After a nod from Bennet, a footman took Lydia’s arm. The housekeeper gave Miss Jones directions to the nursery and she led the misbehaving child away. Lydia fought her removal and was half dragged by the footman up the stairs.
“Now, where were we? Jane please make my housekeeper and butler known to me,” Mrs Bennet asked again with calm demeanour.
“With pleasure Mama. Mama this is your housekeeper, Mrs Kerry O’Grady, and your butler, Mr Humphrey Thatcher, both of whom have served in this house for more than ten years. Mrs O’Grady, Mr Thatcher, the mistress of Bennet House and my mother, Mrs Frances Bennet.” Jane introduced them to the lady they most would need to please.
The two senior servants each greeted the mistress respectfully. Footmen swarmed over the coaches and wagon to bring the family’s trunks and other possessions into the house. Grooms led their personal horses to the stables and the family walked up the steps where they found the servants not engaged in unloading their possessions lined up waiting for their mistress and master. As their staff was introduced to them, Fanny Bennet stopped and talked to the baker and chef.
“We are very happy that both of you have returned to cook at Bennet House. My husband told me of the glowing reports from both Mrs O’Grady and Mr Thatcher about both of you, and especially your skills as a baker Mrs Carlyle. I look forward to meeting with you about the menus and dishes that we prefer,” she stated.
The preparers of their food really were the centre of any household. Both the chef and the baker acknowledged the mistress’s kind words and told her that they were free to meet with her whenever convenient for her.
Kitty, who was just coming to terms with the family’s true wealth, was almost overwhelmed as she stood in the entrance hall and looked at what she could see of the house,theirhouse. Kitty, who was not yet out, had been assigned Miss Sarah Ashburg, who used to serve all of the Misses Bennet at Longbourn, as her maid.
Mary’s lady’s maid, Miss Emily Reid, was introduced to her. Mary knew of their wealth, but was nevertheless awed by what she saw at Bennet House.
“I think a tour of the house is in order before we go and change from the road,” Bennet stated.
The tour of the large five-story townhouse, six if one counted the level below the entrance level, or seven if the cellar was included, was conducted by Mrs O’Grady. On the entrance level were the public rooms. There was a breakfast room, a formal dining room that could seat sixty with ease, and a family dining room that could seat at least twenty. The master and mistress studies, a retiring room and three parlours, a music room, and two drawing rooms were located on the same floor. The family was amazed at the massive ballroom that was also on the ground level. The breakfast room and the two dining rooms were designed so that they could become one large room to dine in during a ball.
On the level below was the kitchen, scullery, pantry, store rooms, and offices for the housekeeper, butler, and chef. Below that level was a very extensive wine cellar. From the main level, the family followed the housekeeper up the wide marble staircase to the first floor. This level had the family sitting room, and a family music room as well as the family wing. The family wing consisted of a massive master suite that looked out over Hyde Park, eight suites that each had a shared sitting room and four additional single bedchambers that also had a smaller but very nice sitting room attached to each.
The second, third, and fourth levels above the main level were where the guest chambers were located. The guest floors were accessed by an impressive staircase, that did not allow access to the family floor. Each floor was almost identical and sported ten suites with shared sitting rooms and ten single bedchambers with no sitting room. There was a sitting room on each floor for the guests in the single bedchambers. The fifth level contained the nursery, chambers for tutors, governesses, nursemaids, the companions, and schoolrooms where the family heard a wailing Lydia as they passed by. The servant rooms were also located on this level. The servants’ accommodation area was divided by a wall that separated it from the nursery and schoolrooms and then another that divided the space for the male and female staff with each side accessed by a separate servant’s set of stairs. In the attic, which was extensive, there was room for more storage than one thought they could fill with one hundred people in residence.
After the tour the family was shown to their chambers. Mary and Kitty were to share a suite next to Jane’s and Lizzy’s. They were pleased by the size and beauty of their suite and after their maids had already unpacked their trunks by the time the sisters entered; the closets were not very full, but they would soon be. Both had been told that they would be visiting the shop of Madame Chambourg with their mother, Jane, and Lizzy on the morrow to buy all new wardrobes. The girls were informed they may be joined by some other young ladies, and they could only imagine the explosion that would occur when Lydia learned she would be excluded from the party.
After a half hour, Lizzy knocked on her mother’s door. The door was opened by her mother’s long-time maid, Miss Mavis Payton.
“Mavis, may I speak to Mama please?” asked Lizzy. After checking with her mistress, Payton opened the door to admit Lizzy to her mother’s bedchamber.
“Oh my, Lizzy, I never imagined that chambers such as these would ever be mine.” Fanny admitted as she tried to take it all in. Lizzy saw that even though her Mama was excited, she was under good regulation, nothing like the Fanny Bennet of old.
“Mama, we have an invitation to a family dinner on Wednesday, if you do not object. I promised that I would convey your answer as soon as I was able to ask you.” Given the dislike and even hatred she had expressed toward Mr Darcy, Lizzy was nervous about what she knew she would have to explain, not yet trusting her mother would not rant at her for days.
“We have no prior engagements, but who has invited us?” she asked pleasantly.
“The Darcys,” Lizzy almost whispered, “some family of theirs along with the Gardiners,” she rushed out almost hoping that Mama would have missed the name of the family that had issued the invitation.
“Mr Darcy! The one that insulted you before he was ever introduced to you? The one who never looked at you but to find fault? I know that Mr Wickham lied about his dealings with Mr Darcy, but he is such a proud, arrogant, and unpleasant man. Is it because he has heard of our wealth and connections that we are suddenly acceptable to him?” Lizzy watched as her mother’s ire rose during her response.
“Mama, the Mr Darcy we met in Hertfordshire was not a true reflection of the man. Let me tell you…” Lizzy proceeded to tell her mother all, the complete and unvarnished truth about the proposal, the refusal, the letter, and her set-down after reading the letter accusing him of being a hypocrite. She then proceeded to tell her mother of coming to know the true man and how he had addressed, or was addressing, her reproofs. When she was done, and it was almost a full hour later, her mother sat with her mouth open and silent as the grave for a full five minutes.
“He offered for you when he thought you were penniless and had no connections?” Fanny asked, now completely amazed.
“He did, Mama,” Lizzy confirmed.
“And in his advice to Mr Bingley he seems to have done Jane a favour,” Fanny verified as more a statement, but still wanted to know it was true.
“Yes Mama,” Lizzy agreed.
“He humbled himself, apologised to you and Jane, and has broken with the Bingleys?” Fanny hit the highlights of most import, and Lizzy had to agree her mother had chosen the same important things to confirm she would have if the roles were reversed. She felt as chagrined as her father in presuming her mother had too mean an understanding and was ashamed of it.
“He did all of that and more Mama. His family are all pleasant, and Jane and I enjoy being with them. The only objectionable relative, the one that the late Mr Collins venerated, is in an asylum and we will never see her again.” Lizzy smiled mischievously and her mother chuckled.
“That man must be head over heels in love with you, Lizzy. After what you have told me I am assured that it is not due to your disclosing our wealth to him. How do you feel about his desire to woo you? He is the opposite of Mr Bingley and has resolution in spades.” She waited, unwilling to fall back into who she had been but a couple weeks ago and demand her daughter marry someone. She had already failed in that endeavour and thanked God that she had.
“All I can tell you now, Mama, is I am not indifferent to him and count him as a friend. I do not love him… yet. What will develop in the future will develop, but I have given my permission for him to call on me from time to time. And before you ask, he has not asked and I have not granted a formal courtship,” Lizzy explained their current understanding.
“Well if that be the case, then he may one day be worthy of you, Lizzy. You can accept the invitation to dine with our thanks,” her mother said as she hugged her second daughter. ‘How did I ever think Lizzy less worthy or less pretty than Jane? She may not be a classical beauty like Jane is, but she is very beautiful in her own right. I was wrong about her intelligence. It has attracted a man, not driven one away. Anyone not able to deal with my daughter’s intelligence does not deserve her. I will have to keep my eye out, but it seems like Mr Darcy may very well be the one that suits my Lizzy best,’Fanny Bennet thought, deeply regretting ever treating Lizzy as less than Jane and Lydia in value of opinion and beauty.
