“You are not needed for the…” Whatever else Lady Catherine was about to say was lost when her normally quiet-as-a-church-mouse daughter interpolated. The look of shock on the lady’s face was amusing.
“Mrs Collins, Sir William, and, I assume, Lady Lucas, you may have as much time to move out as you desire. My mother will most certainlynotbe evicting you, nor will she be appointing the next rector, especially after she inflicted the last one on us,” Anne stated pointedly.
“Anne, this is unseemly. How dare you contradict me? This is my estate, I can…” Again, Lady Catherine was cut off.
“Actually, Mother, you forget that I turned five and twenty on the second of this month. I was waiting for the solicitors to have everything put in my name, which it now is. I will be making the appointment and am now the mistress ofmyestate; not you,” Anne stated firmly.
“Anne, you are too sickly to manage the estate,” Lady Catherine said.
“But Mother, when my cousins were here in April, wereyou not the one who claimed I was very healthy and ready to marry William? Which is it? You cannot have it both ways. By the by, William and I will never marry, and everyone in the family knows you made up the tale of a cradle betrothal from whole cloth in order to retain control of my estate. To the dower house, you will go. Your behaviour here was the last straw which convinced me to claim what is mine.” Anne stared at her mother in challenge.
“You are too weak; you will not be able to…” Lady Catherine’s eyes followed her daughter’s. She saw the two largest footmen she had ever beheld. She had not noticed them arrive. One on horseback the other driving Anne’s phaeton.
“Mother, meet John Biggs and Brian Johns. They were sergeants who served under Richard. They and their men will ensure that no one interferes with the running of my estate or, for instance, refuses to move to the dower house.” Anne smiled as the two huge men were followed by four others, all large. “The other men were John’s and Brian’s soldiers and are completely loyal to me.” She turned to Johns. “Brian, Lady Catherine is not welcome here; she needs to move to the dower house. Jenki will supervise her packing so she does not try to remove my property.”
Johns and two of his former soldiers led a shocked Lady Catherine away. Soon, the de Bourgh carriage had been turned round and departed.
“As I was saying, Mrs Collins, you may take as much time as you need. If you need any assistance from Rosings Park, all you need do is ask,” Anne offered. “I had a feeling Mother would misbehave, which is why I accompanied her. I have tried to allow her to remain as mistress for a little longer, but it did not seem that was feasible.”
“Thank you, Miss de Bourgh; your generosity is very much appreciated,” Charlotte replied. “As I am not enamoured of the name Collins, wouldyou agree to address me as Charlotte?”
“Knowing what the man was like, I can understand your desire not to use his name. Charlotte it is, I am Anne.” Anne paused. “Have you thought of your future?”
“After the funeral and once all legalities have been settled, I will return home with my parents. I do not plan to mourn for more than three months. In my mind, even that is too much, but it is what I will do,” Charlotte stated firmly.
“I will not attempt to change your mind,” Anne returned. “John,” she addressed her other huge footman. “Please have two of your men remain at the parsonage to be able to assist as needed.” She turned back to the new widow and her parents. “Please join me for meals at Rosings Park until you depart for Hertfordshire. It will be much more pleasant to have company than for me to rattle around alone in that huge house. On that subject, Charlotte, if you and your parents would like to be out of the parsonage, I would be happy to host you at the manor house.”
With the spectre of Mr Collins in the house, Charlotte knew what she preferred. She turned to her parents, who both nodded. “Thank you again, Miss de Bourgh…Anne. As long as it is not an imposition on you, we would like to accept your generous offer.”
“Some of my men will arrive with a cart to transport the things you want with you now,” Anne stated. “Sir William, your carriage is here, is it not?”
“Indeed, it is, Miss de Bourgh,” Sir William confirmed.
“When you are ready, use it to come to the manor house.” With that, Anne de Bourgh departed in her phaeton, leaving those at the parsonage to get about their business.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On entering White’s, Bingley made for the private parlour Darcy had mentioned and did not dawdle to greet acquaintances on the way. He was well aware how much emphasis Darcy placed on punctuality.
A footman on duty at the door opened it, and Bingley entered. “Darce, it is good to see you again,” Bingley said as he entered the room, his hand extended.
“Bingley, your lip is no longer hanging down. Am I to assume that you have moved on to the next angel? Let me guess, you found another angel in Scarborough, and she did not live up to your younger sister’s societal aspirations.” Darcy sat back, but the look he had seen on his friend’s face told him he had hit the nail on the head. ‘He does not realise that he is seen as a rake because of the way he treats women. If he is not careful, his reputation will be in tatters. Bingley needs to mature and become his own man,’ Darcy thought.
“I did, in fact, find an angel, a Miss Cartwright…” Bingley told his friend about the lady and how Caroline had disapproved because the woman was not high enough for her. She had convinced him to depart for London about a fortnight earlier than planned.
“So, you have moved on from Miss Bennet?” Darcy verified.
“How could I not when all she cared for was my wealth? Did you not tell me the same thing Caroline did?” Bingley enquired.
“I never accused Miss Bennet of being a fortune hunter. I said I could not detect signs of love in her countenance,” Darcy clarified. “Bingley, did any of us force you to remain in London and not return to Netherfield Park to ascertain Miss Bennet’s feelings for yourself?”
“Well, no, Isuppose not,” Bingley owned.
“There is a particular reason I wanted to meet with you at the club today,” Darcy stated. “Are you able to recognise Miss Bingley’s written script?”
“Did Caroline write to you in an attempt to compromise you? She has been in a mood of late at being denied access to you. Of course, the dearth of invitations to first-circle events has not made her mood any better,” Bingley related.
“No, Miss Bingley has not written a letter to me, but my question still stands.”
