Page 30 of The Next Mrs Bennet

M r Rupert Zane, the late Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s solicitor, arrived at Rosings Park at midday the next day, as scheduled. He was a tall man of African descent. His grandparents had been freed slaves who had, after earning a fair amount of money in the West Indies, settled in England. Zane was the second generation of his family born in England.

As his carriage passed the gateposts, he saw the black bunting hanging from them. If he had missed that sign indicating this was a house in mourning, the black wreath on the front doors would have informed him of that fact.

As he approached, the door was opened by the butler wearing a black armband. Zane was led towards the main drawing room. As he walked, he girded his loins for the upcoming battle he was sure would be fought with Lady Catherine when she discovered that none of her dreams of ownership would ever be gratified. Not that, in his memory, the lady had ever allowed facts to deter her. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to maintain his equanimity in the face of the woman’s stupidity and ridiculousness as the butler stepped into the room and announced him.

Rather than screeching from his client’s widow, Zane was treated to blissful peace when he entered the room. Lord and Lady Matlock, their youngest son, and their nephew were waiting for him.

Regardless of how sombre they were as they mourned Anne, Matlock had to fight a grin when he noticed Zane’s surprise at not being accosted by the former mistress’s strident tones. “Welcome. As you can tell, my sister is no longer with us,” Matlock drawled.

“Is that why the house is in mourning?” Zane enquired.

“No. Most regrettably that is for our niece, Anne de Bourgh,” Matlock clarified. “When I said not with us, I meant in this house. She is in Hunsford’s gaol. She was arrested for the murder of her daughter.”

“She thought she would inherit the estate if her daughter could not,” Zane suddenly realised.

“As disgusting as that is, yes, Mr Zane. That is exactly what my former sister-in-law thought,” Lady Elaine said with disgust. “She is far more despicable than any of us ever imagined.”

“Will you allow justice to be done, or will Lady Catherine be hidden in some asylum to avoid a possible scandal?” Zane enquired of the Earl.

“None of us will intercede; even if, as she will be, my sister is found guilty, she is sentenced to swing. Murdering my niece, who would not have harmed a gnat, ensured her fate. It is up to the courts. I sent one of my couriers to Devonshire House soon after my sister’s arrest. The man arrived this morning with the reply. Devonshire will support us and make sure that little or nothing will be turned into fodder for the gossips in London,” Matlock related.

“After the denizens of the Ton saw what happened to Miss Bingley, none of them will chance being the recipient of the same ruin,” Lady Elaine added.

Extracting a sealed missive from his satchel, Zane went on to say, “In that case, my first task is to hand this letter to Colonel Fitzwilliam from Sir Lewis. Once you have read it, I will answer any questions you have.”

Richard could not imagine why his late uncle had written a letter to him. As he accepted the sealed correspondence from the solicitor, he looked at his family members. His mother and Liam looked as confused as he did. His father, however, had an inscrutable look on his countenance. Rather than attempt to divine what his sire meant, Richard took the letter and broke the seal.

Once he unfolded the sheets, he could see that the script was a little faded, but readable, nevertheless. Richard began to read.

6 September 1791

Richard,

Be not discomposed at reading this letter. As it is in your hands, then one of two things has occurred. I will pray the first, not the second, has come to pass.

As much as I love my darling Annie, I know that her bout of scarlet fever left her seriously weakened with a damaged heart and lungs. Just as I look at my own mortality with my weak heart (which is why I am making sure my affairs are in order now,) I have to be realistic about what Anne will and will not be able to do in the future.

Hence, I have made provisions for two scenarios to make sure that my wife will never sink her talons into my beloved estate. Either:

If, as I suspect, Anne is too weak to marry and will not be able to manage her property (the estate, wealth, and de Bourgh House), when that determination is made and agreed upon unanimously by my executors (your father and Uncle Robert) and my solicitor (Rupert Zane), then what I list below the 2nd scenario will come into effect.

If the worst has happened and my Annie is no longer in the mortal world, then no determination by my executors and solicitor is needed.

Regardless of which of the above has come to pass, you, Richard, are my heir.

Before you object: at the time of writing this letter, I only have three nephews (I am the last of the de Bourghs in my line), and both Andrew and Fitzwilliam (I will not call him Fitz, as I know he dislikes it) own, or will own, large estates of their own.

Thanks to the way the entail on Matlock properties has been designed, you on the other hand, will not have any property of your own and will need to shift for yourself.

Due to the occurrence of one of the two above possibilities, it is all yours, Richard. The estate, the funds held in trust, and the house in London. You are NOT enjoined from changing de Bourgh House’s name. If you choose to do so, know that you have my blessing to choose a name which you prefer.

Do not dare attempt to tell yourself you are not worthy of this inheritance. You most certainly are.

If Lady Catherine is still alive, do not allow her to browbeat you. Regardless of her claims, she has no rights to, or authority over, any of my property. While I was still in the mortal world, she attempted all sorts of stratagems to get me to bend to her will. None of them succeeded. I will not allow her to do the same to my daughter, hence the addendum to my will.

I am only sorry I will not be alive to watch all of you grow to adulthood.

Your uncle,

Lewis de Bourgh.

Richard stared at the letter in his hand in disbelief. He reread it twice before he accepted it was real. He looked up and saw his mother and Liam were waiting patiently for him to inform them what was in the letter. His father had the look of one who did not need to ask because he already knew.

“I was bound by the terms of de Bourgh’s last will and testament to remain silent about this until now,” Matlock stated when he saw his son’s questioning look. Zane nodded his agreement. “Do not dare think that this windfall is coming to you on the back of Anne’s death. As I am sure de Bourgh told you in his letter, the estate would have been yours one way or the other.”

“Do you need me to read the actual addendum?” Zane enquired. “It seems Sir Lewis told you the same thing in his letter.” There were shaken heads. “In that case I will take my leave. All will be filed with the Court of Chancery, and the Colonel should receive the deeds to the estate and house within a fortnight. When I return to London, I will go to Coutts, the bank Sir Lewis patronised, with the will. It will allow me to have all accounts transferred to your name. Once that is done, I will notify you, and you will be free to use another bank or do what you will with the funds.”

“Thank you, Zane.” Matlock inclined his head. The solicitor bowed and left the room.

“So, it seems Catherine murdered Anne without knowing that there was nothing she could do to get her hands on everything.” Lady Elaine shook her head after Mr Zane had left. “I never understood how she could have been so very different in character from both you and your late sister.”

“It is something I have long puzzled. My only guess is there is a fault inside of Catherine which drives her to always want more,” Matlock opined.

“I know the custom says Liam and I only need to mourn Anne for two weeks, but I will mourn for six. Three in deep mourning and three in half mourning,” Richard decided. “I am only sorry we did not arrive in time to save Anne.”

“We will all follow your lead in mourning her for six weeks. As an aside, based on my conversation with Mrs Jenkinson, Anne is at peace now,” Lady Elaine stated. “Anne was not doing well. Her breathing had become laboured, and she was not able to leave her suite any longer. It in no way mitigates Catherine’s actions, but if she had waited a sennight or two, God would have called Anne home anyway. I am sure she is with Lewis, her namesake, and Robert now.” Lady Elaine lifted her eyes to the heavens as she said the last.

“I know very little about estate management,” Richard pointed out.

“As I never got to assist my former friend at Tommy’s estate, I would rather teach you. Rich, I am at your disposal. I am very sure once Andy returns from Eastbourne, he will be more than willing to impart his knowledge to you as well,” Darcy volunteered. “If memory serves, you are relatively intelligent, so learning should not be an issue for you,” he jested.

“Neither Andrew nor Liam here were born with the innate knowledge of how to manage an estate,” Matlock told his son. “Like they learnt, so will you.”

“When will we return to London? I have much to tell Mary,” Richard enquired.

“There is nothing pressing to do now, but we will wait until after the funeral. However, I suggest you meet with the senior staff and allow them to inform the servants of the changes in ownership before we make for Town,” Matlock added. “There is no hurry to appoint a new rector. The curate is well liked and will continue on until you make a decision regarding the advowson in your gift. As that is the case, we should be able to depart two days after the morrow. With the funeral being held in the morning in two days, there will be condolers here for part of the day.”

Anne de Bourgh would be laid to rest in the de Bourg family crypt, next to her beloved father. After her, the crypt would be sealed and not be used again, as she had been the last living member of her father’s line.

“If I were you, Rich, I would consider Mr Tilney for the living,” Darcy suggested. “He seems to be the opposite of the former parson, and he puts his parishioners’ needs first. Also, we will be able to judge him when he conducts the funeral service on the morrow. I do not believe this man is a sycophant.”

“I will consider him,” Richard said almost absentmindedly. He was still reeling from his radical change in fortune. No matter what anyone said, he still felt that his good fortune had come at the expense of Anne’s misfortune. He could not wait to be able to speak to his fiancée. He knew she would see things with clearer eyes than he was able to at that moment. Richard thought of something. “Do we not need to be here to bear witness against Aunt Cat?”

“No. Mrs Jenkinson and the others employed here will be more than enough and are far more intimate with the details than us,” Matlock replied.

“I am not sure if a provision was made for Mrs Jenkinson’s pension, but if she would like to retire, I will offer her one of the cottages here and a good pension as well,” Richard stated determinedly.

“Allow me to canvass her regarding her future,” Lady Elaine stated. “If she desires to keep working, I think she would be a good fit for Becca.”

“Why does my cousin need a companion?” Richard was puzzled.

“Not for herself. She mentioned to me that she would like to find someone who will be with Ellie. With Mary engaged and Lizzy soon to be, they will not need companions. Their governess wants to be closer to her family, so she is not a possibility,” Lady Elaine related.

That evening while the men met with Mr Tilney about the funeral, Lady Elaine had a discussion with Mrs Jenkinson. The latter told her that she would rather work than sit and think about Miss de Bourgh’s loss. She was more than happy to meet the Countess’s niece if that lady required it. Even though she was not a relative, she would mourn her former charge for six weeks.

The meeting convinced Richard to offer the living to Tilney. The curate gratefully accepted.

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

By the time the Fitzwilliams and Darcy returned to London, the rest of the family were familiar with the salient facts around Anne de Bourgh’s murder and the arrest of Catherine. At Richard’s request, no mention had been made of his being the owner and master of Rosings Park. It was something he wanted Mary to hear about from his own mouth.

With Bennet’s permission, Richard led his fiancée to the family library, where the door was left fully open, and Biggs was stationed in the hallway.

He told Mary that he was no longer in the army and his commission had been purchased. However, she could tell that he was not at ease. “Richard, I can see there is something weighing on your shoulders. I hope you already know you are able to share anything with me,” Mary stated after she had regained her breath thanks to a searing kiss behind one of the bookshelves before they sat on a settee in full view of the door.

“You know me too well, my darling Mary. In addition to discovering that my Aunt Cat was a murderess, I received a letter from my late Uncle Lewis, which he wrote a month or two before he was called home more than twenty years past. Here, you may read it, and then we will discuss its contents.” Richard handed his beloved Mary the letter which had been in his inside jacket pocket.

Other than a few times when Mary’s eyebrows shot up, she did not react and said nothing while she read. On completion, she folded the letter and returned it to Richard. She took one of his hands. “If I know you, you are ambivalent about accepting all of this which would have belonged to Cousin Anne had she not been taken ill over twenty years past. In fact, I would wager you are feeling guilty, are you not?” Richard nodded that she was correct. She continued, “Yes, you should mourn Anne as you intend to do, but you will need to move forward with your life.

“This misplaced guilt is rather self-indulgent, Richard. I am sure I am not the first to tell you that you had no influence or fault in what happened to Cousin Anne.”

“No, you are not the first. However, my strong, brave, and intelligent Mary, you are the first to point out that I am being self-indulgent. I knew that speaking with you about all of this would give me clarity. It seems that you and I will be living in Kent for a good portion of the year.”

“I understand it is only about fifty miles to Meryton from Rosings Park. After all, Richard, when we need to visit Meryton, what is fifty miles of good road? It will be an easy distance, and when we are in London, we will be even closer to Longbourn.”

“How I love you, Mary Bennet. I cannot wait until you resign the name Bennet for Fitzwilliam.” Richard would have gifted Mary another passionate kiss. However, he stopped himself when he saw Biggs was looking right at them. They would find a brief time alone later.

By the time they returned to the large family sitting room, those who were not aware of Richard’s inheritance had been informed.

Elizabeth was very happy for Richard, although it meant after he and Mary married, they would be about one hundred and fifty miles distant from one another. She remembered that Hilldale was not more than thirty miles from Pemberley, so at least Jane would be close by. It was then she realised that Chatsworth was less than ten miles away and that Aunt Connie and Uncle Harry’s estate, Granville, was barely fifteen miles away over the border into Nottinghamshire.

Even though she would be far from Mama, Papa, Henry, Mary, Tommy, and Ellie, Elizabeth was well aware they would see one another often.

What pleased Elizabeth more than anything else was the fact that Liam had returned with Richard. Without asking Mama about the signs denoting that one was in love; she was positive she was deeply in love with him. She had missed him terribly while he had been away, even though it had only been a little more than five days. Never had she thought she could make such a deep connection with a man so quickly. When she tried to imagine her future life without him in it, she saw a blank canvas with nothing on it. Only when she put Liam next to her walking life’s paths were there vibrant colours and lots of life in the picture of her future.

“Liam, you know that question I said I would be ready for soon?” Elizabeth said near his ear in sotto voce .

At first Darcy was confused. Then he remembered her words the day Elizabeth had accepted the courtship. Darcy felt a wave of excitement throughout the whole of his body. “Elizabeth, are you saying you are ready to hear a proposal of marriage from me?” he verified excitedly.

“I am,” Elizabeth confirmed. “I suggest you go ask my papa if we may speak in private.”

Darcy did not need to be prompted twice. He shot up and took three quick strides to stand before Becca and Bennet. The two had been watching the interaction between Lizzy and Liam and were almost sure of what Liam wanted to say to them.

Becca pre-empted him. “Yes, you may speak to Lizzy in private. John is still outside the family library. You have ten minutes, and the door will remain partially open.”

Soon enough Darcy was leading Elizabeth out of the sitting room; both had looks of absolute joy on their faces.