Page 36 of The Next Mrs Bennet

P reening like a peacock, Fanny Bennet led her unwilling daughters into the assembly hall. She knew she was still a handsome woman and felt Jane’s beauty was a direct compliment to herself.

Her eyes swept the hall, but unfortunately, she saw no one she did not recognise. She understood the man who would marry Jane was not in attendance yet. Fanny saw her sister speaking to Mrs. Long and Lady Lucas—it still irked that Sarah Lucas was titled. All her husband had done was make a speech to the King and Queen some years ago when he had been mayor of the town. In Fanny’s mind, the fact the King had knighted William Lucas for some ridiculous speech only confirmed the rumours of the Monarch’s madness.

As much as she hated having to call the former Sarah Huntington, Lady Lucas, Fanny did so. Other than herself and her sister Hattie, Lady Lucas was one of the foremost purveyors of gossip in the Meryton area and Fanny would never give up a good source of tittle-tattle regardless of how much she disdained the woman.

Wanting to feel superior to Sarah Lucas made attaching Jane to a peer of the realm all the more important. Once Jane was married to such a man, she—and of course, her mother by extension—would be far higher than a lowly knight or his wife.

While their mother made her way to speak to their aunt and some of the other matrons, Jane and Elizabeth sought out Charlotte Lucas.

Charlotte—a best friend to the two eldest Bennet sisters—was two and twenty, and as their mother loved to point out, was considered fast approaching being on the shelf. The Bennet girls would have a whole one thousand pounds each, and only when their mother passed away, but as far as was publicly known, Charlotte and Maria Lucas would have a mere six hundred pounds to share between them.

More than once when they discussed their relative economic fortunes Charlotte had opined her father had been precipitous in selling his business after his knighthood. In her opinion, had he kept it and employed a manager, they would have had an income which approached Longbourn’s rather than less than half.

Another thing the Bennet matron loved to point out was Charlotte’s lack of beauty. She was wont to say even Lizzy was prettier than the eldest Lucas, who she called plain.

After Charlotte, there came Franklin, who was home for the Easter term break from Oxford and aged twenty. There was Johnathan—called Johnny—who at sixteen was a few months older than Lizzy, and the youngest Lucas was Maria who was eleven.

“Jane and Eliza, how do you both do this evening?” Charlotte welcomed her friends.

She knew her friends did not agree with their mother’s cutting words regarding herself, not even in the smallest measure, something which warmed Charlotte’s heart.

“We are all aflutter to meet this mythical peer of the realm Mama has been atwitter about,” Elizabeth responded sarcastically.

“He is not a myth,” Charlotte informed her friends.

“How would you know that?” Jane enquired.

“You know my Papa,” Charlotte inclined her head to Sir William who was fulfilling the role of master of ceremonies, as he always did. “He took himself to the inn to welcome the visitor on behalf of the town.”

“And? What did he learn?” Elizabeth asked impatiently.

“For once the rumour mill has the right of it. He and his party have indeed taken every room at the Red Lion Inn. And he is no mere peer, he is the highest rank below royalty,” Charlotte revealed.

“A Duke!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Did he deign to meet Sir William?”

“Papa said he waited for the best part of an hour, but then he did in fact meet His Grace, the Duke of Hertfordshire, Marquess of Hertford Heights. His name is Lord Archibald Winston Chamberlain and…” Charlotte hesitated. “When he arrived home, Papa looked at his copy of Debrett’s Peerage. Based on the information of his birth, the Duke is almost seven and sixty years old and, on top of that, he is rather corpulent,” Charlotte reported.

“Much older than either of our fathers,” Jane stated.

“Surely then Mama’s saying he is looking for a wife is false,” Elizabeth hoped. “Why would he need to marry at that age?”

“The only thing we have discovered is the Duke’s heir passed away with no issue. It was about a year or so past,” Charlotte informed her friends.

“So he needs an heir,” Elizabeth realised. “I am sure he is too old to seriously consider anyone of our ages, so it is certain we are safe, if he is looking here and not in London for his next duchess that is.”

“I am sure you have the right of it, Lizzy” Jane assured herself and her sister both.

The whole room went quiet and all eyes swung to the doors, where an old man, very corpulent, not tall, and with no hair on the top of his head, stood there surveying the crowd with a critical eye.

Next to him stood two men, one younger and rather handsome and the other older than the younger one, but obviously much younger than the Duke.

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

For not the first time that hour, Archibald Chamberlain cursed those who had turned all of the Ton against him making it impossible for him to find a wife from the upper reaches of England’s societal structure.

At least his man had identified one who may meet all of the attributes he was looking for in his next duchess. It was something. Hertfordshire hoped his man’s information was in fact true as he would hate to have to search in too many more of these little backwaters. Up to now, the man was usually accurate in his reports.

How fortuitous had it been just over two years ago to find his current man who was only nineteen at the time. The man he replaced, who like the new man, had been willing to do whatever was required of him—including procuring unwilling married or unmarried women for Hertfordshire to bed—had been disposed of when he had failed to procure him the wife of a man who had slighted him.

At first, he had thought his new man was too young, but when he saw how the man was willing to use his good looks and charms to convince others to do what he wanted, the Duke had known he had found the ideal man for the job.

His man took pleasure in causing pain to members of polite society all because—as he had told it—he had been ill used by some member of the Ton who had convinced his own father to banish him from Derbyshire to Devonshire.

George Wickham had no qualms as long as he was well paid, there was no task he would not perform for his master. At least he could use his own name thanks to his father’s master repaying what he had borrowed from his former employer.

Hence as he stood and admired himself in the mirror, the Duke had high confidence in Wickham’s information. When he was happy with the way his valet had dressed him, he made his way downstairs where Wickham and one of his guards were waiting for him. He nodded to the two and they led their master out of the inn for the short walk, but twenty yards distant to the assembly hall.

His plan this night was simple. He would ask to dance with three or four young ladies, the one Wickham had identified being one of them. He would say nothing of his plans this night. If she was the one he chose, he would summon the father to him in a day or two.

When they entered, all conversation ceased, as was his due, of course. It was only right these peasants should be awed in his presence. The Duke looked over the crowd disdainfully.

First, he saw the very pretty blonde. He looked to Wickham. “Sister to the one you want to know, she is the serene, compliant one,” Wickham said softly so only his master could hear. “The shorter one next to her.”

The Duke turned his attention to the petite one next to the blonde. She was in looks exactly as Wickham had described her. In an instant, he knew she would be the one. Rather than look away like her sister had, she lifted her chin and held his eyes with a challenging look.

“Welcome to our humble assembly, Your Grace,” Sir William simpered in welcome. “May I introduce you to my family and some of the principal families in the area?”

Hertfordshire was about to refuse when he noticed a matron, somewhat pretty still, summon—rather loudly—the two girls he had been looking at to her side. “Yes, I believe that will be in order,” the Duke granted.

Sir William, feeling the compliment of the Duke agreeing to meet his family very keenly was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet as he led His Grace to where his wife, sons, daughter, and three Bennets were standing.

“Your Grace, Lord Archibald Chamberlain it is my pleasure to present my wife, Lady Sarah Lucas, Miss Charlotte Lucas, Franklin and Johnathan Lucas to you.” Sir William was about to stop there when he saw the Duke’s pointed look at the Bennets. “Also Mrs. Frances Bennet, Miss Jane Bennet, and Miss Elizabeth. Family and Bennets, the Duke of Hertfordshire, Marquess of Hertford Heights.”

Fanny had to fight to maintain her equilibrium. She did not miss the way the Duke—a duke!—made sure Sir William introduced him to her and her daughters as well. Jane would be a duchess! She always knew Jane could not be so beautiful for no reason. She was destined to be the mother of a duchess. Thoughts of how she would be set up for life while lording that over Sarah Lucas were swimming in her head so she almost missed the Duke’s words.

“Mrs. Bennet if your husband does not object, may I have the honour of a set from you, and then from your pretty daughters, one each?” the Duke requested as he inclined his head to the matron.

Catching herself before objecting to Elizabeth being described as pretty, Fanny beamed at the Duke. “Why Your Grace, how you honour us. I accept for myself and my daughters. It is very gallant of you to include Lizzy as a dance partner when you have Jane’s beauty before you.”

Elizabeth blushed red at her mother’s thoughtless words. It was nothing she was not used to, but it was not usually before their friends in the middle of an assembly.

Sir William and Lady Lucas could not but be disappointed to be ignored by the Duke once he met the Bennets. Sarah Lucas was aware there would be no end to Fanny’s boasting about herself and her two eldest being asked to dance with a duke.

“Lizzy, I am sure Mama did not mean to slight you so,” Jane asserted once the Duke had led their preening mother to join the line currently forming.

“You think that if it gives you comfort,” Elizabeth bit back with a hard edge to her voice. She did not miss the way Jane’s face fell. “Sorry Janey, I did not mean to take my hurt out on you. One day you will have to start seeing the world as it is and not how you want it to be. Do not forget, I committed the cardinal sin of not being born a son.”

“But there were three more girls born after you, Eliza. Why is your mother’s displeasure directed at you?” Charlotte asked a question she had wanted to ask for many years.

“Somehow, in my mother’s way of thinking, because I refused to be born a son, it caused her to be cursed with only girls,” Elizabeth explained. “Of course, her inability to bear a child after Lyddie was my fault as well and had nothing to do with the fact she was born so huge.”

Jane was about to protest when she saw her sister’s arched eyebrow challenging her to dispute a word of what had been stated. Jane could not.

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

“Your husband was not introduced to me,” the Duke observed as they danced.

“Mr. Bennet does not enjoy this kind of activity and is at home with our three younger girls,” Fanny averred.

“Five daughters, and no son?” the Duke pressed.

“Correct Your Grace,” Fanny conceded. “And we suffer from an entailment to the male line.”

‘ Good information, ’ Hertfordshire told himself. ‘ If there is resistance, I may have some leverage. ’ “What of dowries?” he asked aloud.

Fanny relayed the pertinent information to the man never considering how indecorous the conversation was with one newly met.

‘ Another thing which may be useful ,’ the Duke told himself.

The couple was separated by the dance. Fanny preened as she went down the line seeing the jealous looks on not a few of her neighbours’ faces. When she saw the sour look on Sarah Lucas’s face, her night became so much better.

“If you would like to dance two sets with my Jane and not with Lizzy, I will understand, Your Grace,” Fanny proposed when the dance brought them together.

“Madam, let me be rightly understood, it is me and me alone who will decide who I partner for a dance, and when!” the Duke barked.

Not wanting to upset the man, Fanny said not another word, for which her partner was greatly thankful.

‘ What a stupid woman. Once I have the father’s agreement to wed the dark haired one—and he will not deny me, I will have Wickham bring this creature to me. She is still pretty, ’ the Duke told himself as he smirked at his dance partner. ‘ I am almost decided. The final test will be the dance .’

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

At the end of the dance, Hertfordshire led Mrs. Bennet back to her daughters who were still standing near the nodcock of a knight and his family. The knight’s plain daughter was not even a consideration to dance with, never mind anything else.

Jane had been returned by the Goulding heir when the Duke arrived with her mother. He led her out to the line while Elizabeth followed with Franklin Lucas.

The dance with the pretty, but insipid blonde was exactly how the Duke had expected it to be. Wickham had been wholly accurate in his assessment of this one. A pretty face, but an empty vessel. Not any challenge there. She would be far too compliant.

Ultimately he wanted compliance, but only after he had broken a wild filly and remade her as he desired. If it was not for the anticipation of dancing with the sister, the Duke would have left the blonde in the middle of the dancefloor and taken his leave. He felt relief when the second dance came to an end. Relief and excitement. He was about to dance with his third duchess.

As much as she would have preferred not to dance with the old man—she cared not if he were a duke—Elizabeth did not want to sit out the rest of the night as she already had a full dance card. To make sure he never asked her again, she decided to demonstrate her impertinence at its finest to him.

Hertfordshire led the one named Lizzy to the line.

“Your Grace, are you sure you do not need to sit out after dancing two sets, one after the other?” Elizabeth challenged with a raised eyebrow. “You are not a young man after all.”

‘ I do not intimidate her in the least! ’ the Duke realised and felt himself becoming aroused by that fact. “I trust I will survive this dance,” he responded aloud.

“If you need to rest, please do not hesitate to tell me, I will assist you back to one of your men,” Elizabeth shot back.

‘ Yes, little Lizzy, you will be perfect! You will bear me an heir and then, after he is one, I will take my time and pleasure to completely break you. The chit could not have done more to show herself to be the perfect candidate if she had attempted to. ’

“You know what Miss Elizabeth; I have seen all I needed to see here tonight. If your offer is sincere, may I escort you back to your mother?” Hertfordshire requested.

“Please do, Your Grace,” Elizabeth averred.

Without another word, the Duke led his future wife to her mother and then farewelling no one, he and his men departed to make the short walk back to the inn.

“What did you say to the Duke to displease him?” Fanny demanded as she pinched her second daughter’s upper arm.

“Not a word, Mama. He was fatigued after dancing with you and Jane and felt he needed to rest,” Elizabeth claimed.

“If you have spoilt your sister’s chances of becoming a duchess, you will never hear the end of it,” Fanny threatened as she released her daughter seeing that not a few neighbours were looking at her disapprovingly. Fanny sniffed and went to find her sister.

“Are you well, Eliza?” Charlotte questioned concernedly.

“I will be well,” Elizabeth replied as she rubbed her upper arm. “It is not the first, and nor will it be the last time something like this has occurred.”

As much as she would have loved her father to protect her from her mother’s nastiness, Elizabeth knew he did not have the gumption to stand up to his wife.

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

“A glass of Brandy, Wickham?” the Duke offered.

“Thank you, Your Grace, much appreciated,” Wickham responded.

“You did well,” the Duke raised his glass to his man once Wickham held his libation in his hand. “She is perfect. There will be a bonus in it for you.”

“As always, you have my gratitude for your munificence,” Wickham drawled.

“Wickham, once I have the father’s agreement to wed his daughter, bring the mother to me. I would like to take a tumble with her.”

“It will be so, Your Grace.”