Pride and Prejudice

NOTE: conservatories in the regency periods were in existence but were rare. So, I figured since Lady Catherine - to me anyway- appeared to always be bragging about her wealth, I put a SMALL conservatory in Rosings Park.

Fan Fiction

I am My Father's Daughter

Previously:

"I am my father's daughter..." Thomas was stunned. Anne de Bourgh's voice was enchanting. She was beyond good and her voice was a strong contra-alto. It was not just words that were sung, but her face showed that Anne felt the words. His and Anne's eyes met when she was finished. Everyone in the room may as well have faded away and Mr. Bennet jerked back for what hit his system was finally too loud to ignore. "I need to go talk to Mr. Darcy. He was supposed to bring some business papers for me to sign in regard to matters involving Longbourn. I am sure the Lucas' will be leaving shortly." With that, Thomas departed groaning inside himself. He had to get Mr. Darcy to talk some sense into Lady Catherine. It was no longer safe for Miss Anne to be in his home.

Ch. 19

Home -Rosings Park

Rosings Park was quiet, too quiet. If it had felt like a prison before, it felt like a tomb now. The servants did their job as they were supposed to, but none were the old ones Anne had known as a child. Crumb, they were not even the same ones who had helped her prepare to handle life away from Rosings Park. The only old servant who had not left her mother at this point was Mr. Hayes, the old gardener.

Anne stood looking out a window that was similar in appearance as to the one she had been by when Thomas had come to her before the Lucas couple left and told her she would be going back to Pemberley instead of Longbourn. And then -most likely - back to Rosings Park.

"We have -unintentionally, been courting without even being aware of doing so. You are no longer safe in my home, Anne. We both know why."

"So, let us marry, it is not like we need anyone's permission."

"Anne…" Thomas spoke her name low, an ache clearly in his voice. He knew how she was supposed to be addressed, but her name came out nonetheless. Mr. Bennet had fought not to let his eyes turn down. "I know we both are of age. I know we do not need legally need your mother's consent. But she already holds your father's death against me. Forgive me, my dear, but this I cannot do without her consent or at least her blessing. And we both know that is something she will never do."

"Anne, I thought, if you did not mind that is, of holding a party this coming Friday. You do not have to attend, of course. You are more than welcome to stay at your place down at the dower house. However, the door is always open. No one will be pushed onto you, nor will I send anyone down as promised." Lady Catherine entered the room, delighted her daughter had returned.

However, any feelings of euphoria instantly fled as her daughter turned around with her eyes devoid of any emotion, less than even when she was supposedly ill. "Party away, mother. I am home. Is this not what you wanted? Oh, and, mother, I have asked Mr. Darcy to see what he can do about selling Rosings Park once you die. I do not want it for I will not marry. Nor will I live here when you are gone. I will move to Scotland, maybe even America." Anne's tone was flat, distant, and bordering on icy-cold. There was nothing about Anne's voice that shouted her mother was in danger, but nothing which shouted there would be any home fires burning either. Lady Catherine's daughter then walked out the door without another word.

Lady Catherine wanted to hurry out the door, not because she was going to try to stop Anne, for she had promised Mr. Darcy she would not interfere with Anne's choices. No, it was the lack of emotion in her daughter's voice and eyes worried Lady Catherine. Also Anne's statement about Rosings Park shocked and worried her mother. What was wrong with Anne? She was keeping her promise to her nephew, so why was her daughter so lifeless? If it were not for the fact her nephew was due to come back to look at her books in two weeks, Lady Catherine might have gone ahead and called a doctor in. However, she did not.

Anne knew she should care about what was going on, and part of her did. However, all she could think of was how it had felt to be around the Bennets, of how Thomas's humor. She could not make herself get upset at him ignoring formalities with her name as other men had tried. And, heaven help her, it had felt good to be in his arms dancing. The final straw was when she had sung her own song to him. His eyes had never strayed.

"You stop that singing." Her mother had snapped after Sir Lewis had passed away. "Your father encouraged you too much; there is no need for you to do it. No one would listen to you anyway."

Anne had not been convinced of that but, at the time, with her father just passing, she had not had the energy to fight. "You really should go to the dance." A voice spoke to her as she sat on a bench in the small conservatory of her mother's home. "She may have invited her standard upper class, but she did make an exception for your sake."

Anne turned around surprised to see Susan at Rosings Park. "I did not know you were back."

"Your mother came and begged my parents to come and let me work here."

"Begged? That I find hard to believe, my mother never does anything like that. Claims it is beneath her."

"I was shocked too. And, believe it or not; Lady Catherine never asked how my parents afforded the move to Meryton while she was there pleading for me to come back as your personal maid."

"Now that does shock me." Anne then asked who her mother had invited other the typical upper class.

"Miss Kitty Bennet, even said that beau of hers could come if he were available. That is if they are even still together."

Susan's surprising appearance at Rosing's Park, and her words, led Anne back into the drawing room where her mother was working on trying to decide on how to redecorate one of the guest rooms.

"Is it true?" Anne crossed her arms as if protecting herself from any attacks her mother might toss her way. "Did you invite Miss Kitty Bennet to the party?"

"Yes, Mr. Darcy told me how close you two had become. It is why I invited her and the young man I was told was her beau to it. I do not know if they will come, or who will bring her if he does not come." Lady Catherine sighed. "Forgive me, Anne, but I did not invite anyone from the working class. Do not ask that of me."

"I will not." Anne's face, much to the delight of her mother, lit up. "I am sorry, mother, but when you mentioned the party, all I could think was of all those parties you held in the past- the ones where everyone had titles with eligible sons. No one like Kitty would ever have been allowed in."

"Anne, whether you believe it or not, I really was trying my best. I wanted to see you wed to someone who could take care of you and not leave you in dire straits. The upper class are sure to be in such a position. However, you do not have to accept any dances from anyone you do not wish to be around. Nor have I attempted to bribe anyone. If the Chances show up, it is not of my doing. If they claim otherwise, it is all a lie." There was no arrogant tone in her mother's voice, which was why her daughter was sticking around. However, she was still very skeptical. It would take time for Anne to believe this was not just another act.

"Maybe, you were." Lady Catherine could hear the doubting tone as Anne spoke, but did not fight it as she would have in the past. She let Anne continue without interruption, keeping her promise to Mr. Darcy. "I will come to the party and see who comes. If Miss Kitty comes, I will definitely stay and talk to her. Past that, no promises." With that, Ann walked out of the room.

Lady Catherine exited a different door, went down a corridor past statues bought from merchants, local or not. Portraits of family, living and those long since passed away. And up a flight of stairs into her room. Walking over to a tall set of drawers, she took a picture of Sir Lewis over to the window and sat down.

"Lewis, I really muddled things up, did I not?" Lady Catherine sighed. "When Anne fell ill, I became so focused on that fact I could not see when our daughter became well. And she, oh, Lewis, when I hear her say and I quote her dear husband 'I am my father's daughter', our Anne is not lying. Not in the sense of what she enjoys. I fear though she is just as bullheaded as her mother and just as strong-minded."

Holding her late husband's picture close to her chest, Anne's mother spoke as if Sir Lewis were right in the room. "I was not lying. I really just wanted to see her married to a good man who would take care of her, be able to take her to places that would allow her the advantages my choices made impossible. And someone who, now that I see those similar traits of mine, can handle her ...bullheadness? Unfortunately, it looks like that will not happen. Anne says she will not marry and, my dear, that is all thanks to me."

'She will marry as long as you can swallow that pride of yours - it is as bad as Mrs. Darcy's ever was.'

Lady Catherine jerked. She had not had any thought come so strongly to her in years. And to make it even stranger, she knew without any shadow of a doubt, it was Sir Lewis speaking.

Lady Catherine set the picture of Sir Lewis down, wondering if she could indeed push her pride aside.