Next, Fanny opened her arms to hug Roger, her son-in-law to be in—hopefully—the not too far distant future. “I have heard you and your siblings address Debby as Mother, so if you are comfortable, you may use Mama for me. If not, whatever form of address you choose, except for Mrs Bennet, will be acceptable.”
“I think Mama will work, except for the short term, when and if we are in company with your husband,” Roger decided.
“The same is true for me when I address Mother and Pa,” Mary acknowledged. “However, knowing Papa, I doubt whether we will all be in company very often, if at all. You all know how antisocial my father is at the best of times.”
“Mary is right,” Elizabeth agreed. “Of late we do not see our father unless it is at meals, and even then, as Mama said, he ignores us. It has been some time since he invited me into his study to play chess or debate with him. Evidently he is bored by me winning all of the time.”
“So much for my Bennet nephew wanting competition.” Henry shook his head. “It stopped being fun for him when he could not humiliate you by beating you. I am afraid that Thomas is a lost cause.”
“When do you think you will hear back from Lord Matlock?” Elizabeth enquired.
“Four to five days. As the days are shortening, it will be at least two days each way,” Henry estimated. Sitting and hearing his family revelling in one another’s company, Henry felt content. He also knew it was not the time to reveal the truth of his wealth to those who did not know yet. Once the business with Thomas was complete, he would revisit that subject.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Bennet was almost at the end of his morning meal when he looked out from behind his paper and noticed none of his family members were at the table. He rang the bell.
“Mrs Hill, where are my silly wife and daughters?” Bennet demanded.
“They were invited to break their fasts at the dower house. Mrs Bennet did not think you would want to attend, so she said nothing to you,” the housekeeper replied.
He knew what Mrs Hill said was nothing but the truth, but he hoped if he showed some displeasure, his wife would have an attack of hernerves. “When they return, please have Mrs Bennet come see me in the study.”
“Aye, Master.” Mrs Hill bobbed a curtsy and left the dining parlour.
With the absence of any meaningful entertainment, at least for the time being, Bennet decided he needed to take his amusement where he could find it.
An hour later, as he sat with a book in hand and a half-empty glass of port on his desk, there was a knock on his door. When his wife entered on his bidding for her to do so, Bennet was disconcerted. Rather than looking nervous at being summoned to his inner sanctum, the look she sported was a ‘devil-may-care’ one.
“How could you and my daughters break your fasts at the dower house without so much as a by your leave? Furthermore, why was I not invited?” Bennet raised the volume of his voice to indicate his false anger. Rather than get nervous, start flapping her silk square, or any of the other reactions he hoped for, Fanny just stood and calmly looked at him.
“If you are done being petulant, Mr Bennet, may I go?” Fanny requested.
This was not how it was supposed to go. She was not at all discomposed but had somehow seen through his fake asperity. Soon enough the idiot cousin would arrive, and then he would have more than enough sport, especially in public settings, like the assembly, which would be on the nineteenth of September.
Chapter 23
Fanny and her daughters noted the palpable excitement her husband was unsuccessfully trying to repress. It was the thirteenth day of September. As they had all agreed, none of them acknowledged the behaviour as anything out of the common way for him.
Bennet was afraid that his exuberance for the entertainment he knew would begin soon enough had shown, but it seemed he had been able to pull the wool over the eyes of his silly womenfolk. Even Lizzy had not noticed anything. It was time to begin. “I hope, Mrs Bennet,” said he to his wife, just before she and her daughters were to leave the table, “that you have ordered a good dinner today, because I have reason to expect an addition to our family party.”
“Who can you mean, Mr Bennet? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure. Unless our Taylor relatives, or perhaps Charlotte Lucas should happen to call. I am certain the dinners we serve will be good enough for any of them.”
He was shaken. Why did his wife seem perfectly calm? “The person of whom I speak is a gentleman and a stranger,” Bennet stated.
Mrs. Bennet’s eyes sparkled. “That sounds interesting. Who may it be?”
“It is a person whom I never saw in the whole course of my life,” Bennet announced dramatically.
This roused a great astonishment in him. He had not the pleasure of being eagerly questioned by his wife and his four daughters. Rather, they all sat watching him, waiting for himto expound on what he said. After finding none of the expected amusement and not a bit of curiosity, somewhat peevishly he thus explained: “A few weeks ago I received this letter.” Bennet held up the missive. “And some days after I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy and required early attention. It is from my cousin, Mr William Collins, who, when I am dead, may turn you all out of this house as soon as he pleases.” Nothing. Not a shriek, no fluttering. What was happening?
“I am confused, Mr Bennet,” Fanny said after a pause. “Did you or did you not tell me that a Collins may not inherit this estate? If so, pray tell, why would you say that now?”
She remembered all of that! It was Uncle Henry’s fault for interfering. Bennet had hoped that he could confuse her. He ignored his wife’s words and rather said, “It certainly is a most iniquitous affair, and nothing can clear Mr Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his letter, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself.”
“Lizzy, did you not recently speak to my Brother Phillips about the entail?” Fanny asked while not paying her husband’s words heed.
“Indeed, Mama, I did,” Elizabeth confirmed.
