The Adventures of Lizzy Bennet - Book 1: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by Kate Speck

  Mr. Bennet mounted the mare and began its trot. “But did you know that ladies must learn to ride on a side-saddle when older? Ladies do not ordinarily ride astride when they are adults, especially due to the style of the dresses they must wear.”

  “Side-saddle?!” Lizzy exclaimed, “What a ridiculous notion! I have trouble staying up astride and ladies must sit sideways? I will refuse, papa. I know I have to wear a dress and not trousers as I wish but somethings I will never do if I can help it. I will never be ordinary!”

  Mr. Bennet laughed as he held on to his daughter while riding. “Truer words have never been said, Lizzy. You will never be ordinary; that is for certain!”

  ~*~

  Lizzy and her father soon reached their neighbour’s estate and dismounted. Georgiana Darcy ran down the steps to greet them.

  “Lizzy!” Georgie shouted, “They’re here! They’re here!” She softened her voice as Miss Carter coughed behind her with a smile. “Lizzy, my birthday gift is here and papa has a surprise for you as well.” She spoke softer. “Come on now! THEY’RE HERE!!” She screamed again in excitement.

  Lizzy held on to the six-year-old girl’s hand as her friend pulled her towards the stables. She did not know what Mr. Darcy had gifted his daughter and was curious about why Georgie was so excited, but she happily ran with her to where Mr. Darcy was standing with his wife.

  “Lizzy!” Lady Anne smiled beautifully and embraced her. “Did Georgie tell you of our surprise?”

  Lizzy shook her head, “No, Mrs. Anne. She said her birthday gift arrived and that I had a surprise waiting for me but I haven’t a clue what it means. It’s not my birthday and I don’t understand what would be for me.”

  Mr. Bennet stood behind his daughter, placing his hand on her shoulder, “I have agreed on your behalf, and although it will not be coming home with us, you may have use of it for as long as you wish. Mr. Darcy and Lady Anne adores you like a daughter and they wished to thank you for your friendship with William and Georgiana.”

  “I assure you, Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Anne, no thanks are needed.” Lizzy adamantly declared. “I love my dear friends and I don’t need anything in return. Please, you don’t have to get anything for me at all and I will treasure my friends for life!”

  Lady Anne knelt at her feet and gently stroked Lizzy’s cheek. “You are precious to us and we wished to do this for you. Not because of anything we want to receive from you, but to show you a little of how much we treasure you.”

  Mr. Darcy walked over and held her hand after nodding at Mr. Bennet. “Lizzy, Georgiana received a new Shetland pony for her birthday and we have brought a second for your use. They will both be outfitted with smaller saddles for yours and Georgiana’s sizes and they are one of the most intelligent and friendly animals you will see. Once we have had several more lessons to ensure your safety and your father approves, you and Georgiana can ride independently, as long as it is within our fields so you do not get lost. You will have someone ride with you always and never alone, but you will have your own pony for your own use.”

  Lizzy screamed her joy and hugged Mr. Darcy, then Lady Anne, and turned to her father to embrace him. “Thank you, papa! I will not disappoint you and will be very careful. I love you, papa.”

  She quickly turned to Georgie and the girls ran to see the pair of ponies to pet them while Mr. Bennet discreetly wiped his tears.

  “Bennet, you made the right choice to allow her the pony.” Mr. Darcy consoled. “That dear girl is growing up and you have to let her go eventually.”

  Mr. Bennet chuckled, “Wait until it is your turn, Darcy. You think you have more time but it is but a blink of an eye.”

  Mr. Darcy patted his friend’s shoulder and the adults walked to the girls to hear them chattering.

  “What are their names, Georgie?” Lizzy asked. “She has a beautiful brown coat and is very calm. This one,” she hugged her own, “is a gorgeous white with black patches.”

  “I named mine ‘Honey’ because her coat looks like honey. What about yours? What shall you like to name yours?” Georgie asked.

  Lizzy gasped, “I can name her?!” She walked around both ponies and contemplated in all seriousness. “Honey is a good name for yours, Georgie. Like Snowflake, it describes her perfectly.” She tapped her finger on her chin, “I shall name this one ‘Ghost’ since there is so much white on her and the black makes her look as if she is disappearing into the night. I will be known as a ‘Ghost’-rider and all shall fear me as I approach them like an apparition!”

  The grown-ups laughed while Georgie hugged her friend and they fed their new ponies some carrots.

  “Come, girls,” Lady Anne instructed a quarter hour later. “Honey and Ghost need to return to their stalls now since they had their exercise already today. They will be fit for riding in a few weeks after they become accustomed to their saddles and your scents, and you must spend some time with them daily so they get to know you. No rush at all, girls, since you will have to prove to your papas that you are ready to ride on your own and that is determined by how hard you work. Miss Carter is waiting for you for your lesson.”

  The girls held hands as they ran inside together. Lizzy waved at her father, “See you in two hours, papa!”

  Mr. Bennet waved back as he commented, “I know I should not, Darcy, but I cannot help that she is my favourite. I know it is unfair to the other girls but she is special and I wonder what will become of her as an adult.”

  “Well, Bennet,” Mr. Darcy replied, “It will take a special man to capture her and as much as I hope it will be my Fitzwilliam who will bring her home to be my daughter someday, she will be given every chance to find her own place in the world and will have the freedom to do so. I am eager to meet your brother Gardiner next week and he has written to me that Lizzy’s funds are growing as hoped and he himself has added a little more to it. Lizzy will be independently wealthy if she should pursue a future that does not involve a husband. With her determination and intelligence, she will be the one to keep the rest of your family secure if something should happen to you.”

  “Thank you, my friend. My wife and I are saving all we can and we are most appreciative of your generosity to our dear girl. Mrs. Bennet has calmed considerably since we had begun to save for the future and your gift has given her hope that she will live in some comfort after my passing. It is an incredible gift but for Lizzy, I could not refuse.” Mr. Bennet smiled.

  Mr. Darcy kissed his wife’s hand as she returned to her duties with Mrs. Nicholls the housekeeper. “Come, now. Let us go and continue our contest. I will beat you at our chess match today, I am certain. You are emotional and it is my turn to win!”

  Mr. Bennet replied, “What is the count now? Twelve to eleven? Perhaps it is your turn to tie it up, my friend. Or perhaps I will win for the thirteenth time!” The gentlemen laughed as they retreated to the study.

  Chapter 8

  Mr. Edward Gardiner respectfully bowed to the elderly gentleman, “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Stone has been keeping me informed of your investments these past two years and I apologise that we have not had a chance to meet until now. After my brother Bennet wrote to me of your friendship and your gift for my niece Lizzy, I have been most eager to meet you and form our own connection. I understand you have not only begun a trust for my niece but has increased your expenditure from five per cent in the company to thirty, sir. You are now one of my major shareholders and I am delighted with the partnership.”

  Mr. Darcy beamed as he shared a glass of brandy with the gentlemen. “With Bennet’s friendship and knowing your reputation and integrity, I would be a fool to miss my chance to work with you. Being a landowner is a stable living but one must pursue more than working the lands to increase his income. You can grow only so much on a plot of field but there are many advances in the world that are rapidly changing, that if we do not keep our eyes open, it will be a whole new world and we will fall behind in income as well as in knowled
ge.”

  “That is absolutely true, Mr. Darcy.” Mr. Gardiner answered. “It may be in one or two generations before we notice the larger impact, but with the Napoleonic War beginning last May and more young men off to serve King and Country, farming hands will decrease and demand increased. Farms will become somewhat unstable, as I have told Bennet, unless you have older men hired and trained for the job. But the railway projects are promising and it may be several years, but the return on your investment will be worth the wait.”

  “I trust you, Gardiner. We old men must do what we know but be open to the younger men to teach us a thing or two as well.” Mr. Darcy smiled at Mr. Bennet. “If we are too proud to ask for assistance or too prejudiced to listen to new ideas and remain apathetic to the changes around us, we will be old goats, too stubborn to see the cliff before us and fall into disgrace.”

  Mr. Bennet laughed, “Pride and prejudice will only bring trouble and we must keep our eyes open for our children.” He looked at his wife’s brother, “Do you have any plans to marry, Edward? You are one and thirty and still unattached. Any thoughts of settling down?”

  Mr. Gardiner coloured, “I have been too busy with my work that I had not time to think on it. I suppose the ladies I do meet are not what I envisioned as the companion for my life. I am being pursued since my reputation has begun to spread but of course those ladies appear to be after my income rather than for myself.”

  “I know the feeling, Gardiner.” Mr. Darcy nodded, “Although I pursued my dear wife and her father thought me only after her connections and dowry as the daughter of an earl, I had to convince him that I rebuffed ladies with £50,000 because I cared for his daughter and it took well over a year to court her. Perhaps when least expected, you will find someone worthy and find happiness.”

  The gentlemen gladly chatted for several more minutes until Lizzy’s daily lesson with Georgiana was competed.

  ~*~

  “Who is that gentleman with your father and Mr. Darcy?” Miss Carter asked softly. “He appears quite astute and is much younger than the other two.”

  “That’s my uncle Edward Gardiner, Miss Carter. He is my mother’s elder brother and lives in London. My mother has an elder sister in Meryton, Mrs. Phillips, you remember seeing her before, and Uncle Edward is next and lives near Cheapside. He works with other people’s money. I don’t know exactly what he does but he takes in money and gives them out, or something rather like it.” Lizzy openly replied.

  Miss Carter blushed when her eyes met Mr. Gardiner’s. “Ah, a tradesman. He is very handsome.”

  Lizzy winked, “Yes, he is, ma’am. Shall I introduce you? Mrs. Porter taught us about making introductions and I would like to try!”

  After walking the distance to the stables where Mr. Bennet was showing Mr. Gardiner the ponies, Lizzy smiled and began, “Uncle Edward, please allow me to introduce my friend Miss Madeline Carter. She is Georgiana Darcy’s governess and hails from Lambton in Derbyshire. Miss Carter, this is my uncle Edward Gardiner from London. He is single and a very eligible bachelor and is in need of a good wife.”

  “Lizzy!” Mr. Bennet chastised his daughter while the pair positively burned bright red in embarrassment. “You should not be saying such things, young lady. You sound like how your mama used to sound.”

  Lizzy giggled but replied, “Sorry, papa. Sorry, Uncle Edward.” She turned to Mr. Darcy and her father, “Will you help me put the ponies into their stall while they speak? It will be only a few minutes.”

  Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet laughed but helped Lizzy walk the animals back inside the stables while the young couple made their acquaintance.

  After bidding their farewells, Lizzy sat in the carriage to return home and spoke animatedly to her uncle. “I told her you worked with people’s money and she believed you were a tradesman. She said you were handsome, Uncle Edward!”

  Mr. Gardiner coloured again but embraced his favourite niece and kissed her forehead. “Thank you for the introduction, my little lady. You did a wonderful job and I hope to see her again soon. I will not be here long enough to get to know as much as I wish but perhaps it was fate that brought me here.” He pulled out a crown from his pocket. “For your services today, milady.”

  Lizzy hugged her uncle, “Thank you, uncle! Payment is not needed but I appreciate it so much! I have been saving for a book to purchase and this is perfect!”

  “You have so many books at your disposal, Lizzy. What could you possibly need to buy?” Mr. Bennet asked in amusement.

  Lizzy grinned, “I am going to buy William a book of sonnets for Christmas. He wrote to me that he began to enjoy poetry and I will get him a small volume that he can carry with him. Books make me happy and I hope it will make him smile when he is home-sick.”

  Mr. Bennet patted his daughter’s hair and they returned home, speaking further of Netherfield and the beautiful horses there.

  ~*~

  “Do you believe in love at first sight?” Lizzy asked, “I think Uncle Edward is in love with Miss Carter and she loves him in return, papa.”

  Mr. Bennet laughed as they rode on Lily from Netherfield to Longbourn a week after Mr. Gardiner returned home to London. “I thought your mama was the most beautiful girl when I first met her so I suppose I do believe in love at first sight, Lizzy. I believe your uncle was quite smitten when he met Miss Carter and perhaps they are meant for each other. If it is their fate, they will meet again and perhaps he will marry her.”

  Lizzy easily guided the horse and turned the reins to head home. “I don’t know if I believe in fate, papa. I believe in free choice and what if I missed my fate because I chose something else? For instance, what if I were fated to meet my future husband in London but because I chose to climb my tree, only to fall off and break my leg, I couldn’t travel there and I miss my chance? What if I never visited London or travelled outside of Hertfordshire and my future husband never came here to meet me? Too many choices are present for the stars to align for that perfect fate to be achieved. Not that I wish to marry, but I can’t imagine my heart changing after seeing someone once and I lose all sense of myself.”

  “I suppose your idea has merit as well, Lizzy.” Mr. Bennet replied, “Perhaps that is why they call it ‘falling’ in love since one is unable to control it. You might not think of it then one day, it might just catch you by surprise because of a look, a touch, something that sets your heart on fire. It is still possible that you might wish to marry a worthy man someday, dear daughter. Marriage is not about submission to your husband but companionship and partnership. I am learning still after all these years and it has been a vast improvement between your mother and myself.”

  “I’m glad you have been nicer to mama, papa.” Lizzy innocently commented, “I didn’t understand marriage before, when mama would become vexed and flutter about and you were in your study all the time, but now, you are more involved with the household and mama loves your attentions. I think she was tired of being neglected by her husband and resorted to gossiping and calling for her salts, but now, she is truly happy and marriage has been good for her.”

  Mr. Bennet startled with his daughter’s observation. “Do you honesty believe that I had neglected her before?”

  “Sorry, papa.” Lizzy lowered her head, “I shouldn’t have said it like that. You are a good papa to me and I love you very much. I didn’t mean that you were a bad husb...”

  “No need to apologise, child.” Mr. Bennet patted her hair, “I know I had my shortcomings but I appreciate your honesty. The truth is,” he sighed, “I had lost hope of having a son to inherit the estate after Lydia was born, and your mama and I simply grew apart. We stopped spending time together and it had become a habit to keep to our own interests. But now, I am determined to be a better husband and father and I have you to thank for it.”

  “ME?!” Lizzy exclaimed. “I don’t understand why everyone says I have done so many things. I talk and talk and talk and I like to read and learn about things, but I don
’t think I did anything to help at all. I daydream all day and enjoy reading best of all, papa, but if that is being helpful, I am glad for it.”

  Mr. Bennet chuckled, “My mind had been changed when you ran into the house yelling, ‘I am the master of my world,’ and I knew I could be as well. I was determined to change my ways and take rein of my own destiny. You have made me reconsider my stance on love at first sight, Lizzy.”

  “What is that, papa? You no longer believe it?” Lizzy asked with a smile.

  “I believe there is desire and attraction at first sight. A spark might be lit at the first meeting but love is not a feeling. Love is a commitment and a promise that you make to another, whether in marriage or in friendship, and you must nurture and grow it, even if there are troubles ahead. When you have such a love, it is the most precious gift from heaven and you must never let it go.” Mr. Bennet hugged his daughter and hopped down from the horse as they reached Longbourn’s stables.

  He lifted his daughter from Lily and kissed her forehead. “Run along and show your mama and your sisters what it is to be loved. Treasure every day and be kind, Lizzy.”

  The young girl cheerfully hopped to her home to share what she learned in her lessons and how Georgiana’s ponies were doing. Mr. Bennet was pleased with Lizzy’s riding lessons and was eager to see her ride independently on the Shetland pony for her dream of being a ‘ghost-rider’ to come true.

  Chapter 9

  December 1803

  Lizzy ran to embrace her dear friend after jumping down from her tree. “You have returned! It has been forever since I saw you last, William!”