“That, I cannot do, Uncle. I regret to hear your position has been challenged and I am well aware that it has been difficult for our family. Nevertheless, even if there was no compromiseto contend with, I would have petitioned the young lady for a courtship and ultimately asked for her hand. I care deeply for Miss Bennet and I refuse to give her up.”
At that moment Lady Catherine could stand no more. Rising from her chair she screeched, “REFUSE! YOU refuse to give her up?! Who are YOU to refuse your betters?”
“I am a grown man, the head of my family since my father died more than five years ago. I listened to all of you at that time and was persuaded to marry Anne, a woman who I never loved and a woman who did not love me. It was a marriage of convenience, nothing more. This time I have made my own choice and I hope that all of you will support me in my decision for the good of our family.”
From here on Lady Catherine became so vocal that it was nearly impossible for anyone to get in another word. Not even the earl was successful in controlling his sister’s tirade. She persisted in going on and on about William’s duty and responsibility to the wishes of the family, their standing in society, and how his choice was dishonouring the memory of Anne, her beloved daughter.
“Furthermore, you would not be in this predicament if you had not spent so much of your time mollycoddling that child and spent more of the season in Town. You could have found a suitable wife long before that distasteful incident ever took place!”
By this time William had reached his limit. How dare she attack his fatherhood? “Mollycoddling?! Anna is my daughter, your granddaughter! She has lost much with the death of her mother. How dare you say I have paid too much attention to that poor child? I am her only living parent and have never shirked my duty where she is concerned, nor do I intend to. I have been both father and mother to Anna ever since Anne died.”
“And whose fault was that?” Lady Catherine snapped. “She bore you Anna and that should have been enough. Time and time again I have said that if you had not continued to impose yourself on my daughter, she would be alive yet today!”
“Lady Catherine, you know nothing of what went on between the two of us, especially behind closed doors, and I refuse to hear any more of your distorted opinion.”
“Nephew, YOU are in denial and REFUSE to hear my opinion for your own selfish reasons. And as for that woman you are going to marry, she will NEVER be welcome in my house!”
Unable to suppress his temper any longer, William retaliated, “MY house, Aunt Catherine, it is MY house. Rosings Park belongs to ME, or have you forgotten? Be forewarned, you had best get used to the fact that my new wife WILL be welcome there, or as I have previously said, you will find yourself moving into the dowager’s house or better yet I shall establish a permanent residence for you here in Town. Do I make myself clear?”
At that moment Lady Catherine exploded into another fit of temper. Both the earl and countess tried to calm their sister, but to no avail. Ignoring her, William promptly said good-day to the rest of his relations. Before leaving, however, he turned back to Lady Catherine saying, “Aunt, the day after my wedding, my new wife and I shall be arriving at Rosings Park to collect Anna. If you cannot treat Mrs. Darcy with the courtesy she deserves, I suggest you stay here in Town until after we have gone on to Ramsgate. Just so there is no misunderstanding, I will personally advise the housekeeper of what I expect by express.” Without any further acknowledgement, William promptly left Matlock House and was on his way.
It was hard to recover his spirits after confronting Lady Catherine. With regard to Anne, while he would never admit it to his aunt, William did harbour tremendous guilt. As difficultas it would have been, he could have hired someone to oversee his estate in the north and spent more time in Town, trying to improve their relationship. Instead, they continued on as they were, growing further apart. Even though she willingly agreed to try again for another child, had he not been so desperate for a male heir, he never would have asked her, and Anna would yet have her mother.
In the end, Anne’s suffering was great, perhaps more so than what he remembered with the passing of his mother. Day after day, William sat by Anne’s bedside unable to do little more than offer up prayers to God that she would rally.
In retrospect, William knew he never should have given in to the pressure put forth by his relations and married Anne to begin with. They may have been cousins, but they were not suited to one another as marriage partners. Their marriage had been a sham from the start. And while Anne was grateful to no longer be under the rule of her mother, for his part the only good that ever came from their union was his precious child. Had it not been for Anna and Georgiana, he would have willingly spent the rest of his days at Pemberley, alone.
The Gardiners’ Residence
With such dark thoughts overshadowing his mood, William knew he was hardly fit to be a guest in someone’s home, let alone Elizabeth’s relations. On arrival, he and Mr. Gardiner met privately to discuss what had taken place during his absence. William was glad to learn that Gardiner had spoken repeatedly with Mrs. Bennet and Lydia before they left Town and that Eliza had apologised to Elizabeth for her part in what took place at the ball.
The Gardiner children, especially Edward and Matthew, were eager to see William, and it was not until the second course was served that William was finally able to relax a bit and enjoy the company of his hosts. At one point, Mrs. Gardiner chose to relate some stories of Elizabeth’s youth which pleased William very much. Since their acquaintance was so short, he knew little of her from that respect. He was not surprised to learn that she had loved to climb trees and that she enjoyed fishing with her little cousins when given the opportunity.
“Mr. Darcy, Cousin Lizzy makes the best fishing flies,” young Matthew had boasted. “When I use her flies, I always catch more fish than Edward.” The boy laughed with gusto, happy to tease his older brother.
“In that case, I hope all of you will join us at Pemberley when your father is able to take some time off from his work. August and September are particularly lovely, and if you are able to come, you all may fish until your heart’s desire is satisfied. Pemberley’s stream is very well-stocked and we even have a pond with a boat for the more languid angler.”
“Your offer is very kind,” Mr. Gardiner answered, glancing thoughtfully at his wife. “Madeline has long wanted to return to the place where she grew up. She yet has some friends and a few relations who live in the Lambton area.”
“I trust we will be in residence by the end of July,” William continued, “and I am sure Miss Elizabeth would be delighted to have your family visit before the weather turns cold.”
The family was eager to accept William’s invitation, and Mr. Gardiner said he would do his best to make it so. Before leaving, Mrs. Gardiner gave William a present for Elizabeth with the hope that her niece would consider wearing it on her wedding day. It was a beautiful veil made of the finest Belgium lace and was purchased by Mr. Gardiner for his wife well before the war. Mrs. Gardiner had been saving it for her own daughters, but onthis special occasion wished to share it with Elizabeth. Touched by her kindness, William graciously took the present in hand and bid his adieu to the family.
The Bennet Residence
Friday Morning
The Parlour
From the time Uncle Gardiner’s letter came with Mr. Darcy’s enclosed express, it was as though a dark cloud no longer shrouded the manor house and all of its residents. Mrs. Bennet was beside herself knowing that Elizabeth would indeed be married. Even with the rush of preparing for Tuesday’s wedding, a grateful Mrs. Bennet took on each task with new-found energy and vowed to make everything perfect for William’s arrival. The house had been thoroughly cleaned and several of her closest neighbours had been invited to dinner on Friday evening in celebration of Elizabeth’s engagement. Moreover, the dinner would do much to quell the gossip which had circulated throughout the neighbourhood since the charity ball. Thus far, not one complaint was heard with regard to her poor nerves and Elizabeth had never seen her mother so happy. She and all of her sisters were stunned by Mrs. Bennet’s sudden transformation.
Knowing how ill William’s daughter had been, Elizabeth did not anticipate meeting the child until after the wedding. Nevertheless, she had wanted to prepare a special gift for little Anna. Therefore she and her sisters were assembled in the parlour where they were helping Elizabeth with her most treasured childhood doll, Janie.
The doll favoured the eldest Bennet daughter with her blond hair, and the sisters had made Janie a new dress out of leftover material from Jane’s most recent ball gown. The dress wasa shimmery pale blue with pink ribbons and pink and white rosettes along the hem. Her accessories included a pair of shiny pink satin slippers and a pretty matching parasol edged in white lace.
Lydia was currently trimming the doll’s bonnet while Kitty was busy illustrating a short story written by Elizabeth for her new daughter. Jane was styling the doll’s hair, and Mary was repairing a small tear in one of Janie’s older dresses. When Elizabeth was five years of age, both she and Jane had received similar dolls from their Uncle Gardiner. He was friends with an older toymaker in London and had commissioned the gentleman to make dolls for his beloved nieces. The hand carved dolls had jointed body limbs and fine features. Their faces were particularly pretty, with stylised eyebrows and rosy cheeks, and their height was not more than eight inches. Considering Jane’s doll had auburn hair while Elizabeth’s had blonde, it was no wonder the young Bennet sisters had named their dolls after each other.
While the sisters worked away, Elizabeth was busy putting a new satin lining in the small chest where she had kept her precious doll for so many years. This chest held many childhood memories, and now she would share it with Anna.
