Chapter 45

"Miss Fitzwilliam and Darcy," Lord Wescott said greeting them with a smile as he stepped into the Darcy box. He would have liked to make Elizabeth his wife, having an appreciation of her intelligence and quick wit, but decided not to resent the fact that Darcy had beaten him to it. It was rather obvious to him as he observed them following the announcement at the Matlock Ball, what he had begun to suspect, Elizabeth was in love with Darcy and therefore would not have accepted any other proposal. He had realized though, that Elizabeth was more likely to associate with ladies that were less insipid. Not only did he enjoy her company, he had decided that she could likely help him to find another suitable canidate to be his bride. Neither Priscilla or Lady Rebecca appealed to him as a wife, but they were a good indicator that any Elizabeth chose to befriend might be worth a look at. Besides, he thought it likely that his friend Littleton would eventually offer for Priscilla, who had undergone a style change, thanks to Elizabeth and Jane. She was passably pretty now that she no longer resembled an oversized, over ruffled pillow. Littleton it was obvious enjoyed her blunt honesty. While Westcott was ready to marry and set up his nursery, there was no rush. With Elizabeth off the market, Westcott had resigned himself to the fact he would not marry this season.

After Westcott left, Elizabeth stood on tiptoe to whisper up to Darcy who tilted his ear towards her. She said softly, "We are engaged, I think you can stop scowling at Lord Wescott. I never gave him any encouragement, you know. I think he began to suspect I was in love with you before the ball at Matlock House."

"I can applaud his good taste, but still wish he would not look at you like he wished you were engaged to him instead," Darcy said with a frown.

"But I am not, Wills," Elizabeth said softly.

Smiling tenderly Darcy, agreed, "No you are not, finally after a lifetime of waiting for you, our future together is in sight."

"I am so glad to finally understand you. I spent quite a bit of time attempting to puzzle you out in Hertfordshire. I do believe I had to invest more energy into disliking you then I did anything else ever. It is so much easier to simply love you," Elizabeth said impishly.

"Lissy, if you make such utterances in public, I cannot vouch for my ability to remain a gentleman, " Darcy said hoarsely. Every time Elizabeth mentioned her love, he had an overwhelming desire to kiss her. To show her just how very much and how passionately he was in love with her. Almost every single one of her unique mannerisms caused him to wish they were already married. He had done his very best to resist his urge to kiss her since the time before the Richmond Ball. Now that they were engaged, kissing her in private might be more acceptable, but she was still a very innocent maiden, although a passionate one, and he did not wish to overset her with his ardor.

As the lights began to dim, Darcy made sure Elizabeth was comfortable in her seat and slipped his hand around her own small one, intertwining their fingers. A giggle near by from his sister alerted him to the fact, that she had at least observed his action. He glanced her way and she sent a beaming smile back at him. She had been over joyed when Elizabeth accepted his proposal. She had previously avoided being at Matlock House in the parlor to receive callers, but as suitors came to call for Elizabeth, she had taken it upon herself to see that none had a chance to converse alone with Elizabeth, particularly Lord Westcott. Once Elizabeth had accepted his proposal she had been able to relax her vigilance, which had allowed her innate shyness and nervous to set back in, but she had benn determined to act more like Elizabeth and decided to hope her courage would rise, just like Elizabeth's did and continued to join the ladies when they received calls.

…

As they prepared to leave the theater, Lord Dalton hailed their party. He discretly pulled Darcy aside and confided to him that there was gossip swirling through the ton that Miss de Bough was being committed to Bedlam because she was not Lady Catherine's daughter and the family wished to dispose of her. He thought the Fitzwilliams and Darcy should be aware of it before it grew. Darcy quietly thanked him and the two returned to the larger group. He suspected that Mrs. Jenkins was the one responsible for this gossip. She had accused them the other day at the de Bough townhouse of sending Anne away because they wished to be rid of her. He knew he would need to let the Earl and the Countess know so they could decide what should be done to protect their family names.

…

"If the ton is aware, Anne has been relocated to Bedlam, I suggest we encourage the rumor she is not Lady Catherine's daughter," Col. Fitzwilliam said. "Aunt Catherine does not venture into society much, as long as she stays in Kent, distanced from us, the family will be able to weather it."

"And leave Cathy's reputation as fodder for society to feast on?" demanded the Earl in frustration. "As well as inviting speculation on each of you?"

"Anne is insane, it might be better for Aunt Catherine's reputation, as well as our family's, if society did not believe we shared blood with her. Society believing she raised her husband's illigetimate child and claimed her is perhaps not so bad. While the story we hoped to circulate about Anne retiring to the country for her health was preferable, it is no longer viable."

"Richard has a point dear," Lady Matlock said. "William has previously stated that he always intended to follow in his father's steps and allow Cathy to live out her life at Rosings if she chose. I assume you will still provide a home for her?"

"Yes," Darcy said firmly.

"Cathy at the ball said how content and at peace she is at Rosings now. While it is unfair she will be shunned by London Society, as long as she is content there, we have done the best we can," Lady Matlock said with resignation.

"Unless, whoever started this rumor also releases the information that Sir Lewis was not in truth married to Cathy," Matlock pointed out. "She has spent most of her life, imprisoned at Rosings because of Sir Lewis's scheme. If the truth of her marriage comes to light she will not even be able to reside at Rosings in peace. We will have to remove her to a more remote location where the neighbored is less likely to shun her for the deception."

"We had hoped to keep it quiet where Anne went so the ton would not believe the taint of insanity was in the family. Richard is right about it being better overall for the ton to believe that Anne is not Aunt Catherine's daughter, than that the Fitzwilliam blood bears the taint of insanity," Littleton said. "It seems unfair that Aunt Catherine, who had been willing to speak the truth and suffer society's retribution for Lissy's sake, which ended up being unnecessary, will now be forced to do suffer anyway. Her pride would have withstood the need to separate herself if she believed herself to be a martyr for Lissy with her revelation that Anne was not hers. Perhaps the fact that by acknowledging that fact the Fitzwilliam name will not be painted with the taint of insanity will give her some comfort."

"It seems as if you think the only action that can be taken is to exile Aunt Kitty Cat," Elizabeth said with a frown.

"I wish it were not so, my dear, but in the eyes of society we must have an appearance of separation, for the sake of the family's reputation. It would be one thing if Anne had been raised by Sir Lewis but presented as his mistress's daughter. The ton will not be pleased to believe that Lady Catherine perpetuated a deception against them. If we do not appear to separate they will assume we were compliant in that deception. I do not intend to throw my sister off entirely, but I must think of the rest of you. One false step in one is injurious to the rest. You have just returned, it would not be fair to allow the ton to shun you. Wallace must someday marry, and while William has proved that looking outside the ton was an adapt way to find his heart, I do not believe that will be the case for Wallace," Lord Matlock said sorrowfully.

"Society is, is as ridiculous as Mr. Collins!" Elizabeth exclaimed her eyes flashing. "I would expect him to spot drivel about throwing off an unworthy memeber from our affection and leaving her to reap the fruits of her own heinous offence, but not this family!"

Her pronouncement was met with stunned silence. The Fitzwilliams looked down in shame, but at first said nothing. Darcy looked grim and disgusted, but continued to hold his tongue, since the Earl, as the head of the Fitzwilliam family, was ultimately the one responsible for Lady Catherine and the Fitzwilliam reputation.

"Why not present Anne's insanity as coming from the de Bough side?" Littleton suggested thoughtfully after the silence had stretched uncomfortably. "And attempt to refute the claim that she is not Aunt Catherine's child to preserve Aunt Catherine's respectability rather then allow her to bear the shame?"

"That story will not work, not when the ton has the oppurtunity to sink their teeth in a more juicy one," Lady Matlock said with sorrowful disgust.

"Then we just have to ride it out," Darcy said finally unable to keep his opinion to himself any longer and seeing that Littleton at least was open to considering doing something other then what society dictated the proper response was. "We will show a united front to the ton. We hold our heads up high and we simply stare down society and dare them to say anything. "

"How very Darcy like," said the Earl wryly.

"It has worked for my family for generations, " Darcy said cooly.

"I am for seeing this scandal out the Darcy way," Col. Fitzwilliam said decisively. "Lissy is right, it is to Mr. Collinsesque to follow society's dictates in this. I am ashamed that my mind naturally veered to bowing to society's rules."

"The Darcy's manage to stare society down, because they have never had a scandal like this to weather," Lady Matlock pointed out. "Lissy, I know you ffnd the idea of appesring to cast Cathy off distasteful, which it is, but the eyes of the ton have been fixated on you this season and because of that, you will be most affected as the least established memeber of our family. "

"I agree with William. Aunt Kitty-Cat was Sir Lewis's victim. We hold our heads up high and we dare any to say something to us. I think we should request her to come to town. I would like to see who would have the gall to say anything to her face and witness the set down she gives them," Elizabeth said firmly.

"Spoken like a true Darcy," Darcy said with a smile of satisfaction at her. "My family believes in making our own fate, it is time the Fitzwilliams adopted that philosophy. Besides Aunt Catherine was prepared to tell the ton the truth before. We should seek her opinion."

"I will dispatch an express off to my sister at Rosings," Matlock said. "Since while our name is effected, it is her this will effect the most, so you are right, she should be consulted."

...

Lady Catherine's answer to her brother's express arrived the day after she received it, in the form of the Lady herself and her trunks. "Let them talk, " Lady Catherine declared. "I have been cowed and hidden in shame at Rosings for 30 years. I am taking control of my life back. It is one of the few things I have not had control of in a long time."

That night at the evenings entertainment, some where surprised to see her there. The entire party held their heads up and made it clear that they fully supported Lady Catherine. In the face of such stone faced support, the whispers were careful. The icy stares of the Fitzwilliam men and Darcy, reminded the ton that to speculate about Lady Catherine was to risk incurring the displeasure of both families. It had been easy to relish such interesting gossip when it seemed that the House of Matlock might be toppled, but with their presence, it was clear that the family did not give it credence, making quite a few hesitant to believe it as well. After all, if it was true the ton assumed the family would have contained Lady Catherine in Kent, it parade her in front of the very society she had deceived.

When a pair of young matorns whispered to each other that Miss de Bough was a love child and that Sir Lewis had forced his wife to raise the child of his mistress, Lady Catherine who had been behind them heard. She boomed, at them, "What are you speaking off? I must have my share of the conversation."

The two ladies had stood gaping, unsure what to do, so Lady Catherine had demanded, "Well? What have you to say?"

After this confrontation the younger matrons of the ton were leery of drawing the brusque woman's fire. By the end of the evening the whispers were not squashed but they had not grown. The families considered it to be a sucess. None had been bold enough to cut Lady Catherine or the Fitzwilliams directly, even if some had been barely civil and more curt then usual. It appeared the scandal would hang from their family tree but it would not grow roots and flourish. Their position was tenuous but not untenable.

...

As the last caller left Matlock House, Lady Matlock sat back with satisfaction and said, "That went surprisingly well."

"Hopefully Walter had has much success at his club," Lady Catherine said dryly. "I must admit the Darcy method does seem to work. When I received my brother's express stating what the rumors were in town, I was inclined to barricade myself in the country and hide in shame, for who would connect themselves to a family with one such as I? I felt augmented dissatisfaction to involve all of you in my sorrow and disgrace, after the ton had taken to Lysette so well. If a scandal broke out in another family I would advice them to throw off their unworthy relation for none could be ignorant of their condition in life and any solution would be a patched up affair. Then I read that Lissy believed I should come to town and face the ton. My first instinct was that to do so would only bring the family down with me. That honor, sense and decorum forbid it. That to do so would thus pollute the shades of our family. After all, are we not taught that when a scandal touches an individual that, the family must cast that person off? But the more I thought of it, the more I realized she was right. Even if the papers print Sir Lewis's marriage lines with his first wife in the paper, my courage should rise with any attempt to intimidate me."

"And becuase of society's belief that the individual must be thrown of if the scandal comes to light, the very fact that we did not act in such a way gave them pause. Which makes me wonder just what truths really do lie within the Darcy family tree."

"Having Georgiana look me in the eye and explain her own minor indiscretion last Autumn and assure me that, I like her, was a victim and she would stand by me, revealed that shy she may be, but she is not without the Darcy steel," Lady Catherine said proudly. "If her youthful mistake ever become known, I do believe the ton would dismiss it as impossible. I found it hard to believe the truth of it as she recounted it. It seemed impossible that she could have been placed in such a position as consenting to an elopement and that Darcy had not married her off to a close trusted friend to preserve her reputation and end any other opportunity for such a mistake to occur again. He knew her reputation would suffer if word got out and rather act in the predescribed manner of society by covering the stain with a marriage before such could happen he not even consider it."

"Well her minor youthful indiscretion is not quite as scandalous as what we are dealing with now. But I suspect even if she had even packed a bag to elope, or been found on the road, rather then merely agree to the idea, he still would not have married her off. I have always believed becuase they never cowered from society that they simply did not get involved in major scandals, now I wonder if they were just bold enough to get away with whatever they chose," Lady Matlock said.

"It seems likely, given how well Lissy and William's strategy worked and the fact that the Darcy's are known for disliking deception. It would never occur to the ton that that abhorrence of deception includes hiding from a scandal when they can meet it head on, something most of society would not do, hence in society's eyes they must be scandal free," said Lady Catherine.

"Yes, it was amusing to hear ladies laughing at the absurd story a jealous miss that lost Darcy to Lysette likely started," Lady Matlock said. "I do wonder where that bit originated. It sounds like something Sally Jersey would say. She is rather fond of both William and Lissy."

"An old scandal, where the major players are not very interesting or intrigue regarding the couple of the season. I am not to offended to not be as interesting as Lissy and William," Lady Catherine said with a regal sniff.

"If you two do not mind Jane and I will go stretch our legs at Hyde Park," Elizabeth said rising. "After listening to some of the more insufferable ladies teter between toadying and scorning Aunt Kitty Cat, I could do with some fresh air."

"Make sure you have a footman escort you," Lady Matlock admonished her.

Elizabeth agreed to this since the man that had been selected by Col. Fitzwilliam to be her gaurd was currently keeping watch on the de Bough's residence with the colonel's man, since no outings had been planned for the day and it was believed that with Lawton not in London, de Bough posed the greatest threat to Elizabeth currently.