miss Georgiana, it is so very good to see you after more than six months."

The motherly housekeeper wrapped Giana into a warm embrace, which she accepted with pleasure, while her brother greeted the always stoic butler.

"Hot water will be in your baths within a quarter hour," Douglas informed the master. He helped remove the master's outerwear while Mrs Reynolds did the same for the little miss. "If that is all for now, Sir?"

"Thank you, Douglas. I will let you know if I need anything else. It is good to be home," Darcy stated as he and his sister made their way up to the first floor where the family apartments were located.

Mrs Reynolds stood and watched even after the two Darcys were no longer visible. When the master had arrived home in mid to late August, she had been greatly concerned. He was unkempt with dark circles under his eyes, as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Thank goodness something had changed. He looked much better. and even had a spring in his step once again. All she could pray for was that her boy had finally met a woman who was worthy of his love.

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"Seeing you ride now, unless I had been told from your own mouth you had once been afraid of horses, I would accuse the person who told me of jesting," Lambert told the eldest of his nieces as they rode across some of Lambert Hill's fields on their way to Green Hill.

"Lizzy, not only are you no longer afraid of the beasts, but look at you on a mare, looking for all of the world like you had been born to this," Mary remarked.

"You could have knocked me down with a feather because, until Uncle Tim began teaching me, I would never have believed it myself," Elizabeth smiled as she reined in her horse who had begun to dance ahead of her uncle.

"Did I not tell you Papa was the best of riding teachers," Adelaide enthused. The nine year old was riding her pony, and was pleased to be included on this ride with her older cousins while her younger brothers were at home. Henry was with the governess and Rory with Nurse.

"Yes, Addie, you did tell me how good a teacher your father is," Elizabeth responded. She did not add she had agreed to the lessons before her young cousin had told her that.

"I cannot wait for Lilly to come visit in the summer," Adelaide insisted, "Why do the Gardiners have to live so very far away?"

"I am sure Lilly, Eddy, Peter, and May feel the same way," Mary added. Although she had not been afraid of riding like Lizzy had been, Mary had been apprehensive simply because she was nineteen and had never attempted to ride before Uncle Tim volunteered to teach her and Lizzy. That feeling did not last more than a minute or two after she began her first lesson.

"You have mastered the canter," Lambert told his newest students, "would you like to try a gallop? We will not go full speed as you are on those side-saddles, and Addie's pony can only go so fast."

Elizabeth looked at Mary who shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose there is no time like the present," she agreed for both of them. Lambert led the three of them forward, remembering to keep the speed to one comfortable not only for his nieces, but his daughter as well.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Mrs Perkins was pleased to see all three of those she would be educating were willing to learn. She had been filled in on how wild the young girls were in the recent past, especially the youngest. They no longer acted that way, and that was before she began instructing them.

Mr Bennet had warned her that Mrs Bennet may be resistant to learning, but he assured the companion she would have his full support—not only if his wife balked at her lessons, but his daughters as well. Thankfully, for whatever reason, Mrs Bennet did not seem to resent either her own lessons, or that she no longer had the responsibility of superintending her daughters' educations.

So far, Mrs Perkins would teach the young ladies educational subjects after they broke their fasts until a little before the midday meal. After the meal, the sisters were taught by masters, while Mrs Perkins worked with Mrs Bennet. The four ladies would meet Mr Bennet in the drawing room for tea at three where he would speak to his ladies about their days so far and inform them where he had been working on the estate in the morning.

After tea, Mrs Bennet would take up her tasks, which she now knew included visiting the tenants from time to time, and when it was needed due to illness, childbirth, or injury. Kitty and Lydia would have two hours to work with their companion on comportment, elocution, writing, and other skills a gently bred lady was expected to possess.

As the days passed and November became December those who visited Longbourn had a hard time reconciling the proper young ladies they saw in Catherine and Lydia—the former decided ‘Kitty' was not a very lady like name—had to look more than two or three times to make sure they were the same girls who used to run wild in the area. There were again visits to Longbourn, in keeping with the family's state of mourning, and invitations from their neighbours—albeit most, other than small family gatherings, were refused due to the mourning for Jane, which was as it should be. Just as Bennet had predicted, new and better scandals had commanded the attention of the local gossips. Also, the direct way both Bennet parents accepted their parts in the events which led up to Jane Bennet's death, soon stopped the vitriol aimed at them.

Fanny still set a good table, she just lived within the constraints of her household budget now. As the date edged closer to Christmastide, Catherine and Lydia's excitement at seeing their cousins increased.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Elizabeth was more than happy to receive a letter from Charlotte. She was her best friend, after Mary, and her letters were always full of news from the neighbourhood around Meryton.

15 December 1810

Lucas Lodge

Eliza,

How I miss seeing you my friend. To that end, I have taken your suggestion (after gaining permission from my parents) and contacted the Gardiners about joining them when they travel to Lambert Hills. They seconded your invitation, which I understand was issued by Mr and Mrs Lambert. Your Aunt and Uncle Gardiner assured me as they travel with two carriages when the children are with them, it is no hardship for me to join them.

I am not sure if I mentioned this after I told you how Miss Bingley was hoodwinked into marrying that lieutenant and the way she maimed him when she discovered the truth, but that discovery pushed her beyond the bounds of sanity. She is now resident at Bedlam, and will be there for the duration of her life. As to the former Lieutenant, I understand he failed to gain any funds from Mr Bingley other than a nominal amount. He was sent to London via the post, and hopefully will never be heard from again.

Since the bad behaviour of the officer he expelled from his regiment, Colonel Forster has imposed even more restrictions on his men to ensure the safety of the residents of the area, both young ladies and the merchants alike.

What I am about to tell you is not a fiction, so before you think it is, allow me to assure you of its veracity.

Eliza, you will not recognise your family! Your father spends more time out of his study than in it. He is busy many hours making sure all of his tenants' concerns are addressed, their cottages repaired, and he is assisting them in implementing the most modern farming methods.

He has also employed a companion who has experience as a governess for Catherine (she no longer answers to Kitty) and Lydia, and it seems your mother has been learning from Mrs Perkins as well. Will wonders never cease?

Your parents are once again accepted by all in the community because, (when you read this, you will definitely think I am in my cups, but I am not) they have BOTH accepted responsibility for their actions. Yes, your mother too! Even more wonderous is your mother no longer gossips, is far more demure, and never raises her voice above an acceptable volume.

I swear to you Eliza, had I not seen it myself, I would not have believed it. My poor mother is most confused, as is Mrs Phillips. They cannot fathom the changes in Mrs Bennet.

There is still no suitor on the horizon for me regardless of your predictions in the previous missive you sent me.

It almost slipped my mind. Mr Bingley, the Hursts, and Mr Darcy will not be at Netherfield Park for Christmastide. I heard Mrs Nichols tell the owner of the general store her master and the Hursts will be in Derbyshire at Pemberley with Mr Darcy for the festive season. They will return to Netherfield Park after Twelfth Night.

I wonder how close you are to the Darcy estate, my friend? What are the chances you will see any of them?

I await your next letter, Eliza, and as I said, I am missing you every day.

With warmest friendship,

Charlotte

"Lizzy what is it? You look greatly shocked. Did Charlotte write something which disturbed your equanimity?" Mary asked as the sisters sat in their sitting room.

"I think you should read this, and then you will know what has…not upset me, but rather shaken me to my core," Elizabeth stated as she handed the letter to her younger sister. While holding his handkerchief, she watched as the emotions played over Mary's face.

"Can this be true? It must be, otherwise Charlotte would never write it!" Mary exclaimed as she answered her own question. "What does this mean regarding when you will see our parents again? In my wildest dreams I would never have imagined a change like this."

"That is what I feel. I wish Aunt Maddie was here to speak to, but I will write to her and enclose Charlotte's letter," Elizabeth decided. "I am sure Aunt Maddie will agree the time to forgive Mother and Father is much closer at hand than it was before I read this letter." Elizabeth paused as she cogitated on other parts of the letter. "Although I would not wish anyone, even Miss…no, Mrs Wickham to be consigned to Bedlam, I always felt there was something unbalanced about her. I can only be grateful none of the Bennet sisters will ever meet that terrible Mr Wickham. I cannot feel sorry for him for what his wife did to him when she discovered the truth."

"Nor me. Praised be our father put Kit … Catherine and Lydia back in before they were ruined by an officer like that one," Mary stated gratefully.

"Are you looking forward to shopping for gifts in Metting on the morrow?" Elizabeth enquired. "We need gifts for all of the Lamberts, and to find things we can post to the Gardiners, Catherine, and Lyddie." A shadow of sadness passed over Elizabeth and some tears fell from her eyes. "It just hit me this will be the first Christmastide without Janey. I still miss her all of the time."

"As do I, Lizzy, as do I. Remember what Charlotte told you, each of us grieves in our own way. One day you will move past the sadness and only remember the vast good which was our late sister," Mary suggested.

Once she composed herself, Elizabeth followed Mary out of the suite as they went to join the family in the drawing room.