Chapter 14
Lady Anne Darcy was laid to rest on the fourteenth day of July, three days after her death. It was warm already—not like London and the south—and her husband had no desire to keep his wife on ice.
As she was his late wife's sister, Darcy had sent a notification of her death to his wayward sister-in-law the day before the funeral making sure that if, as he and Lord Matlock suspected, she would make for Pemberley to try and renew some of her fantasies, there would be no one but their close extended family present to see the scene she was sure to create.
The Prince had filled a dual role; he had represented a close family friend, one considered family, as well as being the royal presence at the funeral. The Darcys were not titled—although the Royals attempted to offer them titles over the years—but they were considered one of the foremost families in the realm.
In order to keep the De Melvilles away, a letter had been sent from Lady Elaine telling them they were not welcome as Lady Anne had decried their treatment of their friend, a sentiment that Lady Matlock and her husband supported wholeheartedly. Rather than cause a scene and always cognisant of what society thought of them, the De Melvilles did not attend the funeral.
While many members of the Ton were present, those not out in society were kept out of sight, other than Gigi who had spent an hour with some of the ladies who knew her mother. Andrew, Jamie, Richard, and William attended the interment and spent time with those who called afterward to convey their sympathy.
By the day after Lady Anne Darcy was laid to rest in her grave, all but the Prince and the three families were left with the Darcys at Pemberley. The next day the expected arrival of Lady Catherine de Bourgh happened.
"Where is my brother, I am come to take charge of his house," Lady Catherine's voice reverberated around the house. "Are my daughter and her betrothed here? Where are they? Bring them to me now." Her voice was accompanied by the click-clack of her cane on the entrance halls marble floor.
"Catherine, what an unpleasant surprise, now unexpected and most unwelcomed," Darcy stated as he descended the stairs.
Her brother-in-law was followed by a group of people Lady Catherine did not recognise outside of her brother and hated sister-in-law who would never bend to her will. "Come Robert we cannot discuss private family business in front of strangers. Who are these hangers on? Trying to take advantage of you in your grief no doubt." Lady Catherine was sure she would be able to manipulate her late sister's husband. The fool was weak enough to love her sister, so she would exploit his love to get that which she desired.
"The only reason you were allowed past the gatehouse was because my Anne, your sister, passed," Darcy growled at Lady Catherine who was taken aback at the vehemence of his response. "In that I gave you too much credit. You never cared for either Anne, my wife or your daughter, the only one you care about is yourself."
"Darcy let us take this into the drawing room," Lord Matlock suggested.
Darcy indicated Lady Catherine should precede him into the drawing room. She thought they would be alone, and she would be able to recover her perceived advantage. She was wrong—again!
"Why must these nobodies accompany us?" Lady Catherine gave an imperious sniff as she looked down her nose at the five individuals she did not know who joined the others in the drawing room.
The Prince, the Carringtons, and the Bennets chose to remain silent—for the moment—and to allow the woman to dig herself into a deeper hole.
"Why are you here Cathy?" Lord Matlock asked. "It is certainly not to mourn Anne or condole with the Darcys."
"Our brother is in mourning; he needs someone to run his house and I want to honour my sister by formalising the betrothal between Fitzwilliam and Anne," Lady Catherine prevaricated.
"Are you out of your senses woman?" Robert Darcy thundered. "It shows your total want of feelings for anyone that you would dare to come try and perpetrate that old lie of yours just days after my wife's death. If you were the last woman in the world, I would not trust you to run my household. Besides the fact we all know it is a blatant untruth. Anne wrote a number of letters before she became unable to do so, one was to you as she foresaw what your despicable actions would be after she had left us."
"Let me see my letter," Lady Catherine demanded. She did not, however, miss the looks of derision and disdain being directed her way by everyone else in the room. "Do not look at your betters," she directed at the five she did not know.
"I will read it so you cannot consign it to the fire and then lie about the contents," Darcy stated firmly.
Lady Catherine was none to happy, as she intended to do just that.
20 June 1803
Catherine:
If my Robert is reading this letter to you, then you have done what I was sure you would do. You have arrived at my home full of bluster and demands, repeating the lie I refuted more times than I care to remember—that I agreed to a betrothal between William and Anne.
Firstly, not once did I ever agree to your ridiculous demands. Secondly, it is only my Robert who may make an agreement on our side and our brother, Reggie, who may do so on yours. You Sister are not Anne's guardian, he is.
For so long you have been under the misapprehension of two salient points. One, the love Robert and I share somehow makes us weak and susceptible to your machinations. Two, the more times you repeat a lie, the more others believe it.
You Catherine are a blowhard. You never took the time to be educated, yet you try and pontificate on all things without any knowledge. Anne's estate, yes I repeat Anne's estate would be bankrupt under your rule had you been granted any power over it in Lewis's will or by our brother who is the executor.
Now a little surprise sister dearest, I am sure you were rude and dismissive to our friends who are with Robert and the Fitzwilliams, more than likely you insulted them. Do you know what the penalty for insulting a Prince of England is?
No? Well you are about to find out.
Anne
Lady Catherine was slack jawed. She knew that Prince Frederick was one of the Darcy's close connections,but she was sure she would recognise a royal and know how to act. She slowly turned to the five people who were unknown to her. She was still not able to identify His Royal Highness. "Why did no one introduce me?" she squeaked.
"When did you give us an opportunity to do so?" Lady Elaine asked evenly. "You were too busy trying to demonstrate your superiority and were intent on insulting those you thought below you."
"Will you introduce the rest of us to this person please Elaine," the Prince requested.
"You all know who the lady is do you not?" Lady Elaine asked. There were five nods. "His Royal Highness, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, Earl of Ulster." The prince inclined his head. "Lord Paul and Lady Edith Carrington, the Earl and Countess of Holder." The Carringtons barely acknowledged Lady Catherine. "And last but not least, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet of Netherfield Park and Longbourn in Hertfordshire. These are the people who you chose to insult."
"As I am the member of the Royal Family who was insulted, it is my choice as the punishment," the Prince stated. "Tell me how is it that you became to high in the instep?"
"I-it is not m-my fault your Highness," Lady Catherine tried to obfuscate her responsibility. "I did not ask to be introduced."
"So you are above me and would request the introduction?" the Prince demanded. Lady Catherine withered under his stare. "Your title was nothing but an honorific. Lady is given far to freely, especially to those like you who do not deserve the appellation as you neither behave like a lady nor do you deserve the title. I am striping you of the honorific forthwith. Within a few days the Lord Chamberlain will receive my note and there will be a royal decree in the papers in case you try to lie about this like you did about a non-existent agreement with your late sister." The Prince paused and looked at Mrs. de Bourgh with the disdain she deserved. "Begone from my company Mrs. de Bourgh."
The former Lady Catherine's machinations had failed in the past, but there was no comparison to the level of failure, or the consequences she was now facing. Douglas was summoned and asked to place Mrs. de Bourgh in a parlour with two footmen to watch her to make sure she did not cause any more mischief.
Two footmen entered the drawing room and escorted the catatonic women out. Mrs. de Bourgh was escorted to the parlour. The two footmen remained with her after the door had been closed.
'How did all of my meticulous planning go so wrong?' the former Lady Catherine asked herself. 'Not only did my late weak-willed sister anticipate what I would do, she denounced me and as I was so angry, I insulted the second in line to the throne of the realm. What will I do now? I am without title, and it is obvious my family will not lift a finger to assist me. Could it be that I miscalculated, and my actions are the ones that have caused all of my problems?' Mrs. de Bourgh asked herself.
Not being one who believed in introspection, she sat and stewed in the parlour. She started to imagine scenarios of revenge, but then it dawned on her it was her desire for such which had ended with her being reduced to being a nobody.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
"What will you do with her Matlock?" the Prince asked after the drawing room door closed behind the footmen who removed the termagant from their presence.
"She needs to learn humility. I will lease a cottage in Hunsford for her and place her on a strict budget which will afford her one maid of all work and nothing else. The townsfolk will be made aware she had lost her honorific and she has no authority over them. Either she will learn, or she will have a very unhappy life—more unhappy than she is now." Lord Matlock shook his head. He hoped his sister would learn her lesson, but he had no confidence in her ability to change.
"Will you inform our niece of her mother's presence?" Darcy asked.
"Unless Anne is deaf, I think she is well aware of who arrived recently," Bennet opined.
"It will be Anne's choice, I will not substitute my judgment for hers," Lord Matlock informed the group of men.
When Douglas was queried as to where Miss de Bourgh was, he informed the gentlemen she was in the music room with older Bennets. At first, no one wanted to play and disrespect the state of mourning at Pemberley, but the master of the estate told them to play as it was one of his late wife's favourite activities.
Lord Matlock and Darcy entered the music room. Anne was practicing her scales, her back to the door while Jane and Elizabeth were sitting with her to keep her company. Anne ceased her playing as she heard the click of the door closing.
"Uncles Reggie and Robert. Was my playing disturbing you?" Was the question from a concerned Anne.
"No Anne, we could hardly hear you, especially with the level of noise being made before," Lord Matlock reassured his niece and ward.
"You mean Lady Catherine's screeching?" Anne noted. "We heard her caterwauling quite clearly from inside this room." Jane and Elizabeth nodded their agreement.
"She is no longer Lady Catherine, just Mrs. de Bourgh…" Anne's guardian explained all that had happened leading up to and including the Prince stripping Anne's mother of her honorific.
"Goodness me, she will not be happy," Anne opined. "Her whole identity was wrapped up in her feeling of superiority stemming from her perceived title. She imagined herself a peer of the realm and was never happy if anyone reminded her about hers being a courtesy title only. What will happen now?"
The two uncles explained what was to be done. "Anne, before we send her on her way with an escort to make sure she behaves, would you like to see her?" Lord Matlock asked.
"No," Anne replied flatly. Then she had a thought. "Yes, actually I will see her Uncle Reggie. Please have her brought in here. I want her to see her failure with regard to myself."
Not many minutes later the door opened, and Anne's mother was escorted into the music room. She saw two of the most beautiful girls she had ever seen sitting on a settee and a third girl was playing the pianoforte well with her back to the door.
"Why is my time being wasted? I was told my wayward daughter was waiting to greet me as is my due as her mother," Mrs. de Bourgh sniffed imperiously, still not reconciled to her new lowly place in the social order.
"Do you not recognise your own daughter because she can play the pianoforte, or is it because I am as healthy as any of my age?" Anne asked after she ceased playing and turned around.
For the second time that day Catherine de Bourgh was robbed of the faculty of speech. "A-Anne, is that truly you?" the gobsmacked women managed.
"Yes, Mrs. de Bourgh. It is amazing how quickly my health improved as soon as Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie started treating me as I should be treated—a normal healthy young lady. Did you think that if you kept me sickly with the poison your quack was giving me that somehow Uncle Reggie would have allowed you access to my inheritance?" Anne asked pointedly. Jane and Elizabeth stood either side of their friend for support, each taking one of Anne's hands.
"Y-you were too sick to learn to play!" the stupefied woman exclaimed.
"No, other than when I had a mild case of scarlet fever, I was never sick. It was the tinctures your so-called doctor prescribed for me which made me seem sick. Either you were complicit, or you are clueless. I am not sure which is worse," Anne excoriated her mother. "And yes, imagine that, as soon as I started receiving lessons, I learnt all sorts of things—things you claimed to know about, but about which you had less than no knowledge—and I have never looked back.
"I have good friends who like me for who I am, like Jane and Lizzy here. Your schemes for me failed and I will never repine the day Uncle Reggie removed me from your influence," Anne drove the dagger home.
With a nod from Anne, the three girls exited the music room without a look back at the wilting women still rooted to the same spot. When the footmen escorted Mrs. de Bourgh back to the parlour where he brother and sister-in-law were waiting for her, she uttered not a word of protest.
While his sister was in the music room, Lord Matlock dispatched an express to Rosings Park with one of the Darcy couriers with instructions to have all of the former mistress's belongings packed up and all jewellery to be locked in the safe. Mrs. de Bourgh would be on a very strict budget and her brother did not want her attempting to sell the jewellery to escape her situation.
The Earl and Countess told Mrs. de Bourgh to sit as they explained what her future was to hold. Both had expected vociferous argument from their sister, but she sat and listed without a response. Anne's speech had affected her deeply and taken all of the fight out of her. She was told she would not be allowed onto Rosings Park's lands or in the town house in London. All she did was nod slightly.
The de Bourgh carriage she used to travel to Pemberley would convey her to her new home in Hunsford and it would be the last time, until her brother decided otherwise, she would have access to her daughter's vehicles.
Rather than have her remain at Pemberley, she began the return journey that afternoon. She would sleep at the Big Bull Inn for the night and be on her way at first light. None of the residents of Pemberley asked after her, especially not Anne de Bourgh.