Do not dare attempt to tell yourself you are not worthy of this inheritance. You most certainly are.
If Lady Catherine is still alive, do not allow her to browbeat you. Regardless of her claims, she has no rights to, or authority over, any of my property. While I was still in the mortal world, she attempted all sorts of stratagems to get me to bend to her will. None of them succeeded. I will not allow her to do the same to my daughter, hence the addendum to my will.
I am only sorry I will not be alive to watch all of you grow to adulthood.
Your uncle,
Lewis de Bourgh.
Richard stared at the letter in his hand in disbelief. He reread it twice before he accepted it was real. He looked up and saw his mother and Liam were waiting patiently for him to inform them what was in the letter. His father had the look of one who did not need to ask because he already knew.
“I was bound by the terms of de Bourgh’s last will and testament to remain silent about this until now,” Matlock stated when he saw his son’s questioning look. Zane nodded his agreement. “Do not dare think that this windfall is coming to you on the back of Anne’s death. As I am sure de Bourgh told you in his letter, the estate would have been yours one way or the other.”
“Do you need me to read the actual addendum?” Zane enquired. “It seems Sir Lewis told you the same thing in hisletter.” There were shaken heads. “In that case I will take my leave. All will be filed with the Court of Chancery, and the Colonel should receive the deeds to the estate and house within a fortnight. When I return to London, I will go to Coutts, the bank Sir Lewis patronised, with the will. It will allow me to have all accounts transferred to your name. Once that is done, I will notify you, and you will be free to use another bank or do what you will with the funds.”
“Thank you, Zane.” Matlock inclined his head. The solicitor bowed and left the room.
“So, it seems Catherine murdered Anne without knowing that there was nothing she could do to get her hands on everything.” Lady Elaine shook her head after Mr Zane had left. “I never understood how she could have been so very different in character from both you and your late sister.”
“It is something I have long puzzled. My only guess is there is a fault inside of Catherine which drives her to always want more,” Matlock opined.
“I know the custom says Liam and I only need to mourn Anne for two weeks, but I will mourn for six. Three in deep mourning and three in half mourning,” Richard decided. “I am only sorry we did not arrive in time to save Anne.”
“We will all follow your lead in mourning her for six weeks. As an aside, based on my conversation with Mrs Jenkinson, Anne is at peace now,” Lady Elaine stated. “Anne was not doing well. Her breathing had become laboured, and she was not able to leave her suite any longer. It in no way mitigates Catherine’s actions, but if she had waited a sennight or two, God would have called Anne home anyway. I am sure she is with Lewis, her namesake, and Robert now.” Lady Elaine lifted her eyes to the heavens as she said the last.
“I know very little about estate management,” Richard pointed out.
“As I never got to assist my former friend at Tommy’s estate, I would rather teach you. Rich, I am at your disposal. I am very sure once Andy returns from Eastbourne, he will be more than willing to impart his knowledge to you as well,” Darcy volunteered. “If memory serves, you arerelativelyintelligent, so learning should not be an issue for you,” he jested.
“Neither Andrew nor Liam here were born with the innate knowledge of how to manage an estate,” Matlock told his son. “Like they learnt, so will you.”
“When will we return to London? I have much to tell Mary,” Richard enquired.
“There is nothing pressing to do now, but we will wait until after the funeral. However, I suggest you meet with the senior staff and allow them to inform the servants of the changes in ownership before we make for Town,” Matlock added. “There is no hurry to appoint a new rector. The curate is well liked and will continue on until you make a decision regarding the advowson in your gift. As that is the case, we should be able to depart two days after the morrow. With the funeral being held in the morning in two days, there will be condolers here for part of the day.”
Anne de Bourgh would be laid to rest in the de Bourg family crypt, next to her beloved father. After her, the crypt would be sealed and not be used again, as she had been the last living member of her father’s line.
“If I were you, Rich, I would consider Mr Tilney for the living,” Darcy suggested. “He seems to be the opposite of the former parson, and he puts his parishioners’ needs first. Also, we will be able to judge him when he conducts the funeral service on the morrow. I do not believe this man is a sycophant.”
“I will consider him,” Richard said almost absentmindedly. He was still reeling from his radical change in fortune. No matter what anyone said, he still felt that his good fortune had come at the expense of Anne’s misfortune. He could not wait to be able to speak to his fiancée. He knew she would see things with clearer eyes than he was able to at that moment. Richard thought of something. “Do we not need to be here to bear witness against Aunt Cat?”
“No. Mrs Jenkinson and the others employed here will be more than enough and are far more intimate with the details than us,” Matlock replied.
“I am not sure if a provision was made for Mrs Jenkinson’s pension, but if she would like to retire, I will offer her one of the cottages here and a good pension as well,” Richard stated determinedly.
“Allow me to canvass her regarding her future,” Lady Elaine stated. “If she desires to keep working, I think she would be a good fit for Becca.”
“Why does my cousin need a companion?” Richard was puzzled.
“Not for herself. She mentioned to me that she would like to find someone who will be with Ellie. With Mary engaged and Lizzy soon to be, they will not need companions. Their governess wants to be closer to her family, so she is not a possibility,” Lady Elaine related.
That evening while the men met with Mr Tilney about the funeral, Lady Elaine had a discussion with Mrs Jenkinson. The latter told her that she would rather work than sit and think about Miss de Bourgh’s loss. She was more than happy to meet the Countess’s niece if that lady required it. Even though she was not a relative, she would mourn her former charge for six weeks.
The meeting convinced Richard to offer the living to Tilney. The curate gratefully accepted.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the time the Fitzwilliams and Darcy returned to London, the rest of the family were familiar with the salient facts around Anne de Bourgh’s murder and the arrest of Catherine. At Richard’s request, no mention had been made of his being the owner and master of Rosings Park. It was something he wanted Mary to hear about from his own mouth.
