Page 10 of Great Uncle Henry (Pride & Prejudice Vagary)
On his way back to his estate, Henry lamented the day Thomas had got an inkling of what a special girl Lizzy was. He had hoped that his nephew’s native selfishness would have been pushed to the side when it came to the best interests of one of his children, but it was not to be.
He was thankful that he would have eyes and ears at Longbourn and not only those who would be obvious to Fanny and Thomas.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“I missed you, Uncle Henry,” Elizabeth enthused when her uncle entered the schoolroom. “Mrs Bellamy has been teaching Luke and me sums. I am good at adding up sums, am I not, Mrs Bellamy? Luke is also very good with addition.”
“Thank you, Lizzy,” Luke responded, “But I know I am not as proficient as you with sums.”
As she had only turned five in March that year, Henry had not begun to employ masters for his great-niece.
But it would not be much longer. At his great-niece’s current age, Mrs Bellamy was reaching the limits of her abilities to teach Lizzy new things.
First would be a music master. Her playing at the pianoforte was excellent for one of her age, and she had the makings of an extremely pleasing voice.
“You remember I needed to meet with your papa at Longbourn, do you not?” Henry pointed out.
“I do.” She turned her cute pout on her uncle. “Surely Mr Bennet will not force me to live at Longbourn when I would prefer to continue living here, would he?” Elizabeth worried her lip as her eyebrows met above her nose as she concentrated on the issue at hand .
“Lizzy, dear, you know if it were up to me, you would remain here. Thomas, my nephew, is your father, and therefore, he has the legal right to demand your return.” Henry hated to see the way her face fell as she fought to hold the tears at bay.
“Do not forget; I will still see you often. You will not be alone without those you know, Mrs Bellamy, Luke, and your nursemaids will be there with you. I have your father’s agreement in writing.
Also, remember that you have three sisters.
Jane already lives at Longbourn, and Mary will return any day now.
Catherine will join you in about a year. ”
“Well, I suppose if there is no choice…” Elizabeth looked at her uncle hopefully.
“There is no choice. I am so sorry, Lizzy,” Henry related.
Elizabeth stiffened her spine and returned to her lesson. Henry kissed her on the crown of her head and slipped out of the room.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In early July 1796, Fanny felt the quickening for the fifth time. Regardless of her being wrong four times before, she made sure that anyone she encountered in the neighbourhood knew that this time, she was absolutely certain she carried the heir to Longbourn. She would deliver a son!
She thought she may be carrying twins due to the fact that she was increasing at a much faster rate than any of her previous four babes. This only convinced her even more that she would birth a son and possibly two.
She was brought to bed at about nine o’clock the night of the final day of November.
The midwife was attending Fanny, along with Fanny’s sister Hattie.
Even though the latter had never been in the family way, she was married, so was allowed to be in the birthing chamber.
Mr Jones was available in the hallway outside of the room.
Normally the midwife would not think to ask that a doctor or apothecary attend a birth, but given the size of Mrs Bennet’s belly, the midwife thought Mr Jones’s presence was prudent.
The pains Fanny experienced were far worse than any of her four previous deliveries, which to her was another sign that she carried one or two sons.
At three in the morning on the first day of December, with assistance from both the midwife and Mr Jones, the biggest babe any of them had ever seen was born. Contrary to Mrs Bennet’s assertions, it was another daughter.
Due to the size of the girl, there had been damage done to the patient’s insides. There was extensive bleeding, and until Mr Jones was able to bring the bleeding under control, it was feared that Mrs Bennet would lose her life. As it was, it had been very close.
Fanny Bennet was between consciousness and sleep for the best part of five days before she would remain awake for longer than a little while. Even Bennet, who usually did not show concern or respect for his wife, had been worried for her.
When Fanny was out of danger, she was informed that she had borne another daughter and that there was little possibility she would ever be able to carry another child.
When she was told this, Fanny was very angry with God.
Not only had He not granted her a son, but He had taken her ability to have more children from her so she would never bear a son.
She saw visions of Uncle Henry throwing her from the house.
This caused Fanny to fall into a deep state of despair.
Thankfully, the yet unnamed girl had been sent to the tenant with whom Catherine still resided.
Thanks to bearing another child of her own before Catherine had been weaned, there had been no cessation of the tenant’s ability to feed a babe.
It was just as well because the newest, as yet unnamed Bennet was large and needed more milk than any babe the woman had previously nourished.
When Hattie asked her what to name her newest daughter, Fanny said she cared not; she was still in the depths of her melancholy. Hattie suggested Lydia Hattie after their late Grandmama Gardiner and herself. Fanny said it was as good a name as any other.
She knew it was not her newest daughter’s fault, but Fanny could not help but feel some resentment against Lydia. That all changed when Hattie told Fanny that Lydia looked just like Fanny did as a babe.
From that instant, Lydia became Fanny’s favourite, even supplanting Jane.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The three months after the newest Bennet daughter was born passed all too quickly. Before Henry knew it, they were celebrating Lizzy’s sixth birthday. A day later, she was on her way to Longbourn.
The day Henry conveyed Lizzy and her nurses to the Bennet estate was not a happy one for him.
He was thankful that no matter what Thomas told him, he would always know the truth of how Lizzy was being treated.
Mrs Bellamy and Luke would arrive at Longbourn daily—Henry had gifted the governess a pony-pulled trap so she would be able to travel between her cottage and Lizzy.
Due to these arrangements, even without his other sources, he would know if Thomas was allowing Fanny to interfere in Lizzy’s education.
Bennet was waiting to welcome his second daughter to Longbourn, and for a moment he felt a pang of guilt to see her red eyes and the sadness of her being forced to leave Netherfield Park on his orders.
The feeling passed just as quickly as he reminded himself how much he needed some intelligent conversation in the house, especially as Fanny became ruled by her imaginary attacks of nerves, spasms, and flutterings.
He also told himself that he was doing his uncle a favour.
This way Uncle Henry did not have to use his limited funds on another three-year lease.
Bennet knew his uncle lived north of Hertfordshire, in the market town of Lambton.
Although he had never seen the house, Bennet was certain that Uncle Henry’s leased—he assumed it was not owned—abode was very modest.
That evening Bennet went to the mistress’s suite—she was yet to come downstairs more than three months after Lydia’s birth—to see Fanny to let her know Lizzy was home.
Bennet informed his wife that their second daughter was living with them from now on.
Before she could protest, Bennet told his wife of the special terms of Lizzy coming to Longbourn.
“I knew how it would be. Your Uncle Henry grew tired of caring for a girl,” Fanny insisted, ignoring all of the ways Lizzy was being protected by her great uncle.
Bennet had not the energy to argue with his wife; who would only hear what she chose to hear. “Fanny, as long as you understand what I have told you, and you do not contravene any of the things I mentioned, at the pain of losing your pin money, I care not what wrongheaded ideas you have.”
“Why did you accept her back here? It sounds like she will be more trouble than she is worth, and before your uncle was paying for her expense; now it will be on us,” Fanny demanded.
“You are wrong. Uncle Henry is responsible for all of the costs of her education and added clothing, etc. He is paying for a governess, and other than Lizzy, it is up to us who studies with her. The cost to me of having Lizzy live in her rightful home is almost nothing,” Bennet refuted.
“Before I forget, Uncle Henry is having the dower house fixed up. That way you will always…”
“He is fixing that peasant’s cottage so he can push me out as soon as you are dead, before you are cold in the ground.” Fanny flapped her muslin square like a bird preparing to take flight. “He will throw me from…”
Whatever else Fanny was about to burble was lost when Bennet exited her bedchamber. It suited his purposes for her to believe what she had said.