Notes: Thank you for all of the reviews, especially those which have made me aware of errors. I should not attempt to write any of my chapters on the road. Whenever I do I seem to jumble names. It is hard to believe that I used to have a great memory for details. Anyway, thank you and I will try to stay up on my corrections.
Chapter Twenty-One – Adjustments and Avowals
"I must apologize to you, Mr. Piper," Lord Pelham insisted, "You should have been the man to be credited for the discovery of Mrs. Bennet, not the magistrate in Meryton. Although the Lord Chancellor was grateful, he felt that it would paint his office in a bad light if a postal rider solved this crime rather than one of his own."
Matthew shrugged, "It matters little, My Lord. I did not inform you with any hope or expectation of a reward."
The Lord Postmaster regarded his young protégé with thoughtful eyes, "No, I believe that you did not. That, as much as anything sets you apart from your peers. That is why I have decided to begin with my program now rather than waiting. As of this moment you are in charge of all postal riders. As we have previously discussed, I want you to do all that you can to curtail their bad behaviors and to instill honor in their service. Will you take on this task for me?
"The one benefit we have gained in all of this is that the Lord Chancellor has promised to lend his voice in Parliament to do away with the interference of the Shadow Post-Master*. With his assistance, I will finally be able to make the improvements that I deem fit. You shall be the spearhead in my efforts."
The younger man flushed with pride and joy, "It will be my honor, Your Lordship."
Pelham nodded decisively, "Then it is done. You will receive a salary of two-hundred pounds, an expense account for all of the travel your position will require, and I have taken the liberty of moving you into a fine establishment near my offices. It is a fine place where many young single gentlemen resided, and it has well-kept stable where you will be able to keep your mount."
For the next hour the two men were heads-in, discussing the most nefarious problems with postal riders in various counties as well as the first reforms to be made. When they were done Matthew spent the rest of his day happily relocating to his new home.
oOo
Everyone turned a blind eye as Dr. Ian MacDonald with great practicality lifted Kitty off the ground and brought her beautiful face close to his so that they could share a long and tender parting kiss. As sweet as that kiss was, Kitty could feel the restrained passion underneath. As much as she loved this man and his caring concern for her health, she fully intended to bring that passion to the forefront once they married. For now she had to be content with the love in his dark eyes. Leaning back, she looked at him and declared, "You will write to me, won't you Ian? It is cruel in the extreme that Lizzie will be here with her Darcy, but you will be so far away."
"I will write, my dear, and we will see each other again in three months. By then much of the fervor about your mother's story will have passed on and several new scandals will have arisen to tickle the public fancy. Lady Miriam will slip you back into Livingston House with a minimum of fuss and we shall see each other as often as your lessons and my practice will allow." Lady Miriam had committed to giving Kitty a course of instruction on being the mistress of her own home. With a small dowry and the doctor's successful practice, their home would be pleasant, but not remotely ostentatious. Their house boasted housekeeper, a man-of-all-work, a maid, and a cook. His office and treatment area were in an adjoining building. Ian's curricle and two carriage horses were kept at a nearby stable.
Ian gently set his precious love back with her feet on the road, "Your father has deemed it permissible for us to marry a month after your return to Town. Because that is only four months into mourning, ours will need to be a quiet ceremony... are you certain that is acceptable to you?"
"To have a large ceremony but have to wait six months to a year for it... or to have a simple ceremony and become your wife in four months. For me there is no question. I want to be with you, Ian... and I do not want to wait one minute longer than absolutely necessary."
Ian grinned and bent down to steal one more kiss, then he walked with long loping strides to where his carriage waited to return him to London.
Kitty tried to smile until he was out of sight, but her smile was punctuated by tears. She turned to discover that Elizabeth had stepped out to collect her. With a sob, Kitty flew into her older sister's arms.
Elizabeth held her sister close, not caring about her dress being wetted. She understood all too well. Having accepted Fitzwilliam Darcy's proposal, she now had to wait six months before she would become his bride. Lady Catherine had instead that "if you are to be considered an acceptable bride for a man with Fitzwilliam and Darcy blood, you must behave within certain rules. We are the leaders of society, not the followers... nevertheless, our legacy requires protection, Elizabeth. You will be in half-mourning in February. That is soon enough."
Her other assertion was that she and Elizabeth must move into the dower house for the duration of their stay, "I will not have it said that my Elizabeth is compromised." Since Darcy wanted Elizabeth to spend as much time as possible with Georgiana and with her own family, he elected to remove himself to the dower house instead. If I did not love Lady Catherine so much, I might just hate her.
Three weeks had passed and already Elizabeth was seeing the wisdom of Lady Catherine's demands. That first passionate kiss on the day of Darcy's proposal had ignited a passionate interest in both of them to share more... and much more. Six months now seemed an eternity. The solution for Elizabeth was much like the plan for Kitty: Mrs. Reynolds had taken her under her wing and Lizzie was learning everything that she would need to know about being mistress of this great estate and all of her future husband's other properties. Meanwhile Lady Catherine was teaching her all that she would need to know about the social graces... or more specifically how to navigate through the often difficult Ton.
Between Lady Catherine and Mrs. Reynolds, Elizabeth was kept so busy that she and Darcy were sometimes only able to steal minutes of private time on any given day. Most of that was in the wee hours of the morning, where the couple would go for long, pleasant walks and Darcy began acquainting Elizabeth with the many paths of Pemberley.
More than occasionally they would find a particularly private bend in the trail in which to steal kisses... six months was going to be a very long time.
As luck would have it, there was soon a great deal to occupy everyone's time.
oOo
It was in the early dawn when Lord Owen Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Matlock, stumbled out of gaming hell where he had spent much of the past twelve hours. He had drank heavily and gambled foolishly. He was leaving now only after handing over all too many vowels. He was not terribly worried about the matter. The money would be found somewhere. What he needed was a woman.
His mind drifted to the dinner he had shared at Matlock House with his wife, Andrew his new heir, and that son's wife. Now there was a tasty morsel...
I have not visited my mistress for a while. I believe that I shall go now and avail myself of her many charms. With that decision made, he boarded his carriage and directed his man toward his destination. When he arrived, the housekeeper seemed reluctant to allow him to enter. Since he paid for the lease and her salary, he felt no remorse in shoving his way past the woman. She was wringing her hands and trying to speak with him as he made his way up the stairs, but he wasn't paying her any mind.
There were strangely familiar sounds, but he paid them little attention as he stumbled down the hallway and burst into his mistress' room. Even as drunk as he was, he instantly understood the activity taking place in the woman's bed. Evangeline screamed. The man who quickly jumped up and tried to cover himself with a blanket tried to protest. The Earl heard none of it as he ran forward in a rage.
Evangeline Adams has chosen this as her boudoir partially due to the large window which allowed her to sit in the mornings and gaze out on the busy street. Now that same window served a different purpose, as an exit. The earl slammed into his rival with such force that both men slammed backward. The man's back struck the window with such force that the glass and wood shattered, leaving both men falling through the air and onto the cobbled road below. Neither man survived the impact.
oOo
"Your family has endured enough scandal, Elizabeth. I think that you should remain here with your father and younger sisters..." Darcy encouraged as they walked together on the lake path. "To be honest, I plan to be a support for Aunt Isabella and the family, but do not intend to remain long."
"But Jane may need me..." Elizabeth mused, more to herself than to her walking partner. "Then again, she has shown herself so strong lately... and now she is suddenly a countess... No, Father and I should attend the funeral in Matlock, but I shall leave London to you."
Darcy squeezed Elizabeth's hand, "That is a good choice. I will miss you while I am gone, but could not be more pleased to have you to come home to. How is Lady Catherine?"
"Shocked... but not surprised. She spoke late into the night about her brother when he was young and how he changed in school. William, when we have a son..." She blushed as her awareness caught up with her words. Trying to ignore the look in Darcy's eyes, she finished, "... we need to think long and hard before sending him away to the corrupting influences of these supposedly elite schools."
Darcy could not resist leaning down to deliver a soft kiss, then moved back only far enough to hold his beloved's eyes, "You may rest assured that together we will safeguard the characters of all our many sons and daughters throughout their growing years."
Elizabeth blushed even deeper and laughed, "Many? Do you intend to have me gravid all of the time?" The hungry look in her fiancee's eyes spoke volumes, as did the passionate kiss that followed. It was only with great effort that the pair pushed away from each other and resumed walking.
Almost in unison, they spoke their thought aloud, "Six months is too long."
Darcy and Lady Catherine departed for London soon after. The matron had agreed with her nephew and her ward that Elizabeth should not attend them in London. The Earl's scandalous demise would generate enough heat on its own without adding the Bennet name to the flames. Oddly, most people had already forgotten that Lady Jane Fitzwilliam had been a Bennet. Her marriage had taken place before the scandal and she had already begun anchoring her place among the elite beforehand, so she was forgiven her questionable relatives. The Ton would not be so forgiving of Elizabeth.
Jane had married a reverend who became a viscount and was now an earl. Though these events took place in rapid succession, she had not set out to steal a prize of the Ton. Everyone knew that the profligacies of the previous generations had left the Matlock title nearly impoverished and almost morally bankrupt. They might begrudge Jane her new title, but little more. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was set to pluck one of the prize catches of the Ton right out from under the noses of the maids and matrons of the Ton.
The Darcy name were almost spotless and the Darcy coffers were bursting at the seams. Everyone knew that Fitzwilliam Darcy owned half of Derbyshire and held title to other profitable properties as well. There was also much speculation about the young man's investments. He was rumored to have the Midas touch when it came to choosing which projects to support. Add to this the simple fact that he was tall, broad shouldered, and aristocratically handsome and he became one of the most sought-after prizes... and unbeknownst to any of them, Elizabeth had stolen that prize.
Elizabeth had risen from obscurity to become the ward of the de Bourghs, another rich and prominent family. Then her own bloodlines had come into question with the accusations of murder, adultery, kidnapping, and other debaucheries... the latter mostly made up out of thin air to spice up the drawing room gossip. The realization that one member of this obscure and tainted family had already gained a title would be nothing to the outrage when the second daughter became the Mistress of Pemberley.
Elizabeth sighed as she watched the Darcy carriage fade into the distance. "I suppose that I should return to Mrs. Reynold's lessons."
oOo
Mary, often overlooked, was perhaps the person who benefited the most from being sequestered away in Pemberley. The primary reason for that was, of course, that her Percy was there with her. While the Pemberley under-steward watched over Longbourn, Percy Griffin was learning under the skilled hand of a master-steward, Miles Reynolds. Reynolds had been to head steward of the vast Pemberley lands ever since John Wickham had passed sixteen years before and his knowledge of land management was encyclopedic.
The search for another Bennet heir was still ongoing, but it was only a matter of due-diligence at this point. When Thomas Bennet had fought with the elder Collins nineteen years ago, he had commissioned his own search for other potential heirs. At the time he was still anticipating the birth of his own son, but he had still wished to remove the Collins name from the list by finding a viable alternative. That search had yielded no names. It seemed that the Bennet line had diminished from a large family to almost nothing in the past few generations. This meant that there was no male heir to be found.
In such an instance the entail required that the property go to the eldest daughter. Jane and her husband had already notified him that they would make no claim to the property. Thomas had wanted to pass Longbourn on to Elizabeth, but she had kindly but firmly pointed her father to Mary. Elizabeth did not require more than she would gain as the wife of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mary, on the other hand... if Mary were to wed Percy, then the sisters were confident that the pair would grow and proper the Bennet lands. Thomas had off-handedly suggested that Griffin change his last name to Bennet, but as that was not a requirement of the entail, both Percy and Mary had refused.
Now Mary sat on a garden bench and watched as the elderly Mr. Reynolds taught Griffin how to place and build succession houses. He and Mary had agreed that the poorly managed and oft-neglected little park beside the Longbourn manor house would give way to a conservatory system. Not only would this yield produce which was seldom available in Meryton, but it would extend the property's production throughout the year. Having grown up with an indolent father, one of Percy's best features in Mary's mind was his diligence and dedication.
It doesn't hurt that he is also very handsome, Mary thought wish a blush. She shared her sisters' feelings of frustration about having to wait six months to wed. Being the most moral of the sisters, she was surprised at how much she longed for the physical aspects of that delayed event. Perhaps it was the fact that she loved Percy's kisses so much?
The only ones who seemed to enjoy their removal to Permberley without reservation were Georgiana Darcy and Lydia Bennet. The two had almost immediately become fast friends. Georgiana's grace, accomplishments, and shy demeanor seemed a huge contrast to Lydia's lack of accomplishments and boisterous personality, but somehow they fit. Georgiana was becoming more open and assertive under the example of her friend, while Lydia was finally pursuing her own lessons and accomplishments with enthusiasm. When they weren't learning, they were riding the estate or working in the flower garden or planning some mischief. They were often nowhere to be seen, but their giggling could be heard in the corridors.
Darcy had been concerned at first, but after he saw the joy in his sister's smile and was reassured of her continued diligence in her lessons, he chose to step back. Just as Elizabeth had brought joy into his life, he was pleased when another Bennet sister was doing the same for his dear sister.
oOo
In London, and then later in Matlock, Jane learned how to be a countess under the gentle but firm guidance of Lady Isabella. The family had to all but retrench under the financial burden that the late Earl had left behind. Andrew reassured Jane and his mother that both the family's finances and their good name could be restored and he threw himself into accomplishing both.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam had been called back to England's shores for the funeral. He was now the viscount, yet he knew that it was only a temporary title until Andrew had a son. With the obvious love and passion that his elder brother and his beautiful wife shared, Richard doubted that it would be too long. He spent a portion of his leave at Pemberley, meeting the three beautiful Bennet daughters that he had not met before. With Jane married and Elizabeth, Mary, and Kitty all engaged, that only left Lydia single. She was much too young for the grizzled veteran.
The good colonel hid his envy of his cousin during his visit. Though Jane was unquestionably the most beautiful Bennet, Elizabeth was still stunning and her lively, intelligent nature the most appealing to Richard. Darcy is a very lucky man
Richard had his own blessings. With his father and spendthrift oldest brother gone, his mother finally felt safe to release her own inheritance. Her father's estate, Glenview Reach, had been willed to her in such a manner that her husband could not touch it. During his visit to Matlock Lady Isabella had signed that property over to Richard. Well-managed, it yielded seven-thousand pounds per annum. Richard could hang up his spurs and his sword if he so chose. His mother wisely did not make this a condition of her gift. She knew that her son wanted to see the fight against France to the end.
Lady Catherine had intended to use Rosings to support her nephew and hopefully pull him out of harm's way. Now that the young man had Glenview she felt free to consider other options. Her eyes fell on Elizabeth, who was sitting with Mrs. Reynolds and going over the menus for the following week. Anne had been Catherine's daughter by blood and so very dear. Elizabeth was not the daughter of her body, but she was most assuredly the daughter of her heart. Rosings and my people would be in good hands with Elizabeth... and if she brought Rosings into her marriage, nobody could accuse her of being a penniless waif.
Having made her decision, Lady Catherine went to her suite of rooms and began composing a detailed letter to her solicitor.
oOo
Notes: Sort of a sleepy chapter, but necessary to bring certain matters to a close. Only one chapter left before the finish line. Thank you for staying with the story.
* From 1691 until 1823 the Postmaster General was divided between the Whigs and the Tories, with the one whose government was in power holding the greatest sway. This divided the patronage of this lucrative position, but it also led to conflicts. With a divided system, one man might wish to reform the corrupt post, while the other wished to continue to enjoy the filthy lucre. This story will make no assertions concerning who fit into which category. There is, however, historical evidence that Lord Thomas Pelham was attempting to introduce certain reforms.