Chapter 4

Over a fortnight, Mary Bennet managed to keep an almost identical schedule as her intended. When Richard saw to his troops in the morning, Mary spent time with her Bible and prayed. When he returned to luncheon, Mary enjoyed the meal with him and listened patiently to the complaints of a frustrated man. In the evening, as Richard completed post he did not trust his secretary to perform and looked over his man’s efforts before they would leave in the morning dispatch, Mary busied herself with updates for Jane. She would write three to four days per letter and dutifully send it, constantly reminding Jane to not send post back as she was due to leave any day.

As the weeks dragged on, and less than a month remained until preparations for deployment, both Richard and Mary began to fear they might not become man and wife as soon as they had wished. Richard dared once more to suggest they wait and marry when he returned, only to have Mary swear she would follow him to the ends of the earth if required to win her husband. That particular night, the couple imbibed a stash of brandy to erase their cares.

After that evening of passionate discourse, Mr. and Mrs. Holt changed their routine to spend evenings in Mr. Holt’s study, with the Colonel and Mary. As Richard addressed his post left on the desk, he noticed a thick offering with the clear markings of an express.

“Perhaps?” He began as he held up the missive to catch Mary’s attention. Both held their breaths with hope as Richard cut open the letter and a number of folded pages tumbled out. The thinnest he read first, and frowned.

“Congratulations, Miss Bennet, you have been made an aunt,” Richard said flatly and Mary reached for the announcement to mask her mixed emotions of the lie. She had been an aunt for over six months’ time, but her first nephew would live a life of subdued recognition.

She recognized Kitty’s handwriting and then looked at the pile of other letters that had also arrived. She greedily snatched the few bearing her name that her family had sent to Richard, demonstrating for the Holts they knew the scheme for her to go to him. Opening another letter, Mary quickly read more and spoke for Mrs. Holt’s benefit. This also allowed her to tuck the other letters from Elizabeth and one from Mr. Darcy it appeared, into her pocket to keep them private.

“Both my sister and the babe are well. But I have a feeling there is more to this story then what is written here. I shall have to wait for the letter from Lizzie herself,” Mary smiled mischievously as she and Richard shared a look of solidarity.

“Oh? What do you suspect? The business of bringing children into this world is always surprising, but you seem to believe the birth of your nephew was even more so?” Mrs. Holt’s piqued curiosity often made Mary afraid of tripping over her own tongue, but on this subject she could wax poetic quite safely.

Mr. Darcy and her sister Elizabeth had been married for over a year, and while the circumstantial evidence made it likely the arrival of young Bennet was quite alarming, his birth certainly wasn’t scandalous. In that way, the child honored as the first nephew differed from the actual boy, little Robin, that held the position.

“The last letter I had from my sister, Kitty, who is staying with my sister, Mrs. Darcy, and her husband at Pemberley, discussed a ball to be held the weekend before Easter.”

Mrs. Holt gasped. “Do you mean to tell me Mrs. Darcy held such a grand engagement so near to her time?” Mrs. Holt’s tone was a mixture of astonishment and admiration. Mary nodded.

“My mother and the Countess of Matlock were in residence to oversee most of the details. And I understand that another one of my brother-in-law’s aunts insisted upon the event as our family had announced the engagement of the general’s eldest brother to his cousin.”

Mr. Holt gave a short grunt a disapproval attracting the notice of the room. Only Richard dared to question the man’s reaction.

“Are you dissatisfied my brother is to marry our cousin?” Richard asked his host most plainly.

Mr. Holt sniffed and brushed his bulbous nose with the knuckle of thumb before he bristled at such an insidious question. “I’m afraid I don’t know your brother from any Jack on the street, nor the reputation of your cousin.”

Despite Mr. Holt’s dismissal, Richard would not allow the subject to lie.

“Perhaps it was indigestion then and my mistake.” Richard considered the matter settled, and only briefly caught Mary’s grimace before Mr. Holt began to shout.

“How dare you insult the free board we have provided you!”

“Charles,” Mrs. Holt tried to placate her husband, but he was having none of it.

“No Josephine, I shall not be bamboozled by Viscount this and Lord so-and-so, the son of Lord so-and-so. If this man had any honor, he would be married to Miss Bennet in an honorable ceremony. But no, he will elope and cast a shadow over the engagement of his own kin.”

Mary’s mouth opened in horror as Mr. Holt’s plainspoken observation had eluded her notice. How could she be so cruel as to elope with Richard knowing that it might embarrass or diminish the marriage of Richard’s brother and Anne de Bourgh?

“You are correct, sir, that you do not know my brother from any Jack on the street. I am most confident that the only reason my brother could be prevailed upon to marry my sickly cousin is because my father has mismanaged an investment. But I do thank you for pointing out what I had overlooked this last week that we have inconvenienced you.”

Mrs. Holt began to try to rectify the situation. “Oh, please General, it has been no inconvenience. My husband is a very traditional man-”

“Decent,” Mr. Holt corrected his wife. “And no decent man would accept an unmarried woman into his household without questioning the intentions of a soldier, no matter his rank. To then learn that this poor young woman is fatherless-”

Richard interrupted. “I agree with you, sir! I can assure you that we will be leaving at first light. Miss Bennet, would you please direct your maid to pack your trunks?”

Mary began to tremble. “But the dispatch? And the horses?”

Richard stood and performed an act he had many a time when his cousin Darcy was angry at him. He poured both Mr. Holt and himself a drink from the sideboard, and served the man first, a courtesy that spoke volumes.

“Hang the dispatch! It’s on its way, and Tompkins knows the funds are there. I’ll tell Lieutenant Argyll to send an errand boy up behind us when the paperwork arrives and we will spend an extra day or two at Starvet House.”

Mary’s face cracked into a grin as she realized the new plans would allow her more time with her sister. “That means I can spend time with Jane, pardon me, Countess Haddington.” Mary frowned as she realized she was going to have to become accustomed to using her sister’s title around others.

“Your sister is a countess?” Mrs. Holt asked in a very small voice as both the Holts suddenly appeared very nervous.

“Only recently, she thought she was marrying a country man, a neighbor of Mr. Darcy’s estate near Edinburgh. His twin brother is inheriting the dukedom, but Mr. Graham Hamilton’s grandfather on his mother’s side named him heir to the Bolton title.” Mary blew out a breath as she had remembered all of the details she had committed to memory from Jane’s letters.

Mr. Holt remained skeptical as he sipped his drink provided from his decanter. “How will your superiors not find fault with your actions to leave tomorrow when you could not leave before?”

Richard smirked as he finished his drink much faster than Holt. “The army doesn’t keep me around for my dashing good looks,” he boasted, seeing Mary blush. “A dispatch that is a month late with a month to go is grounds enough for me to defend my impetuous action. Besides, who are they going to get to replace me?”