all he wanted to do was explore every nook and cranny. Upon their arrival in the city, Mr. Bennet almost immediately went shopping and came home with shiny new metal soldiers for his son, as well as a doll with porcelain head and hands for Lydia, blocks of watercolour paints for Lizzy, and a bundle of books for his other daughters. He also thoughtfully purchased chocolate, which Mrs. Bennet favoured as a drink when mixed with hot milk and cane sugar.
A most welcome letter from Derbyshire soon arrived for the Misses Jane and Elizabeth Bennet explaining the Darcy family would remain at their country estate until early October, at which time they would also take up residence in London and return north in early December. Georgiana and Anna expressed their eagerness to see the Bennet sisters once again, and Miss Darcy happily related she and Mr. Ellis Fleming had formed a strong attachment during his stay at Pemberley. When her parents returned from Kent, Mr. Fleming had asked for, and was granted, her father’s permission for them to formally enter into a courtship.
Fleming’s family had long ago gained substantial wealth in the manufacture of quality watches and clocks. They had generously donated and installed an ornate new timepiece on the exterior façade of the assembly hall nearest their home in northern Derbyshire, and that clock had become the tock of the town. When the elder Mr. Fleming succumbed to an untimely death the previous year, he left his extensive properties, wealth, and collection of watches and clocks to his only son. The younger Fleming had subsequently spent considerable time winding up the estate.
He was then a single man in possession of a vast fortune and in want of a wife, and it did not take long for the strapping young chap to find a woman of the right calibre. Ellis knew within minutes – nay, seconds – of first watching Georgiana Darcy’s face and the precise movements of her hands that she was perfection personified; he was not alarmed by her fiery temper but thought she was rather well adjusted. Georgiana would be the jewel in his crown, their courtship would tick away like clockwork, and they would be happy for the rest of time.
The Bennets settled as best they could in London and were determined to make the most of their time away from the pastoral life they all favoured. Friends and relatives were visited, the youngest children were taken to the park, and the older girls enjoyed expeditions to exhibitions and museums. The family watched acrobats and jugglers on the street and were regular patrons of the opera and theatre.
Miss Edwards, the governess, spoke frequently with her employers regarding her charges, Lydia and Catherine. Mrs. Bennet was, of course, very involved in the daily lives of all her children. Mr. Bennet, to whom the importance of a child’s education was a-parent, also insisted on being apprised of his daughters’ progress. Therefore, when he was informed both girls were having difficulty with arithmetic, he had a suggestion.
“An abacus might help with their sums, Miss Edwards; though I would not
Mrs. Palmer, the housekeeper, passing in the hallway, said quietly, “Is Master at it again, Martha?”
Miss Edwards nodded. The two women shook their heads and then went about their daily functions. The family’s derivative sense of humour could be a problem at times. All things being equal, the servants realized they were positively fortunate to work in such a cheerful household where voices were more often raised in laughter than in negativity and anger.
One late September afternoon, Jane and Elizabeth excitedly opened a letter from Miss Georgiana Darcy saying her family would finally be in residence at their London townhouse at the very latest by the end of the week. The two eldest Bennet sisters resumed work on their needlepoint projects in the sitting room and discussed the eagerly anticipated arrival of the Darcy family. They did not realize their little brother was behind the sofa, hiding from Alice as he munched on a pilfered biscuit.
Later that same day, Mrs. Bennet perused household accounts and menus while her son played with a spinning top on the floor near her feet.
“Mama?”
“Yes, Robert?”
“Is barberin here?”
“I beg your pardon, dear?”
“Is the barberin here?”
“The barberin?”
He nodded.
“Are you saying barbering, Robert?”
The little boy looked up at her with wide blue eyes, nodded, and then shook his head. Mrs. Bennet put her paperwork aside, lifted her son onto her lap, and said, “Your father’s valet is responsible for his barbering, love. So if you are asking about his valet, then, yes, Morris is in the house somewhere. Are you in need of a shave, young man, or perhaps a haircut?” She tickled under his chin and on the back of his neck beneath the blonde curls.
Robert giggled and squirmed, shook his head, and said, “No, no, Mama. The hanson barberin is coming. Libazeth said so.”
His mother blinked and repeated, “Elizabeth said ‘the hanson barberin is coming.’”
Robert nodded.
“Well, if your sister said so, it must be true, darling. Just the same, perhaps I should confirm the details with her.” Mrs. Bennet set Robert back down on the floor, rang for a servant to fetch her second eldest daughter, and glanced through the menus again while she waited.
“You wished to see me, Mama?”
“Lizzy, young Master Robert here has taken it upon himself to inform me of the imminent arrival of ‘the hanson barberin.’ Pray tell me, is ‘the hanson barberin’ already here, or do you happen to know its, his, or her expected time of arrival?”
To Mrs. Bennet’s surprise, Elizabeth blushed and stammered, “Ah, the handsome … um … I mean … I think … that is, we … seem to have a mischievous little eavesdropper in our midst!” She scooped up her brother and cried, “Aha! I have successfully apprehended the spying scoundrel and shall now take him away to be tickled until he confesses!”
Lizzy tried to flee the room, with Robert wriggling and giggling under her arm; but she was halted by her mother’s words.
“Just one moment if you please, young lady. I believe we have determined the barberin is handsome; and since Morris could not, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered attractive, I further deduce we are not speaking of a barbering valet but someone else altogether. How am I doing thus far, Lizzy?”
“Rather well, actually, Mama. I believe Jane and I just might have mentioned, in passing, some triviality about a ‘handsome barbarian’ earlier today.” She scowled at her little brother, who sat on the floor with thumb in mouth. “However, it is of no consequence.”
“I see,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Be that as it may, when should we expect to have the rather dubious pleasure of this attractive barbarian’s presence here?”
“We did not mean to imply he would be coming to our
“Shall I alert the authorities of the impending barbaric invasion? Perhaps your friend, the Lieutenant-Colonel, might be interested in such military intelligence.”
“Oh, good grief, Mother,” Lizzy said, wanting the conversation to come to a rapid end. “Really, it is nothing of importance. Jane and I were just being silly. While at Pemberley … uh. Well, when we first met … ah...” Lizzy frowned and held her bottom lip between her teeth.
Mrs. Bennet sighed, rang for a servant to fetch her sensible eldest daughter, and read through the household accounts again while she waited.
When the enchanting story of the handsome barbarian was finally coaxed and coerced from her red-faced daughters, Mrs. Bennet was in possession of the following information:
1. The handsome barbarian had not been alone. There had been a whole horde of four of them.
2. The handsome barbarian was no less than the heir to the illustrious Darcy estate in Derbyshire, meaning there probably was no need to call in the army after all.
3. The handsome barbarian was temporarily in London and her daughters were quite fond of his sisters.
4. The handsome barbarian and his cohorts had been less than appropriately attired in her daughters’
