“It is about none of those things. It is about me, sir.”
“Well, then. I suppose I must listen.”
Elias seated himself in the armchair opposite, careful as always in his posture. “I have been thinking about what comes next. About what I might reasonably expect of myself. And what others expect of me.”
Mr. Bennet lifted a brow. “Others?”
“I know I do not have James’s inheritance. Or Kit’s sense of vocation, although he hardly seems convinced, he will persist as a physician—or continue as a veterinary student. Or even Miles’s clarity of direction. But I am not without ambition, sir. I simply… do not care for its usual trappings.”
The corner of Mr. Bennet’s mouth twitched. “Do you mean you do not care for ambition that must be spoken aloud?”
Elias tilted his head. “Something like that. I mean only that I wish to work. To think. To contribute where I can be of use. I do not require recognition.”
“That is fortunate,” Mr. Bennet said, “as recognition is rarely given in the legal apprenticeship of a country solicitor’s nephew.”
“I am not ashamed of working with Uncle Phillips.”
“No,” said Mr. Bennet, “but you may be frustrated by what that work can never become. He is a good man. Diligent. But his practice will not bring you to Parliament or the Chancery bench.”
“I do not want Parliament,” Elias said quietly.
“No? Not even with speeches unspoken and motives carefully weighed?”
Elias allowed himself a breath of laughter. “I want something I can do well. Not something others can praise me for doing.”
There was a pause between them. Mr. Bennet regarded his son with an expression that hovered between curiosity and pride—though he let neither dominate his voice.
“You are very like your mother in that respect,” he said. “She, too, prefers influence to applause.”
“I would not have thought you were ever influenced, sir.”
Mr. Bennet leaned back in his chair. “I am more influenced than you imagine. I simply choose carefully whom I let sway me.”
Elias was silent, but nodded in acceptance.
Mr. Bennet’s gaze sharpened slightly. “Is this reflection brought on by last night’s conversation?”
“In part, Father.”
“The quarrel with Laurence?”
“No. That was unfortunate, but not unexpected.” Elias hesitated. “It was something Mother said. About futures. And planning.”
Mr. Bennet groaned softly. “Ah. The mating season.”
“She means well.”
“She always does. And I never fault her for it. But I sometimes wish she would not throw every possible connection into the pot and give it a stir.”
Elias smiled. “Mother has not mentioned anyone for me.”
Mr. Bennet looked at him more directly. “And would you welcome it if she did?”
There was a pause.
“No,” Elias said at last. “Not unless it was someone I had already considered on my own.”
“I thought as much. So, I don’t see what the problem is.”
