September 26, 2014 – And hello to all who are still reading. I know I lost some after the last chapter. That's okay. I have the right to write a story as I see fit and you have the right to stop reading a story as you see fit. I've abandoned my share of tales. It's all good.

This story has polarized people unlike anything else I've ever done. In a way I am extremely proud of that. I want my work to strike a chord and I know that sometimes, with some people, it's the wrong one. As I said, it's all good.

You see, life is messy and I find the longer I've been at this writing thing the messier my stories end. While I write happy endings, the good guys don't always prevail completely over the bad guys. So will Lady Catherine get away with it? No and yes. You'll have to read to the end to find out what that means.

In the meantime, let's meet the Bennet clan.

Chapter 18

Anne looked away from the painting and over to the woman it portrayed. The intervening years had aged her, but Mrs. Bennet was still a handsome woman. The lines time had written upon her face could not fully diminish her beauty.

Before Anne knew what she was about, she was kneeling before Mrs. Bennet. Continuing what she had begun the night before, the older woman's hand reached to stroke her long-lost daughter's face. Anne made no objection; she closed her eyes and gloried in the older woman's touch. Her mother had rarely touched her; only her husband had done anything as intimate as what Mrs. Bennet was doing now. Anne, eyes still closed, sighed and leaned into the hand tracing her features. The others in the room sat transfixed at the scene unfolding before them.

Finally, Anne opened her eyes and smiled at Mrs. Bennet. It had been a moving experience for them both. Anne then looked at Fitzwilliam and faltered at seeing the serious looks on the faces of everyone else in the room. Whatever enchantment she was under was broken and the enormity of the revelations came crashing down upon her. In the space of a day, her life, and everything she had ever known, had apparently been turned upside down. Doubt overwhelmed her. Who was she? She did not know.

Seeing his wife's burgeoning distress, Darcy asked, "Do you have something stronger than tea? I am not one to indulge this early in the morning, but considering all you have said, I think Anne and I could use a drink to settle the nerves."

Sir William cleared his throat. "If you do not mind, I will leave you now, unless you have any further questions for me." Darcy shook his head. "If you should change your mind, Lucas Lodge is very close to Longbourn. Let me assure you, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, that I will not breathe a word of this to anyone. Lady Lucas and I had already discussed the possibility that Mrs. Darcy might be Elizabeth and we have agreed that, until you tell us otherwise, it is in everyone's best interest that we keep this to ourselves. Just know that if there is any way we can be of service, you need only ask. That holds true for every person in this room."

Sir William bowed and left Mr. and Mrs. Bennet alone with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.

Anne asked the question on everyone's tongue. "What next?"

"I think we must first go to Kent and speak with Lady Catherine." Darcy turned to his hosts. "Lady Catherine is Anne's mother… well… mother and lives at the de Bourgh family estate in Kent called Rosings Park. She can confirm whether or not Anne was adopted."

"Will she be willing to tell the truth if Anne was adopted?"

"I hope her conscience would make her. But I think we need to present her with compelling evidence. You should go with us, Mr. Bennet, as should the portrait. I would offer you and Mrs. Bennet a place in our carriage, but with our daughter and her nurse…"

"You have a child?" Mrs. Bennet asked in astonishment.

"Yes, ma'am. She was born at the beginning of August; her name is… her name is Elizabeth…" Darcy was suddenly struck by the incredible coincidence of the choice of name for his daughter. She had been named after her great-grandmother, the woman who was grandmother to both he and Anne – the Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam, the previous Countess of Perryton.

"Eliz… Mrs. Darcy, would you like to meet your other siblings?" Mrs. Bennet asked.

"I believe I met two of your daughters last night."

"Jane and Mary, my eldest two children, though you are our second born."

"I think it is presumptuous to introduce Anne as their long lost sister before we go to Rosings Park. This may yet prove to be a gross misunderstanding," Darcy said firmly.

"Can we not meet them without saying what we suspect? Please, I want to see them to see if I look like them." Anne pleaded with her husband, then addressed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. "Everyone always assumed I took after my father, Sir Lewis de Bourgh, since I look nothing like the Fitzwilliams. Perhaps it will give us another clue to my identity, if I am indeed Elizabeth Bennet."

"Elizabeth Darcy," Fitzwilliam corrected.

"That is what I meant, darling," Anne said softly.

"I know. This is all so… unexpected, Anne. I hardly know what to think."

"I think we should meet the other Bennet children."

Darcy relented. "Of course, you are correct."

"Let me take you to them, Mrs. Darcy," offered Mr. Bennet.

"Do any of them know of your suspicions?" Darcy asked, not moving until he was ready.

"The three eldest girls do. They were at the Assembly ball last night and their mother and I spoke to them after we returned. The other four have no idea, though they were told to remain in the house this morning. I anticipated that you might wish to meet them. Whoever is not in the morning room should be upstairs attending to their lessons. Let me ring for a servant to see that all my children are together."

A few minutes later, when all parties were ready, the Bennets led the Darcys to meet Anne's brothers and sisters. They had decided not to say anything to the younger children until they had met with Lady Catherine, and that they would travel together to Town the next morning, and then on to Rosings the following day.

Everything was moving forward so quickly that Anne did not have time to question what was happening. She had allowed herself to be caught in the tide of her new fate and her husband could only stand by her side, ready to support her when it became too much for her to bear.

Anne tried to remember what Mr. Bennet had told her about each of his children. Jane was the eldest, and two and twenty. Anne had to agree that she was a very attractive young lady and wondered how it was that Miss Bennet was still unmarried. Surely some young man would have been captivated by her beauty and made her an offer by now? Next in line, after the missing Elizabeth… her?… was Mary. Mary had just turned nineteen. Anne thought her the least attractive of all the sisters, but growing up in the shadow of such an eldest sister could be intimidating for a girl without a strong personality. From what Anne had noticed of the young woman, she did not believe Mary to be the assertive type. Catherine, or Kitty as the family called her, was seventeen. Anne had seen the girl the night before but had not actually talked with her. She seemed handsome enough.

The rest of the siblings she had yet to lay eyes on. Lydia was just fifteen. Mr. Bennet had said she was physically mature for her age and when introduced, Anne noted that she seemed the tallest of the girls. Young William Bennet was thirteen and the pride and joy of his parents. He could have been sent off to school that year, but Mr. Bennet preferred to educate him at home for the present time. He was a handsome lad, still a boy and not quite a young man. After William came Anne Bennet. Anne Darcy marveled at the coincidence, though Anne was a common enough Christian name that it should not be too surprising they shared it. Anne felt her husband tense when the girl was introduced and took a closer look at the child. She did remind Anne of herself as girl. The set of Darcy's jaw told Anne he had come to the same conclusion. Last but not least was Henry Bennet, the youngest of the Bennet children and the ever-important "spare" for the preservation of the estate against the threat of entailment. He was only ten years of age but Anne detected a spirit of mischievousness in the twinkle of his eyes.

"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Mrs. Darcy," Jane Bennet began once they were all seated. "I am afraid last night was not the most conducive to forming a new acquaintance." Anne had to restrain a laugh when she noted that Jane was looking at her just as intently as she was looking at Jane for family resemblances. Anne's love of the absurd tugged the corners of her mouth up.

"It is understandable under the circumstances. I have a feeling we will be getting to know each other quite well, Miss Bennet."

"Unfortunately, that will have to wait a few days more," Darcy interposed. "We have an urgent matter to attend to in Kent and we leave in the morning."

Jane did not question such a hasty departure so soon after they had arrived. "I pray that you have a safe journey then. Will you return to Hertfordshire?"

"It is our intention to do so. Our host, Mr. Bingley, would be disappointed if we do not. If you will excuse me, ladies, I need to speak to Mr. Bennet again."

Mr. Bennet agreed to Mr. Darcy's request for another interview.

"I am sorry to pull you away so soon, sir, but I deemed it more important that we speak now."

"What is it, Mr. Darcy?"

"After meeting your children, I believe it imperative that your youngest daughter, Miss Anne, travel to Kent with us."

"My Anne? Why?"

Darcy walked over and picked up the portrait of Mrs. Bennet. He stared at it for a few moments. "There is another portrait. This one hangs at Rosings Park, my wife's estate." Darcy turned the picture so that Mr. Bennet could see it. "As much as this painting is an indictment of Anne's supposed paternity, the other is its twin."

It took only a minute for Mr. Bennet to realize the implications. "Are you saying I would recognize the person in the painting at Rosings?"

"It is of my wife when she was your Anne's age."

"I see. Anne is too young to understand."

"She need not be present when I confront Lady Catherine. We can think of something on the way. Perhaps her governess can come and keep her company?"

"We have no governess."

"No governess, with seven children?"

"The eldest three no longer need one."

"But still, four children? What about their education?"

"My wife and I have taught them. We did have a governess until Jane was old enough to help."

"Why on earth would you rely on your daughter to take the place of a governess to her brothers and sisters?"

"I said that Mrs. Bennet and I oversaw their education. Jane helped with the little ones." Mr. Bennet pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Darcy, your estate…"

"Pemberley."

"Yes, Pemberley. I have seen the fine clothes you and Mrs. Darcy wear. You are a wealthy man. I would guess that Pemberley and Rosing Park provide you with an income of, say ten, fifteen, twenty thousand pounds a year, and maybe even more." Darcy acknowledged the guesses were near enough. "Longbourn has never produced as much as three-thousand in one year. As you have pointed out, I have seven children to raise. The girls have very little dowry coming from their mother. Henry will need a profession. Every farthing that could be saved has been. Oh, I was not always so economical, but when my baby was stolen from my very hands, I knew I must do everything in my power to better protect my family. I live with my own guilt. It was too late to save Elizabeth from her abductor, but by God I could save the rest from genteel poverty! That is why we kept having children after a fifth girl was born, that is why we have no governess. I may not provide them with everything, but I do provide them with everything they need. I will not apologize for my lack of a governess. Not to you, not to anyone."

"Forgive me sir, I did not realize." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Will you bring Miss Anne? Perhaps Miss Bennet or Miss Mary or Miss Catherine could come with you as well."

"Jane needs to remain here if Mrs. Bennet and I are absent. Is it this important?"

Darcy took one more look at the painting before placing it back on the wall where it had previously hung. He took a few steps back to admire it from further away. "Mr. Bennet, I was skeptical of this whole story until you showed us this portrait. Still, my mind was not willing to admit the possible truth of the matter. It is not often that one is confronted with the knowledge that the woman you love more than anything else in the world is not who you thought she was. It is also distressing that my family could have anything to do with the crime perpetrated against yours. But here I stand and look at the evidence hanging on the wall, and in the drawing room sits a young girl who could be my wife's twin if they were both twelve. For all of our sakes, Miss Anne must come to Rosings so we can put this to rest, either way, once and for all. Either my wife is your missing daughter or she is not. I, for one, would like to know as soon as possible. If she is, it could have far reaching effects on both our families, including my own daughter."

Darcy's face softened as he turned to his companion. "I too am a father. I cannot imagine the pain I would feel if I were to lose my Elizabeth. To have someone take your own flesh and blood, from your very arms even, is a memory no man should be forced to bear."

"I am not taking your wife from you, sir." Mr. Bennet said gently.

"I pray that is not what happens if she truly is your daughter."

"She has given her vows to you, nothing can change that."

"Anne is still in shock; when she has time to digest everything we will be devastated that her mother could have done this, or her father. She never knew him, for Sir Lewis died before Anne was even a year old, but she has fond feelings for him. She also has a very… passionate relationship with her mother, but Anne loves her dearly. Mr. Bennet, I am afraid for them both."

~~~/~~~

"Do you think it is true?" Anne asked Fitzwilliam when they were back in their quarters at Netherfield.

"At first I was skeptical, but then we saw the painting and met Anne Bennet."

"I know, it was the same for me." Anne swallowed, willing the tears to remain at bay. "Fitzwilliam, I am so afraid. What if it is true? What will happen to me, to us?"

Fitzwilliam held his wife in his arms; she cried freely now. "Nothing can break us apart. We are married and no one can change that. You are a Darcy whether your name was Anne or Elizabeth when you were born. I love you."

He continued to hold her until she fell asleep, all the while assuring her of his devotion.

~~~/~~~

Two carriages traveled together to London the following morning. Anne had insisted that baby Elizabeth come with them. She could not stand the thought of being parted from her sweet daughter. Kitty Bennet was chosen as her youngest sister's companion for the journey. The two coaches arrived in Town in the early afternoon. Due to the hasty nature of their mission, Darcy had invited the Bennets to stay with them. He had been told that Mrs. Bennet had a brother in Gracechurch Street, but he thought that the fewer people who knew about this, the better.

After having the chance to refresh themselves, the party gathered in the drawing room. Young Anne saw a very large chair and went to sit in it. Her feet dangled off the end.

"Are you sure you are comfortable?" Mr. Bennet asked his youngest daughter.

"Oh yes, Papa! Have you ever seen such a large chair?"

"No dear."

"The chair you are sitting in, Miss Anne, is the favorite chair of Mrs. Darcy's mother, Lady Catherine."

"Your mother must be very large to like such a huge chair, ma'am."

Anne Darcy laughed. "Not at all, I assure you."

"I wonder if this is as big as the special chairs the King and Queen sit on?"

"Do you mean a throne?"

"Yes, that is the word. A throne."

Anne Darcy cast a quick look at her husband; he was trying not to laugh at the very perceptive description of his mother-in-law's favorite seat.

"Would you care for a tour of the townhouse?"

"Can we?" young Anne asked. It was apparent to all that she was eager to explore the large London house.

"We would be delighted, Mrs. Darcy," Mr. Bennet replied.

Anne led the way, arm linked with Anne Bennet. The little imp of a girl was quickly worming her way into her could-be sister's heart.

"My sister Lydia will be so jealous of Kitty and me. She wanted to come, you know, but Papa said Kitty and I were coming and that was the end of the discussion. We never do anything so spontaneous. Oh, you have such a grand house, Mrs. Darcy. My bedroom at Longbourn is not even a quarter of the size of my chamber here, and I share with Lydia. Is that a real ancient Greek statue?" She hardly drew breath, flitting from one topic to the next without pause… or reason.

Anne Darcy appreciated the lighthearted diversion. Tomorrow they would be in Kent. Never in a million years would she have guessed she would see her mother again so soon, and at Rosings. That is, the woman she had always called her mother. Would she still after their meeting?

My Author's Notes tend to be there, not so much as to explain why a characters acted in a certain way, but to give you the reader a glimpse into my mind as I made certain choices in a story. Hopefully my ramblings and will give you a better feel for the direction of the story and for my vision of the characters. I'm not one to write everything down that is happening. I prefer to let you use your imaginations. After all, isn't that what Jane did when she wrote her novels?

So...

I happen to be one of five children. None of us look like each other, but when we are all together it is VERY obvious we are siblings. If you could see pictures of me and of my son when we were both 11/12, he's the male version of me at that age. I kinda have this image in mind when it comes to the Bennet daughters. They all are different but there is no question they are siblings. While I could have just left it there for this story, I decided to make Anne Darcy look a like her mother so we could get to it right away and take away any doubt Anne might have had. Darcy would have recognized Anne Bennet as being his Anne's sibling, but I didn't go that way as proof of who she really was.