Chapter 16
Luck was with them. The bishop received them in his private apartments and immediately took the time to listen to Darcy and Elizabeth tell their portion of the story.
Helia really must have been exhausted because she was carried off to the infirmary and placed under watch while the book was dealt with. Thomas was made much of by the bishop. He was told he was a fine lad, and it was very good of him to be concerned for his mama, but they were going to help her as much as she would let them. Little Thomas was used to flattery from adults and accepted the bishop's assurances with a grain of salt. He was later heard asking Elizabeth if the people who lived in the Cathedral would help momma become an angel.
Elizabeth was quick to reassure the little one that his momma was not going to be harmed while they were at the Cathedral and would be returned to him alive and quite well. She would be allowed to rest a few days and then would make her way to Longbourne with Mr. Darcy, her and him.
Lizzy also took the time to tell Thomas Jr. that his mama had been ill for a very long time. It was possible that once they visited Longbourne that he might be asked to stay while his mama spent some time in hospital. After a whole month of being in Darcy's and Lizzy's company he comprehended that his mama really was slightly ill.
Helia may not have been cured by her stay at the cathedral infirmary, but she was behaving much better. Her book was even returned to her before they left the bishop's rooms. It was difficult to tell if she was simply playing along with her travelling companions or if she was doing better mentally.
Thomas was rather clingy with her after not having seen her since they entered the cathedral. Helia seemed to be rather peaceful with him also. She held him tightly and kissed both cheeks when he told her he loved her and missed her while she had been resting.
The coach made good time to Hertfordshire, the weather being excellent and the roads clear. Darcy rapped on the roof with his cane as they entered Meryton and informed the coachman that they would be taking rooms at the inn so as not to inconvenience family members while preparing for Jane's wedding. It was one of those decisions that needed no explanation. Helia would not be welcome at Longbourne and it was doubtful if Thomas would be openly accepted until the shock wore off.
Heath worked his usual magic with the room Mr. and Mrs. Darcy was assigned. He was quite pleased to have acquired a set of white velvet drapes and Belgian lace sheers to make the room look more like home. He would not admit it to his employer but he was also looking for a small cradle that matched the rest of the décor.
He smiled as he went about the room lying out the luxury items and straightening up his master's belongings. He opened the door to the bedroom when a gentle knock sounded. Elizabeth's maid entered and went about the business of putting the mistress's clothes in the clothes press. When they finished tidying up it was only natural for them to join hands and disappear into the servant's quarters.
That night at dinner Darcy was being extra attentive to Lizzy's every wish. They had calculated that Mrs. Darcy was late with her courses. The two of them were quite pleased to fall pregnant so quickly and their joy was obvious.
Helia and Thomas Jr. joined them in the private parlor to eat dinner. The Darcy's did not announce their news to Helia, preferring to keep their secret until they knew with a bit more certainty. She was a perceptive woman though and outright asked what had Elizabeth glowing.
Elizabeth was wary of her and used the excuse that she was excited to see the family. She went on for a few minutes about Jane being a beautiful bride and she could not wait to see her wedding dress because all the sisters had a hand in creating it. Even Vick had made some of the lace that decorated the bodice.
Helia was not fooled. She could read body language as good as any gypsy. She knew there was more to Elizabeth being treated like fine China and then it hit her. They suspected they were with child. She did not mention the subject any further. There was plenty of time for her to fix the situation.
The couple walked to Longbourne from the inn. They decided to take Helia and Thomas with them and get the whole sordid business over with. Elizabeth wanted to know why her father had acted so dishonorably. The best way to get that done was to confront him with the evidence and let everyone talk it out.
Thomas Bennet was in his book room when they arrived. Elizabeth nodded to Hill and told him she would go to greet him.
The meeting did not go as well as Helia wanted it to. Thomas Bennet was livid that she had entered his house. His first thought was to throw her out and refuse to listen to anything she had to say. He let her stay for the time being because she had Thomas Jr. by the hand and the little boy looked terrified.
He looked at Thomas Jr. and nodded. "Hello, Son. It is a fine time to finally meet you. I spoke to your mother several times to let me meet you before now but she refused. Your Aunt Winnifred wanted me to murder my wife and install Miss Helia as the new mistress of Longbourne before I was allowed to meet you."
His blunt statement had Darcy and Elizabeth dumbfounded. It caused Darcy to remember the first meeting they had where Winnifred said Mr. Bennet had punched her out and then raped Helia. Helia admitted while in the coach that he punched Dorcas and then Winnifred pushed Helia into the room. He let Mr. Bennet continue before he mentioned that contradiction.
Mr. Bennet then looked at Elizabeth and said, "You need to be careful with Mistress Kraft. It took her poisoning me with one of her concoctions for me to take her." He blinked back a few tears before adding, "I told Fanny what happened, and she almost castrated me. It took Fanny months to come to terms with the fact that although I had broken my wedding vows it was not my fault. It had been unwillingly, but when this one became pregnant with my child she found it difficult to connect with me again. It was you sacrificing yourself for everyone's happiness that thawed the ice with both of us." His green eyes shone with the pain of a former time as he explained to Lizzy that a great deal of damage had been done to the family.
Helia stood straight and tall as she bore the brunt of Bennet's ill will. "I could have ended his life at any time. Yet, I did not." Her voice was strong and held the strength of her convictions. Her speech also screamed 'crazy'.
Before any more words could be exchanged the door flew open and Fanny Bennet stood there in all her glory, vibrating with fury. "I did not believe it when Hill told me you were here!" Her face was red with anger, but her voice was firm and strong. "You dare show yourself in my house."
A slow blink from Helia and a shrug incited Mrs. Bennet even further.
She hissed. "You were paid handsomely for the damage to yourself despite the fact that your wicked aunt was the one who caused all this grief. And now you are back to cause further turmoil."
Helia lunged at Fanny and the two began a cat fight that Darcy and Elizabeth waded into to break up. Helia's chest was heaving as she clawed at Fanny while shrieking that she should have died.
As her words registered Fanny stopped fighting and stood there with a horrified look on her face. "You tried to kill me. My maid drank the tea you intended for me. She had not been feeling well because her courses were heavy and I let her have my tea." She looked at Helia incredulously before whirling around and directing Mr. Bennet to take the murdering wench out of Longbourne before she killed anyone else.
Darcy quickly pulled her arms behind her back and Mr. Bennet handed him his cravat to use as a tie. Helia did not want to go quietly and kept screaming obscenities at Mrs. Bennet. Elizabeth looking at Darcy's cravat and then at Helia's mouth had him shaking his head no before sticking his head outside the book room door and called for a footman to go to Lucas Lodge and have Sir Lucas come at once to attend them.
Sir Lucas, the magistrate, came as soon as he could, which was within minutes. Helia, not knowing he was the magistrate, was still ranting about how Fanny Bennet was supposed to die so she could marry Mr. Bennet. Sir Lucas shook his head wearily as he listened to the overset woman repeating that she had not intended for a maid to die, it should have been Mrs. Bennet. Had Mrs. Bennet died like she was supposed to then Thomas Jr, would grow up at Longbourne like he was supposed to.
Sir Lucas asked Bennet to pull his coach out so Helia could be taken to jail. Once the charges were written up she would be transported to London where she would most like be hung for murdering the maid, attempting to murder Mrs. Bennet and after listening to her go on about Thomas Jr. the charges of entrapment and extortion were added.
As Helia was escorted off Longbourne property Elizabeth and Darcy found themselves trying to help Thomas Jr. Elizabeth was the first one to speak. "Mama, Thomas is innocent in this situation. Would you be able to look past his conception and let him stay here. He is Father's firstborn son and can be considered the rightful heir to Longbourne despite the tumult surrounding him."
Bennet grinned as he sat back in his chair and crossed his hands over his paunch. "And now we get to the crux of the matter."
Darcy shrugged. "I confess I want my son. Pemberly is a huge estate, and I have need of more than one heir. I do not want to make Elizabeth feel like a broodmare, but I want more babies along with him."
"What type of paperwork did Miss Kraft file with Thomas's birth?" Mr. Bennet asked. "Just looking at the boy you can tell he is a Bennet. It would help if she did something along the lines of acknowledging him as my child though."
Elizabeth opened her carpet bag. It was bulging with the contents and she stepped close to the desk and set it down so she could empty it out. "I took the liberty of scooping up all the papers she showed me regarding this issue." As she spoke she handed him a signed birth certificate stating he was Thomas's father and he and Helia were married.
He looked at the papers and shook his head in disbelief. "Amazing. The Kraft family went to a lot of trouble to set this ruse up. However, it does work for us. I have already admitted in a sworn statement that I violated Helia Kraft while under the influence of an aphrodisiac which was administered by Winnifred Kraft." He nodded. "Yes, this will work nicely."
Elizabeth stood there watching Bennet as he went through the papers she brought with her to show him. "Yes, my dear, the old man said as he shuffled everything back in a pile.
Darcy could not suppress his desire. "Does this mean I can have my son since you have an heir for Longbourne? After all, William is no longer the heir here if you can absorb Thomas into your family."
Thomas Bennet grinned at him. "When Dr. Jones learns of this there is going to be hell to pay. The medical board might impose fines on him along with a few sanctions."
Darcy waved his hand negligently. "Not a problem. I will pay any fines he is levied. I can argue that he was only trying to protect my wife because you refused to let us marry at the time, not knowing we had already anticipated our wedding vows."
Elizabeth stepped close to her husband and was wrapped in his arms. "You do know that if I had known who you were at the time I would have moved heaven and earth to make you my wife." He looked down at her, pure adoration glowing in his eyes. "I adore you above all others." Then when Mr. Bennet turned and was speaking to Fanny, Darcy's voice dropped and he added, "You completely ruined me for any other woman."
She nodded. "Yes, I know." His sweet smile had her adding, "You did the same to me."
The few days remaining until Jane's wedding went by in a blur and soon Darcy and Elizabeth were standing up with Charles and Jane as they exchanged vows. They signed the register and made their way to the wedding breakfast with no problems. It was odd for Elizabeth to watch Jane blush and act maidenly around Charles. She decided that Jane was only teasing him because she and Jane had sat down and had a very frank discussion regarding a wife's marital duties and what to expect. While Fanny had knocked on Jane's door and was invited in to speak about her maidenly sensibilities Fanny's lecture had not been of much use.
After Fanny terrified Jane, Elizabeth explained what would happen if Charles intended to do things properly. Jane was of the opinion that Charles would have no choice but to do everything properly. She especially liked the idea that Elizabeth presented. When Mr. Darcy had entered his wife's changing room on their wedding night he had found her sitting at her dressing table wearing nothing but a smile and her hair down hiding the interesting bits.
Darcy and Elizabeth stayed at the inn for another five days before packing their trunks and heading to Darcy House in London. They needed to speak to the Darcy family lawyers about William, the Bishop about Helia Kraft and her family, and then they would head north to Pemberly where they planned to stay until the newest little Darcy would be born.