Page 39 of The Next Mrs Bennet
H ertfordshire had not been impressed by the small size of the estate of Longbourn. Even less so by the pile which was the manor house he spied when his coachman brought his large travelling coach to a halt near the front door of the house.
As it was below him to do so, he had Wickham rap on the door with the knocker. The door was opened by a manservant. His lack of uniform and wig told the Duke the Bennets did not even have the wherewithal to employ a butler. This fit with what the vulgar woman had told him at the assembly.
“His Grace the Duke of Hertfordshire, Marquess of Hertford Heights to see Mr. Bennet,” Wickham told the man who opened the door.
“Please follow me,” Hill intoned as he bowed.
Hill led the Duke and his man to the drawing room.
As he walked, Wickham was of the same opinion of his employer that there was no money here. Seeing that told him there would be no resistance to the Duke’s overtures.
Hill announced the Duke and stood to the side. Being almost as wide as he was tall, the guest barely fit through the doorway without touching the doorframe on either side of him. Only years of learning to school his features stopped Hill from smiling at the corpulent man almost not fitting through the door.
The three ladies gave deep curtsies while the Bennet father bowed to him. The Duke did not respond with even an inclined head.
The Duke stopped and looked between the girls standing between their parents. The blonde insipid one was next to her mother. Why she was present, he knew not, but he would soon set things to rights. The lady of the house was smiling like the cat who got the cream, and his soon to be wife stood between the blonde one and her father.
Seeing the defiant look in his intended’s eye thrilled the Duke. He reminded himself he would need to keep his desires in check until she had birthed him an heir and said child had been alive for a year. Then and only then he would take his enjoyment.
“Why are both sisters here? Did I not make myself clear when you called on me as to who it is I want to speak to?” Hertfordshire drawled as he sat on a settee without invitation.
“You see Mr. Bennet,” Fanny hissed. “You have upset the Duke by having that hoyden Lizzy here. If you have spoilt Jane’s prospects, I will never forgive you.”
Jane was praying hard her father had angered the old, very large in girth man and he would leave without proposing to her.
“Did you not tell your wife?” the Duke demanded.
“In fact, I did, Your Grace,” Bennet averred. “Unfortunately my wife did not believe you are here for Elizabeth.”
Before anyone could speak, an outraged Elizabeth, who had paled considerably, did. “I am not ready to marry anyone, and certainly not one as old as this!” she insisted pointing at His Grace.
Rather than injure him, the Duke was even more convinced of his choice at her outburst. She showed no fear at all. His anticipated pleasure when he broke her increased exponentially.
“B-but Your Grace,” Fanny blurted out, “surely you cannot be in earnest. Jane is a beauty and will be the perfect duchess. Miss Lizzy is wilful, disobedient, impertinent, a hoyden, has manly pursuits, and is nothing to my Jane in looks.”
“All of what you listed are in fact the things I am attracted to,” the Duke responded disdainfully. “And if you think the lacklustre one,” he cocked his head to Jane, “is prettier than Miss Elizabeth, then I suggest you need spectacles.”
“I care not what you say, I will never marry you! I know the law! If I do not recite my vows there will be no valid marriage!” Elizabeth said with meaning. She was standing, her arms at her sides and her fists clenched.
Bennet breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his Lizzy would never agree to be married to the man, and neither the Duke nor his wife would be able to blame him if she refused to open her mouth at the wedding ceremony.
“You see, what did I tell you,” Fanny crowed triumphantly. “Why would you want that…”
“ SILENCE !” the Duke thundered. “Are you so simple you do not know when to keep your mouth closed? He turned to Bennet. “Remove this dunderheaded woman and her blonde daughter.”
Already scared by the Duke’s shouting at her, Fanny allowed Hill to lead her and Jane out of the drawing room without a word of complaint.
When the door was closed, the Duke nodded to Wickham who almost dragged a most unwilling Elizabeth to stand in front of his master. An outraged Elizabeth looked to her father for protection, but he just stood in place, doing what he always did—nothing!
“You will marry me,” the Duke said as a way of a proposal.
“Never. You may do what you will, I will never marry you,” Elizabeth shot back. She kept her eyes on the man, never lowering her head or showing any fear.
“I did try to warn you, Your Grace,” Bennet stated with much relief. “Once Lizzy makes up her mind, she will not change it.”
As attractive as her resistance was, if she refused to recite the vows of her own free will, she would never be his wife. After the display she was putting on she had to be—would be his wife.
“In two days I will return and we will revisit this subject,” the Duke commanded.
“There will be no wavering on my part, not in two days, two years, or two millennia! Never will I be your wife,” Elizabeth insisted, her arms akimbo, chin up as she looked at the disgusting man in front of her.
Without comment, the Duke had his man assist him to stand, and he then walked out of the drawing room without another word.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Elizabeth had not waited for her father to speak, with tears of fury running down her cheeks, she had run out of the drawing room, through the house, and out of the kitchen door. She did not stop running until she reached Oakham Mount.
Still crying in frustration, she stomped up the path to the summit. When there, she began to rapidly pace back and forth.
If her father had not been so selfish, he would have allowed her to go live with the Gardiners years ago and then she would never have been the object of the disgusting man’s attentions.
She would not, could not, marry such a man. Elizabeth intended to honour the vow she and Jane had taken to only marry for the deepest love. Forgetting the age of the man, she did not even like him—yes, she had only met him in the last two days—in fact, truth be told, she hated the very sight of him! He was a man she could never respect as she had been witness to a union without respect, that between her parents, and it was something she would never accept for herself.
Until today, she had believed Papa loved her. Mama she knew did not, so anything she said or did would not be surprising to Elizabeth.
The scales had fallen from her eyes. Papa was unable—or unwilling—to protect her. Not one word had he said, other than an I told you so to the old man. If he knew she would refuse him, why did Papa allow the Duke to come to their home and importune her in that fashion?
She knew the truth, Papa was weak. She had seen the examples of his ineptitude over the years when it came to checking Mama’s excesses and he never did. Elizabeth could clearly see how Mama manipulated Papa. All she had to do was caterwaul a little and Papa would give into anything she wanted.
Elizabeth could only pray Mama would remain opposed to her being married to the Duke. If she somehow changed her mind, then the pressure on Papa would be relentless, which would translate to him demanding she marry the ancient man.
Mama would never change her mind. She would not allow herself to see the daughter she disliked with intensity become a duchess and not Jane.
For whatever reason, and Elizabeth could not fathom what it was, thank goodness, he did not want to marry Janey. As long as Jane was safe, Elizabeth would endure the slings and arrows directed at herself. She knew her own strength and would not be bullied into changing her mind regardless of what Papa demanded she do.
Hopefully, the old man would be so repulsed with her behaviour he would quit Meryton and leave both herself and Janey in peace.
Feeling somewhat more sanguine with things and with her confidence in her own willpower high, Elizabeth began to relax. She seated herself on the bolder near the eastern edge of the summit.
She untied and removed her bonnet and then placed her hands behind her for support as she rested, her body at an angle, allowing her arms to keep her in that position.
With the sun warming her, Elizabeth forced herself to forget about the situation at home—for a short time.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“You were not making sport with me, that man wants to marry Lizzy,” Fanny stated.
As soon as the Duke left their house, Fanny had sought out her husband. She had found him in the study. As much as she did not want Elizabeth to become a duchess over Jane, Fanny had realised the advantage to herself would still be great.
“As you saw,” Bennet responded tiredly. “You also heard Lizzy say she will never marry him, and you know Lizzy is not one to weaken her resolve.”
“Did I not always say that ungrateful girl was wilful?” Fanny paused as she thought about solutions. “If you command it, she will have to marry him.”
“You may believe that if it makes you feel better. Mrs. Bennet, regardless of what I command, I cannot force her to recite her vows as she has promised she will not. There cannot be a marriage if one of the two does not speak their vows.”
“We will have to find a way!” Fanny intoned shrilly. “This is too important for my…our future! That disobliging girl will do her duty to her family and she will obey. Did I not tell you she was overindulged by you? That is why she thinks she will be able to refuse to do that which she must! I will not allow her to anger His Grace! If his judgement is so lacking to want Lizzy as his wife, then have her he will.”
Bennet knew a response was not required, so he made none. He also knew nothing would sway Elizabeth from her chosen path. It was what he was relying on.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“She is magnificent,” the Duke mused after he and his party returned to the inn. “Wickham,” he looked to his man.
“Aye, Your Grace,” Wickham gave a bow to the man as he stood.
“Go use your charms and find out as much as you are able about Miss Elizabeth, her likes, dislikes, and her family. When we return in two days not only will I offer her family financial incentive, but I want something to use as leverage in case the little spitfire still refuses to marry me,” Hertfordshire ordered.
Wickham bowed and headed into the town to begin to fulfil his master’s instructions.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Lizzy, I am so sorry Mama berated you as she did tonight. I would never be able to stand strong like you did,” Jane said admiringly.
Jane Bennet was under no illusions, not only was Lizzy much more intelligent than herself, but she possessed an inner strength Jane would never have. If anyone could resist their mother’s machinations and the insistence she marry the Duke, it was Elizabeth.
“I am happy he chose me and not you,” Elizabeth stated stoically.
“How can you say that, Lizzy? You dislike the old man as much, if not more than I do!”
“That is not a fact I will dispute, Janey. But we both know if Mama was insisting you marry him, eventually you would have.”
“I do not have the core of steel you possess my dearest sister,” Jane acknowledged. “What that man said about you being as pretty, if not more so than me, is true Lizzy. I care not what Mama will say if she hears me articulate it, but it is a fact.”
“Janey, what codswallop. You are ten times more beautiful than the rest of us combined!”
“Lizzy, how can you allow what Mama says to influence your opinions of your beauty?”
“After hearing her diatribes for over sixteen years, I suppose I have given her statements much more weight than I should have.” Elizabeth sat and stared off in the direction of the heavens.
“What will you do if he renews his addresses in two days when he returns?”
“Refuse him as vehemently as I did today. They can truss me up with rope, force me into the church, and drag me up the aisle, but still, I will refuse to recite my vows. Nothing can make me change my mind!”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the next afternoon, Wickham had spoken to many in the town. He used his charm and good looks to loosen tongues and what he discovered he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was exactly what his master needed as leverage.
Wickham reported his findings to the Duke who was well pleased with the results. “Perfect, Wickham. You have once again proved your worth to me.” The Duke nodded to his man of business who was in the room. “Give Wickham here fifty pounds for his stellar work.”
“Your generosity knows no bounds, Your Grace,” Wickham bowed to the Duke. ‘ The old stingy bastard could have given me a hundred times that amount and not felt it !’ he told himself.
Hertfordshire waved his man away. Absent mindedly he said aloud, “it is a pity there was one more day to wait. I cannot show any weakness by asking for the date to be changed. I will return there on the morrow as planned.”
The only part of the inn which was open to the public was the taproom which is where Wickham headed. Mayhap there would be some games of chance. He had a good amount of money in his pocket and winning more would be just the ticket.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
That night, knowing the extremely old man would be back on the morrow, Elizabeth did not find any comfort in Morpheus’s arms. Her mind was far too active.
She wanted tomorrow to be over already. The sooner the man was on his way and out of their lives the better. She cared not for all of Mama’s screeching. She was a sixteen year old girl, and it was not her duty to save the family, that rested with her parents.
Nothing would make her do that which was abhorrent to her, and she could imagine nothing worse than being leg shackled to that revolting man. He could have been a royal and nothing would have been different for Elizabeth. What was it to her if he was a duke? She would not under any circumstances allow her free will to be subjugated to him.
At least since finding out she was not the object of the Duke’s interest, Janey had relaxed. She was no longer in fear of being sold off to the man like so much chattel.
Yes, for Janey, Elizabeth would bear this nonsense and continue refusing his every entreaty.