Page 29 of The Talented Daughters of Longbourn

Longbourn

That Evening

Charlotte Bennet wrapped herself in her dressing robe and smiled at the young maid who had been sent to assist her out of her garments. “Thank you, Gertrude. You can go now.”

“Yes, Madam,” the girl replied and retreated out of the room.

Charlotte took a seat next to the fire, and she leaned back with a groan of relief.

It had been an exceptionally tiring day, and she was exhausted.

She ran a gentle hand over her belly and smiled as her unborn child kicked firmly.

It would not be so very long before she met this little one face to face.

Three minutes later, the door opened, and her husband entered the room, his own face drawn and weary in the flickering light of two wax candles and the fire.

“Josiah, darling, do sit down,” Charlotte ordered, patting the seat next to her. He did so, and for a moment, husband and wife merely sat in silence, relishing the comfort of being together .

“How is our sister-in-law?” Charlotte finally asked.

The day had been a challenging one in many ways, but the most serious difficulties revolved around Fanny Bennet.

She had screamed and howled upon the news of her husband’s death until a dose of laudanum had calmed her, whereupon Jane and Mrs. Hill had bundled the former lady of the estate into bed.

This evening, however, she had burst into the sitting room where Charlotte and all four of the single Bennet ladies were laboring over gowns, and proceeded to demand funds, immediately, to purchase a new wardrobe of mourning clothes.

When Charlotte had explained, calmly, that Josiah would need to be consulted regarding such expenditures, the elder Mrs. Bennet had started shrieking and wailing that she had known how it would be, that she and her daughters would soon be cast out into the hedgerows with only the clothes on their backs.

Charlotte was, she knew, a calm and phlegmatic individual, but even she had been irked, and as for Kitty – well, the poor girl had paled and trembled until Jane and Mrs. Hill guided Fanny back upstairs into her room, and Lydia and Elizabeth had penned Kitty in a corner of the room and whispered assurances that Josiah and Charlotte loved them, and furthermore, that Jane and Elizabeth were financially independent in their own right, and thus there was no need to be afraid.

Josiah sighed and said, “She took another dose of laudanum, and I hope she is now asleep. ”

Again there was silence until Josiah said, “Charlotte, I am now master of Longbourn, and I will not permit Fanny Bennet to make this house one of noise, strife and struggle.”

Charlotte leaned over to kiss her husband on the cheek. “I appreciate that, darling, but please do not worry about me.”

“I do worry about you,” her husband said bluntly. “Fanny has been, not to put too fine a point on it, a complete fool in the matter of my brother’s illness. I do not trust her to behave in a reasonable manner now that he is gone and you are mistress of the house.”

“I do not either, but it is our nieces I truly pity. Those poor girls have had to shoulder far too much because of their mother’s folly.

Elizabeth has been essentially running the estate, Jane and Lydia and Kitty have been forced to keep Fanny calm and happy while Mary.

.. well, that poor thing, to be dealing with her fractious, irrational mother while rushing to prepare for her own wedding. ”

“You do not think Mary is happy?” her husband asked worriedly.

“Oh yes, very much so. I do not mean to say that Mr. Turnball is not a fine young man – he is! But oh Josiah, when you and I married, it was a gentle time, a beautiful time. My mother and I enjoyed many hours of discussion over my role as wife and mistress of my own house, and it was peaceful and wonderful. Fanny’s only part in Mary’s wedding was to obsess about clothing and wedding breakfasts; it was left to me and Jane and Cook to provide useful information for the poor girl.

And to have your brother’s illness hanging over the whole affair made it even more difficult. ”

“Yes,” Josiah agreed somberly as his hand ran over the swelling of his wife’s abdomen. How he adored his Charlotte, and little Samuel, and the baby yet unborn!

“You are with child, my love,” he continued, “and I do not want you distressed or unhappy. If Fanny cannot behave, she cannot live here.”

“It is early days to worry about that, Josiah,” his wife said, sensibly enough. “Now come, it has been an exhausting day, and we should retire. And Josiah, in the midst of everything, I must ask; how are you doing? You lost a brother today.”

Josiah sighed and kissed his wife’s capped head.

“At the moment, I am more thankful that Thomas is free from suffering than sorrowing over his loss, except inasmuch as our nieces are grieving. My brother and I were so far apart in age and inclination that we have never been exceptionally close, though I am grateful that we were always on good terms. I am a little anxious over the future; I owe it to the estate to be a competent master, but I was not trained for it, and I still wish to pursue my artistic endeavors, and certainly Jane and Elizabeth should have their own opportunities in those areas…”

He trailed off as Charlotte placed a gentle finger over his lips. “Those are concerns for tomorrow, my dear. To bed with you!”

/

The Next Day

Eleven o’clock in the evening

Elizabeth sat in the east sitting room staring at her father’s corpse, which resided in an open, black-lined casket. The room had been made into a place of mourning, with black crepe covering the windows. She herself wore a dark blue dress, since the official mourning garments were not yet made up.

Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment, and she shook herself. It would not be right, or proper, to fall asleep as she watched over her father’s body.

The family was, at least, blessed with many female relations, whose task it was to sit in vigil.

Mary had returned yesterday with her husband at her side, and Charlotte too was taking her turn sitting with Mr. Bennet’s earthly remains.

In some families with only two or three female relatives, the ladies were absolutely exhausted by the time their loved one was laid to rest in the churchyard.

She found time to be thankful for Uncle Josiah’s thoughtfulness. He had been planning ahead for his older brother’s demise by speaking with an undertaker, and by ordering black cloth to be held at the ready. It was the sort of far-sighted behavior which boded well for the estate itself.

Elizabeth’s father had been intelligent, but he had not been diligent. He had spent so many years hiding in his library, doing the bare minimum as master of the estate, and even less as father and husband.

Josiah was a very different sort of man; not, perhaps, as clever as his older brother, but far more energetic. Elizabeth had no doubt that Longbourn would prosper under his care.

The door opened and Elizabeth looked up as Charlotte stepped into the room, clad in dark gray.

The new mistress of Longbourn was even more practical than her husband, and Elizabeth knew that Charlotte often wore darker clothing because such garments were less inclined to show dirt.

Thus, she had several gowns which were appropriate for a sister-in-law in mourning .

Elizabeth smiled up at her aunt, full of gratitude.

Charlotte had been her childhood friend, and the two ladies had long been on excellent terms. Elizabeth had been surprised when her Uncle Josiah, heir to Longbourn, had chosen the former Charlotte Lucas as his bride, but it had been a most welcome surprise.

If the master of Longbourn was quite different than his predecessor, the mistress was even more so.

Fanny Bennet was vulgar, anxious, petty, vacuous, flighty, and often selfish.

Charlotte was sensible, diligent, plain, and kind.

“Charlotte, ought you not to be in bed?” Elizabeth asked, eying her aunt’s abdomen.

“I will go up in an hour,” Charlotte replied. “For now, your uncles wish to see you and your sisters in the drawing room while your mother is asleep. I will keep watch here.”

Elizabeth frowned in perplexity but did not ask questions. She made her way out of the door, down the corridor, and into the drawing room where Uncle Gardiner, Uncle Josiah, and the other Bennet daughters were assembled, all dressed in the darkest clothing their wardrobes provided .

Jane gestured to a seat next to her, and Elizabeth took the spot, grateful to be off her feet again. She was so very fatigued.

“My dear nieces,” Josiah said as soon as Elizabeth was settled, “I know that this is a sorrowful time for you, and I do not intend to keep you long from your beds. I merely wish to take a few minutes to speak of Longbourn and your situation without your mother present.”

This was blunt, but none of the girls protested.

Mrs. Bennet had been whimpering and whining and wailing much of the day, entirely resistant to all attempts to soothe her.

Worse yet, she had been openly contradicting some of Charlotte’s orders, which was causing turmoil and confusion among the servants.

“Firstly,” Josiah continued, staring directly at Kitty, “I want to assure you all of my love, and your aunt’s love as well. We promise that we will take care of you. I know your mother fears the hedgerows, but that will not happen.”

Kitty smiled back gratefully and openly relaxed.

Josiah now looked at his brother-in-law, Mr. Edward Gardiner, who said, “Having said all that, my dears, there is a reasonable chance that your mother, at least, will not be able to stay here at Longbourn. We hope that she will grow calmer and more sensible after the initial shock of your father’s death fades, but… ”

“But you cannot be certain that she will,” Lydia said boldly.

Their uncles exchanged glances and Josiah said, “No, we cannot, and while I intend to do my duty regarding your mother, I will not risk Charlotte’s health while she is in a delicate condition.”

“None of us could possibly expect you to do such a thing,” Jane said calmly. “Furthermore, it is not good for the servants to be coping with our mother treating our aunt like a usurper.”

“Indeed it is not,” Josiah agreed.

“But where would Mamma go?” Kitty asked timidly. “And would we go with her?”

“Jane and I have spoken a little this evening,” Josiah said, looking affectionately at his eldest niece.

“Your aunt and I have a house in Cheapside, you know, only a short distance from the Gardiners’ house.

If your mother does not settle, and soon, she can move to London with Jane and perhaps Elizabeth, though of course Lizzy will need to decide whether that is her desire.

With the Gardiners nearby, it should be a good solution for Fanny.

Another option would be for your mother to live with your Uncle and Aunt Phillips, but that would be more awkward due to their close proximity to Longbourn. ”

“I would like to go to London!” Lydia said, sitting up straight, her eyes sparkling. “You know how much I enjoy the theater!”

“I know you do, dear one,” Josiah said, “but keep in mind that you will be in deep mourning for at least three months. There will be no parties and the like, and certainly no trips to the theater for some time.”

Lydia sighed and then, casting a quick look at her elder sisters, said, “But surely it is not fair to Lizzy and Jane to have to manage our mother alone? You know that I do a good job of distracting Mamma and making her happy. Perhaps I ought to go along to help?”

Her uncles both nodded in approval, and Mr. Gardiner said, “Perhaps you should. It is not necessary to make such decisions now. The situation is very much in flux, and maybe my sister will grow more tranquil in the next days.”

“Perhaps,” Jane agreed dubiously.