Reversed Fortune Chapter 12 - Dinner at Netherfield, a pride and prejudice fanfic

All will be revealed.

~~CC~~

Dinner at Netherfield

Miss Bingley had invited half a dozen of the local families for dinner at Netherfield. At the urging of her brother, she had reluctantly extended the invitation to the Bennets as well.

While she still hoped that her brother would make an advantageous match, having Lady Anne as her mentor had softened her attitude somewhat. Even though she found her neighbours still rather unsophisticated, she started to appreciate that they were kind people, unlike the snide company which she had kept in London.

Although Lady Anne had initially expected to teach Miss Bingley a different kind of lesson, the sheer determination of the young woman to be the best mistress of an estate which she could be, had impressed her. Instead of putting Caroline in her place, the lady was now giving her student the training she craved.

Tonight's dinner was part of that lesson… be gracious to your neighbours and reciprocate their kindness.

~~RF~~

When the Bennets arrived at Netherfield, Mr Bennet offered his arms to his wife and Jane to escort them into the manor, while Collins performed the same office to Elizabeth and Mary.

Bingley greeted all his guests enthusiastically, but Jane in particular. Caroline was gracious but more reserved until she noticed Elizabeth on the arm of one of the most handsome men, she had ever had the pleasure to encounter.

Being more observant than Mrs Bennet, during the introduction to their cousin, Miss Bingley thought she detected a certain warmth between him and Eliza. She was greatly relieved since it meant that Eliza would probably not have any interest in Mr Darcy.

That realisation allowed her to be gracious to the young woman who was no longer a rival. She even went so far as to take the couple to Mr Darcy.

'Mr Darcy, I believe you have not yet met Mr Collins, who is a cousin to Miss Elizabeth. Mr Collins, Mr Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire is a dear friend of my brother's. They met when they were at Cambridge.'

After the gentlemen bowed and exchanged greetings, Darcy cocked his head as he looked at Collins and asked, 'have we met before? You seem vaguely familiar.'

'Since I studied at Oxford, I do not believe so. Although I have the honour of having been granted the living at Hunsford. I understand that Sir Lewis de Bourgh is your uncle.'

'He is indeed. How is my uncle?'

'When I saw him last Sunday he was in excellent health, as was your cousin Miss de Bourgh.'

'That is excellent news. We have been concerned about my cousin since that bout of illness a few years ago has left her a little delicate.'

Darcy looked around and spotted his mother and sister. 'Come, I must take you to my mother. I am certain that she would also like to hear about her brother.'

Miss Bingley had attached herself to Darcy's arm and accompanied them to Lady Anne and Georgiana, who were speaking to Lady Lucas and Maria.

~~RF~~

Lady Anne's attention was caught by the movement of the approaching group, causing her to turn in their direction.

Her eyes widened and her mouth went dry as she observed the tall figure of Mr Collins with Elizabeth on his arm. She blinked several times, but the vision did not change.

She was so absorbed in watching the young man that Lady Lucas noticed her inattention and politely excused herself, which went unnoticed by Lady Anne.

Lady Anne saw a younger version of her late husband, but while her husband had had brown eyes, this man had brilliant blue eyes… just like her own, as well as many others of the Fitzwilliam family.

She recovered from her stupor as Darcy said, 'mother, I would like to introduce to you Mr Collins, who is the parson at Hunsford and cousin to Miss Elizabeth. Mr Collins, this is my mother, Lady Anne Darcy.'

Darcy was pleased when he had done his duty with the introduction and could leave to speak with Sir William. As the only titled gentleman in the area, he felt it was his duty to converse with him. Caroline was happy to trail along wherever Darcy led.

Lady Anne found her voice. 'Mr Collins, it is a pleasure to meet you. My brother has mentioned you in several letters.' She offered her hand while wondering why Sir Lewis had never mentioned the resemblance. He had known her husband for many years, and they had been good friends.

Collins politely bowed over her hand and returned the greeting. Only years of hard-learnt control allowed him to maintain a pleasant expression and not to make a fool of himself.

The moment he had touched her hand, something called to him. It felt as if he had a deep connection with this lady. It was nothing like what he felt for Elizabeth but just as strong and exceedingly confusing.

He did not lust after this lady, even though she was a beautiful woman, and her age was irrelevant, but he had this overpowering desire to hold Lady Anne in his arms and be held by her in return.

Elizabeth noticed his distraction but was immediately diverted herself by Georgiana who greeted her enthusiastically. Lizzy returned the greeting and briefly introduced her cousin before Georgiana whisked her away for a private conversation.

'He is exceedingly handsome. No wonder that you had no time for your old friends,' teased Georgiana.

'It is nothing like that,' protested Lizzy. 'He is the heir presumptive of Longbourn and he desired to familiarise himself with the estate and the tenants. Since I like walking more than anyone else in my family, I was the obvious choice to show him around.'

'Of course, Lizzy. I believe you,' was the insincere reply.

~~RF~~

Lady Anne was equally as fascinated by her new acquaintance.

When he bowed over her hand, she regretted that this man was not as fashionable as some other gentlemen, since he wore his hair slightly longer, especially at the back. Despite that, she thought that she detected a slight mark above his collar.

When he straightened, she looked back into eyes so much like her own, which gazed back at her in some confusion.

She wondered what he saw and if he felt the same connection which she was feeling. Could it be possible that after all these years she had found in this young man the person for whom she had yearned for all these endless seeming years.

She had to find out as much as she could about this young man. Lady Anne barely noticed that all their other companions drifted away, leaving her to enquire about his background and his life in general.

She only stopped when dinner was announced.

~~RF~~

Their tête-à-tête had not gone unremarked by Elizabeth.

In her more insecure moments, she wondered if she should not have put William off on their walk home the other night. He had just about declared himself, but she had pulled back in her confusion.

Now it looked like he was finding Lady Anne a more receptive subject of admiration, judging by their lengthy and animated conversation.

For the first time in her life Elizabeth experienced a sensation which could only be jealousy. She had never envied Jane her beauty or the fact that most gentlemen found Jane preferable to herself.

Now she was torn between anger and despair. Anger at William that he should prove so fickle and anger at Lady Anne who should know better than to lure a man no older than her son.

The despair happened when she imagined losing William to Lady Anne, since she had already lost her own heart to him.

Only the dictates of propriety and courtesy prevented her from letting either emotion show.

For Elizabeth this would be an extremely long evening.

~~RF~~

Lady Anne too had a difficult evening, albeit for a very different reason. She wanted to laugh and cry and declare to the world that she had found her beloved son.

After the guests had departed, she managed to make it to her room before her strength gave out. She collapsed into a chair by her writing desk, trying to recover her equilibrium.

With shaking hands, she poured herself a small measure of brandy which she kept on her desk for emergencies. Tonight, could definitely be classified as an emergency. She took small sips and felt the burning liquid spread warmth throughout her body which had gone cold from shock.

Now that she had time to think she wondered how to approach the situation.

If she said something without another witness to verify her statement, people would consider her unbalanced. That thought gave her an idea.

As she was already sitting at her desk, she penned a quick note to her brother, requesting him to come to Netherfield. As an afterthought she suggested bringing her nephews as well.

She rang the bell and requested a messenger. 'Take this letter to Matlock House. If the Earl is unavailable, give this note to Colonel Fitzwilliam. Leave at first light.'

Having set the wheels in motion, she was able to relax and let her mind wander… back nearly seven and twenty years ago.

~~RF~~

Lady Anne Darcy was in distress. She had hoped by the time the child she was carrying made its entry into the world, she would be comfortably ensconced at Pemberley.

Instead, since her husband had been held up with unforeseen business in London, which had delayed their departure, they had to seek shelter in an out of the way inn due to the sudden onslaught of a storm. While rain was welcome after a year which had been lacking in that commodity, it arrived at the wrong time and forced the couple away from the flooded main road.

Lady Anne had not expected the birth for another three weeks, which should have been enough time to return to Pemberley in easy stages. But they had barely arrived at the inn when her waters broke.

Fortunately, while the inn was shabby, they had a clean room available for her use. There was no midwife in the vicinity, but Mrs Barker, the wife of the owner was a middle-aged woman who had gone through this process half a dozen times herself and was able to assist the lady.

It was a gruelling night and morning, but by noon Fitzwilliam Darcy made his entrance into the world with a distinct sound of displeasure.

'He might be a bit early, my lady, but he has a good set of lungs on him,' declared the landlady.

Lady Anne smiled weakly as she held her son and agreed, 'he is a beautiful big boy.'

As she held him to her, she noticed a small mark in the shape of a five-pointed star on his neck at the edge of his hairline. 'He even has my family's birthmark,' she commented quietly while the landlady cleaned her up.

By the time Mr Darcy was able to see his wife, his son was securely wrapped in cloths supplied by Mrs Barker. He saw a shock of dark hair and blue eyes, but barely glanced at the babe when he saw how wan his wife looked.

'Thank you for giving me an heir, but now you must rest,' he insisted.

'Fitzwilliam needs to be fed,' Lady Anne reminded him.

Mrs Barker suggested, 'my lady, we have another young couple staying here and she too has given birth this morning. But unlike you she had an easy time of it. I am sure that she would be happy to help out.'

Mr Darcy was immediately in favour of the idea. 'It will allow you to rest properly.'

Lady Anne was too exhausted to demur, and Mrs Barker took the child to the other woman who happily shared her bounty.

Before she drifted into sleep Lady Anne whispered again, 'he is a beautiful big boy.'

~~RF~~

The following morning the weather cleared, and Lady Anne had had a good night's sleep. She felt rested enough to suggest that they should continue their journey.

After a good breakfast, Mr Darcy ensured that his wife was made comfortable in the coach with several blankets, before he asked a maid to fetch his son, the beautiful big boy, with an indulgent smile at his wife.

The maid did as she was bid, and since she did not know exactly which was which, and because the young woman who had just fed the boys, was now asleep and could not be asked, she picked up the bigger of the two babies… the big boy, whom Mr Darcy had specified.

It was not until she had had a good rest at Pemberley and was able to look at her son properly, that Lady Anne realised that this child did not have the birthmark she was certain that she had seen.

Initially Mr Darcy dismissed the notion as the imaginings of a distraught woman, but as the boy grew, and he did not resemble anyone in the Darcy or Fitzwilliam families, he started to believe there had been a mix-up.

When he made enquiries, he found that the family who had run the inn had perished in an epidemic of influenza which had gone through the area. No one could tell him who the other couple had been.

He was forced to agree with his wife's insistence that they should try to have another child. But despite one miscarriage after another, the only child of their own to be born eleven years later was Georgiana.

Since he had no other heir, George Darcy set out to teach the son he had to be as good a master as he could be. While he appreciated that Fitzwilliam always tried his best, there was always something lacking.

~~RF~~

. 😊

~~CC~~