When Papa entered the room with his guests, Jane was startled, though no one other than her sisters and perhaps Papa would ever know. The serenity of her countenance barely altered. Mary’s eyes widened, but she glanced at Jane and soon put herself to rights.
Elizabeth had the advantage over her sisters, for she knew the two were not such a fearsome pair. Despite their impressive appearance, the men had been uncomfortable when she appeared at Papa’s door. The blond man had recovered apace, but the darker, larger one had not. He had stared at her as though she were a curiosity at the British Museum.
From the introductions. Colonel Fitzwilliam was the one with lighter hair and Lieutenant Colonel Darcy the darker one with the intense, unsettling gaze.
“Of course, it is only Mr. Fitzwilliam and Mr. Darcy now,” Mr. Fitzwilliam said, correcting her father with a pleasant smile on his lips.
Papa just smirked. Clearly he liked these men, which meant he trusted them.
Elizabeth curtsied. Then she assisted Jane with pouring and serving the tea. Mary was unsure what to do with herself until Elizabeth handed her two plates laden with a variety of small cakes and biscuits and glanced over at the men. With slightly shaking hands, Mary handed them their food.
“We have all met before,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said cheerfully, as Mary returned to her chair. “Some years ago, of course. You three were accompanying your mother. You made a lovely scene, all of you dressed in your matching red cloaks and carrying baskets.” He smiled kindly at Mary. “You could not have been more than twelve, I think.”
Lieutenant Colonel Darcy glanced at them as if he were only now making the connection. Elizabeth tipped her head slightly to one side as she watched him. He was an odd sort of fellow. A Lieutenant General traveling with a wife and five daughters should be rather difficult to forget, even if they had remained behind the army itself.
“Thank you, sir,” Jane said. “We learnt a great deal from Mama. She is greatly missed.”
That she was. Elizabeth had come in for more than her fair share of chastisements from her mother. She was naturally sportive, and her mother did not always understand her. Still, Elizabeth had many fond memories of her mother. Mama had been at her best when she had a clear mission, and when she did, there was no holding her back from completing it. She might exaggerate her efforts afterward, but it did not obscure her generous nature. She had taught Elizabeth and Jane a great deal about tending to others, lessons she and Jane were attempting to pass down to Mary, Kitty, and Lydia.
“Mr. Darcy is in the same predicament,” Papa was saying. “He, too, is receiving an unexpected inheritance.”
Papa had always known he was the heir presumptive to Longbourn. His cousin Albert Bennet, the previous master, had been unmarried but less than a decade older, and given the dangers of his occupation, Papa had not expected to outlive the man. When a letter arrived announcing his cousin’s death and his inheritance of Longbourn, Papa had not wanted to leave his command and had remained in the field, corresponding with an excellent steward who had the management of the estate. Only after he was wounded in an accident involving one of his own men had he considered taking them all back to England. Mama had fallen ill whilst he was still making the arrangements.
“It is hardly a predicament, sir,” Darcy said sombrely. “It is an opportunity. One I did not expect but hope to use wisely.”
Hmm. Odd he might be, but Elizabeth could only approve such a sentiment.
Her father set down his teacup. “None of your ‘sirs’ here. Call me Bennet, if you please. It does take time to accustom oneself to country manners, but after three years, I have become rather fond of them.”
“Do you all enjoy living in the country, then?” Mr. Fitzwilliam inquired kindly, focusing on Jane.
“We do,” Jane replied. “My mother never wished to be parted from my father, but it is a fine thing to be settled in one place.”
Elizabeth remained silent as Jane carried on a polite conversation.
Her sisters enjoyed being settled, but Elizabeth had loved seeing new places and learning new things. Since they had returned to England, they had visited Mama’s brother and his family in London several times, but otherwise they had travelled nowhere at all, and she found the enforced idleness of a landed gentleman’s daughter difficult to endure. Soon after arriving, she had taken to visiting the tenants and volunteering to assist with the needs of the parish simply to fill her time.
She had remarked to her father more than once that she knew Spain and Portugal better than England, but Papa had only laughed and told her she would one day find a husband with the funds to finance such journeys. She had not let on how much his comment pained her.
It was rather unfair that Papa’s income should increase so dramatically and yet there were never funds for the kind of travel they had experienced when they had all followed the drum. She did not require a fancy carriage or expensive accommodations. She had made a great many friends among the officer’s wives and children and could count on a place to lay her head nearly wherever she might wish to go. But Papa had become rather fussy regarding his daughters, even about things that had never mattered before.
“Is that not so, Elizabeth?” Mary asked quietly.
She berated herself for drifting away from the conversation. Not for the world would she allow Mary to believe she was being ignored. “Of course, my dear.”
Jane’s mouth tugged upward on one side, as did Papa’s. “Perhaps in a week or so, gentlemen? I am sure you would prefer to ride the estate with Papa before you don your dancing shoes.”
Dancing shoes?
Mr. Darcy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Thank you, Miss Bennet. I would prefer that.”
“Excellent,” Papa said, slapping his hands on his knees and standing. “If you are finished, gentlemen, I am sure my valet has everything prepared for you. That’s another thing you will need, the both of you. Young bucks like you will need to look the part, and for that, you shall need a valet. Of course, you can afford one that does not also double as your butler.”
“Do you believe that truly necessary?” Mr. Darcy asked. “I have been dressing myself all my life.”
Elizabeth hid a smile. She had felt the same way about Sarah. Before, Mama and all the girls had all shared one maid and simply assisted one another. Now Jane had her own maid, she and Mary shared Sarah, and there was yet another maid for Kitty and Lydia, though she was less experienced because without any evening engagements, the girls did not require as much.
Papa grinned. He was enjoying himself immensely. Too much, perhaps, at the expense of his friends.