Page 26

SCANDAL EXPOSED

L ady Matlock and a pretty young lady getting on well together always made Fitzwilliam nervous. His betrothed getting on well with his mother outright scared him. The pain in his side, however, was stronger than the fear he felt at his mother and betrothed getting along. Fitzwilliam needed to sit down - urgently!

“You cannot announce your engagement right now!” Lady Matlock emphatically announced.

Mark glared at the countess. “I do not have any choice. It is that or Caroline is disgraced.”

“You can quietly marry, but we need to divert attention away from your family, not bring more to it. Your father’s disgraceful behaviour is the talk of the town! Kitty and I could not go anywhere in Meryton this morning without hearing her father’s crimes talked about,” Lady Matlock pressed. “And when I was shopping for a surprise for my son, away from Kitty, I was informed in no uncertain terms of what it is that the neighbourhood thinks is going on! No, if our families are to weather this storm then you two will not be announcing your engagement.”

Mark narrowed his eyes angrily at Lady Matlock. “Are you telling your son to not marry my sister, too?”

Lady Matlock sighed. “I am not sure the timing on that one is correct, either. However, no I am not telling him not to marry her, but I would advise them to make their marriage a quiet affair. It will add to the awful rumours circulating.”

“Too late, mother,” Fitzwilliam snapped. “I sent the announcement to The Times two days ago. It should be appearing in The Times ….”

Mark snatched up the newspaper and leafed through it. There in the society pages in bold lettering taking dead centre in the page was Fitzwilliam’s announcement. However, along with that was an editorial addendum.

Slowly Mark began to read out loud, “It has come to the attention of this editor that all is not as it might seem with the Bennet family. The so-called middle girl was born the son and heir to the family estate. The disgraced father, Mr Timothy Bennet, turns out to be the long sought-after smuggler and traitor to our country who goes by the epithet The Great Patriarch. The editor of this newspaper has to wonder why the son had to be brought up in a manner as to deceive the world. What is wrong with that family? Did Mr George Wickham know something else disgraceful that he left Miss Lydia Bennet at the altar? If one girl was a boy what about the other girls? Are they truly the nice young ladies society deems them to be? This author does not know the answer. What is known is that for some undisclosed reason, Mr Bennet’s family has all left the protection of Mr Bennet and Longbourn to live at Netherfield Park with Mr Bingley and his sisters. The sad history of the Bingley family has long been a cause of speculation as it is well-known amongst certain circles of the North of England that Mr Charles Bingley was severely beaten as a child and his ability to father children was stolen from him. Mr Bingley’s father died in prison for the revenge which he took on the man who maimed his son and ended the Bingley line. However, staying with Mr Bingley are Colonel Christopher Fitzwilliam, Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr and Mrs Hurst (who it is rumoured are more apt to be found in the bed of others than together in their own) and Miss Caroline Bingley. So many beautiful young ladies in the house would be enough to turn the heads of any young man — is it any wonder that Miss Elizabeth Bennet turned the head of Mr Darcy and that Miss Catherine Bennet has turned the head of Colonel Fitzwilliam? However, the question remains is if one of the ‘girls’ truly is a man whether the other young ladies are too? Are our young men safe from this family? What about Colonel Fitzwilliam and Mr Darcy, are they using marriage to hide some nasty proclivities? I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, to ask the difficult questions of all those who are resident in Netherfield Park.”

“ What utter drivel!” The earl exclaimed as Mark finished reading.

“No wonder many of my former friends would not speak to me!” Catherine fitfully exclaimed.

“He obviously hasn’t bothered to go and look into the church records of the Bennet girls,” Fitzwilliam bitterly griped. “There has never been a Mary Bennet entered. Only Mark. Mr Phillips registered the birth because Mrs Bennet had flown from the family home and was staying with them at the time of Mark’s birth. I can assure you that his inferences about Fitz and myself are untrue!”

“We would not think anything different, Christopher! You know that. The thing is that the Bennet scandal has broken nationally. We have to move and we have to move fast,” Lady Matlock began planning.

“You have a plan, mother,” Fitzwilliam told her.

“I am going to modify our plans! You and Mark are going to have a double wedding,” Lady Matlock began.

Fitzwilliam groaned.

“It is going to have to be rather lavish! With the scandal, I have several other plans, but the wedding is going to have to be central to everything!” Lady Matlock began. “I am sure about Kitty and since Mark and Caroline have announced they are expecting, that will help too. What about Mrs Darcy? Is she expecting?”

“I do not know about Elizabeth. She has not said anything,” Fitzwilliam told his mother.

Lady Matlock frowned. “The only married girl not expecting would complicate the matter.”

“Mother, what are you thinking?” Fitzwilliam asked suspiciously.

Lady Matlock stood up and walked over to her son and cupped his face. “Nothing you need to worry about. Just make sure that at the next social events you and Kitty are out to be seen. We will hold our heads up and we will weather this storm!”

Fitzwilliam gave his mother a blank look.

Lady Matlock ignored her son. “Kitty, would you join me as I go to meet my newest niece and see how her husband is doing.”

Catherine stood up and left the room with her future mother-in-law. Passing the housekeeper, Lady Matlock was heard giving instructions for Mrs Bennet to meet her in the Darcys’ room.