Page 15 of The Duke of Derby (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

After the wedding, Mr. Darcy headed back to Derbyshire to retrieve his sister from Lockwood and go home to Pemberley. Meanwhile, Bennet headed for Longbourn.

For the entire four-hour-journey, Bennet attempted to gather his courage, but he never quite succeeded.

He did not know how his wife would react to the news that their daughter was married but could not come home.

He had sent an express when he found Lydia, stating that he had managed to arrange a marriage, but he had sent no further information.

Even more than that, however, he could not predict how his wife would take the news that she was now a duchess.

By the time he arrived at his familiar home, the one he had spent his entire life at, he still did not feel as though he was strong enough to face what was to come. But he knew it must be faced. His family must be told.

Once he had cleaned off the dust of the road, he gathered his wife and two daughters in his study with the door closed. He did not wish any of the servants to hear him.

“Lydia is married,” he said. “Even now, she is on her way to Newcastle where Mr. Wickham’s new regiment is currently stationed.”

“Mr. Bennet! How could you?” cried Mrs. Bennet. “She should have come home where she can greet all her friends and neighbors as a married woman. Now, I will never see my dear Lydia again.”

Bennet sighed. He expected this. It didn’t make it any easier, but at least it was no surprise. “There were many, many reasons I didn’t invite the couple back here, but the most salient is that we will not be here much longer. I have decided to take you all with me when I return to Derbyshire.”

Kitty practically jumped for joy at the prospect. She had never been anywhere except for a single brief visit to her aunt and uncle, the Gardiners, in London. Mary’s and Mrs. Bennet’s reactions were almost identical confusion.

“I don’t understand,” said Mrs. Bennet. “I thought you were home to stay. You despise traveling.”

“You are correct,” he said. “I don’t like traveling at all. Yet, it is necessary for me to return to Derbyshire, and I would like to take you all with me.”

“Can you tell me how long we will be gone?” asked his wife. “I will need to make arrangements with Hill for the house to be looked after.”

“It will be at least some weeks,” said Bennet.

“Give your instructions as if we will be gone for a month.” Saying this felt bitter in his mouth.

He knew it might be years before they returned, if they ever did.

For the first time, Bennet fervently wished he had not inherited so much responsibility.

Yes, it was pleasant to be able to provide so well for his family, but to do so he was forced to give up almost everything else.

Mary seemed to notice his displeasure, but she only asked, “When will we be leaving?”

“The morning after tomorrow,” he replied. “Pack all of your clothing and any little projects you might be working on.”

Mary nodded while Kitty jumped up from her chair. “Thank you, Papa, for taking us with you,” she said as she kissed his cheek. Then she dashed out the door. Mrs. Bennet wasn’t far behind as she began mumbling to herself everything she needed to take care of before they could leave.

When only Mary was left, she said, “Papa, you have left something out of your explanation. I am glad Lydia is safely married, though I am not overly fond of my new brother, but there is no reason for us all to go to Derbyshire simply to visit an old friend of yours.”

“I will tell you everything once we are on the road,” said Bennet.

“You do not wish Mama to tell the neighborhood,” said Mary. “It must be something dreadful, indeed, if it is so secret.”

Bennet looked at his middle daughter. She was as plain as ever. Her sallow complexion was made even worse by a spot on her chin and another on her cheek. The glasses, which she wore nearly constantly, hid her eyes so well that Bennet had forgotten what she looked like without them.

She watched him carefully as he studied her.

It came home to him that Mary, now nineteen years old, was completely grown up.

Not only that, but she was notoriously discreet, sometimes too much so.

She hardly ever said anything that wasn’t a quote from somewhere.

He had always assumed that this meant she didn’t have any original thoughts, but perhaps it was only that she was unwilling to share her own thoughts.

“Very well, Mary,” he said. “I will tell you, but only if you solemnly promise not to breathe a word of this to anyone, not even your mother. Can you do that?”

“Of course,” she replied.

Beginning with his recently discovered connection to the Duke of Derbyshire, Bennet explained the situation.

When he reached the point of telling her that he was now the duke, her eyes grew wide, but she still said nothing.

He continued explaining all that had happened since he left a few weeks ago.

When he was done, Mary continued to stare at him without saying a word. He decided to prompt her to speak by asking, “What are your thoughts?”

“May I ask some clarifying questions?” she said.

When he nodded, she continued. “You are the Duke of Derbyshire.” He nodded.

“Mama is the Duchess of Derbyshire.” He nodded.

“Jane is your heir and has the courtesy title of Marchioness Northdale.” He nodded.

“And I am now Lady Mary, the daughter of a duke.” He nodded.

Mary burst out laughing. It was not happy laughter but rather hysterical in nature.

As he watched her, he was reminded of what Darcy had said about Elizabeth’s response to his proposal.

Though it was unnerving to watch such a display, it was far better than hysterical tears or exclamations of joy over how rich they were.

When she finally stopped, Bennet saw tears in his daughter’s eyes. She said, “Papa, I am sorry. I know I will be a failure and a disappointment in our new life. I can barely be Mary Bennet of Longbourn. I am absolutely not suited to be a duke’s daughter. I can only apologize upfront.”

Bennet got up from his chair and pulled Mary out of her seat, giving her a big hug. At first she felt stiff as if she was not used to being hugged, but after a moment she relaxed and laid her head on his shoulder.

When he let her go, he said, “Mary, none of us are suited to these new roles that have been thrust upon us. I am far too lazy to be a duke. Jane has no desire to be a duchess suo jure. When I told Lydia, she was actually grateful that she married a poor man, so she didn’t have to deal with any of this.

Why do you think I am waiting until we are in the carriage before I tell your mother about this?

“Nevertheless, we must take what comes our way in life whether we want it or not. Whether you choose to bend under the weight of it all or rise to the challenge is up to you. However, I have done my best to provide an opportunity for us all to learn how to at least sit comfortably in our new roles by hiring Mrs. Rigby. I do hope you will at least give her a chance to help you.”

“I will try, Father. Truly I will,” said Mary. “But please do not laugh at me if I fail.”

Bennet felt a stab in his gut and guilt washed over him. That’s all he had ever done with his younger three daughters, laugh at them for their faults. He had never attempted to correct them except through sardonic mocking, which was inevitably difficult to understand.

“I will not laugh at you,” he promised. Deep down, he hoped he could keep that promise.

“Well, I suppose I should begin packing,” she said. “Kitty and I should also make a short visit to our friends before we leave.” She kissed his cheek and left the room.

~~~~~

Two days later Bennet sighed as he once again stepped into his coach.

He truly did hate traveling. He hated being cooped up in a small space for hours on end.

He hated the constant movement and jostling of the coach.

And he hated staying at inns which, no matter how elegant they tried to be, were inevitably less comfortable than his own home.

This trip promised to be a particular challenge, since he would have to share his news with his wife at some point during it. He still had not decided whether to tell her as soon as they were off or to wait until the last day.

Once they were out of the general vicinity of Meryton, Mary took the choice out of his hands. “Papa, didn’t you have something you wished to tell us?” she asked.

For a moment, he was irritated at having his hand forced, but after only a moment’s thought he realized it was probably for the best. Left to his own devices, he probably would have delayed saying anything until they were an hour away from Lockwood.

For the, hopefully, last time, he relayed the story of how he learned of his relationship to Duke Derby and how he inherited the title. Mercifully, Mrs. Bennet and Kitty were so shocked that they remained silent until the tale was complete.

By the time he was done speaking, Kitty had a wide grin on her face. Of his five daughters, she was the only one who appeared genuinely happy for their new fortune. Mrs. Bennet, on the other hand, still seemed in shock.

“Does this mean we will have nicer gowns and bigger allowances?” asked Kitty

Bennet smiled. Of all the difficulties that had come with his new position, the ability to purchase nearly anything his daughters wished for was the best part.

“Of course,” he said. “In fact, once we have spent a few weeks at Lockwood, I plan to take us all to Manchester for the summer so that you can have as many fine gowns made as your heart desires.”

“Oh, thank you, Papa,” said Kitty. He could tell she wished to jump up and hug him in her excitement, but she was prevented from doing so because they were in a carriage. “But why Manchester?” she asked. “Why not London?”

“We all need to get used to our new station and learn the new manners that will be expected of us,” he replied. “I do not wish to go to London until we can all present ourselves as we should be, including fine gowns, jewelry, and excellent manners to match.”

“I don’t mind learning better manners if it means I get to shop as much as I like,” said Kitty.

“I am glad to hear it,” said Bennet.

Up until this point, Mrs. Bennet had remained silent, though a myriad of emotions had flitted across her face. She finally spoke. “I don’t think I can do this,” she said softly.

Of all the reactions Bennet had imagined, this was not one of them. Even if she was intimidated, Bennet was certain she would be voluble in expressing it. This soft, insecure voice was not something he had ever heard come out of his wife’s mouth. He didn’t know how to respond or what to say.

Surprisingly, it was Mary who responded first. “Mama, none of us know what we are doing or how to do it,” she said.

“None of us were raised for this, nor do we have any experience with the upper classes. At the same time, we can’t simply go back to Longbourn and resume our old lives.

Let us take Kitty as our example and focus on the joys we will experience that we couldn’t experience before.

As we do so, I am certain we will gradually learn what we need to know. ”

Mrs. Bennet looked back and forth between Mary and Kitty. “I suppose you’re right. Whether we can or can’t is immaterial. We must. There is no choice.”

She turned to look at Bennet and asked, “What is our new financial situation? How much is my housekeeping budget and my pin money? Most importantly, what have you determined for our daughters’ dowries?”

“We have three houses,” he said. “Lockwood is the seat of the duchy, and we own a great deal of agricultural land around it as well as at least half the town of Derby. That is where most of our income comes from. The house is very large and in good repair, but many of the furnishings and fabrics need to be updated. I expect that is a project you can enjoy gradually for many years to come.”

Mrs. Bennet smiled. “I do like decorating,” she said, “even more than I like having a new gown made. It is just such an expensive hobby that I can’t do it often, at least not all at once like you are describing. Are you certain we can afford to refurbish an entire house?”

“I have set aside a budget of ten thousand pounds specifically for that purpose,” he said. “And if you run out, more can be made available.”

Her smile grew wider. “Thank you,” she said. He could tell her mind was already going through the various things that would likely need to be purchased, but she stopped herself and said, “What about the other houses.”

“There is an estate in Cheshire that is usually set aside for the heir’s use,” he said.

“So, Jane will be the one to fix whatever needs to be fixed there once she is ready to take over. We also have a house in London. It is currently being rented out for short-term stays, so it has been kept up nicely.”

“And our daughters’ dowries?” asked Mrs. Bennet.

“Northdale will be Jane’s dowry, though I will add another ten thousand to it. As for our other three daughters, I have set aside fifty thousand pounds for each of them.”

Their talk continued for hours. Mrs. Bennet and Kitty spoke a great deal about different materials and gown styles they wished to try as well as what kind of cloth was best for upholstery and what colors of wallpaper made for the most pleasant rooms. Mary didn’t speak much, but she wasn’t displeased with the pleasant chatter either.

Occasionally, they would ask him a question either about the house at Lockwood or about their budget or allowances. He answered to the best of his ability, and when he could not answer, he reassured them that they would see for themselves soon enough.

Despite everyone’s good mood, Bennet was extremely grateful to arrive at Lockwood late in the afternoon the next day. Finally, he was done with traveling, at least for a few weeks when they would all travel to Manchester.