~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
When they arrived home, Elizabeth told Andrew all that had happened and made sure he knew that she was out of the door before her companion knew what she was about, leaving her with no choice but to stay with the three young ladies inside the vehicle.
Unsurprisingly, he agreed with Mrs Annesley and chastised his sister for not thinking the situation through properly and getting her companion’s permission before acting. Elizabeth apologised and promised never to do such a thing again. While they were talking, one of the guards who went with the lads was admitted to the study.
He confirmed that the boys had been honest about the situation but did not understand how sick their mother was, that she would not last too many more days. When asked, he informed the master and his sister that besides the two would-be thieves, there were five more children. The oldest lad was twelve and the youngest not yet two years old.
After Andrew dismissed the man with his thanks, Elizabeth turned to her brother.“Andrew, do you remember Mother Bennet telling us about the work that she and the committee do in Meryton and other places?”
“I do, Sprite. What idea have you in that pretty head of yours now?” he asked. He loved seeing his sister’s compassionate nature at work.
“May I send a note to Mother Bennet to be here on the morrow, and rather than just the two boys, can we bring all seven children and their mother here so she can be comfortable at the end, at least?” she asked hopefully.
“There is no reason why not, Sprite,” Andrew replied.
Elizabeth sat and dashed off a note to be carried three doors down by one of the footmen, then requested that her mother and Marie join herself and Andrew in the study.
Once the full story was told, both Elaine and Marie had the same visceral reaction as Andrew to Elizabeth’s unwise decision but then were quickly in agreement with the plan to help the family. A note was received from Mother Bennet confirming that she would be there in the morning and that she would send a note to Jane and to Martha Bingley, who was with the Hursts at their London home.
When the rider returned with the news that they would all be moved out of the hovel that they had been trying to survive in, the two lads could not believe someone who could have just as easily turned them over to the runners was going to assist them; and their ma would see a real doctor!
The next morning, Mr Tristan Bartholomew, the London physician of both the Darcys and Fitzwilliams, was waiting with the rest of the group when the two carts pulled into the mews at Matlock House. The mother was carried on a litter to a servant’s room near the warmth of the kitchens, and the children were put in the three rooms next to where their mother was.
“With all of the funds that some very generous benefactor donated,” Martha Bingley said as she looked at Jane,“taking these unfortunate children into the home that was built between Longbourn and Bennington Fields will be no problem. They will be raised in the county, be educated, and never want for food or clothing. The boys will learn trades if they have an inclination, and the girls will be prepared to go into good service positions. Best of all, they will all be kept together.” Tammy nodded her agreement while Jane blushed at her gift, so publicly acknowledged.
“Why did we not think of it before, Marie! Can we talk to Aunts Anne and Rose, as well as you, Mama, and start a similar programme in Derbyshire?” Elizabeth asked excitedly.
“That is a capital idea, Lizzy,” Marie replied as her hand went to her belly instinctively.
When Elizabeth’s plan was put to Ladies Rose and Elaine, they agreed without reservation. With the help of Tammy Bennet and Martha Bingley, plans were drawn up to start instituting in Derbyshire the same programmes that the committee in Meryton had been running.
After the doctor examined the mother of the seven children, he informed them that she would be at peace in a few days. In his opinion, it was cancer, and there was nothing that would stop in the inevitable. The two oldest boys were summoned to the study, treated as the men they had attempted to be the day before, and as gently as possible, the truth of their mother’s situation was explained to them.
There were tears shed as the boys worried about what would befall them and their five brothers and sisters. Tammy Bennet then laid out the plan which the adults had outlined to them for their approval on behalf of their family. The boys sat for a moment to the side of the study, and although incredibly sad about the impending death of their mother, were relieved that all seven of them would be together and not in one of the dreaded workhouses. When asked about their father, they relayed that he had died of illness just after the youngest girl was born, which had begun the downfall to the straits in which they had been found.
Three days later, as Mr Bartholomew predicted, the mother slipped from the mortal world and was finally at peace. The Fitzwilliams paid for a decent burial for her in one of the local church’s graveyards. The two oldest boys had attended to watch as their mother was laid to rest. The next day, they were in carriages far finer than they ever imagined that they would ride in and on their way to Hertfordshire.
Until they arrived at the newly-built home where they would live, they had not grasped the truth of their situation, thinking that it could not be as the nice people had told them. From what the children could see, it was far better than anything that they imagined. The four older children, the two boys and the two oldest girls, were placed in bedchambers that each pair would share, and the youngest three were placed in the nursery.
Rather than ending up in gaol as they likely would have if they had attempted to rob anyone else, they were in the country, in a house with caring people, and were living a life with more luxury than they could have conjured in their wildest dreams. To them, Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam was the angel that had saved all their lives.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As plans for Christmas in Hertfordshire were finalised, the Derbyshire Committee, as they dubbed themselves, had grown to include Lady Anne Darcy as well. They were relishing the upcoming time that they would all be at Longbourn for Christmastide, wanting their plans finalised as soon as may be; and they would be able to pick the brains of all the ladies that ran the charitable foundation in Meryton.
Elizabeth felt a purpose like she had never before. She could have ended up in far worse straits than the seven children had been in if her brothers had not discovered her in Sherwood Forest. The shame she felt that she had not thought of emulating what was being done by Mother Bennet and her friends led to a determination that she would give back as much as she could. She was most pleased when she shared her vision with Will, and he was as committed as she was.
On the seventeenth day of December, all of the family members, including the Gardiners, left London for Longbourn and Christmastide in Hertfordshire. Elizabeth could not wait to see how the seven children were adjusting to their new situation.
Chapter4
The first thing that Elizabeth did the day after they arrived in Hertfordshire was to ride to the house where the seven children were staying. It was a short ride, and Elizabeth had the pleasure of Will and her Bennet siblings for company. Will rode next to her, as close as they could be without their mounts bumping into one another. Biggs, Johns, and several other guards rode near the party, as did two grooms.
When they reached the front of the house, now namedNew Hope House, they were met by the matron in charge. Elizabeth spied the seven children, all clean and well-dressed, waiting impatiently for one of their caregivers to release them. The youngest, a little girl not yet two and very slight since the children had been given only one meal a day, was sucking her thumb and holding her oldest sister’s hand tightly.
After a nod from one of the governesses employed at the home, the two boys took off like a shot out a cannon and ran to Elizabeth, hugging her tightly.“Now boys, we wait to be invited to hug someone; please allow Lady Elizabeth to breathe.” the governess admonished but was unable to hide her smile.
“I am well,” Elizabeth replied as she returned the hugs and then greeted each of the other children. The youngest one hid her head in her sister’s skirts shyly.“I take it that you like your new home?”
