“Yes, Maddie, I am aware; the Fitzwilliams and Darcys will return for the holiday, but not the Carringtons. The Carringtons are invited to Edith’s parents’ estate in Suffolk so they will depart London by the end of March,” Fanny averred. “If any of you do not remember where your chambers are, Mrs. Nichols is available to assist you,” Fanny stated when she and the Gardiners joined the rest of the arrivals in the entrance hall. “Water for washing will be ready for you by now.” The Darcys, Fitzwilliams, and Carringtons would return to Town the day after Elizabeth’s tenth birthday, and then the former two families would return with their sons who would be on term break from their various schools at the end of March.
Elizabeth could not wait for her tenth birthday, not because she anticipated any special gifts, but because she would move out of the nursery to join Jane in the family wing and share a suite with her. It had been a long two and a half years of missing Jane without her in the nursery.
On the other hand, she was sad as she would miss sleeping in the nursery with Mary, Kitty, Lydia, and Tommy. As her parents pointed out, just like she had been allowed to have the occasional time to sleep with Jane in her bedchamber, so would her sisters and brother be allowed from time to time, so long as it was what both sides wanted.
Fanny and Bennet would not play favourites or give any of their children that which all would not receive, though there was no denying in just over eight years all their lives would change, Lizzy’s most significantly.
Jane was excited that Anne de Bourgh was present. Over the years since Anne had come to live with the Fitzwilliams, the two had grown very close. During her visits to Hertfordshire, Anne had become close to Charlotte Lucas as well, and while she was visiting the Bennets she too would take lessons from the masters.
The Bennets were adamant they would treat Lizzy the same as their other children. The blow to the younger Bennet children, who would miss Lizzy in the nursery, would be mitigated temporarily; they would have Gigi, Cassie, Mariah, Nick, and Eddy with them in the nursery after Lizzy moved out. To everyone’s joy, Georgiana was to remain at Netherfield when her parents returned to London until their return for Easter.
Recently, Bennet had added two new science and maths masters. The science master was Mr. Brian May. He had come to Bennet’s notice though a mutual acquaintance who, like Bennet and Mr. May, loved astronomy.
The maths master was a Mr. John Deacon. He seemed to be a little shy but was a good teacher and was very knowledgeable in his area. There was now a doctor resident at Netherfield. He travelled with the family any time they left their home, at the insistence of the Prince, to make sure his daughter had access to medical care if and when needed. Doctor Roger Taylor had graduated from the prestigious medical school in Edinburgh.
There was one more master, recommended bySignoreda Funti, a voice master by the name of Mr. Fred Mercury. He seemed to have too many top teeth in his mouth, but per theSignore,the man could sing better than many could imagine. Mr. Mercury claimed the extra teeth gave him a greater range when singing.
The Bennet parents suspected that the music and singing masters had a far closer relationship than mere friends, but they believed in love above all. Gratified the two had found one another under their roof, they respected the men’s privacy, and the men were grateful for not being persecuted for the way they were created.
The five Bennet sisters loved their singing lessons with Mr. Mercury; there had been a marked improvement in their singing since he was hired as their voice master. Every now and then in their free time, the science and maths masters would join the doctor and the singing master, and they would entertain everyone, playing and singing together.
A family member had gifted Mr. May with a guitar from Spain, which he played almost as well as he taught science. Mr. Deacon played a bass cello, and Doctor Taylor played along on a snare and a long drum quite well for a physician. Mr. Mercury was accomplished on the pianoforte, and his voice would swell with song. At times,Signoreda Funti would play and sing with them when he was in residence.
An hour later, all the guests met the Bennets in the drawing room, after the younger children had been settled in the nursery under the watchful eyes of their governesses and nursemaids. “My goodness, Fanny,” Lady Anne spoke softly to her friend as the two sat away from the rest, “All of your children look so well. In a few more years, you will have Jane’s come out. If nobody has volunteered to sponsor her yet, I would like to be the one to do so.”
“Thank you, Anne; we will let you know,” Fanny replied appreciatively. “As Edith is one of her godmothers, I would have to see if she wants to sponsor Jane, but as there will be three after her, I am sure I will be calling on you.”
“I understand why our friend decided to reveal Lizzy’s true birth at eighteen. As a Royal Princess, Lizzy’s presentation will be vastly different from that of regular debutantes,” Lady Anne opined.
“She is technically fourth in line for the throne, but Frederick explained even though she is legitimate, the King will ask parliament to remove her from the line of succession as she was born after he and Cilla were divorced,” Fanny explained to Ladies Anne, Elaine, and Edith softly. The latter two had joined them as they sat off to one side of the drawing room. “The Prince also opined that even though the King and Queen might choose not to recognise Elizabeth, if she chooses to make her true status known, they will not do that as the King still feels guilt over forcing the divorce on Frederick and Cilla.”
“It has been more than ten years since the divorce, yet Sarah de Melville has never attempted to contact Priscilla, is that not true?” Lady Elaine asked.
Fanny confirmed it was so. “I have honoured Cilla’s wishes regarding her family, and barring any unforeseen circumstance, I will post the letter to them when Lizzy turns eighteen, which is also as she requested.”
“Could you imagine one of us throwing off one of our children for some arbitrary societal rule?” Lady Anne asked with obvious distaste at the idea.
“I am sure I speak for all of us,” Lady Edith stated firmly, “I would never even consider such a thing.”
“In a way, I feel sorry for the De Melvilles,” Fanny informed her friends. “To be so willing to elevate the perceptions of society above the love of your own flesh and blood—it is a life which cannot bring happiness, as society never perceives the same things as important from one month to the next. It must be exhausting to force yourself to live by their ever-changing mores and predilections.” After a moment of reflective silence, Fanny continued. “Enough about them; how are your sons doing at their schools?”
“William is lonely at Eton now that Jamey has joined Andrew and Richard at Cambridge,” Lady Anne shared.
“Jamey is enjoying his time at Trinity College,” Lady Edith informed the group.
“As are my boys,” Lady Elaine added. “Do you ever think William and Lizzy will allow themselves to become friends?”
“Hopefully, yes,” Fanny replied. “I have asked Lizzy why they are constantly at odds since she had stated that she fully forgave William the day he apologized at Holder Heights. She said she is not sure why, but she does love to debate with him.”
“That is not news,” Lady Anne smiled. She was happy with the young man her son had become; there was no trace evident of the arrogant and haughty boy he was five years previously. “I asked William the same with regard to Lizzy, why he is standoffish with her. He had no good answer.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The men were amusing themselves in the game room. Gardiner, Darcy, and Holder were playing billiards, while Matlock and Bennet were locked in a chess battle. They were evenly matched, so no matter how many games they played between them, no one ever had a large advantage over the other.
Robert Darcy would routinely roundly beat both of them, but was looking forward to Monday, as the Prince was one of a handful of men who were able to best him at chess.
Chapter 10
