Page 21 of Aunt Felicity

W hen Robert Darcy read his son’s letter to Richard, he was not happy with the way William had been behaving. The evening he arrived, he was in Felicity’s and Reggie’s private sitting room with them.

“I know my children are unaware of your family history, but am I to understand the same is true for Andrew, Richard, and Bethie as well?” Robert asked.

“Yes,” Felicity confirmed. “It is time to tell them; to that end, we will journey to Hilldale on the morrow, and I will relate all of my history to my children. From there, we will make for Hertfordshire.”

“William will be stunned that the lady who he thinks is below him is his cousin; as close as a relation as Andrew, Richard, and Bethie are to him.” Darcy paused as he cogitated on something. “I have known for a long while that my son has been a selfish being for most of his life, in practice, if not in principle. As a child, Anne and I taught him what was right, but he was not taught to correct his temper. We did our best to give William good principles. However, we did not correct him when he began to follow them in pride and conceit. As you know, he was an only son, and more than that, for many years, an only child. However much Anne and I did not intend to do so, he was spoilt.

“Anne and I always tried to be all that was good, benevolent, and amiable. It seems whether it was our intention or not, we allowed, encouraged, and almost taught William to be selfish and overbearing; to care for none beyond his own family circle; to think meanly of all the rest of the world; to wish at least to think meanly of their sense and worth compared with his own. That was a failing on our part and one I will always regret. Such he has been from eight to now, and such he will continue to be unless he is properly humbled and discovers the insufficiency of his pretensions. My son needs to learn how to please a woman worthy of being pleased.”

“Robert, if you failed William in this, then so did the rest of us,” Felicity declared. “Anne charged me with being the mother he would need. We all saw what William was becoming, and we could have said something, if not to him, then at the very least to you.”

“Andrew was able to deflect the huntresses of the Ton much better than William has. Being treated like a prime cut of beef in the butcher’s shop has affected him greatly,” Reggie opined.

“Do you object if I travel with you into Hertfordshire?” Robert requested. “There is nothing pressing to keep me at Pemberley for the nonce. My son and I need to have a very long conversation. I assume you will have Bethie and Anna join you, will you not?”

“Of course you are more than welcome, and yes, the girls will travel with us,” Felicity responded. “The only question is whether Andrew and Marie will want to travel. I am sure Kathleen would not object to Kathy and Anthony remaining with her if Andrew and Marie want to join us without the children.” Felicity paused as she remembered the ridiculous and unwelcome letter she had received. “While we are in the south, we will need to kill another’s pretension.” She handed the offending letter to Robert.

“Is the virago insane?” Darcy shook his head after reading the drivel. “It is well past the time she is dealt with once and for all.”

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The next day a letter was dispatched to Mr Strike to have some of his investigators returned to Meryton so they would be there at the same time as the family.

Soon thereafter the coaches departed and after a less than six-hour coach ride, the arriving Fitzwilliams and Darcys were welcomed at Hilldale. “Mother, Father, Bethie, Anna, and Uncle Robert, you are all very welcome,” Andrew intoned enthusiastically. As had been his intention, not mentioning Richard produced the reaction he was hoping for, as his younger brother scowled at being omitted in the welcome. “I suppose Richard is welcome as well,” he grinned.

His jest earned him a light punch on the arm from his brother, who was almost at full strength again, with only a limp as evidence of his brush with death on the battlefields of the Peninsula.

“Mother, your note said there is much to discuss; I must tell you that Marie and I are intrigued. You are all in your regular chambers. What say you to us meeting in the family sitting room in an hour?”

“That is perfect,” Reggie agreed. “Where is Kathy?”

“She is taking a nap, and Mother Kathleen is with Marie and Anthony. She will entertain the children while we speak,” Andrew replied.

“Kathleen is more than welcome to join us,” Felicity insisted. “She is family after all. However if, as I suspect, she prefers to be with our grandchildren, I will understand. You and Marie will be able to tell her everything afterwards in any event.”

As agreed, an hour later the Fitzwilliams and Darcys met in the family sitting room on the family floor. “Your father and Uncle Robert are aware of what I am about to share with you regarding where I came from and my family. Until William’s letter, I was not sure how and when I would tell you all, but now it is no longer a choice.”

“The girl William insulted is related to you, is she not?” Richard calculated. “That is why you showed so much displeasure when you read his letter, correct?”

“Yes, Richard, you have the right of it,” Felicity owned.

“Who did William insult, and why did he do so?” Bethie enquired.

“Before we proceed, Richard, hand the letter to Bethie so she and Anna may read it,” Felicity suggested. Richard did as his mother had requested.

“Oh William, why would you say something like that to a lady, and then to think you should not apologise?” Georgiana lamented. “How is this Miss Elizabeth Bennet related to you?”

“All will become clear. In July of 1777…” With her beloved husband filling in some of the blanks, Felicity told her family all. “Once it was clear that my brother was going to follow the edicts of the late Mr Bennet, I never attempted to contact him and never mentioned the name Bennet again. When Reggie and I asked Mr Strike to investigate the Bennets, we knew that at some point we would have to confront my brother. William’s actions, coupled with what we read in the documents governing the entail means we cannot delay any further.”

“I wish I would have known Grandmama Beth,” Bethie bemoaned. “You say you look just like your mother?”

“Yes, Mother most certainly does. I remember Grandmama Beth even though I was only nine the final time I saw her,” Richard confirmed.

“According to Mr Strike’s report, your cousin Elizabeth looks just like Grandmama Beth did at the same age,” Reggie revealed.

“Then surely William was able to see the similarities?” Georgiana wondered.

“I think your brother is blinded by his pride. He is so sure the Bennets are of no consequence he will not allow himself to see that which was before his nose,” Richard surmised. “He alludes to that in the letter.”

“This may be the shock your brother,” he looked at Anna, and then turned to the Fitzwilliams, “and cousin needs to show him he is on the wrong path,” Robert Darcy added.

“Only William would insult someone who is in fact my mother’s blood relative and his own cousin,” Richard added.

“It is my intention to go to Longbourn first before we see William and alert him of our presence. Richard, your life will change again. You remember I mentioned the documents which govern the entail?” Richard nodded. “I had always believed that the heir had to be of my brother’s body and failing that, through the male line of the Collins family. I was wrong. It is in favour of heir’s male, but the male can be born of the body of a male or female Bennet. Andrew has Hilldale, and one day, many years in the future, we hope, he will inherit all of the property tied to the Matlock Earldom, so he has no need for another estate.”

“No, I most certainly do not,” Andrew agreed.

“As such, Longbourn will be yours at some point in the future, Son,” Reggie stated as he placed his hand on his younger son’s shoulder. “As we know that it will be some years before you inherit, we have a plan for that in the meantime.”

Richard was reeling. He was to be an estate owner. As such, he did not even think about what his father had said about the interim.

“Marie, will you be comfortable travelling with the children, or would you prefer not to do so with Anthony as the days get colder?” Felicity asked. “I felt certain you two would like to meet the new family members as well.”

“I am sure Andy will want to join you, but I would prefer Anthony to remain at home until the spring, when he will be closer to his first birthday,” Marie responded.

“If you would like to be with us, which as I am sure you know is my clear preference, I am positive Mother Kathleen will be here with Kathy and Anthony,” Andrew suggested. Marie nodded her agreement.

“In that case, we will depart on Monday and not have to stay at an inn for the Sabbath,” Felicity stated.

No one disagreed with her.

“There is one more thing; once we have met the Bennets and set William to rights, we have to deal with the writer of the letter I received later the same day Richard was handed the one from William.”

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

There had been very little entertainment for Lieutenant George Wickham in Whitchurch, Shropshire. Without his handsome face to assist him, Wickham found that his charms which he had always relied on had no effect. That was true both with the young ladies of the area and the shopkeepers. Not one girl had bought his many lines to induce them into his bed as a sign of love before they wed, and he had not been granted a penny’s worth of credit. He had tried every manipulation in the book, and nothing had worked.

This was all that prig’s fault. Had Darcy not knocked out several of his teeth and broken his nose, Wickham was sure his charms would have worked as they had always done in the past.

All he could hope for was that this town of Meryton, where the new encampment was, would be a more fertile and successful hunting ground. He was so desperate that Wickham had considered returning to throw himself on Karen’s mercy. His fear of being caught had stopped him from attempting that.

At least he was being fed and had a place to rest his head every night. He did wonder what Karen was doing and if she was worried about being discovered.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

“Tell me, who are these men seeking me?” Karen Younge enquired.

It had not taken her long before word that enquiries, albeit subtle ones, were being made about her and her location in Seven Dials. Karen Younge, who was wily at the best of times, had employed some waifs for ten pennies for all of them to discover who the searchers were and from where they came.

For some weeks there had been no information, but then two of the scrawny boys had identified one of the men, and using a series of street children had set about following him. Except for the most well-to-do neighbourhoods, street children were a common sight in London so they would not be considered out of place.

“Jus’ las’ nite we followed ‘im to this place on Baker Street. One ‘o us cud read said the place was Strike Investigations,” the waif reported.

Mrs Younge handed over the shilling as promised, and the lad disappeared back into the slums. There were only two possibilities. Either the crazy old bat who had employed her and George sought them out to exact her retribution, or it was the Darcys and their family. She was not sure which was worse.

The insane woman in Kent would happily have her murdered while the others would see her in gaol for the rest of her life. Neither was a palatable option. It was time for Karen Younge to die and Agnetta Germain to be resurrected. She would take the money she had squirreled away and find a ship to remove her from the kingdom. She would prefer to begin again in the Americas than either of the two other possible fates which awaited her if she remained where she was.

Even if she knew where George was, she would not have warned him. He had left her behind without a thought after taking what he could from her. George could fend for himself.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Ten days after the soiree at Lucas Lodge, a note arrived at Longbourn. It was from Mrs Hurst to Jane. Before Mr Hill could hand it to her eldest daughter, Fanny snatched it off the salver and tore the seal. She read the note aloud.

21 October 1811

Netherfield Park

Miss Jane Bennet,

If you are not so compassionate as to dine today with my younger sister, Caroline, and me, my sister claims that we shall be in danger of hating each other for the rest of our lives, for according to her, a whole day’s tête-à-tête between two women can never end without a quarrel.

Come as soon as you can on receipt of this. My brother and the gentlemen are to dine with the officers.

Yours ever,

Mrs Louisa Hurst

“This is a great compliment to you, Jane,” Fanny gushed as soon as she was done reading the missive. “The sisters must want to get to know you better as they see their brother’s pointed interest in your person.”

“If that was true, would Mrs Hurst not invite Jane on a day when her brother was home? Mama, did you not read that Mr Bingley will be dining with the officers? I am certain they will have bundled Jane into the carriage long before their brother returns to the estate,” Elizabeth pointed out.

“What do you know, Miss Lizzy!” Fanny shouted out nastily while seeing the wisdom of her daughter’s words at the same time. “It looks like rain, so Jane will ride on Nellie. That way she will have to remain the night, and she will be in Mr Bingley’s company.”

“Mama, it will not be right for me to ride there on horseback,” Jane responded plaintively. With the commotion in the drawing room, they had not heard the sounds of arriving carriages.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Just as Mr Hill returned to his station near the front door, he saw an enormous coach stop in the drive. There was a coat of arms on the door he did not recognise. The first conveyance was followed by two more equally impressive ones.

Mrs Hill had been coming to speak to her husband when she spied the equipages. While Mr Hill and Longbourn’s footman went to see who the people were, Mrs Hill watched as a distinguished man with grey hair stepped out and turned to hand out a second person. At first Agnes Hill thought she was seeing a ghost, However when she realised who it was, she burst out of the house.

“Miss Felicity,” the housekeeper called out with tears streaming down her cheeks. “You have come back to us.”

By now everyone had alighted as they watched the scene unfold before them. “Mama told me you married, Agnes,” Felicity stated as she hugged the servant she had not seen in well over thirty years.

“Your late mother made me the housekeeper, and this is my husband, Mr Hill, the butler.” Mrs Hill indicated her husband.

“This gentleman is my husband, Lord Reginald Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Matlock,” Felicity introduced proudly.

“Miss Felicity, you are a countess!” Mrs Hill exclaimed as she made a deep curtsy.

“Where is everyone?” Felicity enquired.

“Mr Bennet is in the study, your Ladyship,” Hill stated as he bowed. “Mrs Bennet and the young ladies are in the drawing room.”

“Mrs Hill, will you show me and the ladies to the drawing room? And Mr Hill, please show my husband and the other men to the master’s study,” Felicity instructed. She knew the way, but this was no longer her home; it had not been since July 1777.

Just as they arrived at the open door, the ladies heard the exchange in the drawing room between Fanny and her two daughters. Felicity shook her head and used her finger over her lips to signal quiet. She heard one of her nieces exclaim about the impropriety of riding a horse as part of a scheme for her to remain at Netherfield Park, a sentiment with which she agreed wholeheartedly.

“You will do as I say,” Fanny hissed back.

“No, she will not!” Felicity shot back from the open door.

Fanny spun around to see who the interloper was. Standing there was her long dead mother-in-law. She promptly fainted. The five Bennet sisters were no less stunned, especially Elizabeth, who was staring at an older version of herself who was wearing a much finer dress.