Page 12 of The Fire at Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Stables at Longbourn

“Bennet!” a male voice cried out.

Mr. Bennet, who was watching as several servants carefully infiltrated the devastated library and kitchen, turned in surprise.

“Gardiner!” he exclaimed, looking over to where his wife’s brother had just pulled his gray gelding to a halt. “What are you doing here?”

Edward Gardiner hurriedly swung down from his horse, handed the reins to an eager stable boy, and strode over to take his place by Bennet’s side. “Our mutual brother Phillips sent me an express that Longbourn had burned. Madeline and I could not rest until we found out more details.”

Mr. Bennet winced and said, “Oh Gardiner, I confess that it did not even occur to me … I ought to have sent word myself, but I was so distressed by all that happened that it did not occur to me. I hope that Phillips told you that no one was badly hurt?”

Mr. Gardiner’s shoulders slumped in relief, and he said, “Mary and Fanny are well enough, then? I understand they both took a hard fall?”

“Mary has a broken arm,” his brother-in-law said, “and an aching head, but she will be well enough. She saved Fanny’s life by pushing her out of the window when fire blocked any normal mode of escape. Your sister escaped with but a sore ankle.”

“Praise God for that,” Gardiner continued, and then gestured toward the charred wreckage of the east wing. “This section is obviously a loss, but the rest of the mansion is intact?”

“Yes, thanks in part to these two gentlemen,” Bennet said, turning as Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley approached them, having just taken leave of the Bennet ladies.

“That is kind of you to say,” Bingley said modestly, “but I was merely a foot soldier while Darcy here was the general. Please, Mr. Bennet, will you not introduce us to your friend?”

“Yes, of course. Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, may I please introduce you to my brother by marriage, Mr. Gardiner, who lives in Cheapside. Brother, Mr. Bingley, who is currently leasing Netherfield Hall, and Mr. Darcy, his friend.”

The gentlemen bowed to one another, and Gardiner said, “It is a pleasure to meet you both. I am most thankful that my sister and her family are surrounded by such an honorable community of friends.”

“It was our pleasure to assist,” Bingley said fervently.

There was a sudden shout from one of the servants, who turned away from the library window and called out, “Sir, we have found a trunk that seems intact.”

Bennet brightened noticeably, and he exclaimed, “Gardiner, you sent me some books only last week, and I never made the time to remove them from their trunk! Not that I remember what is in the trunk, but anything saved from the flames is a gift!”

“I fear that many of the books are historical novels for my nieces,” Gardiner said with a grin, “but a copy of Newton’s Principia is in the chest.”

“Is it in English or Latin?” Bennet asked suspiciously.

“English.”

“Good,” Bennet said with obvious relief. “My Latin is too rusty for such a task.”

“After reading it, I decided that my English was too rusty for the task,” Gardiner said with a rueful smile.

“It is a difficult book,” Darcy commented, eying Gardiner with amazement. He knew the Bennet family sufficiently well to realize that this must be Mrs. Bennet’s brother, who was in trade, but the man was well bred, courteous, sensibly dressed, and if he was reading Principia , intelligent.

“It is, sir,” Gardiner agreed with a chuckle. “I will not pretend to have gained much practical knowledge from the book, but it was an honor to spend a few hours in the company of genius.”

/

Hunting Lodge

Netherfield Park

The hunting lodge was nestled in a copse of trees clinging to the edge of a bog.

A venerable stone structure built vaguely in the Baroque style, square and imposing with narrow windows, it squatted on solid ground to peer out over the marsh.

The creaking-gate calls of many pheasants could be heard around the house, explaining the choice of location.

It did not match the main house as it had not originally been part of the estate.

Some years back, the debt-encumbered owner had sold it to the master of Netherfield.

Inside, it was not particularly well-furnished.

The furniture was rustic, simple, and sparse; but what there was, was in good condition.

Several well-oiled guns hung on a rack on the wall near the front door.

In the main room, a roaring fire blazed in the hearth, and Mary, swathed in blankets, sat nearest it in a chair that only creaked a little bit.

She felt cold and ill. The world swooped nauseatingly when she moved too fast, and her head felt like the Meryton blacksmith was plying his trade inside her skull.

Her arm hurt terribly, though it was more bearable when she held it still.

The trip from her Aunt and Uncle Phillips’ home in Meryton to the lodge was a half-remembered blur of excruciating pain; though only a few miles, the road was not smooth, and she had been unable to hold back cries at every bump and jostle.

It had been a blessed relief to get to the lodge and a freshly-made bed.

Having their own faithful servants about had done much to ease Mary’s discomfort, but mostly she had been grateful for a place to rest after the harrowing journey.

She was equally grateful now to curl up in front of the fire and relax, letting the conversation flow over her aching head.

Lady Lucas and her daughter Maria had come by to visit with the convalescents, and Mary was finding it difficult to concentrate.

“Oh, Mrs. Bennet, I declare when I heard that Longbourn was on fire, I nearly fainted!” Lady Lucas exclaimed. “We are so thankful that you were not greatly harmed!”

“Yes, and that is entirely due to Mary!” Mrs. Bennet declared. The matron was seated across from Mary with her well wrapped foot on a stool. “I would have died if she had not braved the flames to come upstairs and push me out of the window.”

Despite the pain in her head and her arm, a warm glow ignited in Mary’s chest at these words.

For so long she had been neglected and unwanted, shoved aside by their mother in favor of her more beautiful, vivacious sisters.

Now she was receiving the affection she had craved for so long, and the admiration in the looks bent her way by not only her mother, but Lady Lucas and Maria, nearly outweighed the flaming pain in her arm and head.

“Here is your tea,” Kitty said, carrying a steaming cup over to her next older sister. “It is very hot, so do not burn yourself!”

Mary smiled gratefully and cautiously lifted the steaming cup to her lips using her left arm. In spite of her close proximity to the fire, and her warm clothing, she felt cold.

“May I ask what will happen at Longbourn?” Lady Lucas asked delicately as she accepted a cup of tea from Kitty.

“Well, as to that, Mr. Bennet and the older two girls, along with Lydia, are planning to stay there to direct the cleaning and the rebuilding, though I fear with the kitchen destroyed, it will be a somewhat uncomfortable situation.”

“How will they eat?” Maria asked in bemusement.

“The summer kitchen still stands,” Kitty explained, “and Mrs. Carter, the undercook, has agreed to stay there and prepare food for the rest of the family, along with the servants.”

“The lodge is too small for us all,” Mrs. Bennet continued, “but Mary and I need to rest and recover from our injuries, so we must be here. Jane and Elizabeth are intelligent young ladies, if I do say so myself, and will no doubt help Mr. Bennet a great deal.”

“Lydia is probably a little young to be of much assistance,” Lady Lucas said. “If you would like her to stay with us for a time, we would be most...”

“Lydia will stay at Longbourn!” her friend interrupted, her lace cap fluttering in her agitation. “It is her fault that the east wing burned down, that I have lost all my clothing, my jewelry and almost my life. She will stay at Longbourn and assist as she is able!”

Mary saw the curious gleam in Lady Lucas’s eyes, and her heart sank. It was unfair to blame Lydia, who might well be to blame for the fire, but also might not. But she felt too tired, and too slow, to protest.

“Mamma,” Kitty piped up timidly, “we are not certain that it was Lydia’s fault. It is quite possible that one of the servants was careless...”

“Oh, do not say such a thing! My servants are well trained and would not be so foolish. No, it is Lydia’s fault; she is always dashing here and there without any thought of how her actions affect other people, and this time she left a candle burning in her bedchamber...”

Mary took another sip of tea and watched her mother in bemusement. Only two days previously, Lydia had been her mother’s favorite; now Mary had been elevated to that position, and her youngest sister was in her mother’s black books.

It was pleasant to be appreciated, but mostly it was unfair. Her mother had cossetted and spoiled Lydia for years, and now refused to take the blame for her youngest daughter’s unsteady character.

/

Longbourn

“I think that is enough for now,” Elizabeth said, surveying Mary’s bedchamber carefully. “We can bring more clothes to the lodge later if necessary. Jem, would you carry this trunk to the carriage?”

“Yes, miss,” the man said, and bent over to lift the trunk onto his broad back.

“I think we should drive to the lodge now,” Jane said. “We can see how Mary and Mother are feeling and determine how best to manage the clothing needs. I fear nothing of ours will fit Mamma.”

“True,” Elizabeth mused. “Mother will need to be fitted for a few dresses, and Father will need to see Mr. Sloan.”

“If Mamma and Father are getting new clothes, I do not see why I cannot get some new gowns,” Lydia said sullenly from her position on the window seat.

Jane sighed and Elizabeth said wearily, “Lydia, we have discussed this before; a great deal of money will be needed to repair Longbourn. You may not wish to share clothing with your sisters, but at least you can . Mamma cannot fit into any of our gowns, and both she and Father have only the clothes on their backs.”

“Mother is already married,” Lydia said petulantly, “but we must marry well in order to restore the family fortunes. Indeed, I need beautiful clothes to entice a wealthy man to make me an offer!”

Jane looked appalled at these na?ve words, and Elizabeth, after breathing deeply to control herself, said, “Lydia, my dear, you are rather young to marry. Moreover, Mamma is quite upset with you at the moment and...”

“It is not fair!” the girl screeched indignantly, and then her pretty, sullen face tilted down toward the floor, and she repeated more quietly, “It is not fair. I never meant to burn down the house. It was an accident!”

“Of course it was, Lydia!” Jane exclaimed, hurrying forward to wrap her arms around her youngest sister. “Of course it was an accident. At the moment, Mamma is distressed, but I am certain that in time, she will calm down.”

Elizabeth, with many years’ experience with her mother’s nerves and ability to hold a grudge, was not quite so certain, but there was no reason to upset Lydia more than she already was.

“Come along, girls,” she said.

The threesome descended the stairs to the main floor, and then Elizabeth cried out in delight at the sight of her favorite uncle, who was standing in the entry hall next to her father.

“Uncle Gardiner!” she cried out. “It is so good to see you!”