~~PoP~~

Difficult decisions

The morning after the ball, everyone slept late, rising just in time for services.

Afterwards, the extended Bennet and Fitzwilliam families, gathered at Purvis Lodge at the request of Lord Matlock.

On the pretext that the families needed to discuss wedding plans for Elizabeth and Darcy, the Bennets, Ashcrofts and Matlocks, including Richard and Darcy, gathered in the family parlour, while the Dukes entertained the Seftons.

Soon after they had taken their seats, two footmen escorted Lady Catherine into the room.

~PoP~

Lady Catherine had spent an uncomfortable night. It was painful that she had been judged by her peers and found wanting. It was even more humiliating that all those peers had laughed at her for claiming to be one of their number.

But the worst aspect of the situation was that she had been unable to intimidate Miss Bennet. What was the world coming to if Lady Catherine de Bourgh could not dominate a girl who had barely reached her majority?

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Miss Bennet, despite her name, was an Ashcroft. What was it about that blasted family that they always managed to foil her plans? Even though it was six and twenty years ago, when she was two and twenty and in her fifth season, she vividly remembered her desperation to find a husband… all because of that beautiful footman and his charming ways.

She saw her chance at the houseparty at the estate of the Duke of Barrington and picked her victim carefully. Patrick Ashmore, Viscount Markwell had the right kind of pedigree, and she judged him to be pliable because of his youth. Within days she had managed to entrap him.

But just as she was about to carry the day, Lord Ashcroft had pointed out that his son was still a minor and could therefore not marry without permission. As the young man had been reluctant to do the honourable thing after discovering her in his bed, he did not protest his father's prohibition. As a matter of fact, he had appeared almost gleeful.

'Lady Catherine, as it was you who entered my son's bedchamber rather than the reverse, your claims of him compromising you are null and void. It was you who compromised yourself and I will not allow my son to marry a woman of such questionable morals. Out of friendship to your father, I will not make your shame public, but you had better find another man to marry. You shall never be connected to my family.'

Gritting her teeth because she knew that even her father would not help her in the circumstances, she had kept her silence. It was mere weeks later that she was forced to marry Sir Lewis de Bourgh. She found out later that he knew himself to be sterile and desperate for an heir.

In all the years since, she had avoided the Ashcrofts on those rare occasions when she was in society. Was it any wonder that she could not recognise them a quarter of a century later, as it was hard to remember what they looked like? But that lapse of memory had cost her dearly.

And to top it all off, now the niece of her intended victim was to marry Darcy, ruining her plan to rid herself of her daughter.

All these years the girl had been a reminder of her youthful foolishness, but she could never bring herself to foist off her daughter on a member of the nobility. Having hated Darcy for choosing her sister Anne over herself, it had seemed such a sweet revenge to marry his son to the offspring of a footman.

Why did nothing ever work out the way she had planned?

Adding insult to injury, her brother insisted that she must apologise to that girl or suffer a fate worse than death.

~PoP~

Lady Catherine stood ramrod straight as she confronted Miss Bennet who was sitting next to Darcy. Many things passed through her mind, none of them flattering to the lady, but she knew that she could not voice those thoughts.

Instead, she addressed Elizabeth with forced politeness. 'Miss Bennet, it has been brought home to me that I had no right to make any demands on you as my nephew is his own man. I therefore wish to apologise for my words and attitude at our last meeting,' she said through gritted teeth.

Elizabeth carefully chose her words as she replied, 'Thank you, Lady Catherine, I accept your apology in the spirit in which it was tendered. Let us speak no more of it.'

Lady Catherine's eyes flashed at that response. How dare that girl saw through her insincerity. But as propriety had been satisfied on both sides, it was not worth the risk to make a fuss. She turned to her brother instead. 'Are you satisfied?'

'Since Miss Bennet has accepted your apology, it will have to do,' Lord Matlock informed his sister. He felt that she had got off lightly but doubted that they could get a more sincere apology.

'In that case, I would appreciate it if my carriage should be readied so that I may return to my home.'

'Catherine, it is Sunday… a day of rest, not a day to travel. As our host has agreed to accommodate you until tomorrow, I suggest that you return to your room and take the opportunity to rest from your ordeal. Tomorrow, I will accompany you to Rosings to ensure that all is well.'

Lady Catherine understood that although his words were phrased as a suggestion, it was an order from the head of the family. As this was not Rosings, she had no choice but to comply.

~PoP~

Once they had the room to themselves, Lord Ashcroft suggested, 'Since the ostensible purpose of this meeting is to discuss the wedding of Elizabeth and Darcy, I propose that we actually discuss that topic.'

He turned to the couple, 'Have you decided when you wish to marry?'

'We would like to marry sooner rather than later, grandfather,' Elizabeth said with a sideways glance at Darcy who smiled and nodded.

Bennet watched them with a wistful smile. 'I understand your eagerness, but I have a request. As it is so close already, I would like to have one Christmas at Longbourn with my whole family.'

Darcy and Elizabeth exchanged looks and nods. 'While I would like to claim my bride as early as might be, I suppose that as we will have a lifetime together, we can wait an extra week or two,' Darcy said, watching for Elizabeth's reaction. The brilliant smile made it both easier and harder for him.

'I agree but I insist on starting the new year as Mrs Darcy,' Elizabeth made her own opinion known.

In the end, everyone agreed that Monday the thirtieth of December would be the perfect day for the wedding.

Lady Ashcroft extended the hospitality of Purvis Lodge to the Matlocks for the Christmas period, so that they could be on hand for the wedding. Lord and Lady Matlock were pleased to accept the invitation.

~PoP~

As Ashcroft and his family rejoined his other guests, Lady Matlock asked Richard to remain for a private word.

Richard sighed and grudgingly waited for the inquisition which he knew was coming. He was surprised when his mother merely asked mildly, 'Are you serious about Miss Mary?'

'How did you know?'

'Mrs Bennet said that she would dance the first set with Miss Mary's suitor. She danced with you. And you danced the supper set with the young lady.'

Seeing his son hesitate to answer the question, he said, 'If you are concerned about your ability to support a wife, I should tell you that I received a note from Anne. She wanted to inform me that she is planning on making you her heir. One of my reasons to accompany Catherine to Rosings is to find out more about her plans.'

Richard had listened with growing consternation to his father. 'It is ironic. I was concerned that Miss Mary would consider me a fortune hunter, as she is the owner of the estate which Bingley is currently renting. Now you tell me that Anne wants to hand her estate over to me. While I hope that Anne lives for many years yet, it would have made my life simpler if I had known earlier.'

'So, are you serious about Miss Mary?' Lady Matlock asked again.

The Colonel grimaced. 'Perhaps. But she does not want me as long as I remain wedded to the army.'

Lady Matlock beamed. 'I like her even more now.'

'But you do not know if you are ready to hang up your sabre,' Lord Matlock surmised.

Richard nodded thoughtfully. 'I suppose that I just need some time to get used to the idea.'

'Son, I just hope that you get used to the idea before you are recalled to duty,' his mother said as she grasped his hands. 'Please, for all our sakes.'

'I promised her that I would consider it.'

When Lady Matlock looked like she wanted to argue further, Lord Matlock quietly said, 'Give Richard a chance to make his own decisions. He is old enough to do so. Otherwise, he might dig his heels in.'

The lady looked at her husband and said with asperity, 'I wonder from whom he inherited his stubbornness?'

Richard grinned at her and said, 'From both sides of the family,' earning himself a look of disgust from his mother.

~PoP~

On Monday, everyone except Lord and Lady Ashcroft departed from Purvis Lodge to make for their estates for Christmas.

Lady Matlock was headed for London to await her husband, as she had no inclination to endure the company of Lady Catherine.

Lord Matlock accompanied his sister to Rosings and was pleased that she opted for icy silence rather than vituperative arguments. While they rested the horses at Bromfield, a footman from Rosings joined the coachman. Matlock noticed the addition but held his peace.

The peace only lasted until in the late afternoon the carriage passed the manor at Rosings and continued on.

Lady Catherine noticed that the direction was not towards her intended destination. 'Where the devil does that coachman think he is going?' she fumed.

'I presume he is taking you to your home. Was that not where you wanted to go?' Matlock asked mildly as he suppressed a malicious grin.

'We have passed my home a quarter mile back, she barked and stuck her head out of the window. 'Turn the carriage around instantly and turn back to the manor,' she shouted, only to be ignored by the driver.

The coach continued on for a few more minutes while she ranted until it stopped in front of a slightly dilapidated building.

As soon as the footman had placed the steps, the lady stormed out of the vehicle, to be confronted by her daughter and several large footmen.

'Welcome back, Lady Catherine. I hope that you will be comfortable in your home,' said Anne de Bourgh with a bland smile and a gesture towards the Dower House.

'That is not my home. My home is the manor house of Rosings Park.'

'Since I reached the age specified for me to come into my inheritance several months ago, the manor house is my home. According to the will of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, you are entitled to live in the Dower House.'

'But that house is not fit to be lived in,' protested Lady Catherine.

'Whose fault is that? I distinctly remember Darcy telling you that the house needed to be refurbished, but you refused to do so,' Anne said calmly. She caught the Earl's eye as he stepped out of the coach and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

As Anne appeared to be dealing with the situation admirably, he leaned against the coach and watched the drama with interest.

'But you cannot expect me to live in this leaking and drafty old house while you enjoy the opulence of the manor.' Lady Catherine was getting more worked up by the minute. How dare meek and colourless Anne defy her! It was not to be borne.

'Considering that you expect my tenants to live in drafty and leaking cottages, because you would not spend a farthing on repairs, even though it was your duty to maintain the cottages, I see no reason why you should not experience the same.'

After everything she had endured over the last few days, the calm manner in which Anne dismissed her mother's demands and pointed out the fallacy of Lady Catherine's attitudes pushed the lady over the edge. She screamed. 'How dare you get ideas above your station. I am the daughter of an Earl and deserve to live in the manor. You are nothing but the bastard get of a servant…'

'Lady Catherine, you are overwrought and do not know of what you speak. You know full well that I was birthed by you and acknowledged by Sir Lewis de Bourgh as his legitimate daughter. I am the heiress of Rosings Park, which became mine when I turned five and twenty. I suggest that you rest after your travels. Your belongings have been moved to your chambers. I hope that you enjoy the rewards of what you have sown.'

Anne nodded and two large footmen led the spluttering woman into the dower house.

~PoP~

Anne and Lord Matlock sat in the same small parlour in which Anne had spoken to Mr Collins.

They were enjoying a substantial tea plus a small quantity of fortifying spirits.

'How much of what lady Catherine blurted out did you know?' Anne asked her uncle.

'I did not know any of it but I suspected much. You did not seem surprised or troubled either.'

'Uncle, while I may not be in robust health, there is nothing wrong with my eyesight or my mind. I have seen all the family portraits of both the Fitzwilliam and de Bourgh families. I do not look anything like either of them. I have also seen the wedding certificate and I was born just over six months after that date. As I do not have any siblings, I put two and two together.'

'Does it bother you to have your suppositions confirmed?'

'Not particularly. As I said to Lady Catherine, I am the acknowledged legitimate daughter of Sir Lewis de Bourgh. Legally, nothing else matters. At least now I am in a position to do something for the tenants and bring the estate back to what it was when Sir Lewis was alive.'

'I just noticed; you always call my sister Lady Catherine. You never call her mother,' Lord Matlock mused.

'I have seen how women treat their children. Lady Catherine never treated me as a daughter; therefore, I was never able to think of her as a mother.'

'Is that why you sent her to the dower house?'

'No, because that is the only way I can ensure that Rosings is looked after as it deserves.' Anne hesitated a moment before she added with a grin, 'Do not be too concerned about your sister's welfare. I am not as cruel as she is. While the dower house is not refurbished, I did ensure that the roof does not leak.'

~PoP~

~~PoP~~

A Plethora of Peers (working title) by Sydney Salier, Copyright © 2023