October 3, 2014 – In some ways the character most affected by Elizabeth's kidnapping was Mary. She's still a bit, straight-laced, but she has benefited from Jane's attention and her father's. In some ways she is much more comfortable in her skin than any other of her sisters. This is not to say that she doesn't have some growing to do, she does, but she's much more secure in who she is and Sir John is finding that irresistible.
Chapter 22
Mary Bennet burst through the door into the chamber where Jane lay ill, surprising Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst and the maid sitting in the corner.
"Miss Mary! What a surprise. I had not thought our carriage had left yet."
"I could not wait and rode over instead."
"By yourself?"
"I have lived in the neighborhood all my life, Miss Bingley. As it happens, Sir John was gracious enough to accompany me."
"Of course. I should have realized he would, after delivering my note. Well then, we shall leave you to your sister. Louisa and I have taken it upon ourselves to see that she is well entertained while she is recovering at Netherfield."
"Thank you for looking after Jane, Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst. It is a great relief to me."
After the ladies of the house left, Mary sent the servant on an errand. The sisters needed to be completely alone.
Mary sat on the bed and felt Jane's forehead. The fever remained.
"I hope your hosts have not tired you."
"I appreciate their willingness to attend me."
"Always seeing the best in everyone. Enough of them – Jane, I received a letter from Papa. Would you like me to read it aloud?"
Jane smiled and said she would. She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes as Mary began to read.
My dear Jane and Mary,
Our fervent prayers have finally been answered. Lady Catherine de Bourgh confirmed that her daughter Anne was secretly adopted. All evidence points to the conclusion that Anne deBourgh Darcy is, in fact, our missing daughter!
It remains unclear how she came to the de Bourghs. Further investigation will be necessary to uncover that mystery. Lady Catherine claims that her late husband made all the arrangements. I do not know if she is completely innocent of the crime of Elizabeth's abduction. I do know that your sister, who was thought lost forever, is found.
We are to remain at Rosings for a few days at least. Everyone has questions and there are other members of Elizabeth's adoptive family to consult. As much as I would like to announce the news, it is best that it remain a secret for the time being. Tell no one else until you have directions from me. Anne must be told, but Lydia, William and Henry can wait until I can do it myself.
Your father.
Mary put down the paper and grabbed Jane's hand.
"After all this time. Can you believe it?"
Jane had never stopped smiling, though her face showed her fatigue. "No, but it must be true. You saw Mrs. Darcy, she looks so much like Mama. I hope we shall see her again soon. I would wish to know her."
"As do I, but Papa said we must keep this to ourselves. I wish I could stay and talk with you about it, but I cannot remain much longer. I would not have come had Papa's letter not arrived when Sir John came to Longbourn with the offer of a carriage."
"Sir John came to Longbourn?"
"Yes, to deliver Miss Bingley's offer of her carriage. But once I received Papa's note, I knew I had to come see you immediately. I took Nellie and rode here with Sir John."
"It was kind of him to escort you."
"He was returning with or without me."
"The point is that he waited for Nellie to be saddled and for you to change into your riding clothes."
Mary shrugged. "He is a gentleman. Your Mr. Bingley would have done the same, I dare say."
"Mary, he is not my Mr. Bingley."
"Stay a week in this house and he very well might be." Jane blushed, and Mary could see that her beloved older sister would not be unhappy with the prospect. They spoke for a few more minutes until the maid returned.
"I must return home now. If any more news arrives, I shall personally see that you have it. Until then, rest, dear. We will miss you at Longbourn."
Jane nodded and closed her eyes, exhausted by the visit. Mary stood, leaned over, and kissed Jane on the cheek. Satisfied that her sister was well looked after, Mary returned to Longbourn, accompanied by a dogged Sir John, who would not take no for an answer when she declined his initial offer of an escort.
~~~/~~~
"I still cannot believe Sir Lewis would do such a thing!" Harold Fitzwilliam, Earl of Perryton and most importantly, Lady Catherine's brother, opined. He had arrived that afternoon in response to Darcy's entreaty that he come to Rosings on "a most urgent matter of family business" as quickly possible. He was introduced to the Bennets and told of the discovery. He too had asked Lady Catherine many questions, but she held firmly to the story she had related the previous day.
"He was an honorable man to whom the family owes a great deal." Lord Perryton was referring, of course, to Sir Lewis' willingness to marry Catherine Fitzwilliam for such a small dowry at the time that the earldom was in serious financial straits. "This does not sound like him at all!"
"I agree, Harold, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about this since yesterday. Perhaps he had nothing to do with the kidnapping of Anne," Lady Catherine countered.
"I cannot see how he would not know."
"Maybe the kidnapping was unrelated? He could have thought Anne was a foundling."
"That seems unlikely," Mr. Bennet said. "Why else would Elizabeth have been stolen?"
"Maybe it was a crime of opportunity?" Lady Catherine added.
"I think what Lady Catherine is trying to imply is that maybe someone took Anne with the intent of asking for a ransom," Darcy explained.
"Yes, Darcy – exactly! And then they changed their minds and left her someplace rather than risk returning her. Or maybe the person was unbalanced and did not know what he was doing."
"That seems so incredible, Catherine." Lord Perryton was skeptical.
"Is it any more incredible than Sir Lewis having a baby kidnapped to raise as his own? I am only trying to consider different scenarios that would explain what happened without vilifying my late husband!"
"Calm down, sister. It is obvious that you are upset about what happened to Anne. I do grant you that there may be other plausible explanations for these events. Sir Lewis could be innocent, but the fact remains that someone did kidnap Anne as a newborn and that she ended up as your daughter under what are very suspicious circumstances. It would have helped matters if you would have told us Anne was adopted a long time ago."
"What, and have you treat her differently?"
"We would have loved and accepted her the same."
"No, you cannot say that you would. Sir Lewis was right in insisting that she be protected from whispers and innuendo. I still say we should continue to do so."
"May I speak, since it is me we are discussing?" Anne Darcy was tired of being spoken of as if she were not there.
"Of course, Anne," said Lady Catherine
"Thank you. First, let me say that this has been a very trying and confusing time for me. To learn that I am not who I thought I was…." Anne looked at her birth parents. "I have a family I never knew I had and I need to understand why I was taken from them. We must, for all our sakes, continue to search out the truth. I also have a family whom I have known all my life and they should be told right away. Arthur, Andrew, and Martin – they all should be informed before gossip reaches them, especially Arthur. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, you are my flesh and blood and yet I do not know you. I should very much like to change that. Fitzwilliam and I agree that we must return to Hertfordshire shortly."
"Before you do anything rash, you need to decide how you want Society to learn of the new connection. You look like a Bennet, Anne. People will notice. Are you prepared to be acknowledged as their long lost daughter?" Her uncle did not attempt to hide his concern.
"I already have."
"By those in this room. I mean by your peers. Think carefully before you reply. You have no idea how this revelation will be taken, or how the ton will accept it. Frankly, I am jaded enough to believe that you will be the talk of Town, and not in a flattering manner. You will be pitied, mocked and even ridiculed. Come now, you know I am not too far from the truth."
Anne knew he was right, but she was not willing to hurt the family with whom she had just been reunited.
"The resemblance is too strong to deny any familial connection."
"Yes, but must the connection be as a daughter? Could you not just say you are cousins through Mrs. Bennet?"
"That is not exactly the truth."
"It acknowledges a relationship without going into detail. If you return to Hertfordshire, people will wonder if you say nothing at all. Who knows how close to the truth they will come before you are ready to say anything more?"
Anne looked at her husband for help. Darcy obliged immediately.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, would you be comfortable with calling Anne your cousin for the time being, until all the important issues are resolved?"
"Why must we wait? I have been waiting twenty years!" Mrs. Bennet cried. Mr. Bennet placed his hand on his wife's knee and spoke gently.
"And what is a few days more, Harriet?" He turned to Darcy. "Your suggestion is a good one, but if Eliz… Mrs. Darcy spends very much time in Hertfordshire, the connection will come out. People will see she is the right age to be our missing daughter and the resemblance is uncanny. As my Anne grows older, it will be even more evident."
"We need to return for a few weeks at least. I promised Bingley we would be back," Darcy explained. "Afterwards we might all come to Rosings, or perhaps Pemberley would offer more privacy to become better acquainted."
The general consensus was that Rosings was a better choice. Its location near London and within a day's journey of Longbourn was in its favor.
"What shall you do next?" the earl asked.
"My cousin Arthur needs to be informed," Anne answered.
"Will you ask him to come here, or go to him?"
"Helena will soon enter her confinement, and I doubt Arthur would leave her now, nor should we ask him. One of us must go to him."
"I will go," volunteered Darcy.
"Thank you, but I would like to be there as well." Anne's jaw was set, a sure sign to her husband that she was not to be gainsaid.
"Should you not wait until the question of the disposition of the estate is resolved?" Lord Perryton suggested.
Lady Catherine addressed her brother. "I told you, Harold, there is no question. Anne inherited Rosings legally according to the terms of Sir Lewis' will."
"Nevertheless, we need to confirm that as soon as possible. Anne's inheritance is my main concern."
"Not Mrs. Darcy?" Mr. Bennet inquired.
"Of course, I meant the material ramifications," the earl explained. "I shudder to think of the mess all this could cause if Sir Lewis did not properly foresee the difficulties that might result from his scheme!"
Before anyone could respond, the butler, Gibbons, entered the room.
"I am sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Collins has come for his appointment with Lady Catherine. I have shown him into her ladyship's study, but he has been waiting nearly an hour and grows restless."
Lady Catherine rolled her eyes. "I forgot about my clergyman."
"You have an appointment with him?" Darcy was surprised; then again, he was not. Lady Catherine rather enjoyed advising her new parson.
"It is a longstanding weekly meeting."
"Weekly? Whatever for?"
"Parish business and a few other minor subject on which he wishes for my opinion." She gave Darcy a dismissive wave of her hand and then addressed the butler. "Please give Mr. Collins my apologies; I will not be able to meet with him this week."
"Very good, milady."
"I still would like to know if your parson is my cousin," Mr. Bennet interjected once the servant had left to send Mr. Collins on his way.
"Having met Mr. Collins, it would be a cruel irony if he were." Darcy rolled his eyes. "The man has no sense."
"That sounds like my cousin's father. Maybe it is his son."
~~~/~~~
Mr. Bennet cornered Darcy after it was determined that Darcy and Anne would travel to Surrey the next day to meet with Arthur de Bourgh.
"We will be leaving for Hertfordshire in the morning as well," he informed his host.
"You are welcome to stay at Rosings until we return," Darcy offered.
"Thank you for your generosity, but I should return to Longbourn. The rest of my children need to be told and we must prepare for your return."
"That is perfectly understandable."
"That is not all, Mr. Darcy." Mr. Bennet hesitated, choosing his words with care. "Until this morning, my wife has been… unusually subdued. That is not her nature. She is a rather… exuberant woman. She cares deeply for the welfare of all her children. She would not think of allowing Henry to go into the Army or the Navy; they are too dangerous for her son. Harriet has decided he will become a clergyman. Henry is not keen on the idea, but he is still young.
"Pardon me, I digress. My wife will, no doubt, soon return to her normal ways and exult in the great fortune of her long-lost daughter. Sure to follow will be hints that you and Mrs. Darcy throw her sisters into the paths of wealthy men. As I said, she means well, but…"
"But you do not want her to embarrass Anne in front of our family?"
"Let us just say that Mrs. Darcy may need time to grow accustomed to Mrs. Bennet's nerves."
"Her nerves?"
"Sir, if you had birthed five girls in succession with an estate entailed, worried that you would be cast in the hedgerows if you did not produce a son, you would be justified in becoming slightly concerned for your future. Even the eventual birth of an heir might not be enough to cure such insecurities."
Mr. Bennet clapped Darcy on his shoulder. "It is a good thing you and your wife are not easily intimidated. You have yet to experience some of Hertfordshire's country manners, or my wife's hospitality."
Mr. Bennet left Darcy alone to ponder his words, and to prepare for their departure.
~~~/~~~
Lord Perryton sat by the fireplace in his chambers, nursing a brandy. He too would leave in the morning. He carried a letter from Darcy authorizing him to view all the pertinent papers held by the de Bourgh and Darcy solicitors.
The earl was exhausted, but his mind would not allow him to rest. He had listened as everything was recounted for him by Anne, Darcy and his sister Catherine. Afterwards he had interviewed the housekeeper. The story Lady Catherine told was convincing, and seemed to be corroborated by Mrs. Stuart.
Yet Harold Fitzwilliam was unconvinced that he had been told the full truth. The whole scheme seemed so unlike the Lewis de Bourgh he remembered. It seemed more like something his sister might try to pull off for only God knew what reason!
He considered Anne; she certainly appeared to want to believe her mother, though he wondered how she would reconcile her feelings toward her father if she accepted her mother's account of what had happened.
He did not feel right accusing his sister of lying, not at this point. No, he would return to Town and start investigating the situation. Mrs. Stuart had provided him with the names and last known addresses for everyone Stuart knew involved. He recognized the modiste; his wife was one of her patrons. The woman had a reputation for exquisite gowns and fine workmanship, as well as complete discretion on private matters. As for the others on his list, he would have to confirm whether they still lived, and if they did, he would need to contact them. Lord Perryton sighed; twenty years was a long time ago and plenty of time to obfuscate the truth.
~~~/~~~
Darcy found his wife in the nursery, watching their daughter sleep. He came up behind Anne and placed his arms around her; she relaxed into his embrace.
"She looks so peaceful, as if unaware of the storm brewing about her," Anne remarked.
"That is because she is. It is her mother who is anxious."
"I feel like I am being tossed about in the waves," Anne confided.
"And I am here as your anchor so you will not be lost. Darling, this is so unexpected, so… unbelievable."
"Yet it is true… What must you think of me?"
Darcy sighed. "How many times do I have to assure you of my love and devotion? Nothing has changed except that we have gained another set of grandparents for Elizabeth."
"Hmmm." Anne paused a few moments before she spoke again. "We know so little about them."
Darcy agreed. "Our uncle will return to London tomorrow and start searching for answers. I have asked him to investigate the Bennets as well. It is not that I doubt the veracity of their words, only that we should know their situation better.
"Mr. Bennet spoke with me today, alone. He tried to warn me that Mrs. Bennet can be… excitable."
"And my own mother cannot? Mrs. Bennet seems like a nice woman, but I know we have all been guarded. Soon we shall learn their faults and they shall learn ours."
"Faults? You are perfection itself."
Anne softly laughed and turned in Darcy's arms. "You, husband, are a horrible liar."
The Earl is the one who will do the investigating. Darcy needs to stay with his wife and the Earl can throw his weight around to get things done and intimidate the crap out of reluctant eye-witnesses.