Bennet relayed the happenings at Pemberley that morning. He had to calm his daughters’ uncles down; both wanted to ride to that estate to whip the insolent whelp. “There is no need, because his father will hear of it and punish him,” Lambert senior opined. “Trust me when I tell you that Robert Darcy does not believe in sparing the rod and spoiling the child. Lady Anne loves all things musical and is an extremely proficient player of the pianoforte and harp, so I am sure she would have loved to have heard your Lizzy play.”
The statement from Lambert calmed the uncles considerably and placated Bennet to a certain degree. No one spoke to any member of his family thus, no matter who they were in their circle of society or whatever their rank.
When the men joined the ladies, Jane entertained them on the upright pianoforte in the drawing room. It was the second time that night that Hattie Phillips’ pronouncement had been proven as honest as it had been unbelievable.
“My goodness, first Lizzy and now Jane. How is it you are so proficient at such young ages?” Madeline asked.
“Have you heard ofSignoreAlberto da Funti, the most sought-after music master in London?” Fanny asked playfully, and both Maddie and her sister-in-law Mandy agreed they had. “He has been with us for two days a week for more than three years now, teaching our girls and others from our neighbourhood.”
“Even so, your girls must have innate ability to be as advanced as they are at such young ages, regardless of the quality of their masters,” Amanda Lambert opined. She was pregnant with her and her husband’s first and could only pray her child would have a small measure of the intelligence and talent she saw in the Bennet sisters, not to mention the striking beauty of the two present.
“The reason we started bringing in language masters was the way Jane and Lizzy, and later Mary, picked up Italian from theSignore. He has been working with the older two for over two years but has had only a few months with Mary. Jane and Lizzy speak Italian like a native, and Mary is just beginning and catching on nicely. It seems my girls have an aptitude for languages,” Fanny offered by way of an explanation. It was not a boast, just a statement of fact.
Not long after, the Bennet, Gardiner, and Phillips families returned to the Big Bull Inn to turn in for the night.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Two days later, on a warm and clear Friday morning, Edward Gardiner and Madeline Lambert were joined in holy wedlock at St. Crispin’s church in Lambton. As he preferred to walk his daughter up the aisle to her betrothed, Mr. Lambert’s good friend and the pastor of the Pemberley church had the pleasure of performing the marriage rites in his friend’s stead.
The wedding breakfast had been organised by a committee of ladies from the parish and was celebrated in the hall where the bi-monthly local assemblies were held in Lambton. Given the Lamberts’ popularity, especially their goodhearted Madeline’s, practically everyone in the small market town wanted to wish them well.
Many of the ladies in the town had provided dishes, so there was enough food to feed all those who attended—twice over. It was a boisterous affair, and only quieted for an instant when the master and mistress of Pemberley stopped by.
Mr. Robert and Lady Anne Darcy made a brief visit to wish the bride and her groom happy. They scanned the crowd, quickly finding the well-dressed couple with the three beautiful and impeccably behaved girls, correctly guessing they were the family to whom William had been so rude.
When the little girl with the mahogany hair turned around, Lady Anne gasped, blinking slowly because she was certain she was wrong, despite what she thought she had seen. Growing up, her dearest of friends was Priscilla De Melville. The two had been introduced when Priscilla was five and Anne Fitzwilliam, as she was then, eight. From that point on, they had spent as much time together as their respective parents would allow.
Lady Anne knew all about Priscilla’s marriage to Prince Frederick and had written to her friend on a regular basis. After the King had forced the two apart, Lady Anne’s letters were not answered again, and she suspected it had something to do with Priscilla’s parents breaking with her. It had hurt Anne Darcy to lose touch with her friend, but she had respected her friend’s wishes.
Lady Anne could not believe her eyes; before her she saw Priscilla as she was at age five when they first met. She gracefully rubbed her eyes to make sure she was not seeing things, but it did not change the picture before her. The same hair, height, and the eyes. The brightest green eyes, so stunning, which Lady Anne would never forget. Realising that she was staring, she took her husband’s hand as they paid their respects to Reverend Lambert and departed.
“Anne, are you well?” Robert Darcy asked with concern. His wife suffered from indifferent health at best. “You look as if you have seen a ghost.”
“Robert, I should not have stared, but the family, the one William abused, their one daughter? It gave me chills up and down my spine when I saw her,” Lady Anne shared with her worried husband.
“What about the girl perturbed you, my sweet?” Robert asked his wife, concerned at her feeling so very unsettled when they were discussing none but a child. “I will cancel our acceptance of Holder’s invitation if you are too disconcerted by being in company with that family.”
“NO! That is not what I want, in fact I want the veryopposite. You remember my friend—my dearest friend—Lady Priscilla De Melville as was?” Lady Anne asked.
“I do. She was a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Duchess of York and Albany until the King ordered a divorce,” Robert remembered.
“You know she was my very close friend since we were little girls, do you not?” Robert Darcy nodded. “What flustered me today was seeing one of those gorgeous girls, the one with the mahogany-coloured hair and green eyes,” Lady Anne explained.
“I saw all three, but did not note individual features,” Robert owned.
“I felt as if I were eight again; I would have sworn I had gone back in time to the day I met Priscilla at five, because that girl did not just look similar to her, she lookedexactlylike my friend,” Lady Anne insisted.
“How can that be, unless the family is somehow related to the De Melvilles,” Darcy surmised.
“Which is why it is imperative we keep to the visit with the Carringtons next week. I need to see her close up to be sure it was not a trick of the light or my imagination, as I have been missing Priscilla these almost six years with no news of her,” Lady Anne stated emphatically.
“You know I would deny you nothing it is in my power to grant you, Anne. I will not change the plans. I did receive a note from Holder, and William is welcome. In fact, Jamey is excited to have the company of another boy his own age,” Darcy shared.
Lady Anne hoped Priscilla did not think she had cut her as her parents and many others had. If only she had some way of contacting her friend again!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Mama, why was the tall, pretty, blond lady staring at me at the wedding breakfast?” Elizabeth asked as the family walked back to the Black Bull.
