Before Elizabeth could respond, her gleeful mother interjected. “What is the condition?” Fanny trilled.
No more entail, massive dowries for her deserving daughters—even Mary and Kitty, little did they need it. Fanny could not believe her ears, such massive dowries! It would have been even better had there been an increase of her portion as well, but she would make sure to commandeer some of the funds meant for Mary’s and Kitty’s dowries for herself. That way, she too would be wealthy.
“Your daughter birthing me a son. As soon as there is an heir and he attains the age of one, I will do as I have now promised. Until then, I will present a draft for ten thousand pounds to Mr. Bennet, to be split between the four remaining daughters, who will after all be my sisters.” The Duke looked at Mrs. Bennet pointedly. “There will be restrictions on the money. No one will be able to divert it for any other purpose.”
Her joy diminished somewhat, but her daughters would be rich and there would be no more entail. There was still much for Fanny to be glad about. She could only imagine Sarah Lucas’s face when she revealed her daughter’s wealth to her.
“As much as I would like to see the entail broken and my sisters well dowered, I am not a cow in the dairy to be bartered and sold,” Elizabeth responded icily.
With the possibility of the entail being broken, after a slight pause and a flush which revealed his shame, Bennet said quietly: “That is rather selfish, Lizzy.”
“In the extreme,” Fanny screeched as she saw her dream of no more entail and her daughters becoming heiresses being blown away to nothing like light wisps of smoke on the wind.
“I desire to speak to Miss Elizabeth in private,” the Duke demanded.
“There is nothing you cannot say in front of my traitorous parents,” Elizabeth spat out.
As much as she knew her father was indolent and weak, she never expected him to be willing to sell her like a piece of furniture.
“Leave us,” the Duke commanded.
Elizabeth began to leave with her parents when the Duke’s man stopped her by holding onto her upper arms. Her outrage at her father grew exponentially as he and her mother exited the drawing room and closed the door without looking back at her.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Not many minutes passed before the man named Wickham summoned the Bennet parents back into their drawing room.
Bennet felt guilt when he saw his daughter’s tear streaked cheeks. “Lizzy, did someone hurt you?” Bennet asked with genuine concern.
“Other than you Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, no one has harmed mephysically.” Elizabeth glowered at the smug-looking duke when she spoke.
“Your daughter has something to tell you,” the Duke reported with an evil grin.
“I agree to marry His Grace,” Elizabeth informed her parents through gritted teeth.
“My man will hie to London to acquire a special licence and we will marry as soon as it arrives. On the day we marry, I will present you with a bank draft for the amount I agreed to provide before the birth of my heir,” the Duke revealed.
His daughter would not look at him, and Bennet remembered she had called him Mr. Bennet, not Papa. “We must meet at my brother-in-law Philips’s offices for the settlement. Without one, I will not sign the document giving my permission for my daughter to marry and then there will be no license.”
“Agreed. We can make for the solicitor’s office directly. It will be far quicker than travelling to mine in London,” the Duke allowed.
Her part done, Elizabeth fled the drawing room for her and Jane’s bedchamber.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
An hour later, Jane found her sister sobbing on the bed. Never had she seen Lizzy half as upset as she was now.
“Lizzy, what has occurred?” Jane enquired as she sat on the bed and began to rub her sister’s back to try and soothe her hurt.
“I…am…to…marry…that…reprehensible…old man,” Elizabeth managed between sobs.
“No Lizzy, please tell me it is not true,” Jane begged.
“W-wish…I…could.”
“What happened? I thought you were the one of us who would never give in on this.”
“Do…not…want…to talk…about…it.”
