Battle of the Dragons Chapter 24, a pride and prejudice fanfic

To answer some questions:

Collins is not the owner of Longbourn. Mr Bennet is alive and well and until he dies, Collins needs a place to live and earn a living. Since Bennet is mid/late 40s, and unless he has an accident/illness, Collins might have to wait between 20 and 50 years.

Mrs Bennet inherits because as the solicitor explains in chapter 21 – her grandmother (Isabella's mother) was the sister of Sir Lewis' father.

Grace de Bourgh . . . . . . . . . . . sister of . . . . . . . . . . . . Sir Phillip de Bourgh

Robert Gardiner = son of Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sir Lewis de Bourgh = son of Sir Phillip

Fanny Bennet = oldest daughter of Robert . . . . .. . . . . . . Anne de Bourgh = daughter of Sir Lewis

As for the title, look up Baronet on Wikipedia. The section Baronetcies with special remainders. I may have pushed things a bit, but it was technically possible. 😊

~O~

Dragon's Den

A subdued Lady Catherine left Rosings for the last time, accompanied by her brother. They departed in the early morning since Lady Catherine had no wish to encounter her successor.

As the coach pulled away from the house, she kept her eyes determinedly on her hands until they had left the vicinity of Rosings Park. Even so, she could not help remembering some of the mistakes she had made in her life. Since it was now too late to change anything, she was determined not to look back.

It was mid-morning when Mrs Bennet arrived with her family. As she stepped out of the carriage she was greeted by Lady Matlock and her family, as well as Mr Thompson and the staff were arrayed to welcome her.

Once greetings and introductions were complete and they were inside in relative privacy, Mrs Bennet addressed Lady Matlock quietly, 'I am most grateful that you are prepared to assist me. It must be difficult for you as you are in mourning.'

'I thank you for your sentiments, but I confess they are misplaced. Catherine used to keep Anne away from our family much of the time. The truth of the matter is that we hardly knew her. And even if Anne's passing affected me more, assisting you would be an excellent way to distract myself. After all, life goes on and I believe Anne would have wanted you and her estate properly settled, rather than waste time weeping and wailing.'

'You are all graciousness, Lady Matlock,' Mrs Bennet replied with a feeling of relief.

'Please, as we have discovered that we are family, will you not call me Eleanor?'

'I would be pleased to do so if you address me as Fanny in return.'

'Very well Fanny, let me show you your new accommodation so that you can decide which changes need to be made.'

~O~

Mrs Bennet and Jane, supported by Isabella and Lady Matlock, were speaking to Mrs Blakesley, the housekeeper at Rosings, to learn about the household.

As that discussion did not concern Elizabeth, she was free to explore the house in the company of one of the maids to ensure she would not get lost. The more she saw of the house, the more she was dismayed by the amount of work Jane would have to do to redecorate.

There were only a few rooms which were not over-ornamented because the old-fashioned décor declared that those rooms had not been touched for decades. One of those rooms was identified by the maid as the small family parlour. Despite being out-of-date, it was a pleasant and airy room with windows overlooking the gardens.

As Elizabeth looked around, a painting caught her eye. The theme was obviously fanciful, and she almost dismissed it until the face of the woman in the picture captured her attention. She stepped nearer to examine it more closely. Her smile became wider until she burst out laughing.

Once she had her laughter under control, she rushed downstairs to find her family. 'Please come with me, there is something you simply must see,' she cried excitedly.

Mrs Bennet was a little taken aback at the manner of the interruption, but she said, 'Since we are just about finished for the moment, we shall accompany you to see the wonder you have discovered.'

As they made their way up the stairs, their chatter caught the attention of the gentlemen, who had discussions of their own in the library. When they came out to find the cause, Elizabeth invited them to come along.

The reaction of her relations was all that Elizabeth could hope for… stunned amazement at the similarity of Lady de Bourgh to them.

Lady Matlock looked from the picture to the three ladies who had confronted Lady Catherine, and she could not help but burst out laughing. 'I am certain that Catherine must have seen this picture before. I am not surprised she applied this message to her own situation.'

'A number of people called her the dragon of Rosings,' supplied Richard with a grin of his own. He tilted his head and looked at the picture. 'You know, now that I see it again, I remember seeing this picture when I was maybe eight years old. I was most impressed with the lady.'

Several people had identical thoughts, now you have found the original… or at least her descendant.

~O~

After spending much time inside, Elizabeth felt in need of a walk. As soon as he heard about it, Darcy offered to accompany her. When Elizabeth agreed, Richard and Jane decided to go along, although they trailed behind for privacy.

As they walked Elizabeth noticed that there was a pensive air about Darcy, and he was even quieter than usual. 'Something seems to be troubling you. Can I help?' she asked.

Darcy came out of his reverie at this question. He sighed. 'I was just wondering if I am a bad person.' At Elizabeth's questioning look he clarified. 'I cannot feel grief at Anne's passing. I am ashamed to admit that I even feel some relief.'

'Mr Darcy, how close were you to your cousin?'

'Not very. She has been sickly for a long time and even before that, as children Lady Catherine would not allow her to play with us. Not that Andrew, Richard and I particularly wanted to play with a girl.'

'Did you see much of her after you grew up?'

'No. Because, after my father died, Lady Catherine insisted that an engagement existed between Anne and myself. To ensure she could not claim that I compromised my cousin's reputation, I have avoided Anne for the last several years. I think that in the last six days of her life, I spent more time with her than in the previous six years.'

'So, Miss de Bourgh was practically a stranger.'

'Yes, but she was also family. I should feel something more than a vague sadness that she died so young.'

'I suppose that makes me just as bad a person as you.'

'Why should you feel any particular grief. You only met my cousin a few weeks ago and spent hardly any time in her company. And when you did, I doubt she spoke more than a dozen words with you.'

'All this is true, but as I discovered, she was also my cousin. According to your logic, since she was family, I should feel something more than that same vague feeling of sadness which you are experiencing.'

'Oh.'

Elizabeth gave a sigh of her own. 'The one thing which causes me grief is the fact that no one seems to feel any particular personal loss at her passing. Even her mother, as far as I can tell, only regrets her death because Lady Catherine has now lost her right to lord it over Rosings.'

Darcy was silent for a few minutes as he considered Elizabeth's words. Eventually he sighed. 'Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. Now I feel both better and worse. Better because you have reassured me that I am not a heartless monster, but worse because no one truly cared about my cousin.'

'As I understand it, it is a common situation amongst the first circles. Few people care about anyone. Marriages are arranged based on wealth and position. Once the wife has produced an heir and hopefully a spare, the couple often live independent lives. The children in such marriages are raised by nannies, governesses and tutors. Members of the family barely know each other. I am afraid your cousin's life was very much like others of your circle.'

'You are correct. That is the way it often is. My parents were an exception. It was considered terribly gauche, but they married for love. Having witnessed such an example, it was what I wished for myself, even when I was deluding myself that I had to marry for wealth and position.'

'No wonder you were so full of contradictions.' Elizabeth could indeed get a glimmer of comprehension for the different aspects of Darcy's character. And despite her reluctance, she found much to admire… apart from his looks which she now admitted to herself had first attracted her.

Wanting to lighten the mood, they changed the subject and spent a pleasant hour discussing books and discovered that they had enjoyed many of the same books, albeit for different reasons.

~O~

When they returned to Rosings, they discovered that Mr Phillips had arrived.

As he had not been informed about the inheritance in the request for his presence, they had the pleasure of seeing his stunned reaction to the news.

But being a consummate professional, as soon as he was sufficiently refreshed from the journey, he examined all the documents which Mr Thompson had prepared. He studied the papers carefully and soon declared himself satisfied that they contained nothing which would be detrimental to his family.

By the time they needed to dress for dinner, all the documents had been signed and Mrs Bennet was the official owner of Rosings Park. At least she would be as soon as Mr Thomspon filed the documents with the Chancery Office.

Gardiner also signed his documents and resigned himself to being presented at court once his name had been placed on the official roll to register Sir Edward Gardiner as Baronet of Alston and Netherfield.

~O~

That evening, Jane and Elizabeth had a chance to catch up on the latest happenings in the sitting room of their shared suite.

Mrs Bennet had decided that Lady Matlock, Fitzwilliam and Darcy should remain in their usual rooms in the family wing, while she and her relations took up residence in the guest wing, except for Isabella who returned to her own home.

'What do you think of mama's decision for us to occupy the guest wing?' Elizabeth asked.

'I am grateful that I do not have to try to sleep in a room which would give me nightmares,' Jane confessed. 'And it seems pointless to move our guests, it would just mean extra and unnecessary work for the staff.'

Elizabeth sighed even as she agreed. 'It would not be a problem if we occupied the family wing with Lady Matlock, but propriety demands a certain distance between us and single men.' Elizabeth grinned as she added, 'And it would not do to put too much temptation in the way of an engaged couple.'

Elizabeth had the pleasure to see her sister blush furiously. 'But that reminds me, have you set a date yet? Based on your blush, perhaps sooner would be better than later?' she teased.

'We decided not to rush too much. We have only known each other for barely two months and would not wish to give anyone ideas about a hurried wedding.' Determined to get a little of her own back, Jane suggested, 'Perhaps we are only holding off so that we can have a double wedding with you and your Mr Darcy?'

'He is not my Mr Darcy,' Elizabeth denied hotly.

'You may not be his Elizabeth, but he is definitely your Mr Darcy. And I have a feeling that you do not dislike him like you used to.'

'He has been most agreeable lately,' Elizabeth allowed. 'But I am concerned that he is now on his best behaviour and will revert back to his customary arrogance if we were married.'

'You may believe that I only ever see the best in people, but I am still a good judge of character. It is true that I believe that Mr Darcy is proud and arrogant, which, up to a point, is acceptable. But from what I have seen in his interactions with his family, he is obliging and extremely protective.

'Yes, but I am afraid that in a few years when the gloss has worn off, he will regret offering for me. And I have no wish to end up in a marriage like our parents. I could not bear to be disrespected.' The very thought of that possibility made Elizabeth tense up.

'Lizzy, from what Richard told me, Mr Darcy was going to offer for your despite your lack of wealth and connections, despite our relations in trade, and despite some of your family having questionable manners.'

When Elizabeth looked like she was about to argue angrily, Jane held up her hand. 'Let me finish. That was what he thought based on what he had seen in Hertfordshire. Of course, he was wrong about the Gardiners, but it was not an unreasonable assumption to believe that Uncle Gardiner was much like mama.'

Elizabeth nodded reluctantly.

'But all that has changed. He has met Uncle Gardiner, and they were rapidly becoming friends even without the title. Since mama is not afraid of the hedgerows anymore, she has calmed down and is on her way to ladylike behaviour.' Jane gave a fond smile. 'She is still excitable but not enough to raise blushes. Thanks to Aunt Isabella, Mary is becoming an accomplished musician, which has caused her to blossom. And even Kitty and Lydia are not a problem anymore as they are at school, learning to be ladies.'

Jane took Elizabeth's hands and gave them a little shake. 'So, you see, all the negatives in our family have been removed or at least mitigated. Now they are no worse than many others.'

Gradually Elizabeth relaxed and smiled before she said, 'And you have not yet mentioned the positive additions. Aunt Isabella and Rosings.'

'Precisely. Now, Mr Darcy has no reason to look down on you. As a matter of fact, based on all your advantages, you could argue whether the gentleman is worthy of you?'

'When you put it like that, perhaps we could be happy together,' Elizabeth said thoughtfully. Suddenly she grinned mischievously. 'And he is exceedingly handsome.'

Jane returned the grin and asked, 'So, should I plan on a June wedding?' To which she did not receive an answer…

~O~