AN: Please note that tis is an early draft of the story and there will be many changes in the published version. For those who asked about being able to learn languages as an early age, I know from my own kids that the age that Jane and Lizzy were learning language is much easier, also do not forget, it was not overnight, they were with the master for over a year learning from him. As to Darcy's parents not seeing his arrogant tendencies, how many of us have not hidden things from our parents?
Chapter 5
As the Bennets and Phillipses were disembarking from their coaches, another coach arrived behind theirs. It was the largest of the Darcy travelling carriages. Elizabeth recognised the adults from the wedding breakfast, and it seemed the lady was staring at her again. She became self-conscious wondering if she had some dirt on her outfit.
She was about to move to where Uncle Paul and Aunt Edith were greeting her parents when she saw him. Without thinking she marched up to the frozen lad and kicked his shin. As she was wearing slippers and not half boots, it was not painful, just surprising.
"Why did you follow me to Uncle Paul's?" Elizabeth demanded. "Did you come to be rude and hateful to me again?" By this time her parents had reached her as he mother gently drew Elizabeth to her.
Robert Darcy and Richard Fitzwilliam both guffawed and Lady Anne just stared at Elizabeth, as from close up there was no question in her mind the girl looked exactly like Priscilla. Not only that, she sounded like her friend as well.
"Lizzy, a young lady does not kick anyone, regardless how much he deserves it," Fanny told her daughter, fighting the urge to smile, while looking directly at William Darcy who did not know where to look.
"Your daughter has my blessing to kick William anytime he behaves as he did to you the other day at Pemberley," George Darcy assured Fanny Bennet as he managed to control his laughter.
"Should we all repair to the drawing room, and I can effect introductions and hear why William deserves to be kicked by little Lizzy," Lord Holder suggested.
The Darcys were the last in the group heading indoors. "I only met Priscilla once I started to court you Anne, but my goodness the one they call Lizzy could be her daughter," George said softly to his wife so no one else could hear him. Lady Anne simply nodded.
Her emotions were in turmoil, how could it be that the daughter of one she never met was so like her friend? Hopefully she would glean some answers during the sennight they were to be at Holder Heights.
In the drawing room, the Earl introduced the arriving parties one to the other. Before any could talk, William cleared his throat. "Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Mary, please allow me to proffer my most sincere apologies for my unconscionable rudeness to you at Pemberley the day you were touring the house. My presumptions were arrogant and based on assumptions with no fact to support them." He turned and addressed Elizabeth directly. "Miss Elizabeth, you are correct, I was rude and hateful, and even worse, I did not behave like a gentleman. Your kick was well deserved. Please know that I deeply regret my actions and beg your, and your family's forgiveness."
Elizabeth looked to her mother and father both of whom nodded. "In that case Master William, you are forgiven," Elizabeth allowed.
"Miss Elizabeth," Lady Anne addressed Elizabeth, "any time you happen to be at Pemberley, you and your sisters, are more than welcome to play any of the instruments you see." Lady Anne bent down and made like she was whispering conspiratorially to Elizabeth. "I too love to play the pianoforte and I heard you are an extremely good pianist. Will we hear you play while we are here?"
Elizabeth felt a strange pull to the kind and pretty lady. "If Mama and Papa allow me, then yes Lady Anne, I will play for you. Jane is even better that me and Signore da Funti is teaching her the harp as well," Elizabeth informed Lady Anne.
Lady Anne looked at the Bennet parents with surprise. "Your daughter's music master is Signore Alberto da Funti?"
"Yes your Ladyship," Fanny replied and then told Lady Anne about the Signore's teaching schedule.
"I was happy your kind housekeeper asked if I wanted to play your pianoforte Lady Anne. It is the same as the one we have at Netherfield Park. Longbourn only has an upright," Elizabeth reported. Lady Anne froze. Netherfield Park! That was Priscilla's estate.
Fanny knew who Lady Anne was; she was the only former friend who had tried to keep a correspondence with Priscilla after the divorce. Priscilla had meant to start writing to her friend again but had been taken before she was able to follow through on her intent. Fanny knew she would be keeping to the spirit of her promise to Priscilla, but she had to talk to Lady Anne—alone.
Lady Edith suggested everyone go wash and change as her housekeeper was ready to show them to their chambers. As they walked up the stairs, Fanny touched Lady Anne's arm and held her back for a little until the others were ahead of them and out of earshot.
"You have questions about Priscilla do you not?" Fanny asked quietly. Lady Anne did not trust herself to speak at that moment, so she just nodded. "Meet me in our private sitting room in an hour." Again Lady Anne nodded, and they proceeded up the stairs.
When Robert Darcy saw the look on his wife's face when she entered their suite, he was concerned. "Anne what is it?"
"Did you not hear what Miss Elizabeth said when she named one of their estates Robert?" Lady Anne asked. "She mentioned Netherfield Park. She did not mention the shire, but I have a feeling it is Priscilla's Netherfield Park. There is no evidence to support my conjecture, but I pray the Bennets have not imposed on my kind-hearted friend when she was at her lowest after the King ripped her soulmate from her."
"Do not make the same mistake William made, find out the facts before you jump to conclusions," Robert Darcy calmed his wife. "Do not let your worry for your friend cloud your judgement, try to speak to the Bennets, if not I will ask Mr. Bennet to talk to me, he seems to be an honourable gentleman. He would not be a close friend of Holder's if he were anything but."
"Mrs. Bennet invited me to come talk about Priscilla; she saw my worry in the drawing room," Lady Anne informed her husband.
"There you go Anne. Ask as many questions as you need to so you can feel at ease, just try not to be accusatory," Darcy suggested.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
"Your judgement is sound in talking to Lady Anne as you know she was a true friend to Priscilla who did not drop the connection after the divorce. I suggest both I and her husband should be present for the disclosure of Priscilla's death," Bennet opined. "It has been almost six years and you are about to inform her that her best friend is dead."
"You suggestion is logical Thomas, I agree with you," Fanny stated. "Will you go and ask Mr. Darcy to join us for the first part of the discussion?"
"With pleasure my wife," Bennet replied. He kissed his wife and then made the short walk to the Darcys' suite and knocked on the door. It was opened by Robert Darcy.
"Mr. Bennet, how may I be of assistance?" Darcy asked.
"Firstly as we will be together in company from time to time; please call me Bennet. Secondly, will you please join your wife, at least for the first part of the discussion our wives need to have?" Bennet requested.
"Yes to both, and please call me Darcy," was the answer.
"We will see you at the top of the hour Darcy. Thank you for your understanding," Bennet extended his hand, and the men shook.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
"You did not Wills!" Jamie Carrington had tears streaming down his cheeks from laughter after William and Richard explained the kick and need for the apology William had made in the drawing room.
"He most certainly did," Richard confirmed with much mirth.
"And you will be working in the stables, mucking out the stalls?" Jamie declared. William nodded sullenly. "I cannot say you do not deserve it William. You were getting far to haughty and presumptive, just like…"
"My Aunt Catherine," William cut his friend off. "Thank you Jamie. That has been pointed out to me once or twice lately. The truth is I did not see I was becoming like her, but now that I know and can see the error of my ways, I will be correcting my behaviour and hopefully Father will not leave me to languish in the stables too long."
"It will build character—and muscles," Richard informed his cousin.
"Do you still want to join the army when you graduate Cambridge Richard?" Jamie asked.
"I do. Some of us have to work for our daily bread and do not have the luck of being born first sons like you two lucky sods," Richard ribbed his friend and cousin.
"Hopefully you will learn to follow orders before you join the army cousin of mine," William stated.
"You begin at Eton in September do you not Richard?" Jamie asked.
"I will be in my first year and Andy in his final year. You will join me the next year and William the year after that," Richard pointed out.
Soon the three were talking about one of their favourite subjects—horses—but not before Cassandra Carrington, who was seven and called Cassie, invaded her brother's chambers, and had to be evicted. She had been bored waiting for her friends to wash and change.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
There was a knock on the Bennet's sitting room door and the Darcys were welcomed inside. They were not wholly surprised to see their host and hostess present as well. There was a tea service on the table and Lady Edith poured for everyone. There was silence except for the sounds of teacups on saucers until all six had drained their cups.
"Firstly Lady Anne, in her letters to you, did Priscilla mention her sister of the heart who lived at a neighbouring estate?" Fanny opened.
Lady Anne nodded her head as she remembered how often her friend wrote of her best friend Francine. "Fanny—you are Francine are you not?" Lady Anne asked softly. She knew from what Priscilla had written before she ceased to write that the lady opposite her would have done anything for her friend so any thoughts of ill-use by the Bennets of Priscilla were expelled from her consciousness. "Why did Priscilla stop writing to me? I never cut her like so many including her family did."
"You will understand shortly, and please call me Fanny." Fanny proceeded to tell Lady Anne how their mutual friend had been with child when the King tore her apart from her Frederick, how they had entered their confinements together and each given birth, Priscilla a stillborn son she named Frederick after his father and Lizzy born to herself. "Now Lady Anne…"
"Please call me Anne," Lady Anne requested.
"Now Anne we come to the hardest part I need to tell you which will explain why she never wrote to you again," Fanny began again trying to find the gentlest way to tell the lady sitting opposite her.
"She is no more, is she?" Lady Anne asked quietly, as the tears for her friend began to flow as her husband enfolded her in his arms as she quietly wept against his chest.
"As much as I wish I could inform you that you are incorrect, you are not. Priscilla went home to God some hours after she gave birth. She lost an inordinate amount of blood and was just too weak to recover. I sat with her and held her hand until she left the mortal world," Fanny told Lady Anne.
It toom about ten minutes for Lady Anne to recover some equanimity. "I am well now Robert, I think I suspected she was gone, but I hoped against hope I was wrong. Do her parents not know?"
"No they do not, per Priscilla's wishes. She told me, made me swear to her on her deathbed, that I could only inform those who asked. I understand now you were honouring what you thought were Priscilla's wishes, but based on my vow, I could not inform anyone who did not reach out first. For that I am sorry, but I trust you are able to understand why I could not," Fanny stated evenly.
"It speaks very well of you that you are as good a friend to her in death as you were to her in life. Yes I completely understand," Lady Anne returned.
"Given the news you just learnt, do you want us to continue our conversation as we planned Anne, or would you like to do so at a later time or date?" Fanny enquired.
"No Fanny, I am well, if you are willing, I would like to talk to you as we planned," Lady Anne averred.
"Are you sure Anne?" a concerned Darcy asked.
"Yes Robert. I am well, I have regained my composure and would very much like to hear about Priscilla's life after she married the Duke," Lady Anne assured her husband.
With that, the other four exited the sitting room and the door was closed. The two ladies moved to sit next to one another on the settee. They both knew they were bonded for life in their mutual admiration of Priscilla.
"If you have questions, please ask them Anne," Fanny allowed.
"How is it you have Netherfield," Lady Anne asked.
"We live there, but do not own it. Priscilla added a clause to her will, one she never thought would be needed, but did so in the event the worst thing happened. Other than some small bequests, she willed everything to my Lizzy because we had been with child together," Fanny told Lady Anne the same she had told her husband.
Lady Anne cogitated and Fanny remained silent. 'There is more than Fanny is telling me. Oh Lord! Elizabeth!'
"It was your son who died was it not? Elizabeth is Priscilla's daughter is she not?" Lady Anne stated with surety.
"How did you know?" Fanny asked.
"When I met Priscilla for the first time, she was Lizzy's age. When I first saw Lizzy at the wedding breakfast I thought I was hallucinating—seeing Priscilla as she was when we met. Then when I saw her from close up, I could see Priscilla looking back at me without any doubts. Not only that, but Lizzy also sounds just like her mother," Lady Anne stated. "Her father does not know he has a daughter does he? She is a Princess of England."
"No the Duke is unaware. Let me retrieve something for you. Priscilla wrote four letters before her final confinement, one for Lizzy, at Priscilla's behest, I wrote the name and gender where needed in that letter, to be given to her on her eighteenth birthday. One to her father, one to my Thomas, and one to her parents, all to be given to or posted to the recipients when Lizzy turns eighteen.
"She made me swear I would honour her wishes before she told me what it was she wanted. It was her wish that we switch the babies and for me to raise Lizzy as my own. I made a vow; I could do no less. What I am about to retrieve is a fifth letter she had me write for her before she let go, which she signed herself." Fanny stood and retrieved the letter she always kept close and handed it to Lady Anne who opened it and began to read.
5 March 1790
Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire
If my sister Fanny Bennet has handed you this letter then you are someone who was very close to me, and I can only think of two, Anne Darcy and Elaine Fitzwilliam, who have seen my daughter and guessed she is mine and not Fanny's natural child.
I am weak of body, but not of mind. Before I told her what she was promising to do, I convinced Fanny to promise me she would obey my wishes to the letter as I have asked of her. Who better to raise my daughter than the woman who has been at my side through good times and bad? The same lady whose daughter Jane is my niece in all ways but blood.
Yes, Elizabeth Sarah, named for my beloved late Grandmother Beth and my mother. Even after she cut me, I have honoured her with my daughter's middle name. No matter her actions, she is still my mother.
I have made some small bequests, but everything else, including the money Frederick settled on me, will be Elizabeth's. Besides Fanny, and now you, the only others who know the full truth are the solicitor, Mr. Frank Phillips and my man of business, Mr. Edward Gardiner.
Not being here to have you make a vow like I had Fanny do, I beseech you to honour my wishes. When Elizabeth is eighteen, she will know the truth, as will her father, my parents, and Thomas Bennet. I ask you to not share the truth of Elizabeth's parentage even with your husbands. Anne if it is you, I give you leave to tell Robert all as I know you do not keep secrets from one another under any circumstances. Before you do so, please have him promise he will not tell anyone until Elizabeth's existence becomes common knowledge.
Mr. Phillips has the true birth certificate, the one witnessed by the midwife and others if there is ever a question of her paternity. As I was with child before the divorce, Elizabeth will never be tainted with the stain of illegitimacy. Given she was born less than six months after Frederick was torn from me, there will be no question who the father is.
I support Fanny in keeping her true fortune from becoming common knowledge as it would draw every fortune hunter in the known world to her.
Please know how much I value those like you who did not abandon me. I meant to write and reopen correspondence, but it was not to be. If the reader is either Anne or Elaine, know how much your friendship meant to me.
God bless you,
Cilla
The tears were streaming down Lady Anne's cheeks again. "I am so happy she had you with her Fanny; what a burden you have shouldered these five years. Mr. Bennet does not know Lizzy is not his natural daughter?" Lady Anne asked after she composed herself.
"No he does not know, he commented once on Lizzy's green eyes but never anything since. If he asked me directly, I would tell him, but I cannot break my promise to Cilla," Fanny averred.
"Where is she buried?" Lady Anne asked.
"At St. Alfred's in Meryton. It is the church closest to Netherfield Park," Fanny replied.
"You live at Netherfield now correct?"
"Yes, we lease out Longbourn. When Lizzy gains her majority she will receive control of her inheritance, including Netherfield Park. I still feel Cilla's presence in the house." Fanny paused. "When you travel to Town for the season, I assume you do?" Lady Anne nodded. "If we are home, you will be welcome to visit Netherfield Park. It is as Cilla decorated it, I am sure you will feel her presence there are well," Fanny suggested.
"Fanny may I take the letter to show Robert when I tell him? Priscilla knew me well; we do not keep secrets and I did not make that vow to her, but Robert will be the only one I tell, as she asked of me," Lady Anne requested.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After his wife told him all and allowed him to read the letter, Robert Darcy was silent for some minutes. "So William insulted a Princess of England, one who has more wealth on her own than we do. And unless she ever tells him, or there is an announcement from the royals after she turns eighteen, he will not know."
"You know we will have to become close connections of the Bennets do you not my love?" Lady Anne asked.
"No doubt Anne, no doubt. It does not hurt that Bennet seems to be exactly the kind of man I would like to know. What about Elaine and Reggie?" Darcy asked.
"If Elaine draws the same conclusions I did, Fanny will tell her and allow her to read the letter, if my sister then tells my brother, will be up to her. I doubt Elaine would keep this from Reggie," Lady Anne opined.
Lady Anne returned the precious letter to her new friend. An hour later, the Matlock coaches arrived at Holder heights.