“On the morrow, when I return to Town, I will inform my parents of our happy news,” Andrew stated. “We are all headed into Kent soon thereafter. When we return to London, if you are ready for some guests, Aunt Fanny, we will join you here the day after we return to Town.”
“You should know by now you and your family are welcome any time we are in residence, and I think from now on you need to call me Mother Fanny,” Fanny told her daughter’s betrothed.
“Bennet is good for me,” Bennet clarified before anyone suggested a different appellation for Andrew to use for him.
“Thomas,” Fanny got her husband’s attention softly, “will you join me in the study, please?” Bennet noticed the letter in his wife’s hand.
“Who is it from, Fanny?” Bennet asked after he closed the door to the study, presuming the recent scene and the expected fallout had finally come to pass.
“It is from Priscilla’s parents, her mother to be exact,” Fanny revealed.
“We guessed that they would try to contact her after their names were dragged through the mud after Holder Heights,” Bennet stated.
“You are correct, Husband,” Fanny averred, “and we all agreed how to treat the self-serving letter when it came.”
“You will do as we all agreed and send it back?” Bennet verified.
“Absolutely yes,” Fanny replied emphatically. Fanny called for the butler and instructed him to have the offending missive returned to whence it came.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The butler at Jersey House delivered the post and placed it on the master’s desk, as he did every day. When Lord Jersey sat down, the first letter he spied was the one his wife wrote to their daughter, returned unopened.
Getting out of this trouble was not going to be as simple as a letter to their eldest daughter after no contact in sixteen years. The Earl went to find his wife so they could decide on a solution to their problem, as the Duke of Bedford was due to call on the morrow. Lord Jersey had hoped to receive a warm and welcoming reply from Priscilla before then. It seemed he had miscalculated again.
Chapter 20
“Thomas, there is a possibility for which we must be prepared,” Fanny stated as she entered the study.
“What might that be, Fanny?” Bennet asked as he replaced his quill in the holder.
“Priscilla’s parents have been ostracised, and their oldest living daughter is facing a possible divorce because they told the husband’s family the royals supported them without ascertaining the truth of the matter first,” Fanny said thoughtfully. “I think we need to be ready for them to arrive at Netherfield Park uninvited.”
“I think you are correct, Fanny,” Bennet responded. “From today onward, there will be two of our footmen guards posted at the entrance to the drive. If the De Melvilles dare show their faces here, they will be turned away before being allowed onto the estate.”
“If only they had acted as Priscilla’s parents and not been so worried about what society would think, they could have been part of Lizzy’s life these many years,” Fanny lamented. “They will find out about Lizzy in less than two years now.”
“There is little to be done when what people may or may not think is more important than the love of your own flesh and blood,” Bennet stated sadly.
As soon as his wife departed, Bennet summoned Biggs and instructed that the gate be manned by two men at all times. He was very clear in telling his man that no matter how much they blustered and demanded, the De Melvilles—if they arrived—were not to be allowed on the estate under any circumstances.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
‘How is itI have begun to have tender feelings for William?’Elizabeth asked herself. Only a few months away from turning seventeen, Elizabeth was trying to puzzle out the conundrum. In the last few months, especially since opening Jane’s coming out ball with him, feelings she never expected to have for William had developed.
Elizabeth, who knew she could talk to her mother or Jane about anything, decided to keep the revelation to herself—for now. Jane was busy preparing for her wedding—or at least choosing a date for the wedding, and her mother was preparing for friends and family who would arrive in early December—William among them.
Elizabeth had little more than a year before her own coming out, and William was looking forward to spending time with the Bennets for Easter next year, soon after her seventeenth birthday. The big question to which she needed to find an answer—and she did not know how to go about finding that answer—was did he see her as more than an adopted cousin?
She could not understand her mixed feelings about William coming to Netherfield. On the one hand, she could not wait to see him; on the other hand, she was very nervous at the idea he would soon be there.
The fact that he never talked down to her, respected her opinions, and debated with her as an equal were incredibly attractive traits which drew Elizabeth to William. That he was one of the most handsome men of her acquaintance did not hurt at all. Of late, there were times when Elizabeth had found her breath speeding up and becoming tongue tied in his presence—something which was most disconcerting to her—and she did not know how to resolve all of the feelings she was experiencing.
She resolved to talk to Jane she and Andrew had selected a date for their wedding. Elizabeth knew she needed to talk to her mother at some point, but on this subject she preferred to talk to Jane first.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When Andrew arrived at Matlock House, his father was at White’s. Andrew found his mother in the master suite sitting room and kept his facial expression neutral. “I assume that Thomas consented to your courting Jane?” she asked, her smile growing wider as she saw him attempt to school his features.
