Chapter 4

Without making a stop at Longbourn, Bennet and Gardiner arrived at the Red Lion Inn, the former impatient to hear news of his wife. On entering the establishment Bennet spied Jones descending the stairs. Gardiner made his way into the taproom where he was informed his father was waiting.

“Bennet, it is good to see you. I know your wife is in great anticipation of your arrival so she can introduce you to your daughter,” Jones drawled. “When you have acquainted yourself with your new babe and seen your wife, there are some men here who claim a prior acquaintanceship with you, forged across the battlefield of chess.”

With a nod to the loquacious apothecary, Bennet was about to bound up the stairs when he remembered he knew not what chamber Fanny was in. It was the work of moments for Jones to impart the information and then Bennet was on his way. He was soon followed up the stairs by the two Gardiner men.

Just to be sure he was not bursting into the wrong room, Bennet knocked on the door Jones had indicated led to his wife and daughter. The two men who had followed him took seats in the hallway. A second after he heard his wife’s welcoming but tired voice, Bennet entered the chamber. Fanny was sitting up in the bed, a slumbering swaddled babe resting peacefully in her arms.

“Thomas! How wonderful it is to see you. Come meet your daughter,” Fanny welcomed. A tear slid down her cheek. “I am so very sorry. I was certain I carried a son who would inherit Longbourn. You are not disappointed with me, are you?”

“Disappointed? Never Fanny!” Bennet insisted. “You and I both know we mortals have no control over the sex of a babe. All I care about is that you and our new daughter are well.”

“But the entail,” Fanny pushed.

“Even before the money Mother added to that which we have invested, the entail would not have put you into the hedgerows. Think about it my love. If all you had was what would be earned from your dowry, with the fact there is a dower house in excellent repair, you would have been taken care of quite well,” Bennet assured his wife. “As things stand now, after mother’s pin money, if we add not another penny to the principal, you would have an income of more than most of the estates in the area.” Bennet looked at the now squirming bundle in his wife’s arms. “Enough on a subject over which we have no control. I would like to meet the little beauty being held by her wonderful mother.”

As gently as she could so as not to wake the babe, Fanny handed the little mite to her father. At first, it seemed their new daughter was preparing to loudly express her indignation at being moved as she scrunched up her little face. However, she became comfortable in her father’s arms and, with puckered lips, was soon asleep once again.

“What say you we name her after Mother?” Fanny suggested.

“Yes, Elizabeth Rose Bennet sounds very well,” Bennet agreed. “Welcome to the world Lizzy.”

He remembered Fanny’s father and brother waiting in the hallway. After Bennet made sure his wife was ready to receive them, he ushered them into the chamber and introduced them to their granddaughter and niece respectively.

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

A few doors down from the Bennets, other proud fathers were admiring their new sons. The new Rhys-Davies was named Saul Henry. His first name for his late maternal grandfather and his middle name is the same as his father and his older brother’s. The new Carrington’s parents decided on Phillip Gregory. He was named for his late paternal grandfather and his middle name was the same as the late Saul Granger’s.

That afternoon the three brothers became reacquainted with Thomas Bennet, who obliged in soundly beating them at chess in a way reminiscent of the previous time they challenged him. He played all three simultaneously.

While the men were enjoying their matches—at least it was much fun for Bennet—the ladies were spending time introducing siblings and cousins to the new additions to the family. The four boys took a passing interest in the little things who could not play, ride, or learn to fence. Isabelle Rhys-Davies and Emily Carrington were fascinated by the new additions to their families, even though they were not yet five.

Neither girl could believe she was once so small. Both had a turn—under Aunt Elaine’s close supervision—holding her respective brother.

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

A little later that day, with the two Gardiner men visiting at the Gardiner’s house in town, Bennet sent his carriage to Longbourn to collect his mother and eldest daughter.

As serene as she was under normal circumstances, Jane was bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation of seeing her new sister. In her mind, she would be able to play with her right away. It took some time for Jane to accept the tiny sleeping thing was, in fact, her sister. Then she finally grasped it would be a year or two before she would be able to play with Lizzy. That caused the girl of three to lose interest for the moment as she went to sit with Papa who had been away.

Beth sat down in the chair next to the bed and Fanny handed her namesake to her. “We named her Elizabeth Rose, but we will address her as Lizzy so there is no confusion with your name and hers,” Fanny told her mother.

A tear ran down Beth’s cheek as she felt the honour keenly. “Thank you, Fanny and Thomas,” Beth stated gratefully as soon as she had mastered her emotions once more.

She was far too happy to comment on the fact Lizzy was of darker colouring—in complexion and hair than either the Gardiners or the Bennets. She also did not have her own colouring. Fanny and Lizzy both seemed to be healthy and that was all that was important to her at that moment.

Over the next few days, Bennet played a few games against the three peers, each time the result was the same as before. Edward Gardiner, who, after he met the three peers, had also joined in playing chess, returned to London on Monday morning. By the time the three families departed for their estates on Tuesday morning, a day after Fanny and Lizzy had been taken home to Longbourn, the ladies had never had a chance to meet.

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

Clem Collins took the letter he had received to the local vicar to read for him. This was a letter from his damned cousin announcing the birth of his newest spawn. Collins had received intelligence the wife had birthed a daughter. The only reason he was troubling himself with this letter was his hope for confirmation of what he had gleaned.

Collins was shown into the parsonage’s study where Mr. Chambers sat working on his next sermon. “Morning Mr. Chambers, I received this letter, I think it is from my cousin, would you read it to me?” Collins requested gruffly.

“Hand it over.” Sidney Chambers did not mind reading the occasional letter for the man, even if he was never seen in church. He skimmed the letter. “It announces the birth of a new daughter, Elizabeth Rose, to your cousin, Mr. Bennet.”

With a grunt, which the vicar took as the closest thing to a thank you he would receive, Collins retrieved the letter and left without another word.

He whistled as he walked home. Things were as they should be.

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

March 1800

As Fanny and Beth prepared for the celebration to mark Lizzy’s tenth birthday, Fanny felt a level of melancholy as she thought of the past ten years. As happy as she was in almost all areas of her life, the one thing which saddened her was that even though she had delivered three more children, they had all been daughters.

Mary had been born in December 1791, followed by Cathy—Catherine—in April 1794. The youngest Bennet, Lydia, who had been named for the mother Fanny never knew, was born in September 1795. The impetus for naming a daughter after her long-dead mother was simple. Her father had passed away in October 1794, and Fanny had sworn she would name her son Elias for him. As the son had been another daughter, she had chosen her mother’s name, hoping and praying she may yet bear a son.

Three of the five Bennet daughters, Jane, Mary, and Lydia, were similar to their mother in looks and colouring, including deep cerulean blue eyes, while one, Cathy, had her father’s colouring, hazel eyes with light brown hair

Three of the sisters were far more serene, none as much as Jane, but Mary and Cathy were more like Jane than Lizzy in character. At four, Lydia seemed to be a vivacious, rambunctious child. Her behaviour was explained by her being so very young.

Lizzy however, was the exception. Although a beauty, she had wavy, almost curly, raven-coloured locks, the most intriguing emerald-green eyes, and in stature, she was shorter than Mary, and it seemed it would not be long before Cathy and Lydia would reach, and then surpass her in height. In addition to her physical looks, she was exceptionally intelligent, loved the written word, and had a very sharp tongue when one angered her. She was aware of this failing of hers, she tended to jump to conclusions and was, at times, slow to revise her opinions.

There was one thing she did not have that her father and sisters all bore: it was a triangular, off red coloured birthmark on the back side of her right upper arm. When she had been old enough to notice she was the only one besides Mama and Grandmama without that mark, she had asked why she was the only Bennet sister who did not bear it. Fanny had explained that in that, Lizzy took after the Gardiners.

Besides her father’s passing more than five years past, and her occasional melancholy thoughts regarding her self-perceived failure, Fanny’s thoughts were generally very positive, as such, she made sure all was ready for the celebration. Fanny chastised herself for worrying about the entail. How many times had Thomas assured her it was not an issue? On top of that, not many days previously he had invited her into his study and gone over the state of their finances with her. She had not been able to comprehend the scope of the numbers and the exponential increases over the last ten years. When she had articulated her confusion, Thomas had explained to her—in terms which she could easily follow—something he called compounding. By the time he had completed his explanation, highlighting the annual sum he added to the principal as well, Fanny had a much better understanding of how the thirty thousand pounds principal—which it had been after Mother added her dowry—had become between ninety and one hundred thousand pounds. So far, each daughter would have a fifteen-thousand-pound dowry while the rest would be for her own, and Mother’s—if she survived her son—use.

Thoughts of Edward and his business led Fanny to think of the pleasure and happiness her brother had found with the woman he loved. Edward had met Madeline Lambert when she was nineteen and living with relatives in London. Maddie, as she was called by the family, had lost her parents and brother to an outbreak of smallpox shortly after she had arrived at her uncle’s house in London. As her uncle had been designated her guardian by his late brother-in-law’s will, Maddie had never returned to her beloved Lambton in Derbyshire.

They had met at an assembly near Edward’s house not long after Maddie had completed her mourning period for her family in August 1794. By November of that year, they were married. Hattie had been very concerned that Maddie would be afflicted as she was, and not be able to carry a child to birth, as Maddie had had a miscarriage four months after the wedding. Hattie’s fears—much to her joy—were unfounded when Maddie began to increase and bore a son, Edward, called Eddy, in April 1796. He was followed by Lilly in November 1797, only a few days after the third anniversary of her parents’ wedding.

The Gardiners would arrive within the hour. Not only were the two children loved by their older Bennet cousins, but Edward and Maddie were adored by all five of Fanny’s daughters. Maddie had written to Fanny that she was once again with child and had recently felt the quickening.

Even though it was Lizzy’s birthday, the three older girls (Cathy would begin in April after she turned six) were at lessons with their governess, Mrs. Joanne Frost. Mrs. Frost—who was a gentlewoman who had been left impoverished when her profligate husband had passed away—had been employed when Jane turned six and Lizzy had demanded to join the lessons a little before she turned five. All of the sisters who were being educated by the governess loved her dearly.

“Is everything to your satisfaction?” Bennet asked his wife and mother when he entered the decorated dining parlour.

“It is,” Fanny responded with a smile. “There will be games outside—you know our Lizzy will not be well pleased if there is not the chance to expend some energy out of doors—and then we will have a festive meal featuring all of our second daughter’s favourites.”

“The Lucases, Longs, Gouldings, and Purvises will be in attendance,” Beth reported, “and we expect Hattie and Frank to arrive around the same time as Edward, Maddie, and their children should be here.”

“As I can see you have things well in hand, I will return to my study.” Bennet paused. “When you two have some moments, please come see me, there is something I need to discuss with you.”

Fanny looked at her mother who shrugged. “We have time now, Thomas,” Fanny stated for both.

Bennet waited for his wife and mother to enter the study before he pushed the door closed. Each lady took a seat in front of his desk. He cleared his throat. “The reason for my request is that I would like to purchase a distressed estate, but to do so, I will need to use more than half of the money in the investment account. If things do not go as I expect, then it may reduce the girls’ dowries,” he looked at his wife, “your remaining portion,” then he turned his eyes to his mother, “and your dowry.”

Fanny and Beth looked over the information Bennet had presented them. Bennet sat back in his large chair and interlaced his fingers over his belly as he waited for the verdict.

“Considering that the manor house was damaged in the fire eight months ago it will have to be completely rebuilt,” Beth observed.

“It has been factored into the amount I am willing to offer,” Bennet averred.

“Did not all the tenants leave due to the indolent heir not wanting to repair anything or employ a new steward?” Fanny enquired.

“Yes, and I will make sure the sale price he is asking for will be reduced accordingly,” Bennet explained. “Yes, it will take much work to bring the estate back to prosperity. However, I believe we will be able to restore the place to its former glory and I intend to use modern farming methods to increase the income above what it used to be. In my opinion, it is a sound investment, however, if you are both against it, I will defer to you.”

“You have not guided us afoul before, Thomas,” Fanny decided, “I trust you when you say it is a worthwhile investment.”

“I agree with Fanny, Son,” Beth stated warmly. “Your father would have been so proud of you.”

Bennet could not have been more pleased his wife and mother were in concurrence with his plan. As both of his brothers-in-law would soon be present, he would speak to them after the celebratory meal.

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

Once the meal had been enjoyed and the children who were not required to rest in the nursery taken into the park to expend some more energy, Bennet led his two brothers back into the study. With the door closed, the three men sat and Bennet poured a small measure of port for each one.

He presented his plan to Gardiner and Philips. They asked some of the same questions Fanny and his mother had, in addition to some others. In the end, both endorsed the plan.

Philips would open negotiations with the heir’s representative as soon as he was able to contact the man. Gardiner proposed to provide any additional funds, Bennet may require for building and repairs to the tenant cottages and farms, rather than his brother withdrawing more from his investment account. After some back and forth, and arriving at an acceptable repayment scheme, Bennet gratefully accepted his brother’s generous offer.