“Will you take us to walk in Hyde Park? If you are busy, John and Brian will come with us, and Mrs Healy too,” Elizabeth asked expectantly. “Please, Mamma, please. Our ponies are not here, so wemustwalk for some exercise.” She gave a little huff.
The first time they had walked in Hyde Park, almost three years past, Edith had worried that the location would somehow bring back bad memories, at least for Jane. However, even when they walked in Rotten Row on the way to the Serpentine and passed the spot where they had been abandoned, none of her daughters had paid it any heed and had not shown even a tiny sign that the spot held some significance to them. Since then, they had been able to go into the park freely.
“I am waiting for your Aunts Elaine and Anne, who will of course bring Anna. If you promise not to go for long, and two other men aside from John and Brian are available, and Mrs Healy is too, then you may go for ashortwalk in the park,” Edith allowed.
All three girls clapped. They were soon dressed for outdoors, and with the governess and four men escorting them, they set off towards the Grosvenor Gate.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Mavis Bingley was the wife of Mr Arthur Bingley, a man involved in trade, based in Scarborough, Yorkshire. They had come to London for her husband to meet with a Mr Gardiner who, according to Arthur, was one of the best at spotting good investments.
While her husband met with Mr Gardiner, she had taken her three children, Louisa, Charles, and Caroline, to walk in Hyde Park. They were fifteen, twelve, and eight, respectively.
Her older two were affable and easy-going, not at all interested in society outside of the sphere the Bingleys inhabited. Unfortunately, that was not true of her youngest daughter, Caroline.
“Mamma, Lulu, Charley. Look at those elegant girls!” Caroline exclaimed. “They must be very important to have four men and a maid escorting them. Come, we should go meet them…”
“No, Caroline, you cannot approach people you do not know and introduce yourself. More than likely they are much higher than people tied to trade,” Mavis interjected.
As was her wont when she was reprimanded, Caroline crossed her arms over her chest, stamped one foot and pouted. ‘It is just not fair!’ she thought. ‘I am sure that those girls would want to know me!’
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“What think you, Agatha? This Lord Holder is very serious about purchasing Netherfield Park. Now that you are with child, do we want to sell the estate? That will mean we will remain here with our children,” Phillips stated.
“We have a tenant at the estate, do we not?” Agatha reminded her husband.
“Indeed, the Macfadyens recently began a three-year lease which does not end until January 1800.” It was then Phillips realised at what his wife was hinting. “We promised them that if we still chuse to sell, it would not be before the end of their lease, and we will not go back on our word.” He saw a smug nod from his beloved wife. “I will inform Lord Holder that until then we have nothing to discuss. If he is still interested, at that time we will discuss the sale towards the end of 1799. By then, we will have a better idea what we want for ourselves.”
So agreed, Phillips scribed a letter to Gardiner’s client.
Chapter 13
November 1799
Clem Collins was debating whether to acquiesce to the demand that the solicitor, who was far below a landed gentleman like himself, had made in the note he had just received.
He was already in a foul mood over being dissatisfied with his wife seeing that it had been more than three years since another damned daughter had been born. She had never fallen with child again. No matter how much he berated or punished her, the woman simply refused to carry another child for him. He was getting desperate for an heir; as such, he did not know how much longer he would tolerate a wife who was not doing her duty to him.
In addition, the estate’s income had fallen even lower, and no matter what he did, there was not enough money to meet what needed to be paid to run Longbourn. Regardless of how much he demanded, cajoled, or even begged the bloody tradesmen to allow him, the master of Longbourn, to open accounts, they steadfastly refused.
Desperation had driven him to gamble heavily, and for some reason, he lost. As he could not pledge all or part of Longbourn, his creditor demanded half of his quarterly income until the debt, which had been doubled as Collins could not pay it all at once, was paid off in full. He had sacked the manservant and one of the two maids, and still it was not enough of a saving. He could not discharge Mrs Winters because he had to eat, and his wife could not boil water for tea, let alone cook. He let the second maid go and put his wife and daughters to work in her place. Kitty was six and Lydia three, so, in Collins’s mind, they could work.
With all of the measures he had taken, it had not helped. He tried to berate his tenants to increase their yields and pay more rent. He had been met with threats to move and rent farms at other estates. Knowing he could not afford to lose what he was receiving from his two tenants, Collins backed off. Nothing he had attempted to attract additional tenants had been successful. As usual, because he felt humiliated by the lowly tenants, he took his frustration and anger out on his wife.
He still had the note in his hand when his thoughts returned to the present. He decided to reread it, before he determined if he would go see Phillips or not.
18 November 1799
Phillips Law Office
Mr Collins:
I need you to come to see me at your earliest convenience.
This is with regards to your inheritance of the Longbourn estate as dictated by the entail on said property.
Before you refuse, know that it is in your best interest to do so. What needs to be done will happen whether or not you attend me. Please make sure you present yourself at my office no later than midday on Wednesday the 20th day of this month.
