Until I hear from you, my friend.
Your very good friend,
Fanny
Leticia passed the letter to Louisa and Harold. The latter held it between them as they both read.
“My husband the matchmaker,” Louisa teased.
“Hilldale was already interested; all I did was give him the opportunity to be in her neighbourhood,” Hurst claimed.
“You do not fool me. I know you turned down a two-year lease so that Hilldale would have the estate,” Louisa returned. “I approve. Being of service to a friend, even if he does not know what you did, is worth more than money.”
“I suppose I must read Caroline’s diatribe now,” Louisa said resignedly. She broke the seal and skimmed the page. “Nothing different. She demands money for clothing, as she will soon reach her majority, and now that Harold owns Hurst House, she has instructed me to make it available to her and Charles. Of course, I have no choice but to get her invited to high society events and make sure she sees Mr Darcy.”
“Your sister is delusional!” Leticia exclaimed.
“Mother, if you are waiting for me to dispute what you said, I am afraid you will be waiting for a very long time,” Louisa responded.
“I must go reply to Fanny,” Leticia stated when the meal was over.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It was the first week of November when Fanny received a reply from Leticia. She was in her favourite chair in the main drawing room enjoying some peace and quiet while Tommy napped. She broke the Hurst seal and began to read.
27 October 1808
Winsdale
West Riding
Yorkshire
Fanny, my very good friend,
I am afraid I must disappoint Lizzy. I made a promise to Ignatius before he went to his final reward. I vowed to keep on and not give up. Even had I wanted to, and I have no desire to give up, Arthur and Tisha would never allow me to be so self-indulgent.
You have Tommy in the same age range so you know of what I speak.
As I was saying, my year of mourning will be over at the end of April 1809. That means that I will be more than happy to present you, Lizzy, and Miss Lucas.
By the by, Fanny, rather than thinking that adding Miss Lucas is an imposition, I am more than pleased she will be with us. I applaud Lizzy for thinking of her friend and realising that once she is presented, a much larger pool of potential husbands will be available to her. I am not surprised Lizzy would not take no for an answer. I remember meeting Miss Lucas when we were in the neighbourhood and found her an eminently sensible and very well-behaved lady.
It was generous of your Thomas to subsidise the costs of her clothing, etc., for her, so Sir William’s pride is not pricked that he is not paying all the actual expenses associated with the presentation.
You all have more than 6 months to prepare, so no excuses (Lizzy) that you did not have enough time to ready yourselves.
I am very pleased to hear of Jane being called on by Lord Hilldale. He is a very estimable man and that has nought to do with his title or wealth. If they reach the logical conclusion, I am certain they will be very happy.
Louisa and Harold have been my strength and have made sure that I have everything I need, even before I realise I need it. They will remain here until the spring when my year of mourning is complete.
Like your other daughters and son, Arthur and Tisha are doing very well and seemto grow each day. At the age of 4, my grandson has much to say, and he is such a good and loved boy. It was very hard for Louisa and Harold to explain to him why he would never see Ignatius again.
On that subject, I miss him every moment of every day, but I soldier on. I am not sure yet, but I think when I reach the end of my mourning period, I will keep wearing the muted colours of half mourning for the rest of my days. There are more than 6 months before I must make that decision. I must admit to you, my dear friend, that I will not be sorry to be out of the blacks in 2 days from now. I will always keep my beloved husband in my heart, and the colours I wear will not change that.
Based on the above statement, I can hear you ask, ‘Then why am I considering remaining in the colours of half mourning?’ That is not to signify my mourning for Ignatius, but rather to put off any man who may get it in his head that I am looking for another husband. I will never marry again.
Enough maudlin thoughts. I look forward to seeing you in May next year, and until then we will keep up our correspondence.
