Page 38 of A Life Diverted
All of the Bennet children who were at home were present for the meal.
Lydia, the most exuberant of the Bennet offspring, thankfully, had learnt to regulate her liveliness in no small part thanks to Miss Weasley’s education before she became a companion.
The new governess, a Mrs Josephine Frost, concentrated on Lydia knowing when it was and when it was not acceptable to allow her excess energy free rein.
Besides being strong enough to regulate Lydia, Mrs Frost was as proficient in the lessons the children needed as Miss Weasley had been.
As it was a practice observed by all of the families represented among the guests, no one thought it extraordinary that the four younger children—three Bennets and a Darcy—ate their meal with the adults.
Fanny sat at her normal place at the one end of the table opposite Thomas.
Seating was informal, this night. Joseph sat to her right, and Lizzy sat on his other side.
Cilla sat next to Lizzy; Reggie—as Fanny had been invited to call the Earl—was to her left.
Thomas had Elaine on one side of him and Catherine on the other.
Jane and David were, as to be expected, seated one next to the other; Emily and Andrew were opposite them, and the rest seated where they chose.
Between removes, Giana leant over to Richard who was seated next to her on one side, Mary was on her other. “Richard, will you and William allow me to remain at Longbourn? With her parents’ permission, Mary has invited me to reside here with her.”
“William and I will discuss this after dinner, and one of us will let you know,” Richard responded. “Is there space for Mrs Annesley?”
“There is,” Georgiana replied as she nodded at the same time. “If you allow me to reside with the Bennets, I will share a suite with Mary, while Mrs Annesley will be in the next-door bedchamber.”
“All right, Sprite. I will discuss your request with William and let you know as soon as we have decided,” Richard stated.
Darcy was sitting next to his aunt by marriage.
She was too busy speaking to Ellie, but he did not object.
He made sure he could see Ellie in his peripheral vision during the whole of the meal.
It was not easy to have a discussion with her across Aunt Cilla, and if not anything else, he had good manners; hence, he was content to listen to the conversation between mother, father, and daughter.
Wendell was still feeling the thrill of Ellie calling him Father for the first time. Like Cilla, he understood that Bennet was Papa to her, and he did not object to that. He was fully cognisant that the wrong way to earn Ellie’s love was to try and distance her from the Bennets.
“Father, did Mother tell you about the ball?” Elizabeth repeated.
“Sorry, Ellie, I was wool-gathering,” Wendell admitted. “Of what ball are we speaking?”
Since fainting on hearing her old name, Elizabeth had not reacted to hearing those who had known her by that name use it.
It was who she was to them, and she had no reason to request they call her anything else.
“Mother, Aunts Elaine and Catherine, and Emily are planning a ball for David and Jane’s engagement, as well as to announce to the neighbourhood that we have found one another,” Elizabeth related.
‘ I am sure Uncle Wendell and Bennet will want to dance the first two with Ellie, and her brothers the subsequent dances. Mayhap I will be able to request the supper set? ’ Darcy thought when he heard about the ball.
In the past, he would have sought an excuse to miss the ball, but not this one.
He wondered if he should request two sets from Ellie, but he decided against that.
With all of the changes she was facing, he needed to move slowly.
And besides, there was no guarantee Ellie would be interested in more than a cousinly relationship with him.
“Ellie, you know we do not want to rush you, if you would prefer to wait to announce our relationship…” Cilla began to say. She stopped when Ellie placed her hand on her arm.
“Mother, one thing you will learn about me is I will always tell you how I feel. Ever since it was made known to me that I was never cast aside and was always loved for the little imp, or as David called me, the little pixie, I was, most of my worries have dissipated. I promise you that I would not have agreed to the idea of the announcement at the ball had I any doubts. I do not,” Elizabeth assured her mother.
“In fact, I would like to invite my best friend, Miss Charlotte Lucas, to come on the morrow and meet all of you. I am sure she is concerned because of what occurred at the assembly and the note asking them to wait before calling. You will like Charlotte. She is a woman of good sense who has been close to me since I was seven or eight. Although she is six years older than me, that has never caused an issue between us.”
Listening to Ellie and her concern for those around her told Darcy that she was a very compassionate and caring woman.
The more he got to know her, the more he began to believe that she may very well be the woman he had been waiting to meet.
Yes, they were cousins, but there was no shared blood between them.
After the meal, which was greatly enjoyed by all, the separation of the sexes was eschewed.
Richard informed William about Giana’s request. His recommendation was yes, and his cousin agreed.
They spoke to Mrs Annesley, who had no reservations about remaining.
Darcy had the pleasure of informing his sister, who had been sitting with Mary.
Both girls had to fight to tamp down their desire to release squeals of joy when they left the drawing room after being informed of the positive response.
Darcy sent his coach to Netherfield Park to retrieve his sister’s and her companion’s trunks.
Fanny and Cilla announced the ball and the date it was to be held. Other than put-on groans from Bennet and the Earl, the reactions were positive.
Elizabeth approached her Bennet parents. “Mama and Papa, Mother and Father do not object, so may I ask Charlotte to visit on the morrow?” She requested. “It would be a good idea to invite the Lucases for tea. That way our friends will begin to hear the news from us before rumours circulate.”
After Fanny looked at Bennet, who nodded, she turned to Lizzy. “I will send an invitation to the Lucases this evening,” Fanny stated.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“An invitation for tea has arrived from Longbourn,” Lady Lucas informed her family as they sat in the sitting room after dinner.
“Is it just for you, Sarah?” Sir William enquired.
Charlotte hoped the reply would be no because she missed Jane and Eliza. She very much wanted to make sure Eliza was well.
“No, William, it is for all of us. Maria will be able to see Mary again.”
Her mother’s reply pleased Charlotte greatly. Not only would she see that her friend was well on the morrow, but it was possible she would learn what had caused Eliza to faint.