The not-so-apparent heiress

Sir Louis de Bourgh has lost his wife, his daughter, and his own health in a single tragic carriage accident. Now, in order to see that his fortune goes where it belongs, he must revive an old scandal and potentially destroy at least one marriage and a father-daughter bond. How can he bless his daughter without destroying her world around her?

AN: I know that this sounds somewhat like "His purpose," but I tried to present it in a different way. Hope you enjoy it.

After the Assembly...

Fitzwilliam Darcy sat silent and brooding while his carriage conveyed their party back to Netherfield Park in the wee hours. Across from him, Caroline Bingley was in full voice, criticizing all that she saw and everyone she met, but Elizabeth Bennet most of all. He had danced only once each with the Bingley sisters and had shared a full set with Miss Elizabeth. Since Miss Caroline Bingley was determined to become the next Mrs. Darcy, his actions had made Miss Elizabeth the target of her ire. Darcy barely noticed that the shrill woman was even speaking. His mind was less favorably occupied.

There can be no doubt. She has the de Bourgh features. Her complexion is most definitely not that of her "sisters." And her eyes... on my uncle they had always been startling. In her pretty face... But all reports indicate that she is Mr. Bennet's favorite child and that they share the closest of bonds. Though reports of my wealth were circulating freely, she was not at all like most young ladies, seeking to entice or capture me. So the sudden blessing of great wealth may not be compensation enough for what is lost. She will hate me... wait... what does that have to do with anything?

Despite her ceaseless diatribe in the carriage, Miss Bingley was quick enough to hurry off to bed that night. The same was true for all of the others. Once assured of privacy, Darcy walked down the hall to where another guest was tucked away and guarded by several very capable-looking footmen. "Is he awake?"

Paul, the older footman on the right, nodded, "He is, Sir. He asked us to send you in as soon as you were free."

"Thank you."

A grizzled, care-worn, but still very handsome face looked at him with hauntingly familiar eyes when he stepped in. "Well?"

"There can be no doubt."

"I already knew that, Darcy. But what did you think of her?"

"She is beautiful, intelligent, and very well liked by everyone. You can be proud."

"Hah! She had an impact on you then, nephew?"

"I am here to serve as your proxy and see to the proper disposition of your properties, Uncle."

"But you are, nevertheless, a man of seven and twenty. There is nothing wrong in noticing a beautiful woman."

"Now you are sounding like your late wife."

The man's voice took on a growl, "I am nothing like that woman, just as her daughter was nothing like me."

"Two wrongs do not make a right, Uncle. It was wrong of Lady Catherine to dally with another man, but then you sought out a married woman. In the end it is the children who suffer. Anne always knew that you held no affection for her. Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her father share a very strong bond. I would not care to see her hurt."

Sir Louis sighed, seeming to shrink into his bed, "I know this. I knew this when my investigators made their report. That still leaves me with a quandary, does it not?"

"It does, Uncle. But tonight I find myself too exhausted to think of any reasonable solution, so I will bid you good night."

Oakham Mount, mid-November

Jane Bennet was bedridden at Netherfield Park with Mary attending her. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's very obvious courtship meant that it would have been unseemly for Elizabeth to tend to her sister. Elizabeth had argued the matter, but even she could not deny her hopes and feelings for Mr. Darcy.

It would have been highly inappropriate for Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to plan to meet on that brisk November morning, but she might have mentioned that she often visited Oakham Mount on many a clear morning. And he might have dressed in his best outdoor wear and ridden in that direction in the sincere hope of finding her on that particular summit.

All of the "might haves" were rewarded with Elizabeth's brilliant smile as the man she was quickly coming to love crested the rise and promptly dismounted. He did not smile, however. His face remained steadfastly solemn, even worried. "What is wrong, Mr. Darcy?! Your expression alarms me."

Darcy fumbled with his hands, then he took hers suddenly. Elizabeth did not resist, but her alarm only grew, "Please, Mr. Darcy... you are frightening me... what has happened?"

"Eliza... Miss Elizabeth, first I have to tell you that even though I met you with a specific purpose, our continued interactions have taught me to care for you very much. If there was any other way... but time grows short and I have been unable to think of another way."

Elizabeth Bennet had been taught how to investigate and examine at her father's knee. She addressed his first statement before pressing on, "You met me with a specific purpose? Please explain. You make it sound as if you came to Meryton to meet me specifically."

Darcy's silence told the tale. Elizabeth pulled her hands out of his and began pacing while both tried to form words. Finally she wheeled on him and demanded, "Why? For what possible purpose?"

Darcy gestured towards the boulder that they had often shared, "Please... may we sit?"

"I would rather stand."

"It is a long tale. Trust me, there are parts which might leave you feeling unsteady."

Elizabeth sat but at a greater remove from Mr. Darcy than usual. Darcy fumbled with his gloved hands before finally speaking, "I only learned of this myself in July, when my uncle asked for my assistance. I apologize... I wish with all my heart that I should never have to tell you this story..."

Elizabeth's voice, which had taken on a hard edge, softened when she saw the genuine contrition in her Mr. Darcy's eyes and heard it in his voice, "Mr. Darcy, sometimes the best way to say something is to just say it."

He seemed to want to draw nearer, but he steeled himself instead, "The marriage of Sir Louis de Bourgh to Lady Catherine Fitzwilliam was an arranged match. Sir Lewis' father, Sir Michael, was a baronet and a very wealthy man while Lady Catherine's father, the Earl of Matlock, was a gambler and spendthrift. The Earl forwarded the match to pay his debts and Sir Michael pushed the match on his son to raise the family's consequence.

"From the very beginning, Lady Catherine de Bourgh hated the match and spurned her husband. When she came to be with-child, he knew that the child could not be his own. He wanted to disclaim the child in her womb and annul the marriage, but the Matlocks had earls and dukes in their family tree and even his own father would not support him. In his anger, Sir Louis dropped out of society for several years and made himself scarce. He had his own fortune from his mother, so he purchased an estate and lived for a while under a different name... Mr. Walter Lewis."

"But that's... Is he not the owner of Netherfield Park?"

"He is."

Elizabeth's quick and agile mind began to make connections and a chill began to run up her spine. In an almost whisper, she said, "Mother has mentioned the man... once when she was in her cups... with affection... and while looking at me...?" She looked at Mr. Darcy with alarm and no little fear, "Please sir... say that it isn't so?"

Darcy did scoot closer then, taking the slender hands that Elizabeth were wringing together. "I wish above all things that I could. While Walter Lewis was here, he made the acquaintance of a beautiful young woman, the wife of his nearest neighbor."

Elizabeth jumped up in agitation, pacing rapidly back and forth in agitation. Darcy wanted to take her in his arms and console her, but he knew that she needed time. The minutes stretched before she finally demanded, "Why now? Why are you here telling me this now?"

"Because last night Sir Louis de Bourgh, your true father, took a turn for the worse. He, his wife, and her daughter were in a carriage accident some months ago. He was the only survivor, but his injuries became infected. They took his leg, but waited too long and his health has been in a decline ever since."

"Wait! How can you know this? Is his estate so close?"

"No, Elizabeth... he is here, tucked away at Netherfield." Both paused and looked out at the large Palladian house in the distance, "When I attended the funeral of my aunt and cousin, Sir Louis approached me about Mr. Bingley's application to lease Netherfield. He said that he would approve the lease at a much reduced rate and even make an offer to sell if Mr. Bingley would play host to him and keep the matter quiet. So far as his sisters know, a distant relative of the owner is occupying one suite and attended by a medical staff. Neither of the sisters or Mr. Hurst have ever met the man."

"And you? You only came here to... what? Judge my worthiness?"

Darcy jumped up, agitated, "No! Of course not, Elizabeth! I..."

"I have not given you permission to address me in such a familiar manner, Sir. We are not engaged!"

Darcy took a step back, his eyes wounded and Elizabeth felt remorse, "I am sorry... Mr. Darcy. You are not to blame for any of this. But please explain. I am having great difficulty in understanding your part in this."

Darcy shook his head ruefully, "In all honesty, I suspect that I was manipulated."

"How so?"

"My uncle has known me all of my life. When my own dear father died, he was the man who did more than any other to help me find my feet again. He must have known... or at least hoped... that I would fall in love with his daughter as soon as I met her. He had followed your life quite closely, after all and knew of your worthiness."

Elizabeth looked at the tall man's eyes and saw only truth. "You love me?"

"Very, very much. Which has only made all of this much harder. I have seen the great affection that you hold for your father, Mr. Bennet, even though I have also noted your frustration with him. So how was I to tell you..."

"To tell me that my father is not my father?" Elizabeth finished for him.

"Precisely," Darcy answered, stepping forward and taking those slender hands again.

"Why does he want to meet me?"

"He has always wanted to meet you. You are, after all, his only child. But after the brief affair, when he came to his senses, he remembered what he had felt like when he knew that his wife had cuckolded him. He met Mr. Bennet and felt like the worst sort of cad. And then when he learned that your mother was with-child... He closed up Netherfield Park, took up his true identity, and returned to a loveless marriage and another man's child.

"But he always kept a watch over you. He was the reason that a doctor from London happened to pass through when you were so sick at the age of six. He is the reason that Mr. Harley's little village book store has been able to find volumes that you were seeking, even though such works took months to reach outside of London. And he is the reason that your father found such a gifted steward to help him with the estate, even though Mr. Banton could easily work at a much larger estate."

"He has done so much? But why have I never met him, even once?"

"My aunt, Lady Catherine, was a mean and vindictive person. She made the life of Sir Louis hell and she would have done much worse had she known that he had a daughter of his blood. My own mother was scared of her older sister."

"And now? He wishes to meet me? How long does he have, William?" It was the first time that she had addressed him so informally out loud, though he had become her William in her thoughts for more than a month now.

"There is little time, according to his doctor. He will pass in the next few days. I have arranged for Mr. Bingley's sisters to take a trip to London. As you well know, he has promised your sisters a ball. Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley have a perfect excuse to rush off to London to shop to their heart's content for everything needed for that event... on my purse... though they do not know that part."

Elizabeth actually laughed, "Be careful, Sir, or you will be left bankrupt."

Darcy grimaced, "They have been given a specific budget. It is well over what is actually required, but I have no doubt that they will linger in London until every farthing is spent. So that gives us at least four days. They will depart at noon. Can you... will you meet Sir Louis?"

Elizabeth nodded with determination, "I shall."

Netherfield Park, that same afternoon

Mr. Darcy made the introductions and then left father and daughter to speak alone.

A very weary voice said, "Come in, Elizabeth. Please. And please forgive the odor. I am afraid that my nurses and the maids have done all that is possible."

"I shall not mind the smell, Sir," Elizabeth stepped forward from the door and saw the man for the first time. Though his face was drawn and stretched, there was no denying that she had his eyes. Many had commented on her "fine eyes," which, unlike everyone else in her family were a warm, rich brown, with an almost exotic flair in the corners. Not one of her sisters shared that feature, but this man most certainly did.

"Darcy said that you were remarkably pretty. I see that he has not exaggerated. I knew that you must be to elicit such praise from a man who has avoided the parson's noose with such determination."

Elizabeth blushed, but took another step forward so that she could truly look at the man, "I am so sorry for all that has happened."

Sir Louis moved his hand weakly and Elizabeth, understanding, took it in her own. She could feel both his weakness and his former strength. "I will not lie to you with so little time left between us. I did not love my wife and I cannot repine her death. I tried to love her daughter, but she was a weak and sickly echo of all that was wrong with her mother. And as for myself... though I should have cherished a few years of freedom and peace, I remain thankful that Providence has allowed me to live long enough to right a great wrong."

"There is nothing to set right. I have not suffered... father."

"True, I have watched you from a distance for many years and could not be prouder of who you are and what you have made of yourself. But you see, me dear girl, you are my only child and the rightful heir of all that I will leave behind."

"I cannot... I do not... Sir, I did not come today expecting anything."

"But that is what makes you worthy to have it all. Darcy has bragged on how you see to the needs of Longbourn's tenants. Mr. Bennet does not. Mrs. Bennet does not. Rosings Park has been in my family for three hundred years, my dear girl. There are twenty-eight farms, a grist mill, and a brewery attached. There is also a town and a living which depend upon the estate. I wish to see them preserved and cared for for another hundred years."

"But how am I to do this? I am only one person."

"By marrying someone worthy... like my nephew," Elizabeth blushed, but she did not protest.

After a few minutes of silence, she asked, "Did you bring Mr. Darcy here for that purpose?"

"Not exactly, but I had hope. And after that first night at the assembly, what I saw in his eyes gave me even greater hope."

"But if you leave everything to me, all shall be revealed! My family will be shamed and my father... Mr. Bennet will be humiliated!" Sir Louis noted that she did not mention her mother. He had learned early on that the woman's beauty was only skin deep.

"And that is why I am so pleased that my nephew had fallen for you. I shall leave all to him so that no suspicion will fall upon you."

"Sir! He has not proposed!"

"His only hesitation was in how you might react to all of this. I will wager that he is carrying a ring in his pocket even now. Shall we test my theory?"

Elizabeth was about to protest, but Sir Louis was already ringing the bell on his nightstand. A minute later Mr. Darcy stepped in looking concerned. His eyes searched hers for any distress and only relaxed when he knew that she was well. In that moment Elizabeth knew that she would always be safe with this man.

"Nephew, I have a wager with my daughter. If I win, then she must answer one question from you. If she wins, then I will pay a forfeit of her choosing. Only you can settle this bet one way or the other."

Darcy looked bemused, but finally asked, "And what is the subject of this wager?"

"Do you happen to have a small box in your pocket at this time... say the size one might carry a piece of jewelry in?"

Darcy looked alarmed, then embarrassed, and then resigned, "I do happen to have such a box in my possession, Uncle."

"Very well then. I win. Elizabeth, why do you and Darcy not go into one of the other rooms... there are many unoccupied in this wing... and answer one question for my favorite nephew?"

Elizabeth scowled at her newly-discovered father, but she squeezed his hand before following Mr. Darcy out of the room. "Mr. Darcy, Sir, you are not under any obligation to..." her words were lost as he pulled her into another bedroom. She blushed at the impropriety, but forgot to protest when he knelt before her and produced the box in question.

"Miss Elizabeth, I think that I loved you from the very minute that we met. My appreciation of your beauty, intelligence, and kindness have only increased every day since. Will you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?"

With tears of joy in her eyes, Elizabeth nearly shouted "Yes!" It was just as well that the happy couple remembered that Sir Louis was waiting, because otherwise the empty room might have been too much of a temptation. With great self-control, Mr. Darcy led his betrothed out of the room and back to where an expectant father and uncle waited. He had more to say, "Darcy, I trust you absolutely to take the greatest care of my child and my estate. Sign the marriage settlement with Mr. Bennet, then do as you wish to improve her jointure after you are married.

"I would wish to see the event, but cannot. I cannot have more than another day or two. Elizabeth cannot wear black without explanation, and Darcy, I forbid you to take on mourning for more than three months. Go now and get Mr. Bennet's approval. Then, when my passing has been published, allow the time of mourning to put my estate in order. If Bingley wishes to purchase this estate, then make him a sound deal. He is a good man and he loves Elizabeth's sister. Make certain he knows that any purchase is conditional on the match. I like what I have heard of Miss Bennet and she has been a loving sister to my Elizabeth."

The couple left the man to sleep and went to Longbourn, where Darcy had to endure Mr. Bennet's teasing and Mrs. Bennet's wild effusions of joy. It was all worth it for Elizabeth, but both of them were feeling the pain of Sir Louis' impending death.

As previously arranged, a carefully padded carriage with a special undercarriage to absorb shock collected Sir Louis the next day to carry him to his town home in London. Elizabeth bid him a tearful farewell, unable to find any way to go along with her father on his final journey. He was only one night in his London house before he failed to wake.

Mrs. Bennet never knew her lover's real name, so her only reaction to learning of the death of Mr. Darcy's uncle was concern about the wedding. Mr. Bingley proposed to Jane the next day, so she forgot the entire matter.

On top of a grand estate in Kent and several lucrative investments, Sir Louis left his beloved daughter an even greater gift. For the last twenty years he had written at least one letter per month to his little daughter. Since he could not deliver them, he had carefully locked them away. Those became her greatest treasure to be read and re-read all of the days of her life.

In due time Elizabeth Bennet signed her maiden name for the last time and became Elizabeth Darcy. Whenever anyone had the nerve to suggest that she came into the marriage penniless, she would only smile softly. In fact, with the value of the estate and Sir Louis' investments, she almost came into her marriage as a financial equal. She was certainly an equal in every other way. From that year forward, the Darcy's summered in Pemberley and wintered at Rosings. The two great estates remained as one until the couple's two sons came of age, whereupon each was given control of one of the estates.

Mr. Bingley did purchase Netherfield and he did marry his beautiful Jane. After only three years, however, the couple began quietly looking for another estate. Mrs. Bennet's almost daily visits were just too much to endure. They eventually found their own estate in Kent, where their children and the Darcy children happily played and grew up together for many generations to follow.