“Well said, Darcy, I could not agree with you more,” Lord Matlock stated.
“None of you mentioned her presence to us,” Andrew noted. “It would have been good information to have before William admonished her for being where he thought she had no right to be.”
“William, you omitted that from your telling,” Lord Matlock pointed out with raised eyebrows.
“I suppose I suffer from the same improper pride as my father,” William stated, his eyes downcast. He would not havehidden the truth from his parents; he had only hoped to make that particular disclosure in private.
“That is neither here nor there,” Lady Matlock interjected. “How are we to assist Lady Elizabeth?”
“We will first invite Her Grace, and then her family and friends to spend time here at Pemberley as our guests and to celebrate Easter with us,” Lady Anne decided.
“It is a good plan, Anne. Even with our sisters and their families arriving on Wednesday, we have more than enough room to house everyone,” Darcy interjected.
Lady Anne squeezed her husband’s hand. After, she turned to her sister. “Elaine, you and I will make for Castlemere today and make ourselves known to Her Grace. We will invite her to be here as well and any of her servants other than her lady’s maid will not be allowed anywhere but the servants’ areas.”
“The two guards we saw today may have something to say about that,” Richard opined. “By their bearing I would guess they are former soldiers and the most enormous men I have ever seen. Their size notwithstanding, I believe they have catlike reflexes.”
Richard still wanted to question his brother about his having sought out Miss Bennet after the time they had almost knocked her to the ground. That would wait.
“When we see her, I will hand her a written invitation and add a page with our intentions with it,” Lady Anne stated. “If she is as intelligent as you three give her credit for, the Duchess will find the note. Come Elaine, let us prepare to depart.”
“May I join you Mama?” Georgiana who had been silent so far requested. “Her Grace is but a few years older than meand she may enjoy someone who is closer to some of her younger sisters’ age being present.”
Ladies Matlock and Anne looked at one another and nodded. “That depends on your Papa, Anna dear, I have no objection if he agrees,” Lady Anne responded.
Anna turned her face to her father with her best begging look on her countenance, with her deep blue eyes opened as widely as she was able.
Even had he been of a mind to refuse his daughter—which he was not—the puppy dog look would have convinced him to give into her entreaty. Anna looked so very much like her mother so refusing her was almost like refusing his beloved Anne.
“You may accompany Mama and Aunt Elaine, sweetling,” Darcy granted. He was rewarded by a hug and kiss on his cheek from his excited and grateful daughter.
It was a matter of minutes until the Darcy coach was on its way to Castlemere with two ladies and a young girl within.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Elizabeth took a deep breath as she was about to take a great risk with her personal freedom by confiding in John and Brian. The two men had been summoned to meet with her in her private sitting room off her bedchamber. She was assured of Loretta’s discretion and loyalty. She felt like she could count on the two guards, but it was a chance—as any unknown was—anyway.
“You asked to see us Your Grace,” Biggs bowed to the Duchess, as did Johns next to him.
“Do you two know of any of the other servants who are reporting on my activities to the Duke?” Elizabeth began.
“The only ones ‘oo sends reports to Mr. Wickham is one of us,” Johns informed the mistress. “‘Owever, there be nothing in our reports which would raise any suspicions.”
“Your Grace, our loyalty is yours completely,” Biggs insisted. “There is nothing your ‘usband could do to convince us to ‘urt you in any way. We said nothing about the people you met at the church.”
Elizabeth was not surprised that the ever vigilant and observant men had noted something in the church. They were tall enough to see in the windows which had been open on the one side and as she suspected, their aim was to protect her, not report on her activities to that man.
“Ya gotta know, Your Grace, the staff, servants, and guards ‘ere all know if they ever did anything to ‘arm you, they will answer to us,” Biggs assured the Duchess.
Tears of relief were released to course down her cheeks. It was safe to see her family and friends. She saw the looks of concern on the two men at her crying.
“These are good tears, not of sadness,” she reassured the two guards.
There was a knock on her sitting room door. Elizabeth nodded to John who opened the door to reveal the butler. “Your Grace are you at home to Lady Elaine Fitzwilliam, the Countess of Matlock, Lady Anne Darcy, the mistress of Pemberley, and Miss Darcy?” Toppin enquired.
Elizabeth remembered the conversation from earlier that day and how the three men had asserted they would be speaking to their parents to see what assistance they would be able to offer.
“I am, thank you Mr. Toppin. Please have them wait in the large drawing room which faces the lake and have Mrs.Bannister deliver tea in a quarter of an hour. As soon as my maid repairs my coiffure, I will join them,” Elizabeth imparted.
