New Beginnings ~ Section I

Tasha S

Beginning, Next Section

I

Posted on Monday, 9 July 2001, at 12:03 a.m.

"Mother, has Sir Thomas really asked you to marry him ?" Elizabeth Bennet asked her mother.

"Yes dear. And I have accepted him. It is for the benefit of all of us. The Collinses have been kind enough to let us stay here for the past few months. But we cannot depend on that for ever."

"But Mama", cried Lydia "are we to go live in....wherever he lives? I don't want to leave Longbourne & all the Officers. Why cant he buy Longbourne and live with us ?"

"Don't be foolish dear" said Mama, "Mansfield Park is a grand estate. He has his 2 daughters and 2 sons living there. Think of all the balls and parties we will have !! To be sure you wont be able to marry one of his sons - after all they will be your half brothers - but there will be other rich families around the neighborhood".

Lydia & Kitty were immediately pacified "Balls ? Parties ? We have hardly had any since poor papa left us a few months ago".

Mrs Bennet was thinking aloud about her good fortune "I never expected to catch the attention of such a man! To be transformed from a mere Mrs Bennet to a Lady Bertram!! Not to say that your father was not a good man. May his soul rest in peace. But he left us to provide for ourselves, didn't he ? Oh! When the news spreads in the neighborhood what congratulations will flow in! To think I myself would be the means to get riches for my daughters!!"

Jane and Elizabeth silently walked out of the room & the house. They moved towards the shrubbery. "Lizzy, why should the match surprise you ? Sir Thomas has been courting Mama earnestly for at least 6 weeks now. And she has been talking nothing but about his visits since then"

"Jane, I am not surprised at her. I am more surprised at him. He seems to be a man of intelligence and good principles. Why would he want to marry our mother ? Although she is our own mother, we have never been blind to her faults".

"Lizzy, You have been only looking at her faults, not her goodness.... And you have to admit that she looks really well for her age. Look at the other ladies of the same age - does our mama look as wrinkled or as untidy as them ? Isn't her beauty itself enough for Sir Thomas to be attached to her ?"

" You are too good Jane....and I think in this instance you are right"

Elizabeth silently contemplated the events of the last few months and the match. Her beloved father had died due to a heart failure a few months ago. Just before his death Charlotte Lucas had married Mr Collins, who was now the real owner of Longbourne. Elizabeth had always promised a visit to her friend but it had not happened as yet - she was wanted at home more so now.

Sir Thomas Bertram had come to spend a few weeks at Netherfield. To be sure the Netherfield family had long gone to London - even before her father died & Charlotte got married. It seems Sir Thomas was a friend of Mr Charles Bingley's late father. Sir Thomas had recently met Charles Bingley in London. Sir Thomas was looking to spend a few weeks in a quiet secluded place; Bingley offered him the use of Netherfield. Sir Thomas's wife had died an year ago. It seems there was one of her sisters at home who never gave him any peace. And Sir Thomas wanted peace and quiet to cheer up his spirits.

"Will marrying my mother ever get him peace and quiet at his home ?" wondered Elizabeth. She had to acknowledge that the marriage will certainly bring more material comfort to them. Her beloved father had left the family finances in a mess. She had also seen his shortcomings as a proper father and a husband. "Will Sir Thomas be able to guide her mother better ? Or will he be bored with her after the newness wears off ? After all Mr Bennet had been attracted to her beauty in the first place too."

Jane and Lizzy wondered about what sort of girls and boys were now to be their new sisters and brothers. They hoped all of them will be able to share a good relationship with their respective new parents.

That evening Sir Thomas was coming to Longbourne for dinner. Mrs Bennet was in a state to get everyone ready on time. The cook had been ordered to send up a good meal, that will do credit to her housekeeping. Sir Thomas came. He greeted his fiancée with a big smile and peck on the cheek. She blushed. Lizzy was happy to see the effect on her mama. It actually made her quiet for a while.

Sir Thomas wished to converse with all his new daughters. He wanted to hear their opinions on when they should all remove to Netherfield, which servants they wanted to take along, what articles were important to each girl.... Jane & Lizzy soon saw that he was genuinely interested in all of the girls. He even spent a good ten minutes talking to Mary & letting her know about the library at Mansfield Park. "The library is big and well equipped. You will like it Mary. I will be proud to have at least one daughter who makes good use of it. My own daughters never ever go there. Its only Fanny and Edmund who like it most"

"And pray sir, how old are your daughters? Who are Fanny and Edmund?" asked Lizzy

"Ah you know nothing about them yet. I see I should tell you about my children and my niece....and... err also about my sister-in-law I guess" said Sir Thomas

II

Posted on Tuesday, 10 July 2001, at 1:09 a.m.

Lizzy noted the slight pause before he mentioned his sister-in-law. Gossip had already attributed her to be a rather shrewd boisterous lady who ran the Bertram household while Sir Thomas was in Netherfield. She imagined the sister-in-law to be a difficult person to get along with.

Sir Thomas saw that his new daughters and his fiancée were really interested in knowing about his family. This pleased him. "As I have already told your mother, I have 2 sons and 2 daughters. My Maria is the beauty of the family...she is not as beautiful as Jane of course (this made Mrs Bennet verrry happy). Julia is very pretty too. Both of them play the pianoforte very well. Tom, ah.. Tom is the heir being the eldest son. My Edmund is studying to become a clergyman. I must confess, he is my favorite offspring"

"And Fanny?" asked Jane

"Fanny Price is my late wife's niece. Her younger sisters daughter. Fanny lives with us and I have always considered her to be as part of the family as my children. More so since my wife passed away. She has been a dutiful daughter, attending on me and making sure I was always cheerful and comforted"

Even Mrs Bennet could hear the warmth in his voice and see the light in his eyes when he spoke of Fanny. "To be sure, she should continue to call Mansfield her home. I cannot take her beloved aunts place in her heart, but I'm sure I will treat her just like my own niece". Jane thought she had never heard her mother utter a kinder sentence. Sir Thomas looked delighted.

Lizzy turned away to hide her smile. It was well known how Mrs Bennet had not patience enough for her own little nieces - the 2 little Gardiner girls. But then she didn't have patience with any children. Fanny Price was not a child, so she may fare better.

"And pray sir, are any of your children engaged to marry yet ?"

"No, not yet. Although from my correspondence I seem to be hearing a lot about a certain Mr Rushworth who is trying to court Maria. He has recently inherited a large estate near by. I have not had the pleasure of meeting him yet."

The "large estate" made Mrs Bennet think of Mr Bingley & Jane. He had certainly used her ill. Hopefully she will make even a better match than Mr Bingley. Now Jane will have all the gowns & carriages and access to London society just like the Bingleys. However Mr Bingley was a good friend of Sir Thomas. That may bring Jane into his company again.

Sir Thomas continued his recital "Mrs Norris, is my late wife's sister. Mr Norris was the clergyman of our parish. Mrs Norris now lives alone in a cottage near our house. They had no children; she bestows all her love on her nieces and nephews. I am sure she will love all of you too"

"Oh, she is just like Mrs Phillips then" cried Kitty.

Perceiving a interest in the ladies to know more about their future home and the neighborhood, Sir Thomas described those in detail. He was delighted with the girls. They seemed to be welcoming him into their fold happily.

The next morning, at Netherfield, Sir Thomas was waiting for his letters. He had informed Edmund of his decision to marry Mrs Bennet and to tell all the children and Fanny. Edmund would know how to handle the situation with Mrs Norris, once she comes to know the plan. Sir Thomas hoped his children would welcome their new mother as warmly as her daughters had welcomed him. He hoped all of them will agree to attend the wedding.

Sir Thomas was very well satisfied with the alliance he was about to make. Mrs Bennet was as beautiful as his wife, may be more so.

But the resemblance ended there.

Mrs Bennet was definitely healthy and always cheerful. He could not imagine HER sitting on the sofa for ever!

She seemed to be a very good housekeeper too - something his first wife surely wasn't...may her rest in peace. Whether it was an elaborate dinner or just drinking tea, Mrs Bennet knew how to put great food on her table.

Mrs Bennet talked too much, but Lady Bertram had hardly talked at all! Sir Thomas hoped he could teach his new wife to talk less on proper occasions.

Lady Bertam was almost always dull and restless; Mrs Bennet was always full of life.

Yes, she would instill a lot of life in Mansfield. His daughters were long left in the care of Mrs Norris. A new mother will guide them better - indeed, if Jane and Elizabeth were anything to go by, Mrs Bennet knew how to bring up good intelligent daughters.

Also a new lively mother will help them mix in society more than Lady Bertram. They hardly ever gave dinners or went to grand dinners because of Lady Bertrams indisposition. That should end now. All in all he was satisfied with his decision...Yes, he was making a good match indeed.

However, he would have to watch the younger girls - Kitty & Lydia seemed boisterous. Will they affect Maria & Julia....turn the household in one big party ? He was going to make sure they do not!

Sir Thomas knew all about the entailment of Longbourne. He was glad to provide a good house for his step daughters. He planned to even provide something for them in his will. In turn, he hoped they will be a good influence on his offsprings.

He knew Jane and Elizabeth will get along very well with Edmund.

At last the Netherfield housekeeper came in with the letters. Sir Thomas took them eagerly. He saw Edmunds writing and opened the letter immediately.

Mrs Norris was furious.

Just yesterday Edmund had broken the "good news" as he called it to her. How dare Sir Thomas marry again ? Didn't he have any shame at all ? His wife died just over a year ago. How can he marry this..this... Hertfordshire female...an unknown ? Was he taken in by her ?

Mrs Norris was used to reigning the Bertram household. Will she actually have to give way to another scheming lady ? These thoughts had occupied her for more than 24 hours now. She had a plan, she will make sure this new Lady Bertram too will depend on her for running the household. She didn't know anything about running such a big estate, did she ? Knowing Sir Thomas, Mrs Bennet was probably a weak, frail but beautiful female.... Mrs Norris should have no difficulty in keeping HER under her thumb. Let her come here - the moment she comes, she should realize that she is in MY domain and behave accordingly.

Mrs Norris didn't want to sign the congratulatory letter the children had written. Mrs Bennet should write to her first....after all she is the new member & I am the old one. I demand that respect! And she absolutely refused to attend the wedding

All the children were leaving for Netherfield in 2 weeks time. They will all come back right after the wedding. That was enough time for her to plan the events that should take place after their return....Sir Thomas will know she is in a better position of making decisions for the Bertram household than the new mistress...."I must play my cards Right After the wedding. That is the key. Before she has a chance of consolidating her position, I will weaken it for her. I will make sure I am the only one capable of making good & right decisions. Then we will go along just as we started....with me in control" Mrs Norris felt very good at this thought.

And before that, she should have a chat with the kids.

She found all 4 of them and Fanny in the pink sitting room. Maria was stroking pug, remembering her beloved mama. That was a good sign, thought Mrs Norris "Ah Maria, Pug will have a new mistress now. But will she be as loving as the real one ?"

All of them looked up at her....

On the same morning Mrs Phillips was visiting Longbourne. Mrs Phillips was as excited as her sister, if not more. "Oh sister, sister.... I always knew you were not such a beauty for nothing. You were always supposed to be a Lady. How glad I am that I suggested you make mince pies and strawberry tarts for him last week!! I met Mrs Lucas on the way here. I took the liberty of telling her your news. Said I "Mrs Lucas, it looks like you will soon lose your good neighbours" "Oh," said Mrs Lucas, "have the Bennets found a suitable cottage then ? I hope Charlotte can now come to Longbourne soon enough" Imagine the look on her face when I told her that the Bennets have not found a cottage but a grand manor house!"

They were interrupted by a servant. "Ma'am Sir Thomas is here"

In walked Sir Thomas. After the proper greetings, he said "Here is a letter from my children for you dear. They have welcomed you and your daughters to the family"

On hearing this Jane and Elizabeth came into the room. The letter interested everyone. It was a small one page letter. It began with "Dear Madam" and was signed by Tom, Edmund, Maria, Julia and Fanny. They expressed their delight at the connection and were looking forward to meeting their new mother and their half-sisters"

"My dear Mrs Bennet, they have all agreed to attend the wedding. It can now take place just like we planned. Isnt that good news ?"

Mrs Bennet replied happily that it was. Turning to the girls Sir Thomas continued "Girls, your mother and I plan to get married in a months time. We want a small wedding - after all at our age, we don't expect any pomp" A look at Mrs Bennets crestfallen face and he added "not to say that the bride should not have beautiful new clothes on. Ofcourse you ladies wish to look best at weddings. I had forgotten that. My dear, why don't you all go to Meryton tomorrow to get new gowns for yourself and your daughters ? They will be a present from me of course"

Mrs Bennet had set her heart on going to London to get the gowns. But going to Meryton was better than not getting a new gown at all. She can always send to London after she became Lady Bertram

Kitty and Lydia were excited. Jane and Lizzy thanked Sir Thomas earnestly. Sir Thomas had one look at Mary and added "Mary dear, you may also buy any book you like in the new bookshop, as a present. I know you have little interest in new gowns" Mary looked as if she would hug Sir Thomas. No one had thought about her and paid so much attention to her as much as Sir Thomas.

When Sir Thomas left, the girls crowded around Mrs Bennet. "Mama, we like our new papa very much". "Mama, did you hear about the book?" "I want a blue silk dress - do you think there will be money enough for a bonnet ?" " You noticed, there was no mention of the sister in law in the letter. She probably is against the wedding" observed a smug Mrs Phillips.

Lizzy had noticed that too. She was very curious to find out more about Mrs Norris.

"Girls, girls, have pity on my poor nerves. Lets discuss this quietly. I am glad you like him. Didn't I tell you my step will make everyone happy ? yes we can buy bonnets too and shoes as well. Look here, Sir Thomas left this money with me for all our gowns. Gosh, we will have some left after the shopping. As to Mrs Norris, sister, she probably does not want anyone taking her sisters place. I will deal with her when I meet her! I have a feeling Sir Thomas does not really like her"

Jane turned to Elizabeth "I wonder which one of them actually wrote the letter. The writing is very even"

III

Posted on Wednesday, 11 July 2001, at 1:37 a.m.

From the last chapter: She found all 4 of them and Fanny in the pink sitting room. Maria was stroking pug, remembering her beloved mama. That was a good sign, thought Mrs Norris "Ah Maria, Pug will have a new mistress now. But will she be as loving as the real one ?" All of them looked up at her....

Edmund looked up from the book he was reading "My dear aunt, why do you suppose she will not be loving ?"

"What kind of an elderly widow takes in a man such as your father ? I am sure she must be a scheming person...do we know anything of her character ?"

"Enough Ma'am. If my father has chosen her to be his wife, she must be a good person. Remember he did a good job choosing his wife the first time. Why wouldn't he do a good job again ?"

"What do you think Tom ?" asked Mrs Norris

"I neither care nor think about the matter, aunt. If my father wishes to marry, it is his choice. Unfortunately Edmund has persuaded all of us, including me, to attend the wedding & show my respects. I shall do so. After that, I will be off to London" Tom resumed reading the newspaper

"My poor girls. How you must grieve this new addition" Mrs Norris turned to the girls

Edmund interrupted her with "Ma'am, I beg you to not prejudice your nieces against their new mother. Sir Thomas writes that our new mother is loving and lively. She has brought up her own daughters very well. I am sure she will be a good mother to my sisters as well. My father thinks she will help restore cheerfulness in the house"

Mrs Norris snorted. She will have to deal with the situation when Edmund was not around.

"She sure has restored more than cheerfulness in HIM! Made him forget his loving wife!!". She left the room before anyone could respond.

The next letter from Sir Thomas had instructions for preparing for their journey to attend his wedding. They wanted him to get few of his good clothes along. He also sent money for Maria, Julia and Fanny to get new dresses for the wedding. He explicitly asked Edmund to go with them to get the dresses. Tactfully he mentioned Mrs Norris may be too overcome to attend to this task. Edmund clearly saw his fathers thinking. He had seen his affection for Fanny grow in the last few months. He wanted Fanny to have equal share of the pleasures of choosing fabric & style for her new dress, just like his daughters. If Mrs Norris was to accompany them, she would choose the cheapest, coarsest fabric for Fanny.

Imagine Mrs Norris's surprise then, to see 3 equally nice dresses delivered to Mansfield 2 days before the party left for Netherfield. "What, this pink silk is yours Fanny ?" "Yes aunt. My cousins helped me choose it" "Oh your cousins always had good taste. But why silk for you ? so much waste.... And the sleeves - the sleeves themselves must have taken up too much fabric. Fanny you should be mindful of your ways of spending." For once Maria could not resist coming to Fanny's defense "Madam, she chose the style that required minimum material. We wanted her to style the dress just like mine. The pink silk would look beautiful in this style. But she refused for the very reason you are considering...." "Oh, dear Maria you are thoughtful as ever. But she knows that uncle owes her nothing. Not even this dress. Don't we all know how kind he has been taking her into his house..." She stopped as Edmund approached the room.

Later, Mrs Norris made sure she had a chat with Fanny alone "Remember Fanny, you owe all your good fortune to your dear aunt Bertram and to me. Indeed more to me, because I suggested that we get you here from your mothers house and make you what you are now. Don't ever try to forget your allegiance to me & your late aunt."

"Yes Ma'am"

"And don't put yourself forward as if you were Maria or Julia at the wedding. You must know your place there."

After a short pause, "Fanny, I will depend upon you to correspond with me and let me know more about your new aunt and her daughters. Send me all information you can - about the wedding, about their situation in life, their conduct with your uncle, their dresses....everything. I want to know all the details. I shall write to you regularly. & I expect you to do the same to this poor old lady left behind alone here"

Fanny thought this was too much to ask of her. But she didn't wish to argue with her aunt. She would try to make her letters as short as possible and her description as uninterested as it could be.

The party from Mansfield reached Netherfield on the appointed day. Sir Thomas was happy to see everyone in good spirits and more than happy to see Mrs Norris not among the travelers. He had worried that she may change her mind at the last minute and join them after all.

During dinner that day, he thanked his children for making the journey to attend his wedding. "The presence of each one of you means a lot to me. I thank you for coming to share my joy." "We are glad to be here, sir" said Edmund, adding "all of us are looking forward to meeting Mrs Bennet. "Ah yes, we have all been invited to dinner tomorrow. Mrs Bennet thought you would want to rest today, after your tiring journey".

No one said anything. Edmund knew his father wanted to hear the others talk for themselves. He looked expressively at Tom who shrugged and said "I'd be happy to go wherever you want us to go, sir".

Fanny, ever so observant, sensed Tom's total disinterest and said "It is so thoughtful of Mrs Bennet to not invite us today. I believe all of us are feeling rather sleepy and tired after sitting so long in the carriage."

Maria and Julia understood Edmunds look so very well. They wanted to show their interest, but didn't know how. What should they say that will please their father but not hurt the memory of their beloved mother ? Finally Maria said "This neighborhood seems to be very beautiful. We saw some of it as we drove by. Are there good walks and scenic spots ?".

Sir Thomas was watching all the children closely. He had not expected them to be jubilant, (after all who would want someone else to take their mothers place ?), but he had hoped they would not think ill of him for taking this step. He wanted to slowly find out if Edmund had forced them all to come. It pained him but didn't surprise him that Tom was not really interested in the happenings. But Tom led his own life, visiting London for long periods of time; and then he was secure in being the heir. No one was going to touch that position. Sir Thomas hoped Tom would get to know his new family and learn to like them.

He sensed he had Maria and Julia's approbation, but something stopped them from saying anything aloud. It was either the memory of their mother or some discussion "forced upon them" by their loving aunt!

The only sincere interest could be felt in Edmunds and Fanny's actions. They wanted him to be happy and wanted him to act accordingly. He sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day

When Tom set ready to go to Longbourne, he had no expectations for the evening. This whole marriage business didn't mean much to him. He spent a very small time at Mansfield each year. The London house was the place where he lived most of the time. The arrival of a new Lady Bertram was probably not going to change things much for him. He cursed himself for letting Edmund talk him into attending the marriage. He had better things to attend to in town...

A servant showed the party into a neat drawing room. Sir Thomas began the introductions... Tom thought Mrs Bennet was a charming lady, suitable enough for his father. He was about to find a place to sit when his father said, "Let me introduce you to your new half-sisters, This is the eldest Ms Bennet: Jane, Lizzy, that is Elizabeth...." Toms eyes rested on 2 very pretty girls. No, the first one was decidedly beautiful, the second one was...was...words failed him...she was not beautiful as her sister but lovely nevertheless. He found himself wanting to get acquainted with them.

After the introductions, there was a slight pause. Edmund came forward, took Mrs Bennets hand and said, "Ma'am all of us are so happy to finally meet you and your daughters. We hope all of us can get to know each other well in the next one and a half weeks. Our party back to Mansfield after that, will be a jolly one indeed". Mrs Bennet only smiled and thanked him. Sir Thomas had dropped a hint about his children not liking ladies who generally talked too much. They were used to the dignifying silences of their mother!

Jane turned to Maria, "I heard you and your sister play the pianoforte very well. I hope we can hear both of you play in the course of the evening ?". Maria smiled, "Do any of you play ?"

After dinner, Sir Thomas gave a contented sigh as he glanced around the room. Maria was playing the Pianoforte, Mary was assisting her. Tom was sitting next to Jane and making himself as agreeable as possible.

Elizabeth, Fanny and Edmund were discussing a book that Elizabeth was currently reading. Fanny was not saying much, but then that was due to her shy nature...or so Sir Thomas thought.

Julia and Kitty were discussing some new fashion....Lydia was occasionally joining them in the conversation.

"Well Mrs Bennet, it looks like all of them will get along well with each other."

Chapter IV

Posted on Wednesday, 25 July 2001, at 6:46 a.m.

One and a half week has passed since the dinner where Sir Thomas uttered these words. Let us examine the thoughts of the principal players on the eve of the wedding.

Tom, was sure glad he came for the wedding!! In the last few days he had got to know the eldest 2 Misses Bennets. He found he liked the company of both of them. Jane was somewhat reserved, but when she did talk, it was always pleasant conversation. Elizabeth always had something interesting to say. Both of them shared his love for dancing. Indeed at an assembly 2 days ago, they all had their share of dancing. To be sure none of them flirted like any of the girls he had known in town. They didn't show any inclination to flatter him; he liked them the better for that. He was not able to decide if what he felt for them was brotherly affection or something more ....let things take their course he decided. He knew for sure the 3 youngest ones were as silly as his sister Julia.....that may be an insult to Julia. They were worse!

Edmund was happy in his way too. He found Elizabeth to be a keen reader. Indeed at first he had thought Mary was the reader in the family. She always had her nose in the books. But a few chats with her and he was sure they didn't share any interests! She loved to read books that had Sermons, but she applied the thoughts expressed in the books at all the wrong places as far as he was concerned. There was hope for her though. She was timid and kept to herself and that reminded him of Fanny. Maybe he should help educate Mary's mind and help her along. He and Fanny had a discussion about it one night after spending the evening at the Bennets "Fanny, don't you think Mary needs a different approach on her reading ?" "On her reading ? I didn't discuss her reading much. I think she does need a different approach on her singing." "Singing ? Did she sing today ? I guess she did. I was in the library discussing with Elizabeth. My father wants me to help her sort out her fathers library. No, I am not concerned with Mary's singing. Its more for her reading. She keeps reading books that are not really right for her disposition and her age." "What do you plan to do about it ?" "Dear Fanny, if you take her under your wings, teach her more about good books, let her benefit from your good taste....she may improve a lot" "Cousin, me ? Me take her under my wings ?" "Of course, do you remember how we used to sit in the Mansfield library in your first year there ? You have developed your reading taste so much since then..." Edmund didn't see the slow blush that spread on her cheeks "How could I forget that ? Your kindness carried me thru that first year". "Fanny, lets show the same kindness to Mary & help her grow. You can see she is the most ignored daughter in that household. Almost as timid as you were when I first knew you" "Show the same kindness....? OK cousin, we will endeavor to help her"

"So Fanny, what do you think of our half sisters ? Don't you think Elizabeth has great taste in books and music ? I have never seen a pair of sisters so accomplished, yet lovely and humble at the same time, as Jane & Lizzy, sorry Elizabeth are. While in the library yesterday, I happened to see a beautiful painting of a bouquet. I asked Elizabeth about it - do you know she owned that she herself had painted it! It was a very well painted picture indeed. The discussion about the picture seemed to upset her though. Apparently it was a present she had given her father last year. I really wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how. She was crying softly & finally left the room. I have cursed myself 100 times since then"

And Fanny ? What were her reactions to her half-cousins and her new aunt ? Fanny saw clearly what had attracted Sir Thomas to Mrs Bennet. She was so unlike her dear aunt Bertram..... Mrs Bennet treated Fanny very well, always giving her attention and making sure she got the best piece of meat, the best place by the fire. Sir Thomas must have told how much he liked Fanny. Fanny silently thanked him for all the love he was showing her. She didn't know what to make of Mrs Bennet. She talked too much sometimes; but other than that seemed like a good lady at heart. Jane was lovely in both her looks and her nature. She was soon drawing even shy Fanny into conversation. Maria & Julia were devoted to Jane. Fanny thought Lydia was very selfish & treated Kitty & Mary rather bad. Sir Thomas is soon going to give Lydia a piece of his mind! Fanny knew her uncle well enough - he wont tolerate such behavior in his house.

In Elizabeth , Fanny found the very person she herself wished to be!! Not silly, but always cheerful. Not too talkative but not stupid enough to always be quiet. She read books, loved to walk and loved to chat! No wonder Edmund liked her already. Fanny let out a big sigh. Wish I had the self confidence she has....

Jane and Elizabeth were discussing their new relations too. "So Jane, what were you & Tom discussing for so long today ?" "Oh, just the virtues of London over Mansfield. He was trying to convince me that I would love London more than Mansfield. He is more than willing to entertain us, show us around, take us to the theatre..... he hopes Sir Thomas will agree to spend more time in London after the wedding." "Are we not staying in London for 2 days only ? And that too because Uncle Gardiner has invited Sir Thomas ?" "Yes, but we are not staying with the Gardiners. My mother was saying that Sir Thomas has a house in town. All of us will stay there." "How do you like Tom, Jane ?" "I like him very much. His manners - but you saw his manners yourself. Don't they show his good breeding ? He is well informed about the ways of the world."

Lizzy said "His principals perhaps need a little polishing" "He has been spoiled at home Lizzy. A heir often is. May be he does not keep very good company in town. This is no harm that cannot be removed. Indeed if he spent more time with Edmund, he will be reformed in no time" Elizabeth looked at Jane "So you have a high opinion of Edmund too ? I am glad. I think Edmund is one of the best persons I have ever met. Even Wickham cannot compare to him. He is well read, excellent manners and a very good disposition. Perhaps he needs to be more lively. Someone ought to teach him that. I cannot make out cousin Fanny though. She seems either stupid some times or plain haughty at other times"

"Why Lizzy, that cant be true !! She spent a whole afternoon with me today, tidying up the garden. We had a pleasant chat." "And what did you talk about Jane ?" "Oh, nothing much, just about the herb garden at Mansfield, and how she likes to walk thru it often" "hmmm... she is not like Maria and Julia. She does not open herself to us, does not speak unless spoken to and her answers are mostly monosyllables. I cant find out if she really does not like us or if she is like that with everyone".

After a while Jane spoke up "Maria and Julia seem very pleasant. Maria told me she always wanted an elder sister. Now she has found one in me. Wasn't that sweet of her ?" "They are friendly girls. Basically harmless, although not very well informed." "That's right. They are looking forward to going to London too. Julia told me she has never been there and Maria was there only once for a short itme. They have never been to the theatre or the public places. They want to go everywhere, try everything if we indeed stay there long enough..." with a sigh "I hope London will satisfy them"

Elizabeth looked keenly at Jane and observed her color "What are your thoughts about London ? Should we stay there more ?" "Lizzy, I know what you are asking. But they mean little to me now. Miss Bingleys consolation letter after poor father died was but 2 whole lines. From a friend... at least as I thought of her then, I expected more comfort. But she means not much now. I know they will not visit me and I will not visit them. I am no longer deceived, although it pains me to say that" "And their brother ?" "He didn't even write to us, did he ? Surely he knew about our circumstances. Why, we even got a short note from Mr Darcy, but nothing from Mr Bingley." "Don't forget they are the children of Sir Thomas's particular friend." "That may be so, but I will treat them just like any other friends of Sir Thomas. Nothing more. Don't worry about it Lizzy". Elizabeth dropped the subject. She could see Jane was pained by it.

The wedding took place just like any other wedding. It was indeed a small affair. Mr and Mrs Phillips, and Mr & Mrs Gardiner were the only other people besides the children from both sides.

The next day the entire party left for London. The new Lady Bertram showed an inclination to stay more in London - more than the 2 planned days. Sir Thomas soon saw that all of his children wished the same. He finally decided to let them have their way. He was sure he would enjoy the theatre and the parties, may be throw a ball with his new wife by his side.

Jane and Lizzy felt really bad to leave the neighborhood. But their aunt Phillips gave them all an open invitation to visit her any time. Mrs Bennet too felt sad - she had lived in the area for ever. She met Lady Lucas one last time before setting forth for London. "My dear Lady Lucas, lets write to each other regularly. Also we wish to invite you and Sir John, and may be Maria too to spend a few days with us at Mansfield." "Yes, we will write to each other. Everyone will be eager to know about your new home and new life. We will try to come for a visit sometime in the next few months."

On to London.....

The party arrived in Sir Thomas's house in town. The house was quite large and imposing, in a fashionable part of town. Imagine Mrs Bennet's happiness in the knowledge that she was now the mistress of such a house!! She was quite overwhelmed by it!! The first evening after their arrival, all of them were sitting in the drawing room making plans for the morrow.

Tom wanted to take everyone to the Theatre. Maria and Julia wanted to go shopping first. Lady Bertram wanted to do both but didn't want to say anything openly! Sir Thomas turned to Jane "Jane, I suggest you, Lizzy, Maria, Julia and Fanny go shopping in the morning. In the afternoon Lady Bertram will take the younger girls out for their own shopping. Lets all go to the theatre in the evening. Tom, can you secure a box for us ? Jane, do you think you can handle going shopping without your mama in the morning ? I wanted to spend the time with her talking about something". "Yes sir, we can do that. We have often been shopping alone when we come to stay with the Gardiners."

Everyone was satisfied, except Lydia "Why can not I go with Jane, Mamma ? I don't need a chaperone!" "That's true dear Lydia", turning to Sir Thomas, "do you think...." Sir Thomas didn't let his wife complete the sentence, "No, my dear. I don't want Lydia to go with the older girls." Lydia and her mother were silenced.

Just then, there was a loud knock on the front door. Edmund said "Who can it be ? Coming unannounced on our first day in town.... it must be none other than one of our good friends" The butler entered the room and announced "Mr Bingley to see you Sir. Also Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst for the ladies" Jane and Elizabeth looked at each other.

Chapter V

Sir Thomas stepped forward to receive his friends children. His lady was not sure if she should welcome them or show her displeasure. Mr Bingley, Ms Bingley and Mrs Hurst entered the room.... Bingley had a very silly grin on his face. "Good evening sir, Ma'am" he looked at Mrs Bennet Miss Bingley approached Jane directly "My dear Jane, its such a pleasure to meet you again after so long. I have missed you soo much" But Jane saw thru this attempt of friendliness. She was firm on her earlier resolution. "Hello Miss Bingley." was all she could say.

There was no change in Mr Bingley's manners. He greeted everyone jovially. He was seated next to Sir Thomas but close enough to Jane and Elizabeth. Miss Bingley sat on the other site, also close to the sofa where Jane and Elizabeth sat. She started chatting about common acquaintances. "Hope all is well in Hertfordshire ? I hear Miss Charlotte Lucas got married ? Is she settled close by too ?" "No, she is now in Hunsford, in ___shire"

Sir Thomas walked up to the bar to get a drink for Mr Bingley. Mr Bingley took this opportunity of turning to Jane and Elizabeth and saying in a soft tone, "I am really grieved to hear about your father. Until I got a letter from Sir Thomas announcing his wedding, I had no idea that Mr Bennet was no more... I am so sorry to hear that. It must be a very painful experience. I wish I would have known earlier, I could have come down to help you thru those difficult first few weeks" Jane and Elizbeth were astonished. They saw he was talking in a very sincere manner. His regret was evident in his words, in his tone and his look. But was it really possible that Miss Bingley or Mr Darcy had really not told him about it ? Neither of them said anything. Mr Bingley saw their silence, and moved his chair closer to them. He held Elizabeth's hand (he didn't dare to touch Jane.) "Believe me, Miss Bennet, I had no idea of your circumstances till a few days ago. Do you think me capable of such neglect towards my friends ? All of us spent such happy times together - do you think I would not have come over had I known ?"

Elizabeth knew she had to say something "You need not feel bad about it Mr Bingley. Indeed we did receive a condolence note from your sister. We do not think your family ignored us". Jane and Elizabeth saw Mr Bingley turning positively red with rage. "What ?" he turned to Caroline "you knew about it ? You never said a word" Caroline was confused. She was speechless. Trust eliza bennet to give her away.... Sir Thomas returned with the drink....everything must look normal now. Mr Bingley dropped the topic. Sir Thomas was talking about going to the theatre and Mr Bingley was soon deep in discussion with him. But his mind was occupied else where. Elizabeth saw him dart glances at Jane from time to time.

Just before they left in one more small gap, while Sir Thomas was talking to a servant, he turned to Jane "You must believe me Miss Bennet. I know I have no way of showing my innocence in this affair....but I was truly unaware". Jane smiled back at him. He was relieved. Miss Bingley who saw this small exchange, soon took the opportunity of being next to Jane. "Now that both of us are in the same place again, we will take every opportunity of meeting more. On the morrow....let me see...I think we are occupied with the Darcy's, are we not Louisa ? My brother has promised to take Miss Darcy on a drive. Mr Darcy will entertain the rest of us, I am sure. On Wednesday all of us will meet at Lady Campbells ball, wont we ? I understood you all have an invitation too. How about thursday ? Shall we spend that day together ? I think Charles is going away on a day trip with Mr Darcy and his sister on Thursday. So I am free" Jane could not commit to spending a day "I am sorry. Our plans are not made yet. We may be doing something else on that day." Miss Bingley replied she will try to stop by on Thursday to see if Jane was free for a few hours at least.

The next morning the older girls left for their shopping. Sir Thomas was in the library with his lady. "My dear Lady Bertram, don't you think Kitty and Lydia are too young to be out ? Their behavior at parties and assemblies is rather bad, they have yet to learn a lot of things from their elder sisters" "What can you mean by that Sir Thomas ? Lydia is as spirited as Lizzy- more so. She is liked by every eligible boy in any party she goes to. Why the regiment...." "Exactly my dear. She makes herself appear rather silly by putting herself forward in that way. She is only 15 and a half, which must be her excuse I suppose. But she is neither elegant nor dignified in her manner" "Surely you don't mean that ?" cried his lady "Mr Bennet was opposed to her being out last year, but when he saw her behaving well at the parties he didn't quite say anything more..." "That's not the version I have from your older daughters. Neither from the neighbourhood in general. (prudently he didn't mention any names) Also you must remember that I am not Mr Bennet. He may have seen her behavior to be ok - as far as I remember he never went to assemblies with you, did he ? - but I don't want any daughter of mine to behave so badly in public. Neither she nor Kitty are out yet, as far as I see it. They cannot go to any Balls, Assemblies or bigger parties with us this time" One can guess what an argument must have followed this declaration. But Sir Thomas was firm, he was not Mr Bennet to retreat to his library and allow Mrs Bennet a free hand. His resolution was made. Finally Lady Bertram did have 2 consolations at the end of the conversation - Lydia and Kitty could attend private parties and if satisfied with their behavior, Sir Thomas will give a coming-out ball for them 2 years hence. Sir Thomas stipulated that Lydia and Kitty need to start taking lessons from Jane and Lizzy; he would discuss with them. He added that he also wanted Julia to seek advice from Jane and Lizzy....the last thought somewhat soothed Lady Bertram's feelings. Lydia and Kitty were crushed when they heard the news. They were never in awe of their new father. But when he invited them into the library and told them in no uncertain terms about what he expected of them, both of them didn't know what to do. This was a situation where their mother couldn't really help them. They saw that he was firm....at the end of the conference he proved that he was kind too. He gave both of them a new Bonnet each & asked them to wear it on their next private engagement (which was a party at the Gardiner home a few days away). The 2 girls sat in their rooms crying for the next few hours....

The evening at the Theatre was a success....Everyone enjoyed themselves. Tom had secured a very good box and the performance was capital. Elizabeth and Jane had been to the Theatre a few times with the Gardiners, but for the other girls everything there was a novelty. In the intervals between acts, many of Sir Thomas's acquaintances and some of Tom's friends stopped by their box - all were curious about the new beautiful faces they saw. Soon Jane, Elizabeth and Maria, with whom everyone sought an introduction, found themselves chatting with some of the eligible bachelors in Toms circle. Julia, Fanny and Mary were not totally ignored, but the elder three got the most attention.

Just before the last intermission, Elizabeth saw someone from a box across from her wave. She spotted Mr Bingley & waved back. She saw the horrible Mr Darcy sitting right next to Mr Bingley. Mr Darcy was staring at her. He didnt smile nor wave. Just nodded at her. Elizabeth tilted her head slightly to acknowledge it and turned her attention to the stage. The rude man...better ignore him altogether. In the intermission, Mr Bingley's party came in to meet them. Mr Darcy and a sweet looking young lady accompanied them. Miss Bingley started talking as soon as she could, "Hello everyone. Isnt the performance good ? We thought we'll stop by to say Hello. Also Jane dear, I wanted to introduce you to my particular friend Georgianna Darcy." Miss Darcy was introduced to everyone. Elizabeth found her to be shy, but not really haughty like her brother. Mr Darcy just said hello to everyone - not a word more!! Hateful man! Elizabeth, however, saw him staring at her from time to time.

Sir Thomas was talking to Mr Bingley "Charles, I understand you are considering buying an estate in Derbyshire. Have you finalized that plan yet ?" "No sir. I took a look at it last week along with Darcy. But I have not decided anything yet. What do you recommend ?" "I don't know the particulars of this said place. But in general, having a place of your own is always desirable. Your dear father always wanted to buy one, but never did. A permanent home gives you a stable anchor. Let me know if you need any help....there are a few good places in our neighborhood as well. Why, there is Deerfields which is about 10 miles from Mansfield Park....let me know if you want to look at it." The interval was over & the Bingleys returned to their seats. Just as they left the box, Elizabeth heard Miss Darcy whisper to her brother, "She is a genteel woman brother. I like her very much. I wish I could converse more with her" Elizabeth was confused - was Ms Darcy talking about Jane, her opponent ? May be Mr Darcy had told her about Bingleys attachment & described Jane to be not a genteel woman ? The last thought made Elizabeth very angry.

The next day was the day of the ball. Lady Bertram was as excited as her daughters. It was the first time she would meet Sir Thomas's friends...the first time she would go to a social function as Lady Bertram. She had consulted her sister Gardiner on her dress and later showed it to Sir Thomas. He had approved it very much. The ex-Mrs Bennet was entering new territory, she was apprehensive and did not want to displease her esteemed husband. She wished to have her dear Lydia by her side...but that was not to happen now.... All the girls were excited too - they were going to show-off their new dresses. There was a lot of consultation on what head gear to wear, and which slippers to put on between the girls. Everyone was resolved on looking their best. Indeed Sir Thomas was very happy when we saw them - all his daughters looked so beautiful. Even mousy Mary and shy Fanny looked charming in their new clothes.

Sir and Lady Campbell were near the entrance welcoming their guests "Sir Thomas, Lady Betram welcome. We are so glad you accepted our invitation. You have charming daughters indeed. Let me introduce my daughter Alice to all of you " Alice Campbell was a beautiful woman of one and twenty. She immediately made her guests feel welcome. "The punch table is in the next room. The dancing will start in the next half hour. As soon as everyone is here, I will come and join you. Don't get lost!" she smiled. Elizabeth liked her frank manner and beautiful smile.

Sir Thomas found Mr Bingley "Here you are Charles. Why are you looking so lost ?" "Not lost Sir Thomas" Bingley smiled. "I have not yet found a partner for the first 2 dances... I was just about to get one.." Sir Thomas beckoned Maria to his side "Let me help you get a suitable partner Charles. Maria ?" Charles couldn't refuse such a pointed invitation. "Miss Maria Bertram will you do the honor of dancing the first 2 with me ?" Maria blushed and said she would be happy to do so. Sir Thomas beamed at both of them...

Chapter VI

Elizabeth was happy that Bingley didnt ask Jane for the first two dances. It would have been really awkward - Tom had secured the first 2 dances with Jane that morning itself. Jane would have had to say NO to Bingley; and Bingley would probably think he was not forgiven....

The dancing began. Lizzy saw Bingley throwing curious stares at Tom and Jane. It was evident that the 2 were having a very good time, conversing and laughing thro'out the dance. They looked rather well together too. Elizabeth herself was dancing with Edmund and enjoying it, "So Mr Bertram, did you enjoy reading Shakespeare yesterday, you were reading Macbeth, weren't you ?" "I always enjoy reading Shakespeare. I love all of them...almost all...I have not yet read Hamlet" "You have not ? I rather enjoy Hamlet. Any particular reason for not reading it ?" Edmund smiled at Elizabeth "Promise me you will not tell anyone my real reason ?" "I promise" "No Miss Bennet, you are laughing. I want a serious promise" "Mr Bertram, I seriously promise not to mention a single word to anyone" "Don't you think we should drop the formality of 'Mr'.... I always think of you as Elizabeth or Lizzy. In fact I refer to you as Elizabeth since the day we met" "You are right, we should call each other just by first names now. So Edmund, don't change the subject, tell me why didnt you ever read Hamlet ?"

The dance came to an end. Edmund guided Lizzy to a table and got her some punch. "You know, when I was just a boy, Tom scared all of us once with a weird tale of a ghost in our attic. It could come out any night and attack us...specially if we didn't agree to some of Toms suggestions! Of course there was no ghost and aunt Norris scolded him plenty for telling such a tale when she came to know about it. But from that time all thru my childhood, I was scared of the attic. Then one day I saw Tom reading Hamlet. I was curious and wanted to read it too...he told me it was all about a ghost...somehow that put me off the book. Later on, in my university days I always wanted to read it but somehow never got to it" Fanny who was sitting near by also heard Edmund, "You have never told me about it cousin" "Ah...I guess we have never really discussed Hamlet, have we Fanny? But its true that I have not read it to date"

Elizabeth smiled at Edmund, "So, Edmund did you purposely not read it later on ? Now be honest!" "OK, I will confess. I never really wished to read it....never tried getting it. Somehow I still don't feel like reading about a ghost story.." "Come on, its not just another ghost story. Consider how good all other books by Shakespeare are...will he write just a ghost story ?" "You could be right Lizzy. So tell me what is it about ? Is it as violent as Macbeth ?" They soon immersed in a discussion...Elizabeth was explaining the plot just enough to make him curious. Fanny felt herself to be ignored. No one had danced with her yet and she was hoping Edmund would ask her after his dance with Elizabeth. But here he was, talking with her and the next dance had even begun. Fanny thought their conversation would never end...will she be sitting her unnoticed for all the dances ? The music stopped, they were still talking, never mind this next new dance too! But someone just approached Elizabeth... Fanny saw a tall dark handsome stranger walk up to her and ask for the dance. Elizabeth looked surprised but she agreed. She left with him towards the set. Fanny asked "Who was that man Edmund - the one who is dancing with Ms Elizabeth ?" "Oh, that is Mr Darcy. He is a good friend of Charles Bingley. Look at her Fanny, doesn't she dance rather well ?"

Maria had a good time during the first two dances. Mr Bingley danced rather well. "I hear you are looking for a house, are you not ?" "Yes Ms Bertram, that's right. I have not decided on a county yet. I have looked at a few houses in Derbyshire." "I heard my father mentioning a house near Mansfield Park. Deerfield is a beautiful estate." "Is it ? I guess it will be good to settle down near such particular friends" "Yes, we would love to have you as neighbors, Mr Bingley". Mr Bingley saw Tom and Jane pass them... "So how do you like your new sisters?" "I like them very much. Jane is so kind, Lizzy is very good too; always full of life"

After the second dance, Mr Bingley walked Maria back to a table where Julia was sitting. Maria decided it was time to be bold "Mr Bingley, Thank you for the dance" "Its me who should thank you , Ms Bertram" "I hope...I hope we will have the opportunity of dancing again before the evening is over?" Bingley looked confused. "Ah...err...ah... I would have liked that. But I need to dance with the other ladies too; otherwise it will be showing disrespect to them. You wouldn't want them to think bad of me, would you ?" "I suppose you are right. I look forward to the next dance, whenever that is then" Mr Bingley cringed...he bowed and left the table. He didn't dance the next one...After a while however he approached Jane for a dance. The next 4 dances were already booked....her regret was evident why didn't you ask me sooner ? But the one after that she promised to dance with him. Mr Bingley went to the Billiard room for a game hoping to return only in time for his dance with Jane.

In the meanwhile Darcy and Elizabeth were dancing. "I have not had the pleasure of dancing with you for a long time, Ms Bennet. I had quite forgotten how well you dance" "Thank you Mr Darcy. I hope you don't expect me to return the compliment...your hatred for dancing is rather well known" "Hatred ? No hatred is a wrong word. I merely don't like to stand up with strangers....to dance with ladies I don't know at all and then profess an interest in the conversation." "Not all ladies like to do that either. Neither do many men. But if they all do it, it must not be such a bad thing, must it ?" "Ms Bennet, not everyone has your tact of expressing themselves well and your lively disposition...some of us take a while to warm up. Surely you don't hold that against us ?" Elizabeth was not sure where the conversation was heading.. "Me, Mr Darcy ? If you are asking me particularly, then I don't hold anything against....er...your disposition" Mr Darcy was quiet... Does that mean she holds something against me... not my disposition but me as a person nevertheless? He sighed.

Fanny was exhausted ....she had danced the last 4 dances. Finally Edmund has asked her to dance. Then Tom danced the next 2 with her. At the end, a friend of Tom's Colonel Russell danced with her. She was tired and sat quietly next to Maria. Maria had danced all dances...but she was always on the watch out for Mr Bingley. She felt really hurt and confused. Mr Bingley didn't really dance with the other ladies - in fact he danced a very few dances after the first two with her....he danced once with Lizzy, two with Jane, one with Julia and one with his sister. Then the last dance he danced again with Jane. So 3 with her. Why couldn't he dance one more with me ? He gave a phony excuse of dancing with others... He did not dance with any of the other ladies present at the ball....but danced thrice with Jane All the men she had known near Mansfield Park would jump up at the thought of dancing with her. And here Mr Bingley actually refused to dance more!! She felt mortified.

Mrs Bennet was very happy at the end of the day. She had been introduced to a lot of people today. Many ladies desired her acquaintance...she felt the importance of being a Lady Bertram today... so what if Lydia was not at the ball. That's a small price to pay. In a year or two she will accompany me to such events. She will attract the most eligible bachelors at that time...I should try not go against Sir Thomas' wishes now...

Mrs Bennet was also keeping track of Mr Bingleys dances. She was glad he had danced 3 times with jane. Hope things work out well ...

The next morning after breakfast, Elizabeth came up to Edmund, "So shall you read Hamlet today ?" "I have a better plan Elizabeth. Why don't we read it together ?" "Sounds good, let me get the book. I saw a copy in the library"

Elizabeth was about to quit the room when Fanny entered it "I am ready cousin" Edmund looked at her "Ready, to go where ?" "Our daily walk - did you forget ?" "Oh Elizabeth and I were just...." Elizabeth interrupted him with, "No, its OK Edmund. I had forgotten about your daily walk. We can read after your walk or later in the day" "Err, no. actually I need to go out with my father later on. He wants me to look at some new furniture he wants to order for the library at Mansfield park. If we don't do it now, I'm afraid it will be put off till the morrow ? Fanny can manage the walk on her own today, cant you Fanny ?" Elizabeth protested, "No, please don't break your daily routine. We can start reading from tomorrow..." Fanny took one look at Edmunds expressions and said "I will go out alone. Its OK Ms Elizabeth" The door banged loudly after her.

"Oh dear, she is upset with me Edmund" "Who, Fanny ? No, Fanny is never upset... " "The door.." "The door banging must be accidental. Fanny is not in the habit of giving vent to her anger in such a way. Now, were you going to get the book ?"

The book was got, and they had just finished 2 pages when visitors were announced. A servant was sent to fetch Ms Elizabeth and Mr Edmund to the drawing room. Sir Thomas and his lady had already welcomed the visitors. Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy and Miss Darcy had come to call on the Bertram family.

Chapter VII

Maria, Jane, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram were already in the drawing room when Edmund and Lizzy entered. As they entered they overheard Mr Darcy inviting the whole party to dine at his house next Monday. "We were in the neighborhood; so we thought we will stop by and personally issue the invitation" Sir Thomas replied "That is very kind of you Mr Darcy. It will be a pleasure to attend" "Lady Bertram, the invitation also includes all the Ms Bennets. My sister would be glad to have the company of all of them" "You see Mr Darcy, Lady Bertram and I have just agreed that the youngest 2 Ms Bennets are not old enough to be going out in company yet. But I am sure the rest of us will be there" Lizzy saw Mr Darcy raise his eyebrows....and then he said, "OK Sir. I wont go against the wishes of you and your lady then. The invitation stands for the rest of you." Ms Darcy turned to Elizabeth, "I hope....I hope Ms Elizabeth, we will hear you play during the course of the evening ? I have heard that you play and sing very well...are a very good performer" Elizabeth didn't know what to say, "Miss Darcy, I have heard the same about you. I hope we can hear you play too" with a smile.

Mr Bingley remarked on the beautiful weather outside. In a few minutes it was decided that all the young people would go out for a walk. Tom begged off saying he had a prior engagement in a few minutes. Fanny had not arrived from her walk and Mary didn't want to walk. So finally Jane, Lizzy, Edmund, Maria, Julia, Mr Darcy, Mr Bingley and Ms Darcy all set out. (there was no question of Lydia and Kitty joining them) The party was soon divided in two groups, Mr Bingley, Jane, Maria and Julia were slightly ahead of Mr Darcy, Lizzy, Edmund and Miss Darcy. Mr Darcy was grave and quiet as usual. But Ms Darcy seemed to be very keen to talk to Elizabeth, "Miss Elizabeth, You are so lucky to have 4 sisters. All of you must be having a lot of fun together." "Please just call me Elizabeth" "If you call me Georgianna". "OK. Yes, we do have a lot of fun at home I suppose. Shopping expeditions are always great - you know 5 of us at the same time..." Georgianna remembered her own shopping trips with either her elderly companion or worst - sometimes with her brother! "I quite envy you Elizabeth. Normally I have no one of my age with me, when I go out shopping." "But surely you have cousins, friends, your age ?" "Oh yes. Anne - my cousin Anne De Bourgh is in the same age group (she is older by 3-4 years)...And I do have some very good friends. But that's not same as having a sister. And Anne is never here when I go out shopping. I can only imagine what fun you must be having..." She seemed to be almost begging to join Elizabeth in her next shopping trip. Elizabeth wanted to invite her very much but she did not know if the proud brother would like Ms Darcy to be accompanied by a mere Ms Bennet.

Presently Miss Darcy changed the subject, "anyway. when we came in today your mother told us you were in the library. I hope we didn't interrupt your reading ?" It was Edmund who replied, "No, the interruption was welcome...we were not in the midst of any deep reading or discussion, we had just about started". Mr Darcy finally spoke, "And may I inquire what you were reading ?" "Elizabeth had just persuaded me to start reading Hamlet" Mr Darcy only nodded. Elizabeth decided that she wanted to make Mr Darcy talk more...How can we survive this walk with this haughty creature if he was silent and grave all the time? She said "What do you think of Shakespeare's writing, Mr Darcy ? Do you like to read his masterpieces ?" "Indeed, anyone who loves to read must have at least one favorite Shakespeare work. I do confess that I like to read his works often" Miss Darcy said, "William has been reading The Tempest with me these last few days. That is to say he reads it aloud and I enjoy it..." "Oh, and is that your favorite Mr Darcy ?" "No, not really. My favorite is Merchant of Venice" "Indeed" Elizabeth was surprised but didn't show it. He prefers the romance? Of course there were a lot of other things in the Merchant of Venice than romance. May be he perceives himself to be Shylock. The thought made her smile...indeed given his treatment of Wickham he could be a modern day Shylock, couldn't he ? Mr Darcy was observing her reactions.."Don't you think I am capable of liking the book Ms Bennet ?" Elizabeth shook off her thoughts, "Err... no Mr Darcy, I am sure I don't know anything of your taste to comment on it. I was just remembering how Jane & I always loved to read the play aloud. We would play different parts as we read. That's all" Mr Darcy was quiet again. I hope it was only this thought that made her smile.

Mr Bingley was not sure if he was enjoying his walk. He could not say a word to Jane without calling Maria's attention. In fact it was Maria who was doing most of the talking "You dance so well Mr Bingley. Of course you must have the advantage of coming to London every winter and attending a large number of balls. We don't really have that distinction in the country" Bingley remembred another such conversation between Darcy, Elizabeth and Mrs bennet over the advantages of London v/s the country. That seems so long ago...Ms Jane Bennet was sick and in Netherfield for those 2-3 days... Maria seemed to be waiting for him to say something..."I have been coming to London for the past 3 winters. But I don't attend as many balls and parties as you think. Indeed, there are such things happening in the country too. I remember going to a delightful assembly in Herefordshire. Do you remember it Ms Bennet ?" Jane brightened visibly and said, "Indeed I do" Bingley continued, "And the last Ball I enjoyed the most was my own ball at Netherfield" Maria bristled. "Who opened that ball Mr Bingley?" "I think it was my sister Caroline and my dear friend Mr Darcy" Maria had to be satisfied with the reply. Julia spoke, "Where are your sisters today Mr Bingley ?" "Actually they are supposed to call on Ms Jane Bennet later today. Or so Caroline mentioned. But I have no idea what they are doing right now. I left home rather early - Darcy and I had to meet a lawyer regarding some investments we did." Maria started talking again, "Meeting a Lawyer!!...that must have taken up a lot of your time. I know my father is locked up with his lawyer for hours sometimes, discussing matters" "Yes, those things do take long. In fact on last Tuesday Darcy and I had kept the whole day open so that we could spend it with the lawyer. But we could not deal with all the matters in that time & had a short meeting again today." Jane was thoughtful - that was the day Caroline said he had planned to take Ms Darcy on a drive. So Caroline was not truthful - sure they were spending time with the Darcys that day, but the drive with only Mr Bingley and Ms Darcy must be a figment of her imagination.

It was soon time to turn back. The 3 visitors took their leave. Ms Darcy expressed delight in the thought of meeting everyone again on Monday for dinner.

Mrs Norris was furious again! More so this time!! Here she was hoping to meet and concur the new Lady Bertram at Mansfield...but the New Lady Bertram was enjoying herself with the family in London. What can Sir Thomas mean to open the London house in this way ? He has never done that in years!! Tom was always the only occupant of the house, his rooms were the most used ones. The rest of the house was never opened. Now Fanny here says all of them are having a good time in London !! Indeed, Fanny must be having a good time...she has never been to London. She should not have been allowed to go with the others to attend the wedding.... Mrs Norris looked at the letter again, "My new aunt is very kind; as kind as the first Lady Bertram. She takes a good interest in all of us. Maria and Julia are enjoying themselves too. Just the other day all of us went shopping for new clothes again. Miss Jane Bennet has great taste, she helped us all select very good fabric for dresses, bonnets and finally also some nice shoes. My uncle took us out to the theatre twice. There were 2 balls we attended and at least 4 tea parties. My dear aunt Norris, please do not fret about new clothes for Maria & Julia. You asked me questions about if they got enough from London. My new aunt makes sure all of us have good clothes for all of the outings, & if we just hint that we don't have anything suitable - like Julia did for Lady Ashworths party - she personally sees to it that we go out shopping and get our desired items at once. My uncle quite likes to see his daughters properly dressed and so does my new aunt. So please do not worry on that score. There were also two or three small dinners at home. All of us had a good time. Elizabeth Bennet sings very well, Mary Bennet is also learning to perform and does it tolerably well. Elizabeth has offered to teach Maria who wanted to improve her performance on the pianoforte...."

Mrs Norris snorted. What ? these girls are beautiful, have good taste & can also sing & play ? My poor Maria and Julia must be feeling neglected. Fanny being Fanny has only mentioned the good points in her letter. There must be somethings bad that these girls do - they just cannot be all loveliness and goodness. I wonder why Fanny didn't mention the younger daughters. May be they are the bad apples ? If I could expose them to Sir Thomas.... And why is Sir Thomas spending so much money on clothes for everyone ? Or doesn't he know what is going on ? I can help him see the light.... But its no use planning anything sitting here. I must go to London. Yes, that is it. Let me write to Sir Thomas right away, I will ask for one of the carriages to be sent back. Or may be I will travel post with the money he left with me for housekeeping expenses.... She immediately sent out the letter to London.

Sir Thomas was not particularly surprised to see her letter. He was expecting something like this from Mrs Norris. He consulted Edmund and sent back an express. The express clearly asked Mrs Norris to not take the trouble to come to London. All of them were going to Mansfield in a weeks time. She should make ready for their arrival...who but she could make sure everything was ok when they came back ?

Sir Thomas had 2 good reasons for not wanting Mrs Norris to come to London. One - his new and old family were getting to know each other rather well. Mrs Norris was an outsider now, and one who would spoil the warmth of the family atmosphere. The second reason was that he was planning a ball and didn't want her interference in any way.

He went to the drawing room where Mrs Bennet and most of the children were sitting "My dear, what say you to giving a ball so that our beautiful girls can show off their dancing skills ?" "A Ball ?" " Vow, a Ball" "Papa, yes...a Ball *sigh*" were the various pleasing responses he got. Only Lydia became sullen "Ball ? Oh mama.... A Ball at home ? Cannot I attend it too ?"

Sir Thomas decided to deal with Lydia first. "No my dear. You can help your sisters with the arrangements of course but you will have to stay upstairs during the Ball. The other option is that you and Kitty can stay with the Gardiners that night and look after your young cousins. By the way, Kitty, I was happy to note that you spent an entire hour with Fanny and Mary today in the library. I can trust Fanny to get you read some sensible books" Lydia who had finally learnt how to behave around Sir Thomas said she would prefer to go to the Gardiners than staying upstairs during the ball!

Her mother was too excited at the prospect of having a Ball in her own home; & didnt worry too much about Lydia, "Oh Lydia, you are not quite 16 yet. We should be giving a ball just for you in the next 2-3 years. Don't fret, you know you will have fun with the kids at your aunts house too. Now my dear, which day were you thinking of ?"

"Let us see, today is Saturday. Next Monday we go to the Darcy's. Tuesday, I believe we are invited by the Harrisons. How about Wednesday ? Then we can all rest on Thursday before leaving on Friday. You have not forgotten that we leave for Mansfield on Friday, have you ?" Elizabeth and Jane were quick to note that their mother was striving hard to not show her disappointment...she had indeed forgotten that they were to leave town on Friday. Elizabeth put in, "No Sir, we had not forgotten. Indeed sir we are looking forward to see Mansfield Park. We have heard so much about it" Mrs Bennet brightened visibly...Mansfield was the great estate she was to be a mistress of... they will keep coming to London now and then... Jane said, "We cannot thank you enough sir, for agreeing to stay for a few days in town. We have enjoyed our stay very much." Mrs Bennet was recovered enough to talk now, "And of course there is the ball to crown it all. My dear Sir Thomas, is there any particular shopping of furniture, or linen or any article that we should take with us to Mansfield Park ?" Sir Thomas replied with "You have not seen the place yet, so let us not hurry to buy anything now. Once you get settled, you will want to make a few changes, redecorate a few rooms perhaps ? We can then send for things accordingly. We can trust your sister Gardiners taste or perhaps you could be prevailed to make another trip to London sometime later ? I see that our daughters have liked the social life here. It means all of us will be visiting London more often..." The last statement pleased all the occupants of the room - even Lydia was happy to know that she could do her shopping in London frequently.

Everyone started talking about the ball. It was decided that Mrs Bennet (oops I mean Lady Bertram) should consult her sister Gardiner immediately- there were invitation cards to be ordered, drinks and food to be decided on, flower arrangements....Lady Bertram was quite in a flutter. Tom and Edmund offered their services. Sir Thomas asked Jane and Edmund to come up with a guest list... Everyone was happily busy, preparing for the ball..

Monday was the day the whole party was invited to Mr Darcy's house. Elizabeth was not really looking forward to the evening. She was tired, she had spent 1 hour helping Jane and Maria decide on which flowers to order for the ball and then the next hour in consultation with Mrs Gardiner and her mother about the food, the fruit, what type of punches to serve... The only attraction for the evening would be meeting Miss Darcy again. Elizabeth really liked Miss Darcy. She was not proud as Wickham had portrayed her to be. But then she had probably grown up since he had last met her. She wished she could invite Wickham to the ball - but he was no way near London. He was at Meryton.

Around noon, the girls were sitting by themselves in the parlor. Mrs Bennet was showing Maria a new stitch for a new embroidery pattern. Maria loved the novelty - her late mama never really had time to improve her daughters' skills or spent time with the daughters choosing clothes.. It was always aunt Norris who tried to do that....Mrs Bennet on the other hand was interested in not only Maria's embroidery but her clothes, her bonnets... ...indeed to Mrs Bennet Maria was the 2nd most beautiful daughter to show off to the world. Maria, of course was not as beautiful as Jane. (and Mrs Bennet never said it aloud, but she never thought Maria to be more beautiful than Lydia either. Nor was Julia anywhere close to any of her daughters.) And Fanny was just a mouse....always obliging, never intruding, always attentive...not a threat to any of her daughters. Mrs Bennet knew that showing affection to Fanny always kept her on the good side of Sir Thomas. The poor thing hardly needed any attention anyway. She was thankful for any notice. I wonder why Fanny is always so quiet...I never knew a girl who was as quiet, as timid as her. Not even my Mary Her thoughts were interrupted first by the sound of a carriage and then by loud voices being heard outside... Sir Thomas threw open the door and came in. Everyone looked up. Fanny gasped. Sir Thomas was talking to a tall thin lady. The lady looked like she had been traveling. "But I sent you an express. I am assured that it did reach Mansfield. You cannot really come in unannounced and disturb Lady Bertram." Lady Bertram rose to the occasion, "Sir Thomas please don't be worried. I am equal to receiving an occasional un-announced guest. Surely you know enough of my housekeeping to do justice..." "You are quite right my dear. But I would always hope that all our guests were not so inconsiderate" The new arrival thundered, "I am no guest, Sir Thomas. Why, as the sister of the real Lady Bertram and a dear aunt of your children, I am sure I am most welcome in their house..." Elizabeth was watching the lady with interest...as she announced the relationship, it dawned on Lizzy that this was the said "Mrs Norris". Sir Thomas did the introductions, "My dear Lady Bertam, let me present our guest Mrs Norris. Mrs Norris, you must be tired after your journey. One of the maids will prepare a guest room for you. You can have dinner in your room, if you please. The rest of us have been invited out for dinner" "Invited out ? I am not tired. I would like to go with you all. I am sure my nieces will like me to accompany them" "No. You are not invited. The invitation clearly was for Sir Thomas, his wife and children. Your nieces, I am sure are happy to see you. But they have Lady Bertram to accompany them anywhere they wish to go." Turning to his lady, he continued, "My dear, where do you want to put our guest ? Shall we have Betty prepare the back room or the small green room ?" Mrs Norris was quite unprepared for this - Sir Thomas actually consulting his new wife over her arrangements ? It was OK to be ordered by him;but to depend on her! "The new curtains for the green room have not yet arrived. The back room should do" replied Lady Bertram using her most dignified tone. Mrs Norris turned to her nieces, "What, will you just stand there gaping ? Will you accept that your poor aunt is being pushed in the back room somewhere ?" Maria and Julia now came forward..."Welcome, aunt. We were waiting for you to rest, before talking to you. The back room is a very good room. Its at the back of the house and has a very good view" "Edmunds room is next to yours, so your room is not somewhere out in the cold. Dear aunt, come, after you have rested you will love the room. Maria and myself, along with Elizabeth chose the new curtains and furniture for that room. Let me take you there"

Betty came in and accompanied them to the back room. As they were leaving, Sir Thomas reminded them, "Girls, don't forget we have to get ready for the dinner tonite." Mrs Norris understood, he is saying, don't sit chatting with Mrs Norris for too long... But I am not a naďve duck, Sir Thomas. I will deal with the situation tomorrow...

VIII

Posted on Wednesday, 12 December 2007

Mrs Norris was sitting in the parlor with her 2 nieces. Earlier, she had rested from the journey in her own room for a while; and now wanted to find out all she could about the current activities of the household.

Edmund threw open the door and stepped in. Tom followed him.

"My dear aunt, I just heard about your arrival from my father. I hope you are rested from the journey ?"

"Yes, dear Edmund, I am rested now.” Changing her tone she began.” None of you thought of poor me, all alone in Mansfield. Instead of being invited to join you, I had to will myself to be here, to be of service to my dear nieces”

Edmund didn't reply & Tom took the opportunity of stepping forward,

"Welcome aunt. I think my father did not ask you to join us only because he did not want you to travel all the way just for a few days. We all leave London on Friday you know."

"We all? So you are abandoning the pleasures of London and joining us at Mansfield too? That is a big change in you Tom"

"Yes, I am traveling back with all of you. No doubt, we can all come back & visit London from time to time. Have you noticed the changes in the house aunt ? Isnt it more liveable now ? Ah.but you probably don't remember what the earlier one looked like."

His aunt didn't quite like the turn this conversation was taking. She said, "And why were these changes made ? So much expense all for a few days of pleasure every year ? Why is everyone so happy about these changes - you must be sorry. Your fathers money is going down the drain. Why, the new drapes in the dinner room - I just saw them a few minutes ago - they have cost a fortune. The cook was telling me about it. She was rather happy with them of course! Had I been here, I would have got similar ones for a better deal"

Edmund smiled but didn't comment. . Let her rest on her first day here, she will soon know the law of the land!!

But Tom being Tom didn't think for a single minute before saying,

"The light blue drapes ? Arent they lovely ? They suit the dinning room so very much. I doubt we could have found anything cheap - you know the cheap ones won't really stand out as these. I myself accompanied Jane, Mrs Gardiner and Lady Bertram to the shop to order those. Jane and Mrs Gardiner have such great taste in furnishings"

"Hmmmpph. Maria, why were you not included in that group? Remember you are the eldest daughter of the family. All this is your fathers."

Maria was obliged to reply,

"Ma'am at the same time a few of us were with my father, looking for some furniture for the small sitting room upstairs"

Edmund thought it was prudent to say something now,

"You see aunt, our stay here was of a short duration. We wanted to refurnish most of the house before we went back to Mansfield. Most of the house has been unused for so long. So we divided ourselves in groups and each one helped select some part of the furnishings."

"I have no doubt the parts which you all selected were done with more taste and less cost. But really, how could you all think of such a project without including me. Hasn't your mother always relied on my judgment for those sort of things ?"

It was Julia who replied & dealt Mrs Norris the first blow of her London stay, Said she,

"Our mother did rely on you many times. But aunt, that was for the house in Mansfield. This is the house in London.Trends differ in London. You have hardly been here in all your life, whereas the Miss Bennets (and also our new mother) have been coming to London all the time. Why, Mrs Gardiner,their aunt, lives in London. She knows about the latest draping methods and curtain styles. Her own house is so elegant, although somewhat smaller than ours."

"La, how can methods be that different ? I can copy any style you show me for drapes and curtains. And these new styles are not exactly suitable. Look at the drapes in this very room - they are so awkwardly made. Look at that stitch there - even I can do a better job"

Maria bristled, "But Ma'am, this is the latest style. I had the man copy this exact look off a French magazine. This is what even the queen prefers for her parlor. I selected this style and color and fabric. And I am rather proud of it. You see no such thing in the country"

"Ah well, if it is your doing, it must be the right thing I suppose. You always had very good taste"

She wisely said no more of the curtains. Soon after this conversation, the girls & their brothers went to their rooms to get dressed. Everyone was going to meet in the same room in about 45 minutes. Mrs Norris didn'twant to leave the room until they all left for the dinner. She took up some needlework, while waiting for the others.

Presently Lydia and Kitty came in.

"I am so tired Kitty. Why do you insist on reading that book to me ? Its so boring. Why do I need to know these morals anyway ?"

"But Lydia, Sir Thomas wants us to read 10 pages of it everyday. Be thankful that I am reading aloud for your benefit. If I don't, you will have to read it yourself"

Kitty stopped talking as soon as they spotted Mrs Norris.

"Hello Ma'am, you must be Julia's aunt. She was telling us about your arrival"

"And who are you?"

"I am Lydia, the youngest girl of my family and this is Kitty"

"And why are you dressed in such weird clothes ? Do you mean to go out for dinner in those clothes and make Sir Thomas ashamed of you ?"

Lydia felt her temper rising. But Kitty put out a restraining hand on her,

"No, Ma'am. We are not going for the dinner. These are our usual at home clothes"

She could not stop Lydia from saying, "And I must say our at home clothes are for better than yours….or do you plan to go out in those ?"

Mrs Norris snorted "Looks like dressing sense is not the only thing you lack. You don't have manners either."

"Ma'am I match my manners to the person I am dealing with. Your comment on our clothes proves your bad manners too."

Turning to Kitty, she giggled, "May be we should take her along for our next shopping expedition. She really needs some decent clothes!! Let me try to convince Mama.." Lydia walked out of the door giggling to herself.

Mrs Norris turned her full force to Kitty,

"My, what a rude girl. Tell me Miss Kitty Bennet, are all of you so rude and horrible ? Sir Thomas must be regretting the marriage very much by now!"

Kitty hung her head low. She was really ashamed of Lydia sometimes. But this Mrs Norris was herself a disgusting person!

Mrs Norris continued, "So why are you not going to the dinner ? Is Sir Thomas punishing you for something you did ?"

Kitty was glad Lydia was not in the room. Lydia's answer may have been different than hers,

"No, not at all. Is he in the habit of punishing his daughters ? We are not going simply because we are not out yet"

"Ah. Yes, he can punish if he so desires. Although his own daughters never gave him a reason. They are too good for that"

"He does not seem very strict. And he always has our good at heart."

Kitty surprised herself by that. The morals book is sure having an effect on me

She almost giggled & at that Mrs Norris only snorted again. She continued her needlework as voices were heard outside.

Two very beautiful girls came in & were introduced as Jane and Elizabeth.Mrs Norris had to admit that Jane was indeed beautiful, more beautiful than even Maria.But Elizabeth is nowhere near either my Julia or Maria, thought she.

Mrs Norris began talking with the girls,

"Your dress is nice, Ms Jane. I suppose that is what you call the latest fashion?"

"No, Ma'am its not quite the latest fashion. I didn't think long sleeves will suit this dress"

"I see. Miss Elizabeth, where did you get that sash ? In Hertfordshire ?"

"No, Ma'am. We got it here in London last week."

"Hmmm and do you remember how much that small piece of lace on your dress cost ?"

"Well no, I dont. Actually this dress was a present from…."

She was interrupted by Mrs Norris,

"From Sir Thomas ? But that's no reason for not knowing the price. Why, I can see all your dresses from now on to be presents from him. Don't you ?"

"This is from my aunt Mrs Gardiner. She gave it to me last year. And I don't see all our dresses coming from our new father. My own father has left us some money, however small it may be; and we may end up using that money for our personal expenses".

"And how much money did he leave you ? Is it to be split between all 5 girls?"

"That is a private matter of our family. Not something I would like to discuss with any outsider"

"Miss Elizabeth, you will soon find out that I am no outsider. Why, I practically live at Mansfield. I have no intention of changing my habits of frequenting Mansfield Park."

"You may not be an outsider for Sir Thomas's family. But you indeed are an outsider for Mr Bennets family. And this is a Bennet family matter. Rest assured, I am sure you will be as welcome to Mansfield as you ever were"

"I don't really care about your welcome! You don't really mean anything to me…..why Fanny, is that you ?"

The door had opened while she was talking and Fanny stepped in. Fanny was dressed in a new gown which Jane had helped her choose and looking rather nice.

"Why are you so dressed up Fanny ? Surely you don't mean to put yourself forward and join everyone for dinner ?"

Elizabeth was shocked at the way Fanny was questioned. She noticed Fanny visibly shrinking, moving a step back. Her face became pale.

She replied, "Yes aunt. I am going to the dinner"

"Sussh my dear. Are you sure you are invited ? Why would anyone trouble themselves for a nobody like you, even though you are a niece of Sir Thomas's ?"

Elizabeth felt her heart go out to Fanny. In an instant she knew why Fanny was always so quiet, so mouse-like. Fanny was not haughty after all, she was just silent because she had been exposed to such treatment at home.

But Sir Thomas and Edmund always treated her well. Elizabeth tried to remember how Maria and Julia treated her.

The very fact that I cannot remember how Maria and Julia treat her shows that they are just indifferent to her. They don't wish her bad, but they don't really care. Edmund is the only one who really cares for her. So does Sir Thomas. He really values her. Oh dear! Why didn't I ever notice this ?

Elizabeth resolved that she would try to befriend timid, almost-friendless Fanny.

Jane spoke up, "I assure you that dear Fanny has been invited. Why, I remember Ms Darcy herself telling Sir Thomas after our walk, that Miss Price was also invited."

Mrs Norris's thoughts took a different turn "Hmmm.. Fanny, I wonder at that. You are not really out are you ?"

Elizabeth smiled, "You mean we should give a coming-out ball for her ?"

"No, no. of course that will never do. There was none for Maria or Julia either. So it wouldn't be right. Were there balls for you Miss Bennet?"

"No Ma'am. But we have been mixing with society for the last few years now. Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram decided that according to their respective ages, Mary and Fanny should be considered out. My youngest 2 sisters are not really out.”

Elizabeth smiled at Fanny and continued “ Mary and Fanny have never really enjoyed the London scene before this year, so you can consider this to be their first season"

"And very likely, their last season. At least Fanny's if I have anything to do about it"

Elizabeth came to Fanny's defence, "And why pray ?"

"She has no business of being here, of enjoying herself just like her cousins. Lady Bertram and I brought her to Mansfield away from her mothers house so that she gets a good upbringing, does not lack basic comfort.but not to do everything her cousins do..She must know her place"

"Sir Thomas treats her just like another daughter. Indeed, he once told me that he considers Fanny to be his third daughter. I am sure he would want her to enjoy London just like Maria and Julia.. I am sure he will take the matter entirely in his hands"

"Indeed, I will" roared Sir Thomas from the doorway. "Fanny is my third daughter. She would have gone to the dinner even if Ms Darcy had not mentioned it. I am always proud of Fanny wherever we go. When we go to the theater she is well informed about the plays; at private parties she knows how to behave with people, at Balls she knows how to conduct herself. Why should I not get her to London ? I will not, I repeat NOT, tolerate anyone say anything bad about Fanny. As I have said, she is my third daughter. We shall not discuss this anymore."

Fanny stood quietly looking at the ground. She was ashamed of the scene, ashamed of being talked-to in such a way before the Miss Bennets. Both Jane and Elizabeth noticed her discomfort and wanted to put her at ease.

Mrs Norris was not making things easy by whispering,

"Oh Sir Thomas, you are just saying it now. Let me have a private word with you and you will look at things my way."

Jane took Fanny by her hand and led her to a sofa away from where Mrs Norris sat. Elizabeth fetched her a drink of water. Fanny accepted it gratefully and drank it slowly. She was quite overcome by the events. She was thankful for the kind words her uncle had said.

Elizabeth said to her in a quiet tone,

"Come Fanny, let this not spoil your evening. Try to forget what happened"

Jane agreed,

"Indeed, let us talk about more agreeable matters. This dress looks so good on you. Your hair looks nice too - you are wearing it different today"

"Yes, Betty helped me with it, after she helped you. Do you think it suits me ? I was not sure"

Elizabeth put in, "It suits you very well. Now smile.yes, the smile suits you better too!"

In a few minutes Edmund came in and found the three girls smiling and talking away, neither noticed him come in.

"May I join in this chat ? Or is it more interesting because there are no gentlemen included in it ?"

"Indeed Edmund, you can join in but on the condition that you contribute to the discussion. We are right now discussing if Mr Todd's shop on Oxford street has a better choice of head gear than Mr Clay's on George Street. What is your opinion on the subject ?"

Edmund smiled at Elizabeth,

"My opinion is that the head gear in both shops is not worth looking at until it is on a pretty head. Look at Fanny, the hair piece looks so well there - why do I care if Mr Clay had it or Mr Todd?"

Fanny blushed. All the three ladies smiled at Edmund.

Edmund saw his father beckon him to the other side of the room. He excused himself, soon both the gentlemen left the room.

It was almost time to leave. The rest of the party came into the room in quick succession. Maria and Julia arrived with Tom. Lady Bertram came in with her husband & Mary trailed behind them. Tom was ordering the carriages.

Lady Bertram turned to Mrs Norris briefly,

"Ma'am. We are sorry we have to leave you here on your first evening. Please make yourself comfortable in the house and don't hesitate to ring the bell if you need anything. I guess we shall see you tomorrow morning".

The effect on Mrs Norris was not what her hostess expected. Mrs Norris was red with anger and didn't reply. She just nodded.

Do I need YOUR permission to be comfortable here ? This is my sisters house first. YOU are the interloper

Lady Bertram was swept out as the carriages were announced. Everyone left.

Mrs Norris retired to her room assimilating all that had happened and trying to think of something new….a new plan to consolidate her position.

IX

Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Darcy House was quite a big mansion situated in a very good part of the town. The Mansfield party reached it at the allotted time.

Miss Darcy and Mr Darcy were at the door to receive the party. All of them were shown into a charming drawing room. There they were introduced to a cousin of the Darcy's, Col Fitzwilliam.

As the introductions were being made, the Bingleys and the Hursts arrived.

Col Fitzwilliam started conversing with Maria & Elizabeth who were seated on a sofa close to him.

"Have you been long in town Ms Bennet, Ms Bertram ?"

"No, just the last few days"

"And has your stay been a pleasant one ? I understand Sir Thomas has been married recently, so there must be a lot of visitors at home. Did you get a chance to do real fun stuff - like a visit to the theatre ?"

"Oh yes. My father was quite determined that all of us should have a good time together in London. We did go to the theatre."

"Ah. That's good. Don't tell anyone, but I really pity the newly married couples. The callers never leave them in peace and almost everyone wants to know the same things - what kind of dress did she wear, where did the event happen, what time of day..you know all the boring particulars"

He smiled at the ladies. Maria & Lizzy exchanged an amused glance.Maria then said,

"You call them boring particulars ? We ladies call them the most essential particulars that must be enquired after."

"You are joking, aren't you ? I know people ask those things only because it is a polite thing to do"

Maria giggled,

"Pray excuse me. I couldn't control the laughter. Really, Colonel, ladies are very much interested in those things. And believe me, the brides normally love to discuss it. Its like trying to live thru the wedding ceremony again."

The Colonel shook his head as if in disbelief. But he had a smile on his lips.

"Tell me Ms Bertram, What was the color of your dress you wore for this wedding. And do you remember what dress Ms Bennet wore ?"

"I perfectly remember everything even though I was not the bride myself. I wore a light lemon colored dress. Elizabeth wore peach, Jane wore light blue, Kitty sea-green, Lydia pink, Mary cream. Julia's was similar to mine but a darker shade. Fanny wore violet."

"Enough…enough… I believe you."

"And sir, do you remember what was the color of your outfit for the last party you attended ?"

"That's easy enough, Ma'am. My red coat! I almost always wear it"

Lizzy said, "Then do you remember when was the last time you wore something other than the red coat for a party ? What color was that dress?"

"Ah. you have caught me Ms Bennet. Frankly I will have to spend some time thinking back.let me see. last week I think I wore my blue coat to a party given by Lady Sophia. Or was it the brown coat ?"

Dinner was announced just then.. He jested, "saved by the dinner bell!"

Miss Darcy was pleased that the dinner was proceeding so well. She had Miss Elizabeth Bennet on her right side and Lady Bertram on her left. Lady Bertram did make some very silly comments. But for the most part she was quiet & only talking after taking her cue from her husband.

Miss Darcy enjoyed talking to Elizabeth very much.

"So Elizabeth are you done with Hamlet ?"

"Not quite. The last few days we have all been really busy with preparations for the ball. There was no quiet time to read. You have received the invitation card for the ball, havent you ?"

"Yes, we did get it today morning. My brother has sent our acceptance to Sir Thomas. I am looking forward to it. I hear you will leave London on friday ?"

"Yes, that is correct. We are all eager to go home - none of us have seen Mansfield Park yet you see"

"I have never been there, but I have heard that it is a very good house. I am sure you will be happy there. Miss Bennet....Elizabeth, will you give me leave to write to you from time to time ? Our acquaintance has just begun and you are already going away. We can at least be in touch thru our correspondence."

Elizabeth could not say no to such a request. But she wondered what they may have to say to each other; after all they had met only a handful number of times...

Jane Bennet was seated between the two Bingley sisters. Caroline was talking softly, asking questions about their Hertfordshire acquaintances.

"So I hear Hertfordshire has a new heiress in the form of Mary King ? I am sure she will attach many new suitors now"

Jane only nodded.

"So who is her new beau? Tell me about it"

"I dont know if she has any beau. I dont really know that family well"

"But isnt it true that your sisters former favorite Wickham is courting Mary King ? Dear Eliza must be heartbroken"

"I dont know if Wichkam is courting her..yes he was showing a lot of attention to her during the last assembly. I do not think there was anything between Lizzy and Mr Wickham. He was a friend to all of us. That's all"

"Your sisters Lydia and Kitty have been grounded by Sir Thomas, haven't they? Wish someone had done it sooner. I wonder how your dear Mama took it"

Jane was at a loss. After a moments reflection she quietly said, "My mother and Sir Thomas discussed it first and both agreed that Lydia and Kitty are too young to be out."

Charles Bingley found himself to be next to Maria. Mary Bennet was on his other side. He didn't know who made the seating plan. But he was far away from Jane. But he watched her across the table and saw her eyes darting to his side quite often.

"So Mr Bingley you are coming to our Ball, arent you ? "

"Yes Ms Bertram, I am."

"I am looking forward to all the dancing. I know you love to dance too"

"Yes, I do. I am sure it will be a very good ball"

After giving him such an opening, Maria waited to be asked for the first 2 dances. But he didn't ask her at all. Instead, after a while he turned and talked to Mary,

"Miss Mary Bennet, are you looking forward to your departure to Mansfield Park ?"

"Yes. I dont really like traveling all that much - but this journey is not a very long one"

"Do you miss Hertforshire & your friends there ?"

"Yes, sometimes. But I am making new friends now - Fanny and I spend a lot of time together every morning reading. I am sure our new sisters will make us welcome at Mansfield too"

She darted a half glance to Maria.

Maria took over, "Indeed, yes of course. As my father has often said it is to be everyone's home now. All of us will make each other comfortable"

When the gentlemen joined the ladies after their port, the entertainment for the evening began. Miss Darcy urged Elizabeth to lead the way and play something for them.

Elizabeth played a small airy song. Then she firmly refused to play more and determined that Miss Darcy should.

Miss Darcy played beautifully. Elizabeth enjoyed listening to the lovely strains flowing from the piano. In occupying herself thus she found 2 pair of eyes were firmly set upon her - Mr Darcy was staring at her from the other side of the room. Col Fitzwilliam was closer & he was looking at her too. As she caught his eye, he smiled at her..almost as if he was encouraging her to do something.

She raised her eyebrows questioning him.

He said nothing, but continued to smile. What could he mean ?

After Miss Darcy was done Mary took over for a song. Elizabeth wanted to escape the attention she was attracting from the Colonel & from Mr Darcy.

She saw the Bingley sisters leave the room & followed them quietly thinking they may be visiting the powder room just like she herself wished to do.

However, the sisters went inside another room (which was the library as Miss Darcy had informed them earlier) & closed the door. They didn't see anyone following them. Elizabeth paused outside the door for a second wondering if she should intrude on them & ask them directions to the powder room.

She decided against it & was about to turn away when she heard Caroline saying

"My dear sister, this is all so tiresome..why did Mr Darcy have to invite the party for dinner ? This is showing them too much attention. When we got Charles away from Jane last November, Mr Darcy was in agreement too. He was convinced that we should get him away from her as soon as possible.

Now why is he trying to throw them together again ?"

Elizabeth felt herself too interested to move.. She knew she should not be standing there listening to this private conversation but could not will herself to go away

Louisa was now replying, "My dear, I don't think he is trying to throw Charles & Jane together again. You noticed how they were seated at dinner ? He was far away from her - no chance of conversation. But Mr Darcy knows it is only polite to invite Sir Thomas for a dinner after his wedding."

Elizabeth saw Jane approaching her from a distance. Jane was probably coming in search of the powder room too. Jane started to say something but Lizzy silenced her by putting a finger across her lips & beckoned her closer.

The first sentence Jane heard was from Caroline saying:

"You are right Louisa. The only reason I am, (we all are I think) showing any attention to the Bennets is because their mother is now Lady Bertram. Otherwise what would we have common with these country girls ? They are simpletons if they don't know that already. I must say their dress sense has slightly improved. But nothing else has changed, has it ?"

Louisa giggled, "No, nothing else. Have their other connections improved ? Their uncle is still at cheapside, isn't he ?"

Jane pulled Elizabeth away from the door.they didn't wait to hear Caroline's reply.

Finally, having located the powder room with the help of a maid, they had a quiet minute together.

"I know you didn't like me listening out side the door Jane. But I couldn't move after I heard them talk about us"

"I don't blame you dear. I only blame myself for ever considering Caroline to be a good friend. Lets go Lizzy & join everyone lest our long absence be noticed"

"You go on. I will join you in a minute"

When she was alone, Elizabeth sighed silently. She was glad Jane had not heard the earlier part of the conversation. Her heart was heavy with emotion..I want to leave this place now. I don't want to come o Mr Darcy's place ever again. So Mr Darcy with Bingley sisters as his accomplices took Bingley away from Hertfordshire. I just hate Mr Darcy. I don't want to spend any more time in his home. He is just.just disgusting.

After spending a few minutes composing her thoughts, she commanded herself to join the others.

The rest of the party was enjoying a Scottish song played by Miss Bingley. Col Fitzwilliam had taken the opportunity of dancing with Maria. Mr Bingley was dancing with Julia. She saw that Mr Darcy was actually dancing with his sister. Miss Darcy seemed to enjoy dancing to the Scottish song.

His sister is just the opposite of him - she is so kind & gentle. So considerate. But I cannot really continue my acquaintance with her any more. I don't want to be close to anything that is remotely connected to him. He has ruined Jane's happiness.

Caroline started playing another song. Col Fitzwilliam asked Jane to dance with him. Louisa wanted to dance too & stood up with her brother.

Mr Darcy approached Elizabeth & asked her to dance.

"I'm sorry Mr Darcy. I have a slight headache. I think I will enjoy the dances more, from this sofa".

He bowed & turned to Fanny who was sitting next to Lizzy. Elizabeth was surprised to see timid Fanny accept the invitation to dance, only saying quietly to her partner that she was not a good dancer.

Mr Darcy smiled and said, "Don't worry. Neither am I"

Elizabeth saw Col Fitzwilliam raising his eyebrows at her. That smile again! What game is he playing?

Finally it was time to go home. Elizabeth was never more happy to say her goodbyes & sit in the carriage. The headache was turning out to be real & she kept thinking of what she had heard.

The headache continued the next day. Elizabeth got up early and went down. Only Mrs Norris was up

"So Miss Elizabeth. How was the dinner last night ? It must do you good to be introduced to such people as the Darcys of Pemberley by Sir Thomas"

"We didn't need an introduction Ma'am. We have been acquainted with Mr Darcy since last year. We met in Hertfordshire. And the dinner was good"

"Of course it was good. You and your sisters and your mother should get used to such dinners now. After all you are now Sir Thomas's family. Ah there is Mrs Bennet. Good Morning M'am. I see you are in the habit of getting up pretty late"

Elizabeth did not want to witness the first dual between Mrs Norris & her mother. She noticed that Mrs Norris still persisted on calling her "Mrs Bennet"!!

Not waiting to hear her mothers answer she said over her shoulder

"Mother, I am going out for a walk. I have a dull headache from last night".

As she was closing the door, she heard her mother say,"Good Morning Mrs Norris. Now…."

Elizabeth smiled. The dual will be interesting indeed!! But her mother didn't really need her help, did she ?

The fresh air was so refreshing. Elizabeth walked towards a small park that was close by. It was a very small park, being in London. Nothing compared to the outdoors she was used to. But it was a place she visited often having nothing else close by.

She sat on a bench quietly for almost three-quarters of an hour letting her thoughts ramble. They kept returning to the conversation she heard last night. Finally Elizabeth decided that she would think of all the concerned people no more. She should think of happier times to come - the ball and then traveling to Mansfield which will be their home. How glad she was to get these new brothers & sisters. Julia & Maria were nice people. And Edmund was….she held her breath……Was it really Mr Darcy approaching her ?

Yes, it was. She resolved to greet him politely and then be on her way.

"Miss Bennet. I was about to visit your house to inquire after your headache. Then I thought I have a better chance of meeting you here! How is your headache ?"

Elizabeth remembered she had told Mr Bingley and Mr & Miss Darcy about the park during their walk a few days ago.

Why did I talk about it ? He would have gone to my house directly had he not known. And I would not have met him today.

"My headache is almost gone. The morning air did me good. But I think I must go indoors now. I don't want to catch any cold & miss tomorrow's ball"

"Ah yes. The ball. I wanted to ask you - Can I have the first 2 dances ?"

"Sorry Mr Darcy, I am not.not free for the first 2 dances"

"My loss. How about the third dance ?"

Elizabeth could not find any excuse. It was easier to say yes & run away right now.

"Yes. Thank You Mr Darcy. I really need to go now"

"Err.Miss Bennet. I was wondering if I could have ten minutes of your time. I came hoping that I should find you in this park.. Do I have your attention?”

"Yes Mr Darcy. What can I do for you ?"

Instead of replying right away, Mr Darcy started pacing. After a minute he stopped, turned to her & said,

"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.."

All my readers know how Mr Darcy expressed himself and what conversation took place. It is not the purpose of this story to go into the details of the first disastrous proposal.

Her new position as Sir Thomas's stepdaughter did not change any part of the proposal scene - after all she was still related to the Gardiners of cheapside just like Louisa had pointed out and this was reiterated by Mr Darcy himself during the conversation.

He was rejected of course, as my dear readers know.

Mr Darcy soon left her with "You have said quite enough, madam….”

She knew not how to support herself, and from actual weakness sat down and cried for half an hour. Her astonishment, as she reflected on what had passed, was increased by every review of it. That she should receive an offer of marriage from Mr Darcy!!

And to think she was engaged to dance with him at the Ball!! May be he will not claim the dance after all.

Lizzy did not feel like returning home yet.

In the meantime at home Mrs Norris was gauging up Mrs Bennet.

New Beginnings ~ Section II

Tasha S

Beginning, Section II

Jump to new as of December 12, 2007
Jump to new as of December 18, 2007
Jump to new as of January 4, 2008

X - Norris v/s Bennet

Posted on Friday, 4 January 2008

From the last chapter Mrs Norris said "....Mrs Bennet, I see you are in the habit of getting up pretty late"

Lady Bertram was well prepared for Mrs Norris's comments.

"Good Morning Mrs Norris. I trust you have slept well ? As to getting up late, you probably dont know how long dinners, parties and balls go on; especially in London. You have lived all your life quietly in the country, hardly having any engagements. Anyway, as you can see, Sir Thomas is not up himself."

She continued after a brief pause "But dont worry dear Mrs Norris, I am sure you will be often invited to parties at the House in Mansfield & you will surprise yourself by getting up later than you do now"

"What do you mean invited to parties ? I will have you know that no party at the house can be done without my organizing it. I demand to be of help to my nieces and with their best interest in mind, shall organize everything just like Sir Thomas likes it. Madam, you are new to him and new to the house. You wont really know much about how he likes things. You will be better off leaving all the organizing to me. That way you can also spend valuable time getting ready to look the part of Lady Bertram. And as for sleeping late, you will find that no party or ball stops me from getting up at my usual early hour"

"Sir Thomas has told me all about the entertainment that Mansfield is used to - its hardly anything. They gave about 2-3 dinners in an entire year or so. And were hardly ever invited out.What a boring life that must be. Sir Thomas quite agrees with me on that. And let me tell you Ma'am that I need no help organizing anything. I have been giving dinners & parties most of my married life. Indeed Sir Thomas told me that he was quite astonished by my hosting such nice dinners and overall you know.. handling my household so well. That was something he really admired in me. I am not used to languishing on the sofa. You will see a big change in the engagements at Mansfield now, not quite what you are used to. Sir Thomas wishes for it & so do the children. As to time for my getting ready - you dont have to worry about that. I am used to having an upper maid help us and we will of course continue to do that. My dear Mrs Norris, I am used to handling being a hostess and looking the part. I dont need anyone's help, least of all a country clergyman's wife's to see me thru. You will be an useful neighbor of course and my step-daughters and my own daughters, I am sure, will like to have an aunt to visit (or invite) from time to time."

She sure is a good talker, thought Mrs Norris. She decided to change the tactics.

"I met your 2 youngest daughters yesterday. They seem to be charming girls."

"Thank You. All my girls are charming. So are my step-daughters of course."

"Its a pity that Kitty and Lydia, especially Lydia who is so beautiful should not be allowed to attend parties"

Lady Bertram had not expected such a remark from Mrs Norris. What is she trying to do now?

"Yes, I quite agree with you there. But Sir Thomas and I have discussed it at length. Both Kitty and Lydia are too young to be out. And it will be more fun in a year or two to have a coming-out ball for them.Wont it ?"

"What? A ball for them ? Given by Sir Thomas ? He never gave one for his own daughters..."

"That is because their mother was never disposed to give one"

"But you didnt give any for your other daughters, did you ?"

"That is different. Their father was not disposed to giving one. And now, in Lydia and Kitty's case, both their mother and their step-father are inclined to give one. But really Mrs Norris, you should not concern yourself too much with our family matters. I will of course have consulted you if we had decided to give a ball for Fanny this time"

Mrs Norris almost fell out of her chair "What ? A ball for Fanny ? Why would anyone want to do such a thing"

"Sir Thomas & I had considered a coming-out ball for Mary and Fanny this year...but then we thought they were already old enough to be mixing with company. Mary has been often going to parties & balls. If we had had a ball for them, they would have to be indoors before the ball - not attend theater or other parties before the ball. Sir Thomas wanted them to enjoy everything right from our first day in London. So the ball wont be a coming-out ball after all. It will be - you know - just a ball given by Sir & Lady Bertram for their children."

"Ball ? Are you saying we are giving a ball in London ? But we leave on Friday..."

"The ball is tomorrow. Didnt Sir Thomas tell you ? As our houseguest you are invited of course."

"No one told me. Not even my nieces & nephews. Hmmmphh. I didn't see any preparations for the ball going on. Are you sure you can get everything done by tomorrow ?"

Lady Bertam's smile increased to a big grin.

"Mrs Norris, this just shows how unequipped you are for organizing such grand events. Did you expect the entire household to be in uproar over preparations for a mere ball ? Should everyone just drop all other tasks & prepare for it ? Of course the preparations have been going on. Take a look at the kitchen; it has been a buzz of activities. Cook and her helpers have been busy getting everything ready - it will be white soup and a cold buffet. The butler has already ordered flowers, the invitations have all been sent, a list of the accepted ones already being maintained..everything is in perfect order. Although I heard Sir Thomas say that he had a last minute invitation to send. He didn't know Col Fitzwilliam, the second son of the Earl Of Matlock was in town, until we met him yesterday. He personally invited the Colonel last night, but the normal invitation card will follow today. As I said to dear Sir Thomas, any red coat is more than welcome to my ball"

"Your ball ?? I think the ball is more for the benefit of my nieces" scoffed Mrs Norris

"It is for the benefit of all the daughters and sons of this household. But really it's a ball given by Sir Thomas and myself & moreever its the very first ball we are hosting after our wedding; how do you think people are referring to it ? Even Miss Bingley told me yesterday that she was delighted to be attending your ball, Lady Bertram'. So there. But what you think of it is of no consequence whatsoever. And I should really get going with my breakfast. I have a few calls to make this morning."

Lady Bertram got up with that statement and swept outside to the breakfast room. Mrs Norris sat thinking for a while. Indeed if there was a dinner party at Mansfield she would find herself scolding and hurrying away the servants everywhere. But this lady just sat here calmly and told me about the ball preparations going on so quietly. She does seem to have a way with servants..or it must be Sir Thomas. Really, the servants will be in awe of him and new mistress for a while. May be that is the reason things are going on so quietly without the hustle and bustle.

After quarter of an hour Sir Thomas joined his lady in the breakfast room.

She gave him a brief outline of her conversation with Mrs Norris.

Sir Thomas laughed, "Life at Mansfield is going to be more lively than I had imagined. I wish I had not slept late but witnessed this wonderful conversation"

"Sir, you call that wonderful conversation ? Are you actually laughing at it? Mr Bennet had a tendency to laugh at such things, but you Sir, I thought you were of a more serious turn"

"My dear, please don't be offended. I am not laughing at you at all..I'm sure neither did Mr Bennet ever laugh at you. Although now I do see how he got the philosophical streak in him that I hear about from everyone. I am merely delighted at the way you got back to her. Was not the conversation wonderful in that respect ?"

"It was not wonderful in any respect. I don't think I like being told about how others can organize my parties & balls better than I can, at this juncture of my life. Haven't I been doing such things all my life? And commenting on my late waking up too…this is all so vexing. You know not how my nerves suffer after such a conversation."

"My dear, I totally agree with you...as I have often told you, you are a very good manager of such events. Indeed, even in the normal daily life the table you keep should make any man proud to have such a wife. All the children are so happy that you take such active interest in all the goings-on. Did I not tell you how the girls like having you as their step-mother ? In short, your husband and all your children are with you all the way. They approve of you & your habits. So why should something said by a comparative stranger affect you so ? You are after all Lady Bertram, the much loved mistress of this house & Mansfield Park. No one can touch that.and here comes Mrs Norris trying very hard to challenge that. My dear, you must see the humorous side of the situation too…"

Sir Thomas tried hard to get her to laugh with him, but she didn't budge. She was however very pleased to hear such approbation from Sir Thomas. She gloried in all that he said for her.

Sir Thomas wisely decided to let some more time pass before he tried to make her see the funny side of such events. She was molding pretty well to his expectations. He always knew that she was not a very intelligent person. But for the most part he was pleased to have married her. His kids, specially the girls, were blossoming under her attention (& being with Jane & Elizabeth had did them a lot of good). He was socializing with his friends in London; his house was always filled with liveliness and activity - a total opposite of the dullness it almost always had. The children were going into good company, a sure good thing for all of them.

He was looking forward to their life together in Mansfield Park.

He was enjoying his breakfast when Elizabeth entered the room.

"Good Morning Lizzy. I understand from your mother that you had a headache. Hope the fresh air did you some good ?"

"Good Morning Sir. Yes.the headache. I thought it was almost gone in the first hour I spent in the charming park. But I think it is returning again"

Sir Thomas looked up, "What happened after the first hour dear ? You do look.pretty done in"

Elizabeth blushed, "Nothing happened sir. I think I must have stayed out for too long. I better go and rest. We are supposed to dine with the Harrison's tonight, are we not ? May be I should not attend the dinner for the sake of being fit for tomorrow"

"Its too early to say anything about the dinner, Lizzy. You go up and lie down for a while. You may feel better in the afternoon. And you sure don't want to disappoint Charles Harrison, do you ? I have noticed him paying a lot of attention to you the last couple of times we met"

Sir Thomas grinned at her.

Elizabeth colored again, "Sir, then may be it will be a very good idea to give the dinner a miss"

Sir Thomas laughed at that & let her go

"I tell you Lady Bertram, your second daughter is getting to be a great favorite of mine. She has far more sense than all of our other. I see now why she was Mr Bennet's favorite child"

"My dear Sir Thomas, all my children and let me say all your children too have as much sense as Lizzy does, if not more."

"I am sorry my dear. I forgot - it's a topic that does not agree with you.Lets talk of other things. You said last night you wanted to show me the menu for the buffet tomorrow ?"

After the menu was looked over & approved, Sir Thomas introduced another topic,

"My dear, who do you think should open the Ball ?"

"Jane is older than Maria, so it is fit that she do so. More-ever, Tom has asked her for the first 2 dances. So Tom and Jane opening it seems ideal. Maria and her partner should follow. What do you think ?"

"I have other plans. I think you and I should open it. Tom and Jane will follow"

"What ? At this age do you really expect us to dance the first dance ?"

"Of course my dear. We are still young at heart are we not? And being the first ball we are giving together, people will not be surprised to see us open it. We need not dance after the first dance if you so wish. But let us have the first one. What do you say to that ?"

"Wellll. if you think that is right.” After a pause, “.hmmm, well, I should practice my dancing skills then. I have not danced at a ball in probably fifteen years at least."

"Neither have I in many many years!! But we will be alright."

Elizabeth rested in her room all afternoon.

She was quite overcome by the events of the morning. Mr Darcy actually proposing to her! And admiring her all these months..

What should I do for the first two dances ? No one has asked me yet. What if Mr Darcy finds me actually sitting down during those dances and asks again ? But surely, there is not really a danger of having no partner for these dances.I'm sure someone will ask me long before the dance begins.

Jane came in for a while to check on her. But Lizzy wanted to be alone. After spending most of the afternoon in misery, she decided to go down to the library for a while.

I don't like my own company. I keep thinking of that event. I believe myself to be right in all that I said and did. I should not waste more time thinking over it. If he claims his dance, I will do whatever politeness and courtesy require. I am going to stop worrying about it.

The library was deserted. Lizzy chose a volume of humorous essays and sat down with it. She tried to concentrate on the lines before her..

About 20 minutes later Fanny entered the library.

"Elizabeth, I hope you have recovered. You look somewhat gray"

"I am ok now I guess. Its just that.. my head was aching too much this morning"

"I heard you went out early morning. Was it windy then ? You should have waited for a few hours before venturing out"

"Yes, I know. I thought the fresh air will do me some good. But after a while the headache came back. But I am rested now"

"I am glad to hear it. So will you join us for the dinner tonite ?"

"I guess so. But I really hope Charles Harison doesn't continue his attentions."

"Why not ? He seems like a very nice person"

"Ya, he is. Well mannered and well educated. But I don't like people who cannot laugh with others. He seems so..so cold at times. You cant get him to warm up at all"

Fanny smiled.

"You know Lizzy, you cannot run away from his attentions tonite. So brace yourself. Is he better than Mr Collins then ? I heard all about him from Jane the other day"

"Hehe! Yes, he is far more better than Mr Collins for sure. I'd rather dance with him than Mr Collins anytime!!"

"Fanny, who is your lucky partner for the first 2 dances ?"

"Carl Stevenson asked me yesterday. What about you ?"

"I don't know.."

"Surely someone has asked you ?"

"Yes.but someone whom I didn't want to dance with.."

"So what did you do ? did you actually refuse this person ? How ?"

"Well.you know.I didn't want to be impolite so I…I am ashamed to say it, but I told him I was already engaged for the first two dances!"

"You did ? Oh Lizzy!! What will you do now ?"

"I don't know."

"I know.be more than polite to Charles Harison tonite" laughed Fanny.

Lizzy laughed with her

"I guess you are right! The other options is to just hide away."

Both the girls giggled as Edmund came in.

"Lizzy, Fanny, what is the joke ?"

Both of them colored.

"Nothing, we were just laughing at….umm…" Fanny couldn't think of anything more to say

"Charles Harison", Lizzy quipped

Edmund smiled, "Come on ladies. He is a decent gentleman, if somewhat starchy. Are you actually laughing at his expense ? What did he do now ?"

Lizzy said, "Nothing, nothing at all. We were rather hoping at some things he wont do tonite."

"Uf! Its better to let you enjoy your joke & not ask anything further. Who knows what goes on in ladies' minds!"

Both the ladies exchanged an amused grin.

"So tell me fair ladies, is anyone of you free for the first 2 dances ? I don't think I have any hopes at such a late stage. Well Fanny ? Lizzy ?"

Fanny said, "I am not. But Lizzy is."

Edmund turned to Lizzy, "What ? You are actually free for the first 2 dances ? May I have the honor?"

"Gladly! Actually This is exactly what we were hoping Mr Harison to not ask for tonite"

"So if Mr Harison asked you would have said yes for the dances ?"

"I don't know.probably. I had no other choice…"

"No other choice.I am sure someone would have asked you at the day of the dance"

Lizzy decided to acknowledge some part.

"Yes but not without catching a particular gentleman's attentions. This particular gentleman asked for the first 2 dances and I said I was already engaged! So I wouldn't have been able to say yes to anyone on the day of the ball & wouldn't have been able to sit down either!!"

"I am glad I saved you then, Ma'am. But remember, someday I may ask you to save me back!"

"I will happily do that Edmund. Anytime!"

"Alright, what say you both for a walk right now ?"

"No, you & Fanny may go. But I think I am better off indoors right now".

The day of the ball arrived. Mrs Norris swept thru the rooms trying hard to find fault wherever she could & then overturn Lady Bertram's orders about everything. She generally made a nuisance of herself. Sir Thomas, however, firmly told the servants to ignore her and continue.

Lydia and Kitty left for the Gardiners house early in the morning. Lydia declared she did not want to see anything related to the ball - no decorations, no new gowns of her sisters...nothing at all ! She and Kitty cried & consoled each other all the way till they reached the Gardiners house.

Lady Bertram was very excited - she had adorned a wonderful ball gown. It surpassed anything she ever owned. Sir Thomas had given her a small diamond and ruby brooch that morning. She wore it too.

Along with the brooch, Sir Thomas also gave his excellent advice on how the London ladies expected to meet a dignified quiet beautiful Lady Bertram that night. By now Lady Bertram had wisen-ed up to know that Sir Thomas liked her to be somewhat quiet - it added to her regalness he had said!

They stood near the door to welcome their guests.

"Sir William & Lady Sophia, its good to see you again"

"Mr Tentrot. Welcome.."

"Mr Bingley, Miss Bingley, Mr & Mrs Hurst.."

"My dear brother & sister Gardiner.."

"Earl & Countess of Wincherfelt"

"Mr Darcy, Miss Darcy"

"Sir Walter Phillips"

The guests went on.

Mrs Norris stood at a side looking at the scene. She had never felt so sidelined.

I feel so helpless. Come on, wake up. You don't want this Hertfordshire hussy to overpower you everywhere.

The Bingleys came over to say their hellos to Elizabeth and Jane. Mr Darcy & Georgianna came with them. Mr Darcy greeted Elizabeth very formally, just like he always did. It was as if yesterday's event in the park didn't happen at all. I should treat it the same way.I should not be embarrassed about it now thought Elizabeth.

After a while, Georgianna came up to Elizabeth and took her aside. Her face was flushed,

"Elizabeth, I have a favor to ask. Will you accompany me to the library ?"

"Of course. Are you ill, Georgiana ? You look unwell."

They were in the vestibule now.

"No, no. I am alright. I will have you know that I know absolutely nothing about this."

They had now reached the library.

"About what?"

"Go in Lizzy.."

Georgianna opened the door and pushed her in, "I am not allowed to be part of this."

She gently closed the door. Elizabeth now saw Mr Darcy standing at the far end of the room.

"Mr Darcy"

"Miss Bennet. I am sorry to have called you here. I..."

The library door was thrown open and Mrs Norris stood at the door. Her eyes were on Lizzy and she had a malicious smile on her face

"Aahaaa..I knew something fishy was happening here. You have some explanation to do.What are you doing here alone with this man ?"

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