An Incident at the Royal Rest Inn

A savage storm, two distressed young couples, and an exhausted nursemaid change the courses of two little lives. Twenty years later, it becomes the burden of Fitzwilliam Darcy to discover and reveal the truth. But who will thank him and who will despise him for his efforts?

Chapter 21 – The Decision of the Court

AN: In chapters 19 and 20 I made a major and confusing mistake with the timeline for the meeting with eMael: was it before or after Elizabeth's marriage.?A lot of reviewers notified me, for which I am grateful. I corrected the mistake, missed a few references, and had to edit twice more before it was all corrected (I hope). Now the meeting took place after they married and returned from London. Thank you to everyone who caught the errors and let me know.

Saint James Palace

For many years, Saint James Palace had been the seat of the British monarchy, until King George III acquired Buckingham House in 1761. Even if the residence of the Royals had been relocated, Saint James palace remained the location for most official ceremonies, Royal balls, and such. So it was to the side of this structure that the Royal carriage pulled to a stop.

Elizabeth had been briefed to expect this: Although she was now addressed as Lady Elizabeth, until official sanction was given, she would enter through the Commoner's Entrance. Depending upon the outcome of today's meeting, she might depart in the same manner or leave by the front entrance… or be escorted to the Tower for that matter. Nothing was certain.

There were many people milling about in full court dress. Powdered wigs were falling out of fashion in society, but at court they were still common, if not expected. Thankfully they were less expected for women. Elizabeth's hair had been very deliberately piled high on her head in a striking and attractive style so that her long, slender neck was fully exposed. Of course this also put her hereditary birthmark on proud display.

People watched now as the tall, handsome, and proud Fitzwilliam Darcy escorted his petite, beautiful wife, Lady Elizabeth Darcy, through the corridors, following the Equerry, until they stopped at a set of gilded double doors guarded by two very stern, still soldiers in ceremonial dress*. The equerry announced his charges. One of the soldiers tapped once on the door. The door opened and another man in full regalia examined both the Equerry and the Darcys. Finally the doors opened and they all stepped in.

Although Elizabeth had been told what to expect, it was still daunting to step into a large, square room filled with people dressed for Royal Review. They were all arrayed around the room on three sides, the fourth being empty except for the King and Queen on their thrones, along with several family members and their attendants. Elizabeth saw her Ducal aunt and uncle who, like everyone else, did not smile. Then she spotted her ancient, tiny, and regal great-great-grandmother… who, in defiance of the rest of the room, did smile.

It was all very daunting, but the most daunting of all was the single low-backed chair sitting alone in the middle of the room.

Darcy gave Elizabeth's hand a kiss and then stepped back. The Equerry offered his own arm, Elizabeth took it, and she was led to the chair. She stepped in front of it and curtsied to the King and Queen. The King gave her a regal nod and gestured to the chair. With nothing else to do, Elizabeth sat.

"Before God and Man, I the Duke of Argon, Earl of Covington, and Baron of Fingal do recognize and affirm that this person, Lady Elizabeth Darcy, nee Bingley, is the rightful daughter of Charles and Lady Genevieve Bingley, the granddaughter of Lord Hargrave and Lady Isabella Hargrave, nee Argon, the Earl and Countess of Warwick, and the great-granddaughter of Geoffrey Argon, Lord Clarence, the Earl of Rutland and Lady Isolde Argon, nee Tourleon."

The Duke paused for significance and then proceeded, "As the only surviving and direct descendent of Lady Isolde Tourleon, she is the sole heir of the body, and therefore, in fact and by law, the rightful heir to all that belongs to that name. All monies, valuables, and properties held independently by the House of Argon in trust pass to her without dispute. All properties and titles belonging to the House of Tourleon should now also pass to her as is her right through matrilineal succession and by primogeniture."

Lord Barkley, the representative from the Office of Heraldry, was a foppish dandy who looked like he would have been more at home in the French court of a century before. He stepped forward to where Elizabeth sat alone in a low-backed chair in the center of the room. He walked around Elizabeth carefully examining every feature carefully. He lingered a little too long on Elizabeth's décolletage, causing her to color slightly. On the side of the room Lady Matlock, who had appeared with her husband to stand beside Darcy, quickly reached over and squeezed his hand to quell his rising anger.

The man moved stepped over to a little table nearby, lifted the portrait of Genevieve and studied it. Then he lifted the second picture, that of the Princess of Brittany curtsying to the French King. He took this painting and walked with it to stand behind Elizabeth. Again he compared the two. Then he stepped back, replaced the painting on the table, and adopted a dramatic pose. "As the chosen representative of the Office of Heraldry, the House of Lords, and their Royal Majesties, I, Lord Barkley, the Earl of Dartmore, do confirm that this person is Lady Elizabeth Darcy, nee Bingley and that, by the testimonies of all relevant family members of the House of Argon, she is the rightful heir of all that belongs to that distinction…" another long, dramatic pause, "I also affirm that, as the only surviving heir of the blood of Lady Isolde Argon, nee Tourleon, she is the rightful heir of all titles, lands, and privileges assigned to the House of Tourleon through English provenance."

Again, he paused, "However, as it concerns the House of Lords, we are also cognizant of the unusual nature of Lady Elizabeth's upbringing. With that in mind, we do not feel that Lady Elizabeth has received the proper training required to prepare her for the duties and privileges of a Duchess of the Realm," though there were several gasps, most of those in the room had anticipated this pronouncement, "Therefore, through matrilineal succession, the firstborn son of Lady Elizabeth shall be titled the Duke of Caerleon, and his eldest son shall be the Marquis Tourleon. Should Lady Elizabeth have no male heirs, the title shall continue with her daughters and remain in abeyance until male heirs are presented. As Lady Elizabeth is now a present member of the House of Argon, the training of said heirs shall be assigned to that House. Although she shall not herself hold the title, she shall now and for always be addressed as Lady Elizabeth Darcy."

The spectators and family nodded and began to speak about the rightness of these decisions, but the foppish earl was not finished. He cleared his throat loudly and the room fell silent, "The House of Tourleon has enjoyed a unique and distinctive place in Europe for many centuries. Despite the fact that the self-styled Republic of France has chosen to abolish all patents and titles, including those of Brittany, the fact remains that the House of Tourleon is a noble house with numerous instances of Royal connection. Despite the unfortunate connection of her father, Charles Bingley, Lady Elizabeth is, by the force of generations of distinguished ancestry, both noble and Royal. As such, and should she choose to do so, Lady Elizabeth Bingley may choose to re-assume the title 'Princess Tourleon' with all appropriate recognition and honors."

The family tensed. The spectators waited with baited breath. Lady Elizabeth looked into the faces of the King and Queen, and then found her husband at the forefront of the crowd. For a long moment of silence she looked into Fitzwilliam Darcy's eyes… and then she smiled slightly and returned her attention back to the King and Queen. "I, Lady Elizabeth Darcy, Matriarch of the House of Tourleon, choose to decline the title of Princess."

The King remained still, but Queen Charlotte nodded.

oOoOOoOo

The thought occurred to Elizabeth as her handsome husband partnered her for the minuet that she could now share an experience with Sir William Lucas. That thought led to another thought: Charlotte. The resulting little frown drew her husband's attention. "What troubles you, My Lady?"

Elizabeth smiled at his teasing use of address. "I'm just worried about Charlotte."

Darcy had been much less forgiving of Charlotte when his wife had told him about the forced meeting. He had nightmares for days about what could have happened. "She made her choices, Elizabeth. She will have to live with them."

"I believe that he is a good man, Fitzwilliam," they had debated this several times. Elizabeth refused to inform anyone, even the Colonel, about the meeting. Not only that, but she didn't deny the possibility of future interaction. Like it or not, she was, by force of history, a political figure. Her actions and attitudes now had the ability to affect change, or cause harm.

Charlotte had married quietly from her home while Elizabeth was in London. To the best of Elizabeth's knowledge, Charlotte had already left English soil.

"Only time will tell. Just promise me that you will be careful. Not only do you have power now, but you will be watched and held accountable," Darcy once again reminded her. Elizabeth sighed and nodded.

Many in the receiving chamber naturally concluded that it was as punishment for her defiant marriage to Mr. Darcy when Elizabeth had been denied the title of Duchess. In truth, the dowager had engineered the decision.

Many years ago, when Princess Charlotte was first brought to be wedded to King George, British society had cruelly ridiculed her looks, her accent, and her intelligence. A few powerful women had stepped in to shield and support her… one of these had been the Duchess of Argon. Now the dowager, she still retained Queen Charlotte's loving gratitude.

The two powerful women had spoken together concerning the case of Lady Elizabeth. With the uncertain future of France, the exiled French Court, and all of the other shadow factions, the dowager had argued that it would be better if the world perceived the young Elizabeth as powerless. It was the least that they could do to protect Lady Elizabeth from Machiavellian schemes. She and her family were now elevated to a different level, but at least there would be time to see how the French situation played out.

Now the tiny dowager sat beside the sturdy queen and watched the handsome couple dance. They smiled when the King stepped up to claim Elizabeth's next dance. The Queen turned to her dear friend, "I remember when George was quite taken with you, Elizabeth. If you hadn't been married and decidedly loyal to your Duke, I might have been concerned."

The dowager scoffed, "I was forty if I was a day, Your Majesty."

"But you were and still are ageless," The Queen was nostalgic, "When I first saw her, it was like seeing you all over again. Did we make a mistake not giving her the title?"

"That pair won't need a title to be powerful, my dear friend. The Darcy name will be a force to be reckoned with in this new century. It will be their turn now."

A boisterous laugh was heard and everyone recognized the voice of the King of Great Britain. All eyes in the room were on the beautiful young woman with sparkling eyes who was, almost certainly, contemplating another impertinent remark. They would have been amazed if they had ever heard that Mrs. Bennet often and publically called her a "nobody".

The Queen smiled, "Yes, she will be quite formidable."

The End

But don't worry, there will be several epilogues.

From the Desk of LFU: Thank you to guest Karen1220for your informative review. Although I had read this in the past, it entirely slipped my mind for this story. Rather than paraphrase you, I will quote you entirely here. If you mind, please let me know and it will be removed.

"Don't forget the Act of Settlement of 1689. No Catholic nor anyone married to a Catholic could inherit the British Throne. That eliminated a lot of the royal houses of Europe as sources of marriage partners. When you see the family tree of how George I inherited, it is a very truncated version of the descendants of the House of Stuart. There were 50 people more closely related to the British Stuarts who were eliminated from inheriting because they were Catholic.

The Royal Marriages Act requires any descendant of George II (not III) to obtain the monarch's approval of their marriage or lose his or her place in the succession. When Ernst of Hanover was preparing to marry Caroline of Monaco, he formally sought the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, even though marrying the Catholic Caroline would take him out of the succession. Of course, he was several hundred places away from inheriting the Throne of the United Kingdom

." – Karen1220