Ten Years Gone By

By Lucie

Part I

Posted on Thursday, 15 May 2008

Elizabeth lowered herself carefully onto the window seat to watch her husband ride out of the courtyard and off to the farms. It was shearing time and the town sage was predicting bad weather by the Sabbath. Mr Darcy said that every hand was needed to get all the shearing done in time. He felt no doubt that old Wilsons prediction would prove correct. Neither of them had never known the man to be wrong. After he talked to Wilson a fortnight ago he had made a quick trip to town to pick up some of the farmers who had lost their farms and gone to town in the hope of finding work, though not many succeded in finding steady jobs and were forced to live on --- Street where the rent was cheapest.

Lady St John told Lizzie many years ago that Darcy had nothing to fear in that part of town. People there knew that he came bringing work or the packages from the Society for the Poor. No one would attack him or try to rob him. She was proven correct many times in the last ten years years when he made a fast trip and returned (as he did last week) with 10 men eager to work with no thought of the long hours. They were housed in the old servants quarters and the wives who came along took care of the cooking and cleaning.

The need to get the job done was urgent and he felt that as Master he should do his share and help, so he left this morning in working man's clothes with no promise of when he would return. She knew that he would eat some bread and cheese when he got home and fall into bed as soon as he finished his bath.

Elizabeth was expecting her fifth child in two months and she was feeling uncomfortable already so she was glad to have a letter from Charlotte.

Charlotte was to come to visit in a fortnight and she would be so glad to welcome her. She would stay until after the child was born, which would be a great comfort to Lizzie.

She opened the letter to read it a second time.

Mayfair

May 3, 1824

Deares Lizzie,

I would be delighted to come to Pemberley for your laying in. Five children. What a fine family you have my dear friend and such a wonderful husband.

As I write this I am thinking it is hard to believe that last November you were married 10 years. So much has happened, so many changes in both our lives.

Jane and Mr Bingley live within a half days drive fron you . She too has such a beautiful family. Her two girls look so much like their mother and the boy looks and acts so much like Mr Bingley that I have to laugh sometimes.

Your father has a new wife and two healthy sons.

I have been widowed and am now happily married and I can still scarce believe that I am Lady Wilcox.

Lizzie laid the letter in her lap and thought of what had happened to her family and her best friend.

Jane and Bingley had fled, she grinned, (it was the only way to express it.) Their mother daily visits along with her sister Aunt Phillips, and Kitty and Mary had proven too much so they bought a lovely estate but 25 miles from Pemberley before they had been married a year. Jane wanted to get away from Longbourn before her child was born so they moved very quickly.

Lizzie and Darcy went to Herdfordshire to help, only to be met by a wrathful Mrs Bennet who berated them and Bingley for taking her dear Jane from her and robbing her of the pleasure of seeing her first grandchild born.

"Mr Darcy you must do something. I know that you can make Mr Bingley see that it will be the death of me if I lose my dearest Jane so soon after Lydia left us."

Mr Darcy assured her that he could do nothing, the estate was bought and it was just what Jane wanted.

Next she turned on Elizabeth,"I blame you for this Lizzie, she screeched. You are a selfish ungrateful daughter. You want Jane to yourself so you convince her to move to the north to be near you. I shall never forgive you for this."

Before she had even finished with Elizabeth Mr Bingley entered the room to find out what the yelling was about.

His mother in law whirled about screaming, "You, I thought you were such a fine gentleman. Only now I find out that you are as selfish and mean spirited as Lizzie. You do not want to share your wife with her family, you only want her for yourself. You were my favorite son until I found out your true nature. You are nothing to our dear Wickham who appreciates me and wishes to spend more time at Longbourn."

"Enough Mrs Bennet, their father, snapped, I have tried to tell you all these months that if you did not give Jane and Bingley some privacy you would drive them away. You would not listen. It is you and your sister spending all day every day her that has driven them away."

"What nonsense, Mrs Bennet stormed. My daughter wanted me here, she would miss me if I did not come. They have plenty of time alone, what foolishness you speak. It is not me it is these two plotting to rob me of my dear Jane's company."

Jane, dear sweet Jane, who no one thought would ever lose her temper had had enough.

"No Mama, Father is right, she said angrily, you gave us not peace, no privacy. You and Aunt Phillips were here from sunup to sundown. You invited your friends for tea and even to dinner. Lady Lucas and Mrs Long at least had the decency to come only once a week after they realized that we were getting no peace, no time for ourselves. Kitty all the time crying because the redcoats were gone and Mary banging on the pianoforte when she was not pontificating."

"We tried to escape to London but you even showed up there to our surprise and chagrin. We couldn't escape you, so we bought a place in the north so that we could have some time to be husband and wife."

"I do not like to hurt you Mama but I am tired of your tirades blaming Lizzie and my poor dear patient Charles."

"If you want to shout at someone for our leaving look in the mirror."

Mrs Bennet began to wail, "I cannot believe that you my dear sweet Jane would speak to me in such a manner, my heart is broken."

"Take me home Mr Bennet, I shall spend no more time in this house."

Part II

Posted on Thursday, 19 June 2008

With a rueful smile Elizabeth took her letter and moved from the window seat to the divan. Here she could lie back and watch the birds in the garden.

Scanning the letter again she let her mind drift back over the past ten years. "Almost eleven, she thought, short only three months. So much has happened so many changes in all our lives," she thought.

"Ahh Mama," Mama she murmured with a chuckle.

True to her word Mrs Bennet refused to enter the doors of Netherfield. Even when Mr Bingley came to personally invite them to dine with them three days before they left. Refusing his invitation, she told him that the only thing that would ever entice her to Netherfield would be when he and Jane came to tell her that they were not going north but were staying right where they had been for the past year.

This of course was imposible so she sent him away telling him that they were going to be sorry when she died of a broken heart.

Mr Bennet refused her pleas to stay with her and instead told her he would go and take the two girls with him. Mary refused to go saying she had been insulted by Jane's words and would never go to Netherfield again, just like her mother.

Mr Bennet had a hard time concealing his relief that the two of them were not going. He had been dreading the thought of an evening full of nerves and heart palpitations to say nothing of Mary's sermonizing or banging on the pianofortte.

Kitty at first thought she would not go but when she went to tell her father that she too thought she had been cruelly used. He sat her down and finally made her admit that she did everything Jane had said and that she had been very selfish and thoughtless.

Mrs Bennet was very vexed when she learned that their had been other guests there. Mr and Mrs Danvers, the owners of Netherfield and Lord Carter, Earl of Hancock and his wife Lady Carter.

" An Earl was there, She wailed, why did no one tell me. I would have gone if I had known that."

"Selfish ungrateful child, she did not tell her mother that a peer of the realm was to be there. And Mr Bingley why did he say nothing when he was here."

"They did not know that they were to have visitors until the day after he was here, Mr Bennet replied. They did not want anyone to know that they were here and asked Jane and Bingley to tell no one. They were only going to be here two days and wanted peace and quiet, so that they could rest before they continued on to London at first light tomorrow. His Lordship is not well and needed the rest. If anyone had found out that they were here the entire communmity would have been there from morning to night."

"But she should have told me, Mrs Bennet cried, to shut out her own mother. Perhaps she is getting to be like her sister, too good for her family now that she has so much money."

"I could have kept their secret, I would have told no one."

Mr Bennet snorted, "You would have been out of the house to tell Lady Lucas and your sister before the door shut behind them. You could not have kept their secret if your life depended on it."

'Ohh, Mr Bennet, you mean to murder me with cruel words" she wailed, Hill, Hill, Where are my smelling salts, Mary, Kitty attend me."

IN less than a month a long letter had arrived at Pemberley from Longborn.

All was forgiven. Lord and Lady Carter had bought Netherfield and moved in three weeks after Jane and Bingley departed.

Mrs Bennet was beside herself wih joy.

An Earl, we have a peer as a neighbor now, she wrote. They came just before Jane and Bingley left so that Jane and Mrs Danvers could show her the house. They did not view the tenant farms because his lordship had to rest and gain his stength to finish the business of the sale.

Your Aunt Phillips and I and are very vexed at our husbands, who knew of this two months ago and said nothing to us. Your Uncle Phillips handled the sale and your father knew all about it. He even wrote to them about some of the particulars which Mr Phillips did not know.

They had been in Italy for five years for his health but he wanted to move back to England. Cheshire was too far north for them and his son was managing the estate there very well.

The hate Bath, she wrote, although I cannot see how anyone can dislike Bath. Her Lady ship says they do not like crowds, but most of all they detest the gossip and back stabbing that goes on there.

Her ladysip is quite a plain girl, only a year older than you, Lizzie. I cannot understand her marrying a man 30 years older than herself. She says she prefers older men with sense. Young men are silly and for the most part stupid, she thinks.

She says all they can talk about is whose horse is the best goer, how much they have won at the tables. Who is the best dancer, who is the handsomest woman and how long it will take them to bed her.

I tried to tell her that that is just how young men are, but she says they are disgusting for the most part.

She was very uncivil to our dear Wickham, who I thought was being his charming self. I don't know why she took such a dislike for him.

I really don't understand how she can be angry at him for saying that such a lovely young woman as herself was wasted on such an old man in such ill health. She got up so fast she spilled the tea and said she had a sudden headache and she must ask us to excuse her . With that she called the butler to show us out.

We returned the next day to see if she was well but were told that The Carters were not recieving guests, not even us. They accepted no one for a fortnight. By that time Lydis and Wickham had departed back to the north country so that he did not have a chance to tell here that her was sorry she was ill. He even went over by himself one day when he was out riding. I don't know what happened but he came back to Longborn looking pale and agitated.

When I tried to give her his regards she said that men like him were the reason she preferred older men and changed the subject.

His lordship says that he knows Mr Darcy, that he and Mr Darcy senior were friends for a good many years. He likes your husband very much Lizzie and says he looks forward to meeting you if you are as charming as Jane.

These letter came often for the next two years to Lizzies enjoyment.

Just over two years and five months after moving to Netherfield his lordship succumbed to his dreadful disease.

Lizzie and Darcy, Jane and Bingley were sorry to see him go but they knew it was for the best.

They had spent a good deal of time at Netherfield when they visited Longbourn.

Mr Darcy and his Lordship talking of Derbyshire and Mr Darcy's growing up. About the antics of him and the present Earl. They seemed to have been quite the scamps. Even then Wickham had to cheat at games.

Her Ladyship did not like Wickham because because she had heard all about him. He had tried to seduce the youngest Carter sister, just like he had Georgianna.

She said that she almost became ill when Mrs Bennet brought him to Netherfield, he was so sure she would fall under his spell. She had closed her doors to all the neighbors until she knew that he was gone. He had come by himself one day but she put him in his place, telling him she knew all about him. That men like him were the reason she prefered men like her husband.

The Darcy's stopped to pick up her Ladyship on their way home from London the month before Christmas after her husband died. She wanted to spend the holiday with his family. Though she was the second wife she was very much loved by her step children and they were grateful to the Darcys for volunteering to bring her to them.

Mrs Bennet, as always tried to talk Darcy into inviting Lydia and Wickham to Pemberley. Since they were all to be there, she insisted, it was time to forget the past and act like brothers.

Darcy refused making her angry enough to declare that she would go to the Wickhams to spend the holiday.

She was so sure that Darcy would relent in order to molify her and when he didn't she had no recourse but to go to Newcastle.

It was not a pleasant visit after that with her mother pouting and bewailing how ungrateful her children and her husband were. How cruel they all were.

Lizzie was glad that Jane's baby gave her an excuse not to come to Herdfordshire.It was worse than usual she wrote to her sister.

It was a glorious holiday at Pemberley. Mrs Reynolds went all out. She loved the holidays, especially now that her family were to all be there.

Mrs Bennet after taking the coach to Newcastle had a fine time with parties and balls everynight and some afternoon teas with the officers wives. The only thing that vexed her was that her husband had not given her enough money for the high living.

Two days before Her mother was to arrive by coach at Lambton Mrs Reynolds showed a Coloned Black into the study where Mr Bennet, Bingley, and Darcy were enjoying some fine brandy.

The Colonel cleared his throat before saying Mr Bennet I have some distressing news for you .

© 2008 Copyright held by the author.

---