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The Duke rolled his eyes in a gesture that several in the room found startlingly reminiscent of Mr. Bennet’s sardonic mannerisms. “So quickly do the children forget their history, eh, Bennet?” Turning to his son, the Duke prompted, “Worcester, who was the first Duke of Grafton’s father-in-law?”

Still confused but well versed on his family history, the Marquess replied, “Sir Henry…. Bennet.” At which point his widened eyes turned to his father’s old friend even as that gentleman was shaking his head and making shushing motions with his hands.

“A distant relation, if at all.” Seeing the Duke opening his mouth to argue, Mr. Bennet continued, “Now, now Somerset. Surely we have more interesting history to catch up on than that of some poor bastard who has been dead for a hundred years? Let’s start with some introductions.

That, I suppose, is your son?” He waggled his eyebrows in such a way that Grafton couldn’t help but laugh .

“Indeed. My eldest son and heir, Andrew Somerset, Marquess of Worcester. Let me see—this is Andrew’s wife, Lady Ava.

My daughter, the Lady Isabella, and her husband, Sir Robert Tripp.

My second daughter, the Lady Violet, and her husband, Mr. Wendell Hubbard.

My youngest son, Lord Jonah Somerset. And this is my wife, Alice, Her Grace the Duchess of Grafton.

“My dear, allow me to present my oldest friend, Mr. Thomas Bennet. And I beg you not to believe a word he says about me!” The Duke grinned crookedly to his wife as she greeted Mr. Bennet.

Holding out her hand, Her Grace smiled warmly. “So you are Tommy Bennet! I cannot count how many stories I’ve heard over the years that begin with ‘I remember the time Bennet and I…’ It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Bennet.”

“The honor is mine to meet such a lovely lady, Your Grace. Particularly one with the bravery to marry my old friend here. At times in our youth I honestly believed that the only bride Harry would ever abide would have four legs and a tail!”

As the laughter died down, Mr. Bennet gestured to Lizzy.

“Well, then… allow me to introduce my own progeny. My daughter Elizabeth, now Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, and her husband, Mr. Darcy, I believe you’ve met already.

This is my second youngest, Miss Catherine Bennet.

And my wife’s brother, Mr. Edward Gardiner, and his wife, Madeleine. But I suppose you know them, as well?”

“All I’ve learned about this family comes from the Darcys—I might know more of your family if you had ever bothered to respond to my letters, you old goat!” responded Grafton with feigned churlishness and the two chuckled and teased like the old companions they were.

Elizabeth watched as Mr. Bennet bantered with his friend and felt herself close to tears. For the first time that she could recall, her father appeared genuinely proud of his family. She took her husband’s arm and smiled softly.

Meanwhile, Darcy was still attempting to recover from the shock.

When the Duke of Grafton had greeted Will’s father-in-law with such familiarity, only a lifetime of proper manners had enabled him to keep his composure.

Since his earliest years, he could recall hearing his Fitzwilliam elders plotting to gain a connection to the august Somerset family.

And here, he had seemingly secured one of the closest degree through his marriage to a woman whom his Aunt Catherine had once dismissed in the vilest of terms. He could barely repress his mirth.

Elizabeth eyed her husband suspiciously and whispered, “Will?”

His eyes twinkled mischievously but he only patted her hand. “Just enjoying the moment, my dear. I only wish Lady Catherine was here to share it.” He smirked and she rolled her eyes .

By now, Mr. Bennet had guided the Duke and his Duchess across the room to introduce Richard and Charlotte. Seeing his old friend stiffen at the surname, Lizzy’s father tutted him. “Now, now, Grafton. None of those silly old family prejudices. Lady Fitzwilliam’s son is heir to Longbourn.”

Catching his old friend’s questioning look, Bennet waved his had dismissively.

“Five daughters, no son, and an entailed estate.

A long story that has turned out far better than I had any right to expect—I shall explain it all some other time.

For now, I believe you will be far more interested in hearing their more recent history.

“Sir Richard here was in the Horse Guards and I daresay even you will appreciate his eye for horseflesh. He and Lady Fitzwilliam have just returned from the negotiations in Spain and he has been telling me of his visit to the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.”

This instantly caught both Grafton and Worcester’s complete attention. “The Lipizzaner? I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing one but by all accounts they are nothing short of magnificent!”

This started a discussion that continued into the dining room. By the end of the evening, the gentlemen had arranged to meet at the docks the following week when Sir Richard’s new acquisitions arrived.

When the conversation turned to the question of where Richard would be keeping his new horses, Charlotte took the opportunity to tease her husband again that he planned to convert her new drawing room into stalls, which sparked some lively banter between the sexes.

Such a convivial atmosphere prompted Mr. Bennet to make an offer that surprised even himself; “Sir Richard, it occurs to me that we only use a few of the stalls in Longbourn’s stables.

If you like, you could house your new stock there for as long as you please.

” Turning to his younger daughter, he teased, “It will give us quite the cachet, to have such fine horseflesh occupying Longbourn’s barn, will it not, Kitty? ”

Miss Bennet had been intimidated to near silence for much of the evening but she did manage a shy nod.

Charlotte and Richard were warmed by the gentleman’s offer, understanding (perhaps even better than he) how much it reflected his acceptance that they would someday serve as Longbourn’s master and mistress while young Master Collin grew to adulthood.

Richard was determined not to press such generosity too far, however, and insisted that he would cover all of the expenses, in addition to providing a man to see to the horses’ care and training.

“Lieutenant Wright served with me on the peninsula and has a way with animals. We met again in Spain last month as he was being invalided out and I was able to hire him to oversee the transport of my new bloodstock. He’s a good man and had a hard time of it toward the end of the war.

” Richard exchanged a serious look with his wife before turning back to Mr. Bennet.

“If you are truly willing, some quiet time in the country might be just the thing to revive his spirits.”

Mr. Bennet agreed easily and then went on to joke that, between Mr. Wright in the stables and the new steward that Mr. Darcy had brought in, Longbourn would be able to manage itself without any effort on his part. Lizzy exchanged a look with her husband but managed to hold her tongue.

The evening continued in just such a congenial manner.

Georgiana’s worries were soothed, for, although Richard did make something of an effort to question Lord Jonah, the former cavalryman was continually distracted by Worcester’s interest in his horses, and the interrogation she had agonized over never really took shape.

Several of the Somerset ladies drew Kitty into conversation, and when her purpose for coming to London was discovered, they quickly determined that they would like to visit the exhibit as well.

Mrs. Darcy agreed to send a note arranging the details, although she had no doubt that her father would welcome the arrangement, particularly as it would allow him more time to spend reminiscing with his old friend.

When it finally came time for the guests to depart, the Duke shook his host’s hand heartily. “A most excellent evening, Mr. Darcy!”

His eldest son was equally fervent in his pleasure.

“I’m very glad to have met you and your family, Mr. Darcy,” commented the Marquess.

“Please forgive me that I ever thought to hold your mother’s connection to the dastardly de Bourghs against you.

” Worcester exchanged a merry look with Mrs. Gardiner whom he had partnered at dinner.

Having discovered what a delightful lady she was, Andrew was determined to redress all his former slights.

“Really, Worcester,” scolded the Duchess good-naturedly. “The dastardly de Bourghs, indeed. Do not run wild like you normally do in front of our new acquaintances; we are trying to leave them with a good impression.”

On that happy note, the party dispersed amid laughter and friendly jests.

Some time later, after the Darcys had retired to their rooms, Will stretched out on the bed and watched as his wife braided her long hair for the night. Thinking over the evening, his smile grew increasingly wide and by the time Lizzy came to sit beside him, his laughter could not be contained.

Once his mirth had stopped shaking the bed, Will wrapped his wife in his arms and sighed happily.

“Ah Liz—I cannot even begin to explain… you know how long it took me to appreciate your family’s open manners.

When I think back on the cold, lonely existence that Georgiana and I were plodding through…

well, you know Lady Catherine’s response to our marriage.

And even though Uncle Henry has recognized you and so forth, I still feel the condescension…

he is proud of his open-mindedness in admitting someone of your connections into his circle. And now…”

Here Darcy had to pause to wipe tears from his eyes, he was laughing so hard. “And now, he will be faced with the fact that you are the favorite daughter of the Duke of Grafton’s oldest, dearest friend… and possibly even a distant relation! Lord—‘tis too much!”