Page 15 of Lord Lonbourn's Daughter
While the eldest Bennet daughters were being escorted around town by Lady Matlock, the Darcy carriage entered Longbourn village in Hertfordshire.
Although modern and well maintained, the house they were approaching was not as impressive as Darcy had imagined and certainly smaller than the Matlock estate. It was even smaller than Pemberley.
“This is Jane’s property, Longbourn Lodge. We had it built because my wife did not like Longbourn Castle.”
“The grounds and pastures look fertile and productive,” Darcy replied whilst thinking that this being one of the earl’s lesser estates explained a lot. Neither was it so strange that his wife preferred to live somewhere other than the castle where their relations had perished.
“Yes, I have no cause to complain,” the earl replied, revealing his lack of interest in any further discussions on the topic of agriculture.
The carriage drew to a halt, the door opened, and two young girls came bouncing down the steps.
“Papa!”
The earl was enveloped in an enthusiastic embrace before his daughters began pestering him for gifts from town. Their father laughed good-naturedly and promised that their sisters had sent them a little something but it was tucked away in the luggage he was taking to Ramsgate. They would have to wait until they arrived at their temporary seaside home to unwrap it.
The youngest was also the tallest; a well-developed blonde girl who resembled Lady Jane in colouring but not in character. The other one was darker and sweet looking but did not speak much—a trait Darcy would later discover to be a blessing as the youngest hardly ever drew breath.
They would leave for Ramsgate on the morrow. Unfortunately, they had to spend a night at an inn and would arrive at their rented house the following afternoon.
Mr Darcy looked at his sister, who had fallen silent at the introduction to the two Longbourn girls. Having met the three oldest sisters, he would never have imagined that the younger would have been quite so unruly. To be fair, Lady Catherine—or Lady Kitty as she preferred to be called—was not much trouble. She did not speak or act much out of fashion; but the youngest felt like more than enough bother on her own.
At a loss for how to make his shy sister feel at ease with the other two girls, Darcy walked away and took Georgiana with him.
#
Two days later, Darcy would have paid a handsome sum for temporary deafness.
“You must close your ears to the hubbub, Mr Darcy,” the earl urged him, but he had not the older man’s selective hearing. He could not concentrate his attention on his book amid the incessant chattering, and his head was ready to explode by the time they reached Ramsgate.
He immediately set out for a walk along the beach; the wind blowing in from the sea was a blessing on the warm summer evening.
His initial impulse was to turn tail and escape back to London with Georgiana. On second thoughts, he realised that the motherless Longbourn girls deserved to learn proper comportment. They had suffered the greatest loss at the most crucial moment in their lives. Thank goodness for Mrs Younge,a capable woman he had hired from Miss Hewlett’s ladies’ seminary. It was she who had written him a letter, revealing how unhappy Georgiana was at the school, friendless and alone in her spare time. He had not hesitated to bring her home and offer the position of her companion to Mrs Younge. Georgiana trusted her with her secrets, and she was not someone who easily confided her feelings. If he were to help his sister to navigate the intricacies of thebeau monde, she needed a confidante who was surefooted in society. Mrs Younge had once been presented herself and had married the second son of a friend of his father’s. The family was well known to him, and George Darcy had even attended Mr Younge’s funeral.
He could trust Mrs Younge; she would notify him if the situation became untenable.
Darcy and the Earl of Longbourn stayed for four days at the seaside resort, leaving an extensive list of rules and requirements with the governess and companion before their departure. The Season at Ramsgate did not commence in earnest until August. It was not deserted but it was mostly families with small children, not thebeau mondeand their penchant for balls and parties, who inhabited the beaches.
Besides, Georgiana had warmed to the Longbourn girls, Lady Kitty in particular, as they shared a common passion for watercolours—a worthy pursuit in Darcy’s mind.
#
“Elizabeth, dear, will you not tell me what is troubling you?” Lady Matlock implored.
“I would if I knew myself, but there really is nothing the matter with me. I am just a little homesick, I suppose. ForLongbourn and the tranquillity there. I miss walking in the woods and through the pastures. I grow restless when I cannot take any exercise more vigorous than a stroll in the park.”
“We could go for a ride.”
“Yes, that sounds lovely, your ladyship,” Elizabeth replied.
“Annabella, would you like to join us?” Lady Matlock enquired of her daughter-in-law.
“Yes, thank you, a ride sounds refreshing after sitting so long in one attitude,” the viscountess agreed.
It was too late in the day to be strictly fashionable, which meant that the paths were less populated—a blessing to Elizabeth’s mind. She had not known before she travelled to London, sociable creature that she was, that she would crave solitude just as much.
Lady Matlock and Jane rode ahead; Elizabeth and Lady Crawford followed behind.
“Is that Mr Bingley?” the viscountess enquired.
