The ball celebrating William and Elizabeth’s marriage was a “grand success,” as Lady Eleanor proclaimed with satisfaction. With the exception of Lady Catherine, who did not attend, she was supported in every quarter by the Fitzwilliam family. Those who were curious to see how the new Mrs. Darcy would comport herself in public were pleasantly surprised, and while there might have been those who would malign William’s new bride, the affair went off without incident.
Continuing their travels, eventually Anna’s excitement began to wane and the rocking movement of the vehicle caused her to yawn repeatedly. Even Georgiana began to tire and casually leaned her head against the window, closing her eyes and drifting asleep. When Elizabeth stretched out her arms for Anna to come to her, she willingly agreed. Eventually laying her little head in Elizabeth’s lap and curling up beneath her mother’s shawl, she, too, fell asleep. William loved seeing his family thus and, looking to his wife, whispered his appreciation and love to the woman who continued to make his dreams a reality.
Longbourn
Mrs. Bennet was excessively nervous waiting for Elizabeth and her new family to arrive. The nursery had been prepared forAnna and all of the guest rooms cleaned and aired. Elizabeth’s wedding had been such a rush, but with the Darcys staying for the next ten days, it would be her chance to show them off in the neighbourhood.
With the exception of Mr. Bennet, who waited in the parlour, all of the family had come outside to greet the travellers. William carried Anna in his arms so that she would not be overwhelmed by so many adults towering above her. Mrs. Bennet, beside herself with joy, rushed ahead, eager to greet the Darcys.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Bennet gushed unable to restrain her excitement. “It is so good to have you and Lizzy with us once again. I trust your journey was uneventful?”
“Yes, ma’am, it went smoothly. We have been looking forward to our visit. Please allow me to introduce all of you to my sister and daughter.”
Mrs. Bennet curtseyed, along with Elizabeth’s sisters. “Thank you, Mr. Darcy, you do us a great honour.”
“Miss Georgiana Darcy and Miss Anna Darcy, this is Elizabeth’s family: Mrs. Bennet, Miss Jane Bennet, Miss Mary Bennet, Miss Catherine Bennet and Miss Lydia Bennet.”
“Miss Darcy, Miss Anna,” Mrs. Bennet joyfully responded, “we are so pleased to meet both of you. Please do come into the house and greet Mr. Bennet. After you have done so, Hill will show you to your rooms. Once you have had a chance to change out of your traveling clothes, I would like all of you to join us in the parlour for some refreshments.”
Elizabeth, no longer able to stand on formality, reached out to each of her sisters with enthusiastic hugs and endearments, which prompted all of the women to chatter at once.
“Grandmamma,” Anna said, smiling at the kindly lady. Holding out a small posy, she continued, “These flowers are for you. Papa bought them when we stopped in the village. Mama said you liked roses, and pink is my favourite colour.”
“What a sweet child,” said Mrs. Bennet, taken by surprise. “Why, they are lovely, quite lovely indeed.” Holding out her hand she said, “Miss Anna, please come with me. I should like you to tell me about everything that pleases you. It has been a long time since I had such a pretty little girl to fuss over.”
William put his daughter down, allowing her to take Mrs. Bennet’s hand, and after giving a few brief instructions to one of his servants, turned to follow the women into the house. He knew it would be a challenge to endure Mrs. Bennet’s effusions and Lydia’s boldness over the next ten days, but for Elizabeth’s sake he would do his best. So far Mrs. Bennet had been fairly cordial, although he could not help but chuckle to himself, assuming that the matriarch would give an abundance of her attention to both Anna and Georgiana. Not that it mattered, but he would be curious to see how many ribbons and cards of lace they would come away with by the time their visit was complete.
Lagging behind, William was happy to watch Elizabeth with her arms linked through Jane’s and Georgiana’s. Although Georgiana seemed eager to meet her new sisters, he had also sensed she was a bit apprehensive because of her shyness. With this small gesture, Elizabeth had already done much to alleviate her fears. Before entering the house, his wife quickly turned her head back in his direction. Giving him a look of complete happiness, she mouthed, “I love you.” What more could he possibly need? Elizabeth was his wife, and the light that shone in her eyes as she said those words was a gift he would forever treasure.
Later in the afternoon Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Anna joined the sisters in Jane’s room, where they all exchanged gifts and caught up on what was happening in the neighbourhood. After a time Anna was sent to the nursery with Mrs. Potter to take a short rest before dinner. Bingley had since arrived with Mr. Wallace, prompting the gentlemen to converge for a briefdiscussion in the drawing room while the rest of the women were occupied and Mr. Bennet was resting.
Following the recovery of Elizabeth and Anna, Bingley had asked Jane for a courtship and was in the process of finalising the formalities on the lease of Netherfield Park, a sizeable estate near Longbourn. The three men exchanged ideas about Bingley’s property, as well as one smaller estate which Sir William had suggested for William and Mr. Wallace to peruse.
The Willows was not as large as it once was since much of the land had been sold off by the previous owner. Still, it had five active tenants which could provide a bit of income for Mrs. Bennet and the Bartons, and the manor house was conveniently located less than a mile from Meryton. While Mr. Barton, Mary’s intended, was a third son, he had learned quite a bit about estate management from his father. In speaking with William, he had previously assured his future brother-in-law that should he choose a small estate for the remaining Bennet family once Mr. Bennet passed, he would be capable of managing the property and looking after the women while maintaining his post as clerk for Mr. Phillips. Mr. Barton would become a permanent resident at Longbourn after his marriage to Miss Mary and planned to take a more active part assisting the Bennet family at that time.
Despite the physician’s prediction of Bennet’s short life expectancy, William hoped that his father-in-law would outlive that forecast. Nevertheless, if he approved of the property, he would lease it with Bennet’s approval. Until such time as the property would be needed, he would appoint the Bartons as his agents and allow them to oversee the estate by following through with the suggestions made by Mr. Wallace and himself. During the next day or so, all of the gentlemen, including Barton, would tour The Willows and make a recommendation to Bennet should that prove to be a good choice.
Meanwhile, back in the nursery, a different scenario was playing out. Although usually very attentive, Mrs. Potter was quite tired following their journey from Town and fell into a deep sleep, reclining in her chair shortly after putting Anna down for a nap. Anna’s nap was not restful, and in less than a half an hour later she was wide awake. Quietly putting on her shoes and picking up her dolls, she left the nursery and tiptoed down the stairs to where she heard her father speaking with the other gentlemen. This was not her destination, however, as she was determined to find her new grandpapa. He had been in the parlour when refreshments were served, but did not stay long.
Continuing to tiptoe past the parlour and going on to the room she had seen him enter, Anna tapped lightly on the wooden door while softly saying, “Grandpapa, may we come in?”
Hearing Anna’s voice, Mr. Bennet chuckled to himself and gingerly rose from his chair. “Just like my little Lizzy,” he murmured to himself before opening the door.
“Ah, I see it is Miss Anna Darcy and her two dolls standing before me. Are you not supposed to be taking a nap, child?”
“Yes, Grandpapa, but Dolly and Janie and I could not sleep. We wanted to come and cheer you.”
“To cheer me?”
“Yes, Grandpapa.” She smiled sweetly with anticipation. “May we please come in?”
He smiled appreciatively. “You may. I shall welcome your visit.” He motioned to the empty chair next to where he had been sitting. “Now, Miss Anna, pray tell me, why is it you think I am in need of cheering? Am I such a dour old fellow?”
“No, Grandpapa.” Anna slid off the chair, leaving her dolls, and stood next to Bennet, taking his hand. “I heard Mama say that you were feeling poorly and we wanted to help.”
“Hmmm…. Well, come sit here on my lap. I have an assortment of books on the table, and if you like, perhaps weshall read together. Your Mama and I often read together when she was your age.”
“Yes, I know. Mama told me. Papa and Mama are teaching me to read,” she proudly said. “I know all of my letters and can read many words. And Mama says that we shall make some reading books like the one she and our aunts made about Patches.”
