Page 38 of Her Favourite Daughter

As Conyers followed the housekeeper to the suites he, his sister, and cousins had been assigned, he shook his head, remembering the assumptions he made about this family. The house was not opulently decorated, but it was all done to be comfortable with elegance. The more that he saw of the house, the more he realised that the Bennets, although not as wealthy as the Darcys, were very well off.

Hilldale was given his own set of rooms with one bedchamber and an attached sitting room. Fitzwilliam and Conyers were sharing a suite with a sitting room between their bedchambers. Anne and Giana were similarly situated in their own suite.

By the time the guests reached their suites and bedchambers, their personal servants were already unpacking their trunks.

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After the Darcys and Fitzwilliams had washed and changed, the Gardiners and William Collins had returned. The earls and their sons all greeted Gardiner warmly, seeing that they all invested with him.

That evening the Phillipses, Bingleys, and Hursts joined the Bennets for dinner. It was then they were informed that Elizabeth Bennet was in fact Lady Bethany Osborne, something proved indisputably. For the nonce, Elizabeth requested that everyone continue calling her Lizzy or Elizabeth.

Knowing that Amelia would not care a fig what her daughter was called, Ladies Elaine and Anne did not attempt to correct their goddaughter.

The Darcys and Fitzwilliams were still absorbing the fact that Bethie, or Lizzy as she preferred to be called, had been twenty miles from London for so many years. Everyone had agreed to defer the detailed and harder conversations until after Lady Amelia arrived and was reunited with her daughter to allow Elizabeth-Lady Bethany some time to begin to come to terms with the new facts of her life.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The next morning Lady Amelia Osborne received a reply from Anne and Elaine urging her to come to Seaview House. It lightly chastised her for even asking, while at the same time pointing out she was welcome in any of their homes anytime. Within an hour, she was on her way, having been packed in anticipation of the epistle from her friends.

Chapter 14

At the end of the second day of her southward journey on the Great North Road, Lady Amelia arrived at the coaching inn they would remain at for two nights, as the morrow was the Sabbath. A rider had gone ahead and reserved rooms, so she was assured of quality accommodations as she travelled.

She was alighting with the aid of one of her footmen when a rider pulled his mount to a halt with some urgency, sending a shower of gravel from the hooves of the horse. He jumped down and purposefully walked towards the dowager duchess.

Three of her outriders formed a shield between her and the man while two footmen, their pistols aimed at the rider, stood in front of her. One of them was Tom, who had shot the kidnapper all those years ago.

“I be a courier for Lord Matlock,” the man stated. “I ‘as a missive fer ‘Er Grace.”

The men around Lady Amelia relaxed and allowed the courier to approach her, but they did not relax their vigilance, just in case. Lady Amelia took the epistle and recognised Elaine’s hand. She looked at the direction; it was not from Seaview House. It was very curious. After thanking the man, she followed Tom up to the suite of rooms which had been reserved for her. While Tom and another footman took positions outside of the door, Amelia entered her suite. She was too inquisitive about the letter, so she did not make for her bedchamber. She threw her light pelisse onto a chair; her gloves and bonnet followed it to the same chair in short order.

She sat on the nearby settee and broke the seal of a ‘B’ surrounded by ivy. She took a deep breath and began to read.

2 July 1807

Longbourn

Near the town of Meryton

Hertfordshire

Amelia this is a letter we have prayed we would be able to write to you since the day Bethie was stolen away almost 16 years past.

Amelia burst into tears. There was only one thing which would prompt the words Elaine wrote. They thought they had discovered Bethie! As much as she wanted it to be true, Amelia knew that she had to protect her heart. If this was not an answer to her prayers; if she allowed herself to believe only to have her hopes dashed, she did not think she would survive that level of disappointment. She dried her face and allowed her still moist eyes to return to the paper.

You must know that we would never write this letter without being absolutely certain of what we are about to say. We have seen Bethie. Not only does she look like an exact facsimile of you, but she has the birthmark behind her left ear. It was the first thing we checked for as we both hugged her.

There were more tears, but they were of joy and relief. Unless Elaine and Anne were as sure as could be, they would never have written this letter to her. Amelia lifted her eyes to the heavens. “Thank you, oh merciful God! You have answered my prayers that I will see Bethie in the mortal world. I am only sorry that my Francis will not be with me when I see her again.”

Her lady’s maid was concerned when she heard crying, and Her Grace spoke out loud when there was no one in the sitting room with her. “Your Grace, are you well?” Jenny Peters asked.

“It is the best news, Jenny! Ladies Elaine and Anne have found Bethie! I will see my daughter again soon,” Lady Amelia gushed.

“That is the best news, Your Grace. Should I not unpack?” Peters queried.

“No, do not. Wait until I have read it all. As soon as I have, I will make some decisions,” Lady Amelia replied.

The maid bobbed a curtsey and withdrew to the bedchamber.