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At some point between his engagement and the wedding, Mr. Darcy had found the time to interview several candidates for the living at the Pemberley chapel.

He had settled on a young man who had grown up in western Derbyshire and educated at Oxford.

Mr. Tucker was from a respectable if impoverished family and Fitzwilliam had been impressed by both his intelligence and good sense.

The more experienced clerics who held the livings at Kympton and Lambton had interviewed the gentleman as well, and found his divinical understanding to be sound and his eager plans for serving his parishioners praiseworthy (if rather ambitious).

Both Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were well-pleased by young Mr. Tucker’s devotion to his new flock. If his sermons tended to be a little long, his eagerness to share those revelations that had come to him during his studies generally served to keep the rustles and whispers to a minimum.

Mr. Tucker had a standing invitation to Sunday dinner when the family was at Pemberley and occasionally visited on other evenings when he was not otherwise occupied.

It was during one of these meals that Miss Mary Bennet found she had much to discuss with the young curate.

She even found herself engaging in one or two rather lively debates, much like those she had observed her sister enjoy with Mr. Darcy, although she did not think much on it at the time.

Of course, it was not long before Mrs. Bennet took note of the young gentleman’s interest and proceeded to point out the benefits of the match to her least attractive daughter in such a loud and public manner that Mary could only blush and retreat from the company.

Later, however, Elizabeth sought Mary out, hoping to discover her sister’s own feelings on the matter.

“Although I might not like the way Mama presented the idea to you, Mr. Tucker would be a good match, and I would be very happy to have you settled so near,” she said gently.

To herself, Lizzy wondered how her mother could remain unaware of the effect her manners had on her daughters.

Only that morning, Jane had confided in her sister that she and Charles were looking for an estate in the north where Mrs. Bennet would no longer be able to insert herself into the daily workings of the Bingley household, nor treat their drawing room as her own.

Mary remained silent for some time, pondering her sister’s words.

Eventually, she sighed and dared to peek up through her fringe.

“I admit that I enjoy talking with Mr. Tucker… I… I esteem him… but I don’t believe I could ever care for him as you and Jane do for your husbands.

Wh en I find myself thinking back upon our meetings, it is to consider the intellectual content of our conversations, not… not the man himself.”

Suddenly Mary blushed and looked at her elder sister more directly; “But perhaps… perhaps I’m being overly romantic, too caught up in girlish fancies… to believe that I might find a man who could feel… that way… about me.”

By the time she finished, Mary’s tone was so uncertain that Elizabeth instantly set aside her sewing and went to the girl’s side.

“My dear sister, you are just as deserving of love as any of us. The very fact that Jane and I have been so fortunate only proves that you are right to wait for someone for whom you do have such feelings, and who returns them with equal force. Don’t worry about what our mother says—Papa will not force you to marry if you don’t wish it.

And if Mama makes things too difficult at Longbourn, you are always welcome to live with us, either here or in London. ”

Mary gifted her sister with a watery smile and, although she said nothing more, Elizabeth could feel her gratitude.

Lizzy passed on her intelligence to Jane and the Gardiners so that, between them and the general liveliness resulting from such a large company, Mrs. Bennet was usually kept too distracted to badger her eldest unmarried daughter.

Mary’s equanimity did not falter until, some days before Christmas, she arrived in the drawing room before dinner and was faced unexpectedly with not one but two Mr. Tuckers.

The gentlemen were alike enough to make it obvious that they were brothers, but where Mr. Owen Tucker (Pemberley’s curate) was a gentle, steady man, his twin fairly vibrated with energy.

While the Tuckers’ elder brother was set to inherit their father’s small estate, the family’s finances suffered from a brutal mortgage brought on by the poor planning of previous generations.

The twins had heard the Lord’s calling early in life and it was no surprise to those who knew them when they chose to take orders.

However, just as Mr. Owen Tucker’s vision of his future involved providing guidance and succor to a small English community like that in which he had grown up, Mr. Avery Tucker’s divinical ambitions extended much farther afield.

Mr. Tucker (the curate) had applied to and received permission from Mr. Darcy for Mr. Tucker (the missionary) to spend Christmas with him, for the latter was set to depart in May for Africa where he planned to spend as many years as necessary to bring the Word of God to the natives.

Owen looked upon his brother with a quiet pride while Avery expounded upon his plans with the passionate zeal of an evangelist.

Needless to say, Miss Mary Bennet was utterly fascinated.

Elizabeth had seated her sister beside the untried missionary at dinner, thinking that the two might find some common interests to discuss.

What she had not expected was that the pair would become so absorbed in their conversation as to completely ignore the presence of every other person at the table.

After dinner, they discovered that Mr. Darcy had purchased a copy of Cary’s Universal Atlas for the Pemberley library, and the volume was soon brought to the music room where the pair spent the remainder of the evening pouring over the new map of Africa, marveling over the strange names of the rivers and mountains, not to mention the vast interior of the continent which the cartographer had labeled merely, “unknown parts.”

Mr. Bennet, Richard, and Sir James sat nearby and periodically contributed to the discussion (although Mary suspected her father of teasing).

However, for once even the specter of her father’s sarcasm did not cause her to withdraw.

Occasionally Mary simply stopped and stared at Mr. Tucker while the young man expounded upon some point; she felt like a moth drawn to a particularly brilliant flame, yet through his conversation she also began to perceive that her own thoughts might be of interest to others, as well.

Mr. Bennet’s amusement became tinged with concern when, on the very next morning, his middle daughter attached herself to the object of her newfound admiration immediately after the Sunday service and proceeded to spend the remainder of the day almost exclusively in the gentleman’s company.

The couple expanded their conversation beyond Africa and began discussing the various theological arguments that they expected would be most effective for converting these “Godless heathens” (as Mr. Tucker referred to them) to Christianity.

The allure of Pemberley’s magnificent library combined with the presence of several companions whose conversation he found infinitely more amusing made it easy for Mr. Bennet to set aside his worries.

“After all,” he reasoned, “Mr. Tucker shall be departing for Africa in not so many weeks, so there is no need to diminish Mary’s amusement for now .

One might think that the various events of the previous year might have prompted Mr. Bennet to be more perspicacious. However, when he entered the Pemberley library one afternoon a week later and firmly shut the door behind him, it was as a man who had obviously been subjected to a great shock.

Darcy and Bingley looked up from their position at one of the tables, first with surprise and then concern.

Charles had received a packet from his agent with information on several purchasable estates just that morning and had requested advice from his friend in evaluating them.

Upon the appearance of their father-in-law in such a state, however, the papers were quickly set aside.

“Mr. Bennet? Sir, are you well?” asked Darcy, becoming increasingly worried by the man’s demeanor.

Bennet’s eyes popped open, for in truth, he had not noticed that the library was occupied.

Once he identified his companions, however, he merely shook his head, threw up his hands, and collapsed into one of the comfortable armchairs by the fire.

“Perfectly well in body, just excessively disturbed in spirit… although it is not more than I deserve, I suspect.”

The two younger gentlemen exchanged a confused look before moving to chairs nearer their father-in-law, though not before Darcy poured out a glass of wine which Mr. Bennet accepted with a sardonic nod.

After taking a sip and appreciating the superior vintage, Thomas recollected himself and took note of the other men’s concern.

“You needn’t look quite so anxious, gentlemen.

I’ve merely had a most astonishing conversation with the brother of your curate,” he gestured at Darcy with his glass accusingly, “and my third daughter.”

The other two exchanged another look, having noticed that Miss Mary Bennet conversed more with Mr. Avery Tucker than was her usual habit, but no more than that.

“Sir?” prompted Darcy, concerned that someone in his household was causing some sort of trouble.