Page 4 of Great Uncle Henry (Pride & Prejudice Vagary)

“Indeed, they had one son, Thomas Bennet. He is married, and his wife is increasing. She thinks she will deliver by January.” Henry paused.

“His wife is, to put it politely, not the most intelligent creature, so if I were you, I would not want her to know that the Bennets are connected to an earl, regardless of how tenuous the connection.”

“I will bear that in mind,” Lord Matlock responded. “She would not be the first coattail relative to attempt to trade on the connection.”

“If you do not feel I am prying into your personal affairs, what brought you to this point, Mr Bennet? As you say you are a second son,” Darcy enquired. “There are not too many second sons who are able to purchase an estate like this one, even at reduced cost.”

“Please address me as Bennet; as long as my nephew is not here, there will be no confusion. I do not object to the question,” Henry allowed.

“I went to seek my fortune in India, and I found it. In the last year, I felt like it was time to return to England, and I did so.” There was nothing he said which was not true; he just omitted the scope of his wealth.

Even though Henry felt like he could become friends with these men, there was no need for them to know he was wealthier than if they combined their wealth .

“In that case, I am Matlock, and my brother-in-law is Darcy. The time for our call has passed, but I trust we will see you again soon.” Matlock stood and extended his hand.

Henry shook hands with both men, before his butler escorted them out.

He was thankful he had employed an experienced English valet in London.

Over the years he had lived at Longbourn East, his mode of dress had adapted to India and become decidedly casual.

Oftentimes at home, he would don the white flowing garb some of the local men wore, which made it much more comfortable in the heat and humidity of the area.

His new valet, Mr Aaron Rouse, had directed Henry in his purchases of new clothing.

Each morning, Mr Rouse made sure Henry was turned out as would be expected of a well-turned-out gentleman, but nothing like a dandy.

Over the next fortnight, Henry met many of the estate owners with land close to him in both Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Some of the men he could tolerate better than others, but he was not as comfortable with any of them as he was with Matlock and Darcy.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The first estate Henry called on in return was Pemberley.

Once the coach crested a rise in the miles-long drive, he was treated to a view of the valley and the house.

He decided that a man would have to travel far to see a more aesthetically pleasing estate.

As one who had not attempted to tame nature in India, Henry was impressed at the way the Darcys obviously had a healthy respect for nature and did not try to counteract it with the awkward tastes of man.

His horses drew the carriage under a porte cochère into an internal courtyard. From close up, the five-storey house looked even more impressive. As soon as his conveyance came to a halt, a Darcy footman in green and gold livery placed the step and opened the door .

Henry made his way to the broad stone steps which led to a door where a man he assumed was the butler was waiting for him.

“Mr Henry Bennet, returning Mr Darcy’s call,” Henry stated. He handed the butler his card.

“The master expected a call from you, Sir. Please follow me,” the retainer requested after he had relieved the gentleman of his outerwear.

Having seen the Taj Mahal and some of the other palaces in India during the years he lived in that country, Henry was not overly impressed by houses, no matter how grand they were.

He was, however, impressed by Pemberley’s manor house.

From what he could see as he followed the butler, this house was built as a home and not a museum to the Darcys’ wealth and status.

They entered an entrance hall with vaulted ceilings which rose at least two floors up.

There were images of angels painted on the ceiling.

Henry wondered if one of the earlier Darcys saw the Sistine Chapel and was inspired to have the painting he could see above him commissioned.

He followed the butler to the grand staircase—the steps fabricated from white marble with tendrils of black within—and up to the first floor.

They reached the open drawing room doors where the butler announced him and stood back.

“Bennet, welcome to Pemberley,” Darcy enthused as he offered his caller his hand. “May I present my wife and son to you?”

“It would be my honour to meet them.” Henry smiled.

Before him was a very pretty lady, with golden blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and rather willowy.

Next to her on the settee was a little boy who had his father’s colouring, a darker complexion and very dark, slightly curly hair.

Rather than his father’s brown eyes, the boy’s eyes were blue like his mother’s.

To Henry, the boy looked like he was fighting to behave like a proper little man.

“Anne and William, I present Mr Henry Bennet, the new master of Sherwood Dale, to you. Bennet, Lady Anne Darcy, my wife, and Fitzwilliam, my son and heir,” Darcy introduced.

It was at times like this Henry felt regrets that he had never found a lady who he desired to marry.

Darcy had an heir, and he did not. He had already discounted his nephew as his heir.

All he could do was hope Fanny and Thomas Bennet would produce at least one child who would be worthy enough to fill that role.

“Welcome, Mr Bennet,” Lady Anne said with a little hauteur in her voice.

He remembered that she was Matlock’s younger sister. Henry supposed that as the daughter of one earl and sister to another, Lady Anne felt he was beneath her.

“My Papa told me you lived in India,” William asked as he forgot to be proper for a moment. “Did you see tigers? And what about elephants? Papa tells me it is very different than it is here.”

“I did see a tiger from a distance once or twice, but I had the pleasure of riding an elephant a few times. And yes, Master William, your father is very wise; India and England have very little in common,” Henry replied.

He did not miss how big the boy’s eyes got when he mentioned riding an elephant.

“William will be four in a month, and when I told him where you had lived, he asked me many questions I could not answer. I suggested he ask you; I hope you are sanguine with that,” Darcy said contritely.

“I do not object in the least. I enjoy telling others of my experiences in India,” Henry assured his host.

“Perhaps another time,” Lady Anne decided as she rang for a nursemaid. “It is time for Fitzwilliam to rest.” She turned to the maid who entered the drawing room. “Please take Master Fitzwilliam back to the nursery. ”

The maid bobbed a curtsy and led the obviously upset boy away. It was clear he wanted to hear more about India, but his mother preferred him not to.

Darcy was not pleased with his wife’s behaviour. “Bennet, if you agree, I will bring William with me for a visit, and if you are sanguine with him quizzing you, I am certain he would love to hear about India.”

Lady Anne Darcy did not look pleased at her husband’s statement but said nothing to contradict him. She excused herself not long after.

Henry waved away the apology on Darcy’s lips.

The last thing he wanted to do was come between husband and wife.

He did judge Lady Anne as having excessive pride, but given her reaction, he did not think he would be in company with her very often in the future.

Henry was certain that although she may object, she would not stop her husband bringing their son to Sherwood Dale with him.

He remained for less than half an hour. Before Henry departed, he and Darcy set a date for them to ride and view Pemberley’s land and agriculture so Henry could glean ideas for Sherwood Dale. Darcy also promised to forward names of possible stewards to his friend.

Unlike their sister, Henry found both Matlocks very warm and welcoming when he called at Snowhaven. He enjoyed meeting their sons, Andrew who was seven and Richard, almost five.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Not long after taking up residence at his estate, Henry had written to his nephew to give him the direction for post to be delivered to the Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton.

In January 1788, he received a letter from Longbourn.

12 January 1788

Longbour n

Uncle:

I wish to notify you that my wife delivered a girl today. No matter her insistence that it would be the son and heir we need to cut off the entail, it was not to be. She is much vexed that God did not heed her.

Speaking of the entail, I went to see my Brother Phillips a few days after you departed regarding the Collins line being excluded. He wrote a letter to my distant cousin. Evidently Clem Collins is illiterate as he had someone write the reply for him. It was heavy on vitriol and venom.

As he has no legal rights, I ignored the letter.

We have named our daughter Jane Eloise. Although I do not have much use for girls, if you are in the area, you may come meet your great-niece.

Yours, etc.,

Thomas Bennet

When he travelled to London next, Henry would make a stop to meet Jane Bennet. He wondered if she could be his heir.