Page 30 of I am Jael (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

“Dear Jane, you do look quite dreadful,” Mrs. Bennet fussed loudly. “Mr. Bingley, I promise you that my Jane will return to her usual handsome looks once she has given birth to your son!”

Bingley winced as he put a loving hand on his wife’s slim one, “Mrs. Bennet, I assure you that I always find Jane all that is beautiful.”

Jane sighed and carefully spooned another sip of white soup into her mouth. Her lips tightened and she took a deep breath, “Mother, I understand that you visited Sir William and Lady Lucas yesterday? Mr. and Mrs. Collins are visiting, are they not? Are they all well?”

Darcy turned his gaze on Elizabeth, who was seated next to him at the table at Longbourn.

He expected his beloved to be blushing from her mother’s vulgar speech, but Elizabeth was, instead, staring worriedly at Mrs. Bingley.

A moment later, Jane Bingley rose quietly to her feet and walked rapidly out of the room.

Elizabeth sighed and turned towards Darcy, a frown puckering her forehead.

“Poor Jane,” she murmured. “I suggested that she stay at Netherfield and forgo this evening’s dinner with my parents, but she insisted that she come along to distract my mother from our upcoming engagement.

Mama is equally divided between enthusiasm for her upcoming grandchild and my marriage to a wealthy man. ”

Darcy focused on his friend Bingley as the latter also rose to his feet and walked quickly out of the room, no doubt in pursuit of his wife.

“Is your sister very unwell?” he asked worriedly.

“She is not dangerously ill,” Elizabeth explained, “but evenings are the most difficult. But enough about Jane; she would be horrified to be the focus of our conversation. Tell me about Miss Darcy; you said she accompanied Miss de Bourgh, the Earl of Matlock, and Colonel Fitzwilliam to London this morning?”

“Indeed yes. My cousin Anne has not seen Lady Matlock in a number of years, and she begged Georgiana to accompany her to London so that she would have a female friend. Georgie agreed, though she will return to Meryton for our wedding. My sister is not yet out but she can accompany Lady Matlock and Cousin Anne to the dressmakers and the like.”

“Georgiana cannot fail to be a comfort,” Elizabeth agreed. “She is such a bright, brave, encouraging young woman. You should be very proud of her.”

“I am proud and rather astonished. After her experience at Ramsgate...,” he trailed off as his eyes met hers.

“I am sure it was a very difficult time, but she has rebounded remarkably. Indeed, more than that, she took her pain and sorrow and used it to bless others. I have said it before, but I will say it again; I am most grateful for her courage in exposing that man for what he was. But enough about Wickham. You will be traveling to London tomorrow?”

“To arrange for the marriage settlements, yes. My business will take two to three days and I hope to return on the fourth day. Perhaps we can plan to marry next Tuesday morning?”

Elizabeth blushed suddenly, “I can hardly wait.”

His hand boldly slipped over hers, “I am counting the minutes, Elizabeth.”

/

“Very well, Mr. Darcy. The settlements will be completed by tomorrow afternoon, if that is reasonable?”

“Yes, that is excellent, Mr. Wood,” Darcy replied to his lawyer, his mind racing ahead. He needed to give orders to have the mistress’s suite opened and cleaned at Darcy house, and he had to complete the arrangements for the special license.

“Yes, Higgins?” the lawyer asked of an underling who had stepped into the office.

“Sir, the Earl of Matlock has arrived with Miss Anne de Bourgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam. They request a few minutes of your time.”

Darcy rose to his feet and nodded at his lawyer, “Thank you again, Mr. Wood. Your expertise is most welcome at this important time.”

“It is always my honor to serve the Darcys, sir,” Wood replied, then glanced at his assistant, who wore an uncertain expression on his face. “Yes, Higgins?”

“Mr. Darcy, the Earl asked that you stay for this interview as well, if you have the time, sir.”

Slightly surprised, Darcy nodded and waited. A minute later, Anne entered the room with her uncle and cousin at her heels.

Darcy bowed and seated himself after Anne. The Earl and Colonel also sat down as Mr. Wood spoke, “My lord, Miss de Bourgh, Colonel Fitzwilliam, welcome. I assume you are here to discuss the details of Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s will?”

After a murmur of assent from Anne and the Earl, the lawyer continued, “Please excuse me as I collect the necessary documents.”

The lawyer left the room as the Earl gazed at his nephew, “Darcy, it is good to see you. We sought your counsel at Darcy House only to find you here, so we followed you. I hope that you have time to discuss Anne’s situation regarding her inheritance?”

“By all means, though I am not certain what you would have me do, sir?”

“Another pair of eyes and ears would be beneficial,” Colonel Fitzwilliam explained. “We will shortly be learning the particulars of the will. We can make no firm plans until then.”

Darcy assented with a nod and gazed at Anne, “Are you well, cousin?”

Anne smiled at him, “I am indeed, Darcy. For all that my mother warned me of the dangers of London air, it seems to agree with me, for now at any rate. Lady Matlock has welcomed me with open arms and Georgiana accompanied us to the shops yesterday. It has been so long since I’ve seen such color and energy! It was a delightful time.”

Darcy smiled back a little sadly. Anne did look well, better than he had seen her in years. It was discouraging to consider how starved Anne had been for excitement in her life if a trip to London shops resulted in such enthusiasm.

Perhaps it was not the shops, but the fellowship. Lady Matlock was a bright and engaging woman, if not an intellectual giant. After years sequestered with an overbearing mother, Anne no doubt yearned for pleasant companionship.

Mr. Wood stepped into the room and laid a series of documents on the table. For the next ten minutes, the four men and one lady perused the papers with interest and some level of surprise.

“So to summarize,” Darcy stated once all had read their fill, “Anne became the legal owner of Rosings when she attained her twenty-fifth birthday. She also inherited a10,000 pound legacy from a distant relative of her father’s on her twenty-first birthday.”

Anne was flushed with indignation, “Mother never so much as mentioned that legacy.”

The Earl lifted a silencing hand and glanced at the lawyer, “Mr. Wood, I believe that this discussion should be private. I hesitate to oust you from your own office, but ...”

“Not at all, my lord,” Wood replied, rising to his feet. “Take all the time that you need.”

He left the room hastily and Matlock turned to his niece, “Perhaps your mother did not see fit to mention the legacy since she believed you did not need the money. The estate of Rosings yields some 8000 pounds a year.”

“She should have told me about the legacy,” Anne insisted. “She has such firm opinions about everything I purchase that I rarely ask for anything. If I had known that I had 10,000 pounds of my own, I would have felt freer to obtain what I wanted.”

“I agree,” Colonel Fitzwilliam agreed. “Furthermore, Darcy and I have concerns about Lady Catherine’s stewardship of Rosings. The estate’s income has been slowly dwindling these last years.”

“Why the decrease?” Matlock demanded.

Darcy and the Colonel exchanged glances.

“Lady Catherine is an intelligent woman,” Darcy said slowly.

“She has a good grasp on the sums involved with the estate, and she has no terribly expensive habits. She is neither a gambler nor does she purchase beyond what is reasonable for a very wealthy woman. However, she tends to be short sighted about such matters as tenant housing and crop rotation.”

Fitzwilliam nodded, “She attempts to scold her tenants into good cheer, which is absurd. If the roof is leaking and the children are sick and cold and the tenant’s family is hungry, he will not be able to keep the fields in excellent condition.

Lady Catherine also refuses to accept most modern farming practices. ”

“Is it really as bad as that?” Anne demanded. “Children are starving in the tenant houses of Rosings?”

The Colonel glanced at Darcy and sighed, “No, they are not. Darcy and I visit Rosings at least once a year, and make a point of analyzing the needs of the tenants. For those who are truly suffering, Darcy has provided monetary assistance.”

Now Anne was flushed with embarrassment, not indignation, “Darcy, I apologize.”

“It is not your fault, Anne,” Darcy muttered uncomfortably.

“How could she be so cruel?” the woman asked with anger in her voice.

“I think,” the Colonel stated, “that your mother is inclined to blame others for their suffering. She looks at a hungry family and assumes that the farmer did a poor job with the crops, as opposed to accepting that the rains failed to fall or that the soil is impoverished.”

“And that is another issue,” Darcy commented heavily. “Her steward is much like her clergyman; he venerates Lady Catherine and would never dream of contradicting her.”

“My mother would permit nothing else,” Anne pointed out grimly.

“Indeed. He is a thoroughly honest man but he is not open to many modern farming practices and while he has implemented some crop rotation, he has not always done so wisely. Thus, the tenants of Rosings do not have access to the latest techniques and farming equipment. I have spoken to your mother more than once on this issue, but she has ignored all of my advice.”

There was silence for a long minute before Anne lifted her chin determinedly, “What are my options?”