Battle of the Dragons Chapter 16, a pride and prejudice fanfic

Thank you to everyone who has left reviews. I shall look forward to reading them if FF ever gets back to normal.

An extra big thank you to the readers who sent PMs to let me know the story is still appreciated.

~O~

A Confluence of Dragons

Lord and Lady Matlock had arrived at Rosings to discover a sombre atmosphere.

When they were shown into the drawing room, instead of a pleased or even a polite greeting, Lady Catherine barked, 'What are you doing here? This is a most inconvenient time for visitors.'

'Good afternoon, Catty, it is good to see you too,' Lord Matlock said pointedly, and his wife echoed the greeting. 'Are you well?'

'No, I am not well. I need you to leave as I have not sent for you.'

'I am sorry to disappoint you, but we will not leave as we are here to see Anne.'

'She is in no state to receive visitors. Now go away. I will send for you when she is well enough to see you.'

'No, as an executor of Sir Lewis' estate, I wish to see the mistress of Rosings.'

Lady Catherine surged to her feet and drew herself up to her full height. 'You are seeing the mistress of Rosings.'

'It recently occurred to me that you have not been the mistress for the past year. Therefore, I wish to see Anne, who inherited Rosings on her last birthday.' Lord Matlock approached his sister and with a baleful glare asked, 'What are you hiding?'

While the siblings confronted each other, Lady Matlock quietly left the room and went to Anne's suite. A soft knock was answered by a maid opening the door and admitting Lady Matlock.

Mrs Jenkins came from the bedroom and greeted the Countess with a relieved smile. 'My lady, Miss de Bourgh will be pleased to see you.'

'I have heard that she is not well. Or, I should say even less well than usual.'

The mournful expression on Mrs Jenkinson's face was all the confirmation Lady Matlock needed. 'How bad is it?'

'The doctor thinks it cannot be much longer.'

'Thank you, Mrs Jenkinson. I will visit with my niece for a while. Perhaps you could have some tea sent up.'

Anne's companion excused herself as Lady Matlock went into Anne's room. She was grateful to have been warned as, based on how she looked, it seemed almost a miracle that Anne was still alive.

On hearing someone enter, Anne opened her eyes and managed a weak smile, 'I am glad that you have come,' she whispered.

'So am I and I will stay as long as you need me.'

'Thank you, Aunt.'

~O~

Once Lady Catherine was informed that Lady Matlock had already seen Anne, she gave up her attempts to remove her guests from the house, although she refused to be gracious about it.

Lord and Lady Matlock took turns sitting with Anne, chatting or reading to her. Despite her weakness, Anne's spirit lifted in the presence of pleasant company.

She felt even better when only a few days later her cousins arrived. Immediately upon arrival they came to see her without stopping to speak to anyone.

'I am sorry, not to have come earlier, but we did not know how ill you are,' Darcy said as he and Richard were escorted into the room by Lady Matlock whom they had encountered in the hallway.

'Do not trouble yourself. I know that mother tried to keep my condition secret.'

'It seems a cruel thing to do, especially since we were scheduled to come visit at this time anyway,' Darcy replied and turned to his aunt. 'I confess that I am surprised to see you and Uncle Henry here.'

'We have Miss Elizabeth to thank for the intelligence of Anne's condition. It was she who mentioned Anne's health to her aunt, who in turn informed us,' Lady Matlock apprised him and was surprised by the strong reaction of her nephew to the name.

'Miss Elizabeth is here?' Darcy gasped. A moment later he turned to Richard. 'You knew,' he accused. 'You must have known since you are engaged to her sister. Why did you not say so?'

As Richard shrugged and said, 'I refuse to meddle,' two other voices cried, 'Engaged?'

Lady Matlock embraced her son. 'That is wonderful news. It was about time you gathered your courage and proposed. When did that happen?'

'The day before yesterday, and before you ask, yesterday I resigned from the army.'

'Now I like Jane even more since I had despaired to ever see you return to civilian life.'

Anne gave her cousin a happy smile when she said, 'I am very pleased for you, Richard. If your Miss Bennet is anything like the Miss Bennet whom I have met, you have chosen well.'

'They are similar but different. Jane is usually more restful than Miss Elizabeth.'

Darcy looked around as if he expected Elizabeth to be close by. Realising that it would be simpler to ask where she was, he did so.

'She is staying at the parsonage with her friend who recently married Mr Collins,' Anne explained. 'Speaking of marriages, William…' She paused until Darcy looked uncomfortable before saying, 'I want you to know that I never wanted to marry you. That was mother's idea, not mine.'

'Thank you, I am relieved to know that you had no expectations,' Darcy replied with a small smile.

The slight twinkle in Anne's eyes was short-lived before she looked tired again. 'Forgive me, I need to rest again.'

As her family left the room, Darcy said to Richard, 'Since we both know Miss Elizabeth, it would be polite if we called at the parsonage.'

'Of course,' Richard replied blandly. 'I must give her the good news about my engagement to her sister.'

'That is exactly what I was thinking,' averred Darcy, who ignored the look of disbelief from his cousin.

Their plans had to be postponed as, by the time they had washed up from their travels, it was getting too late to visit.

~O~

In London, Isabella watched her great-niece as she sat in the small parlour with a forgotten embroidery frame in her lap. Jane was looking out the window, seemingly lost in unhappy thought.

'Really, Jane. He only left town this morning and you are already moping?'

The teasing comment startled Jane out of her reverie and caused her to blush. 'I… ah…'

Isabella gave a gentle laugh. 'There is no need to be embarrassed. I still remember my youth and that I was similarly distracted when I was parted from Alistair.'

'I am sorry, aunt. I have become accustomed to having Richard's company and not knowing when I will see him again is making me melancholy.'

'I suppose there is only one thing for it. We shall go on a little trip ourselves.'

'But what about all those invitations we have accepted?'

'We shall simply have to cancel our acceptance.'

'While I appreciate that you mean to distract me, I would hate to be absent when Richard returns.'

'Really, Jane. Have you no self-respect? Just sitting around, waiting for him to return when he is good and ready to do so?'

That comment stiffened Jane's spine. 'You are right. There really is no reason for me to sit here and mope while Richard is off doing things.'

Excellent. While you go and arrange for the packing, I shall write notes making our apologies.' Once Jane had left the room, Isabella's pleasant smile turned into a satisfied grin.

~O~

The ladies enjoyed a light lunch before they set off in the early afternoon. Rose and Isabella's maid, Sally travelled with them, and they brought only essentials with them as the main luggage followed on a cart.

Jane watched with the scenery interest as they made their way out of town. She turned to Isabella with a slightly chagrined expression as she said, 'I just realised, I never asked where we are going.'

'We are going to Ravenswood, an estate left to me by my second husband. It is about five and twenty miles from London.'

'You are as bad as Lizzy when it comes to teasing,' Jane complained although she was smiling. 'Where is Ravenswood?'

Isabella sported an innocent look as she replied, 'It is in Kent. About five miles from a place called Hunsford.'

Jane's eyes widened and she just barely stopped herself from embracing Isabella. A brilliant smile graced her features as she said, 'Thank you.'

'You are very welcome.'

~O~

Ravenswood was an estate and a manor of similar size to Netherfield.

Jane was delighted when she saw the whitewashed façade and the large windows which promised a light filled interior. She was not disappointed. Even though the sun was setting when they arrived, the rooms still had a light and airy aspect.

The décor was also as expected from any house of which Isabella was the mistress. Simple elegance and all the furnishings were of the highest quality.

They were greeted by the housekeeper. Mrs Dale was a motherly woman in her fifties. She beamed at them as she said, 'Welcome home, my lady. I thank you for giving me a few days warning of your arrival… for a change,'

Isabella gave her a fond smile in return and said, 'You are welcome. I would like you to meet my great-niece, Miss Jane Bennet.'

Introductions and greetings complete, Isabella requested, 'We would like baths to wash off the dust of the road and a simple dinner in about an hour.'

'Of course, my lady. Everything is ready for you.' And without any fuss, the ladies settled into their latest abode.

~O~

Darcy woke at the crack of dawn as usual. As he was restless because later in the day he would see Elizabeth again, he could not stay abed.

He called for his valet, who provided him hot water for his morning ablutions. By the time Darcy was dressed, Parker had arranged for coffee and a small selection of pastries to tide Darcy over until breakfast.

Unable to sit still once he had finished his repast, Darcy decided to go for a walk. He forewent his usual ride since he did not wish to call on the parsonage smelling of horse.

He set off towards a grove which was his favourite place at Rosings. Much as he disliked Lady Catherine and the formal, overly constrained, garden, the countryside around the estate was beautiful and he appreciated the splendour of spring.

As he rounded a bend, he came face to face with the beauty he had longed to see.

~O~

Elizabeth was restless. While she enjoyed her visit with Charlotte, the last few days had been difficult.

Something was happening at Rosings and Mr Collins had been effectively banned from attending to his most revered patroness. Naturally, his first reaction was to blame Elizabeth. 'Cousin, what did you say to Lady Catherine that so insulted her as to refuse to see me?' he demanded. 'Until you came here, she always welcomed me most generously.'

'Surely, if Lady Catherine had been offended by anything I said, she would have made her displeasure known directly. After all, she claims that she is known for her forthright manner. I cannot imagine she would be silent if she felt slighted in the least.'

While that reassurance shut him up, he hovered around the parsonage making Elizabeth desperate to escape. The easiest time to do so was in the early morning.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she strode along the lane which led to a grove which was her favourite place at Rosings.

Elizabeth was approaching a fork in the lane where a bend hid one of the branches, when another walker suddenly appeared around that bend from the opposite direction.

She stopped dead in the middle of the lane and cried, 'Mr Darcy.'

~O~

Despite knowing that Elizabeth was in the area, seeing her so unexpectedly startled Darcy into motionless silence.

After her initial cry, Elizabeth too was standing frozen, although she did just manage not to gape at the gentleman.

After several moments of silence, Darcy came back to life. Having received tacit approval for his interest in the lady from his cousin, he let go of some of his reserve. He smiled as he bowed to her. 'Good morning, Miss Bennet. It is an unexpected pleasure to see you.'

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to be startled as she could not remember ever seeing Mr Darcy smile. She recovered enough to curtsy and return the greeting.

Darcy was in his usual quandary. He wanted to speak to Elizabeth, but his mind had gone blank, and he did not know what to say.

Elizabeth was also at a loss how to break the silence which was stretching seemingly interminable between them.

Eventually Darcy managed to find his voice. 'Where are you bound?' he asked. He gestured toward the direction in which he had been heading. 'I do not know if you have yet discovered the most delightful grove along that path, but I would be delighted to show it to you. If you would allow me to accompany you, that is.'

'As it happens, that was my destination as it has become my favourite walk during my visit.'

'Even though you do not require my guidance, would you permit me to escort you?' Darcy was not giving up the opportunity of Elizabeth's company so easily. He offered her his arm.

Unable to think of a polite way to refuse, Elizabeth agreed and lightly placed her hand on his arm.

They set off and again Darcy was wracking his brain for a topic of conversation. In the end, all he could think of was to enquire, 'Are your family well?'

'They are indeed,' Elizabeth replied politely, but she could not resist adding, 'Jane in particular was most effusive of her time in town in her last letter.' Thinking that Darcy might misinterpret that statement to think Jane had reconnected with Mr Bingley, she watched his reaction most carefully.

She was disappointed when he only smiled politely and said, 'Ah, yes. My cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam accompanied me here yesterday and he informed me that congratulations are in order.'

Elizabeth quickly overcame her disappointment as the meaning of his words sank in. She gave him the first completely open smile as she exclaimed, 'Colonel Fitzwilliam proposed?' Darcy could not resist the smile and he responded with an answering smile as he nodded.

It was impossible for Elizabeth's smile to get any wider. 'That is wonderful news. They are so well suited to each other by temperament that I am convinced they will be exceedingly happy all their lives.'

Seeing Elizabeth's reaction and listening to her comments about the reason for her happiness in her sister's match reminded Darcy of his conversation with his cousin. It seemed that Richard was correct in his estimation. Not all ladies were mercenary like Miss Bingley.

Pondering all those issues caused him to retreat into his customary silence, leaving Elizabeth confused. She had seen his happy reaction to the news of the engagement, yet almost immediately afterwards their conversation became stilted again. She was pleased when they returned to the parsonage.

~O~