21. Chapter 21

June 18, 2014 – Posting a little early today so I can watch The Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps first show of the year live via webcast. (Though they are in a rain delay...) Looking forward to seeing my son and his 149 brothers debut their show. Can't wait to hear the reaction to the full unveiling of #MarimbasOnTheField #cavs2014 #IMMORTAL #TheCavaliers

Ahem... Proud mamma momemnt.

Back to the story.

Now you've met the Fitzwilliams. They are a bit too good to be true, but it was fun writing such progressive relative for Darcy. He has Lady Catherine for another aunt so I thought he deserved a break. We'll be seeing a lot more of his relatives as the story progresses.

Chapter 21

The Darcy carriage pulled up in front of Longbourn just after lunch. Mary was the first out to greet her sisters, followed closely by their father. Mr. Bennet missed his two eldest daughters greatly whilst they were in London. He had spent more and more time with Mary but he longed for the company of his dearest Elizabeth again. Mr. Bennet instructed the driver to take the carriage to the stables and to tend to the horses there. He would see that Mr. Darcy's men were also fed, before they began their return journey to London. It was the least he could do for them after seeing his two precious daughters safely home.

When Jane entered into the house, she was met by her mother who began exclaiming over her good fortune of almost securing Mr. Bingley for a husband and how their worries would be over when she did. Jane was mortified and Mary threw Elizabeth a resigned shrug. Elizabeth was glad she had not allowed Jane to brave the onslaught without her support.

That night, Jane and Elizabeth invited Mary to their nightly chat and she was very pleased to be included. For a long time she thought nothing of these sisterly conferences, but since that night at the Netherfield Ball she had become jealous of her two eldest sisters' intimacy. Jane had Elizabeth, Lydia had Kitty and Mary had…Fordyce's Sermons.

Mary was asked to acquaint the other two regarding the news of the house and neighborhood whilst they were away. She took great enjoyment from the exercise and even surprised her sisters with her sometimes-witty commentary.

"Kitty and Lydia spend almost all of their waking moments either talking about officers, thinking about officers, or walking to Meryton to be near officers. There were times I thought I would scream if someone had said another thing about a 'red coat'." Mary continued later, "Mama is an interesting paradox. On one hand she is mortified that Charlotte Lucas will one day take her place as Mistress of Longbourn, but on the other hand she is offering Lady Lucas all kinds of advice on Charlotte's wedding. She prefaces everything with 'The Future Mistress of Longbourn deserves…' As I said, it highly diverting." Elizabeth was delighted in the continued blossoming of her next youngest sister.

Before Mary left for bed, Elizabeth asked, "Mary, would you allow Jane and me to experiment on your hairstyle tomorrow? If you do not like it you can always change it. We were talking about some of the things we saw in Town and we both thought several might look very becoming on you!" Mary hesitated. Elizabeth went to reassure her. "Mary, before we left we promised to help you and be by your side. We intend to do that, but Jane will not be here for very long. Mr. Bingley will not be gone that long and when he returns her days at Longbourn are numbered." Jane blushed but did not contradict her. "Let us make the most of the time we have left together. Let us fulfill our pledge to you. And besides, it will keep us out of Mama's path for at least one morning!"

At last Mary seemed to relax and she acknowledged her acceptance before she left. When she was gone, Elizabeth turned to Jane. "Thank you for agreeing to allow Mary into our conversation tonight. I would like to continue if you do not mind. She is changing before our eyes. And I was serious about you leaving soon. Do not deny it, you know I am right, Jane."

"I cannot deny the fact that it appears to be heading that way. But Lizzy, Mr. Bingley has not made me an offer yet."

"I think the only thing that has stopped him from doing so is his business in Manchester. I do not think that he will wait long once he returns."

"I hope you are right, Lizzy." Jane admitted

"Of course I am! Now let us form our plan about Mary."

It was agreed that they would continue to invite her to their nightly chats. Elizabeth would continue to walk with her and Jane would work on her social skills and manners. Elizabeth would also make suggestions on her pianoforte performance. She did not think that it would take that much to help her there. Her very newfound maturity would naturally lead to more maturity in her performance as well.

The next morning, Elizabeth collected Mary for a short walk before breakfast. She told her that she and Jane had planned to spend much time with her in the coming weeks. Mary agreed to resume their walks as the weather allowed and was overjoyed at the permanent invitation to their nightly chats.

After breakfast, Jane, Elizabeth and Mary retired upstairs to Mary's room. With the help of their maid, they tried out the different hairstyles. They especially like two of them and Mary agreed that they looked well on her. The maid agreed to help Mary and the three of them ventured downstairs for lunch. As they entered, Mr. Bennet looked at his middle child and smiled warmly at her. When the opportunity arrived, he quietly complemented her on the new look. While the change would not be called dramatic, the overall effect was a general softening of the features of her face. She might not yet be called beautiful but she could now be called pretty, a word rarely associated with Miss Mary Bennet before. Changes in her posture would be Jane's next project.

The afternoon saw Elizabeth at Lucas Lodge being informed of all the wedding details by her friend. There was now around one month left til the wedding. Charlotte's mother had planned a shopping trip to London for the next week. Charlotte invited Elizabeth to come with her but she declined. This was a poor time to leave Longbourn, for Mary and Jane's sake.

"If you will not come to London with me, then you must come visit me in Kent. Papa and Maria are to visit me at Easter and I would like it if you would come with them."

"Charlotte, I have just returned from being gone over six weeks and now you wish for me to spend another month away from home so soon after?"

"It is nearly two months from now. Please say yes, Maria is counting on you to come."

"I will speak to my father, but I cannot guarantee anything before I do. Are you sure you would like house guests so soon after you are married?"

"I do not mind. Maria will be there if you do not come, so do not feel that you will be intruding on us." Charlotte pleaded.

Elizabeth realized that this would put her at Hunsford at nearly the same time that Georgiana and her brother would be at Rosings. Of course she would love to see Georgiana again but she was afraid it would be too soon to be confronted with her brother. She would have to consider it more before she accepted. She was also worried that her father would not permit her to go so soon after her latest visit. Mary would be there to support Jane against her mother, that was not a concern, but Mr. Darcy kept coming back into her thoughts.

"I will tell you soon Charlotte, I promise. Now tell me all that I do not already know about the wedding plans. Do you know yet where you will spend the wedding night?"

Charlotte filled her in on all the details only ladies would be concerned about. Elizabeth still wondered at the wisdom of her friend's choice but she did note that Charlotte did not seem to be too concerned about her future marriage partner. Elizabeth began to understand that she would make him a good wife. Charlotte had the good sense to know how to manage such a man, and to carve out enough of a life of her own to keep her content. Elizabeth would not wish it on herself but she understood that many women would give everything they had to be in Charlotte's position. She would never be poor and that was enough for Charlotte.

The next item on Jane and Elizabeth's agenda for Mary was a meeting with their father. They would need some extra funds if they were to continue the transformation of Mary's appearance.

As agreed, Elizabeth began the campaign. "Papa, Mary has told us of the extra time you have been spending with her. Thank you. We both were worried that Mama would overwhelm her whilst we were away just as she has made the first steps to becoming a more mature woman."

"Jane, Lizzy, there is no need to thank me. I have only done what I should have been doing all along with Mary. Indeed I should make more of an effort with Kitty and Lydia. I would if I thought they would actually listen to me."

"Oh Papa, do not be so hard on yourself. Jane and I are hardly any less to blame than you. But for now I think one project is more than enough for us to handle."

"I noticed the new hairstyle on Mary today. That was your doing I suppose?"

"Yes, Papa, Elizabeth and I thought it was a good place to start." Jane said entering the conversation.

"Well girls," Mr. Bennet replied, "I think you made a good start there. Tell me what is next."

"Jane and I have invited Mary to participate in our nightly discussions." Mr. Bennet was very pleased to hear this. He knew Mary would be honored by being invited to join and that it would do her self-confidence a world of good.

"I have asked Mary to continue our morning walks together," Elizabeth continued, "the exercise will do her good and it is a time that we can use for uninterrupted conversations. I also plan to continue taking a book with me for discussion when the times arise. We have already had many of these and I have found Mary's insights to be surprisingly perceptive. But that is just another example of how much I have ignored her to not know the depth of her mind on anything other than morality."

"What is your particular part in this, Jane?" her father asked.

"My part is less defined, Papa. It is more my position to be with her in company and to assist her in learning more acceptable social behavior. I will start by sitting with her with Mama and helping her learn from there."

"I see. Now you must have more plans and I would be obtuse to think that in some way I was not to be involved."

"Yes, Papa," Elizabeth answered, "I will be speaking to her about her performance on the pianoforte. She needs to learn to play with more feeling and your encouragement of her improvements would be most welcome."

"And," he prodded.

Elizabeth smiled at his perceptiveness but she was not ready to press home the main point just yet.

"And it would be most helpful if you would continue spending time with her," she added.

"And," he prodded again.

"And we will need a little bit of 'working capital' for our effort to improve her dress. We are not asking for a whole new wardrobe. You have already been more than generous with Jane and me. What we are asking for is a small amount of money to help Mary make subtle changes to the gowns she already has. We thought about asking Mama for this but…"

"I understand." Mr. Bennet finished. "I think you two have crafted a well thought out plan. I will be your financial backer. Do not worry, your mother will never know. Let me know how much you think you might need and I will make sure you have it. I must say you have made a very good start. Mary is much improved already."

"Mary is the one who deserves the praise Papa. None of this would have happened had she not wished it so." Jane replied.

"Nevertheless, you deserve some credit. I believe I may be down to only two silly daughters. Once you finish with Mary I expect you to work your magic on Lydia and Kitty!"

Jane excused herself but Elizabeth stayed behind to talk more with her father.

"Papa, I visited Charlotte Lucas today."

"Have you reconciled yourself to accept her choice yet?"

"Yes I have. I see now that she understands what she is doing. She will make him a good wife and I am happy for her that she will someday have Longbourn. If one of us could not have it then I am glad it will have such a capable Mistress."

"I am glad you are so reasonable about this, Elizabeth. I would be sorry for you to have lost your friendship over it."

"Yes. Papa, Charlotte asked me to come visit her at Hunsford when her father and Maria visit over Easter."

"Do you wish to go, Lizzy?"

"I am not sure. I just returned home from a nearly seven-week absence. Would you be disappointed if I left again so soon?"

"I would miss your company but if you want to go you have my permission. Do you want to, Lizzy?"

"I honestly do not know yet Papa. I will give you my answer in a few days."

"By that time you will be begging me to allow you this relief from your mother!"

"I believe you may be correct, Papa!" Elizabeth laughed as she placed a kiss on his cheek before she left him.

The first time Elizabeth wore one of her new gowns her mother's reaction was not wholly unexpected.

"Why Elizabeth, what a beautiful new gown. I suppose you bought that in town?"

"Yes, Mama," Elizabeth answered.

"That is a very fine gown indeed, however could you afford such a thing?"

Elizabeth had anticipated her mother's question and had decided on the approach she would take. "It was a gift from Georgiana, Mama. In fact she had several made for me."

"I would have expected nothing less. How many rich young men did you meet?"

Elizabeth struggled not to roll her eyes. "I was introduced to Mr. Darcy's friends whenever we met. But remember Georgiana is not yet out and our opportunity to be in company was limited."

"Yes, but did you receive many gentleman callers?" her mother prodded.

"No, Mama, the gentlemen came to see Mr. Darcy on business."

"Perhaps the next time you stay with the Darcys you will be able to meet with more men." Her mother stated, assuming Elizabeth would be a frequent guest of the Darcys.

Elizabeth then steered the conversation in another direction.

The next few days passed in an expected manner. By the end of them Elizabeth was happy to inform Charlotte that she was accepting her invitation to visit Hunsford.

Mary and Elizabeth continued their morning walks and gradually increased the length of their excursions as Mary became more and more able to keep up with her sister. Sometimes Jane would accompany them and the three enjoyed their ever-increasing intimacy.

One morning Elizabeth and Mary were discussing Wordworth's poems from Lyrical Ballads.

Elizabeth read:

I heard a thousand blended notes,

While in grove I sate reclined,

In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts

Bring sad thoughts to the mind.

To her fair works did nature link

The human soul that through me ran;

And much it griev'd me my heart to think

What man has made of man.

Through primrose-tufts, in that sweet bower,

The periwinkle trail'd its wreathes;

And 'tis my faith that every flower

Enjoys the air it breathes.

The birds around me hopp'd and play'd:

Their thoughts I cannot measure,

But the least motion which they made,

It seem'd a thrill of pleasure.

The budding twigs spread out their fan,

To catch the breezy air;

And I must think, do all I can,

That there was pleasure there.

If I these thoughts may not prevent,

If such be of my creed the plan,

Have I not reason to lament

What man has made of man?*

"What are your thoughts on this, Mary?" Elizabeth asked.

"I find his way of describing nature interesting. He appears to eschew verbose, allusion-filled images in favor of a lighter treatment. He sees nature as simple, pure and so chooses simple verse to reflect this." Mary offered.

"I can see your point Mary. I am struck though by the pain he is expressing."

"How so, Elizabeth?"

"Do you not feel it in the lines 'What man has made of man?' There must be some deep hurt that is able to intrude at any time into his thoughts, even when he is in such a peaceful environment. I would not wish to be hurt so, Mary."

"I would not either, Elizabeth. But what choice do we have? Retreating from society is not the answer. I have tried that and found it brings no true contentment."

"Yes, Mary. We do not find contentment without companionship do we?"

"No, we do not. I do not believe I have ever been so at peace with myself than I have been these last three months. Even when you and Jane where gone, I found that I could bear the chaos of Longbourn much better knowing that I had your support."

"I am so happy you came to me, Mary. You are growing to be quite a woman you know. Papa, Jane and I are very proud of you."

"Now if only Mama would notice." Mary sighed.

"Give her time, Mary. Eventually she will see what we have seen all along."

"Thank you, Elizabeth, I really am glad you are my sister." Mary smiled.

Elizabeth smiled back at her and they continued their walk and their discussion of Wordworth's poetry.

*William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads "LINES Written in Early Spring"

Mr. Bennet called Jane into his study one morning.

"Jane dear, I have just received a missive from your Mr. Bingley. I must say that I am grateful that he personally called to ask permission to court you. It would have taken me a week to decipher his meaning had he written. Would you like to see his letter?"

"May I?"

"Of course, dear. Here, read it yourself." Mr. Bennet chuckled as he handed Jane the letter. Jane appeared very excited under her calm exterior. Her excitement quickly abated as she comprehended the deplorable nature of Bingley's hand. She struggled for several minutes trying to make it out. At last she handed the letter back to her father.

"Miss Bingley was not exaggerating when she described her brother's correspondence. I think that he said that his business in Manchester was very complex and that he anticipated being there at least through the end of March. Is that what you gathered?"

"Yes it is, Jane. I am sorry he is so delayed. I know you miss him no matter how hard you try and hide it, dear."

"I do miss him, Papa. He is the best man I know."

"If even better than your own father?"

"Oh Papa! Will you ever tire of teasing us?"

"No Jane, you must allow me this one comfort in life. Now run along and share your news with Elizabeth. She is much better at consoling you than I."

Before long it was the day of the wedding of Mr. Collins and Charlotte Lucas. Charlotte made a lovely bride and Lady Lucas was ecstatic. Mr. Collins could not help telling everyone how his 'dear Mrs. Collins' had made him the luckiest of men. Before she left the wedding breakfast, Elizabeth promised to write to her friend and confirmed her plans to visit Hunsford.

Elizabeth had exchanged several letters with Georgiana since she had left London. Georgiana was thrilled that she would be seeing Elizabeth so soon. However, she decided to keep this bit of news from her brother. It would be lovely to surprise him. This would be the first time she had ever eagerly anticipated a trip to visit her Aunt Catherine at Rosings Park!