Page 30 of Timing Is Everything

“I am determined,” Bingley confirmed. “I will be here until you send me away.”

Jane was not certain that Mr. Bingley would stick to his determination, but she was pleased each day when he came and sat by her to tell her something that he had decided upon. Some things were small, like a change to the items being served at breakfast to be more aligned with his tastes instead of Caroline’s, especially now that Caroline had left. Some were larger, like ordering repairs on the roof of a tenant house. Most importantly, he was consistent. There was always something for him to tell her.

John Simms proved to be an excellent steward. Within two weeks of being given the job he had met every Longbourn tenant and assessed their needs, then put the sons of the tenant families to work taking care of those needs. Within a month, fences were mended, plows were repaired, and scythes were sharpened in preparation for harvest.

As promised, he continued to work for Mr. Phillips during the day then spent his evenings either at Longbourn or with its tenants. As he tried to decipher Mr. Bennet’s shorthand in the ledgers, Mary found herself called upon regularly to help, since she was the most familiar with the books. At least once a week she would spend an hour or so with him in the study. The first few weeks she explained to him what the different entries meant. Then their meetings slowly evolved into Simms teaching her the few things she did not understand. All in all, he was quite impressed with her intelligence. She had a fine mind, and he found that he could bring to her any concerns with the tenants that would normally fall to the mistress of the estate. She, in turn, thrived on being useful.

In contrast, Mr. Darcy was not impressed with the resident steward of Stoke. It was clear the man was well past the age that he should have been pensioned off. Just as he was thinking he would send for one of the under-stewards from Pemberley, he happened upon Simms coming to Longbourn for the evening and asked if he could speak with him. Simms readily agreed, telling Miss Mary that their discussion that evening would need to be put off for a bit.

“Have you had any troubles balancing your different types of work?” Darcy asked.

Simms, who had thought for a moment that Darcy would be asking a completely different type of question, told him that he had not run into any difficulties.

“I am purchasing the Great House at Stoke as a place for the Bennet ladies to live after six months of mourning is complete. Would you consider taking on the stewardship of Stoke?” Darcy asked. “It is a small estate, but it would be a permanent position.”

Simms paused before replying.

“Although it would be a permanent position, being the steward of Stoke would not come with an income great enough to allow me to marry. I would either need to continue working for Mr. Phillips or continue as the steward of Longbourn.”

“Do you have the capability to do all three until Mr. Collins decides whether or not he would like to keep you on? If you are concerned about having the money for marriage, the extra income could help you build a nest egg.”

Simms paused again.

“As long as Mr. Phillips is willing to allow me a little bit of a lighter load for the next several months, then I would be thankful for the opportunity.”

Darcy agreed to speak with Mr. Phillips the next day, then left Simms alone to finish his work for the evening. When he left the study he was a little startled to find Miss Mary standing outside the door, ready to work with Simms on the ledgers for the estate.

Time passed quickly. Each day, Darcy suggested a walk, attempting to catch a little more time alone with Elizabeth. After seeing the results of their first solitary walk in Longbourn’s gardens, Jane was determined not to leave them alone for too long. In this she found a willing ally in Mary, as long as her chaperoning duties did not interfere with her pianoforte playing or discussions with Mr. Simms. Wanting to gain the favor of their very generous future brother, Lydia and Kitty decided to divert Jane and Mary as much as possible. As Lydia and Kitty inevitably intervened in a way that made them giggle, Jane did not mind. It was refreshing to see her younger sisters regaining their joy, and better still, Darcy was always so embarrassed by the giggling that he would not attempt further intimacy with Elizabeth.

Shortly after the offer on the Great House at Stoke was accepted, Darcy (with some prompting from Elizabeth) invited Mrs. Bennet to view the house before any renovations were made. He was pleased that Elizabeth had been right and Mrs. Bennet was delighted with the small parlor on the south side of the house. Her only request was that she have a comfortable chaise longue placed by the window that overlooked the front of the house.

Mrs. Bennet was happy with the renovations that would leave her with one larger drawing room, as well as larger music and dining rooms. When Mrs. Bennet first expressed a lack of interest in having the library share the space of the music room, Darcy thought that she was more interested in books than Elizabeth realized. He quickly saw his error when Mrs. Bennet instead suggested that they only keep so many books as could comfortably fit in the study.

It was only later, while Darcy and Elizabeth were reviewing the topic while walking through Longbourn’s gardens (with Mr. Bingley and Jane trailing behind), that Darcy gained a better understanding.

“But, what about the books?” Darcy asked, perplexed.

“Many of the books at Longbourn will stay with the estate,” Elizabeth clarified. “My father regularly added to his collection, but I do not know how many of them would be considered part of the estate, and how many would be considered personal property. I do not think that my mother desires to delve into the difference when books were one of the points of contention between her and my father.”

“But, might his favorites not bring her comfort later?” Darcy asked.

“Perhaps, but my mother has never overly concerned herself with which books were his favorites.”

Caroline Bingley was loving Lyme.

Shortly after they arrived, they attended a ball hosted by an acquaintance of theirs. While there, Caroline was at first alarmed when she overheard her sister telling others that they soon expected to be more closely connected to the Darcy family. As Louisa explained that Mr. Darcy was engaged to the sister of their dear friend, Miss Bennet, Caroline had to bite her tongue to stop herself from contradicting Louisa in front of others. As Louisa went on to explain that they fully expected an announcement from their brother and Miss Bennet as soon as she was out of mourning, Caroline accidentally crushed her fan.

As the evening continued, Caroline was thrilled at the extra attention she received, though even she could see the pattern. Two or more matrons would hold a whispered conversation, glancing furtively in her direction. Sometimes, a gentleman would leave the card tables, where Mr. Hurst was ensconced, in order to talk to his wife. After either type of conversation, the matron would collect her son and ensure he asked Caroline to dance. Caroline had never danced so many sets in one evening. She quickly pushed to the back of her mind any thought that she owed the Bennet sisters for her success, as she again confirmed that she was intimate friends with the future Mrs. Darcy’s sister, and that she fully expected an announcement from her brother and her dear friend as soon as Miss Bennet was out of mourning.

Three months after the death of Mr. Bennet, a relieved Mr. and Mrs. Collins returned to Longbourn. They had only stayed at Lucas Lodge for about a week before returning to Hunsford Parsonage. While there, it was made very clear that they were out of favor with the lady of Rosings Park. They still received the occasional visit from Miss de Bourgh, but since Mrs. Jenkinson was always sighing and fidgeting, it was clear that her mother did not approve.

If Lady Catherine had been able to find a new rector she would have insisted Mr. and Mrs. Collins vacate the parsonage. Unfortunately, she was having an incredibly hard time finding a clergyman that would suit her needs. None of her friends had any stray relatives that were in need of the position, so she had written to the bishop asking him to send her some candidates. She did not know that her daughter had also written to the bishop, asking him to only send candidates with a very strong will. When faced with the prospect of not having a rector, she finally begrudgingly accepted one of the bishop’s recommendations.

By the time Mr. and Mrs. Collins moved into Longbourn, the renovations on the Great House at Stoke were well underway. Mrs. Bennet was reluctantly preparing herself to move to the guest chamber when Mrs. Collins informed her that she and Mr. Collins would stay in the guest chamber while some changes were made to the master suite. If anyone questioned why it took a few months to change the wallpaper and drapes in the master suite at Longbourn, while major renovations were able to be accomplished at a much swifter pace at the Great House at Stoke, they did not voice it out loud.

Both Jane and Elizabeth were happy to have Charlotte back in the neighborhood, though everyone wished it were under different circumstances.

One day, shortly after the Collinses arrived, Darcy asked to speak with Mr. Collins in the study. John Simms had been doing an excellent job of acting as steward for Longbourn, and Darcy wanted to acquaint Mr. Collins with everything that had been happening around the estate while he was gone, and when he should expect to hear from Simms again.