Chapter 20
"Thomas there is a possibility for which we must be prepared," Fanny stated as she entered the study.
"What is that Fanny?" Bennet asked as he replaced his quill in the holder.
"Priscilla's parents have been ostracised and are facing a possible divorce of their oldest daughter because they told the husband's family the royals supported them without ever ascertaining the truth of the matter first," Fanny said thoughtfully. "I think we need to be ready for them to arrive at Netherfield Park uninvited."
"As I think you are correct Fanny," Bennet responded, "from today onward, there will be two of our footmen guards posted at the entrance to the drive. If the De Melvilles dare show their faces here, they will be turned away before being allowed onto the estate's land."
"If only they had acted as Priscilla's parents and not been so worried about what society would think, they could have been part of Lizzy's life these many years," Fanny lamented. "They will find out about Lizzy in less than two years from now."
"There is little to be done when what people may or may not think is more important than the love of your own flesh and blood," Bennet stated sadly.
As soon as his wife departed the study, Bennet summoned Biggs and gave the instructions that the gate was to be manned by two men at all times. He was very clear in telling his man that no matter how much they blustered and demanded, the De Melvilles—if they arrived—were not to be admitted to the property under any circumstances.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
'How is it I have begun to have tender feelings for William?'Elizabeth asked herself. Only a few months away from turning seventeen, Elizabeth was trying to puzzle out a conundrum. In the last few months, especially since opening the coming out ball with him, feelings she never expected to have for William had developed.
Elizabeth, who knew she could talk to her mother or Jane about anything had decided to keep the revelation to herself—for now. Jane was busy preparing for her wedding—or at least choosing a date for the wedding, and her mother was preparing for the friends and family who would arrive in early December—William among them.
She could not understand her mixed feelings at William coming to Netherfield. On the one hand, she could not wait to see him, while at the same time she was very much nervous for his coming.
Elizabeth still had a little more than a year before her coming out and William would complete his extra year of study at Cambridge by the Easter break next year, soon after her seventeenth birthday. The big question to which she needed to find an answer—and she did not know how to go about finding that answer—was if he saw her more than an adopted cousin.
The fact that he never talked down to her, respected her opinions, and debated with her as an equal were incredibly attractive traits which drew Elizabeth to William.
The fact he was one of the most handsome men of her acquaintance, did not hurt at all. Of late, there were times when Elizabeth had found her breath speeding up and becoming tongue tied in his presence—something which was most disconcerting to her—and she did not know what to do with all of the feelings she was having.
She resolved to talk to Jane once Andrew returned and they decided a date for their wedding. Elizabeth knew she needed to talk to her mother at some point but she preferred to talk to Jane before her mother.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Andrew arrived back at Matlock House and there was no missing the look of joy which suffused his face. "I assume that Thomas consented to your courting Jane?" his mother asked. Andrew had found her in the master suite sitting room. His father was at White's.
"When I arrived, Jane asked to talk to me. Uncle Thomas allowed us to use his study, and after telling me she did not want any secrets between us, she told me what my little brother has known and had to keep secret this last three years," Andrew informed his mother.
"So you know about Lizzy," Lady Elaine stated. "Unlike Richard when he unravelled the truth, the time for you to guard the secret is much shorter."
"Once I told Jane it made no difference to how I felt about her, I requested a courtship," Andrew related, and then he paused as his mother looked at him questioningly. "But Jane stated she did not want a courtship."
"Oh Andrew, I am so sorry," Lady Elaine said sympathetically. "We all believed she was in love with you."
"That she is Mother," Andrew relayed joyously. "If you had allowed me to finish, I would have told you she said because she loves me, a courtship was not needed, so I am betrothed to Jane."
"Andrew!" Lady Elaine swatted her eldest playfully. "How could you make it sound like she had rejected your suit. You are not too big for me to bend you over my knee you know."
"What had our eldest done now, Elaine?" Lord Matlock asked as he entered the sitting room.
"He was making sport of his mother," Lady Elaine reported. "All is well, Jane accepted a proposal of marriage, your son is betrothed, Reggie."
"Congratulations my boy, you could not have chosen better," the Earl stated happily. He gave his son a bearhug.
"Hello Andrew," Anne greeted her cousin as she joined them in the sitting room. "You look rather pleased with yourself."
"As I am betrothed to your good friend, I have reason to be," Andrew informed Anne.
"I wish you and Jane happy, Andrew," Anne gushed joyfully, "I do not know if you are good enough for my Jane; you will just have to try to be." Anne smiled as she teased her cousin. "Will you join us when we travel into Kent on the morrow, or do you have a ring to deliver to Netherfield Park?"
"The Bennets know I am joining you, so they are not expecting me to return unless we are back from Kent," Andrew relayed to his family. "When do Uncle Robert, William and Gigi arrive?"
"Cambridge will break for the Christmastide holiday the first week of December, Robert and Gigi plan to collect William and then journey to London," Lady Elaine stated. "They should be here well before we are to make for Netherfield Park for the holiday."
"William is one of the few I know who would have taken the additional study, but it will be good to see him again. How does Richard's courtship of Cassie progress?" Andrew asked.
"He is at Holder House as we speak," Anne reported. "From what I have observed the courtship seems to be proceeding anon."
"And your courtship with Jamey, Anne?" Andrew asked. Anne blushed deeply as her cousin asked about the man she loved. "You did not think I would not ask about you two as well, did you?"
"Things are progressing." Was all Anne said. The truth was their courtship was nearing its natural conclusion but until Jamey spoke, Anne would not be willing to state more than she had.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
George Wickham was sitting in his small room in the attic of the boarding house on Edward Street. After three years on his own he finally understood the rectitude of his father's words about having to earn one's way and nothing being given to one because they thought it was their due.
He considered his animosity towards the Darcys and was able to admit they had never done anything to him. In fact, as painful as it was to admit, everything bad which had occurred in his life had been self-inflicted.
It was his behaviour alone which was the cause of him being sent away from Pemberley. He felt shame as he remembered the way he used to leer at the blond and promising himself she would be his, never once thinking about the fact that she may not have desired a connection with him. He owned that the chances were less than nil she would have—not because of any reason other than he had not behaved in an honourable fashion.
If he had not got in his own way, he would have received an education and may have gone into the church or the law. Was it to late for him to change the direction of his life? What had his father said about consequences? George remembered the words: There are always consequences, good or bad. His father had given him the key to his future and George realised he had rebuffed it.
After his epiphany he decided realisation was not enough, he needed to back up his thoughts and words with actions. He needed to do something to prove to his father he had finally learnt his lesson, that he was more than his past mistakes. George knew he would have to apologise to Mr. Darcy for trying to use his name and no matter how long it took him to do so, he needed to repay every farthing of the debts he had accumulated in his father's employer's name.
The first step he decided was to save his wages and not follow his late mother's folly and throw his money away on games of chance that he invariably lost. He also needed to find a job—a good job—better than the one he had at the boarding house that was not much more than a brothel.
The next day, George was sent to Gracechurch Street by Mrs. Younge to acquire a bolt of material that was needed to make new dresses for some of the girls who plied their profession at the house.
When George arrived at Gardiner and Associates, he saw a sign proclaiming that the business was looking for a new clerk. "Who do I see to apply for the position of a clerk?" He asked one of the men he saw in the warehouse. The man pointed him to the offices which were raised above the sales floor.
"Please wait here," a man asked him after George informed him of his purpose there. After a few minutes, the man returned. "Mr. Gardiner will see you now."
"Mr. Wickham, how is it you have no characters?" Gardiner asked pointedly after the applicant sat in the chair indicated.
"Until this point, Sir," George stated evenly, "I did not deserve any…" With brutal honesty George Wickham told Mr. Gardiner all. He did not gloss over his theft from the carpenter in York or his use of the Darcy's name in Staffordshire. In short he told it all.
It was a huge chance he was taking; Mr. Gardiner could rightfully have him thrown out the door. When he was done George sat in silence waiting for Mr. Gardiner to pronounce his fate. "It could not have been easy for you to admit to so many past failings, Mr. Wickham," Gardiner stated.
"No Sir, it was not," George owned. "However, as I am determined to walk an honourable path, if by some small miracle you are to employ me, I could not have you know anything less than the unvarnished truth."
"You say that you did not receive a formal education, but you have always had an aptitude for numbers?" Gardiner verified. George allowed it was so. "As Christians, it is our duty to forgive and to allow a man to prove he can change, as a businessman, if you apply those principals blindly, you do so at your own peril."
George was sure he was about to be shown the door, but at least Mr. Gardiner was being gracious about it and not having him thrown out—yet. "I understand, Sir. I would not employ me either had I heard what I revealed to you. I do thank you for your time," George made to stand.
"If you will allow me to finish what I was about to say, Mr. Wickham." Gardiner looked at the chair and George sat again. "I am willing to take a chance on you. You will begin in a training position where you will have no direct contact with any money. Forgiveness is between you, God, your father, and it seems Mr. Darcy. I cannot grant you absolution and based on your past, trust must be earned."
"Anything you require of me, I will do." George could not believe the man was willing to give him a chance.
"In the spirit of honesty, I must tell you I am well acquainted with Mr. Robert Darcy," Gardiner revealed. "Both in business and as a very close friend of my sister's and brother-in-law's family. I will see him when my family and I spend Christmastide with our relatives in Hertfordshire. At this point I will not mention you to him, unless you break my trust, then I will be sure to talk to him. Conversely, if you prove yourself over time, I will be very happy to inform him, and by extension, your father of the fact," Gardiner shared with young Wickham.
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Mr. Gardiner." George knew this was his one and only chance and he would do nothing to spoil it.
"I own a house across from the warehouse where our single male employees can live if they choose to. You will be paid the minimum of five pounds a month. If you choose to avail yourself of room and board, one pound per month will be deducted to cover your rent and meals," Gardiner explained.
George Wickham accepted a room at the employee house. It was not in the attic and was much larger than he had known for some years. It was with glee he returned to Edward street for the last time, dropped of the bold of fabric and collected his meagre belongings. The landlady paid him the few shillings of outstanding wages she claimed he was owed. He knew she shorted him, but he was so happy to depart, he did so without complaint.
He was determined his father would finally have a son who was worthy of the Wickham name.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After meeting with Rosings Park's steward, Lord Matlock sent his sons to invite their aunt to meet with the family. Andrew and Richard found that Mrs. de Bourgh was not home and were directed to the school that his mistress had built by the man at her cottage.
The school was a large cottage which had been converted to be used for teaching. In one room they found the children being taught the sums, and in the other was their aunt teaching the children their letters.
She was dressed in the same style of dress as any of the other ladies the brothers had seen in Hunsford and if they did not know their aunt so well, they would have thought they were hallucinating. The thing that struck them more than anything else was the pure contentment that seemed to radiate from their aunt.
Rather than disturb the class, Andrew and Richard stood in the doorway until the lesson was complete. Most of the children hugged their teacher before leaving the classroom. It was then then Catherine noticed her nephews.
"Andrew, Richard!" she exclaimed with joy. "I had no idea you would be in Hunsford today. How are my family, and how is Anne?"
"We are here to invite you to a meeting at Rosings Park, Aunt Catherine," Andrew informed his aunt.
"As long as you are sure I will be welcome, I will accompany you there," Catherine accepted.
A little under an hour later, the carriage halted under the portico at the manner house. Mrs. de Bourgh was in the same dress she had worn while teaching and had a shawl around her shoulders but other than a little cross her late grandmother had presented her on her fifth birthday, she wore no jewellery.
The brothers noticed she was hesitant as she was shown into the drawing room—the one she used to rule over from her raised throne like chair. It had not escaped her notice that the house had been redecorated and the décor looked a lot more like was present in the Fitzwilliam and Darcy houses—understated elegance and no gaudy or ostentatious displays.
"Welcome Mother," Anne said warmly.
"Anne?" Catherine froze as she saw the pretty woman who stood before her. Anne was the picture of health and looked like Catherine had around the same age, except for the fact Anne was happy and not looking to find fault as her mother used to.
"Hello Catherine," her brother welcomed her.
"Reggie and Elaine," Catherine acknowledged her brother and sister, but her eyes were locked on the commanding presence of her daughter. She had thought after that day and her disgusting behaviour at Pemberley she would never see her daughter again, so the tears flowed freely. "Anne, you look wonderful, I never imagined you would allow me in your company again."
"As you used to be, Mother," Anne stated as she approached her weeping mother, "no, I would not have wanted to know you. However, the lady you have become, the one that sees to the needs of others at the exclusion of her own needs, the lady that is happy among the people of Hunsford and Westerham and does not try and exert her authority over them, that mother is the one who I would very much like to come to know."
"You will forgive me?" Catherine asked between sobs.
"How could I not," Anne enfolded her mother in a hug. "Many would have become bitter and resentful, refused to see the error of their ways. You have made sea changes to the way you used to be, and I—no, the whole family—want to get know Mrs. Catherine de Bourgh."
"My brother Darcy would welcome me back into his company, William and Georgiana too?" Catherine asked in wonder.
"You are not the only one who is able to change, Cathy," her brother informed his sister. She felt warmth throughout her body as Reggie used the name he used to call her as a little girl for the first time in almost forty years.
"Cathy, would you like me to ask the Prince to restore your courtesy title?" Lord Reggie asked.
"No, Brother," Catherine replied emphatically. "That title used to encompass my identity and led to my wrongheaded ideas about the distinction of rank and others. In the last three years without it—without all the finery I used to have—I have been happier than I have since I was a little girl before I allowed jealousy to start to rule me. Now I know that my self-worth is tied to how I behave and the good deeds I try to do and not some title or rank. I never want to go back to how I was."
"From what we saw at the school, Aunt Catherine," Andrew interjected, "there is no possibility of your returning to who you used to be, with or without the honorific. The pleasure of what you were doing was radiating from your being."
"Mother, we want you to be part of our lives once again," Anne told Catherine as she held her hands, "and I have news. I am being courted by Jamey Carrington and Richard will be my brother as he is courting Cassie."
"Do not forget me," Andrew added, "I am betrothed to a wonderful woman, Miss Jane Bennet."
"Anne if you are happy with him, then I am happy for you." No one missed that there were no effusions about Anne becoming a future countess or talk of the Carrington's wealth.
"Thank you, Mother," Anne hushed, "we love one another."
"As much as I want to be with all of you, I cannot just leave all of my responsibilities in the area," Catherine informed her relatives. Her statement was another confirmation of the changes which she had undergone.
"We have a solution, Catherine," Lady Elaine informed her sister. "You remember Mrs. Jenkinson?" Lady Elaine motioned for the aforementioned lady to come forward. "Catherine nodded. "As Anne will have you with her until she marries, Mrs. Jenkinson will take over here. She will have funds at her disposal to continue all of your good works here and will teach the classes you would normally teacher."
"Are you saying I am to return to the bosom of my family?" Catherine asked with trepidation. She received nods from all five family members looking at her. "Even after all of my atrocious behaviour?"
"Cathy," Lord Reggie took his sisters hands from his niece, "none of us can change what we did in the past. We can, as you have done over the last three years, change the present and the future. I leave it to you to make your amends to others, but we all know of the way you changed your life—and the lives of those around you—for the positive."
Mrs. Catherine de Bourgh was finally able to accept that her family wanted her as a part of it again, and more importantly that her daughter wanted her as a mother once again.