Prologue

H enry Thomas and Elizabeth Rose Bennet were as happy, if not happier, than any couple who had an arranged marriage could be. He was the heir to Longbourn, the second largest estate in Hertfordshire close to the market town of Meryton in Hertfordshire. She was the only child of James and Clarissa Morris of Netherfield Park, the largest estate in the area.

As they had always felt an affinity one for the other, neither Elizabeth, called Beth by all, nor Henry complained when their parents, who were the best of friends, informed them they had arranged a marriage between their only children. Hence in November 1760, Beth and Henry married from St Alfred’s church in Meryton, the one supported by Netherfield Park. Although neither family had a history of many children born to them, and Longbourn had an entail in favour of the male line, they were not concerned. For as long as the Bennets had been on their land—from shortly after the signing of the Magna Carta—there had been at least one son born. Added to that fact, the entail on Netherfield Park was not on males; the heir had to be a direct descendant of the current master of the estate. Said descendant did not necessarily have to be the oldest.

In February 1763, the Bennets were blessed with a son who they named Thomas Paul. When Bennet had sent a notice of the birth to his distant cousin, William Collins, about the birth of a son, an abusive letter had been received in return claiming the Bennets had once again stolen the estate which should have come to the Collins’ line.

It was Clem Bennet, the second son to Henry Bennet’s grandfather, who had caused the entail to be instituted thanks to his profligate ways. That he attempted to pledge the estate to cover his debts of honour did not seem to factor in the Collins’ attitude that they were the rightful heirs of Longbourn. Land was sold off to cover the debt, and the entail was written. Clem had been sent away by his father. He had married a lady by the name of Lillian Collins and taken her family name as his own.

William Collins and his son, Clem, were none too pleased when a notice of the birth of a second Bennet son was received. It told them James Henry Bennet had been born in June 1766. Not that they cared, but the letter informed them he was named for his maternal and paternal grandfathers.

As the Bennet brothers grew and matured, they became one another’s best friends, although it was not because they were the same in character. In fact, they were very different. Thomas was more studious, had a sardonic sense of humour, and was not as interested in outdoor activities. He much preferred to read or play chess. James was a fun loving, adventurous outdoors type. That is not to say he was not intelligent—he was. He was never happier than when he was doing some physical activity. He had many friends in the neighbourhood while his older brother had a few to whom he felt close. These differences did not stop their brotherly closeness and friendship; if anything, it enhanced it.

In addition to the warmth between the brothers, they were surrounded by a loving family. It was not only their parents, but when they were younger, they had both sets of grandparents who loved them and would do anything for their two grandsons.

As Netherfield Park was larger, and not wanting to engender rivalry between the two boys, James was not told he was his namesake’s heir, and if both Grandpapa James and his own mother had been called home by that time, he would inherit the estate when he reached the age of five and twenty. James was aware his mother was the heiress of Netherfield Park, but he thought that as he was the younger son, it would be his brother who inherited that estate as well.

James did not begrudge his brother his good fortune, and like Thomas, he hoped it would be many decades before their beloved grandfather and mother went to their eternal rewards.

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

After three years at Eton, Thomas entered Oxford to complete his studies. Even though his father had studied at Cambridge, the same university James would attend when it was his turn, there was a particular reason the older Bennet brother chose to attend the rival institution of higher learning. It was quite simply because of the Bodleian Library and the Library which called Thomas to Oxford.

As much as it pained Henry Bennet that Thomas would be the first Bennet not to attend Cambridge, he did not forbid his son to enrol at Oxford, putting his son’s love of the written word ahead of his own feelings about said university versus Cambridge.

When Thomas was in his final year of study in the 1782/1783 school year, James began his time at Cambridge. He enjoyed being at the university his father and ancestors had attended, and became a fencing and pistol champion while he was there. Thomas revelled in being at Oxford, able to lose himself in the libraries when he had free time. He did however join the fencing and shooting teams as he was tired of James always beating him. Due to their disparate characters, the older brother made almost no friends while at university while James made many.

Even though Oxford was the last place they wanted to be, Henry and James Bennet, along with James Morris attended Thomas’s graduation in early May 1783. He graduated in the top five in his class and received many honours. The final time all four men were together at such an event was when James Bennet, also with honours, graduated near the top of his class at Cambridge in May 1785.

James Morris passed away in his sleep a month after James’s graduation and his beloved Clarissa followed him to heaven within four months. Beth Bennet, already reeling from the loss of her father, started her mourning all over again for her mother. The pain at the loss of her parents made Beth decide that she did not want to think about Netherfield Park. Hence, with her Henry’s aid, she met with Elias Gardiner, the solicitor in Meryton and instructed him to offer the estate for lease, and all profits from the leasing thereof as well as those from the estate’s tenants was to be put into the funds in trust for any future granddaughters of hers, in order that they would have dowries one day. Neither Thomas nor James were told about the arrangements. They would remain in place until the day James inherited the estate. Gardiner put his head clerk, Frank Phillips, in charge of all Netherfield Park business.

The solicitor’s wife, Jane Lydia Gardiner had passed away some three years previously. He had three children; the eldest Hattie was being courted by his head clerk. Next was a son, Edward, who was in his final year at Oxford. And the youngest Gardiner, and arguably the most beautiful girl in the town, was Frances, called Fanny by all. The solicitor was grooming his head clerk to assume the mantle of his law practice as his son had made it abundantly clear he would not read the law. Edward was interested in commerce and wanted to enter a trade which involved the importing and exporting of goods. From a young age, the latter had a talent for separating the wheat from the chaff as far as investments went.

In fact, Phillips had begun investing much of Netherfield Park’s income based on his future brother-in-law’s advice. He started very small, with a hundred pounds. As each investment the younger Gardiner found paid off, and at a much higher rate than the four percent from the funds, Phillips had moved more than half of the capital for which he was responsible, with Mr and Mrs Bennet’s permission, into investments as recommended by Edward Gardiner. Eventually well over eighty percent was invested with Gardiner and Associates.

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

Fanny Gardiner’s father had permitted her to come out locally at sixteen. The first public dance she attended was the next quarterly assembly, which had been in October 1785, a month after the Bennet brothers ended their mourning for their Grandmama Clarissa.

Both Bennet sons had been struck by the beauty of the blond, blue eyed, and rather buxom Miss Fanny. They had fallen over one another to reach her to ask for sets. James, being the fitter of the two, had reached her first and requested the first set from her, which, blushing prettily, she had granted. Thomas had boldly asked for the second and final sets which, with more blushes, the lady assented. Not to be outdone, James requested the middle set, which would have been the supper set, had the assemblies offered more than refreshments.

By the end of the assembly, both Bennet brothers were smitten. For the first time ever, the two best friends became rivals.

James tried to discourage Thomas by telling him that Fanny shared none of his interests and was not the most intelligent of young women. Thomas waved his brother’s words away, telling him no matter how different they were, the brothers had always gotten along very well.

As time passed and 1785 became 1786, it was obvious to James that Fanny preferred Thomas, and he decided it was because Thomas was the heir to two estates and he was only a second son.

The truth was Fanny was greatly flattered that both Bennet brothers favoured her, but she truly preferred the older, calmer Thomas to the more outgoing and boisterous brother; it had nothing to do with his status as the heir. Hence, when James requested a courtship, she turned him down but accepted one from Thomas a month before she turned seventeen. At the end of August 1786, the older Bennet brother proposed, and Fanny happily accepted him. They decided to marry on the fourteenth day of October of the same year.

Fanny’s acceptance of a courtship from Thomas created resentment in James since his request for a courtship had been refused. When his brother proposed and was accepted, the feelings of animosity towards his brother began to burn white hot. In his disappointment, James cast aside all the years of brotherly affection and friendship.

James’s feelings of ill-usage and anger were soon directed towards his parents. He went to them to look for sympathy at Fanny not choosing him, and asked them why they would allow a mercenary woman, who was not of the gentry, to marry Thomas. When they had disputed his assertions about Fanny and her reasons for choosing his older brother, James had stormed off and refused to listen to them.

After graduation and mourning, James had decided to become a barrister in London and had not understood when his parents had discouraged him, telling him to learn about estate management alongside Thomas. When his mother and father supported Thomas, James came to believe they had advised him against his choice of profession so he would remain Thomas’s impecunious brother and have to rely on him for his breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, James in his impetuousness, had not learnt that one does not make a decision when one is angry.

Thanks to investing the five thousand pounds with Edward Gardiner that he had received from Grandpapa James, he had almost ten thousand pounds to his name. When Thomas had asked him to stand up with him, James had refused in a most forceful manner. He had withdrawn all of his funds and purchased a ticket on a Dennington Lines ship which would depart from Liverpool for New York in the former colonies. He chose the Americas as he knew how outraged Thomas and his father had been when the final British soldiers had been withdrawn from New York in November 1783. He conveniently forgot he had agreed with them at the time.

He planned everything without anyone knowing what his intentions were. The whole time he was making his plans, he was blaming his actions on his brother and his parents for supporting Thomas. Prior to his brother’s wedding, he had been moving his belongings one valise at a time to the Flying Dragon Inn in St Albans. With not a word to anyone in his family, about ten days before the travesty of the wedding, at dawn, James slipped out of Longbourn for the last time as he never intended to return. Although he did not tell Mr Hill of his plans, the previous evening he had handed him a letter and asked that he give it to his brother on the morning of his wedding.

He rode his horse, his saddlebags containing the last of his property he intended to bring with him, to St Albans and stabled him at the inn. James paid for the horse to be stabled until the day his brother was to marry, and only then to be returned to Longbourn. He did not want anyone trying to stop him before he was away. He commenced his journey north on a post coach.

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

It was not unknown for his younger brother to seek solitude for a day or two when he needed to calm himself. Thomas could understand James’s anger at his disappointment of Fanny not choosing him. Hence, when James had refused to stand up with him rather vociferously, Thomas had not taken it personally.

The three Bennets at Longbourn began to become greatly concerned that some ill had befallen the youngest Bennet after not seeing James for three days. Henry and Thomas already knew from the grooms that James had ridden out on his horse three days earlier, but he had not said anything about his destination. Search parties consisting of the Bennet men, neighbours, tenants, and men servants scoured the countryside in case there had been a riding accident. No trace of James Bennet or his horse was discovered. Some of the searchers went as far afield as Hatfield, but no one thought to go as far as St Albans.

His disappearance cast a pall over the final days before the wedding. Mr Hill was torn, he held a letter from Master James, but he had given his word of honour not to hand it to Master Thomas until the morning of his wedding. What was a man if he could not honour his word. He told himself if Master James had come to some ill, then evidence of it would have been discovered after more than a sennight’s search for him.

As happy as he had been to marry Fanny, the night before his wedding Thomas Bennet hardly slept at all thanks to his worry about his missing brother. The dawn was breaking when there was a knock on his chamber door.

“Enter,” Thomas called out listlessly.

Hill entered the room. “Master Thomas, the night before he departed for his ride, Master James handed me this letter and made me swear by my honour I would not hand it to you before the morning of your wedding.” Mr Hill stood and waited for the reproof he was sure would be directed at himself.

At first Thomas had felt a flash of anger at the butler, but his rational mind asserted itself. This must be James’s way of expressing his disapprobation that it was not him who would marry Fanny on this day. Thinking of his soon-to-be wife lightened his spirits somewhat. They were deeply in love, one with the other, and he could not wait until they were joined for eternity. Rather than chastising Hill, Thomas waved him away. As soon as his chamber door was closed, he hungrily broke the seal and began to read.

4 October 1786

I will not address you as brother because a brother would not use his financial advantage to steal the woman who I love.

And to think I thought you intelligent! A man who had half his wits about him would be able to tell Fanny Gardiner only chose him because of his status as heir; affection had nothing to do with it.

You are a simpleton; you walk about as if you are besotted with her, and she returns your feelings when the only thing she cares about is that she will be the mistress of Longbourn, and one day, Netherfield Park. You are the heir by an accident of birth. I am far more deserving than you as you always have your nose in some useless book. Had I been the older son, she would have chosen me.

What a hollow victory you have! When you marry today, bear in mind she is a fortune hunter and social climber. She did not choose you but your future inheritance and an entrée into the gentry.

To those I used to call parents: the day you tried to justify this reprehensible match and defend my former brother’s actions in stealing Fanny away from me, you showed me my true worth to you. Nothing! As such, I do not recognise you as my parents any longer.

To make sure I will never see any of you again, by the time you read this I will be aboard a ship carrying me to the New World, to the new country of America. Like I have thrown off the old ties, my new country did the same thing. If you attempt to track me down, or send me letters, know that I will not be moved.

This is the final time you will hear from me!

James Henry Bennet

Thomas sat, all of his colour drained from his face as his brother’s angry words played over and over in his mind. He had thought, no hoped, James would move past his disappointment, but the letter which had fallen to the floor from his limp hand seemed to disprove that hope.

An hour later he was still seated in the same chair. It was in that same attitude that his father found his eldest son when he entered the chamber. Hill had informed the master that his son had not called for his man to assist him to dress for the church.

“Thomas, why are you not getting dressed?” Bennet demanded.

There was no reply. Thomas retrieved the fallen missive and looked at his father. “How can I marry her, Father? Look at what it has cost us,” he said as he thrust the paper into his father’s hand.

The older Bennet read the words and almost collapsed. Thankfully his son’s bed was in the way. After some moments of absorbing the shock of his younger son’s vitriolic words, Henry Bennet got a steely look in his eye. “We all know the truth, even if James refused to see it. You and Fanny love one another. Your mother and I decided that even though we ended up falling in love after we married, we would never do what our parents did and arrange a marriage.” Bennet stood and looked at his son. “Do you still love Fanny?”

“Of course I do!” Thomas retorted. “But…”

“No buts,” Bennet interjected, silencing his son. “What James has done is both selfish and petulant. Had he taken the time to speak to your mother and me rather than storming off like a spoilt child, he would have discovered he is the heir to Netherfield Park. Fanny knows this because of her father and brother-in-law, which is why we were sure her choice was not mercenary. As such, we will not allow his tantrum to spoil your wedding. Hurry now, there is no time to lose.”

“Yes, Father,” Thomas obeyed. He felt a little better thanks to his father’s words, but his heart was extremely heavy. When James had refused to be his best man, Thomas had asked Edward Gardiner to stand up for him, his betrothed would have her older sister standing up for her.

It was not too much longer before the Bennet carriage was on its way to St Alfred’s in Meryton.

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

In late January, after dodging some Atlantic storms, the ship James Bennet had boarded reached New York. He deposited close to ten thousand pounds in a bank, retaining enough to rent a place for himself to live. It did not take him long before he discovered he was not built for living in a city.

He left the city and made his way into Duchess county to the small town of Rhinebeck. He found a small farm for rent. It had a nice house made of logs from trees felled in the area. He did not want to admit it, but the lessons his father had given him on estate management were very helpful. He was soon well established in the area, and had even learnt a smattering of Dutch spoken by many in the county.

In the final quarter of 1788, not long after New York became a state in the new union called the United States of America, he met Matilda Van Buren at a dance in Rhinebeck. Her father owned a large farm about four miles from the one James rented. It was not long before Matilda, or Mattie as she was called by her parents, and James were deeply in love. The latter finally admitted what he had felt for Fanny was infatuation. Now that he was deeply in love, he could see the difference. He told himself that he needed to maintain the break with his family because his judgement about Fanny had been sound. A little voice he ignored whispered he was just finding reasons not to examine his own jealousy and bad, self-indulgent behaviour.

Mattie and James were married in January 1789. His father-in-law, Martin Van Buren, convinced him to give up his rented farm and take over the management of his much larger farm as his only son Martin the younger had no interest in farming, in fact, he wanted to study the law and one day, go into politics.

By the seventh year of his marriage to his beloved Mattie, James was the proud father of two sons and a daughter. First born was Henry James in April 1791, then Maria Beth in December 1792, followed by Abraham Thomas in February 1795. James did not want to admit the use of so many names from the family he had rejected was because he knew he was wrong.

Disaster struck in December 1796, only a fortnight before Christmas. Mattie was lost trying to deliver their fourth child, a girl who had been stillborn. James mourned for almost two years and found himself missing his family even more, but at the time, his stubborn self would not allow him to read the two letters from Longbourn which had somehow found him. He had ordered them destroyed.

Without his knowledge, his beloved wife had kept them in the bottom of a trunk.

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

Before any children were born to Fanny and Thomas Bennet, while they had been visiting Edward Gardiner at his house in London, a severe case of influenza swept through the neighbourhood around Meryton, costing Henry and Beth Bennet their lives. The same illness took Elias Gardiner and Hattie Phillips, among others in Meryton.

During their year of mourning for their parents and her sister, Fanny informed Bennet that she was in the family way. Jane Clarissa, named for her late maternal grandmother and great-grandmother, was born in January 1789.

Fanny was well aware of the entail on Longbourn which would end with the next generation after Thomas. She was not too concerned, given the Bennets’ past with bearing sons, and the fact her own mother had delivered a son as well. Hence, even when Elizabeth Rose, named for her late paternal grandmother, was born in March 1791, she did not worry overmuch, and neither did Bennet.

However, after Lizzy, as she was called, three more daughters arrived. Mary in October 1792, Catherine, called Kitty, in February 1795, and the youngest Bennet, Lydia in November 1796. The final daughter had been a very large babe. The midwife and the apothecary and doctor in one person, Mr Jones, had agreed Fanny would not be able to bear another child.

Fanny’s worry for her own and her daughters’ future security increased. In the more than one year after her marriage that Fanny’s mother-in-law had been alive, she had learnt how to be mistress of an estate from Beth Bennet, who she had loved as a mother. However the more worry overset her, the sillier Fanny seemed to become, and the more of Beth Bennet’s lessons she forgot.

With each successive daughter, Bennet withdrew more and more into his study, and the changes in his wife only drove him further into melancholy and isolation. Having been told Netherfield Park was not his, Bennet did not think about it, and neither did he ask Phillips where the income from that estate was going. He knew had James been willing to communicate, he would have discovered he was not only the owner of Netherfield Park, but his brother’s heir as well. His father had sent a letter telling James of the true state of his inheritance weeks after James had left England. Bennet had also sent one to inform his brother of the death of their parents. He knew not if they reached his brother, but he did know there had never been an answer.

Thanks to his withdrawal from his duties, Longbourn’s income fell to two thousand pounds per annum, and Bennet did nothing to check his wife’s spending habits. He still loved his Fanny; he just knew not how to show it any longer.