“I would love to come to see where you and William will live,” Mary told Lizzy. “But Johnny Lucas asked me for a courtship, and I accepted.”
“I am very happy for you, but I thought Johnny said he could not afford a wife,” Elizabeth responded. “Did he discover you are Longbourn’s heiress? I would not have suspectedJohnny of being mercenary.”
“That Lizzy, dear, is an assumption,” Mary replied pertly. “Some days ago, he asked to speak to me and told me that although it would take him some years to be able to afford a wife, would I be willing to begin a courtship with a view to a long engagement period? He said he did not want to chance someone else proposing to me if he kept on waiting.”
“I assume he knows now?” a chagrined Elizabeth stated. Every now and again she still made assumptions.
“He does; Papa told him,” Mary revealed. “The only stipulation is that when we marry, he must change his name to Bennet. After Johnny agreed, Sir William and Lady Lucas did not object because Franklin will soon marry Marjorie Goulding. They feel that the future of the Lucas name will be secure, as both families have been blessed with multiple sons.”
“Now I understand why you will not join us,” Elizabeth stated. “It seems that we were all destined to become sisters to Charlotte. Had she not married Richard, then it would have been through you and Johnny.”
Elizabeth hugged Mary, and they returned to the drawing room.
“Lizzy, will you play chess with me again?” Lydia begged. She saw the look on her sister’s face. It had been some time since anyone had been able to beat her across the chessboard. “I will remove my queen.”
“If you take a bishop off as well, I may have a chance,” Elizabeth responded.
Lydia agreed. The result was the same; she won, it just took her a little longer. All Lydia could do was giggle at the resigned look on Lizzy’s face as soon as she could see she would lose.
“I know some men who thinkthey are experts at chess and that ladies have no capacity to play the game. I think we should invite some of them to Pemberley while our sisters are with us,” Darcy said. “It would be satisfying to see some of them humbled like Lydia has humbled all of us.”
“This I would like to see,” Bennet mused with a grin. He turned to his wife. “Fanny, I know you need to remain here with Mary, but would you object if I go to Pemberley? I have heard there is quite a library there.”
“I am happy for you to go, as long as you do not remain there too long, and the mistress of the estate does not object to your presence,” Fanny stated cheekily.
“What say you, William, will we suffer Papa’s presence at Pemberley?” Elizabeth teased.
“If we must,” Darcy ribbed.
“You know, Darcy, I think I preferred you when you were that taciturn, aloof man we met the first time you were in the area. I see my daughter has taught you to tease,” Bennet stated with fake outrage.
The next day the much expanded travelling party departed Longbourn in three conveyances, the final one for personal servants and overflow trunks.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When they had arrived at Pemberley, Jane and Hilldale had been sad to hear of Anne’s passing. However, they respected her wishes and understood why she had chosen as she had. After washing and changing, the Hilldales had met the rest of the residents in the drawing room, where Jane presented Lizzy with the book Mr Wordsworth had inscribed for her. She smiled to herself when she saw the way Papa looked on longingly.
“Oh, Jane, you could not have brought me a gift I couldpossibly value more. Although I am jealous that you and Andrew met and spoke to Mr Wordsworth, this is perfect,” Elizabeth enthused as she reverently held her signed copy of the book.
“You could not have brought one for yourdear oldpapa?” Bennet said with feigned sadness.
“As we had no idea you would be here…I posted one he signed for you to Longbourn. You will find it when you return home,” Jane replied with a satisfied, almost smug, look when she saw the surprise on her father’s face. “You did not think I would forget the man who taught Lizzy to love Mr Wordsworth’s poetry, did you?”
First, his son-in-law Darcy teased him and now Jane. What was the world coming to? Since his arrival, Bennet had spent much time in the magnificent library Pemberley boasted. It was everything he imagined and then some.
The highlight of Bennet’s visit had been when Darcy had invited one of the men who fancied himself a chess master to the estate. When Lydia had volunteered to remove her queen, the man had scoffed at her hubris, only to be beaten in ten minutes. Thinking it was an aberration, he had demanded a rematch. What the pompous fool did not realise was that having played him, Lydia had taken his measure and required less time to win the next time. Even when her queen was removed before the start of a game, she won. The man had discovered that his opinions about the abilities of the fairer sex were not accurate.
As Bennet prepared to depart, honouring his promise to Fanny to not remain away too long, he considered that he too had undervalued his daughters, possibly, except for Lizzy. However, they all had special abilities, and none of them were silly.
Two days after Bennet’sdeparture, Jane and Hilldale departed for their estate.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
1813
4 October 1813
Hilldale
