Master of Netherfield Page 4

  “And what kind of landlord will you be once you have set Netherfield to rights, Mr. Darcy?” asked Mr. Bennet. “Will you be here and take an interest in your tenants and their crops, or will you be absent and allow your steward to collect the quarter rents?”

  His face frozen with such a question, William was unsure how to answer before he noticed that his steward was listening for the answer as closely as his neighbour.

  “I intend to be here at Netherfield for most of the year sir. Town holds little interest for me – I have just graduated from University and wish to establish myself. This is the first estate I shall manage on my own.”

  Bennet seemed to consider his next question carefully, “Have you spent your inheritance then? Netherfield is a good investment but I hope you are not cash poor now. You have to pay for labourers in the field to help the tenants with the harvest in a few weeks.”

  “I am flush sir,” William explained. “My father is well and he purchased Netherfield for me as a present for my graduation. Our family estate is in Derbyshire – it is named Pemberley, the largest land holding in the county – surrounding the villages of Lambton and Kympton.”

  “I have never been to Derbyshire, sir.”

  “It is lovely land sir,” William explained. “My family has held the lands there for almost two hundred years.”

  “Ah, mere newcomers Mr. Darcy,” Bennet replied. “My family has been at Longbourn for over three hundred years. Unfortunately, I shall be the last ‘Bennet’. I have no sons and a very distant cousin will inherit – my great-grandfather entailed the estate for some unknown reason.”

  With the time to leave long passed, Mr. Bennet rose and expressed his appreciation for the young man’s time.

  “Darcy, I am glad to have met you; it is good to have a steady hand at Netherfield. We shall have to hunt birds in my fields and chase fox in your woods this fall. Would you be free for supper tomorrow? I know my wife would be pleased to meet you.”

  “I... I would be pleased, Bennet.”

  “Good, we shall expect you at seven – we dine early in the wilds of Hertfordshire.”

  **++**

  Once he returned to his home and greeted his daughters, Thomas shared his news of the new neighbour with his wife. After Mrs. Bennet saw to her children, she set to work with Mrs. Hill to prepare the dining room for supper. Mr. Bennet ventured into his library and drew out paper, ink and quills to write a full page to his brother-in-law in town that he would send by express the following morning.

  ++**++

  Longbourn

  Edward,

  I need your assistance – or rather your wife’s knowledge. We have a new neighbour here in Hertfordshire named Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy – a young man just graduated from University – and his father has purchased the young man a gift – the neighbouring estate of Netherfield. Yes, the wealth that has come to the environs of Meryton is remarkable. I envision carriages of young women travelling out from town every weekend in attempts to capture the hand of this young man. He appears to be knowledgeable in estate management but I would appreciate any information Madeline could share concerning the family. I want to know if our young Mr. Darcy is suitable company for our families. If she does not have particular knowledge, perhaps she could write to inquire among her acquaintances and relatives in Derbyshire for pertinent information.

  Sincerely,

  Thomas

  **++**

  Chapter 5

  Dinner at Longbourn

  “Mamma, why do we have to eat our supper early and retire above stairs?” asked Kitty.

  “I want to stay downstairs,” insisted Lydia with a pout and teary eyes.

  Mary looked between her mother and her sisters but remained silent as Mrs. Bennet explained, “Tonight, we have a guest coming for supper. All of your sisters will eat and retire about stairs. You can sit in Jane and Elizabeth’s room and read stories or play with your hair styles while your father and I have supper with our guest.”

  “Who is coming, Mamma?” asked Jane.

  “It is Mr. Darcy, the new owner of Netherfield Park,” their mother explained. “He is a young man who just finished University and we want to welcome him to the neighbourhood.”

  “Mamma, will you tell him about Davie Hall at Lucas Emporium?” asked Elizabeth.

  “If the situation comes up,” Mrs. Bennet agreed. “But Elizabeth, you must not fight with boys. It is unladylike.”

  “Elizabeth will have trouble becoming a lady,” Mary announced. “She does not like to sew or walk quietly or tend the garden.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Elizabeth. “I worked the garden with Jane and Mamma all summer!”

  “Girls! Silence!” Mrs. Bennet ordered as she herded her five daughters into the dining room where their supper was laid out on the table.

  Mrs. Hill remained in the dining room to supervise the meal while Mrs. Bennet retired above stairs to bathe and dress for supper. Mr. Hill laid out Mr. Bennet’s best coat and trousers and finally cajoled the master of Longbourn to retire above stairs to bathe and dress.

  “Mrs. Hill, are you serving pheasant tonight?” asked Kitty.

  “No, Miss Kitty. It is months too early to have pheasant. Your parents and Mr. Darcy will dine on mutton, fish, carrots and potatoes, wine, cheese and bread.”

  “What does wine taste like?” asked Lydia.

  “Like your glass now,” Mary replied.

  “We have watered wine Mary,” Elizabeth said. “Mamma and Papa have wine without water.”

  “Wine has a very strong taste,” Jane confided to her sisters. “I prefer the watered wine at supper.”

  “What story shall we read tonight?” asked Elizabeth. “Would you like to hear about King Arthur again? Or shall we read about Robin Hood?”

  **++**

  Fitzwilliam Darcy rode the three miles from Netherfield to Longbourn with his footman in attendance on a second horse. Two miles further along was the small village of Meryton where he had ventured to locate a merchant for items needed in the household. His valet had gone with Darcy into the village and they agreed that the master of Netherfield would have to travel into town for a suitable tailor, fine wine and furnishings for his home. The local blacksmith and wheelwright was a good man with a solid reputation. He found his tenants raised sufficient oats for his stable of horses and the farmers were pleased when the master paid full price for the grain.

  “I shall keep more of the oats from my own fields this year,” he assured them. “I do not think my stable will shrink.”

  He noticed immediately that Longbourn was less than half the size of Netherfield but the flowers in gardens along both sides of the house improved the look of the house. The windows were not as numerous but appeared to be sufficient to light the interior of the house. And he noticed that above stairs, the lights in several rooms threw shadows on the walls of children at play.

  A man servant opened the front door and ushered William into the small foyer where his host greeted him warmly and introduced his wife, a handsome woman of some four and thirty years perhaps, at least ten years younger than her husband. Behind him he heard the servant direct the footman to the stables and then to the kitchens for his own supper.

  “You feed the footman too?” William asked.

  Mrs. Bennet glanced at her husband for direction but he merely shrugged so she explained, “Oh course sir. Your servant will be fed with our servants while we dine. That will allow him to digest his meal and be awake for your return home this evening. A grumbling, hungry footman would not be good company on a dark night.”

  Darcy smiled and nodded his head as he was lead into the parlour where they sat for many minutes while Mr. and Mrs. Bennet asked after the developments at Netherfield.

  At some point in the conversation, Darcy said, “Mrs. Bennet, I understand you have five daughters.”

  Smiling indulgently at her husband, the lady replied, “Indeed I do sir though they are all young and not out yet. Our el
dest, Jane will come out this fall in Meryton at seventeen years. Our second girl, Elizabeth, will soon be fifteen and she will wait at least three more years until she is eighteen years as well.”

  “And eighteen is not too old,” William said. “I hope to encourage my own sister to wait until she is thirty years to come out.”

  “Mr. Darcy! How unfair of you!” Mrs. Bennet teased. “The poor girl will have sewn a thousand needle work cushions in all that time but not know how to dance!”

  Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy joined in laughter at the lady’s response.

  “Have your daughters attended school?”

  “No,” Mr. Bennet replied quickly. “I wish to keep them at home and I see to their education myself. Jane and Lizzy both are very conversant in French and some Latin though mathematics is a challenge to us all. We read extensively and our middle daughter Mary who is twelve years shows some interest in the pianoforte.”

  “My girls will all sew and know how to care for the tenant families as well,” Mrs. Bennet added. “Elizabeth prefers to spend her time with her father’s books but I shall get a needle in her hands someday.”

  “Do you have a large library, Mr. Bennet?” asked William. “Netherfield lacks anything printed in the last fifty years!”

  “I do have some quality books. We shall look them over after dining and I can introduce you to our bookseller in Meryton. He is an excellent man with connections to shops in town and the University dons who are forever purchasing books from families in need of cash.”

  “My family library in Pemberley is excellent but my father would not wish me to cart books between our homes.”

  “Then you will have to build a good library yourself,” Mr. Bennet said. “It is a very satisfying thing I must admit. The books are much like a friend you have had for many years.”

  The evening continued with pleasant conversation regarding more books, the escapades of the Bennet daughters, crops and the ever-continuing wars with the French.

  “I do not understand these wars,” Mrs. Bennet complained at one point during supper. “Why should Bonaparte want to invade England? We have no desire to invade France, do we?”

  “Monsieur Bonaparte has imposed his will upon all of Europe except for Britain. We threw him out of Egypt but I fear it will take the Russians and Austrians with our armies together to bring him to bay,” William answered. “We shall not bow to the French.”

  “Has your first week in Hertfordshire pleased you Mr. Darcy?” asked Mr. Bennet. He steered the conversation away from politics though he was pleased that Fannie made the effort.

  The young man nodded and glanced between his host and hostess. “I am most pleased with the folk hereabout. It has been my good fortune to be born into a family of some consequence with great responsibilities. Unfortunately, my situation attracts... shall I call them grasping friends? And very often it attracts families that are anxious to marry off their daughters.”

  Mr. Bennet watched his wife closely and noted that she seemed affected by the shy, young man’s words.

  “I understand that fathers and mothers wish to see their daughters settled but many of them see marriage as only a business transaction – what do they expect their daughter to speak of with the husband they select from a hat for thirty or forty years of married life?” William asked.

  Francis Bennet took that moment to look down the table to her husband of eighteen years and realized how fortunate she was to have him – Thomas Bennet was pleasant and humorous. He did not mistreat her and he cared for their children more than many other husbands she knew.

  Likewise, Thomas Bennet smiled at his wife as her pleasant face softened with concern for their young guest at some other point in the meal.

  “Mr. Bennet, I find myself in need of cows,” William said as they waited for the dessert to be served.

  “Come again?” asked his host.

  Grinning at the quizzical expressions on the faces of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, William explained. “I have invaded my dairy at last and I found two milk maids who have no milk. There are six cows at Netherfield and they are all dry at once. The girls assured me the cows are all with calf but it may be two or more months before they calf and begin to produce milk again. I found my cook having to buy butter from Mrs. Goulding when she has any to spare.”

  “My dear, how is our dairy set?” Mr. Bennet asked.

  Mrs. Bennet nodded for Mr. Hill to bring in the cake as she said, “We have eight cows presently and we are feeding extra milk to the pigs and to the chickens. There are three heifers that freshened this spring and we could spare two cows for Mr. Darcy.”

  “Excellent!” Mr. Bennet said. “I enjoy settling all questions and discussions of livestock so easily.”

  “But what price would you ask for your two cows?” asked William.

  Bennet looked at his wife who shook her head, telling him she had notion of the price of cow.

  “My wife who runs the dairy will not sell you any cow, Mr. Darcy. We shall loan you two cows until your dairy begins to produce milk again.”

  “But I cannot accept such a gift, sir.” Turning to Mrs. Bennet, William said, “Madam, you must allow me to make recompense for milk and butter for my household for months.”

  “Mr. Darcy, I have an idea,” Mrs. Bennet said. “The Netherfield dairy has a very good bloodline. Perhaps if my husband were to have his pick of the calves this summer – a young bull or a goodly heifer from your dairy that would improve my dairy – that would be ample payment for the milk for these months.”

  Mr. Bennet nodded and grinned while Mr. Darcy thanked Mrs. Bennet for her generous offer.

  **++**

  After their guest departed, Mr. Bennet retired to his library for a final thimble of port before checking that the doors were locked and the candles all snuffed. At the top of the stairs, he checked the bedroom of his eldest daughters and then the nursery where the four younger girls still slept.

  Upon entering his chamber, he found the door to his wife’s bedchamber ajar – an unspoken invitation to share her bed for the evening. Dismissing Mr. Hill as soon as he was changed into his night shift, Thomas Bennet ventured into his wife’s bedchamber for the entire evening.

  **++**

  The following morning, Mr. Bennet and his wife were late rising but while he put their daughters through their regular lessons, Mrs. Bennet prepared to further the sewing lessons for her daughters. She was determined that even Elizabeth would learn to sew a strong hem.

  Late in the morning, a letter was brought into the library by Mr. Hill. Glancing at the address, he recognized his brother Gardiner’s handwriting, turned the letter over, broke the seal and read.

  **++**

  Gracechurch Street

  Dear Brother,

  Edward asked me to tell you everything I knew about the Darcy family from my home in Lambton. I am pleased to be of use to my family with my story. As you can imagine, my family was never intimate with the great house but the Darcys were patrons of all local merchants in Lambton. Mrs. Darcy was a very proud lady of the highest fashion but she did purchase stationary and inks, baskets and notions from my father’s store.

  I know Mrs. Reynolds the housekeeper – she and my mother are very distant cousins. She tells my mother that young Mr. Darcy is a considerate, intelligent young man. There is a very young sister – only ten years who lives at the great house.

  I will allow Edward to tell you of the father.

  Your sister,

  Madeline Gardiner

  **++**

  On the second page, Mr. Bennet found more damning information in the letter from Mr. Gardiner.

  Bennet,

  What my wife is unwilling to include in her lines is a report of the father – George Darcy. It is unfortunate that the noble class often ignore the mores of society. While is it often gossip, in this case it is truth – Mr. Darcy keeps a mistress. He had the mistress before his late wife died and now has two natural children that he supports in schoo
l. The woman is not resident in the home but she has been established on a Darcy estate in the neighbourhood.

  The father is a good landlord generally from all reports. The son of whom you have inquired is reported to be very reserved and unlike the father does not appear to be a scoundrel with the ladies. There is a young man associated with the household who is not welcomed in any homes in Lambton but he is the master’s godson, a George Wickham.

  Of Master Fitzwilliam Darcy, there are none but what say good things.

  Sincerely,

  Edward Gardiner

  **++**

  Mr. Bennet folded up both pages and stored them in his drawer of correspondence. Mr. Darcy would be welcome in his home for dinner, hunting and companionship.

  **++**

  Chapter 6

  Sherwood Forest

  William Darcy rode alone from his house to the farm tended by the Hall family. The man was indeed an excellent farmer and Darcy was considering making him a foreman over all the farms growing oats and other grains. To reach the farm, he could take the road around the wood or follow the pathway through the woods that was much quieter and faster. About him, almost one thousand acres of oak and maple towered into the blue sky. The extensive wood lot – appropriately name Netherfield Woods – provided much fire wood for the estate and tenants but Darcy intended to provide his tenants with some coal for winter heat this year and to harvest timber to dry, saw and sell next year.

  “These woods have not been touched in a century except for fire wood,” he decided. “If I get a good crew with strong horses, there will be little damage from the work. Thinning the forest will even increase the number of deer.”

  “Stand and deliver!” commanded a young voice. Pulling Jupiter to a halt, Fitzwilliam Darcy frowned – a fearful sight. He would not stand for outlaws attempting to rob anyone on his lands.