A/N:The Lord fitzwilliam in this story is based on the historical the Fourth Earl Fitzwilliam, who was considered a just, kind and immensely rich man revered by his peers and loved by many.
Anne de Bourgh stood frozen in the hall of her uncle's house. All her courage disappeared in a poof when Elizabeth left. What was she to do?
Just then, a door to her left opened, and her uncle and cousin Darcy emerged. Lord Fitzwilliam, a serene person with compassion for all went up to Anne and took her hand and enclosed it in both of his while patting it gently. He then asked kindly, "Anne, what an unexpected pleasure to have you visiting here. Where is your mother? Usually, I do not need to be notified of her presence in my home."
Anne was ready to cry, but she stamped her foot instead and handed the letter to her uncle without ceremony. Mr. Darcy bowed to her but remained silent behind his uncle.
The Earl was puzzled by this uncharacteristically brash behavior from the niece who was usually almost invisible behind her mother. He took the letter, offered his arm to the woman, who acted like a young girl, and said gently, "Let us go into my study and see what this is all about. Darcy, would you join us?"
Once they were seated, the Earl went to the sideboard, poured a glass of wine and handed it to his niece while saying comfortingly, "Drink this, Anne. It will steady your nerves. Have a scone if you have not eaten. You will be able to tolerate the wine better."
While Anne was occupied with calming herself, her uncle read the letter. Darcy was standing with his elbow rested on the mantlepiece, not looking at anyone.
The Earl continued, "Anne, I am going north tomorrow for business of Parliament which came on rather suddenly. Darcy is here to take over my personal affairs in my absence until your cousin Milton arrives in two weeks. Do you object if we discuss your request with Darcy here?"
Anne looked over to Mr. Darcy, who out of habit, did not look at her. Anne nodded meekly. He then handed the letter to Darcy.
"Anne, this is your letter, is it not, and your handwriting?" the Earl asked gently.
He looked over to Mr. Darcy and said, "Anne has requested in writing, which is in fact stipulated in her father's will," he turned to Anne and smiled encouragingly at her, "You did right, Anne," before addressing Darcy again. "Anne petitions to be the sole mistress of Rosings. Her father's will allows her to do so before her twenty-seventh birthday, which will be in three days. This means that all proceedings for her to have sole authority over her inheritance should be completed by tomorrow if possible. The solicitor already has all the required documents. All I need to do is to write the letter authorizing the documents to be signed by Anne before her birthday. We have plenty of time, and so this is not a concern. What is a concern to me is this, Anne: are you certain that you want to bear the heavy burden of managing a vast estate such as Rosings without your mother's help? You have not been trained to do it, and your mother, despite her sometimes unyielding and rather dictatorial methods of management, is strong, both physically and mentally, and has proven through the years that she is capable of managing Rosings profitably. Please tell me what has brought this on. You have never expressed any inclination to run Rosings."
The Earl had a very calm demeanor, but he spoke with such authority that one would never consider not answering his questions truthfully. Anne's head remained bent, but with the reinforcement of her spirits by the food and wine, answered in a tremulous but audible voice, "Uncle William, I have felt as if I were being choked to death slowly over the years. Mother does not even allow me to speak. Rather, she speaks for me as if I did not exist. Can you remember hearing me say more than ten words before today?"
Lord Fitzwilliam started when he heard this. It was true that his elder niece had been as a shadow to her mother, who had been known to leave Anne with her companion in the carriage when she went visiting. However, Georgiana, Darcy's sister, was also timid and always hiding in the shadows of her brother or her companion. Not having a daughter himself, he had never thought of this shyness as anything out of the ordinary. He motioned to Anne to continue.
"I have been dreadfully unhappy but thought that it could not be helped because of who my mother was. In these past few weeks, however, a lady who was visiting her cousins, the vicar and his wife, showed me that I did not need to fear mother, as she herself did not seem to fear her. Once this realization dawned, I could not rest until I could break the hold mother has on me. I do not know where and how I got the idea; I just know if Rosings is truly mine, mother will not be able to impose her own will so callously on others, especially me, and Lizzy agrees with me."
Mr. Darcy's head shot up when Elizabeth was mentioned. When Anne paused in her speech, Mr. Darcy immediately interjected rather rudely, "Did Miss Bennet put you up to this?"
Anne turned to look straight into Darcy's eyes for the first time since they were both children, and asked with some energy, "What did she put me up to? You do not believe that I can think for myself? I wrote the letter a week ago, and I was going to ask you to give it to Uncle, but then you left suddenly, leaving me no other choice but to ask Lizzy for help. I am very glad that she finally agreed. I did not even need to bribe her!"
Mr. Darcy was silenced by this and returned to stand next to the fireplace. The Earl watched the interactions of his niece and nephew with interest. Whoever this Miss Lizzy Bennet was, she surely brought out passion from both young people.
The Earl thought for a moment, and said, "Anne, I can understand why you have been unhappy under your mother's too strict care as I do know my own sister. I have certainly been at the receiving end of her tantrums – excuse my indelicacy, but both of you have seen how my sister's temper sometimes gets the better of her. Are you certain that you will be happier doing the hard work of properly running Rosings? Many people, not only tenants and staff but also people in the parish, will be relying on you for their livelihood."
By mentioning Lizzy's involvement, somehow Anne regained the courage that had escaped her before. Deep down, she knew that Lizzy would remain her friend and help where she needed her. She straightened up her posture and said more firmly, "The household staff I have spoken with about me replacing my mother as mistress all welcome the notion. I do not believe that mother cares too much how the people around Rosings fare. She is always criticizing them and giving them instructions on things she does not know how to do herself. She told Lizzy to practice more on the pianoforte to further her proficiency when she herself cannot play a single note. Uncle, I do worry about not knowing the first thing about running the estate, but I plan on having Lizzy to help me; at least until I have learned how to talk to the steward. She is used to dealing with estate matters for her father."
"Darcy, you seem to know this Miss Bennet. What do you think of her? Is she capable enough to help Anne with estate business? More importantly, is she trustworthy?" asked the Earl.
Mr. Darcy started pacing in front of the fireplace, and without looking at anyone, said slowly as if measuring every word before uttering it, "Miss Bennet's honor cannot be questioned. She is intelligent, honest to a fault, passionate and altogether en …trustworthy." He caught himself in time and swallowed the word 'enchanting' and replaced it with 'trustworthy'.
The Earl smiled knowingly at Darcy, and asked, "Is she pretty?"
Mr. Darcy was startled by this question. Had he betrayed his unrequited love for the lady? He was speechless and color rose to his cheeks.
The Earl, being exceptionally discerning, did not want to embarrass his usually stolid nephew in front of his niece. He turned to his niece instead before continuing, "Darcy's glowing testimony for Miss Bennet definitely speaks well for the character of your friend and supporter. However, being the executor of your father's will, I have the charge to safeguard Rosings for future generations. Where is Miss Bennet? Why is she not with you knowing that exerting yourself like this must be an ordeal for you?"
Miss de Bourgh answered, still quivering a little, "She was with me in the hall even though I did have to beg her to come in with me. When Mr. Farnum said he was going to announce us to you and Darcy, she bolted out the door! She just said that since Darcy was here, she could go back to her uncle's house on Gracechurch Street."
The Earl stood up and paced for a minute, and said to both his niece and nephew, "It appears that Miss Elizabeth Bennet will play a significant role in your management of Rosings, should you take over the estate completely. It behooves me as your guardian and executor of your father's will to interview Miss Bennet so that I will be able to make a clear determination of what is best for you and Rosings. Would you invite her to dinner tonight as this will be the last chance for me to meet her before I leave for the north?"
Anne nodded, but said meekly, "I do not know her direction."
Darcy interjected, "I will ask Mr. Farnum. He might have heard where Miss Bennet has gone."
Darcy came back a few moments later with the intelligence that Miss Bennet had left with Anne's carriage. As soon as the driver came back, the Earl could send his own carriage to convey Miss Bennet to Rockingham House. Anne said that she would have to go with the carriage or else Elizabeth might refuse to come. She believed that Lizzy might not like Darcy because of the way Darcy was constantly staring at her friend with a scowl while they were at Rosings. The Earl looked over to Darcy with a questioning look but said nothing. He asked a footman to take Anne to a guest room to rest after such an arduous journey until the carriage was ready to depart for her friend.
The Earl looked at Darcy after Anne had left the room, making Darcy squirm because he knew more questions about his relationship with the mysterious Miss Bennet would be forthcoming. Instead of asking questions on Miss Bennet directly, the Earl said, "What a remarkable change has come over Anne: from a completely passive ghost of a girl to this impassioned one – running away from home to seek her birthright with nothing but the clothes on her back! She has even solicited the support of a lady who appears to be offering help out of the goodness of her heart. Darcy, do you believe that Anne is under the spell of Miss Bennet, who somehow wrought this incredible transformation in Anne?"
Darcy cautiously answered, "I think Miss Bennet has this quality of influencing those around her with her quick wit and a persuasive demeanor. She makes one reflect on one's shortcomings. She may be considered slightly impertinent without being artful. She is also forthright and does not bend to others simply because of their wealth and status in society. I believe she has gained the approval of Aunt Catherine herself."
"Indeed!" The Earl remarked with some curiosity, and continued, "Then why this disapproval from you according to Anne? I have never seen you look at any lady for more than a glance. In fact, I noticed that you did not look at Anne much during the half hour that she was in here. Perhaps the looks of disapproval were misinterpreted by Anne?"
Darcy was truly embarrassed then. He really was not yet ready to talk about his feelings toward his heart's desire because he did not understand them himself. On that fateful day at the parsonage when he had made the offer of his hand in marriage to Elizabeth, he surprised himself as much as he seemed to have surprised her.
When Mrs. Collins said that her friend was unwell and could not come to tea, his heart squeezed, and his body tensed. He could not bear that the lady who had been on his mind constantly since he left Hertfordshire was suffering. Her brutal rejection of his offer of marriage made the longing for her even more intense, as he reasoned that one always wanted what one could not have. He was furious with her for rejecting him based on ludicrous slander from a scoundrel and humiliated by the harsh manner of her rejection. When he started writing the letter of explanation, all he wanted to do was to present the facts as they were to the lady who seemed so obtuse that she should have been beneath his attention. When he finished, his emotions had considerably calmed, and he could admit that he bore some blame for separating his best friend from Miss Bennet. As for his rather violent accusation against Elizabeth's connections, he could not quite justify it, as most ladies he had met through the years had a skeleton or three in their family cupboards. That was when he ended the letter with "God bless you."
After handing the letter to her, however, he had been going over her accusations repeatedly for, Darcy being Darcy, he could not help wanting to be the best person that he could be. If he had any defects, it was only because he had not known of them, and they had to be eradicated as soon as possible. She was wrong, of course, about siding with Wickham, a scoundrel of the first order, but she was young and quite naïve about the evil in the world. Well….
"Darcy!" The Earl's voice broke into his prolonged contemplation, making him jump. He felt his ears burning with mortification. He looked at his uncle apologetically, and was about to beg for forgiveness for his inattention, when the Earl continued:
"It appears that this Miss Bennet is by no means an indifferent acquaintance to you if a simple question about her could make you caught up in deep thoughts. I do not want to pry, but I would like to secure your promise to help me to determine whether she is suitable as a helpmeet for Anne. My responsibility as the executor of her father's will is not only to make sure that Anne is of sound mind when she asks for Rosing's sole management without her mother's supervision, but also that she is in fact competent for such a momentous task for such a sheltered young lady.
"I am inclined to think well of Miss Bennet because she seems able to draw Anne out of her shell in just a few weeks of acquaintance. Your erstwhile timid cousin appears far more assertive than she was at Christmas when I saw her last. Anne is the last of the line for the de Bourghs. Her father's family, as far as I know, all perished during the revolution. Sir Lewis left France long before that terror began, but he was the only one. Your Aunt Catherine is quite a despot, but she appears to be keeping Rosings in decent financial shape. I must weigh carefully Anne's wish against Rosings' well-being, and Miss Bennet appears to be an important element in this balance somehow. I hope you would be able to maintain an unbiased attitude during dinner to help me form a sound judgement for Anne's sake."
Mr. Darcy, who was going to make an excuse for not attending dinner, found himself backed into a corner by his uncle's insistence that he should be there. He had no choice but to acquiesce, and answered without much enthusiasm, "Sir, of course I shall stay to observe Miss Bennet at dinner. I had made plans to see my friend Bingley this evening before he goes north tomorrow, but perhaps I shall meet him briefly for a night-cap." Darcy thought that after he had told Bingley his part in concealing Miss Jane Bennet's attempt to contact the Bingleys in town, the meeting would be over and so might his friendship with Bingley. He might as well delay it as much as possible. However, seeing Elizabeth beforehand did not promise to be a pleasanter alternative.
He went on to explain the situation at Rosings, "Uncle William, I should clarify for you before your decision. Aunt Catherine has not been completely responsible for the financial well-being of Rosings through the years. Left to herself, Rosings could very well be debt-ridden because of her inability to live within her means…"
The Earl interjected, "Indeed! I did not have any notion of this. I thought Rosings' yield should afford Catherine a rather grand lifestyle without jeopardizing its finances. I should have been more attentive to Rosings' affairs as trustee. Go on!"
Darcy continued, "Uncle, you are busy, I had not thought that the situation justified diverting your attention as it is well in hand. Every spring when Richard and I visit, I institute strict rules for the steward to follow, and he sends me reports monthly. The one trait in Aunt Catherine's character that allows my scheme to work is that she rarely follows up with the orders she gives. Her steward simply agrees to everything she asks him to do, but then executes only according to my instructions. For example, last year she wanted five chimneypieces for the public rooms at Rosings, each costing over eight hundred pounds. The steward ordered just one and had it installed in the drawing room she most favored. In so doing, he saved the estate almost thirty-five hundred pounds. Occasionally, she does notice, but she rules over too many people and too many things for any irreparable damage to befall the finances of the estate. The people over whom she feels she has dominion, however, do have to endure constant harassment - excuse my harsh language – perhaps interference would do, from their mistress and patroness."
The Earl pondered a moment, and said, "In other words, if Catherine is out of the management of Rosings, and you continue to be involved in the background, then everything will proceed as if nothing had changed, as long as Anne allows your involvement to continue, and there is the added advantage that the tenants and other dependents of Rosings might be free from their mistress' unwanted harassment – there I have said it. I like to call things what they are. Now here is the complication: If you and Miss Bennet cannot see eye to eye, or as Anne phrased it, you eye her too much and with too much animosity, and she is the one Anne is aligned with, then they may not allow you to be involved as before, even though you are one of the trustees. There is of course a rather simple solution. Now that Anne appears to have improved, would you consider marrying her?"
Darcy was startled to hear this last pronouncement by his uncle, who had known and supported his refusal of Lady Catherine's insistence that he marry Anne. Seeing the undisguised mirth on the Earl's countenance, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sir, you know my sentiments on this."
The Earl, still tongue in cheek, then said mischievously, "Another equally simple solution is that you marry Miss Bennet. Have you thought of that?"
This time, Darcy felt more than just tongue-tied. His heart felt like it was pricked by a pitchfork, and he felt stricken. He stared at his uncle with a glum expression. Finally, he answered, "Sir, it is yet another impossibility. There has to be some other way to help Miss de Bourgh manage Rosings."
The Earl looked at his nephew, the steadiest and one of the most honorable young men he knew. Seeing the ill-disguised pain on his face, he said with some light-heartedness to convey to his nephew that he was not entirely serious, "I said those two possibilities in jest, of course. But now, I do think that one of them warrants some further consideration."
Mr. Darcy felt quite helpless with this continuous teasing from his usually kind-hearted uncle, and finally said with a solemn demeanor, "Sir, if I am to attend dinner here tonight, I had better go back to my house to change. I bid you a good afternoon and shall see you in a few hours." He bowed and then was gone.
The Earl sat in his study, getting more and more curious about this Miss Bennet. He had never seen his nephew so flustered as every time Miss Bennet's name was mentioned. The young man had been even more subdued and brooding than usual in the few days since he came back from Rosings. Could the dark mood have anything to do with Miss Bennet? She appeared to be a gentleman's daughter, and so there should not be anything standing between her and Darcy if he favored her. Teasing his nephew about marrying Miss Bennet had been meant to be a hint that he would not object so long as Miss Bennet checked out to be a worthy lady. Her fortune and connections to relations in trade as evidenced by her relations living near Cheapside would not meet with opposition from him. In his recollection, no other lady had caused so much reaction from his all too serious nephew, whom he loved as a son. It was inconvenient that he would be leaving so soon. His second son Richard could throw some light on the matter if not for the fact that he was busy getting ready to be shipped out to Portugal by the following week. However, his soldier son never refused an invitation to a good meal. He should have him come to dinner, and in the process, make his wife happy since there would be an even number of ladies and gentlemen at table.
Among all these goings-on, where was his sister?