“It must be his son, then,” mused Lady Catherine. “Thecomtewas near to that age when I knew him.”
“You still have not told ushowyou knew him,” retorted Anne. “Who is he?”
“It has been two and thirty years at least,” said Lady Catherine. “I met him the year I came out. I was seventeen. He was a mysterious man who was arrested in London early in the year 1780. England was at war with everyone. America, Spain, France, the Dutch. Tensions were mounting, and foreigners were rarely trusted. He spoke perfect English, but he was unmistakably foreign. He was thought to be a spy. It was not the first time he had been arrested in England, yet the authorities insisted that he had not aged a day since they had arrested him twenty years previous. Two of his interrogators from hisprevious imprisonment were still alive, and they were shocked by how well preserved he was, but there was no doubt that it was the same man. They held him for some months, but when they could not specify what crime he had committed, and what sort of spy he was, they let him go. My father said it was to watch him and see what he did, if he would incriminate himself somehow.
“Instead, he became quite friendly with the nobility, and spent some months among them in London. He said that he had come to London with a cure for King George. He insisted that his condition could be cured with an elixir he had made, and that if the King’s condition could be improved, that the King would not be so easily led into war. He said that war must cease on the continent, or that in nine years time, there would be an even greater war, one which would destroy France, and throw all of the continent into conflict for more than sixteen years. He insisted that if we were to cure King George, that his advisors could not lead the man astray, and that he would make sound decisions that would bring England back to peace. His prediction proved true, as you can see. France is devastated, and the continent is still destroying itself.”
Lady Catherine sighed. “He never got close to the King, to my knowledge. The King’s mother and advisors controlled everything that he saw and heard, or so thecomtesaid. He spent some time socialising among the nobility in London before several attempts were made on his life, and he disappeared.”
“He spoke to you as if unto a lover,” said Anne, struggling to cast her mother in such a light. “In French.”
“As you know, I never learned the language properly, but he always spoke to me thus. I suppose you could say he courted me, though I am certain that I knew even at the tender age of seventeen that it was never in earnest. I will not deny that I enjoyed his attentions. It was a disappointment when he disappeared, but my father had already warned me thatthere were no particular connections to make such an alliance desirable, and that it would never proceed. My father wished me to make a match that would satisfy his political ambitions. The manclaimedto be acomte, but in all truth, no one knewwhohe was, and the French were rarely trusted. I knew my father, and he meant what he said. There was little point in allowing myself to be swept away, no matter thecomte’sperceived regard. But it is of little importance. The man I knew must be near to eighty or more now. This must be his son.”
“He said that you’d met,” insisted Anne.
“If he is only near to fifty, that would be impossible,” insisted her mother irritably. “As I just told you, Anne, he was near to fifty when I met him more than three decades ago.”
After breakfast, the ladies moved to the drawing room. Anne objected, but Lady Catherine insisted that she was well enough, and the entire party of ladies mutually agreed that no one would venture out today. They would all wait for thecomteto arrive, and they would be at Lady Catherine’s disposal, and distract her from wasting her strength. Lydia repaired immediately to the harp, and played a light, peaceful tune that she had mastered easily. They had not been in the drawing room above a half hour when callers started arriving in droves. First, the Fletchers visited, then the Misses Jenkins. Lady Amesbury called, and with her was her eldest son, the heir to his father’s title. The purpose of the visit was to inquire after the health of Lady Catherine, and to hand deliver an invitation to a private ball at their nearby estate, but it soon became obvious that her son, the Viscount Bexley, was present to pay court to Anne.
“As if I should let her marry into such a family,” said Lady Catherine quietly to Elizabeth as the mother and son were shown out. “That family has been known to be in trouble for more than a decade due to the wildness of their sons. His lordship would not hear of any of them taking employment,not even as clergymen. He believes them too far above that. The young men are expected to marry well, well enough that a portion of their wife’s dowry will go to support the earldom. Two of his sons have cut ties since he sold them into marriage, and kept most of their wives’ wealth for the title. The eldest will only marry a mighty fortune. It does not surprise me that our presence brought him running home. There are not many heiresses to compete with Anne. I will be grateful when Darcy arrives, and I can worry less about these rakes.”
“Who is a rake?” asked Georgiana, a moment later when the last caller had departed.
“That abominable viscount is a rake, Georgie, and you must learn to identify these men, and show them the door when they come calling,” answered Priscilla, tossing her head.
“What about that one that is so interested in you? Lord Lennox? And that other one who is interested in Anne, what was his name?”
“Sir Albert Swinton,” Lydia piped up from the harp.
“Yes, that one. I thought he was rather charming,” giggled Georgiana.
“Rakes! Every last one,” declared Priscilla. “Georgie, I want no truck with rakes. A rake is a gentleman that will receive no notice from me. Did you not see them two days ago when we were coming out of the confectioners? Lord Lennox, hanging out the side of his friend's barouche? Calling upon my notice in such a way? No thank you, I keep my ear to the ground, and I happen to know that Eastbourne is positively crawling with rakes who are all terribly out of pocket. It is astonishing how many impoverished fortune hunters there are here, not a single worthy gentleman in the bunch!”
“You learn from your cousin, Georgiana, she will not lead you astray,” advised Lady Catherine.
“Goodness! I am grateful that William will not force me out until I am ready. He has promised me, you see. I have so many fears! The most terrifying thought is my own lack of discernment. How am I to tell the difference between a rogue and a proper gentleman, when bad men are often so charming? And the stories I have heard from Priscilla, about the cruelty amongst the young ladies, well, I should not like to go amongst so many unpleasant people just yet. And the leaders of society! What if they should not like me? I could not bear to be disgraced as Lady Rebecca Stanley was last year by Lady Jersey!”
“Priscilla, it was not kind of you to frighten your cousin, it is not all so bad,” Lady Catherine chided her other niece.
“I would rather know, Aunt, what I am to face,beforeI must endure it, else how shall I ever be prepared?” worried Georgiana.
“Your mother was revered, was she not? I am certain your brother told me that she was,” Elizabeth said. “The beloved Lady Anne, as was? That by itself must add to your anxiety, living up to be worthy of her.”
“Yes!” cried Georgiana, nodding vigorously.
“What you do not realise, Georgiana, is that this works to youradvantage. Everyone loved your mother, and they miss her, so theywishto approve of you. I am told that your mother was very kind and gentle, and I see the same qualities in you. Just be yourself, Georgie, and as long as you do not do anything truly wicked, or cruel, everyone will adore you simply because they wish to do so,” Elizabeth advised. “Later, when they have come to know you for the lovely person that you are, they will learn to appreciate you for your own merits.”
“I could not have said it better myself.” Lady Catherine nodded approvingly. “Miss Bennet, that was remarkably well considered. Georgiana, Miss Bennet is entirely correct. My sister was beloved by all who knew her, and though you are unsure of yourself, because you did not know her, you carry her graceand gentleness. You do not need to fear that you will not do her proud, because you carry her elegance and beauty in your very essence. They will love you simply because they wish to love you, niece.”
“If anything, it is an advantage that none of the other debutantes have, their mother’s reputation for goodness ensuring their success in such a manner,” quipped Priscilla.
“I am not certain that I would call entering society without the support of my mother an advantage,” snapped Georgiana. She then looked chastened. “Oh dear, Priscilla, I should not have spoken that way.”
“Yes, of course you should. That was terribly unfeeling of me, Georgie. I did not mean it how it sounded. I should never wish to hurt you in such a manner. Do forgive me, cousin,” Priscilla begged.
“Of course,” Georgiana said.
“That does, however, only prove that when the time comes to deal with the cruelty of the other young women, you will not be out of your depth,” pointed out Elizabeth. “You might have been sharp, but sometimes that is called for, in order to put another in their place. You do not wish to be so often, no one wants a reputation for being shrewish, but youarethe daughter of Lady Anne, you must not allow anyone to cow you, and you rose to that occasion rather well.”
