He brushed away her tears with the sheet, and soon they were lost to all else.
Kitty and Georgiana were seated in the carriage, but Elizabeth was still taking leave of her favorite sister. She embraced Jane, who pressed a handkerchief to her eyes.
“We shall bring Kitty back to you at Easter, when we return to London. Pray write to me, Jane.”
“I shall, Lizzy.” Jane smiled through her tears. “Who could have imagined such happiness for us both?”
“Who indeed. The year began in such uncertainty.”
Thomas Bennet was seated in Hettie Tolbert’s drawing room. He had walked into town expressly to visit her and now heard her approaching in the hall. Her eyes brightened at the sight of him, and they moved together to sit upon the sofa they favored.
“Thomas, twice in one day? All is well with your family?”
“Yes, all is well. Elizabeth departed this morning. Her husband is taking her to Pemberley, and I have been invited to visit over the winter. I shall travel to Derbyshire with the Gardiners next week. I wished you to know.”
“Thank you for telling me. I shall miss you.”
“And I shall miss you. I might have declined, but I wish to see where he is taking my daughter. I expect it to be a fine estate, though I must satisfy myself that she will be comfortable there.”
“Of course. You would have given offense had you refused. When do you return?”
“In late March. They will bring me back on their way to London. They plan to spend Easter with Jane and afterward go to town. The countess intends to host a ball for her two sons and for Mr. Darcy, to mark their marriages and to introduce their spouses into society.”
Mrs. Tolbert appeared impressed.
He smiled. “It all sounds very grand, does it not?”
“It does indeed. Will you stay for tea?”
“Yes. If you have received your new novel, I thought perhaps you would be willing to read the first chapter to me. I have not made a practice of such reading, but it may be time I enlarged my tastes.”
She smiled. “It is here.” She held it up for him to see. “I shall be pleased to read it to you.” She left him to ring the bell.
When she returned, she said, “Thomas, I know you maintain that we shall never marry, but I begin to see something of the man I once knew.”
“Oh? And what was he like?”
“He was affectionate, expressive, and sensitive.”
He sighed. “I do not believe that man exists any longer, Hettie. He took a severe blow when his first love abandoned him, and afterward he endured much from a woman who was incapable of love.”
Hettie regarded him soberly. “We shall see. It has only been a few months, and I glimpse him now and then. I thought you ought to know.”
He laughed. “Very well. I am put on notice.”
Chapter 52: Pemberley
“Papa, Jane writes that they are in London. Miss Bingley was married to Mr. Balfour on the twentieth of December.”
“That news makes me very happy, Lizzy. That woman would have proved a constant trial to your sister had she remained unmarried. Does Jane say how she feels?”
Elizabeth raised a brow. “You know how Jane is. She will not speak against anyone. She says only that she is happy for her.” She handed him the letter. “She also writes that the steward you engaged has performed so well that Charles has retained him to assist at Netherfield.”
“Good for him.”
Madeline Gardiner asked, “Does Jane say if they are expecting?”
“No, aunt, not a word.”
