“Father, you could not have known she would drag Anne across the country in furtherance of her chimaera,” Fitzwilliam opined.
“And no matter what she demanded, Anne and I would have never married,” Darcy insisted. “The last time we visited Rosings Park, Anne and I spoke about it, and we agreed we did not suit as husband and wife.”
“It was good that Uncle Robert left the letter roundly refuting her claims,” Hilldale opined. “As she withdrew on her own, you did not need to brandish it.”
“Mother, Father, Andy. You are not upset that Uncle Robert made me Gigi’s co-guardian with William, are you? And did any of you know that he planned to leave me a legacy of five and twenty thousand pounds?” Fitzwilliam questioned changing the subject from his unladylike aunt.
“Seeing that you will not be sent to fight in the war, I have no objection to you being made a guardian and not me,” Hilldale stated. Lord and Lady Matlock both added their approbation for his appointment.
“About the guardianship—Father never mentioned his plans to me. However, he did consult with me regarding the legacy, and I agreed wholeheartedly!” Darcy exclaimed. He held up his hand to halt the protest; the same objection Richard had raised in the study when the solicitor read the will. “No, it is not too much. It will not put any undue strain on the estate, and before you mention Gigi’s dowry, she is but seven; it will be ten years or more before those funds will be required. You know what the true income of all our holdings and investments is, as well as the reserves we hold, so Richard, better than most, you know what Father bequeathed you was not close to being exorbitant.”
Fitzwilliam knew that protesting was futile, so he raised his hands in surrender. “I will add this to the small amount I have invested with Gardiner,” he related.
“Father used to meet with Mr Gardiner; I will be the one to do so from now on,” Darcy remarked wistfully. “It is one of the many tasks I must be prepared to perform without Father here to guide me.”
“My father is a client of Gardiner and Associates as well,” Harold revealed. “As Father was unavailable, I met with Gardiner days before we travelled north.” He looked at the men in the room. “Have any of you met some of his nieces?” He saw four shaken heads. “They are the daughters of a gentleman who owns an estate in Hertfordshire. I met two of them when Father first invested with Gardiner. Not only are they beautiful, but they are also very gifted. The older one, who will soon be fifteen, can look at a column of numbers and sum it in seconds while discovering any mistakes almost as quickly. If that is not enough, the younger of the two I met reads something once and then can recite it verbatim. I mean not a few lines on a page, but entire books. Anything she has read or seen is never forgotten. She is very quick and has a wit about her. On my last visit, she was there along with her father. She challenged Louisa and me to games of chess. When I told her we would be happy to school her in the game, she found that rather amusing.”
“Once her new son was doing well and could be left for part of the day, Mrs Gardiner returned to join the charitable board I chair,” Lady Matlock noted.
“Do not forget that we met Mr Bennet, Mr Gardiner’s brother-in-law, while we waited in the office,” Louisa added. “Aside from also finding my husband’s assertions about beatinghis daughter at chess laughable, he was lamenting being the only thorn among the six roses in his household.”
“You know why Catherine peddles this fantasy that Anne and William will marry, do you not?” Matlock enquired of no one in particular as he returned to the previous distasteful subject.
“Because she thinks if I marry Anne I will carry her off to Pemberley and leave Lady Catherine to run Rosings Park into the ground. I would wager she believes that if we were married, it would somehow allow her access to the Darcy coffers,” Darcy responded. “If we ever did marry, the very first thing I would have done would have been to remove any of her perceived power and consign Lady Catherine to the dower house. It would have gained her nothing she desired. That is beside the point; we would have never married each other.”
Harold wanted to reassure the Fitzwilliams and Darcy and inform them that Lady Catherine de Bourgh would never bother any of them again with her pretensions and demands. He knew, however, he could not do so. If he did, it would lead to questions for which he could not provide adequate answers without revealing information he could not and would not.
When everyone began to leave the drawing room to change for dinner, Darcy asked the Hursts to remain. “Mrs Hurst, I received a letter of condolence from your brother. He is, as you know, still in his second year at Cambridge. My question is to you, and I mean no disrespect, Mrs Hurst, but do you think your mother and younger sister will use the death of my father as an excuse to descend on Pemberley? I believe Bingley told your father of his death in a letter.”
“I take no offence, Mr Darcy; it is a legitimate concern. Knowing them and their delusions, I would not rule that out,”Louisa replied. “That being said, if it were me, I would tell my gatehouse keeper that they are not allowed on your estate. It may seem harsh and even somewhat impolite, but if you give them an inch, they will try to grasp a mile.”
“What Louisa says is nothing but the truth, and I agree. It would be appropriate to take the step she suggested,” Harold added. “In addition, if you would make one of your express riders available, we will compose an epistle to Mr Bingley.”
“Harold is right. Papa will not allow them to leave if whatever lie they tell him to gain his agreement is disproved before they do,” Louisa agreed.
Darcy inclined his head to an escritoire in the corner of the drawing room. “Please write the missive, Mrs Hurst. As soon as it is ready, I will have one of my couriers on his way.” He watched the lady seat herself at the desk. “Hurst, I need to thank you for your restraint,” Darcy said when he saw Mrs Hurst was busy writing.
“For what are you thanking me?” Harold enquired, although he knew to what Darcy referred.
“I have not made my opinion of your imbibing a secret, and I appreciate that you have moderated it here at this time and have not seemed to be in your cups once. It shows great respect for my father,” Darcy related.
“It was not easy, but Iam, when the situation calls for it, able to regulate my habits. As you said, it is a question of respect,” Harold responded. He was sure that Darcy could be trusted and would never be involved in anything nefarious, but Harold could not allow him to know the truth. Maintaining his persona was too important.
As soon as Louisa had the letter sealed and the direction written, she handed it to Mr Darcy, who after giving her a bow of thanks, strode out of the room to send the man on his way to Scarborough.
“I heard what Mr Darcy said, even though he thought I could not. It must be hard for you to maintain the façade you need others to see,” Louisa empathised.
“That it is, but it is for the greater good. As long as people believe I am an indolent sot, I am able to gain much-needed intelligence,” Harold declared. “I care not what others think of me when you, my parents, and a select few others, know the truth. As long as I am able to serve King and Country, I will.”
“You make me very proud to be your wife,” Louisa averred as she raised herself on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Lady Catherine had made for the Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton. Before that day, she had never been so scared at any point in her life.
How that man—she had not even heard his name, as they had not been introduced—had known that her useless husband had ended his own life, she could not imagine, but the fact remained he knew. Not only that, but he was also aware of who she had paid to keep the truth from the inquest.
First, he had been stripped of his title for some reason he refused to divulge to her and he had almost cost her Rosings Park, de Bourgh House, and all of her funds.
