“Paul, your estimation of how I would feel to lose them is accurate. However, regardless of the name they have at the time, if that happens, it will be just as crushing to my heart.”
Holder was aware that his wife had already formed a motherly bond with Jane, Lizzy, and Mary, one of no less strength than she had with Jamey, who had been born of her body. While he would keep searching for their family, his prayer would be that they would be able to keep the dear little girls. ‘One year,’ he promised himself silently. ‘If no one has been discovered to claim the girls by then, we will adopt them.’
“It will be as He wills it,” Holder said as he pulled his beloved into a warm hug.
“I cannot believe He led Jamey to Jane, Lizzy, and Mary for no reason that day in Hyde Park. I can feel it, Paul; they are meant to be our daughters, and I have to believe they will be.”
“Let us hope so. Now, is it not time to take all of the children into the park to play?” Holder reminded his wife.
“Indeed, the four boys will want to go riding soon enough, but they will entertain Jane and Lizzy first. I was not surprised when Lizzy wanted to join William on his cob the other day.” Edith smiled as she thought of how fearless Lizzy was.
After a lengthy kiss, Edith and Holder left the study to join the rest of the party.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Phillipses arrived back in Meryton late Saturday afternoon. Even though they could have taken up residence at Netherfield Park, they chose, for now, to live in Phillips’s house. The residence was next to the law office—with an entrance leading to Meryton’s main street—from there it extended back next to and behind the office with the largest section of the abode above the law office and the downstairs part.
Morris had presented the local estate to Agatha as a wedding present, and even though Phillips had insisted it remain her property in the marriage contract, she had refused and made it part of their marital property. In their discussion during the long arduous journey from Cornwall to Meryton, they had decided to keep Netherfield Park available for lease, but it would mean having to staff it again.
There were a few servants left at the manor house, but the Morrises had taken the Nicholses, the butler and the housekeeper, along with several other servants, to Beech Hill to offset retirements and the fact that Morris’s uncle had only kept a small group of servants at the estate.
The lease would give them a good income, and if, when, God blessed them with children, then they would consider moving to the estate.
Once they had washed and changed, Phillips was about to set out for Longbourn when his butler delivered the message which had been conveyed from Mr Gardiner. Phillips told his manservant to take the horse from the stables and ride to Longbourn to inform the Gardiners that he was home.
In less than an hour, the Gardiner carriage stopped in the street outside the Phillips’ abode.
“Welcome home, Phillips, and our hearty congratulations to you and Mrs Phillips. I am only sorry we are not here under better circumstances,” Gardiner stated as he bowed to the new Mrs Phillips. “Allow me to introduce my wife, Mrs Madeline Gardiner, formally of Lambton in Derbyshire.”
“Gardiner, you have met Agatha before, have you not?” Phillips enquired. When Gardiner indicated he had, Phillips introduced Agatha to Mrs Gardiner. “Now that the courtesies are done, tell me what I need to know.”
“Fanny married the heir…” Gardiner told Phillips all he had learnt since arriving at Longbourn, including Collins assaulting his wife. “I am sure we have not heard anything close to the truth, but even when I attempted to intimidate Fanny, she kept to her fantasy about what happened to the girls, which she keeps repeating. It is as if her repeating it will somehow make it fact.”
“I assume they do not know about the clauses Bennet added to his will regarding his daughters, do they?” Phillips queried.
“It is certain they have not a clue. It will be interesting to see how they react when you read the will. I would enjoy having them wait even longer, but that would mean having to remain at Longbourn and not taking Maddie home. On the subject of leaving Longbourn…” Gardiner told Phillips what the staff, servants, and tenants intended.
“That is perfect!” Agatha exclaimed. “Frank, we will not need to seek staff and servants for Netherfield Park. We will employ any from Longbourn who want to work for us at our estate.”
Phillips saw Gardiner’s eyebrows shoot up. “It was a gift on the occasion of our wedding from my wife’s parents. Morris had already made her his heir, as she is for Beech Hill now. If we are blessed with a son, then he will be the heir apparent of the estate in Devonshire,” he elucidated.
“Are you aware that with my father’s bequest and what Bennet added, coupled with the dividends, the balance in the account for my wards is close to five and twenty thousand pounds,” Gardiner revealed.
“There will soon be more,” Phillips said knowingly. “I will be at Longbourn at midday on the morrow. Will you prepare those employed there and informthem?”
Gardiner agreed. With business out of the way, tea was enjoyed, and the wives were soon addressing one another by their familiar names and had given each other’s husband the privilege of doing the same.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The Collinses were in great anticipation of the reading of the will. Collins, because he would be master of the estate and could begin to assert his authority. Best of all, would be the windfall he expected in the estate’s account combined with his wife’s dowry. Fanny, as she would finally be the mistress, and she would have access to her pin money at long last.
Fanny intended to punish the servants for all the times they had disrespected her. Then, as soon as they had suffered, she would sack them, without characters, of course.
There had been lots of activity in the house this morning, but as both Collinses were counting the minutes until midday when Mr Phillips would finally come and do his duty to them, they did not notice what was going on around them. Like they did most days, the two were sequestered in the parlour the former Mrs Bennet had been allowed to use for her own purposes.
After today, Fanny would hold court in the drawing room. She was certain her husband would allow her to redecorate the house as was befitting a man of his new status.
Phillips arrived at one minute before the hour he had said he would be there.
