17 October 1811
23 Gracechurch Street
London
Thomas,
You know not how pleased Edward and I are that you have moved beyond your stubborn refusal to remarry. Even more pleasing are your descriptions of Miss Bingley.
How can we not but love her if you do. If it took that dunderheaded cousin of yours displaying his ignorance and idiocy to help you make the decision, at least, he has done one thing useful in his life.
We (the children as well) will gladly attend your nuptials. So that we can meet this paragon before the wedding and be able to spend some time with Frank and Charlotte, unless you tell us it is not convenient, we plan to arrive at Longbourn by midday on the 22nd of this month.
I do have a request, if it is not an imposition. My cousin, Mary, and her husband will be with us for a sennight from Friday the 18th, may we bring them with us? It is only them, none of the younger children.
Once again, you have our warmest congratulations, and please let us know if you are sanguine with these plans.
Warmest regards,
Maddie
“Willthatcousin be at our wedding?” Louisa verified.
“Yes, indeed,thatcousin. Unless you object, that is. I have met them before; they are very down to earth and do not put on airs and graces,” Bennet confirmed.
“No, Thomas, I have no objections. Please let Mrs Gardiner know I am looking forward to meeting her too. Your daughters have regaled me with wonderful stories about all of the Gardiners, especially Mrs Gardiner,” Louisa agreed.
“In that case, I will write a reply later and send it off,” Bennet stated. When he was with Lulu, his whole world was at peace. He used to think he would never be able to love as deeply as he used to love Melissa. He had been wrong. That love paled in comparison to the deep and abiding love he felt for the woman who would be his wife in a little more than a sennight.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By Monday of the following week, two expresses had arrived from William Collins in Hunsford. Bennet had not dignified the idiot by reading his drivel, but he had not consigned them to the fire.
To make his point and hopefully have Collins understand that nothing he sent would be read, Bennet had Hill refuse delivery and paid the fee to return the epistles to the sender. Lulu had agreed that it was for the best. Thinking of his beloved made Bennet think of earlier that day when she had been shown the mistress’s suite.
The rooms had not been updated since his mother had done it as a young bride. Looking back, Bennet realised that his decision to never allow Miss Gardiner into those chambers, was now an even better one. Best of all, Lulu had told him that she hoped they would share a bed at night, something Bennet had heartily endorsed. She did chuse some new paper and colours for the curtains in the chamber. However, she had no complaints about the furniture, all of which was still veryserviceable.
Thanks to the fact that he had never allowed Miss Fanny Gardiner to place her stamp on the décor of the house, other than some fading paper in two parlours and a rather threadbare rug, Lulu did not ask for anything else to be changed. Bennet was certain had he allowed Miss Gardiner to redecorate; her style would have been on the ostentatious side of gaudy.
His daughters’ reactions to Lulu showed Bennet that the bond between them had strengthened since he and his betrothed had announced their impending marriage.
Given the fact that Bingley was now courting Jane, and Bennet not wanting to pass a day when he did not see Lulu, he was beyond pleased that the residents of both of his estates spent most of their days together, invariably having dinner together at one estate or the other.
The other two men who resided at Netherfield Park were no less marked in their attentions to his second and third daughters, even if they had not requested anything official yet.
There was no doubt that Mary received Fitzwilliam’s attention with pleasure, and thanks to Bingley not sharing the amounts of the girls’ dowries, Bennet was confident that Fitzwilliam’s motive was not mercenary. Lizzy happily seemed to receive Darcy’s company. Bennet could tell that Lizzy did not hold anything against him, but yet, Darcy was being very careful not to pressure Lizzy. Bennet surmised it was because he thought that his slight at the assembly had caused her to dislike him, and even though she had accepted his amends, he still felt he needed to move slowly. Bennet decided that if by the time he married, Darcy was still holding back, he would inform the younger man he was being unnecessarily overcautious.
Bennet next moved on to thinking about the gossipabout himself in the community. On the heels of his engagement to Lulu, word that he was also the owner of Netherfield Park spread through the area as soon as the Lucas parents were informed of the inheritance.
Bennet cared not, but he had heard that the Kingstons were not sanguine with his change in situation. They had been heard to say that he did not deserve it, but since Phillips had threatened a slander suit, they had been far more careful about what they said in public. Bennet had never cared what the Kingstons thought about anything, so he was not about to begin now. He found that it was hard to be angry when thinking of Lulu, and thinking of his upcoming nuptials made him grin like a Cheshire cat.
Thoughts of his affianced made Bennet look in his top right-hand drawer. There sat the common license which Mr Pierce had issued without delay. He could not wait until Friday when he would marry his Lulu.
He closed the drawer with the precious document in it and left the study to prepare for his and his daughters’ departure to Netherfield Park.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the Tuesday before the day he had heard mentioned when his cousin would disobey him and marry again, Collins was close to apoplectic with rage. Both of the expresses, which he had posted to Longbourn, containing his demands that his cousin stop this folly that was against both God’s and man’s laws, had been returned to him with the seals intact.
