It was a very excited and impressed group of Bennets that moved back into Longbourn. They hardly recognised their much larger renovated house. The front façade looked familiar, but that is where the similarities stopped. Inside nothing was the same. The builders had essentially gutted the house and started anew. Excited Bennet daughters explored their new suites with glee while Lady Longbourn was meeting with the housekeeper about all of the additional servants that were required.
The Bedfords remained at Bennet Park to give the Bennets time to settle in. They were joined by Darcy and their son as they swapped abodes with their fiancées. Bennet issued both of the Park’s senior servants, who had switched between houses, a large bonus for their flexibility and their stellar work while they were at Longbourn.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At the same time that the Bennets were moving back into Longbourn, an express containing three letters arrived at Lucas Lodge.
Sir William handed his wife the one addressed to her as soon as he realised the missive was not for him. Lady Lucas was most confused when she saw the request from Charlotte on the front of her letter:‘Read this after Papa reads his letters.’
When he opened the one addressed to himself, he was surprised when a third letter in a hand that he did not recognise was enclosed. He cleared his throat and started to read Charlotte’s letter aloud for his wife’s benefit:
Pemberley
Derbyshire
10 July 1812
My dear Papa, and if you are reading this aloud as I suspect to dear Mama, I hope that you are both seated, as my news may be of a shocking nature.
As I have shared with you, I had neither affection nor respect for my late husband. I do not like to denigrate the dead, but you both now know what he was so I do not feel the need to elaborate. Having said that, I wanted to make you both aware I am shortening my mourning period to six months.
“William, I know she was unhappy but what will others say?” Lady Lucas asked with no little concern. She was concerned that there would be negative repercussions for Maria who was almost of a marriageable age.
“Let us complete the reading my Dove, then we may have more information to understand her decision. I will remind you that a full year of mourning is not a rule. It is done by many, but not all. For some it is longer; for others shorter. Now do I have your leave to continue reading?” he asked with a little irritation evident in his voice. He had come to disagree with his wife’s opinion that any marriage was better than none once he discovered what his daughter had truly suffered. Sir William continued reading once his chastened wife nodded.
Besides the fact that it does not contravene any rules of society, I have been lately persuaded that any mourning period should be commensurate with the actual feelings for the deceased person. In that case, I would have mourned a few weeks, or less, not months, but I confess there is another reason for my choosing this path.
I am to be married on the twenty first day of September, which is just above six months since the man I was married to passed. Please have the banns read in Meryton at least three weeks before that date.
I am now in half mourning. The truth, Papa, is that I have only felt relief, not any grief since his passing. The very hour he was gone I could not but thank God for the gift of calling my husband to account for his deeds, or misdeeds as it were.
As a widow you know I neither need your consent nor your blessing, but I would appreciate having them both. If you cannot accept that I, for the first time in my life, am doing that which makes me happy, then I am sorry Papa but I will not alter my course.
More than my heart is engaged and I will not be careless with the love I have now found, as it is truly the most precious of gifts.
With much love,
Your daughter,
Charlotte
P.S. The enclosed letter is from my betrothed, and he is a very good man.
“Well,” normally a loquacious man, Sir William stared at the letter quite stunned into silence. “Let us see what our, evidently, future son has to say for himself,” he said as he opened the short missive from his daughter’s betrothed.
The Parsonage at Pemberley
Derbyshire
10 July 1812
Sir William and Lady Lucas,
I know that it is normal and accepted that a groom to be would request consent and blessing from the father of his betrothed. As my Charlotte has stated, we need neither, but I, like my beloved, would appreciate having them.
You must know that I have come to love your daughter and will always be sure that she is well protected and happy.
I pray to God above that you accept my Charlotte’s decision and that soon I will have the pleasure of meeting you and the rest of your family.
