“No, not strictly. My commission is a most general one, giving me the powers of a judge-advocate, not only in New South Wales but in all of Britain’s territories, dominions, and colonies—but not in the United Kingdom; that is, England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
“For example, I have authority in the Channel Islands, Guernsey and Jersey, and also the Isle of Man; further, my authority extends to British-flagged ships located outside of our territorial boundaries, which lie at a distance of one marine league—three nautical miles—from the coast. Therefore, if a person were to sail three miles from the shore, it’s legal for me to interrogate them, perhaps even to prosecute.”
“I must remember never to sail with you, for you may incarcerate me for my possessing French brandy!” His father laughed. “’Tis well you returned, Fitzwilliam; these past ten months have passed with nothing to raise the spirits or provoke jollity.”
“How do we investigate? If Matlock cannot uncover the truth of Lady Catherine’s affairs, then we have little chance.”
“We must try. We shall carry out our own research. If they are true mortgages and not promissory notes, there will be records. Clerks may be hired to scrutinise the scrolls for leases, mortgages, and deeds pertaining to Rosings. We shall work backwards. Once we establish to whom Rosings is mortgaged, then private investigators can be called in. We also need to view Sir Lewis’s will, for he may have left some clue as to the disposition of the monies.”
“You’ve been busy, indeed. Let us proceed as you suggest. It’s now the middle of June. Can we depart for Pemberley, say, in four weeks? I would very much like to see Georgiana, and I must familiarise myself with the estate. Though Elizabeth and I hold some two and a half thousand acres in New South Wales, Pemberley is five times that size. While Elizabeth can surely manage such, I’m a novice in all things agricultural.”
“Your wife, a gentlewoman, manages your estate?”
“In Hertfordshire, she and her mother ran their Longbourn estate during the time her father was paralysed, following his apoplexy. She was also greatly involved as a young girl, for, with no sons, many duties fell to her, being close to her father in inclination, temperament, and understanding.
“Her consequence, in the colony, was not due to her being my wife, but rather, her being able to administer estates, her connections to merchants in London, and her responsibility for the female orphans. No, sir! It was she who lentmeconsequence.”
“Fitzwilliam, you’re bewitched by Elizabeth; perhaps as I was enamoured of Lady Anne. But we’ve other issues we need to consider. Matlock’s note arrived shortly after your appointment with Bathurst. Clearly, the moment you were announced at Whitehall, a message was sent to Matlock—he has ears everywhere. We must move carefully—we need to recruit our clerks and investigators from outside of London.”
***
“His Excellency the Honourable Fitzwilliam Darcy, Lieutenant Governor and Judge-Advocate for New South Wales.” Darcy waited until he was announced before stepping into the elegant, though faded, drawing-room of Matlock House in St. James’s Square. The Earl Matlock, a large, grey-haired man of about sixty years, stood to greet him.
“What’s this, Fitzwilliam? You’re now so high in the instep that I, an earl, should refer to you asYour Excellency?"
“No, of course not, uncle. My apologies; your butler did not recognise me, so I gave him my card. Shall we start again?”
“Impertinent, as well. Perhaps you forget yourself. It seems the vulgar society of a penal settlement has made you disregard the preservation of rank in this country.”
“On the contrary, I believe my rank is, indeed, acknowledged here as well as in the colony. In fact, Lord Bathurst was all that was pleasant when I met with him yesterday evening. It was the lateness of the appointment and his extended civility that made it impossible for me to visit with you, as requested.” Darcy was pleased to see Matlock was somewhat annoyed by Bathurst’s condescension. Although he possessed considerable influence in Parliament, he was not in government and envied the rank and privilege of ministers such as Bathurst, Castlereagh, and Liverpool. After a pause, he continued,
“I wished to thank you personally for the very fine speech you gave to Parliament in memory of Frederick—kindly done and well expressed.”
“He was my nephew. As head of the Fitzwilliam family, it was expected of me. Certainly, by doing so, Richard escaped any censure that could impact the reputation of the family. Wetold all our acquaintances that Frederick was killed by an act of random violence. ‘Tis best if the perpetrator’s prior relationship with the Darcys is not known.”
So, the earl was only concerned with the good name of the family. Darcy knew that his father had the right of it, that Pemberley was to solve the looming problem of Lady Catherine’s bankruptcy. Forewarned is forearmed.
“Anyway, thank you for your words of condolence.”
Darcy let the ensuing silence drag out; he had no intention of introducing what he knew was the purpose of his uncle’s summons. The butler entered and asked if he would take tea or coffee. He accepted coffee, hot without cream, just as he liked it—just as Elizabeth would prepare it for him.
“You know of the Rosings' mortgages?”
“Indeed, my father told me of Frederick and Richardfinding the hidden ledger. Lady Catherine is my aunt, but I can hardly respect her amassing such a debt. Some one hundred and fifty thousand pounds…”
“’Tis more—possibly another thirty thousand. In our investigation, we found more mortgages.”
To pay out such a sum would strain even Pemberley’s resources. And the income from Rosings, if purchased, would be insufficient to return interest on the monies, even at the four percents.
“Do you know to whom the estate is mortgaged? Surely the beneficiaries are recorded on the documents—if not, they may not be legal debts?”
“Ah, here’s the rub. The mortgagee is a trust administered by Asquith, Badeley and Chaffers.”
Darcy could hardly refrain from smirking, though it was no laughing matter.
“Oh dear, the inimical attorneys, ABC. I can see why you could search no further—their keeping clients’ affairs confidential is legendary. They use all sorts of devices to hide their affairs: offshore trusts, joint-stock companies, and the like. Moreover, they are never involved in any sort of impropriety. Not good, sir. Not good at all!”
“Even as an earl, I cannot make any demands of them.”
