Page 55

At Rosings Park, Miss Anne de Bourgh walked each day.

With her lady’s companion as chaperone, the young woman strolled through the lovely gardens that surrounded her manor house.

With Lady Catherine’s departure for London, no one came looking for the young woman during her walks and consequently, she spent more than an hour each day in the company of Mr Clarence Fredericks.

Anne blushed prettily when the gentleman knelt on one knee to propose marriage.

Without hesitation, the woman accepted and added, “Mr Fredericks, we must marry quickly – before my mother returns from London. Can you obtain a special license? When Mother returns, she will order the footmen to throw you from the house and lock me in my room. She will never permit us to marry.”

Clarence replied, “I believe we need a common license, my dear. A special license is difficult to obtain because the His Grace, the Archbishop of Canterbury must investigate our situation and grant the license. That requires an excessive amount of time and money.”

“However, the common license can be obtained from any bishop, and we provide sworn statements that there are no reasons we cannot marry. The banns do not have to be called for three weeks. Once I have this common license, any clergyman can perform the sacrament of holy matrimony that will unite us as man and wife.”

Anne urged her fiancé to act saying, “Then obtain the license tomorrow! Where shall we find a clergyman who will marry us?”

“Will your parson not perform the sacrament?” asked Clarence, the question evident in his voice.

Her face turning away for a moment, Anne took a breath and then explained, “Mr Collins is my mother’s toad. On any afternoon, if she told him to jump from the roof of Rosings, the man would gladly agree and ask how many times he should bounce upon landing on the lawn.”

Mr Fredericks chuckled and reached out to pull Anne’s chin up and around. “My dear, you know your mother and her minion best. Will the housekeeper or butler write to warn her of our impending marriage?”

“They dare not! My father’s testament is explicit, and I have made certain the servants know what I shall do – what my husband will do – if anyone betrays my secrets during Mother’s absence.”

Smiling with pleasure at his determined fiancée, Clarence asked, “Anne, may I kiss you? You are full of life, and I am glad that I found you.”

In the moments that followed, the couple had their first kiss and Anne found herself clinging to Clarence’s arms when he finally stepped away from her. The man took the young woman’s hand and brought it to his lips for another kiss.

Anne glanced toward Mrs Jefferson who was not watching but bore a kind smile on her face. The lady’s companion had conspired with her employer to provide the young couple with the privacy required for a courtship and proposal of marriage.

The young woman squeezed the man’s hand as she said, “Mr Fredericks, please obtain the common license as soon as possible. I shall pack a small bag, and Mrs Jefferson will travel with us.”

“Are you certain? There might be gossip with an elopement,” Clarence asked, and the man was pleased to see his future wife frown.

“There are plenty of gossips in England and their tongues wag over new scandals each day. We shall be a footnote in the gossip columns for a single day, no more,” Anne replied as she waved away the man’s concern. “Then our true lives will begin.”

He pressed, “Anne, will you be satisfied with my home? It is small compared to Rosings.”

The young woman replied, “I am cold and alone in these empty halls and rooms. Mother dictates what I wear, what I eat, and what I read. I want to manage our home as I was taught as a girl.”

“I shall venture to Folkstone tomorrow and visit with the parson,” Clarence assured his fiancée.

Then I shall visit a bishop in Canterbury to purchase a common license.

Then we do not need to wait on the banns to be called on three Sundays.

With the common license, the parson at Folkstone will marry us without hesitation. ”

“Only four days then, Clarence. I shall look for you on Friday morning. I shall be your wife that night and we shall return to your home to begin our honeymoon.”

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