Page 21

O n Tuesday, two days after the holy day of Easter Sunday, the Gardiner coach returned to Longbourn, this time, before Bennet and Miss Millar broke their fasts.

Jane Millar had been warned by Mr Bennet.

Anything but her best behaviour would see her with her mother in the cottage.

She knew that she had to fight against all the years of disparagement of her half-sisters she had heard from her mother.

She kept telling herself these girls were related to her by blood.

She was also keen to meet her uncles and aunts; the ones she had been told were not alive.

Lilly and Eddy were the only two left behind at Purvis Lodge, she with her governess and he with his nursemaid.

Before they departed Longbourn after the first visit, Bennet had been told, not asked, that all four of his daughters would be in the party to break their fasts and that it would include the Phillipses as well.

This time when the carriages came to a halt in the drive at Longbourn, Bennet was not alone.

Miss Millar stood a little behind him. When he saw his two youngest for the first time, Bennet had to admit that whatever his wife’s deficiencies, whether she was able to see it or not, together they had made four very pretty daughters.

Catherine looked a lot like his late mother; except she was taller in stature and had light brown hair with deep blue eyes.

He was surprised Fanny had rejected the youngest, Lydia, because she resembled her mother greatly.

Then he remembered it was her birth which led to the complications which robbed his wife of the ability to bear more children.

He was sure that just like she blamed Elizabeth for that over which she had no control, the same was true of Lydia.

He wondered if the youngest two were also intelligent.

If so, he could offer up thanks to God that none of his daughters were like their mother in intelligence or character.

Bennet led the larger party into the same drawing room. “Phillips, will you introduce my two youngest daughters to me, please?” Bennet requested.

Phillips did the honours.

“If you are our father, how is it that we live with Aunt Hattie and Uncle Frank?” Lydia demanded.

It seemed that his youngest, and tallest of the four, had no fear, much like her eldest sister.

He knew not if she had intelligence approaching that of Elizabeth, but he was hopeful.

“I cannot change the past,” Bennet said dismissively, brushing her question aside.

“I would like to introduce your half-sister,” he looked at his daughters and then at his in-laws, “and niece to you. This is Miss Jane Millar. Miss Millar, your sisters, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia. Behind Elizabeth is your mother’s brother, Mr Edward Gardiner, and his wife; between Catherine and Lydia is your mother’s sister, Mrs Hattie Phillips and her husband. ”

“Given my behaviour in the past, I am sure you will not trust me,” Jane addressed her sisters.

“All I ask is for a chance to prove that I have changed.” She turned to her older relations.

“My mother told me you were no longer living; I only ask that you take time to get to know me. I know my mother told me many pernicious lies about all of you, but I am working hard to separate myself from all the wrong things she told me.”

Being honest, Jane allowed herself to see the lie in her mother’s words when she looked at her half-sisters.

They were anything but ugly, as her mother had asserted.

In fact, each of the four in their own right was rather beautiful.

Especially the youngest of the four, the one named Lydia.

She was taller than Jane had been at the same age—almost as tall as she was now—but other than that, they looked very much alike.

Not only were her half-sisters pretty, but the quality of their clothing was far superior to her own. Jane did feel some envy creep into her consciousness but reminded herself that her future comfort was contingent on her ability to behave as Mr Bennet expected.

“I am very pleased to meet all of you.” Jane curtsied to those arrayed in the drawing room.

“Mr Gardiner and Mrs Phillips, did Mr Bennet inform you that until he told me my mother had prevaricated to me, I was not aware you were alive and that you had families of your own? My past behaviour cannot be excused by my lack of knowledge. With the way my mother had repeated certain things, which at the time I did not know they were not true, it is probable that until I began to question things on my own, I would not have behaved any differently than I did in the past. Your trust will have to be earned, of that I am certain, and all I can do is endeavour to earn it.”

“Your words are welcome, Miss Millar,” Gardiner spoke for the group, “however, I, we, have long judged on actions, not words. Mr Bennet will tell you that neither Phillips nor I will tolerate an individual attempting to harm anyone under our protection. I hope you will never have to discover the severity of our wrath if it is warranted. We will not look for the worst in you, but you must understand that we will be vigilant.”

“It is understood.” Jane bowed her head in humility.

Before anyone else could speak, Hill announced that the morning meal was ready.

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

Fanny Bennet was beyond livid. Not only had her beautiful Jane abandoned her, but here she was stuck in a hovel in the middle of nowhere.

If she wanted to go into Meryton, she had to walk more than two miles from where her cruel husband had sent her.

A maid of all work came twice a week, a footman as needed when the wood for the fires was running low, and her food was delivered in the morning once a day.

Anything else she wanted was to be done by herself.

She had to make her own tea, warm the food for the midday meal and dinner if she did not want to eat cold food, empty her own chamber pot on the days the maid did not come, and on top of it all, that vicious man had refused to increase her allowance!

If she purchased a new dress, her money would be gone until the next quarter.

Mr Bennet had put word about that she, the mistress of the estate, was not permitted to make purchases on Longbourn’s accounts.

The inhumane man had told the merchants he would not pay any of her invoices if they allowed her to purchase in Longbourn’s name.

As the brute had made the amount of her allowance public, no one would give her credit in her own name, and unless she had coin, she would not be served.

The previous time she had been in the town, talk of the unnatural girl’s arrival was everywhere.

It seemed her neighbours found perverse pleasure in regaling her with stories of the devil spawn’s beauty and accomplishments.

Anytime she tried to tell them the truth about the wilful, disobedient thing’s nature, they laughed at her.

All could be traced back to that one: Jane’s defection, her banishment, the disrespect in which she was held by the denizens of Meryton, all of it.

If only she had smothered it when it had been born.

No one would have blamed her for sending that demon back to hell.

In fact, had they been in their right minds and not under the power of the devil’s emissary, they would have thanked her for ridding the world of it.

She would need to begin to save her allowance, and when she had enough, she would know how to act.

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

It did not take Bennet very much time to discover that all of his daughters had intelligence in abundance. His eldest daughter was far above her sisters, and he was fascinated by her mind. She had already made some suggestions which, if implemented, would increase Longbourn’s income significantly.

In the second week his daughters had been in the area, they had ridden the estate.

Elizabeth’s horse was a thoroughbred, not like his own, which was a gelding.

Along with all of her other abilities, she rode her Arabian mare as if she had been born in the saddle.

The first time he saw her ride astride, Bennet had been surprised, but Gardiner had permitted her to do so as long as they were on private land.

It was after that ride around the estate that Elizabeth had made her suggestions, which started with moving to a four-field crop rotation system, better drainage, and heartier breeds of sheep.

The problem was, unlike what he had hoped for, he would have to execute the changes himself.

Thanks to the agreement he had signed, he could not leave the running of Longbourn to her as he had envisaged when he decided to have his two eldest daughters returned to him.

Rather than save him work, if Bennet enacted all she had suggested, there would be more to do, not less.

Time with his books and port would become a rarity.

Rather than do nothing, Bennet decided it was time to employ a steward. The changes Elizabeth had listed would bring in more than double the wages he would have to pay a steward, so he would still have more money for his books without having to expend too much effort.

Bennet pulled a fresh sheet of paper from the pile, dipped his quill in the inkpot, let the excess drops fall onto the blotter, and began to compose his advertisement.

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