Hi. Sorry for a slightly delayed update. I tweaked the dialogue several times.
Thank you for sticking with my story. Nearing the end!
Special mention to these lovely reviewers:
Guest, 777kid57, LC-elsie, Xpochakkox, midnitewanderer, ArnettinCA, Deanna27, Shelby66, Jansfamily4, Lisa, Mystylight, Colleen S, ChrisM0519, Levenez, PDS1, Maria Teresa C, Motherof8, Guest
Much appreciated!
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When the carriage arrived in London, the countess gently roused Lady Catherine.
"W-where am I?"
"We are at Matlock House," the countess replied.
"I thought we were headed for Rosings," Lady Catherine sounded confused.
"We decided it was best to break the journey. It is not safe to travel long distances at night. Come, you can continue your rest inside," the countess said.
The countess immediately tasked the housekeeper to have accommodations prepared for Lady Catherine and Mr Darcy.
"We shall see you at dinner," the countess said to Lady Catherine.
After the prominent guest had been escorted to her room, the countess told Darcy and Richard to meet in the earl's study once they had the chance to refresh themselves. To their surprise, the earl met them with a grave expression when they convened. He listened intently to the accounts detailing his sister's actions at Netherfield. For a few minutes, he remained silent then sent for the housekeeper.
"Bring her in." The group expected Lady Catherine to join them but was astonished when someone else entered.
"Anne!" they exclaimed collectively, studying her pale appearance.
"Anne, when you are ready, could you recount the events that led to you come here?" the earl encouraged as his expression softened.
The countess viewed her niece sympathetically then moved to sit beside her. She tenderly squeezed her hand and offered her a warm smile, making sure she was well enough to be in their company. Taking a deep breath, Anne proceeded to give a brief summary of her mother's rapidly deteriorating and unpredictable behaviour.
"How long has this been going on?" the countess asked.
"She has become more controlling after father passed away. It felt like she did not want me to lead my own life. She found ways, or excuses, to keep me indoors. In the last year or two, I noticed that I felt drowsy and weak after taking my medication. I wondered why the medication made me almost lethargic but she refused to leave me alone with the physician during his examinations," Anne explained.
"So it is true! Aunt spoke about the increased the dose of your medication, and how it made you easier to manage," Richard exclaimed, visibly displeased to hear this confirmation. Anne could only nod sadly in response.
"How were you able to leave Rosings?" Darcy was curious to know.
"Fortunately, Mrs Jenkinson, my companion, also started to become suspicious about my worsening condition. She did not understand why the medication seemed to make my health decline. Whenever Mrs Jenkinson hinted at her observations, mother became very irritable and would harshly dismiss her. Without anyone knowing, my companion experimented with gradually decreasing the dose. On several occasions, I spied her accidentally spilling the drops and that was when I questioned her. She was horrified to be discovered and feared she would lose her position. She admitted that she had been worried for my wellbeing, and that she reminded me of her own daughter who was about my age," Anne explained.
"Where is Mrs Jenkinson now?" the countess asked.
"She accompanied me here. Mother was furious after receiving some news about…" here Anne looked at Darcy then hesitated. "She started ranting, screaming, throwing things, and crying. The following morning, Mrs Jenkinson advised me to pretend to be asleep when mother came in to check on me. I heard mother laughing hysterically as she left my room. Once I was sure that mother had left Rosings, I pleaded with Mrs Jenkinson to help me escape so I can seek help. I do not understand why mother has changed so much," Anne said the last sentence in a sorrowful voice.
"Anne, I think that your mother has not fully recovered from her grief over losing her sister and her husband. That is probably why she wants you to be confined at Rosings. She does not want to lose you," the countess spoke softly.
"I fear that aunt has lost her senses. Hearing Anne's version of the story only shows that aunt is not fit to care for her daughter. We need to ensure that Anne is out of danger," Richard said, feeling protective of his cousin.
The earl had been following the conversation and was still unsure of what the best course of action would be. He did not want Anne to be bereft of her remaining parent's company, especially when she had practically lived an isolated life the past few years. However, it worried him greatly how his sister could treat her only daughter in such an irresponsible manner. Her eccentric behaviour certainly made him feel extremely concerned for Anne's safety.
"What are you thinking, husband?" the countess enquired.
"This delicate matter requires careful consideration. We need to make Anne's wellbeing a priority. She cannot be reunited with her mother, at least for the time being," was all the earl said.
"Sending aunt to Bedlam could be an option…" suggested Richard.
"It is not simple as that. The decision we make could have negative consequences on our family's reputation," replied the earl.
"Please do not send mother away to an asylum. Please, uncle!" Anne begged the earl.
"Calm down, dear," the countess said as she put her arm around Anne' shoulder. "It is almost time for dinner. Perhaps we should continue this discussion at another time. Anne, I think it is best if we kept your presence here concealed from your mother. I would advise that you and your companion move to the furthest guest rooms to prevent any encounter with your mother. She can stay in the family wing so we can keep watch on her movements. I will instruct the housekeeper to have your belongings moved while your mother is dining with us. I will have trays of food sent to you and Mrs Jenkinson."
Everyone agreed with this plan and Anne prepared to leave. Before she reached the door, she turned around and addressed Darcy,
"Fitzwilliam, whatever mother says, do not be coerced into agreeing to marry me."
"You need not worry on that account, cousin. Fitzwilliam has singled out a young lady as the companion of his future life," Richard answered for his cousin.
"I am happy to hear that. I hope to learn more about this development in our next meeting," Anne said sincerely before she left.
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While the gentlemen resolved to pay close attention to how Lady Catherine behaved that evening, the lady herself also had her own agenda. Her intention was to secure her brother's approval for Darcy and Anne's engagement. In her mind, this would be a relatively easy task since she expected the earl would want his niece and nephew to find suitable partners. She expected that he would readily concur that forming a match between one sister's only daughter and the other sister's only son would be ideal, not to mention that combining the wealth of Pemberley and Rosings, and preserving this power and influence within the family would be seen as distinctly advantageous.
In order that servants do not overhear any information that may lead to gossip, the party waited until they moved to the privacy of the drawing room after dinner to discuss matters of import.
"It is a surprise to see you, sister" the earl opened.
"It is always good to visit family. Speaking of which, I have a particular… request to ask of you, Henry," Lady Catherine stated, not wanting to waste time. The earl nodded for her to continue. "Since we are all gathered here, I think now is the best time for us to make official the engagement between Fitzwilliam and my daughter Anne."
"Such affairs are not for us to decide, Cathy. Your nephew must make his own choice. Anne's wishes should also be considered," the earl replied.
"Fitzwilliam told me that he is ready for marriage, and it is clear that Anne is the perfect bride for him," the lady claimed.
"I am afraid you are mistaken, aunt," said Darcy.
"How can I be mistaken? You and Anne are intended for each other. Your late mother and I have planned this match since your infancy. I shall pass on the happy news to Anne when I return to Rosings. She is more than happy to settle down and start a family," assured Lady Catherine.
"I am not marrying Anne, nor does want to marry me," Darcy firmly stated.
"She will accept, I am sure of it. Now, shall we formalise this arrangement so I can begin the wedding preparations?" the lady said with confidence.
"No, aunt. If you must know, I would like to enter a courtship with another lady," Darcy finally declared, wary of his aunt's reaction.
"Which lady? I hope you are not referring to that hoyden in Hertfordshire!" she raised her voice in frustration.
"Whom do you mean, aunt?" Darcy asked.
"That country chit named Elizabeth Bennet!" she spat.
"How do you know about Miss Bennet?" he questioned.
"A scandalous report has reached me about your supposed impending union with that upstart woman. I assume that Bennet girl and her family were the ones who spread the rumours to trap you into matrimony," she accused.
"I can only hope that one day those rumours will come true," Darcy replied in a quiet voice, speculating that it was Mr Collins who had related this piece of misinformation to his patroness.
"Are you out of your mind, Fitzwilliam? Why would you choose such a crass and irrational woman? She is almost penniless and has no connections, except to trade. She is nothing to my Anne," the lady criticised.
"If you have the fortune of meeting Miss Bennet, you will see that she has far more valuable qualities than having money or connections. She is definitely not crass or irrational," defended Darcy.
"I have met her and I tell you, she has nothing to recommend her. Why, when I dignified her with a call, she behaved with such ill manners. She failed to display deference to my superiority," she exclaimed.
"You went to Longbourn? What did you say to her?" Darcy was almost afraid to know.
"I only asked her a few questions," she replied.
"Miss Bennet is everything lovely and charming. She has received us, including Georgiana, warmly. There must be some kind of misunderstanding," the countess added.
"Misunderstanding? She even snatched my walking cane out of my hand!" the lady sounded angry.
"What would she need your cane for? How did that happen?" Richard was confused.
"I told her that she was entirely unworthy, and that Anne has long been destined to marry Fitzwilliam. I wanted her to promise not to form any understanding with Fitzwilliam, but she would not comply with my wishes. That was when I felt the impulse to strike her with my cane. She deserved to be punished! She provoked me!" the lady continued with her accusations, her voice turning shrill.
"What? I swear if you hurt her --" Darcy was incensed.
"She was the aggressive one. Did you not notice my dress was ripped when I called at Netherfield? That was her doing! And her equally crass mother helped her assault me!" The irate lady hastily stood up as she tried to convince them of Elizabeth's poor conduct.
"Miss Bennet tore your dress?" Richard wanted clarification. Truthfully, he would applaud anyone who would dare stand up against his domineering aunt.
"They wanted me to leave even when I had not finished my business with that insolent girl! They very nearly pushed me out and then caused my skirt to get caught in the door! How incredibly rude of them!" Lady Catherine screeched.
"Aunt, what have you done?" Darcy did not know how he could face Elizabeth again after his aunt's outrageous performance.
"What have I done? What have I done?! Are you taking that lowly woman's side—" the lady could not finish her words as she struggled to breathe. Suddenly feeling lightheaded, she was ably guided to a settee by her relations.
"You… all of you… you do not know… how difficult it has been… losing my sister… losing my husband… caring for a sickly child… managing Rosings… it is all too much…" she burst out in tears once she had regulated her breathing.
"Cathy, you need help. Let us help you. I will send for the doctor to attend to you," the earl tried to soothe his sister.
"No… I need to go back to Rosings… I need to be with Anne… you need to tell Fitzwilliam… to marry Anne…" cried the lady.
"I will talk to you when you are better. Do not worry, we will take care of you and Anne," the earl promised as he devised a plan in his head.
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Back to Hertfordshire next! That is all I can say. ;-)
Thank you for the replies to my question. Loved reading them. Imagine having Darcy and the colonel at your beck and call…
Shelby66: Love Matthew M's voice.
I am sure you all know that he has a voice recording of the first proposal chapter of PnP. I have never tried an audiobook but I would love to hear him read the entire book! Also, Jennifer Ehle did a reading of the book during the lockdown. MM and JE readings are still found on Youtube.
Next question: How many children do you envision the PnP characters would have? What kind of parents would they be?
D/E should have a dozen! And Darcy would spoil all the daughters LOL.
How about Collins? Charlotte was expecting at the end of the book. Will that be the future heir to Longbourn? Would he be a doting father? If he had a daughter, would she be named Catherine?
Till next chapter…