“I am afraid it is true, Lady Catherine. My Cousin Elizabeth was collected in her personal carriage this morning, which I am sorry to say is much larger than any of yours, and was drawn by a matched team of six. There were two postillions, two mountain sized footmen, one aptly named Biggs, and four outriders. Everything that my cousin told me can easily be verified; she had no reason to lie to me nor would she gain anything if it was proven false.” He offered in a bowing apologetic tone, holding his left arm when he felt that familiar pain in his chest which radiated out and down the arm, he pressed in toward his chest, to relieve the pain as he talked to his venerated patroness.
“Well then, I will take control of your fortune; you would not know what to do with so much money as one such as I would. I will protect it for you.” As the lady said this, she got a greedy gleam in her eyes.
“None of it will ever be mine, your beneficent Ladyship. It is clearly stated in clause eleven point ‘a’ of the documents from the entail. If I try to challenge the clause, then Longbourn itself, which is exactly the property that is entailed, will be forfeit,” he explained calmly, knowing that it hurt more when he got excited while in this state and praying it would soon pass.
Lady Catherine fumed that another avenue for her to get her hands on a fortune had been taken away from her. “I am most seriously displeased that you are to be treated thusly. You may go Mr Collins,” she dismissed him.
As he sat in his study stewing about his missed opportunity, it penetrated his small mind that Lady Catherine had not been angry for him, only when she learnt that he would have no fortune for her to control. She must really care about him to want to protect his money for him. He winced when he shifted, wondering why the pains persisted this time. He was a man of God; nothing would happen to him.
In her ‘throne room’ at Rosings Park, Lady Catherine was much vexed. She now had it confirmed that what Darcy had said about the impertinent Bennet chit was true. If the Duke and Duchess of Bedford were her godparents, then that girl’s connections were better than her own. And to add insult to injury, the chit’s dowry was worth more than Anne’s dowry, Rosings Park, and the de Bourgh fortune, or what was left of it, combined. Even worse, she also owned an estate with an income of twenty thousand per annum. Yes, Lady Catherine was seriously displeased.
She knew that she had to find a way to force a marriage between Anne and Darcy. It was her only option now to get her hands into the Darcy coffers. Rosings Park was in desperate need of funds and she had tried and failed to access her daughter’s dowry. That useless husband of hers had made ironclad provisions that made it impossible for Lady Catherine to control Anne’s money. She had seen the way that Darcy looked at Elizabeth Bennet, but she had dismissed her as a rival to her plans because she had thought that the girl was penniless with no connections. Now to find out that the Bennet sisters were the wealthiest women in the kingdom outside of the Royal Family? At least she had in her possession the fake will naming her the owner of Rosings Park. She had destroyed all other legitimate copies, had she not?
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
In London, sitting in his study at Darcy House on Grosvenor Square, a very depressed Darcy was dreading the upcoming luncheon at Matlock House across the square with Uncle Reggie, Aunt Elaine and cousins Richard, Andrew, and Marie. His uncle and aunt were the Earl and Countess of Matlock. His cousin Andrew, Lord Hilldale was viscount and heir to the earldom. He and his wife, Lady Marie Fitzwilliam had two children. The boy, David, was now three and little Gillian was but six months old. Richard would be there and would hopefully provide him a modicum of support. Lady Tiffany Fitzwilliam, not out yet at the age of seventeen, was upstairs with his sister Georgiana Darcy, so at least the girls would not witness his humiliation. This was compounded when, as he walked across the square, he noticed for what must have been the first time the brass plate on a neighbouring townhouse that read “Bennet House.” He had no choice but to think of her then, and to miss her. Even without her wealth she was everything to him. What had he done?
He had been invited to the Hurst’s townhouse for supper and he would have refused, but he knew that he needed to confront Caroline Bingley about her use of his sister in her lies to Miss Jane Bennet, and he would have to make some very painful confessions to his friend. Yes, he would remain friends with Charles Bingley as long as it was allowed.
At the same time that Darcy was contemplating the hard day ahead of him, Elizabeth Bennet was having a conversation with her dearest sister Jane. Her aunt, Maddie Gardiner was sitting with Jane on the settee supporting her niece at Gardiner House on Portman Square.
Elizabeth had just told both Jane and her aunt about the disastrous proposal, the letter, and responses that she delivered to Mr Darcy.
“Jane dearest, will you be well?” Elizabeth asked gently, her concern evident.
“I will be, Lizzy, but I am so disappointed. I had thought Mr Bingley better than that. As much as I believed that I loved him, I could never accept a man that does not have the courage of his convictions.
“Now that I think back over our interactions, he never asked me about things related to my character. He always talked about my beauty and told me I was his angel. The more I think on it, the more I realise that I could always see that he was a weak, shallow man without the required mettle to make a declaration. I lied to myself, trying to see what was not there and ignoring the facts. As you said, even though his proposal was terrible, Mr Darcy would never allow someone to talk him out of anything without finding the truth of the matter himself.” Jane offered a soft, sad smile to her sister.
“I intend to talk to Aunt Rose and Aunt Sarah about Miss Bingley. It is about time that she learnt her place. She will find out just how low and insignificant she is soon enough,” Elizabeth said with asperity.
“Before she told me such lies, I would have tried to convince you not to, but no more. The temerity to use a girl of fifteen the way she did. She has no conscience and thus deserves whatever comes her way,” Jane said, offering one of the most critical speeches either of her companions had heard from her.
“You know Jane, it would not hurt to show this side of your character more. People see your serenity and your desire to find the good in others and they think that they can run rough-shod over you, that you will smile serenely and ask for more.” Mrs Gardiner smiled at the depth of character Jane managed almost too well.
“Aunt Maddie has the right of it, Jane. I am so very happy that you are standing up for yourself and will not accept someone who is unable to make his own decisions. If you had, I would have begged Papa to withhold his blessing and consent, but I prefer not to have to do so.” Though they all were aware it was the truth, Lizzy still was able to tease her sister into a truer smile.
“My heart is far too valuable to be given away except for the truest and deepest love, and the lack of resolution and constancy that Mr Bingley had demonstrated shows me that whatever he felt for me was not what I demand in return for giving the same,” Jane stated resolutely.
“I am so proud of you girls. You have always been like daughters to me, and you are both so sensible and have not allowed your immense wealth to change your characters.” Aunt Madeline squeezed Jane’s hand and reached across for Lizzy’s to do the same.
“Thank you, Aunt Maddie. Lizzy and I have always had you as an example, so how could we be any other way. When will you, Uncle, and our cousins go to Dovedale?” Jane asked, grateful to leave the subject of Charles Bingley behind.
“We will go in the summer, Janey. I hope that you and Lizzy will agree to come with us as it will be our first time at the estate as a family.” Aunt Madeline offered the invitation she had waited to issue when Lizzy was with them.
“If Papa allows, we will happily come, Aunt Maddie. Lizzy, did you send the express to Papa?” Jane asked directly, addressing the next, somewhat larger, concern.
“I did, Jane, first thing this morning before Biggs and I went for a walk in Hyde Park,” Lizzy promised.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
At the Hurst townhouse in a not as fashionable part of Town as Mayfair, the superior sisters were sitting and gossiping, their favourite activity. “Louisa, I must have been seeing things this morning. I swear I saw that doxy, Eliza Bennet, walking out of the largest townhouse on Portman Square followed by a mountain of a footman. What on earth would that chit be doing in Mayfair? Even we cannot afford a townhouse at such an exclusive address,” Caroline scowled.
Louisa Hurst twittered, “and were her petticoats six inches deep in mud again?” Louisa loosed a most unladylike snort.
“That is just it. She was dressed in a creation of Madame Yvette Chambourg. I have drooled over the exclusive Madame’s work, but as you know she has never accepted us, so how can that nobody Eliza Bennet, who shares but a few pounds allowance between all of the Bennet girls, be wearing one of her creations? I know!” Caroline gasped. “She must be being kept by some Lord. My Fitzwilliam will not think her eyes so fine when I tell him that! If it were not so late, I would make calls and ruin the chit, but there is always tomorrow. And it will give me time to plan.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
