Nothing would make her do that which was abhorrent to her, and she could imagine nothing worse than being leg shackled to that revolting man. He could have been a royal and nothing would have been different for Elizabeth. What was it to her if he was a duke? She would not under any circumstances allow her free will to be subjugated to him.
At least since finding out she was not the object of the Duke’s interest, Janey had relaxed. She was no longer in fear of being sold off to the man like so much chattel.
Yes, for Janey, Elizabeth would bear this nonsense and continue refusing his every entreaty.
Chapter 6
All of her hoping the Duke would not return had been for nought. Elizabeth was led into the drawing room by Mrs. Hill, where the corpulent old man sat in her mother’s favourite chair on this unwelcome visit, which thankfully was rather wide, but he still had trouble fitting on it.
Her parents were standing before him, just like they had the day before, the only difference was Jane was thankfully not present on this occasion.
It was the only positive Elizabeth could grasp for this day. Jane would be spared the spectacle of having to see the farce which would play out in the drawing room. How she wished she too was with her older sister, but it was not to be. Elizabeth raised her chin like she had the previous visit and looked at the Duke unflinchingly. She did not curtsy or say anything in greeting.
Fanny did not miss the blatant disrespect aimed at His Grace by her undeserving daughter. She made to move towards her daughter but the Duke raised his hand stopping her in her tracks.
“But Your Grace, how can I allow her rudeness in not greeting you to stand?” Fanny beseeched.
“If I feel something needs to be done, you must trust I have the capacity to make that decision,” Hertfordshire drawled.
‘What a pity,’ the Duke told himself silently. ‘If the husband had cared about her it would have been fun to take a tumble with her. What a waste of a pretty woman.’
“Yes, Your Grace,” Fanny demurred. Inwardly she was furious. If Miss Lizzy did anything to spoil things… Her musings were interrupted by her daughter’s speaking.
“Am I to assume you are still determined for me to marry you?” Elizabeth enquired. She knew she was being rude to the man, but she cared not. She would do anything she could to convince him he would not find a bride at Longbourn.
“As you can see,” the Duke averred.
“Why would you, a man of above sixty years…” Elizabeth stopped as the duke interjected.
“A man of soon to be seven and sixty years,” the Duke clarified.
“Then why are you pursuing a young lady, one who will not marry you mind you, who is more than fifty years your junior?” Elizabeth demanded.
“Elizabeth Rose Bennet, how dare you speak to a duke in that fashion,” Fanny screeched. She could not allow this blatant disrespect to stand.
She pulled her arm back intending to deliver a well-deserved slap to her second daughter’s face. Seeing his master nod, Wickham moved with speed and caught the shrew’s hand before she was able to strike the future Duchess. Fanny felt her arm in a grip which did not allow her to move.
“Let me be rightly understood, no one in this household will lift a finger against my soon-to-be fiancée,” the Duke thundered.
Fanny shrunk back in fear. The Duke should have been angry with her wilful daughter, not herself. She thought aboutdisciplining Miss Lizzy once the Duke and his men had departed, but she remembered his words and did not want to take a chance he would back them up with actions.
“As to your question, Miss Elizabeth, my reasons are my own. Although I will inform you there are certain attributes I sought in a wife, and you have all the ones I desire,” Hertfordshire explained.
“And what are theseattributesI supposedly possess?” Elizabeth insisted on knowing.
Bennet watched silently, as he had yester-afternoon. As long as Lizzy did not give in, there was nothing the man could do. He may be a duke, but the church would not change its law for him or any other, save the Monarch.
There was no surprise her father was not defending her. It was no less than Elizabeth expected. She would have to defend herself.
“Do you love your family?” the Duke asked a seemingly incongruous question.
“Of course I do,” Elizabeth bit back. “What sort of simple question is that?”
“Allow me to tell you what I will do for your family if we marry.” Seeing the firebrand was about to protest, he raised his hand. “All I ask is allow me to complete what I desire to say, thereafter, you may say what you will.” Elizabeth gave a tight nod of acceptance. “This estate is entailed to the male line, is it not?”
“It is Your Grace,” Bennet confirmed.
“Am I correct the beneficiary will be some distant cousin, named Collins?” This time Bennet nodded to the Duke. His Grace turned back to Elizabeth. “If we marry, with one condition, I will have the entail broken…” He held up his handagain to stem the words which were about to be loosed by Miss Elizabeth. “I am not done. In addition, each of your sisters will be dowered to the amount of five and twenty thousand pounds, dependent on the same condition being met.”
