“I asked, Lizzy, so I knew whether or not I could request that you join us when we leave for Janet’s Well tomorrow.” Her father nodded when Darcy agreed that he would make the arrangements. “Do you know if Jane has seen the accoucheur yet?”
“She has, Papa. We had appointments on the same day,” Lizzy informed them.
“When we have some private time Lizzy, I would be interested in hearing what he had to say,” Lady Longbourn stated with a questioning look toward her daughter. She was relieved to see her daughter nod her head slightly to indicate that all was well with her and that she could continue to focus on their Helen.
“I will walk to Matlock House to inform Richard and Jane,” Darcy volunteered. He gave his wife a kiss on her hand before leaving.
Lizzy replaced her mother next to Helen and her new sister rested her head on her shoulder. She had stopped crying, but her grief was overwhelming her. Knowing that her father’s demise was inevitable did not make it easier, it rarely ever did for those that lost a loved one. Within a quarter of an hour, Darcy returned with Jane and Richard. Jane joined her sisters on the settee and the men retired to Bennet’s study.
“We were to return to Derbyshire tomorrow,” Richard reported as he sat in front of his father-in-law’s desk, “however, we will come with you to Surrey to show our support for Helen and Tim.”
“Your presence will be most welcome. I have sent an express to Birchington to inform Mary and Hugh that Helen’s father has passed,” Bennet told his sons, wondering if he looked as tired as he felt.
In the sitting room the two married daughters were sitting with their mother to one side while Kitty, Lydia, and Georgiana comforted Helen. “Did Sir Frederick have anything of significance to report Jane?” the concerned soon to be grandmama asked her eldest daughter.
“No, Mama. He told Richard and me that everything looks normal with my pregnancy.” Jane’s pleasure over the good news was tempered by the grief of her newest sister.
“And you Lizzy?” the Countess searched her second daughter’s eyes to make sure she tried to hide nothing to spare her Mama.
“Well, Mama, he did say that the fact that so early in my being with child that I am already exhibiting a small swell in the belly could be indicative of…” Elizabeth paused as she got a dreamy look in her eyes and rested her hand over the small lump in her belly, “…twins.” She offered conspiratorially, arching a brow as she waited for her mother’s response.
“Twins!” Fanny screeched in a high-pitched response that reminded them of their mother before she found her nerves were overset without true cause. She quickly got herself under regulation as the three girls surrounding Helen on the opposite side of the sitting room frowned at the elder ladies. “I am sorry, I should have tempered my reaction, but it took me by surprise.”
“No more than I, Mama!” Elizabeth agreed quietly.
“Nor I when Lizzy told me, Mama,” Jane added, assuring her mother she was fine.
“William almost needed your salts as he swayed on his feet in his shock. Perhaps you should let him borrow them until after the birth,” Elizabeth teased her mother into a soft laugh.
The news was shared with the younger sisters and it almost made Helen smile as she thought about the cycle of life. Even as one ends, others have begun to form. Three girls looked questioningly at Georgiana Darcy, who owned that she knew but wanted to prove she could keep a confidence. Her sisters understood that it was not her news to tell.
When the men returned to their ladies, Bennet informed the women that their whole group would travel to Janet’s Well on the morrow.
Chapter 39
It was late afternoon when the carriages halted in front of the manor house at Janet’s Well. The door was adorned with a black crepe bow with lengthy ends that extended almost down to the top step. Tim was dressed in black breeches, waistcoat, and jacket with a black armband on his right arm. He waited with his housekeeper, head footman and the newly hired steward Mr Harrison Steveton for his family to alight. The servants too were attired for mourning to honour the late master.
As soon as Helen’s feet touched the ground, in a flash of black bombazine she was in her brother’s arms and was crying on his shoulder and Tim did not try to keep his tears in check as he was with the one person now who understood.
The remainder of the party held back as no one wanted to disturb their grieving siblings. Once they gathered themselves, Tim asked if his sister would like to visit their father’s grave, as he had been interred the day before. When she answered in the affirmative, he held his arm for her and all their family stepped in behind them to pay their respects.
The group made the short walk to the small cemetery and stood at Mr Jacobson’s fresh grave. Bennet assumed that Tim had used some of the dividends from his legacy to commission a marble headstone for his father and a new matching one for their mother; and he was glad to see it.
Brother and sister stood next to their Father’s grave supporting each other while the rest of the family stood back a few steps to allow the Jacobsons time to grieve privately.
“You were the best Papa in the world and now you are with Mama in heaven.” There was complete silence from all as Helen said her goodbye to her Papa. Her voice quivered as she fought for the strength to say what she wanted to. “I am glad that you no longer suffer Papa, and I pray that you and Mama look down on us with pride until we join you in God’s Kingdom one day.
“Papa, I am so very sorry that I was so bad after Mama passed. I know that you would have never sent me to Dark Hollow if it were not for my behaviour. You did what you had to in order to help me even while it hurt you to send me away. As much as I railed against your decision at the time, what you did for me was good, no, the best. I matured, learnt many valuable lessons, and it is where I met Lydia and the rest of the Bennets. Papa, I know it hurt you to ask them to let me join their family, but you always wanted to protect me. You shared me because you knew I loved my sister Lydia, and they have welcomed me into the bosom of their family with as much love and care as any of my other sisters. I am fortunate to have had two of the very best families as my own.”
“They have also welcomed Tim as part of the family just like they welcomed me. You can rest in peace with Mama; we are well taken care of and have a very big family with which to share our life. I love you and will miss you so very much.” Helen was emotionally spent and felt weak in the knees. She was supported by her brother on one side and Lydia on the other as they walked back to the house.
‘I never noticed how handsome Helen’s brother is,’ Lydia thought as she blushed. ‘Lydia Hannah Bennet! This is not a time to be looking at my sister’s brother! He has just buried his father and he is in need of our healing love, not some school-girl crush!’ she chastised herself.
That evening the Ashby’s came to pay their respects. Anne Ashby looked better than either of her cousins had ever seen her. She had a pink glow of health and had filled out nicely, she even had a figure and curves and was truly womanly in every aspect of her appearance, beautiful inside and out. She and her Ian were obviously content together and despite the sorrowful reason for the visit, Darcy and Richard had never seen such a welcome sight as this version of Anne.
The next day Tim took the men with him to view some of the new parcels of land that he had purchased to augment the size of Janet’s Well. Luckily Steveton was a very capable steward and had advised his new master very well on which properties to buy and which ones to postpone or were not good buys; so far, their efforts increased the size of the estate by about one third. Two tenant farms had been demarcated on the new tract and the houses were well on their way to being completed. Two new tenants and their families had been awarded the leases. The added land would increase the estate’s income by a minimum of one thousand pounds a year. Tim enumerated his plan to eventually double the size of the estate, but he wisely said that they would not move forward with adding more land until his new tenants were installed. The men were impressed that one so young was not impetuous, but was expanding his estate carefully and methodically.
Tim tried to put up a brave front, but none of his companions were insensible to his feelings, especially Darcy who had first lost his mother followed some years later by his father after an illness. While not as bad as the cancer that took Mr Jacobson, his father’s weak heart had taken a toll for a long time, so Lord Pemberley understood just how alone the younger man was feeling.
