AU Pride and Prejudice

Fan Fiction

NOTE: I had an AI generate a picture of this Bennet and Emmaline and put it on Pinterest only i am still fighting to figure out that sight to see how to make it public. the account is musicmakersings2

Blindsided

Previously

"Well, I will stay out of that marital affair. I will only take the horn if this will demands it; which -if my memory serves me correctly it does not. However, do not quote me, I could be wrong." Mr. Cullister smiled and held up the will. "I need to go sit down, if I may, and read this in detail and see what exactly it says."

Mr. Cullister Reads the Will

Ch. 25

The sky was dark and gloomy over London, as a cold rain poured down on the busy streets. A carriage stopped in front of a large and elegant townhouse, where a sign read "Cullister & Co., Solicitors". Mr. and Mrs. Darcy stepped out of the carriage and entered the house. They were greeted by a servant, who led them to a spacious and well-furnished drawing room.

"Good day, sir and madam. Please make yourselves comfortable. The lawyer will be with you shortly." The servant said, bowing and leaving.

The Darcys looked around the room, which was decorated with paintings, sculptures, and books. They saw a portrait of Mr. Cullister, who had been practicing law for quite some time and was a friend of Emmaline's father. Emmaline's father had been the most recent owner of the horn that was the key to the hidden fortune of his ancestors. So, when Lady Catherine called him about the will they had found, the gentleman was ecstatic.

The Darcys also saw Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, who had arrived earlier, and exchanged greetings with them. They chatted about the weather and the latest news, until they were interrupted by the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, who came in with their four daughters. Their own family was soon joined by the Gunnarsons.

Mr. Cullister had been legally bound to invite Emmaline's relations to the reading of the will, although he would have loved not to. They had not seen Mr. Gunnarson for a long time, and they had no idea what he had left them, as they had thought his will had already been taken care of.

Among them, there were two people who stood out. One was Ivar Gunnarson, who was Mr. Gunnarson's second eldest son and the heir to his estate, as his oldest brother had just passed away the previous month leaving him in charge. The other was Matilda, Ivar's estranged wife, who was only there because their divorce was not yet final and the will stated that every legal Gunnarson was to be in attendance.

The Bennets and the Gunnarsons greeted each other with cold and formal words. Matilda spoke in stiff and ice-cold words, while Ivar's eyes shouted 'I cannot wait for the divorce to be done'. They sat down on opposite sides of the room, and waited for the lawyer to appear.

Mr. Cullister came in and his face beamed as he looked upon the Bennets and ignored the Gunnarsons. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to read the last will and testament of the late Mr. Gunnarsson, who passed away over six months ago. As you know by now, he was the owner of the horn that was the key to the hidden fortune of his ancestor's close friend. He, Mr. Roger Gunnarsson Senior, had two marriages, and one daughter from his second marriage. He had also discovered the truth about his family's history, and he had decided to honor Taira's original will. He had apparently met a few other members of Mr. Bennet's family and wished to include them as well."

The lawyer paused and looked at Emmaline, who was sitting next to Mr. Bennet. She smiled, eager to hear the will. Mr. Cullister then continued. "Mr. Gunnarson's will is as follows:

To Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, he leaves the property and buildings adjacent to Rosings Park, which include a manor house, a farm, and a mill. He also leaves them the land near Longbourn, which was promised to him on the condition that he never let Matilda Gunnarsson set foot in his house." The lawyer handed a paper to Mr. Bennet, who accepted it and suppressed a sarcastic remark when he saw Matilda's face contort.

"To Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, he leaves tribal artifacts from Africa, which they can do with as they see fit, as long as Mrs. Matilda Gunnarsson has never visited Pemberley." Both of the Darcys bit their lips as Mr. Darcy took the items and Ivar's soon-to-be ex-wife's face twisted yet again.

The lawyer continued. "To Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, he leaves the antique items from the New World, which he had collected over the years." There were no conditions, but it was an implied proviso at this point.

The lawyer concluded. "And finally, Mr. Gunnarsson is honoring Tiara's wishes and leaving the horn itself with whoever is in possession of it at this time, which he considered to be the most precious and meaningful thing he ever owned. It grants them the sole ownership of not only the Gunnarsson's second estate, which is located in Derbyshire, not far from Pemberley. It consists of a village and a large forest, but also of the Gunnarsson's estate up north, as it is - by current law - part of Tiara's original landholdings; one of which your father restored."

Emmaline sat in shock as Mr. Cullister handed her back the horn. "And, last time I checked, my sweet lady, I saw with my very own eyes, it was you who was holding this horn. Therefore, it is up to you what to do now, who stays and who goes." Needless to say, the Bennets were thrilled, but the Gunnarssons were not.

They were shocked and angry with the will, and they felt cheated and betrayed by Mr. Gunnarsson. They had expected to inherit something from him, but they had received nothing. They had no gifts, no papers, no copies of the will.

Emmaline held the horn in her hands, and the others glared at her with envy and resentment. They thought she was unworthy of the horn, the fortune, and the happiness. They thought she had taken what belonged to them: their inheritance, their lands, and their father's love.

They turned to Ivar, who was supposed to be their leader, and they waited for him to speak. They wanted him to protest, to argue, to demand a fair share of the estate. They wanted him to stand up for their rights, and to challenge the will.

But Ivar remained silent. He did not say a word. He did not object, or dispute. He did not resist, or rebel. It seemed like he had anticipated this; known it was inevitable. He looked at Matilda and felt nothing. When his family started to complain, Ivar raised his hands, his face darkening, but not with anger at the lawyer, or the Bennets.

"You all had your chance to do things right," he said. "I warned you from the start, not to push our sister away, but you did it anyway, at…" Ivar stood up, not hiding his contempt for what Matilda had become, and what he had let himself be, "Matilda's insistence. She said it was what father would want, what he wrote in the will." He continued, as Matilda and the others squirmed, their consciences pricking them. "As far as I'm concerned, every family member here who has not taken the name of Bennet deserves this." And with that, he walked over and signed the paper Mr. Cullister had laid in front of him.

By doing so, he agreed with the will, accepting its terms, that he gave up his claim to the horn, the fortune, and the history. The paper also stated that he renounced his legacy, his identity, and his name.

He turned to Mr. Bennet, and smiled. "I found my backbone. May I still visit you?"

"You may." Mr. Bennet smiled back, and watched as Ivar walked out the door, leaving the rest of his relations behind.

Epilogue

Thomas was the talk of Meryton. He was the oldest and the healthiest member of its community, despite having suffered from the ague years ago. He now had three sons and a pair of young twin girls who brought him joy. Thanks to their drastic increase of income, the Bennet household had no financial worries. They were able to replace the old entailment with a new one, which favored both the ladies and the gentlemen.

Georgiana had married Baron Richard Hawksworth and had stayed close to her brother and Elizabeth. Mary had soon married Captain William Brown. They moved into the small home her parents had inherited from the will to help Lady Catherine, who had health problems, as Anne married Duke Garrison.

Kitty married Duke Garrison's younger brother, a Marquess who loved the social gatherings of London as much as she did. She was known to entertain the guests with her exquisite piano playing.

Emmaline was mostly quiet and timid, as she had been when she arrived. Her tiger attitude only came out if someone threatened her family's well-being, especially Mr. Bennet's. As for the rest, Mr. Collins regretted his words long before Matthew was born. His family was now living in a home owned by one of Charlotte's relatives. He was preaching at one of their churches, as Lady Catherine had dismissed him.

Ivar's divorce from his wife had gone through and he had visited them many times though he had remained single until his death. Matilda had been forced to enter a convent by her family-taking a very long time to come to terms with the fact that it was her own fault the horn had slipped through her hands. And as for the rest of the Gunnarsson family? Most of them had finally admitted Ivar was correct in what he had said. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet had allowed them to stay working the estate, but few came to visit as they were too ashamed to face Emmaline. However, a few did muster the courage to visit and give her a face-to-face apology.