Page 190

A week after the death of the former Duke of Bedford, the train of carriages, which included more than one royal coach, arrived at Longfield Meadows to deliver Lord Sedgwick Bennet to his final resting place with his parents and the previous dukes before him.

It was a drab, June day when the multitude of mourners descended on the estate.

The housekeeper and butler, Mr. and Mrs. Dudley, who themselves were adorned with black armbands, waited to farewell their previous master and welcome the new Duke and Duchess to their estate.

Benedict Dudley had started as a footman for Lord Sed and had quickly risen through the ranks until he was promoted to under butler some eight years previously, and three years after that, when the butler retired, Dudley was promoted again.

His wife Matilda had started as an upper maid then too had steadily risen.

When her predecessor was felled by an attack of the heart four years previous, Lady Rose and Lord Sed had agreed that she be offered the post. Mrs. Dudley wore her darkest dress in addition to her armband out of respect to both the late master and the former mistress of the estate.

The late Duke and his Duchess treated the servants with respect and paid better than most, which engendered deep and abiding loyalty.

When Lady Rose, in full mourning dress with a black lace veil, was assisted out of the first carriage behind the undertaker’s conveyance bringing her husband on his last journey from London to his estate that he loved, she wordlessly walked to her housekeeper and fell into her arms, and the two cried unashamedly together.

“I miss him so much, Mrs. Dudley,” the Dowager Duchess wailed plaintively.

“We all miss him, your Grace,” Mrs. Dudley responded as she wiped her tears away. “Let me help you to your chambers, your Grace. I will have cook send up a tray with some relaxing tea.”

“No thank you, Mrs. Dudley,” Lady Rose said as she lifted her chin as she focused on her husband’s coffin as it was carried into the house.

“I will be sitting with my husband so please send my regular tea to me in the blue parlour,” she said with determination.

Lady Sarah took one arm and Lady Priscilla the other as they supported their sister on her walk into the house.

The new Duchess of Bedford walked next to Lady Sarah to be near to her mother-in-law.

The rest of the ladies followed the four after the royals.

The four royals who had come stood back respectfully and allowed Lady Rose to proceed them into the house behind her husband.

Princes Edward and Adolphus and Princesses Elizabeth and Mary and their spouses represented the Queen and Regent.

Lord Sed’s body had been lifted onto the shoulders of his brothers and nephews to be carried into the parlour where it would lay until the funeral on the morrow.

At the front was Lord Thomas on one side with his brother Lord Cyril on the other.

Behind their father were Tom and James Bennet and William Darcy, behind the Earl were Richard and Andrew Fitzwilliam and Wes De Melville.

Once the deceased and the ladies had moved on, the rest of the family followed them into the house.

The housekeeper directed footmen to escort each to their chambers.

Lady Rose had insisted that her belongings be moved to the dower suite in the family wing, no matter how much her nephew and his wife insisted that she did not need to do so.

The Dowager Duchess insisted as she explained that it was necessary to her moving on with the grieving process.

Eventually they had reached a compromise as they would not hear of their uncle’s chambers being packed up without his valet Mr. Winters performing the service himself.

No one had dared suggest that the valet go on ahead to Longfield as he would have surely mutinied at the suggestion that he leave his master on his ultimate journey.

He had ridden in the undertaker’s carriage, and no one tried to convince him otherwise.

After conferring with Lady Rose about what she wanted set aside to keep in her chambers at Bennet House and Longbourn, Winters would start the task of sorting through his master’s possessions after the funeral.

Winters would never need to work again; his master had left him a legacy of fifteen thousand pounds which, with prudent investments by Edward Gardiner, would bring in a little more than one thousand per annum, many times the loyal retainer’s yearly pay.

The Bennets believed in rewarding loyalty, and Winters had served his master for almost thirty years.

He would live with his late brother’s son and with his income he would be able to help the family improve their standard of living.

He would also find out when the will was read that both of his nephews would be able to study at the university of their choice if they so desired, thus being able to rise above the family’s roots in service.

After washing the dust from the road, all of the older ladies joined Lady Rose as she sat in the blue parlour.

Lady Anne sat next to her and held her hand.

“You will eventually start living again, Rose,” one dowager duchess offered to the other.

“When my George was murdered, I thought that my world had come to an end, and he did not get me to promise that I would only mourn for a year like your Sed had you promise.”

“How long did you mourn, Anne?” Lady Sarah asked.

“For two years,” Lady Anne said sorrowfully as she invariably got when she thought about the passing, no the murder of her beloved husband. “It was my children that made me realise I had much to live for.”

“But I have no…” Lady Rose did not finish the sentence before Lady Catherine interjected.

“Stuff and nonsense, Rose,” she said pointedly. “you may not have birthed them, but you have many children, and you know it!”

“Catherine has the right of it, sister,” Lady Sarah said. “They are not my children; they are our children!”

“I do know that,” Lady Rose said while a tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the coffin holding her beloved next to her. “When I said my farewell to Sed, I said the same myself, but in my grief, I have allowed my maudlin thoughts to overwhelm me.”

“That is bound to happen, Rose,” Lady Elaine empathised with her friend. “As you grieve you will have many emotions and thoughts, but just remember that we will all be here for you.”

The ladies all rose as they were joined by Princesses Elizabeth and Mary.

“Please rest, cousins, we are all family, and we are here to support you,” Princess Elizabeth stated as she walked to her Cousin Rose and gave her a hug.

“George is not happy that matters of state kept him in Town and will not be able to be here on the morrow when Cousin Sed is laid to rest. Mother also wished to be here, but, like my brother, she was unable to leave London. She felt that the least that she could do was send The Most Reverend Willowmere , by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, to accompany the remains of our cousin to his final resting place and perform the service.” After the princesses spent a few minutes with their cousins they retired to their chambers.

Lord Thomas Bennet loved spending time at his childhood home, but he wished that they were not there for the reason that they were.

No amount of wishing or praying would change the fact that his brother Sed was gone.

As the men sat in the green drawing room with the younger ladies having subdued conversation, the Duke of Hertfordshire was heart-sore.

His brother had always been his rock, the one that he would turn to in times of uncertainty.

Sed had loved his sport, riding his horses above all; he had ridden in the rain many times previously, so why had God taken Sed this time?

Lord Thomas knew that it was very arrogant of him to question God’s plan, but he could not help the way he felt.

His brother-in-law, the Earl of Jersey, was sitting quietly to his right sipping his port slowly, while Matlock and the princes talked quietly closer to the fire.

Across the room, Lord Tom was thinking about his new duties.

‘ I know Uncle Sed trained me, but how can I ever replace him? ’ he asked himself, his grief overpowering his confidence in his abilities.

‘ My uncle made it look so easy and now I must replace him, here, at the other Bedford Estates, in the Lords… ’ Tom Bennet halted his unproductive thoughts, the whirl of his thoughts stopped when he felt his Uncle Sed was standing next to him with a hand on his shoulder as he had been wont to do, reassuring him.

‘You know what to do, Tom , ’ the new Duke of Bedford heard his uncle’s voice clearly in his thoughts.

‘You knew I would die at some point, Nephew, and that is why I taught you all I did even believing there would be ample time before you would need to take over these duties. Just remember my lessons and all will be well. You are a very smart man with a sharp wit; so, use your God given talents and all will be well. I have every confidence in you, Tom…’

The Duke of Bedford was sure that he had imagined hearing his uncle’s voice, but he still was comforted by the assurance, even were it from within himself.

His wife and three married sisters joined him; Amy, and Lizzy on the settee, and Jane and Marie in chairs facing them.

Being a duchess had not stopped Elizabeth from observing those around her and trying to divine their thoughts and motivations.

“ Tom, your expressions have changed so much as to be confusing, is there anything we or I can assist with?” his middle sister asked.