Chapter 14

They were at an expensive stationers shop when Elizabeth noticed an older woman trying to catch her attention. Elizabeth was not sure what the old woman wanted, but she was standing at the edge of the alley and kept waving at her as if she needed help. The scenario was one of those set-ups ladies read about in Mrs. Radcliffe's novels. No way in this part of God's green earth was she leaving the seat she told Wills she would sit on while he was inside the stationary shop ordering her a new diary and stationary. She would have liked to go in and peruse the merchandise, but he seemed to want to buy her a gift that would be delivered to Pemberly and put into place before they finished touring Glasgow.

They were two weeks into their honeymoon with everything being gorgeous so far. After leaving Pemberly, they had spent the first week together on the Isle of Mann. The weather had been bad but that did not stop them from spending most of the day in bed before taking a long walk along the beach, then enjoying the nightlife. Their idea of enjoying the nightlife was wandering the streets dressed as working class people, stopping at different pubs to eat dinner, then joining in when the dancing started.

Darcy had been surprised the first time Elizabeth pulled him up from his bench and joined the country dance in progress. If it made Elizabeth happy, Darcy was happy. They danced, they sipped ale from the same tankard, they often slipped small coins to the young ones who then brought them food from the local shops that they otherwise would have missed.

But, now they were in Glasgow and there was a suspicious old woman trying to get Elizabeth's attention. The old woman was edging closer to Elziabeth and she was starting to feel decidedly uncomfortable with the situation. Finally, she stood up and began edging toward the open door of the shop.

"You need to come with me, dearie." Somehow the hag had moved quickly while Elizabeth was checking to see if Wills had finished his business. She reached out with a dirty hand to grab at Elizabeth. "Come quick. I need you."

Elizabeth dodged away from her and into the shop. Wills' arms went around her as the old woman followed her in and made another grab. "Will!" She almost screamed before recognizing his arms.

Darcy looked down at the woman trying to grab his wife. "Woman, what are you doing?" His tone was more confused than upset. "Please do not grab at my wife. She does not want to go with you."

The old woman closed her eyes as she shook her head in frustration. Pausing for a moment to let go of her ill temper she spoke. "I need Elizabeth Annalise Bennet to follow me. It has taken much of my strength to call her here. Almost everything is finished. I need her to come with me."

Elizabeth was not amused. However, she was curious. But not curious enough to go off with an old woman who knew her whole name.

Darcy held Elizabeth but kept his eyes on the woman. "I will come with you, dearest, if you need to go with her. You are not alone."

The woman seemed to collapse in on herself as she turned and headed back down the alley. She looked neither right nor left, comfortable in the surety that the woman she had performed dark arts to draw nearer would appear at the precise time she was needed.

Elizabeth shrugged before holding on to Wills' arm and followed discreetly behind the old woman. They kept her in sight but did not appear to be following in case anyone overheard the woman speak of summoning her. Both were aware that if accused of witchcraft being landed gentry would not save them. They would be ex-communicated from the church and probably burnt at the stake if someone felt it necessary to prosecute them.

The alleys they traversed were mostly clean, it looked like she lived in an acceptable neighborhood. They eventually came out onto a street in a middle-class neighborhood. The old woman motioned for them to knock at the front door while she slipped around to the trade entrance.

Elizabeth looked up at Wills and murmured, "there is something here beyond surreal. I am scared, Dear One. This is beyond bad."

He whispered that he was not comfortable either, nodded his agreement, and they spent the rest of their time waiting in silence for someone to answer the knock at the door.

Elizabeth blinked as she took in the visage of the person who finally answered the door. "Hello, Mrs. Kraft." She spoke softly so only Wills and Dorcas Kraft could hear her. "Was that you who brought us here?"

Mrs. Kraft shook her head no. "Please come in. It is so good to see you. And you are right on time. Aunt Winnifred brought you here."

Darcy blinked at the two women who obviously knew each other. He trusted Elizabeth so whatever was happening was something she was not conversant with. He followed her into the parlor and waited for the two to begin the meeting.

Elizabeth smiled up at him. "Dearest, may I introduce you to Mrs. Dorcas Kraft. She was the medicine woman in the village of Meryton up until about five and a half years ago. She and her daughter Helia left Meryton and I was unaware they moved here until just now when she opened the door to us."

He bowed to her as he took her hand and touched his lips to her knuckles. "It is a pleasure to meet you, madam. I do admit that I am quite confused as to why Elizabeth has been summoned to your presence. May I prevail upon you to assure me that she and I are safe in your home?"

Dorcas gave him a cheery smile and nodded enthusiastically. "We need Mrs. Darcy to help us right a wrong which was perpetrated against this family. Whether it was an accident or deliberate I cannot say."

Elizabeth flinched. "That does not sound promising. But please continue and Mr. Darcy and I shall do our best to be of assistance to you."

Dorcas heaved a sigh of relief. "Please have a seat while I ring for some tea. It might take a few minutes to get comfortable."

Elizabeth sat on the sofa, wrapped in Wills' strong arms, crying her eyes out. According to Dorcas Kraft her father, the man she loved, admired, and looked up to, was not the person she thought he was.

Darcy had no idea of what to say or do that would help the situation. All he could do was hold his sobbing wife and pray that she would eventually be okay. The story Dorcas Kraft told was not a pretty one. It was not as uncommon as one would think, but to have your illusions shattered of a beloved parent was heart wrenching. He still took the time to whisper to her, "Please do not give up on your father completely before learning his side of the story. There is probably more going on that what they are confiding."

Tea had been delivered by a pretty lady in her early twenties. If Elizabeth remembered correctly Helia and Jane were of an age. Elizabeth recognized her and rose from the couch to greet her with a hug and words of welcome to renew their acquaintance. Helia Kraft greeted Elizabeth with equal affection. After all, they had known each other most of their lives.

Helia served tea for everyone before retreating to an armchair next to the small coal fire in the grate. She looked from Elizabeth to Darcy and nodded at their obvious affection for each other. "It is splendid that the two of you found each other again and are together as one."

Darcy caught that. How would anyone know they had found each other again? He took the liberty of whispering said question to Lizzy.

Dorcas let Helia set the pace for the story because it was hers to tell. She did give one gentle prompt. "It is time, daughter. Let us put the secrets to rest so Mr. and Mrs. Darcy can go forward with their world intact."

Helia nodded to her mother before taking a deep breath and raising her chin so that she was looking directly at Elizabeth and Wills. "As you know, Lizzy, we moved away from Meryton just over five and half years ago. What no one knew was that one reason we moved was I was pregnant. Since I was not married and did not have a man whom I was involved with you may surmise that the child I carried was not borne of love." She blinked a few times to keep the tears from falling. "The father of my son is none other than Thomas Bennet, Master of Longbourne."

Lizzy's hand went to cover her mouth. The soft gasp could be interpreted as either how or why.

Helia chose to answer both questions. "While Thomas was growing up at Longbourne he was often in the company of my mother who is of the same age as he. Before he went to Cambridge he spoke to Grandfather Lundley and the two of them agreed that there was an understanding between Thomas and Mama. When he graduated from Cambridge and returned to Longbourne before taking up a post as Professor of Classics at Cambridge Kings College they would wed."

She took a sip of tea before continuing. "As you know, Thomas never took up his post as Professor of Classics because his older brother, Timothy, died in a carriage accident, and Thomas became Master of Longbourne. Whether he meant to slight mother or not, he did. Everyone in Meryton knew of their engagement. Yet when he took up his duties as Master of Longbourne he married Francine Gardiner within weeks of doing so."

Dorcas flinched at the blunt retelling of the narrative but acknowledged that it was a correct recitation. She blushed when Elizabeth said how sorry she was that her father had not honored the contract because she knew how bad it would look for Dorcas to make another match. She admitted, "I was hurt to begin with. I thought at the time if I could not have Thomas I did not want anyone." Here a smile flickered across her face. "Then I was married off to Mr. Kraft, a gentleman who admired me and wished to improve my circumstances."

Darcy quirked a brow as he watched the blush bloom on her cheeks.

She giggled. "Yes, Mr. Darcy. Mr. Kraft was exactly the man I needed. We were quite compatible and had a very good twenty years before he was called home to our maker. We were only blessed with one child but not from a lack of trying."

"Mama!" Helia exclaimed as she blushed a brilliant red.

"Do not fret so, daughter. There was always the chance that somewhere out there would be a man who could help you overcome your fears and be able to live a good life with love and laughter as a complete family."

As they exchanged chiding, but loving, quips Aunt Winnifred entered the room. "You are getting off track here. You need to stay with the history. We might have time left to find your soulmate, Helia, but right now we need to fix Longbourne's problems."

Elizabeth quirked a brow. "Fix Longbourne's problems?"

The older woman, introduced to them as Aunt Winnifred, had washed her face and hands since coming home and appeared quite a bit younger and healthier than she had while out on the street. "Yes, fix Longbourne's problems."

"Please continue then." Elizabeth spoke softly and sank against Darcy's side to draw strength from his solid presence.

Aunt Winnifred huffed. "I am ashamed to admit that I caused part of the problem with your family. I refused to accept the fact that Dorcas and Gerald were satisfied with their lot in life. Gerald had got the woman he wanted and for all appearances Dorcas was pleased with her lot also." She lifted her chin and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before resuming, "I did not curse Thomas, but I implied that since he did not honor his marriage contract with her and take her to wife that he would not produce an heir for his 'beloved entailed to the male line' Longbourne."

"Yes, Father was not best pleased to have Mother bear him five daughters." Elizabeth cuddled deeper into Darcy until they looked like one rather larger lump on the sofa. She thought about how crazy Francine had become with each successive birth of a daughter with no pretense of a son. "Did anyone mention this curse to Mother? It might explain some of the craziness that abounded during the time when I determined to fix their problems and seduced Wills into helping me provide an heir."

Winnifred coughed lightly. "Your mother came to me right after you and Jane left for London. She believed I had the power to determine how to produce a son and asked which herbs would aid her cause. She was under the impression that I could wave a magic wand and fix her problems for a price." She smirked. "I knew immediately that there was no reasoning with Mrs. Bennet. She was too willfully ignorant to listen to anything except her own delusions. Had I had to listen to one more rant regarding hedgerows I would have wounded her mortally with one of my concoctions."

"What did you do?" Dorcas was the one who asked. "I do not believe I have ever heard this part of the story before, Aunt."

Winnifred cackled. "I did what any self-respecting witch would do. I took her to my still room and began mixing herbs for her. When I was finished there was enough aphrodisiac to make five pots of tea. I explained to her that she would need to drink the tea approximately ten to fifteen minutes before she and the Master retired for the evening. For the best results she should share a cup with him."

Darcy restlessly rubbed his hand across Elizabeth's. "I can see where this is going." He muttered.

"Yes." Winnifred acknowledged. "Franny became pregnant within weeks. Of course, there was no way we could guarantee that a boy would be produced. All I could do at that point was pray that the law of averages would eventually kick in."

Elizabeth winced. "I went to London with Jane to fix the same problem. It was a nightmare when I came home and realized that Mother was pregnant, and I might have just thrown my life away for nothing."

"When Thomas realized Francine was pregnant again he paid a visit to me." Winnifred could not bear to look at Helia as she spoke the next part. "He stormed into the house and began screaming at me. Helia entered the room and tried to separate the two of us. After calling me an interfering old hag he punched me in the jaw and knocked me out. That left Helia to deal with him. He forced himself on her and left her to bleed to death from his rough handling."

Elizabeth was sobbing gently into the handkerchief Darcy presented to her. He tried to help her. "I know this part hurts, Dearest, but you need to hear the whole story."

She sniffed a few more times before wiping her eyes and moving out of Wills' arms to wrap her own around Helia. "I am so sorry. I know that there was a huge change in my family members after William's birth. I had felt it beginning before then. To think that my own father would hurt a woman after knowing he was legally obliged to care for six of us." She choked back another sob. "You must have hated us. Is there anything I can do to make it right for you?"

Helia returned Elizabeth's hug. "I am not going to lie to you, Elizabeth, and say it does not matter anymore because it does. It is not as fresh as it was five years ago, but I still have trouble dealing with being raped. I would like for you and Mr. Darcy to meet my son, Thomas Gorden." She fidgeted for a moment before adding, "I call him Gordon, but he is really Thomas Jr."

Darcy watched her and did not like what he was seeing. Something about their story was too pat. Like they had spent several years working on it so that Helia Kraft would be exposed in the best light. He asked, "What do you want from us, Miss Kraft?"

Helia tried not to smile, but he could see through her act. "Ideally, I want you to take him back to Longbourne and present him as Thomas's heir. He is the rightful heir because he is the oldest son of Thomas Bennet."

Darcy cocked his head to the side as he thought about the legal repercussions. "We have no problem meeting Gorden. What we might have problems with is taking him back to Longbourne and presenting him as the rightful heir."

Dorcas and Winnifred asked at the same time, "What kind of problems?"

Darcy accepted Elizabeth back into his arms. "Honestly, ladies, the fact that Bennet raped a woman is of little significance to the British legal system. Most judges would rule that as Master of most of the surrounding area it is simply part of his right to use any unattached woman who catches his fancy."

All four women growled.

"Easy, ladies. I am speaking honestly here, I am not quoting my own beliefs." He eyed them warily before asking, "May I continue? Or, is there a point anyone wishes to make while you are too angry to hold it in?"

He got elbowed in the ribs, but since there was not a great deal of power behind the wound he figured all was still good. "The second thing we need to consider is whether Bennet is willing to admit he fathered the boy. It will help if he looks like a Bennett, but there are still the issues of rape and adultery. As I said before the courts are not likely to prosecute him. One point in his favor is they will look at Miss Helia's age at the time of the nonconsensual act and dismiss it as her being of age and screaming rape because she fell pregnant."

They spoke for another hour before Helia decided it was time for the Darcys to meet Gorden. She slipped out of the room and came back a few minutes later with a little boy under her arm. "Let me introduce my son to you." Helia held out her hand to Elizabeth as she kept her other arm wrapped around Gorden.

Elizabeth dropped to her knees as she looked at the little boy who was the spitting image of her father at the age of five. She decided that dignity could float down the river along with the houseboats out on it. "Hello, Gorden. I am your sister, Elizabeth. I am here to take you back to Longbourne if your momma will come with us. You have five other sisters and three brothers. We all want to meet you."

Helia looked at Elizabeth. "I think you are right. I do need to return to Hertfordshire. I want to look Thomas Bennet in the eye as I slap his face and call him to account for what he did to me."

Elizabeth stood up and swung a complacent Gorden up in her arms. She might have been talking to Helia, but she looked at Darcy and winked as she said, "I think you have the right of it, Helia. I am never going to be able to look my father in the face if he is allowed to escape this."

Darcy agreed with Elizabeth that Helia and Gorden would travel with them to Longbourne when they went back to visit. As they explained to the Kraft women it would be a journey taken rather sooner because they expected Jane to write any day announcing her engagement to Mr. Charles Bingley as they did not anticipate a long engagement.

Before they left the Kraft house Darcy asked Winnifred the question that had not been answered. "You said you used witchcraft to call Elizabeth here. What were you referring to?"

Aunt Winnifred blushed but confessed. "I am often asked to perform rituals for people when they ask for help. Some of the rituals work, some do not. One of the rituals of calling I use was passed down through my family for a hundred generations. It does work. That is all I am going to say about it because every ritual is a give and take. In this case Helia has agreed to pay the price. She is willing to give up her son in order to obtain a better life for him."

"The ritual will not kill her, will it?" Elizabeth was horrified to learn that.

Winnifred looked at the two standing in front of her. She had no desire to admit to the rest of the ritual she had cast back then. She had wished harm on Thomas Bennet's children and the one to pay that price was standing in front of her. It had been easy enough for Winnifred Kraft to learn all she needed to know about the Bennets of Longbourne. She had donned a gentlewoman's dress one day and made a call to Longbourne with other ladies. She learned everything she needed to know to hurt the family like she felt they had hurt her family.

It had been so easy for her to suggest that Elizabeth was to blame for most of the ills at Longbourne. The ridiculous creature known as Francine Gardiner Bennet was only too pleased to blame someone else for any perceived failure. Jane was breathtakingly beautiful, therefore being a female was acceptable. Elizabeth was too small, too dark, too intelligent; she simply was not a proper female and therefore it was her fault she had not been born a male.

There is something about your parents rejecting you that leaves you vulnerable to the evils of the world. It was easy enough for Winnifred to whisper that Elizabeth could fix all the problems Longbourne faced. All she had to do was become with child and bear a son who would become the heir Mr. and Mrs. Bennet needed.

Winnifred considered the old wives' tale that the sex of the child is determined by the dominance of the partner. Elizabeth had an incredible will. She was sure to bear a girl child and complete the shame of her family. Had things gone to plan the William first approached might have given her a girl child if they had managed to produce a child at all. However, Fitzwilliam George Alexander Darcy had an indomitable will. His mind was even stronger than his body. Little William Thomas Bennet might well have been living proof that the stronger partner determined the sex of the baby.

Winnifred had not taken into account that when two virgins are pulled into a spell such as she had cast the wild magic of pure souls overrides most of the evil intent. The mandate in the garden of Eden was for man to go forth and multiply. Since they were performing a holy ritual for good reasons mayhap God's blessings were upon them. She would never know why things did not go according to her plan.

She did have time during the last five years to consider that if the stronger person determined the sex of the baby she should have expected Helia's child to be a boy. What would have happened if she had just waited until the child was born and presented it to Thomas Bennet? She would never know because Dorcas and Helia both wanted to move away from Meryton before the pregnancy became obvious.

Thomas Bennet knew he had another son. Winnifred had made sure of it. She had even made sure that the birth certificate read Thomas Bennet as the father. She had hired a young man to play the part of loving husband for Helia. He had been a scam artist and relished getting something over on the landed gentry. He signed the birth certificate with Thomas Bennet's signature and then he disappeared. The story the Kraft family put about was that Thomas had joined the Army and died on the Continent.

The depths of the deceit employed would have boggled Fitzwilliam's and Elizabeth's minds had they known the whole story. Winnifred was not about to tell the whole story though. She had no desire to be burnt at the stake.