As keen as both Elizabeth and Mary were to share their good tidings about their betrothals, they restrained themselves knowing that Jane and Andrew would return shortly.
As promised, almost three hours later the Hilldales were announced once again. All the news was shared: the good—the two engagements—and the bad—Anne de Bourgh’s murder. The fact that Richard would have been the master of Rosings Park regardless, highlighted just how heinous the late Catherine’s actions had been.
Her trial had been held, and as expected, she was found guilty of murder; she was sentenced to hang. None of the family were present that cold, grey morning she met her end, but the governor of Newgate shared she called herself a noble, and right until she dropped, she was sure that no one would execute her.She had been buried in a potter’s field in an unmarked grave reserved for murderers and those unclaimed by anyone willing to bury them in sanctified ground.
“So, my little brother got engaged and became the master of an estate while I was on my honeymoon. With Mary as your wife, you may make something of yourself one day,” Andrew ribbed.
“I may be younger, but I am certainly not smaller,” Richard retorted. “And yes, with Mary by my side, my life will be a very felicitous one.”
Andrew turned to his Darcy cousin who was seated in the wingback chair on his other side. “Liam, it is good you managed to keep your Hessian from your mouth and won the diamond of the first waters that Lizzy is,” he jested.
“How well I know it,” Darcy agreed. “I thank God every day for leading me to my Elizabeth.” He looked across the small distance between him and his beloved, who was seated with her older and next younger sisters.
“And I do the same for my Liam,” Elizabeth stated. Jane, Mary, and Elizabeth were seated on a settee within earshot of their men.
“I was certain you two would end up engaged to the men you are. I just did not expect it would be by the time Andrew and I returned from our wedding trip,” Jane related.
“Do not forget, Janey, you and Andrew have been away for six weeks. Much happened in that time. Like Lizzy, I could not be more pleased to be engaged to the man I love,” Mary mused. “I am joyful you are both here for my official entry into society, and Jane, I thank you for adding your name to myshortlist of sponsors.”
“I did not think five sponsors were enough, so I joined them,” Jane teased. “Mama looks quite content that two more of her daughters are to marry soon. The house will become rather empty.”
“Do not forget that Henry, Tommy, and Ellie are still at Longbourn,” Elizabeth pointed out. “Well, I suppose it will be just two of them while Tommy is at school.”
“At least you and I will be with Mama and Papa until the day we marry.” Mary smiled with pleasure as she thought of marrying her Richard. “And do not forget that unlike you two, I will be living less than fifty miles from Meryton; that is when we are not all in London.”
“Also, in addition to that, aside from Town, we will spend part of the summer, Christmastide, and Easter with all of the family,” Jane reminded her sisters.
“That could be too much time,” Elizabeth teased.
Becca was seated next to her mother, mother-in-law, Aunt Elaine, Connie, and Marie. “It is a pleasure to see all of my girls back together again,” Becca said wistfully as she watched her three eldest daughters enjoying one another’s company so freely. Ellie was not in the room. She, Giana, Felicity, and Harriet were in the music room under the watchful eyes of Mrs Annesley and Mrs Jenkinson—she had joined the Bennet household a fortnight before when she had entered half mourning for her late charge—and the twin sisters’ companion. Henry and Rosemarie were in a corner discussing a book they had both read.
The other half of Becca’s heart was in the library with her father, Uncle Reggie, Will, and Harry.
All the preparations for the ball were made, and in less than two days Mary would make her curtsy before the Queen.Becca’s middle child had not complained about thehooped monstrosityas much as Lizzy had, but she could tell Mary was no more enamoured with her presentation gown than Lizzy had been.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Mary was in anticipation of her ball that night. She would dance three sets with Richard, her fiancé. As soon as their engagement became official, he had requested the third set as well. If her mother, grandmothers, and aunts had sanctioned it, Mary would have danced more sets with Richard.
She was to dance the first with Papa and the second with Grandpapa. Uncle Reggie had been generous enough to move his set until after supper to allow Richard the third. Uncle Edward, Henry, and Cousin Will had the following sets before supper. Liam would partner her for the set after Uncle Reggie, then it would be Aunt Connie’s husband’s turn, followed by Andrew. Thankfully that only left one or two sets for men not connected to the family. Being engaged before her ball had made all of the difference.
Earlier that morning Mary had made her curtsy before the Queen. She was summoned into the presentation chamber right after two daughters of a duke. Her Majesty had jested it was not every day she accepted a curtsy from a debutant being sponsored by a duchess, marchioness, two countesses, a viscountess, and a Lady.
Much to her relief, Mary had not made afaux pasbacking out of the presentation chamber. Thankfully, unlike many who wanted to see and be seen, she and her family departed as soon as all their belongings were collected from the antechamber where they had been left. The instant Mary reached her chambers, like Jane and Lizzy before her, she could not wait to change out of the hooped presentation gown.
Now it was the early evening before her ball, and she sat at her dresser in front of the mirror watching her abigail work on an intricate coiffure. As she sat, Mary thought about the fact that Lizzy was doing the same thing she was, each day crossing off a day as they counted down towards their wedding.
First, there would be two balls—one this night and one in a fortnight at Matlock House to celebrate their engagements. The plan was to return to Hertfordshire after the engagement ball, where the whole of the family would congregate for Christmastide.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
January, 1812
As happy as she was that Lizzy and Mary would marry Liam and Richard in three days, Becca could not help feeling a tinge of sadness at two more of her children leaving the house. Other than to her Thomas, and a very small group of ladies, she would not verbalise the feeling. She certainly would not allow the two brides to spy any melancholy in her.
She knew it was the way of things. Was it not exactly the same thing her own mother experienced when first she and then Connie married? Neither Mother nor Aunt Elaine had experienced a daughter leaving their home, but they could understand Becca’s feelings. Outside of Thomas, her mother and the former two ladies were the only ones she could speak with about these feelings. In the next twelvemonth, Marie would be experiencing the same mixed feelings.
After Mary’s coming out ball, Lord Jamie Carrington, Viscount Hadlock, had begun to call on Rosemarie. A fortnight past, he had requested and been granted a courtship.
