Page 11 of The Bennet Heir

Chapter Ten

U pon arriving at Longbourn, Darcy found the estate a welcome respite from his tumultuous morning. The thought briefly crossed his mind that he needed to write to his sister to inform her of his change in residence, but just as quickly, he pushed it aside. He would write to her later, explaining the circumstances that had led to his move and his intention to return to London in due course.

Georgiana was presently residing at Pemberley with a new companion and was often on his mind. While he had been reluctant to leave her without family in residence, his great-aunt, Rosalind Somerville, had very nearly forced him to depart. Aunt Rosalind, the widow of Admiral Charles Somerville, had seen more of the world and its hardships than most women of her station.

Although nearing her seventieth year, Mrs. Somerville possessed a sharp mind and a will as commanding as her late husband’s. He had inherited a small estate from an uncle while at sea, and since he had been reluctant to retire, she had spent decades managing both the estate and her growing family during his long absences. After his passing, her son inherited the estate, and Rosalind accepted the invitation of her nephew, the late Mr. Darcy, to live in the dower house at Pemberley.

Fitzwilliam Darcy had grown up with a deep respect for his great-aunt’s strength of character. However, he had little patience for her plain speaking, particularly when her observations struck uncomfortably close to the truth. She had wasted no time pointing out, with her usual bluntness, that his continued presence at Pemberley was doing more harm than good for Georgiana’s recovery from an ordeal she had recently experienced.

“You are hovering, Fitzwilliam,” she had told him the morning before his planned departure, her steady grey gaze fixed on him. “Your sister needs to regain her footing, and she will not do so while you fret over every step she takes. Leave her to me—and to her new companion. I am quite capable of ensuring that Pemberley remains secure in your absence.”

Later that same day, when Darcy thought once again of writing to Bingley to postpone his visit, his aunt barged into his study uninvited and unheralded, interrupting his thoughts.

“Contrary to what you presently believe, Fitzwilliam,” she declared, hands on her hips, “you cannot solve every problem, particularly where your sister is concerned. She must realise that she bears at least some responsibility for what occurred this summer.”

Darcy had opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand to stop him.

“I understand her companion did her no favours by encouraging that man,” Aunt Rosalind continued, “but Georgiana is far too intelligent to have trusted her so blindly. She ought to have known that Mrs. Younge’s advice went against everything she had been taught. Had she written to you, to me, or even to Lady Matlock, we could have guided her.”

“But she did not know what sort of man Wickham had become. That is my fault for not telling her of my dealings with him,” Darcy argued.

“Perhaps,” she conceded, “but Georgiana was only ten when your father died. Why would you have burdened her with the knowledge that you paid Wickham off? When he returned to demand the living, you believed you would never see him again, nor did you imagine that Georgiana would. You take too much upon yourself, Fitzwilliam. Now, do not change your plans. Leave Georgiana to me and Mrs. Annesley. Write to her often, as you always do, but trust us to manage things here.”

Her words had stung, but Darcy could not deny their truth. Rosalind’s presence at Pemberley was a bulwark of strength—a testament to the resilience of the Darcy family. With her installed at the dower house and Georgiana in Mrs. Annesley’s capable care, he knew he could leave without undue worry.

Despite how things had ended with his now-former friend, he was glad he had come. Meeting Miss Elizabeth Bennet had been an unexpected delight, and he suspected he might have found a true friend in her brother. In the few conversations he had shared with Jonathan Bennet, he had discovered they had far more in common than he had ever shared with Bingley. Moreover, his growing friendship with Bennet felt like a relationship of equals rather than one of advisor and advisee.

His reverie was interrupted by the housekeeper opening the door. Upon recognising the gentleman, she quickly escorted him to the master’s study.

“Darcy,” Bennet said in greeting. “I received your message last night, so I knew to expect you soon. I understand you rode here, and while you may wish to be shown to your room, I would appreciate your accompanying me to ride out on the estate. One of my tenants sent a boy asking for some assistance, and I thought you might wish to see some of Longbourn.”

Darcy nodded his agreement. “Do you have another horse for me to ride? I am afraid my own might be in need of a rest. I encountered your stepmother and father-in-law on my way here, and I took advantage of the open fields to exercise my horse a bit more than I ought to have done.”

Bennet laughed. “I can scarcely imagine what Mrs. Bennet may have wanted. She has likely heard rumours of your wealth, and despite Bingley admiring her eldest daughter, she would prefer you as a son-in-law. I would not be surprised if she tried to push Jane towards both of you to see which one she could more easily catch. Of course, it is equally likely that she has noticed your attention to Lizzy and seeks to steal your attention for her daughter.”

“I would say her purpose was the latter. She made it clear that she was displeased that I had not spent time with her daughter but spent the evening with you and your sister instead. Even though I exchanged only a few words with her at the assembly, she felt the need to inform me you had engaged in trade before becoming the master of Longbourn. I did not bother to inform her I knew her brother and you from my business with Gardiner,” Darcy replied. “Sir William also saw fit to warn me about Mrs. Bennet and then mentioned that I should ask for an introduction to your grandmother. Will we encounter her on this outing?”

Bennet laughed. “Grandmama is a character, and I think she will enjoy an introduction. However, I will let Lizzy have that privilege. Speaking of Lizzy, she told us she encountered you this morning on her walk. While I know it was not intentionally done, Mrs. Bennet is not the only one who would speak poorly of Lizzy had your tête-à-tête been witnessed by one of the many gossips in our area. A footman will accompany the two of you should you take any other walks while you are staying at our home. I do not think you would take advantage, but it is best that the proprieties be observed. Mrs. Bennet would be unhappy if she knew you were staying here and would not hesitate to ruin both of your reputations. I know you are interested in my sister, but I would not see either of you forced into a marriage.”

Once again, Darcy found himself with little to say in response. “Your position is understandable. Having a younger sister myself, I would also take every precaution to ensure her safety. I appreciate your concern for both of us, even though I know your actions are primarily to safeguard your sister.”

Bennet nodded before leading the gentleman out of doors and to the stables. After ordering two horses saddled, he proceeded to take the gentleman from Derbyshire on a brief tour of the estate before meeting with the tenant who had requested his help.

The same boy who brought the master a message also delivered a note for the mistress. Since Charlotte was occupied, she sent Elizabeth to complete the errand. One of the children at the house had a fever, and while the family did not believe it serious enough to warrant a visit from the apothecary, they hoped one of the Bennet ladies could provide a remedy to ease the child’s suffering and reduce the fever.

When Mrs. Eleanor Bennet became mistress of Longbourn more than fifty years earlier, there had been no apothecary in the area. As a result, she had taken it upon herself to learn everything she could about herbal remedies for a wide range of ailments. She had passed this knowledge to her son’s first wife, but his second wife had felt it beneath her station to care for the tenants. Instead, Eleanor passed the knowledge on to her granddaughters. Initially, only Elizabeth had been permitted to learn, for she lived with her grandmother. Later, after the current master married, her half-sisters Mary and Kitty were also taught.

There was a stillroom at Longbourn, but since Grandmama rarely visited the main house, Jonathan Bennet had converted one of the rooms near the kitchen in the dower house into an additional stillroom. All the Bennet ladies spent at least one morning each week there, preparing fresh and dried herbs, flowers, and roots, and using them to create various remedies from the receipts their grandmother had collected over her lifetime. At one point, Grandmama had enlisted the help of her granddaughters and her maid to copy these receipts so each of her granddaughters could have a set. While Jane and Lydia had shown no interest in theirs, at least not in front of their mother, the remaining Bennet daughters found them immensely useful.

It was some of these remedies that Elizabeth was taking to the Browns. Since she had already walked that morning, she chose to ride the mile and a half to the Browns’ home. Before she left, she placed in her saddlebag a cordial made from elderberries, along with dried feverfew leaves and willow bark, both of which could be brewed into a tea to reduce fever. Elizabeth was taking enough for several days since the Browns had several children, and it was likely that if one was ill, another would become so. She intended to speak to Charlotte and ensure that one or another of her sisters visited the family every day or two until the illness had passed.

She was just arriving at the house when her brother and his guest rode up. They both hurried to dismount, and her brother held back and allowed Darcy to assist Elizabeth down from her mount.

“Thank you, sir,” she whispered, blushing slightly at the feel of his hands around her waist.

“Where is the footman who ought to be accompanying you, Elizabeth?” Bennet asked sharply, breaking the connection between them.

Elizabeth pointed and both men saw a young man walking a horse in their direction. “His horse stumbled, and he dismounted to check its hoof. Since we could see the house, I told him I would ride on ahead and allow him to catch up with me. I hope it was just a stone in its hoof and not something more serious.”

“It is fortunate we are here to escort you home,” Bennet replied. “Darcy and I need to speak to Mr. Brown, Lizzy, so please do not leave here until we are finished. I will send the footman back to Longbourn since you will be returning home with us.”

Elizabeth acquiesced and with one last smile directed at Darcy, she entered the house. Darcy stared after her for another moment, before he felt the clap of a hand on his shoulder. “Enough pining after my sister, man. Come, let us find Mr. Brown and see what we might do. I wonder why Elizabeth is here; I will have to ask her when we are on the way back to Longbourn.”

Darcy cleared his throat as they remounted their horses and began to head in the direction of the nearby fields. “It seemed that she removed what looked like a tonic of some sort and a pouch from her saddlebags. Could someone in the house be ill?” he asked, concern now lacing his voice.

“Ahh, that makes sense,” Bennet replied, not noticing Darcy’s tone. “My Grandmama is something of a healer who taught Elizabeth everything she knows. Now, she is teaching the same to Charlotte, Mary, and Kitty, and Elizabeth joins them when they work together in the stillroom. Charlotte is occupied and the younger girls are in the schoolroom today, so she must have sent Elizabeth in her stead.”

“I vaguely remember my mother doing something similar,” Darcy replied thoughtfully, his voice trailing off. “Some of my earliest memories of her, aside from her playing the pianoforte, are of joining her in the stillroom.”

Bennet smiled as he looked at his friend. “I have similar memories, at least of the stillroom, though my grandmother features just as heavily in them. I was devastated when I learnt my mother had died although I was delighted to have a sister. It was a difficult time.”

“And then you returned home a few months later to find your father had married again,” Darcy said, allowing his new friend to reply however he liked.

“Yes,” Bennet replied tersely. “As I mentioned, Father never spoke to me about how his second marriage came to be, and all I have are the words of gossips and their speculations. Sir William has said the most, implying that the widowed Mrs. Pattison returned to her father’s house after her husband died—she claims he fell in battle but I have heard rumours it was far less honourable—and was determined to find a wealthy husband.

“My father was the best prospect in the area. While he was still mourning my mother, something happened that left him with no choice but to marry her. Some say she deliberately put herself in his path and forced him to assist her, while others claim they were discovered in a... compromising situation that made it appear as though he had ravaged her.

“Whatever the truth, it was clear he despised her even if they managed to have three children together. As I said to you before, I rarely returned to the area after their marriage. When I did come back after my father died, it was clear that she still resented me for being born, and she will never forgive me for not allowing her to remain the estate’s mistress after my own marriage.”

Darcy shook his head. “The woman is delusional. She mentioned several times as she spoke to me this morning that I should call on her daughter. I noticed that many in the neighbourhood refer to her as Miss Pattison, but equally as many call her Miss Bennet. Why the inconsistency?”

“Mrs. Bennet insists that she should be called Miss Bennet since she is older than Lizzy, despite the fact that she is, in fact, not a Bennet. My stepmother believes that it makes Jane appear higher in social status than she is. She is the daughter of a gentleman; he was a second son of a man with some property, but no real significance. Some of our neighbours find it easier not to argue with her and go along with her foolishness, while others openly defy her in this matter. The Lucases are one of the families who call Jane by her rightful name which is another reason Mrs. Bennet was so upset when I married Charlotte,” Bennet replied.

Darcy could do little more than nod before they reached Mr. Brown and the field in question. The next half hour was spent discussing this year’s yields and some drainage issues that were plaguing his farm. All three men were knowledgeable, but Darcy was at a slight disadvantage, not being familiar with the area. Regardless, his ideas, when he expressed them, were good, and the three were able to come up with a solution that would work.

Once finished, the gentlemen mounted their horses and began the ride back towards the house. As they approached, Darcy’s eyes were drawn to a lively scene on the lawn. Elizabeth was there, her laughter ringing out as she bent gracefully to roll a hoop while two children chased after it with gleeful shouts. Elizabeth’s cheeks were flushed from the exertion, and her eyes sparkled with unrestrained joy.

Darcy pulled his horse to a stop, momentarily stunned by the sight. She was utterly radiant, a vision of natural beauty and vitality. His chest tightened as an unexpected image rose unbidden in his mind: Elizabeth at Pemberley, her figure framed by the familiar grounds, playing with dark-haired children who bore a striking resemblance to the two of them. He could almost hear the echoes of their laughter mingling with hers; he could easily imagine the warmth of a life filled with the happiness she seemed to radiate so effortlessly.

For a fleeting moment, the picture was so vivid that it felt more real than the scene before him. The future he had once hesitated to hope for now seemed tantalisingly within reach, and it was all he could do to shake himself free of the thought. He was pulled from his reverie by the sudden awareness that Bennet had dismounted and was turning to look at him. He shook himself, rubbing his hand across his face before dismounting and slowly approaching the group.

If Bennet gave him a strange look, Darcy did not acknowledge it. He remained silent for several moments, watching as the brother and sister spoke briefly with the two children, exchanging farewells. The vision—was it a daydream? A premonition? Whatever it was, it had been a pleasant thought, the scene still coursed through his mind, leaving him slightly off balance.

Even so, he instinctively moved to Elizabeth’s side to assist her in mounting her horse. That Bennet held back, deliberately allowing him to perform the service, did not register with Darcy; he acted as though it were his right and something he had always done.

Elizabeth flushed slightly as Darcy stepped in front of her and assisted her in mounting with scarcely a word. Once she was seated atop the horse, he met her gaze, and for a moment, their eyes locked, neither able to look away. The spell was broken only when Bennet cleared his throat.

The group was quiet as they set off back towards Longbourn. Darcy was still struggling to reconcile the vision he had seen with reality, for it had completely shaken him. Never before had he been so certain of a path forward; it seemed that Elizabeth was his future. Now he just had to figure out a way to make it become a reality.