Page 38 of The Next Mrs Bennet
A t the time and day demanded by the Duke in his note, Bennet presented himself at the Red Lion Inn. He was met by a man who called himself Wickham who would show him to the parlour where the meeting would take place.
Bennet was led into the largest sitting room on the second floor. The man he saw was balding, corpulent and, he could easily see, was considerably older than himself. His first instinct was to turn tail and run as fast as his legs could carry him. However, he quickly discounted that option as he looked around and saw that besides the man who had shown him up, there were rather large guards in the hallway outside the room and one more behind him in the sitting room.
“Your Grace, I present to you Mr. Thomas Bennet of Longbourn. Mr. Bennet, Lord Archibald Chamberlain, His Grace the Duke of Hertfordshire, Marquess of Hertford Heights,” Wickham intoned.
Bennet gave a deep bow while the Duke who had remained seated barely inclined his head towards him.
“You have been summoned hither as I am about to bestow an honour on your family which you could not have expected in your wildest imaginings,” Hertfordshire drawled.
“And what, Your Grace, would that be?” Bennet asked.
He did not know how he could give Jane to this man in matrimony. What Fanny wanted was immaterial, he was old enough to be her grandfather .
“I have selected one of your daughters to be my duchess,” the Duke related matter-of-factly.
“B-but y-Your Grace, Jane is only eighteen summers old, somewhat younger than yourself,” Bennet stammered as diplomatically as he was able.
The Duke looked past Bennet to where Wickham was standing. “Wickham, who is this Jane?” he demanded. “I thought her name is…?”
“It is Elizabeth, Your Grace,” Wickham corrected demurely. “Mr. Bennet is under the misapprehension you mean to make his eldest, the blonde one you danced with, your duchess.”
Now he had to fight to keep from casting up his accounts. Bennet was frozen, it was not Jane but Lizzy the Duke was demanding. He knew Lizzy’s disposition and she would never agree to marry this old man.
“There must be an error, surely you do not want to marry my second daughter who is but sixteen,” Bennet managed.
“I most certainly do,” was the indignant response.
How could this man who was lower than horse dung on his boot be resisting the honour he was bestowing on his family? If he did not need the man’s agreement he would have had his men dispose of him.
It was easy to see the Duke was becoming angry at his opposition to his desire. Bennet was sure Lizzy would refuse and even if she was forced into the church, she would not recite her vows. His second daughter did not allow anyone to intimidate her. Much like he did with his wife, Bennet chose the path of least resistance.
“Please accept my abject apologies, Your Grace. I was not prepared for the high honour you desire to bestow on my family and specifically my second daughter,” Bennet bowed to the man to show his deference. “Would you be willing to come to my estate later today?” Seeing the Duke was about to berate him Bennet elucidated. “I am sure a man of your discernment realises he must speak to the lady in person and convey the honour of his proposals. As soon as Lizzy has agreed then we will solidify our agreement.”
Hertfordshire cogitated for a moment. Seeing the girl—having only been in her company for their truncated dance—would tell him if she was as impertinent as he believed she was.
“I will grace you with my company in two hours. Before you depart, I have a question.” The Duke wanted to know how much the man loved his wife, that way it would increase his pleasure when Wickham brought her to him and he took her.
“Ask what you will, Your Grace,” Bennet replied evenly.
“So I can understand the environment she was raised in, is yours a happy home? Is the relationship between yourself and your wife a good one? Was it a love match?” Hertfordshire probed.
He had not been ready for the burst of derisive laughter from the nothing country squire.
“Please excuse my outburst, Your Grace,” Bennet bowed again. “My eldest daughters are who they are in spite of my wife who entrapped me into marrying her, so you can imagine my union is the farthest from a love match you could find. If that disqualifies Lizzy—Elizabeth as a potential bride, I will understand.”
Any desire he had to bed the man’s wife was washed away in an instant when the Duke understood this was a man who could not care less if his wife was taken by another. “No, it has not changed anything.” The Duke waived Bennet away.
He signalled Wickham to remain when the other guard showed the father of the girl from the room.
“No Mrs. Bennet?” Wickham verified. He had seen the change in his master as soon as Mr. Bennet related the truth of his feelings for his wife.
“You know me well, Wickham,” Hertfordshire growled. “If you ever try and use anything against me, you will not live to see the next sunset.”
“Your Grace, you must know you have my complete loyalty,” Wickham assured his master.
He felt a cold shiver travelled down his spine. He was all too aware the Duke would have him disappear if he even suspected disloyalty. Wickham had to keep proving his worth to the man. As soon as the Duke decided he was not useful any longer, he would meet his end. Thankfully he was good at procuring the man that which he wanted. His secret hope was the Duke would expire before the time he was deemed of no more use.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Janey, please do not cry so,” Elizabeth pulled her older sister into a hug as she tried to console her.
Their mother had summoned Jane as soon as Papa departed for his meeting and whatever Mama had told Jane had upset her terribly—Elizabeth knew not what that was as Jane was crying too much to tell her anything—and she had returned looking sadder than Elizabeth had ever seen her. As soon as Jane entered and Elizabeth asked her what ailed her, Jane burst into tears and now, more than ten minutes after entering the bedchamber and falling into her younger sister’s arms, she was still sobbing.
Jane was usually the one who guarded her emotions closely. Elizabeth had seen her cry a few times before, but never as her dearest sister was now. It was breaking her heart and she knew not what to do to make Jane feel better.
“Janey, did Mama say something to upset you?” Jane nodded. Her crying lessened somewhat. “Will you not tell me what hurt you so much?” More nodding. “Would you like me to ask Sarah to bring a pitcher of water and a glass for you?” Again her older sister nodded her head.
With the deluge of crying reduced to a trickle, Elizabeth went to the chamber’s door and looked out into the hall. She did not want to leave Jane. Luckily she saw one of the upstairs maids and called her over and requested she ask Sarah—the maid shared by all five sisters—to bring the water. The maid bobbed a curtsy and went on her way to fulfil her charge.
Elizabeth closed the door and sat next to Jane on the bed and gently rubbed Jane’s back. The crying was reduced to sniffles by then. Knowing Jane would talk as soon as she was ready, as hard as it was for her to exercise patience, Elizabeth waited.
There was a knock at the door. On opening it, Elizabeth stood back for Sarah to enter carrying a tray with a pitcher and two glasses. The maid placed the tray on the dresser, bobbed a curtsy to the Miss Bennets and withdrew, pulling the door closed behind her.
Jane had kept her head turned from Sarah so she would not see the evidence of her crying. The last thing Jane wanted was for word she was upset to reach her mother. She knew if it did, Mama would automatically blame Lizzy and even if Jane told her it was what she had been told earlier that morning which devastated her, Mama would have ignored her and yelled at Lizzy anyway.
She gratefully took the glass Elizabeth handed her. Her instinct was to gulp the water down, but Jane forced herself to take small sips.
“You remember the Duke we danced with at the assembly?” Jane enquired as she began her tale.
“How could I forget that old man and the way he was ogling us. I felt like I needed to bathe after my, thankfully, short dance with him.” Elizabeth paused suspiciously. “I know he is a duke, but surely Mama would not try and match you with a man much older than Papa!”
“Mama told me…” Jane hiccoughed, “the Duke and Papa are meeting this morning because…” Jane burst into tears once again. “She said she found a note on Papa’s desk.”
“Janey please do not tell me Mama thinks the Duke wants you as his wife.” Jane gave a watery nod. “Did the note to Papa say that?” Jane shook her head. “Then this is all in Mama’s head. She knows not why Papa is meeting with the Duke and is stating what are her desires. They are assumptions. Even if Mama is right for once, surely Papa would never force you to accept a man so much older than himself. We promised we would only marry for the deepest love and respect, and that is how it will be!”
As much as she wanted to believe her own words, Elizabeth was not blind to the fact Papa never stood up to their mother. All she could do was pray that if Mama’s supposition was accurate, for once their father would act to protect his daughters.
The tears dried up as Jane endeavoured to believe Lizzy’s words. Mama had things wrong more often than not, so there was hope she would not be sacrificed.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Fanny was waiting for her husband at the front door when he arrived home.
“Well?” she demanded. “Did I not tell you he wanted to marry Jane? How many times have I said she could not be so beautiful for no reason! Why did you not have me join you? I read the note!”
Exasperated, Bennet responded, “Do you think I can have something to drink and then we can meet in my study rather than here where all the servants can hear?”
The woman could not be more vulgar if she tried to be. Bennet did not wait for an answer from his wife. As soon as Hill took his outerwear, he made for his study. As he suspected she would, his wife followed him into his sanctuary.
“Do not make me wait, he wants to marry our daughter, does he not?” Fanny insisted as soon as her husband closed the door to the study.
“He does,” Bennet confirmed.
“My beautiful Jane will be a duchess! Just wait until I tell Lady Lucas, she will turn green with envy. What pin money, what carriages, homes, and jewels. I will go distracted,” Fanny babbled.
Bennet was not looking forward to the manic swing in his wife’s behaviour as soon as he delivered the news he knew she would be loath to hear. It had to be done before his wife decided to go call on their neighbours to boast to one and all.
“Mrs. Bennet, the man is a Duke, he is rich to be sure, but he is closer to seventy than sixty. I thought you loved Jane, why would you want to see her shackled to such a man?”
“How you enjoy vexing me! To save me…us from the hedgerows when you go to your reward. He has more than enough wealth and mayhap he will set us up at one of his estates,” Fanny responded dreamily as she again imagined all the riches Jane would have access to.
“It is not Jane the Duke wants to marry,” Bennet related.
Fanny Bennet stood frozen, staring at her husband as if he had the head of a wild animal on his shoulders. After some moments she discovered the power of speech once again. “Lyddie is too young and they have not met, surely he cannot want any other than Jane.”
“He wants to marry Lizzy,” Bennet said almost softly knowing the explosion which was about to occur.
This time she stared at her husband as if he was an insane person who belonged in Bedlam. “ WHAT DID YOU SAY ! DO NOT DARE SPORT WITH ME IN THAT FASHION !” Fanny screamed at the top of her voice.
She had heard him.
“I was as surprised as you are, it is Lizzy he wants, not Jane.”
“What did that wilful, cursed girl do to distract the Duke from her sister?”
“Mrs. Bennet did you not tell me he danced a set complete with both you and Jane, and only a portion of a single dance with Lizzy?” Fanny reluctantly allowed it was so. “By your own statement, Lizzy was in His Grace’s company for no more than five to ten minutes. Please explain what she could have done in that time?”
Each time Fanny began to speak, she stopped. The truth was she could not come up with anything to support her claim. “I will not stand for that underserving hoyden becoming a duchess when Jane will not!” Fanny finally bit out.
“Firstly, I seriously doubt Lizzy will accept his proposal. By the way, he will arrive to make it in little more than an hour. Secondly, do you really think a man who is obviously used to getting whatever he wants, will pay heed when you try to redirect him to Jane, who he has already decided against?”
She had no answer for her husband, but of one thing she was sure, she would do everything in her power to make sure the Duke amended his choice when he called later. That ugly child would not be a duchess!
Bennet knew he needed to distract his wife. “We are to entertain a duke, should you not prepare the house to receive one so high? It is not every day we have a peer of the realm at our house.”
Whatever vitriol Fanny was about to spew was forgotten. Without another word, she lifted her skirts a little and ran out of the study screeching rather loudly for Mrs. Hill to attend her.
By the time Fanny had issued orders to prepare to receive a duke into her house and verified everything was up to standard, there was a scant twenty minutes before the rich man was to call. Her frenetic running around had allowed her to convince herself it was Jane the Duke was calling for.
Unfortunately for her, there was not enough time to have Jane change before her suitor would arrive. At first, Fanny arrived in the drawing room with only a fearful Jane with her.
Regardless of his wife’s opinion about which daughter should be present, Bennet sent Hill to summon Lizzy. Fanny glowered at her husband. She would make him pay for crossing her later.
Barely a minute after Elizabeth sat next to Jane, and gripped her sister’s hand in a show of support, the knocker was heard striking the front door.