“Richard and Albert, you came!” Anne exclaimed when she entered the drawing room. “I knew you two would come if you were home.”
“You called them here, how dare you?” Lady Catherine blustered.
“How dare you, madam? To try and force me to marrythat,” Anne pointed a slim finger at the cowering Mr Collins,. “All so you could steal this estate from Albert? You rail about the grasping lower classes, yet you are far more grasping than any of them. How many others would attempt to force their daughter into an invalid marriage all for their own avaricious ambitions?”
“I am your mother, you will respect me,” Lady Catherine demanded.
“No, you are not my mother. Mothers do not attempt to do what you tried with me. Mothers care about their children, not only their own selfish desires. You, madam, are no mother!” Anne growled.
“Mr Collins, your behaviour under the colour of the cloth will be reported to the Archbishop, and I can promise you that youwillbe defrocked. My men will accompany you to the parsonage. You have two hours to change and vacate the house, a house which was never yours in the first place,” Richard barked. “Biggs, have two of your men get that out of my sight, and if he tries to slow them like he did coming here, they may drag him by his feet for all I care.” Richard was never more grateful that all of his footmen were former soldiers.
“Thanks to your machinations, the estate is mine. Also, per Uncle Lewis’s will, based on your actions all you will have is seven pounds per month, that is if Lord Matlock does not have you placed in an asylum. Until he makes a decision, you will be locked in a cottage where you will be guarded at all times. Your trunks will be searched to make sure you do not remove anything that belongs to my estate. Until the footmen return you will sit and be silent,” de Bourgh commanded.
Lady Catherine was not so deficient that she could not see she was roundly defeated. She sat in the nearest chair; it was not her throne, and she seemed to age before everyone’s eyes.
“There will be a lot to do to purge the sycophants sheemployed,” Anne opined.
“Anne, even if it were not in the will, you will have a home here for all of your life,” de Bourgh assured her. “Other than your brave maid, are there any others who should retain their positions?”
“Not really, especially not Mrs Jenkinson who was my gaoler under Lady Catherine,” Anne replied. “Thank you Albert and Richard for saving me.”
“It was our pleasure and honour,” Richard responded.
Anne’s cousin, Albert de Bourgh nodded his agreement.
Less than two hours later the two footmen returned to report that the parsonage had been cleansed of the usurper. Next, Biggs and two others escorted Lady Catherine to her chamber and with Lettie supervising, only the former mistress’s belongings were packed.
Chapter 20
Two days after Lady Catherine’s insane plan had been thwarted, Lord Matlock and Darcy arrived at Rosings Park.
“Thank goodness, Richard and young de Bourgh were close enough to protect Anne and disrupt my sister’s attempt to illegally marry Anne to that dishonourable clergyman,” Matlock stated after his younger son and de Bourgh had told them everything which had occurred.
“I cannot but agree with you, Uncle Reggie,” Anne stated. “Even though the marriage would not have been valid, there is no telling what your sister would have attempted to try to gain that which she lusted after.”
Darcy was reeling. He had always known his aunt was mercenary, but he had never expected her to act in such a base way. Especially not after the way, she and his mother used to rail about the lower classes, and the lengths they would go to take what was not theirs; was anything he had learnt from his mother true? He had just listened, at first in disbelief, but soon enough he had had to accept that what he was hearing of his aunt’s actions was all fact.
“It helped that Fitzwilliam had those former soldiers he employs as footmen with him, especially the two who are comparative giants and are practically as broad as most are tall. They are much bigger than the largest men who used to be employed here,” de Bourgh observed.
“What will happen to Aunt Catherine?” Darcy asked.
“She will be banished. Either to a cottage far away fromcivilization or to an asylum,” Matlock stated dispassionately. “I never thought she was as bad as this. However, what Anne said about the woman who attempted this is no longer her mother, is true. In addition, I no longer consider her my sister. As much as I abhor London at this time of the year, I will take her thither and have Catherine examined by reputable physicians. If they commit her, then to an asylum she will go.”
“Surely not Bedlam?” Darcy enquired.
“No, not there. There are enough institutions who treat the patients humanely and are not open to being toured like they are part of the menagerie. I believe there is one on the Island of Jersey which has a good reputation,” Matlock replied.
“I understand that you sacked almost all of the staff and servants,” Darcy verified.
“Indeed,” de Bourgh confirmed. “Most of them were employed by your aunt because they were sycophantic and followed her orders regardless of the rectitude. For now, we have a few maids, and Fitzwilliam will leave some of his footmen here until I am able to replace them with my own men, although I may attempt to steal some of them away from him.”
“You will not be successful. I do suggest, however, you employ former soldiers as I have. As you saw when we arrived here, they are versatile in their tasks, very loyal, and have a keen sense of honour,” Richard proposed.
“I think I will do just that,” de Bourgh agreed. “Do any of you have a recommendation for a steward? The man who was here simply did whatever wrongheaded things Lady Catherine ordered him to do. I am not very experienced with the running of an estate, but even I can see that if the former mistress had been allowed to continue to manage this estate on her own, it would have been bankrupted within a year or so.”
“You may not try to employ my steward,” Richard warned. “I will, however, ask Wickham if he knows of anyonewho would be a worthy candidate. I am sure he will contact his father in Nottinghamshire. The older Wickham has been a steward going on thirty years.”
“I have an under-steward who is ready; if you like I will send him to you so you may evaluate him. As it will be a fortnight or so before I reach Snowhaven, I am happy to write to my steward and have him send the man south to see you.”
