“Where we are, the land is relatively level for our part of the world. You can see some of the Peaks from the estate. There are herds of sheep, cattle, and goats. We use a four-field crop rotation system. Hence, much of what we cultivate when a field is fallow are things which grow easily and help return nutrients to the soil, like turnips, for instance, and can be used to feed the livestock in the winter months. I am sure you are aware that our winters are longer and colder than where you live, are you not?”
“Indeed, I have learnt about that. It would be good to see the peaks.” Charlotte cogitated. “Your parents’ estate, Willowmere, is in Derbyshire, is it not?”
“You are correct.”
“Is there a good view of the Peaks from the estate? I have never travelled further than London, so I have no point of reference.”
“Willowmere is close to Matlock, which is in the foothills of the Peaks. We are about five miles distant from both Snowhaven and Pemberley.” Barney saw that Charlotte did not know the other estate names. “Snowhaven is Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie’s primary estate. Pemberley is the ancestral estate of the Darcys. There is a view of the Peaks from all three estates. The estate I am to inherit is not the only family estate in Staffordshire. My cousins Emily and Andrew live at Hilldale, which is barely two miles from Glenmeade.”
“How pleasant it is to have family living so close to one another.”
“That is true for the most part.” Barney grinned again. “Family can vex one another, but thankfully that is a rare occurrence.”
From experience with her brothers, Charlotte was aware the statement was accurate. “At least with each of you having your own estates, you are able to retreat when and if needed.”
“That is not true for David, but he, Mother, and Father rarely have any serious disagreements. David, more so than any other, prays it will be multiple decades before Willowmere is his.” Barney looked across at his younger sister again. “Like she did for her Grandmama Beth, I am sure that Ellie will increase my parents’ and, hopefully, my Uncle Stephen’s will to live.”
Now it was Charlotte’s turn to look quizzically. She understood why Barney would say that in reference to his parents. “Why your uncle?” she asked.
“He and my late Aunt Adelle took Ellie’s loss very hard. Then about a year later…” Barney related his uncle’s heartache to Charlotte. “It is only now that he has seen that Ellie is alive and well that I see some of my old fun-loving uncle emerging once again.”
“I understand why you and your parents did not want him to sign the estate over to you earlier. You thought he would give up and waste away, did you not?” Now Charlotte understood what Barney had referred to earlier about when the estate would be his.
Barney nodded. “Now tell me about your family. I have met your parents and younger sister, but you have brothers, do you not? So far I have not had the pleasure of meeting them.”
“I am not a good one to judge it is a pleasure,” Charlotte teased. “I have an older and younger brother. “Franklin is more than two years my senior, and Johnathan, we call him Johnny, is about three years my junior. You already know they attended thesuperioruniversity. They have been away at an estate in the south to choose some new riding horses for Lucas Lodge. They will return by the end of this week.”
“They sound like estimable men, well, except for their unfortunate choice of school, that is.” Barney used a put-on haughty voice.
Charlotte giggled. She placed her hand before her mouth, and Barney joined her with a soft laugh which came from the belly. Neither realised how long they had been speaking exclusively one to the other, and the cold of the day did not bother them in the least.
Elizabeth had watched the conversation between her brother and Charlotte with pleasure, but most of the party were on their way to Longbourn for the post- church meal. The Lucases had been invited as well. It was time to leave.
“Charlotte, Barney, let us walk to the manor house where you may continue your conversation in the warmth,” Elizabeth sang with a wide smile.
The two being addressed looked up and blinked. Both felt embarrassed that they had been so lost in conversationand had not noted they were practically alone outside of the church. Charlotte blushed, and Barney’s ears turned red.
“Shall we?” Barney asked as he offered Charlotte his arm. He was happy when she rested one of her dainty hands on his forearm. “Well, are the rest of you coming instead of dilly-dallying about here?” He raised his nose in the air as he passed the other four and the companion. Barney and Charlotte ignored the laughter behind them.
Elizabeth accepted William’s arm, Jane took David’s, and with Miss Weasley following, they walked behind Charlotte and Barney for the less than five minutes it would take to reach the manor house.
Chapter 22
An announcement was sent to the papers a few days before the ball to be held at Netherfield Park. It was agreed that there was no reason to wait, as the news was well known in the local area and the chances of it reaching London were great.
Two days after the London papers printed the story of the recovery of Miss Elizabeth Elaine Wendell regarding the fact she had been kidnapped more than seventeen years past, a man was sitting in an inn in a market town. Although he did not often read the broadsheets, he had some time on his hands. With a fresh tankard of ale on the table and more than an hour before his friends would be available, he picked up the paper and began to glance at the news.
When he turned to a page with a certain headline, his hand holding the tankard froze in midair, and he replaced it on the table. He decided to read all of the article to be sure. It could not be, could it?
Wendell Daughter Believed Dead: Recovered
Mr and Mrs Joseph Wendell, of Willowmere in Derbyshire, have made it known that their daughter, who was kidnapped from their house by a robber on either the 30th or 31st day of January 1794, and thought to be murdered, has been found very much alive and well.
Miss Elizabeth Elaine Wendell, or Ellie, as she is called by her family and friends, was discovered drugged, bound, and gagged below a bench in acarriage transporting Mr and Mrs Thomas Bennet to their estate near the market town of Meryton.
The Bennets kept her as a daughter of the house. When no one came to claim the mite, they refused to send her out to the parish.
Due to a tragedy in the Bennet family, they were not able to retrace their path to check if someone was looking for the girl, but they did make an attempt to have information disseminated. They knew not where the girl was from nor where or when she had been placed in their conveyance.
