Both William and John were home from Eton. William Bennet was going into his final year before Cambridge, while John had just completed his first year. William was still set on going into the church, and if anything, his resolve had firmed. He was remarkably close to Christopher Pierce and his wife of a little over a year, Charlotte, the former Miss Lucas. When home on breaks from school, when not required to perform tasks for his father or mother, he would be helping the clergyman around the parish, almost like a junior curate.
John Manning had an affinity for the law, so he spent a lot of his free time learning from Uncle Frank and his cousin Graham, who was in William’s year at Eton and also determined to read the law. James had turned ten that year and took much pleasure in helping his father run their three estates. He was especially enamoured with the horse breeding program at Bennington Fields and had been there when the Darcy girl had come to look for a horse. He was not impressed by her as at ten he still had an aversion to girls that were not family; besides, she was too tall and thin!
The Bennet twins were eight and it was noted by Bennet that the older Kitty got, the less she reminded him of his Lizzy. It grieved him that he thought of her so seldom now, but he knew that he would never forget his little ball of energy who had been taken from him.
About a year earlier, Bennet had received a cryptic letter telling him that for ten thousand pounds the writer would tell him where his missing daughter was. There had been many attempted hoaxes over the years trying to extort money from him, so he tossed it into the fire, as he did all such fraudulent missives, and never wrote back to the obscure inn in Wiltshire. It was from the furthest shire that he had been contacted, but he dismissed that as one of those who knew about his pain who might have travelled or mentioned something to an unscrupulous friend. Bennet would not allow anyone to play on his grief for his Lizzy any longer. He had followed up on a few of these that he had received in the first two to three years. Each one had been a hoax demanding a sum of money before they would reveal anything and when he questioned them, they had no correct details about his Lizzy so thankfully he had not paid out any money to the men who had tried to prey on his grief.
On his last break from Cambridge before he graduated, Bennet had a talk with one Charles Bingley. The interest in his oldest daughter was undeniable; he was told clearly that Jane would have a season after she came out after turning eighteen and Bennet informed him that he would not entertain requests from anyone to declare themselves for Jane until at least six months after her eighteenth birthday. Bennet warned Charles that he did have competition. Frank Lucas who was now three and twenty, also thought Jane to be the perfect one for him and had been told the same thing as was now being told to Charles Bingley. Although being a graduate of Oxford counted against the Lucas heir, Bennet would not deny him if he was Jane’s choice.
What Bennet never told either man is that he did not think that either would suit Jane. Frank Lucas was a little too conceited, a trait that he knew that his oldest daughter did not like, and the Bingley boy was too easy going and malleable. There was a time some years ago that Bennet had felt that his serene daughter would want to see the world through rose coloured glasses, but that was not who she was any longer, and had not been for close to ten years.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In the three years since Caroline Bingley had committed suicide, her family had become even closer than they were prior to that particular disaster. Charles was not the only one that was in love; so was his older sister, who was no longer a Bingley.
At almost nineteen, Louisa had her season; she had been sponsored for her curtsey before the Queen by Lady Anne Darcy. Her parents held a coming out ball for her at Darcy House after that family had offered the use of their home and ballroom. At the ball Louisa had been introduced to a Mr Harold Hurst, who had coincidently grown up in Yorkshire where his family had a medium-sized estate, Winsdale, that he was heir to. He had two sisters, both married. One lived in Dorset and the other in Hampshire.
The two connected right away and Hurst had requested the supper set and the final set in a bold move and Louisa had loved dancing with him. Conversation flowed easily between them. Over that first season, Hurst had made sure that he knew what balls and soirees that Louisa would attend and had requested at the end of that first night that she grant him the first, supper, and last sets at any balls that they attended in common, to which she agreed shyly.
It was not more than half way through the season that Harold Hurst presented himself at the Bingley townhouse on Gracechurch street and sought out Louisa’s father to request a private interview with his daughter who was now nineteen. The interview was granted and the request for a courtship was accepted with much pleasure. Six weeks later, Hurst arrived at Netherfield to request another interview and as a result the two were betrothed. A month later, Mr Pierce officiated the wedding and Louisa became Mrs Hurst. A most delighted Martha Bingley gifted her daughter and new son-in-law with a magnificent wedding breakfast at Netherfield Park. Unfortunately, both the Darcys and Fitzwilliams sent sincere regrets and well wishes as they were not able to change long standing plans in order to attend. Charlotte Pierce had been Louisa’s matron of honour.
Charles had a particularly good relationship with his brother-in-law and would often visit the Hursts at their townhouse in London. It was not in Mayfair, but it was close to the more desirable addresses in Town. He had not been the best student at Cambridge, but he did try hard and for the two years that Darcy was there at the same time, he had helped Bingley as much as he was able to grasp things that he did not first. From the times that he had been in the company of Darcy’s cousin, Lady Elizabeth, during his time at Cambridge, Charles had been intimidated that she could easily solve things that he still struggled with.
A month prior, Louisa had informed her mother that she was to be a grandmother by October or November that year. Charlotte Pierce had felt a twinge of envy; she had been married longer than her friend but was not with child yet. Her husband always reminded her that good things come to those who wait. Louisa had waited until she felt the quickening to inform her mother, and her husband had written to his parents at Winsdale to let them know of the forthcoming grandchild. Unlike the Bingleys, it was not the Hursts’first, as their two daughters had already produced five between them, but it was still very significant as a son would continue the Hurst name and someday inherit the estate.
Over the year, Martha had become a lot more than acquainted with the ladies on the charitable foundation’s board. They were all the best of friends and they had all been there to support the Bingleys when they had to deal with Caroline’s death. The group of six, as they had been affectionately dubbed, were always available to help, support, or just listen when needed.
The Bingleys had accepted an invitation to Lord Andrew Fitzwilliam’s wedding and would be departing for Yorkshire to travel to the Duke’s estate. They would visit their family after the wedding.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As the Fitzwilliam coach came to a halt in Pemberley’s courtyard, Elizabeth’s heart began to beat faster of its own volition as she saw her cousin Will was home and was standing with the other four Darcys awaiting them. He had not been home when the family had spent her birthday with her, much to her disappointment.‘When did Will get so handsome?’she asked herself. It hit her that he had always been so, but it was the first time that she noticed it.‘I will have to regulate myself around him or he will think me a silly little girl!’Elizabeth did not yet realise that although only thirteen, she looked nothing like a little girl anymore.
William was very keen to see all of the Fitzwilliams; his uncle alighted first then helped his aunt from the equipage, Anne followed, looking very well indeed and then his breath was taken away. He saw her hand first as it took her father’s, a gown covered leg came next and then followed a vision of beauty that he was not prepared for. She did not look anything like he remembered her; she had blossomed in the year that he was away. He remembered how he had allowed his infatuation with her mind to allow him to make bad decisions six years previously, so he swore that he would not allow himself to fall into the same patterns again.
Elizabeth hugged Gigi and Alex, then kissed her aunt and uncle and then stood before Will, her eyes anywhere but on his face.“Hello Lizzy,” Will gave her a peck on the cheek.“You have grown since I last saw you.” William was the master of gross understatement, it seemed.
“Y-you look w-well too Will,” the flustered girl managed. Elaine watched the way that her daughter was reacting to her cousin and knew that it was time to talk to her about certain things.
After the awkward greeting, they moved inside with the Fitzwilliams, who then went to their chambers to change. After she had changed, there was a knock on the door that her maid answered, and then told her mistress that the Countess asked for her presence in her sitting room as soon as her daughter was changed.
Elizabeth knocked on her parent’s sitting room door and entered when her mother bade her to.“You wanted to see me, Mama?” she asked as she sat where her mother patted the place next to herself on the settee.
“Yes, my dear, sweet daughter, I did. I want to talk to you about the way you were with William when we arrived,” Elaine told the blushing young daughter.
“I am sure that I know not what you mean, Mama,” Elizabeth tried to prevaricate.
“Even at my ancient age Lizzy, I am not blind,” Elaine quipped.“Let me see if I can guess, you noticed your cousin as more than just your cousin for the first time today.”
“No... Yes, I did, and I do not want to spoil our relationship by acting like a silly girl!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
“Do you remember, mayhap six years ago, William seemed distant, and you thought he was discarding you?” her mother asked.
“Yes, I remember that like I remember everything, but I do not understand the relevance, Mama,” her befuddled daughter responded.
“You are one of the most intelligent people I know Lizzy, but there are still some things that you are ignorant of. The reason that my nephew acted as he did…” Elaine proceeded to explain everything that they felt they could not to a seven-year-old girl. Elizabeth’s mouth formed a perfect‘O’with her pert lips.
“He was infatuated by me, as I am of him, now?” she asked nervously.
