Page 26 of Great Uncle Henry (Pride & Prejudice Vagary)
Being well aware that having Mr Jones in Meryton had saved many lives which would have otherwise been lost, Elizabeth began to think about all of the good she could do and how many people in need she would be able to help with the vast amount of capital Uncle Henry planned to bequeath to her.
Two days after their visit to Lambton, Henry and Lizzy were on their way south.
This time, the maid and valet were in a second, smaller carriage which had been kept at the estate.
It was done this way to allow for open discussion between uncle and great-niece.
On the final day of travel, they would all be in one conveyance again, and the second one would make for London.
Henry was sure Lizzy still had much she wanted to discuss.
It did not take long for him to be proved right.
A few miles after their departure, before the first rest stop, Elizabeth looked across at Uncle Henry. “I may not tell my father, mother, or sisters about your wealth and property, may I? ”
“No, Lizzy. I ask that you do not. Can you imagine the noise that will be generated if they had an inkling—well not Mary and Kitty—of what I have and will one day, for the most part, be yours?”
“But I do not want to prevaricate to my parents, or sisters, for that matter,” Elizabeth lamented.
“And I am not asking that of you. For instance, if you are asked if you saw my house, what will your answer be? Before you reply, think of how you can answer without telling more than you want them to know.”
Elizabeth cogitated. “The simplest answer would be, yes, I saw the house.”
“Exactly. Your mother and father believe that I have little or no funds and a cottage, so you can use their prejudices against them without prevaricating. For instance, if asked, ‘was the house the size you expected?’ A yes will suffice.”
“And if they ask intrusive questions I do not desire to respond to, I will tell them to come speak to you.”
“You have it. Your father is too indolent to do so, and your mother will not allow herself to come to the house she considers a peasant’s hovel . From now on, when we travel to London, I want you to sit with your Uncle Gardiner to begin learning all about the investments I have made.”
“I remember now; when we were in the inn that night, you mentioned you are Uncle Edward’s partner. You provided the funds for the ships, did you not?”
“You are right. That investment has paid off many times over since Gardiner and I began to work together. Did you know he is the largest single provider of fabrics to the modistes and mantua makers in London?”
“I have much to learn, do I not?”
“Yes, Lizzy, my dear great-niece, you do. However, you have the ability to learn all you need to know and more. On a different subject, you know Luke has two more years at Oxford, do you not?”
Elizabeth nodded.
“Mrs Bellamy mentioned he would like to become a barrister. I, and if I am not living at that point, you, will sponsor him in that endeavour.”
“Of course, I will, but I will not need to; you will be here, Uncle Henry.”
“You know that in May I will be seventy, do you not? I am not a young man anymore. But I too hope I will be around in the mortal world long enough to see you find a man worthy of you and see you marry him.”
“Enough maudlin conversation; what do you think of the family renting Netherfield Park?” Elizabeth enquired.
“The Deacons are a good family. They have kept their five sons away from your mother and her machinations. I have met them; John and Veronica, are very good people, if quiet. Their lease expires in July; I believe they have purchased some land in Putney, just outside of London, and are building a home. Their new house will be ready in June, so moving in at the end of July when the lease is over will be perfect for them.”
“Mama attempted to throw Jane in the path of Mr Robert Deacon, the eldest son, at the first assembly they attended. Neither he nor his parents wanted the connection, and since then, the Deacons have not attended any other assemblies. It is sad that Janey does not see that Mama hurts her chances much more than she helps them with men in whom she might have an interest.” Elizabeth could only shake her head.
“Your Uncle Phillips will begin to send the notices about the estate being available once the Deacons have left, and we have made sure all is as it should be at the house.”
After the first stop for refreshments, while the horses were well rested, the talk was of more banal subjects.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~ ~
Once Elizabeth had alighted at Longbourn and her trunks offloaded, with help from her maid, she washed and changed. She had barely finished dressing when Mary and Kitty burst into the chamber.
“We missed you so very much, Lizzy,” Kitty said as she gave Lizzy a hug.
“Lydia was much worse when you were not here, and Mama, of course, said nothing to her. Papa only thought our discomfort was amusing. She is not thirteen yet, and when we went into Meryton one day, an army officer, who was a guest at the Red Lion Inn, was walking in the street when we were there. Lydia flirted outrageously. Where did she learn that?”
“From the advice our mother gives to Jane, which our eldest sister does not follow. Janey is too reserved to behave in such a brazen way,” Elizabeth responded.
“Thankfully, Charlotte was shopping in Meryton and saw what Lydia was about. To assist us, she distracted the Captain while I practically dragged Lydia back to Longbourn. She, of course, went to whinge to Mama who came and asked why we were curtailing Lydia’s entertainment,” Mary related.
“When I told her how Lydia had been behaving, she said that we are jealous of Lydia’s liveliness and as one who is plain, I would not understand.
She accused me of trying to redirect an officer to Charlotte Lucas, who, in Mama’s words, is plainer than me and well on her way to being on the shelf. ”
“Mary, you know you are anything but plain, do you not? Neither is Charlotte. Unfortunately, Mama sees anyone who does not look like herself as plain. She never fails to tell me that I am nothing to Jane. I do ignore her words, but what hurts is that Janey never corrects Mama. Our eldest sister does not have the gumption to stand up to Mama. One of these days, Janey will be in love, and Mama will run that man off as well.”
“I almost forgot. Papa wants to see you. He says you are many games of chess in arrears,” Mary said .
Elizabeth made her way down to the study and knocked; when bade to enter, she did. “Mary told me you asked for me, Papa. I had just washed and changed and planned to come to greet you.”
Bennet pointed to the chessboard, “Sit. You have not played since you have been away, so I think I will have a chance.”
She sat obediently and won white. She made her opening move.
“So was your uncle’s house worth seeing? It is near Lambton, is it not?” Bennet enquired after he made his move. He hoped he would distract Lizzy from her game.
“It was, and yes, it is,” Elizabeth replied.
Rather than being rusty or distracted, Bennet was frustrated when Lizzy beat him as quickly, if not quicker, than she always did. He scowled and waved her away.
She had wanted to speak to Papa about Lydia’s behaviour, but because of his mood, Elizabeth realised now was not the time. She took a book from one of the shelves and exited her father’s domain.