In the summer of 1805, the Cavendishes, Fitzwilliams, and Bennets all travelled to Lismore Castle in County Waterford, Ireland. Marie’s father, the Duke of Bedford, who happened to own the Dennington Lines Shipping Company, allowed the use of his personal vessel,The Rose,to transport the three families across the Irish Sea to Dublin from Liverpool.
The group had toured the city and its environs for a sennight before reboarding the ship, which sailed them down the coast to the harbour at Dungarvan. There they had been met by a convoy of coaches, which had conveyed them the less than seven miles to the castle near the town of Bohadoon. At fourteen and ten, respectively, Henry and Tommy, like their male cousins of similar ages, were beyond excited to be living in a real castle for six weeks.
The Fitzwilliams had been hoping that Fitz and Giana Darcy would join them, but the former refused, still in mourning for his father, who had passed away about a year previously. Robert Darcy had, according to his doctor, been taken by a weak heart—everyone believed he had not been able to go on without his Anne—and since then, the new master of Pemberley had become even more withdrawn and aloof than he used to be before. Richard had been designated Giana’s co-guardian in the late Robert Darcy’s will.
Thanks to his grand tour, and after two years of touring, becoming familiar with the running of Hilldale, Andrew had not seen any of the Bennet cousins for a few years. When he saw Cousin Jane, who was sixteen, his jaw almost hit the ground. Yes, she was a beauty, and as he got to know her once again, he discovered that she was a lady of many interests and quite a lot of intelligence. The confidence she displayed meant she was not just a pretty bauble for someone to attach to his arm like most debutantes of theTonwere.
Richard, who had gone into the Royal Dragoons as a second lieutenant after he graduated from Cambridge in April 1801, had already been promoted to captain. He was amazed at how much the Bennet sisters had matured since he saw them shortly after his initial training in the army. Even was he looking for a wife, which he was not, one thing he knew for certain was that although at fourteen Lizzy was too young to think of in a romantic sense, given her quick wit and intelligence, she would never be a good fit for him. He had time, so he would think of the possibilities of finding his helpmeet in the future.
That summer brought big changes for Jane because, for the first time in her life, she felt an attraction to a man. She was well aware that nothing would proceed for at least another two years because Mama and Papa, with agreement from all three grandparents, would not allow her to come out until she was at least eighteen, and possibly even nineteen. She was stoic about having to wait, and as she told Lizzy one night, if Andrew was not willing to wait for her, then it was not meant to be.
Only the anticipation of sailing on the Rose to return them to Liverpool induced the boys, from young William Cavendish on down, to leave the castle without too much fuss.
Chapter 9
Jane Bennet was brought out during the little season of 1807. Not that she needed more than one sponsor, but she was escorted to her presentation by her Grandmama Anna, her mother, Aunt Elaine, and Cousin Marie.
There was great interest in the granddaughter of a duke with a reportedly very healthy dowry. It did not take long before the men of London society understood the message: there was mutual interest between Miss Bennet and her cousin, Viscount Hilldale. Given the families involved, no men were so desperate as to attempt to insert themselves between Lord Hilldale and the lady.
At the ball, which had been hosted at Devonshire House on Piccadilly Square, Bennet had danced the first set with his daughter. Thanks to the slew of uncles and cousins, very few of her sets were open for non-family members. Andrew Fitzwilliam had claimed her supper and final sets, which Jane had been only too happy to cede to him. During their dances, they had been in their own world, a world of two, which had led to the men who had fancied they would have a chance to catch Miss Bennet’s eye, understanding she was already lost to them. Jane’s uncle Edward had the pleasure of standing up with his niece for the set before the supper dances.
Thanks to the money they had been earning from Gardiner and Associates, once the land had been purchased andthe house renovated, Becca and Bennet had been adding funds to their daughters’ dowries. Even without the additional money they had begun to add, the dowries had been growing apace thanks to the high rate of dividends Gardiner earned, all of which were added back into the principal. With the additions since the duke had dowered his granddaughters, the dowries were in the area of forty thousand pounds each, a well-guarded secret.
Richard Fitzwilliam, a major now, had the pleasure of dancing the second set with Jane. He was sorry that Fitz had still not met the cousins. He was sure that Giana would have benefitted greatly from becoming re-acquainted with the Bennet sisters, whom she had not seen since she was four.
Another opportunity for the master of Pemberley to meet some of the Bennets fell by the wayside at Jane’s coming out. Even though he had been invited, he remained in Derbyshire with his sister due to his determination to stay out of London as much as he was able. With the fact that Becca and Bennet only came to Town when they had no other choice, the Bennets would not be present when Fitz attended part of the season of 1808.
He hated being hunted like a prize stag by mothers and daughters. The worst of them was a want-to-be member of theTon, Miss Caroline Bingley. Hence, Fitzwilliam Darcy did not attend the little season.
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Even though she was the daughter of a tradesman, when she came out in 1805, Caroline Bingley demanded her brother hold a ball for her. The fact that no one would present her to take her curtsy before the Queen had not deterred her.
She had still not forgiven her sister for, against her expressed wishes, settling for Harold Hurst as a husband a few months before her coming out. He was not of the firstcircles, and his family owned an insignificant speck of an estate, Winsdale, in Surrey. As Louisa had never been presented to Her Majesty either, she was not able to sponsor Miss Bingley. She ignored the fact that all of her hints that one of Mr Darcy’s noble relatives present her had been ignored.
At first, Bingley had tried to refuse holding the ball, saying that there was no justification for the expense, especially with the lavish affair his sister had demanded. Like he did with most things, he gave in and allowed his sister free rein to plan her ball.
As Bingley’s leased house was not in a fashionable enough area for Caroline Bingley, and it did not have a ballroom, one had to be rented. Again, Miss Bingley ignored that all of her not-so-subtle hints about having her ball held at Darcy House had been rebuffed. She had even had Charles ask Mr Darcy directly, which had not gained her what she had desired either.
Miss Bingley tried her best to forget the fact that Charles had laid out so much money for her failed ball as she thought about her embarrassing entrance into society two years past.
Reading the papers about a ball to which she had not been invited; one of the Duke of Devonshire’s granddaughter’s coming out, Caroline Bingley tried to block her memories of her own humiliating ball. The article in the society section about the ball brought the unwanted memories to the fore. Very few had attended her own ball, and not one of the attendees was from the first circles. How she had been mocked by those she had told that her ball would be the highlight of the season.
She felt a burn of envy when she read of this Miss Bennet’s well-attended ball, patronised by more nobles than Caroline had ever seen. At least there was no mention of Mr Darcy attending. However, his Fitzwilliam family had all been in attendance. It was to be expected, seeing that the Duchessof Devonshire and the Countess of Matlock were sisters. This unknown Jane Bennet had connections Caroline Bingley could only dream of having. If only she could befriend the younger woman, then she too would move in such illustrious company.
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Over the next two years, Jane was unofficially courted by Andrew Fitzwilliam when he was not busy with his estate or obligations in London. He requested an official courtship from her in February 1809, a few months before she reached her twentieth birthday. He had not wanted to rush her; hence, he had taken his time so they could both come to know one another as one should before binding his or her life one to the other.
The fifth day of March 1809 was a very important day in the life of the Bennets, especially Henry, who had begun his studies at Cambridge, a year after his cousin William Cavendish had.
Henry arrived at Longbourn on the third day of March, a fortnight before the Easter term break, and two days before he and Lizzy turned eighteen. As much as they teased one another, the twins were happiest when in each other’s company. Lizzy had cried the day her brother had begun at Eton, but she had eventually adjusted to the new reality.
Due to the fact the twins’ eighteenth birthday fell on a Sunday, on Monday morning, the sixth day of March in the year of our Lord 1809, the steps needed to break the entail were initiated. Phillips had all of the papers prepared. All it took were signatures from Bennet and his heir apparent.
“The documents will be sent to a barrister, who will present them to the court of Chancery. Within a fortnight we will receive the court’s approval, along with a new deed of ownership, and the entail will be no more,” Phillips explained as he returned the three signed copies to his folio.
“Thomas, I think we should wait for the official word from the court before you write to William Collins,” Becca suggested.
