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The brunt of her anger seemed directed at Anne, and she rushed towards her daughter, screaming.

“You worthless, useless, paltry thing. I should have abandoned you at birth! I lament the day you were born and the day you were conceived. You are nothing to me!” Darcy and Fitzwilliam had moved as one to stand between the madwomen and the chairs where Anne and Elizabeth were seated.

When Lady Catherine attempted to attack her daughter, the colonel stepped forward and subdued her with a few practiced moves, compelling her to return to her chair and the custody of the two nurses.

“Remove her,” said a commissioner. “Take her to the adjoining room and keep her there until all testimony is concluded. She may return for the verdict if she can be brought under control.”

Darcy seated himself between his wife and his cousin as Fitzwilliam accompanied Lady Catherine and the nurses.

Once order was restored, the Earl of Matlock was called to give evidence.

“I am Lady Catherine’s nearest male relative, her brother.

Family members brought my sister’s actions to my attention, and, after investigation, I have concluded that she is a danger both to herself, by her excessive drinking, and, more importantly, to others whom she perceives to be against her interests.

In addition to her shocking behavior with respect to her own daughter, in the course of our investigations, the family discovered that she has been implicated in serious felonies that were committed at her direction.

To this end, she employed a man named George Wickham to carry out the crimes. ”

He went on to provide general details of the abductions, assaults, and murder that had been committed by men in his sister’s employ.

At length, Lord Matlock gestured with a sheaf of documents he held.

“Here is an itemized list of the other crimes Wickham has committed under my sister’s orders.

The list goes back five years.” The Earl was excused with no further questions.

After some quiet conversation among themselves, one of the commissioners announced that they did not find it necessary to examine Lady Catherine.

He then stood and summed up the testimony for the members of the jury, who were given an opportunity to retire and consider their verdict.

Lady Catherine’s voice, loud and querulous, could be heard plainly from the anteroom, interspersed with the quieter voices of the nurses.

“Do you wish us to escort you home, Anne?” asked Darcy. “I can take all of the ladies at the same time. ”

“No, Fitzwilliam. I would like to stay and see this through.”

“You are a brave girl, Anne,” said the earl. “You are to be commended.”

“Let us hope my courage does not fail me at the end, Uncle.”

It seemed that the jury would take some time with their deliberations, so Colonel Fitzwilliam went downstairs to order that tea and sandwiches be brought up.

The refreshments were welcomed by family and servants alike.

The Earl asked his son to take a cup to Lady Catherine, but in a few moments the group heard the sound of shattering porcelain, and Fitzwilliam returned shaking his head.

At length the jury returned and stood at their seats. When the commissioners had been seated, they ordered that Lady Catherine be brought in and the clerk approached the jury foreman. In answer to his questions, the foreman read a formalized statement from a paper he held:

“We find that Catherine de Bourgh is at the time of taking this inquisition a lunatic, and doth not enjoy lucid intervals so that she is not capable of the government of herself, her lands, goods, and chattels; and that she hath been in the same state of lunacy seven years last past, and upwards; but how or by what means the said Catherine de Bourgh became lunatic, we the jurors know not, unless by the visitation of God. ”

When each juror had confirmed his verdict, the room grew silent for a moment.

Lady Catherine jumped to her feet, avoiding the Amazons, and pounded her fist on the table.

“How dare you! Do you know who I am? I am an earl’s daughter, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.

I am no lunatic. I am known throughout England for my virtue and my Christian charity.

Do not trifle with me or you will live to regret it. ”

By this time, the Amazons had her by the arms again.

She turned in their grasp and looked toward the witnesses.

“And you, Elizabeth Bennet! You are the cause of all of this. Obstinate, headstrong, upstart girl! You pollute the shades of Pemberley with every breath you take. I will see you drowned in the Thames. Mark my words. You will pay for this!”

The Amazons wrestled her back to her seat with some difficulty, and one of them poured a small draught into the side of her mouth. In a few moments she was quiet.

One of the commissioners addressed the group of witnesses. “This concludes the inquest. Lord Matlock, there are several documents to be signed, and these can be given to Mr. Moreland to be filed. You and the witnesses are free to go with our thanks.”

A man came in and unobtrusively spoke to Parker, who signaled the two Amazons.

Everyone stayed seated as Lady Catherine was assisted to her feet and escorted from the room.

She said nothing, but her daughter and brother both noted that there were tears on her face.

Once she had left, the man returned to inform Lord Matlock that the carriages were waiting.

Darcy looked at his watch. It was just three o’clock.

∞∞∞

While Darcy, the colonel, and the earl ensured that Lady Catherine was safely settled and confined in the dower house, Elizabeth and Anne returned to Rosings.

Anne confessed that she was too nervous and restless to settle quietly, so they selected some of Anne’s clothing and necessities to be packed in a small trunk for her return to London.

Dinner that night was a relaxed affair, though tinged with fatigue and sorrow.

Mr. and Mrs. Collins had once again been invited, and Charlotte announced her intention of staying in Hunsford rather than returning to London.

“Despite the circumstances, I enjoyed the visit so much, Eliza. It was good to spend time with you again—and with you, Mr. Darcy.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I expect we will find reasons to visit Rosings more often now,” she said, glancing fondly at Anne.

“On a more serious note, I have written to the bishop, and I do intend to be present with the churchwardens for his triennial visit,” said Mr. Collins.

“It should be possible to do something to restore the reputation of poor, good Dr. Oliver. Older people in the village regard him as a saint, and the injustice was grave indeed.”

“Well done,” said Darcy from his place at the table. “Uncle, Elizabeth and I will take Anne and return to London tomorrow morning if you do not require our presence here.”

“That will do perfectly well. I anticipate it will take a few days for my solicitors to secure the necessary documents for the guardianship, and then I can begin the trip to Matlock with my sister and her nurses.”

When Anne, seated in her rightful place at the head of the table, stood to leave with the ladies, her uncle stood, too. “Gentlemen, we will enjoy the company of the ladies this evening. My sister has quite literally not left a bottle in the cellars that is fit to drink.”

Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled down at his cousin as he offered her his arm. “We will not let that state of affairs endure for long, Anne. Fear not.”

All eyes had been on Anne throughout dinner, and as the group sat talking in the drawing room, she was at the forefront of everyone’s concern.

Although she looked tired, she also seemed relieved, as though a weight had been taken from her.

Her color remained healthy, and that she had partaken of dinner with a good appetite.

No one felt like getting up a game of cards, and the talk turned to gardening and farming.

“I know that no fruits and vegetables are grown at Rosings, Miss de Bourgh,” said Collins.

“But now that I know of your fondness for them, I will set aside some for you from our garden. We have an abundance of summer-squash this year. But as I think of it, we have an abundance of summer-squash every year. They cannot be preserved, and neighbors, even poorer neighbors, always say that they have more than enough from their own gardens. This is turning out to be a good year for cherries as well.” He looked over at his wife.

“My dear, I hope you do not mind. I thought it best to engage Ned’s grandmother to come in and deal with the cherries in your absence.

Else they might have rotted on the ground. ”

Charlotte laughed. “I do not mind at all, my dear. I have Ned’s grandmother’s receipt for cherry preserves, so we will have the same thing, only I will not have had to deal with all those pits!”

“Fitzwilliam says that he will introduce me to some of his gardeners from Pemberley so that I can begin to make Rosings Park a more productive place,” said Anne. “I am looking forward to that. And of course, your gardens are the boast of the neighborhood, Mr. Collins.”

They chatted until the tea tray was brought in, after which Mr. and Mrs. Collins rose to take their leave.

Anne sent for a carriage for them, and when they had been sent on their way, the family took candles and went upstairs.

Everyone was tired, and as they wished one another goodnight, Elizabeth’s thoughts returned to London.