“All will be well Louisa. You will see, Caroline has the right of it. We will be restored at the ball and Darcy will welcome us back regardless of the elevation of the Bennets,” Bingley stated with bravado that he did not feel. Louisa was not convinced, but ever the peacemaker she hoped rather than believed that her siblings would be proved right.
Chapter 15
On Tuesday morning Ian Ashby presented himself in Lord Matlock’s study. After the two shook hands and made some small talk Ashby cleared his throat and sat up straight as he intended to bring up the most important subject of his life.
“My Lord, I have asked Miss de Bourgh for a courtship, and even though she is of age, we wanted to request both your permission and your blessing.” Ashby held his breath.
“Luckily for you, Ashby, I know that you are a good and honourable man. We have known you ever since you were at Cambridge with Andrew. You are not a fortune hunter. I know all about Sherwood Park and your personal fortune. I see no reason to refuse you if Anne has accepted a courtship; I have no cause to gainsay her. If the courtship progresses to its natural conclusion, it will be my happy duty to welcome you to the family.” The Earl nodded once at the young, hopeful man before him and was grateful he would be the one with Anne and protecting her.
“Thank you, my Lord,” Ashby sighed in relief and offered a slightly embarrassed smile.
“No more ‘my Lord’ when it is just family, I am Matlock.” The Earl stood and Ashby stood with him, both extending hands to cement both the approval of the courtship and the Earl’s approval of Ashby as a welcome addition to the family.
A relieved Ashby made his way to the family sitting room where he joined Andrew and Marie, Anne, and Lady Matlock. He was informed that Tiffany was at Darcy House, and Richard, now the Honourable Mr Fitzwilliam as his resignation from the army was complete, was not surprisingly, at Bennet House. The Countess privately expected Richard to announce a courtship with the lovely Lady Jane soon. She felt sorry for her nephew William, who she felt still had a long road to travel to win Lady Elizabeth’s heart.
Anne was delighted that her uncle approved. She would have proceeded without his approval, but it made her happier to receive it than had she not. She was looking forward to meeting the rest of the Bennets at dinner, and to reacquaint herself with Elizabeth Bennet, Lady Elizabeth as she now was. She was sure that the aforementioned lady would see the humour in Lady Catherine’s feelings if she had known the facts.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At Dark Hollow School for Girls in Wiltshire, Lydia Bennet obediently answered the summons to the office of the headmistress. It had only been weeks but the Lydia that stood before her now in her burlap gown did not resemble the brash, childish, selfish child that tried to run away only a few short weeks before.
Lydia was worried that she had made some infraction that would add to her time in the scullery. Mrs Gilbert said nothing at first and handed Lydia a page from a newspaper. Lydia read it once, then again, and another time just to make sure she understood the words that leapt out at her.
“Is this a joke that Papa is playing, headmistress?” Lydia asked both respectfully and demurely.
“No, Lady Lydia, it is not a joke. Do you not see the royal seal on the page? It would be treason to misuse the seal,” Mrs Gilbert smiled gently. It then struck Lydia that she had been called ‘Lady Lydia’ and she shook her head to make sure that her ears were not stopped up with wax. Seeing the young girl’s confusion, Mrs Gilbert laughed quietly.
“It is all true. Your father is Lord Longbourn and your mother is Lady Longbourn. You and all of your sisters bear the honorific ‘Lady’ in front of your names. Your uncle and aunt are Sir Edward and Lady Gardiner as he was granted a baronetcy. You, Lady Lydia, are the daughter of an Earl.” Mrs Gilbert offered kindly, but she wasn’t done with her good tidings. “You have made vast improvements already and your time in the scullery will be over soon. As long as you follow the path that you have chosen, you will never be back there again. If things progress as they have been, then I will be able to recommend that your father retrieve you at the summation of this term rather than a full year that I suspected that you needed and you be transferred to Greenlake School for Young Ladies with no reservation. Your father was correct. You are an intelligent young lady; it was but needed for you to see it as well. Given your marked improvements, as of today you may write and receive letters. You may go, Lady Lydia.”
With a curtsey and a ‘thank you’ Lydia left the office to return to her room and her now friend Helen.
“Welcome back Lady Lydia,” her friend said with a smile as she gave a curtsy.
“You know?” Lydia asked in surprise.
“Yes, when you went to work in the scullery after nuncheon Mrs Gilbert made an announcement. She does not want us to make too much of a fuss over you, but this way if you mention it, we all know that you speak nothing but the truth.” Helen winked at her.
“My days of dissembling and flirting like a wanton are behind me. At first, I wanted to disbelieve what I was told about Wickham. When my family initially disclosed his character, I chose to ignore them, wilfully believing that a handsome face in regimentals was all that was needed to be a good man.” After a winsome look as she thought about how badly things could have ended for her, the new Lady Lydia proceeded. “I understand, and agree with, my parent’s decision that both Kitty and I should no longer be out. I was nothing but a child in a woman’s body that acted like a very silly wanton flirt, far too close to bringing shame on my family than I like to remember.”
“Never again will I be that girl. Now that I have earned the privilege to write and receive letters, if you will excuse me, I have a number of letters that cannot wait.” Lydia offered a small curtsey of respect to her friend.
Helen Jacobson felt immense pride in her now very good, no, best friend. She watched Lydia with her tongue protruding from one side of her mouth as she sat at the small desk and concentrated on the letter she was writing. ‘I very much like this girl. My fervent hope is that we will remain friends for life, even if she is now far above me. I am what she was, a daughter of a minor country squire. The changes that she has made are real, and I know how many nights she cried herself to sleep in mortification as the weight of who she used to be bore down on her. At least when I held her and rubbed her back it gave her comfort.’
The following day, the day the Bennets were invited to a family dinner at Matlock House, a number of letters from Lydia and one from Mrs Gilbert were delivered by express just after midday. There was one addressed to both of her parents, one each to Kitty and Mary, and a final one to Jane and Elizabeth together. Bennet asked his wife to join him in the study where they opened the letter from Lydia first.
Dark Hollow School for Girls
20 May 1812
Dear Mama and Papa,
I am heartily ashamed and mortified at my past behaviour, and I cringe every time that I reflect on what might have been if you, my dearest parents, had not decided to implement discipline, very much needed in my case, in our family.
It is with the deepest regret, shame and disgust for my past behaviour that I beg your pardon. All I can promise is that the Lydia that you sent to school is not the Lydia that writes this letter. I cannot believe how close I came to ruining both myself and our family with that seducer and liar Wickham. I chose to ignore all of the signs that I myself saw.
Yes Papa, I am more intelligent than the way that I used to act, and I did not want to believe your reasons for putting me back in the nursery and separating me from said man. I do now. Mama and Papa, all I can do is pray for forgiveness from both of you and assure you that I will be a proper and well-behaved girl going forward.
I started to change weeks before Mrs Gilbert informed me of the family’s elevation yesterday. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the new Earl and Countess of Longbourn. How well ‘Lady Longbourn’ sounds Mama.
