After the Hursts had seen the music room, and Mrs Nichols had led them away, Elizabeth sat at the pianoforte and began to play one of the many pieces of music she had seen in the past. Jane seated herself at the harp and added the instrument’s sounds to what Lizzy was playing on the ivory keys of the pianoforte. Unlike her next younger sister, Jane did not remember every piece of sheet music she had ever seen. She did, however, have an excellent ear, which enabled her to accompanyher sister without having played, heard, or learnt the music before.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The tour of the house only reinforced the impression that Harold had formed when they arrived at the estate. It was in good repair, there were no structural issues, the slate roof was as it should be, and it was very well cared for.
Like he had seen from the Adamses at Winsdale, Mrs Nichols was invested in the estate, and the house’s good presentation was a point of pride for her. Unless he saw some very bad issues while riding the estate, Harold intended to recommend that his sire purchase it. He agreed that it would be a very good investment and that if he and Louisa were blessed with a second son one day, this estate would do very well for him.
Thoughts of future children were natural given the news Louisa had recently shared. He knew it was early, but like his wife, he prayed that it was as she suspected, and she was with child.
At the end of the tour, as they approached the music room, very sweet music was heard. “Such technical proficiency for ones so young,” Louisa remarked.
“You would know, since your playing on the pianoforte is exquisite,” Harold stated.
They stood at the music room door unobtrusively so as to not disturb the two girls playing. “But not when I was twelve like Miss Elizabeth is,” Louisa said insotto voce. “And note, she has no sheet music in front of her.”
“With her memory it is little wonder, but Miss Bennet has no need either,” Harold returned.
When the piece was over, the two eldest Bennet sisters blushed at the enthusiastic applause from the door. “We did not want to disturb you while you took the tour. Please pardon us,” Jane said contritely.
“You have nothing to apologise for. You in no way disrupted the tour; rather, your music enhanced it,” Louisa assured the girls.
“Thank you, Mrs Hurst,” Jane responded with a smile.
“Miss Bennet, if it is not too invasive a question, we know Miss Elizabeth needs not the music thanks to her memory. Do you have the same ability as you played the piece with no music before you?” Harold enquired.
Jane looked away, embarrassed. She was not one to put herself forward.
“My Jane can play by ear,” Bennet replied for her. “She hates to be the centre of attention, but we noticed her ability shortly after she began to play the harp.”
“It is nothing special,” Jane said softly as her cheeks burnt scarlet.
“We will not speak of it anymore,” Louisa interjected. “Harold, I will remain here and speak to the Misses Bennet about the home farm and the tenants while you join the men and ride the estate.”
The men took their leave. Louisa asked the sisters to join her in the drawing room to discuss what they needed to.
The three men walked out to the drive, where a man holding a horse and a groom with three more mounts waited for them. “Harper, this is Mr Hurst, who will be inspecting the estate. Mr Hurst, Mr Jeremy Harper, the steward,” Bennet introduced.
After bows, the men rode off, through the home farm first and then towards the tenants’ village. Harold was pleased to see the cottages were all in good repair and that a previous master had had the foresight to roof them with slate. From there, they rode across the fields until they reached the boundary with Longbourn.
“Netherfield Park used to be quite a bit larger; however, when he decided to sell the estate, Morris agreed to sell me land that a profligate ancestor of mine had lost to pay debts of honour. Thanks to an entail on Longbourn to heirs male, I will not annex the land with the six tenant families to my estate,” Bennet explained as they looked across the fence. “My wife thinks I repaired the dower house, but the truth is I rebuilt it on the land which is mine and not part of the entail. That way, if the worst happens, and I am called home; my wife and unmarried daughters will always have a good roof over their heads.”
Phillips held his peace about his opinion that Bennet should have told Fanny about the land and house to relieve her irrational worries about the hedgerows.
“From the map I saw in the study, Netherfield Park is still a good size. Harper, am I correct that there are seven tenants remaining here?” Harold verified. He watched the steward confirm it with a nod. “Then, especially as a secondary estate, I think this one will do very well.”
“If your father purchases Netherfield Park, what will he do with it?” Phillips queried. “We know he wants his name kept secret, and none of us, my nieces included, will share it.”
“He will more than likely allow it to be leased. If that is his decision, may I tell him you would be willing to represent him in that, Mr Phillips?” Harold enquired.
“Indeed, I would,” Phillips averred.
The men took a slow ride back to the manor house. An hour later, the Hursts were in their coach on their way back to London.
“The sisters were most informative,” Louisa reported. “Because their mother refuses to fulfil the duties of a mistress outside of being a hostess—something Lizzy told me, and Jane tried to excuse—they have had to act in her stead. Jane also loves working in the still room.”
“Jane and Lizzy?” Harold grinned. He was not surprised that Louisa gravitated towards intelligent females, even if they were some years younger than her.
“We had not been speaking for long before they invited me to address them thusly. I offered the same, but they said they could not, as I was a married woman, and they were so young,” Louisa explained.
