~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
It took a while before the kisses subsided enough for Hurst to inform his wife of their changed status.
“Will you repeat that please? Did I hear correctly?” Louisa asked softly.
“If you need me to, I will repeat all, but no, my Love, you did not imagine what I said. You are Lady Louisa, the Countess of Winsbury. Arthur is in fact Viscount Sherwood, Tisha has an honorific, and Mother is Lady Leticia, the dowager countess,” Hurst confirmed.
“And the Regent added fifty thousand pounds to our coffers, land for Winsdale, and an estate for Arthur?” Louisa repeated.
“Yes, my love, all of that.”
“Well, I never!” Louisa exclaimed. “At least, we have a year to become used to our changed situation before it is publiclyknown. And with the peace of mind that you have purchased the Bennets, I cannot repine at what has happened to us.” Louisa placed her hand over her mouth as she began to giggle. Seeing her husband’s look, she told him all which had occurred with Caroline in the days since he had left. “She chose wisely and is on her way to Aunt Hildebrand and Uncle John. But, Harold, can you imagine how she would have reacted if she had already known of our rank and wealth? It will be interesting to see what she does or says when everything becomes known.”
“Let us pray this is not another vain attempt on her part to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes,” Hurst responded.
“I think it may be different this time, but only time and testing her will tell.”
Hurst agreed. After telling their mother of her elevated status, Hurst and Louisa spent some time with the children. Thereafter, they were not seen again until Friday morning.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Friday, before the ladies of the house were about to prepare for the assembly, an express rider arrived at Longbourn and delivered a folio of documents for the master of the estate.
Bennet was sitting in the drawing room when Hill handed him the thick sheath of papers. Seeing it was from the Court of Chancery; Bennet broke the seal and leafed through the pages. When he came to the deed naming him the owner, and not a lifetime tenant, he examined the documents closely. “Goodness!” Bennet exclaimed.
“What is it, Thomas?” Fanny asked. Like her two eldest daughters, she had waited before making her way upstairs to prepare for the ball.
“The entail! It has been revoked by the court because of a royal decree. We never have to worry about a Collins inheriting even if, heaven forfend, something were to happen to Tommy before he is eighteen.” Bennet slumped back in his chair. “I know not how this happened, but it is manna from heaven. I can consolidate our land back into one estate again.”
“The older girls and I need to go prepare for the dance; however, we will speak on the morrow,” an excited Fanny stated and then kissed her husband’s cheek.
It took Bennet some minutes before he was able to stand and go to his study to lock the documents in the safe. As he was doing so a memory stirred, a few days past he had mentioned his frustration with the entail to Hurst, and the same day he had made an unscheduled departure for London. Bennet shook his head. “Surely not?” he asked his study.
Chapter 30
Elizabeth had never been more excited to attend a dance before. As much as she had enjoyed her previous sets with William, none of them had the significance of the two sets she would share with him on this night.
Her anticipation was heightened when she noticed the Netherfield Party alighting from a coach as the four Bennets and Mrs Annesley arrived. Her only tinge of sadness was that neither Jane nor Charlotte was present. At past assemblies, before they had married, it had always been the three of them together.
Understanding that neither set of parents was ready to travel with their babes did not make Elizabeth miss them any less. Until she was in their company again, she would have to be satisfied with letters.
As soon as she saw William in his finely tailored suit looking extremely handsome, her heart rate sped up, and all she wanted was to arrive so they could greet and be close to one another. Elizabeth owned that her tender feelings for William were deepening and were very close to becoming love.
Darcy was about to follow Bingley and the Hursts into the assembly hall when he spied the Bennet conveyance being drawn to a halt. He stopped and made for the equipage. He stood back while a footman placed the step and opened the door.
Bennet alighted first. He handed his wife out before noticing Darcy waiting patiently behind him. He could not but grin at how attentive Lizzy’s suitor was. Next, he assisted Mrs Annesley and Mary out of the interior and to have some sport with Darcy, he made like he was about to bring Lizzy out as well. He stopped himself and stood aside for Darcy to take his place.
The excitement built to a crescendo when Elizabeth saw William replace her father at the carriage’s door. She extended her hand, and regardless of the fact they were both wearing gloves, she felt a frisson of pleasure travel out from where she held onto William’s hand, which reached every nook and cranny of her person.
If that was not enough, he bestowed a lingering kiss on the gloved hand he was holding. That caused her breath to become rapid and her eyes to widen.
She knew she was smiling like a foolish schoolgirl after the kiss on her hand, but Elizabeth could not care less as William placed her hand on his forearm, right near the crook of his arm, and he covered her hand with his free one.
Elizabeth fairly floated into the assembly hall on her William’s arm. She was so lost in her haze of warm feelings for William that she almost did not hear him speak.
“How is Gigi?” Darcy enquired. His look was one of innocence.
“V-very well,” Elizabeth managed. She admonished herself to relax and not allow herself to be so distracted that she was blind and deaf to everything around her. “She is very happy to remain at home with Catherine, Lydia, and even Tommy. Of course, among others, Mrs Jenkinson and Miss Firth are with them.” She knew she was babbling, something wholly out of character for her, but it was taking Elizabeth longer to calm her rapidly beating heart than she had expected.
