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Chapter 16
Posted on Wednesday, 23 April 2008
"No, we are not going to Netherstone!" Anne glared at her husband, hands on hips, defying him to question her.
"It is Netherfield, and yes, we must!" Fitzwilliam answered, matching her glare with an equally determined look of his own.
"Netherstone, Netherfield, what does it matter; we are not going."
"And as your husband, I say that we are." He pondered the odds that she would meekly acquiesce to his decree. They were too small to even hope.
"Are you out of your senses?" Anne huffed. "Elizabeth is only two months old!"
"I promised Bingley a long time ago that whenever he had an estate, I would be the first to visit him."
"Even Charles Bingley would understand why we must decline at this time!"
"I gave him my word -- I will not break it."
"What about Georgiana?"
"We had agreed that she would return to London with Mrs. Annesley to stay with our uncle. I see no reason why that should change. In fact, we could travel with her to Town and then continue to Netherfield. Bingley has informed me the estate is about 20 miles from London."
"Fine, have it your way. Elizabeth and I wish you, Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley a safe trip. Please be back at Pemberley by Christmas." She tried to walk past him but he would not allow her, carefully grabbing hold of her arm
"Anne, all of us are going. I do not understand why you are so opposed to the trip. It is one day less than if we were traveling to Kent. If, after we see Bingley's estate, you wish to continue on to Rosings, we can always make our excuses that we need to visit Lady Catherine."
Anne carefully removed his hand from her arm, but did not make a move to leave again. "We have only just rid ourselves of her company. I thought she would never leave after Elizabeth was born. I love my mother, but two months in the same household, now that I am mistress and a mother, is too long. Thank God she took Mrs. Jenkinson with her."
"You did not care much for your former companion." Darcy sensed the opportunity to change the conversation.
"She was much more to the taste of my mother. I did not dislike her, I simply did not like her."
"Is there a difference?"
Anne rolled her eyes. Sometimes she found Fitzwilliam so infuriating. "Of course, I would rather have been left alone than forced to sit with Mrs. Jenkinson. She is a very dull woman."
"Thus perfect for her ladyship, for Lady Catherine seldom requires an answer. Though I think your mother suffers for the lack of your company. There is no one left at Rosings who will dare defy her."
"Stuart will." Darcy cocked his head in disbelief. "Well, if called for, Mrs. Stuart is not afraid to question Mother."
"In my experience, the only thing that prods your esteemed housekeeper to challenge Lady Catherine is you. However, I must add that your mother is much the same as Stuart; when it comes to her daughter, Lady Catherine de Bourgh thinks nothing and no one is good enough."
"Except for you."
"She wanted me for her son-in-law," he said smugly.
"I wanted you for her son-in-law...eventually."
"You have me," Darcy reached over and took his wife in his arms, "and I shall never let you forget it." That pronouncement was followed by slow and sensuous kisses that left Anne's legs unable to support her. "We leave in a fortnight for Hertfordshire, yes?" Darcy whispered.
Anne did not realize what she had agreed to until later.
If Darcy thought the discussion over, he was mistaken. Anne still thought it ludicrous to subject a newborn to such a journey. Eventually he was forced to appeal to his wife's fondness for Caroline Bingley, or rather, her lack thereof.
Unlike her former companion, Mrs. Jenkinson, to whom Anne was indifferent, Anne disliked Caroline Bingley. She found Miss Bingley to be well educated and accomplished. However, the chit was an unmitigated social climber of the worst kind; she did not believe anyone thought of her as anything but a lady born into the highest circles, instead of the daughter of a tradesman that she was. It was not that Anne had anything against people in trade. Heavens! Her cousin Arthur de Bourgh's money came from that source. Anne merely despised people who were too quick to forget where they came from. Acceptance in the ton came with time, not with attitudes of unearned superiority.
So when Darcy told Anne that Sir John was to be among the party, Anne could not leave her friend to the mercy of Miss Bingley. Anne liked her former admirer too much to subject him to a house party where he would constantly be in company with that woman with no one but Bingley and the Hursts to rescue him.
And so, in the second week of October, the Darcys were on the road to Hertfordshire via London to stay with Bingley and his family at his new estate.
The timing of their arrival at Netherfield could not have been any better. Darcy had sent word ahead of when they would arrive and Bingley had used the intervening days to hurry back to London to gather his sisters Caroline and Louisa, and Louisa's husband, Mr. Humphrey Hurst. Sir John Whitby made up the last of the party. They arrived a few hours before the Darcy-crested coach rolled up Netherfield's main drive. Their host was there to greet them and dote on the little child, and soon enough they were settled in their rooms. Counting two-month old Miss Darcy, they had an even number of eight for the dinner table -- not that Miss Darcy would be anywhere but asleep in the nursery during the evenings.
Miss Bingley gloried in presiding over the table, though she claimed the meal was not up to her normal standards. Seeing that they had only arrived that afternoon, the mistress of the manor promised a marked improvement once she had a chance to put the staff to rights.
"I think they have done an admirable job, Caroline. And with your excellent instruction, anything that may be lacking will quickly be amended," Bingley said with a jovial air.
"Will there be any sport tomorrow?" Mr. Hurst asked.
"I need to speak with my gamekeeper, but if not tomorrow then some day soon. Besides, we do not want to tire ourselves out and not be able to attend the ball at the local assembly rooms. We have all been invited."
Anne noticed Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst give their brother pointed looks, which he ignored.
"A ball? You never mentioned a ball, Bingley." Darcy said carefully.
"It must have slipped my mind; I was so happy to see you I forgot to tell you."
"I do not know how he forgot, it was all he could talk about when he was in Town." Sir John laughed. "We had a devil of a time making him stop! He must have asked me four times if I were bringing my dancing shoes."
"Your old ones or your new?" Anne asked, delighted at the jovial turn in the conversation.
"Why both, Mrs. Darcy. I shall leave it to you to command which ones I wear."
"You have charged me with a very weighty responsibility, sir!"
"The toes of the maidens of Hertfordshire are at your mercy, madam."
"Will everyone be attending the ball?" Caroline queried.
No one spoke in the negative, not wishing to offend their host by remaining behind. When Bingley saw the response, his smile broadened.
"Excellent! I love a country dance. Caroline, Louisa, Mrs. Darcy. I hope to dance with you all! And perhaps, Mrs. Darcy, you can convince your taciturn spouse to take a turn with you as well?"
"You may rest assured, Bingley, that I will dance with my wife and all the ladies of the party, if they are so inclined."
"Only do not ask him to stand up with a woman he has never met before. He is likely to say something rude," Anne teased.
"I could never imagine Mr. Darcy doing such a thing!" Miss Bingley cried, horrified that Mr. Darcy's own wife could say such a thing.
"My wife teases me, Miss Bingley. Pay her no mind. And you, Sir John, will you dance with the local populace?"
"Most assuredly, for as soon as Bingley and I walk through the door, the matrons will know we are single and in possession of a good income."
"And therefore in dire need of a wife," Anne added.
"Not so dire, I thank you, Mrs. Darcy. But we will be introduced to many young ladies and expected to dance. I am not opposed to such a diversion." Sir John noticed that his hostess was looking at him rather intently. "While I have the chance, will you be so kind as to dance the first set after we arrive, Miss Bingley?"
Miss Bingley was satisfied. "Certainly, Sir John."
That night, after Anne had checked on Elizabeth, Anne and Darcy retired for the evening in Anne's chambers, since those rooms were connected to the nursery.
"What are your impressions of Netherfield?" he asked his wife.
"You mean Netherstone?" The name of the estate had become a joke between the two.
"One of these days you will forget yourself and say that to Bingley."
Anne sighed in defeat. "I suppose you are right." Then she pouted for good measure and Fitzwilliam felt it incumbent upon himself to tickle the impudent frown off her face. She lay on her back, nearly out of breath from the onslaught.
"Enough! I surrender -- we are at Netherfield Park!" Darcy sat up with a look of triumph on his face. "That was entirely unfair, sir! Your arms are much longer than mine."
"You brought it upon yourself. Now, tell me your impressions of Netherfield."
Anne sat up and fluffed the pillows before she leaned back against them.
"It is nothing to Pemberley or Rosings, of course, but it is a pretty little estate from what we have seen. The house is large enough to meet Bingley's needs, if a little outdated in décor. That is not surprising since he is only leasing the place."
"You approve?"
"From what I have seen, I do. Yet I know nothing about the rest of the estate other than what we saw on our way to the house and what we could see from the windows. Will Bingley have much to say in the matters of his tenants and the land?"
"I believe so, which is another reason why I was so insistent on coming. He has little experience being anything more than a young man of fortune with little responsibility."
"He is very fortunate to have such a friend."
Darcy snorted, "And he repays me by dragging us off to a country dance the day after we arrive!"
"Oh please! I happen to know you like those dreaded country balls. You always dance with me when we attend them in Derbyshire."
"That, my love, is because I know you enjoy it."
"And will you dance with anyone else tomorrow?"
"Only the ladies in our party. You know I do not like to dance with women with whom I am not acquainted."
"That is true. Three to six dances are all I may expect to see from you."
"There is an advantage to being an old married man. I will not be disappointing any young ladies since I am off the marriage market. Sir John was correct when he said he and Bingley would be dancing all night."
Anne thought for a moment before answering. "I do not think I ever told you, but before we were married, Sir John told me he was not very fond of dancing."
"Really? That is most surprising! Since our engagement I have seen him dance numerous times."
"I encouraged him to do so, and to wear normal shoes!"
Darcy laughed, he had heard about Sir John's special dancing pumps. "Do you think he still owns that pair?"
"I doubt it, but at least he can laugh about it now. Hmm, maybe I should suggest he procure another pair especially to dance with Miss Bingley."
"Has she decided to have him?"
"I do not think so, but she appears to be wavering. Sir John is too kind to let her know he has no interest in a way that will leave no doubt. Perhaps you should speak to Bingley?"
"I doubt Sir John would care for my interference on his behalf."
"No, I suppose not." Anne yawned.
"We should sleep now, it has been a long and tiring day." Darcy made himself comfortable beneath the covers. "Goodnight, love."
Anne kissed her husband on the lips and then rolled to her side to tuck her body against his.
"Goodnight, my beloved husband."
The gentlemen did not end up shooting the next day, but plans were made for a few days later. Instead, the day was spent in leisurely pursuits in anticipation of a night of dancing.
Alas, when the party gathered, Darcy had to make excuses for him and Anne; Elizabeth needed the attention of her mother. He told the others to go ahead and that he and Anne would join them in Meryton later, if the baby had calmed enough by then.
Sir William Lucas, one of the leading men of the area, was the first to greet the diminished Netherfield party and offered to introduce them. Bingley immediately accepted and Sir William led them to a group of women that included his wife, Lady Lucas, and a Mrs. Bennet and their daughters. Bingley looked at the one matron, clearly puzzled.
"I am sorry, madam, you are very familiar to me, but I know we have never met. I would have certainly remembered your charming daughters."
"They are charming girls." Mrs. Bennet beamed with pride. "And do you plan to dance, Mr. Bingley?" she inquired.
"Why else would I have come! Miss Lucas, would you care to dance the next with me, and Miss Bennet, the one after?"
Both agreed.
Bingley heard someone clear his throat behind them. He had quite forgotten about anything other than Miss Jane Bennet once she had consented to dance with him.
"Pardon me, this is my good friend Sir John Whitby."
"Ladies, it is my pleasure to meet you all. And Miss Bennet, since my friend is engaged to dance the next with him, might I claim the honor for this set?"
Miss Bennet demurely accepted. Sir John had to refrain from rolling his eyes; he saw the jealous look Bingley threw at him. Charles Bingley was smitten at first sight. And so it begins again. Wait until the Darcys arrive, he mused.
As they moved down the line, Sir John questioned Jane about the neighborhood and then asked her about her family.
"Papa stayed home with the younger ones. Only Mary, Kitty and I are out in society. Kitty is further down the line. She loves to dance."
"And Miss Mary, I do not see her now."
"She rarely dances." Miss Bennet blushed.
"I noticed she carried a small book," he gently prodded. He could see that Miss Jane Bennet was a very quiet and private person -- or at least she appeared to be.
"She is rather fond of reading." Just then Sir John spotted the woman in question in the corner of the room.
"What volume has her so engrossed now?"
"I believe it to be a moral tract. Mary is very... decided in her beliefs on upright behavior. Had she been born a man, I would have thought her destined for the church." Miss Bennet blushed again, "Oh, you must not think of her as a bluestocking, she is only interested in improving her mind."
Sir John tried to put her at ease. "I do not think less of any woman with a thirst for knowledge. In fact, there is another member of our party, soon to arrive with her husband, who is one of best read women I know."
"There are more coming?"
"Only two; Mr. and Mrs. Darcy's daughter was causing some consternation when we left. I expect they will arrive shortly."
The dance ended and the Darcys had not yet arrived. Bingley claimed the lovely Miss Bennet and Sir John, intrigued by the conversation with his last dance partner, asked Miss Mary Bennet to stand up with him for the next set. Like Bingley, he felt as if he had met the Bennets before. Miss Mary Bennet definitely reminded him of someone.
"Thank you, Miss Bennet, for agreeing to partner me. Your sister told me you do not care much for dancing."
"I am rarely asked."
"Perhaps it is because you bring a book along and sneak off into the corner where only the most determined will find you?" He raised an eyebrow in challenge. Mary Bennet looked at him warily. "You have nothing to fear, your secret is safe with me. You see, there was a time when I preferred to stand on the sides of the room."
"What made you change your mind?" Mary asked, intrigued.
"I met a beautiful young woman, lively and full of mirth. She was also kind and generous. She taught me to laugh at myself and to not be afraid to be who I was. I would have married her if I could."
"Why did you not?"
"She fell in love with someone better suited for her."
"That is a very sad story, Sir John," Mary answered with feeling.
"Do not feel too sorry for me. She knew she was not the right woman for me and I rejoice in her happiness. She and her husband are some of my dearest friends.
"I choose to think of what I would have lost had she accepted me. I do not think we would ever have loved each other and I know I would never have had her husband's respect. We are all better for it, Miss Bennet."
"Not many men could be so magnanimous."
Sir John shrugged. "It is all I know. But enough about that -- tell me more about yourself."
Mary Bennet began, as fluently as she could, to tell Sir John about her life at Longbourn, her family's estate. They became so engrossed in the conversation and patterns of the dance that neither they, nor Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet noticed when Anne and Darcy arrived.
It had taken nearly a half-hour to settle little Elizabeth. By the time Anne was ready to leave, they were an hour late. Fortunately, they were able to slip into the room with no fanfare. The din of the music and conversation was fairly loud and their companions had not noticed. However, when the music stopped, both Bingley and Sir John had spotted them and were bringing their partners over to greet them.
Darcy and Anne noticed the woman on Bingley's arm. How could they not? She was stunning; a classic beauty if ever there was one. In contrast, the young lady Sir John escorted had a pleasant face, if it could not be called pretty. Anne and Darcy were struck by a strong sense of familiarity when they were introduced to the Misses Bennet. Bingley insisted they meet the mother.
Sir William, Lady Lucas and Mrs. Bennet were standing together when Bingley brought the rest of his party and Mrs. Bennet's two daughters to them.
"May I present my good friend, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire and his lovely wife, Mrs. Anne Darcy."
When they had finished with the formalities, Mrs. Bennet looked first at Mr. Darcy and then at Mrs. Darcy. She originally was admiring Mrs. Darcy's gown but something drew her to look more intently at the fine lady's face. Mrs. Bennet started and stared until her complexion paled and she felt very woozy. She tried to reach out to touch Anne's cheek but fainted before she could do so. Sir William was forced to catch her before she could crumple to the floor. However, before she fainted, Mrs. Bennet uttered the words that left the six younger people who witnessed it in confusion and left Sir William and his wife in astonishment.
"My Elizabeth..."
Chapter 17
Posted on Wednesday, 30 April 2008
Sir William had spent many years cultivating his civility. He had left behind his business and retired to the life of a country squire. However, the qualities that had first earned him his knighthood once again came to the fore as he faced the situation before him. He peered into the confused face of Mrs. Darcy and saw in it the echoes of the woman he had known twenty years before. His wife must have seen the same thing, for without his prompting she looked him squarely in the eye.
"I will send for George immediately."
"Thank you, dear." He then turned his attention to the others as Lady Lucas hurried to complete her commission. "Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, can you please help me remove Mrs. Bennet to a private room?" The incident had been noticed and the room was filled with murmuring.
Darcy moved first. "Of course sir." Bingley joined him, taking Sir William's place. "Lead the way."
"Miss Bennet, Miss Mary, would you please see Mrs. Darcy to the blue room. I will come to bring you to your mother shortly."
They obeyed and the room watched as the Mrs. Bennet was carried out by the two gentleman.
Miss Bennet and Miss Mary sat with Anne in the appointed room. No one seemed inclined to speak. Sir William came back to them with Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy as soon as his wife had returned from sending the servant for Mr. Bennet. He sent Miss Bennet to her mother and Miss Mary to tell her sister, Miss Catherine, that they would need to leave soon. Mr. Bingley returned to the rest of his party.
"Sir William," Darcy began as soon as the door was closed, "Will you please explain what the devil is going on! Why is a woman we have never met calling my wife by my daughter's name?"
"Mr. Darcy, I... You have a daughter named Elizabeth?"
"Yes, she is but two months old."
Sir William shook his head. "I do not know where to begin. I fear this is not my tale to tell. I have summoned Mr. Bennet. He lives but a mile from Meryton and I expect him within minutes."
Darcy was not happy. Something was terribly wrong; he knew it with all his being.
"Mrs. Darcy, please forgive my impertinence, but could you kindly tell me how old you are?"
"Whatever for?" Anne asked, incredulous.
"Please, I would not ask if it were not important."
"I turned twenty last month."
Sir William looked very grave.
"I say, what has my wife's age to do with this?" Darcy demanded.
"Unless I am mistaken, Mr. Darcy, everything."
The servant had arrived at Longbourn nearly out of breath.
"Lady Lucas has sent me to tell you... that Mrs. Bennet has fainted... that you are needed immediately. She says to tell you that it is a matter of life and death... and that you must come now. You are to take my horse, sir."
George Bennet was used to his wife's fits of nerves, but Lady Lucas's message caught his attention. Whatever had happened?
He took the lad's mount and made fast time between his estate and Meryton. He was obviously expected, for he received directions to a room upstairs without needing to ask.
Instead of his wife, he found Sir William with a couple he did not recognize.
"Where is Harriet?"
"She is resting with Jane and my wife. May I introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Darcy? They were with your wife when she fainted. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, this is George Bennet, master of Longbourn."
"How do you do? Welcome to Hertfordshire... Please excuse me, I would like to see my wife."
Sir William stopped him from leaving the room. "Look again, George, at Mrs. Darcy."
Mr. Bennet was becoming perturbed with his neighbor, but did as asked in exasperation, hoping he would then be allowed to see his wife. As he looked upon the unknown woman in front of him, it slowly dawned on him that he was looking at his wife -- or rather what his Harriet had looked like twenty years before.
"Could it be?" he gasped.
"Her twentieth birthday was last month."
"My God..." And Mr. Bennet went weak in his knees.
"Here, take a seat," Sir William said, pulling a chair near with his free hand. Mr. Bennet sat and started to weep.
"Will someone please tell us what is going on?" Darcy insisted on an answer.
Mr. Bennet and Sir William ignored him. "I must go to Harriet."
"Calm yourself first. Her shock has been just as great."
"We are leaving!" Darcy announced.
"Wait!" Mr. Bennet cried. He wiped the tears from his face and looked longingly at Anne. "I know you must be confused about all you have seen and heard this evening, but this is not the place to discuss it. I promise you a full accounting if you will call on Longbourn tomorrow morning. I give you my word that you shall know all I, and Sir William, know." Sir William nodded in assent.
Anne could see they would receive no answers that night.
"Fitzwilliam, let us do as they ask," she urged.
"Very well. We will come."
"Thank you," Mr. Bennet said quietly. Darcy and Anne hesitantly left the room. As she walked through the door she looked back. Mr. Bennet was watching her and she saw a look of desolation cross his face, followed by an expression of determination so intense that it made her spine tingle.
Again the door shut. Mr. Bennet looked at his old friend.
"Is it really she?"
"Perhaps. She certainly looks like Harriet."
"I should go to her now."
"Before you do, there is more you should know. She has a child. A daughter. They have named her Elizabeth."
Mr. Bennet was grateful for the chair behind him. He immediately sat back down.
"If Mrs. Darcy is not my daughter, then fate is playing us a cruel trick. How else can we account for the name of the child?"
"Yet to have your child return and bring news you have a grandchild, could anything be more amazing?"
"If it is really Elizabeth."
"I think it is time for me to take you to your wife; she is the one who noticed the resemblance."
Mrs. Bennet was attended by her three daughters and Lady Lucas. When the gentlemen entered, Lady Lucas put her hand on her friend's shoulder and kissed her on the cheek.
"I shall leave you to the care of your husband."
"Thank you, Juliet."
"I ordered your carriage when I sent the boy to you, Mr. Bennet. We shall inquire if it is ready and send word if it is." Mr. Bennet nodded in acknowledgement and Sir William and his wife left the Bennets alone in the parlor.
"Papa?" Jane said timidly.
"Not here, girls."
"Did you see her? Can it be? After all these years?" Mrs. Bennet asked her husband.
"I saw her, I really do not know. I have asked the Darcys to call on us at Longbourn in the morning. We should wait until then to get our hopes up."
"Mine are already."
"Are you speaking of Mrs. Darcy?" Mary inquired, unable to wait.
"Yes, but further discussion must wait until we are home," her father replied.
"Yes, Father."
It was an awkward journey. None of the girls dared ask their parents any more questions. Their father's admonition at the Assembly Rooms precluded it. They could also see that their father -- their father! -- had been crying. Their mother, normally a woman full of words, said not a thing and sat next to their father, holding his hand, with a look of unburdened joy spread over her face visible even in the moonlight.
Of all their siblings who had remained home, only their sister Lydia was still awake. Mr. Bennet had told the girls to wait for him in his book room. He would see that their younger sister was in bed and then come to speak with them. This in and of itself would have told them how extraordinary the events of the night had been. Never before had he asked more than one of his children to come into his room, other than to hand out discipline.
When he finally arrived and closed the door, the three girls sat forward on the edge of their seats.
"You have heard that you had a sister born after Jane?" They all nodded. "You may have also heard that she... disappeared."
"We have heard people gossip when they thought we could not hear. You have never spoken much about her," Kitty answered.
"I suppose they have been kind to you by not recalling our misfortunes in front of us. But it is true; you had a sister who was kidnapped from us only days after she was born. We had named her Elizabeth."
Meanwhile, at Netherfield, Anne and Darcy arrived less than two hours after they had left. They made their excuses to Bingley, who being witness to some of the distressing events, was sympathetic to their wishes to return to their daughter. Anne immediately went to the nursery to see for herself that her child was safe.
"What do you make of all this, Anne?" Darcy asked as they readied for bed.
"I have no idea! Neither of us has ever met with the Bennets before in our lives, but still..."
"Yes?"
She looked him in the eye as she spoke. "It was like I knew that I should know them."
Darcy dropped his gaze for a moment and then looked back up at his wife. "They acted as if you were someone they had lost track of a long time ago."
"I know." Anne paused to think on his words. "Do you suppose that they are related through my father's mother? We know little about her family. That could explain some of their odd reactions."
"Perhaps, but one thing is certain." Darcy and Anne got in to bed and he pulled the covers up and over them. "I am not leaving Longbourn tomorrow until I have answers to all of my questions."
The adults of Longbourn were up very early for the day after an assembly. Lydia Bennet had hoped to hear of all the beaux her sisters had danced with and any news of the mysterious Netherfield party. None of her sisters would satisfy her questions. They were all too preoccupied with what they had learned and what they anticipated happening on this day.
The Darcys arrived a short while after Sir William Lucas. He had come at Mr. Bennet's request to act as a witness to the events twenty years in the past.
Anne noticed a painting had been removed from over the fireplace. One about the same size now leaned against the wall off to the side, its subject facing away from the room.
Mrs. Bennet sat quietly by her husband's side, unable to keep her eyes off of Anne. Strangely, this did not make Anne uncomfortable.
When they were all seated, Mr. Bennet began.
"Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. You must have thought us half-insane the way we carried on last night. When you hear what we have to say, I hope you will understand why we acted in such an... agitated manner."
"My wife and I are eager to hear your explanations."
Mr. Bennet looked at Anne and gave her a wistful smile before exhaling. Then he spoke.
"What I am about to tell you has not been spoken of in this house for nearly twenty years. Until last night, the memories of the event were so painful that my wife and I tacitly agreed never to speak of them. My children know little to nothing of what I am about to tell you.
"On the second day of September 1791, my wife gave birth to our second child. It was a girl and we named her Elizabeth after a great-grandmother. A few days later the weather was very balmy and I took my little girl for a walk to show her my favorite part of this estate while the maids changed the linens in her cradle..."
Mr. Trent's last hope of fulfilling his commission lay in a small estate in rural Hertfordshire. His client had requested a daughter of a gentleman. He had not been able to find a girl "in trouble" and due at the time he needed a child, and so he had looked to find a family who might also be expecting a baby then. None of his other prospects had turned out, and if this last child were unreachable, he would have to collect some foundling to pawn off to his employer. He really did not want to do that, though it was infinitely easier. There is honor even among thieves; Mr. Trent had promised the daughter of a gentleman and by heavens that is what he would try to deliver! He also knew by the amount he was being paid that the child he gave to his patron, whomever that might be, would be raised in great affluence. The plot was too elaborate and too well financed not to be the brainchild of a very wealthy person.And so he had come to the small estate outside the village of Meryton. The house was not grand, but the grounds seemed well maintained. Fortunately, he was able to slip unnoticed into a wilderness off to the back of the house. From there he could observe the house and discern which room was the nursery. He watched for two days trying to formulate a plan. There was already another child in the nursery, about two years old if he was correct. Her presence complicated matters.
On the third day he had decided to wait for nightfall and then to sneak up the trellis and into the room while the household was asleep. While he waited, fate intervened.
A man, the master of the estate, Mr. Trent believed, came out of the house holding the newborn child. He was talking to the bundle in his arms, smiling and laughing and walking in the direction of the wilderness and Mr. Trent. Ever aware of opportunity, Mr. Trent hid himself and waited. The man holding the child walked past his hiding place and before he could react, Mr. Trent had leapt out and hit him over the head with a rock he had found lying near his feet. Not wanting the man to wake too soon to sound the alarm, Trent bound his hands and feet and gagged him. He then picked up the little girl and slipped away.
"... As soon as I was free from my bonds, I went for help. I must have been unconscious for a while because by the time I was able to sound the alarm, there was no trace of my assailant or my daughter. We searched the area but there was no sign. I knew that if he or she had gone to London that all hope was lost. There was no description I could give. I knew not even if it was a man or a woman who had assaulted me. We soon were forced to give up the search. Our daughter Mary was born a year later but she could never replace the loss of Elizabeth."
Darcy and Anne looked at each other, dangerous thoughts thundering through their minds.
"What does this have to do with my wife?" Darcy finally asked.
"Mrs. Darcy has an uncanny resemblance to my family, sir. She is the right age to be my long lost daughter."
"But this is impossible! I was but a young boy, but I remember my cousin's birth!"
"I thought Mrs. Darcy was your wife."
"She is, but we are also cousins. She is the former Miss Anne de Bourgh, daughter of my mother's sister. My mother was her godmother. I have known her all my life. There must be a mistake!"
"Please calm down, sir. Before you storm out of my house, there is one thing you must see." Mr. Bennet signaled to Sir William. He walked over to the painting Anne had noticed and picked it up. All eyes were on him as he turned it around for everyone to see. It was a portrait of a woman wearing the fashions of twenty years past. But for the different style of clothing and the styling of the hair, it looked for all the world to be a painting of Anne.
"This portrait was taken shortly after I was married. This is my wife, sir."
In shock, Anne stood and walked over to the painting for a closer look. It was her image, or nearly hers. There were a few subtle differences but she knew then, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that only the closest of blood relations could look so incredibility similar.
Impossible as it seemed, it could only be the image of her mother.
Chapter 18
Posted on Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Anne looked away from the painting and over to the woman it portrayed. The intervening years had aged her, but Mrs. Bennet was still a handsome woman. The lines time had written upon her face could not fully diminish her beauty.
Before Anne knew what she was about, she was kneeling before Mrs. Bennet. Continuing what she had begun the night before, the older woman's hand reached to stroke her long-lost daughter's face. Anne made no objection; she closed her eyes and gloried in the older woman's touch. Her mother had rarely touched her; only her husband had done anything as intimate as what Mrs. Bennet was doing now. Anne, eyes still closed, sighed and leaned into the hand tracing her features. The others in the room sat transfixed at the scene unfolding before them.
Finally, Anne opened her eyes and smiled at Mrs. Bennet. It had been a moving experience for them both. Anne then looked at Fitzwilliam and faltered at seeing the serious looks on the faces of everyone else in the room. Whatever enchantment she was under was broken and the enormity of the revelations came crashing down upon her. In the space of a day, her life, and everything she had ever known, had apparently been turned upside down. Doubt overwhelmed her. Who was she? She did not know.
Seeing his wife's burgeoning distress, Darcy asked, "Do you have something stronger than tea? I am not one to indulge this early in the morning, but considering all you have said, I think Anne and I could use a drink to settle the nerves."
Sir William cleared his throat. "If you do not mind, I will leave you now, unless you have any further questions for me." Darcy shook his head. "If you should change your mind, Lucas Lodge is very close to Longbourn. Let me assure you, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, that I will not breathe a word of this to anyone. Lady Lucas and I had already discussed the possibility that Mrs. Darcy might be Elizabeth and we have agreed that, until you tell us otherwise, it is in everyone's best interest that we keep this to ourselves. Just know that if there is any way we can be of service, you need only ask. That holds true for every person in this room."
Sir William bowed and left Mr. and Mrs. Bennet alone with Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.
Anne asked the question on everyone's tongue. "What next?"
"I think we must first go to Kent and speak with Lady Catherine." Darcy turned to his hosts. "Lady Catherine is Anne's mother... well... mother and lives at the de Bourgh family estate in Kent called Rosings Park. She can confirm whether or not Anne was adopted."
"Will she be willing to tell the truth if Anne was adopted?"
"I hope her conscience would make her. But I think we need to present her with compelling evidence. You should go with us, Mr. Bennet, as should the portrait. I would offer you and Mrs. Bennet a place in our carriage, but with our daughter and her nurse..."
"You have a child?" Mrs. Bennet asked in astonishment.
"Yes, ma'am. She was born at the beginning of August; her name is... her name is Elizabeth..." Darcy was suddenly struck by the incredible coincidence of the choice of name for his daughter. She had been named after her great-grandmother, the woman who was grandmother to both he and Anne -- the Lady Elizabeth Fitzwilliam, the previous Countess of Perryton.
"Eliz... Mrs. Darcy, would you like to meet your other siblings?" Mrs. Bennet asked.
"I believe I met two of your daughters last night."
"Jane and Mary, my eldest two children, though you are our second born."
"I think it is presumptuous to introduce Anne as their long lost sister before we go to Rosings Park. This may yet prove to be a gross misunderstanding," Darcy said firmly.
"Can we not meet them without saying what we suspect? Please, I want to see them to see if I look like them." Anne pleaded with her husband, then addressed Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. "Everyone always assumed I took after my father, Sir Lewis de Bourgh, since I look nothing like the Fitzwilliams. Perhaps it will give us another clue to my identity, if I am indeed Elizabeth Bennet."
"Elizabeth Darcy," Fitzwilliam corrected.
"That is what I meant, darling," Anne said softly.
"I know. This is all so... unexpected, Anne. I hardly know what to think."
"I think we should meet the other Bennet children."
Darcy relented. "Of course, you are correct."
"Let me take you to them, Mrs. Darcy," offered Mr. Bennet.
"Do any of them know of your suspicions?" Darcy asked, not moving until he was ready.
"The three eldest girls do. They were at the Assembly ball last night and their mother and I spoke to them after we returned. The other four have no idea, though they were told to remain in the house this morning. I anticipated that you might wish to meet them. Whoever is not in the morning room should be upstairs attending to their lessons.
Let me ring for a servant to see that all my children are together."
A few minutes later, when all parties were ready, the Bennets led the Darcys to meet Anne's brothers and sisters. They had decided not to say anything to the younger children until they had met with Lady Catherine, and that they would travel together to Town the next morning, and then on to Rosings the following day.
Everything was moving forward so quickly that Anne did not have time to question what was happening. She had allowed herself to be caught in the tide of her new fate and her husband could only stand by her side, ready to support her when it became too much for her to bear.
Anne tried to remember what Mr. Bennet had told her about each of his children. Jane was the eldest, and two and twenty. Anne had to agree that she was a very attractive young lady and wondered how it was that Miss Bennet was still unmarried. Surely some young man would have been captivated by her beauty and made her an offer by now? Next in line, after the missing Elizabeth... her?... was Mary. Mary had just turned nineteen. Anne thought her the least attractive of all the sisters, but growing up in the shadow of such an eldest sister could be intimidating for a girl without a strong personality. From what Anne had noticed of the young woman, she did not believe Mary to be the assertive type. Catherine, or Kitty as the family called her, was seventeen. Anne had seen the girl the night before but had not actually talked with her. She seemed handsome enough.
The rest of the siblings she had yet to lay eyes on. Lydia was just fifteen. Mr. Bennet had said she was physically mature for her age and when introduced, Anne noted that she seemed the tallest of the girls. Young William Bennet was thirteen and the pride and joy of his parents. He could have been sent off to school that year, but Mr. Bennet preferred to educate him at home for the present time. He was a handsome lad, still a boy and not quite a young man. After William came Anne Bennet. Anne Darcy marveled at the coincidence, though Anne was a common enough Christian name that it should not be too surprising they shared it. Anne felt her husband tense when the girl was introduced and took a closer look at the child. She did remind Anne of herself as girl. The set of Darcy's jaw told Anne he had come to the same conclusion. Last but not least was Henry Bennet, the youngest of the Bennet children and the ever-important "spare" for the preservation of the estate against the threat of entailment. He was only ten years of age but Anne detected a spirit of mischievousness in the twinkle of his eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Mrs. Darcy," Jane Bennet began once they were all seated. "I am afraid last night was not the most conducive to forming a new acquaintance." Anne had to restrain a laugh when she noted that Jane was looking at her just as intently as she was looking at Jane for family resemblances. Anne's love of the absurd tugged the corners of her mouth up.
"It is understandable under the circumstances. I have a feeling we will be getting to know each other quite well, Miss Bennet."
"Unfortunately, that will have to wait a few days more," Darcy interposed. "We have an urgent matter to attend to in Kent and we leave in the morning."
Jane did not question such a hasty departure so soon after they had arrived. "I pray that you have a safe journey then. Will you return to Hertfordshire?"
"It is our intention to do so. Our host, Mr. Bingley, would be disappointed if we do not. If you will excuse me, ladies, I need to speak to Mr. Bennet again."
Mr. Bennet agreed to Mr. Darcy's request for another interview.
"I am sorry to pull you away so soon, sir, but I deemed it more important that we speak now."
"What is it, Mr. Darcy?"
"After meeting your children, I believe it imperative that your youngest daughter, Miss Anne, travel to Kent with us."
"My Anne? Why?"
Darcy walked over and picked up the portrait of Mrs. Bennet. He stared at it for a few moments. "There is another portrait. This one hangs at Rosings Park, my wife's estate." Darcy turned the picture so that Mr. Bennet could see it. "As much as this painting is an indictment of Anne's supposed paternity, the other is its twin."
It took only a minute for Mr. Bennet to realize the implications. "Are you saying I would recognize the person in the painting at Rosings?"
"It is of my wife when she was your Anne's age."
"I see. Anne is too young to understand."
"She need not be present when I confront Lady Catherine. We can think of something on the way. Perhaps her governess can come and keep her company?"
"We have no governess."
"No governess, with seven children?"
"The eldest three no longer need one."
"But still, four children? What about their education?"
"My wife and I have taught them. We did have a governess until Jane was old enough to help."
"Why on earth would you rely on your daughter to take the place of a governess to her brothers and sisters?"
"I said that Mrs. Bennet and I oversaw their education. Jane helped with the little ones." Mr. Bennet pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Darcy, your estate..."
"Pemberley."
"Yes, Pemberley. I have seen the fine clothes you and Mrs. Darcy wear. You are a wealthy man. I would guess that Pemberley and Rosing Park provide you with an income of, say ten, fifteen, twenty thousand pounds a year, and maybe even more." Darcy acknowledged the guesses were near enough. "Longbourn has never produced as much as three-thousand in one year. As you have pointed out, I have seven children to raise. The girls have very little dowry coming from their mother. Henry will need a profession. Every farthing that could be saved has been. Oh, I was not always so economical, but when my baby was stolen from my very hands, I knew I must do everything in my power to better protect my family. I live with my own guilt. It was too late to save Elizabeth from her abductor, but by God I could save the rest from genteel poverty! That is why we kept having children after a fifth girl was born, that is why we have no governess. I may not provide them with everything, but I do provide them with everything they need. I will not apologize for my lack of a governess. Not to you, not to anyone."
"Forgive me sir, I did not realize." The sat in silence for a few minutes. "Will you bring Miss Anne? Perhaps Miss Bennet or Miss Mary or Miss Catherine could come with you as well."
"Jane needs to remain here if Mrs. Bennet and I are absent. Is it this important?"
Darcy took one more look at the painting before placing it back on the wall where it had previously hung. He took a few steps back to admire it from further away. "Mr. Bennet, I was skeptical of this whole story until you showed us this portrait. Still, my mind was not willing to admit the possible truth of the matter. It is not often that one is confronted with the knowledge that the woman you love more than anything else in the world is not who you thought she was. It is also distressing that my family could have anything to do with the crime perpetrated against yours. But here I stand and look at the evidence hanging on the wall, and in the drawing room sits a young girl who could be my wife's twin if they were both twelve. For all of our sakes, Miss Anne must come to Rosings so we can put this to rest, either way, once and for all. Either my wife is your missing daughter or she is not. I, for one, would like to know as soon as possible. If she is, it could have far reaching affects on both our families, including my own daughter."
Darcy's face softened as he turned to his companion. "I too am a father. I cannot imagine the pain I would feel if I were to lose my Elizabeth. To have someone take your own flesh and blood, from your very arms even, is a memory no man should be forced to bear."
"I am not taking your wife from you, sir." Mr. Bennet said gently.
"I pray that is not what happens if she truly is your daughter."
"She has given her vows to you, nothing can change that."
"Anne is still in shock; when she has time to digest everything we will be devastated that her mother could have done this, or her father. She never knew him, for Sir Lewis died before Anne was even a year old, but she has fond feelings for him. She also has a very... passionate relationship with her mother, but Anne loves her dearly. Mr. Bennet, I am afraid for them both."
"Do you think it is true?" Anne asked Fitzwilliam when they were back in their quarters at Netherfield.
"At first I was skeptical, but then we saw the painting and met Anne Bennet."
"I know, it was the same for me." Anne swallowed, willing the tears to remain at bay. "Fitzwilliam, I am so afraid. What if it is true? What will happen to me, to us?"
Fitzwilliam held his wife in his arms; she cried freely now. "Nothing can break us apart. We are married and no one can change that. You are a Darcy whether your name was Anne or Elizabeth when you were born. I love you."
He continued to hold her until she fell asleep, all the while assuring her of his devotion.
Two carriages traveled together to London the following morning. Anne had insisted that baby Elizabeth come with them. She could not stand the thought of being parted from her sweet daughter. Kitty Bennet was chosen as her youngest sister's companion for the journey. The two coaches arrived in Town in the early afternoon. Due to the hasty nature of their mission, Darcy had invited the Bennets to stay with them. He had been told that Mrs. Bennet had a brother in Gracechurch Street, but he thought that the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
After having the chance to refresh themselves, the party gathered in the drawing room. Young Anne saw a very large chair and went to sit in it. Her feet dangled off the end.
"Are you sure you are comfortable?" Mr. Bennet asked his youngest daughter.
"Oh yes, Papa! Have you ever seen such a large chair?"
"No dear."
"The chair you are sitting in, Miss Anne, is the favorite chair of Mrs. Darcy's mother, Lady Catherine."
"Your mother must be very large to like such a huge chair, ma'am."
Anne Darcy laughed. "Not at all, I assure you."
"I wonder if this is as big as the special chairs the King and Queen sit on?"
"Do you mean a throne?"
"Yes, that is the word. A throne."
Anne Darcy cast a quick look at her husband; he was trying not to laugh at the very perceptive description of his mother-in-law's favorite seat.
"Would you care for a tour of the townhouse?"
"Can we?" young Anne asked. It was apparent to all that she was eager to explore the large London house.
"We would be delighted, Mrs. Darcy," Mr. Bennet replied.
Anne led the way, arm linked with Anne Bennet. The little imp of a girl was quickly worming her way into her could-be sister's heart.
"My sister Lydia will be so jealous of Kitty and me. She wanted to come, you know, but Papa said Kitty and I were coming and that was the end of the discussion. We never do anything so spontaneous. Oh, you have such a grand house, Mrs. Darcy. My bedroom at Longbourn is not even a quarter of the size of my chamber here, and I share with Lydia. Is that a real ancient Greek statue?" She hardly drew breath, flitting from one topic to the next without pause... or reason.
Anne Darcy appreciated the lighthearted diversion. Tomorrow they would be in Kent. Never in a million years would she have guessed she would see her mother again so soon, and at Rosings. That is, the woman she had always called her mother. Would she still after their meeting?
Chapter 19
Posted on Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Having left Georgiana in the care of Lord and Lady Perryton less than a week prior, Anne and Fitzwilliam did not feel obliged to call on her before leaving for Kent. They would be in Town for less than a day as it was.
It was decided that Miss Catherine would take young Anne for a tour of the gardens when they first arrived at Rosings. That would keep her away from Lady Catherine during the initial confrontation.
"We should speak to all the staff who have served at Rosings since you were born," Darcy suggested. "Can you remember many of them?"
"Not really. As a child I never paid too much attention to such things. However, I do know that most of the servants from my childhood are no longer in our service."
"Mrs. Stuart should be able to assist us."
"Stuart -- Did you know she was my mother's lady's maid before she became housekeeper? And now that you mention her, I recall a conversation we had right before I married you." Anne gasped at the memory. "Fitzwilliam, she told me that she was the only one who remained at Rosing who had served my father!"
"There are no servants left at Rosings from that time but her?"
The implications were clear to them both. There may be a very good reason why the older servants were gone -- there were none left to accuse Lady Catherine, or Maggie Stuart.
Anne Darcy invited Mr. and Mrs. Bennet to the nursery so they could meet with Elizabeth in private. Anne could tell the older woman was very anxious to hold the child that was likely her first grandchild. The Bennets had seen little Elizabeth, but that was only for a short while and in the company of many. Anne dismissed her daughter's nursemaids and brought her child to Mrs. Bennet, who was now seated in a chair waiting to receive the precious bundle. Mr. Bennet stood behind his wife and leaned over to get a closer look.
"Is she not the most beautiful baby you have ever seen?" Mrs. Bennet asked her husband.
"As beautiful as our own eight children?"
"Oh yes, for she is Elizabeth's." Mrs. Bennet realized what she had said aloud when her husband nudged her. "Oh, please forgive me, Mrs. Darcy! I should not say such things until we speak with your mother."
"I know you mean no offence, Mrs. Bennet, and unless we are sorely mistaken, you spoke nothing but the truth. I may have to resign myself to being known as Elizabeth."
"And now you have spoken too hastily," Mr. Bennet interjected. "I think there is much to learn and then much yet to discuss before any decisions should be made. For now, let us enjoy the wonder of a child." He looked back down at the baby. "She is beautiful."
Anne thanked him and decided to leave them alone for a few minutes. Elizabeth would be safe.
"Oh George," Mrs. Bennet spoke when Anne was gone, "For all these years I have ached for the child I would never hold again. God has been so good to us to return her, and to give our Elizabeth a daughter," Mrs Bennet looked down adoringly at little Elizabeth Darcy," to fill her mother's rightful place in my arms."
Mr. Bennet understood his wife's joy, but he was afraid of what tomorrow would bring. If Lady Catherine de Bourgh denied Anne Darcy to be anything but her own offspring, his wife would be devastated.
"I pray you are correct." Surely God could not be so cruel as to rip away his daughter from him again; not after he had suffered for twenty years knowing he had failed to keep her from harm.
The party's departure from London brought about a change in their traveling arrangements. Miss Catherine and Miss Anne rode with the Darcys while Elizabeth and her nursemaid rode in the Bennet carriage. Anne Darcy was interested in becoming better acquainted with her two "sisters" and the several hours' ride to Kent was a fine place to begin. This also afforded Mr. and Mrs. Bennet more time with little Elizabeth. Miss Anne proved to be an entertaining traveling companion. Catherine Bennet was not as clever as her younger sibling, but the young woman was pleasant enough company and the time passed quickly.
Soon the palings of Rosings Park were seen. Anne told her new companions that they were nearly there. She tried to put on a cheery façade, but her emotions were awhirl.
It was obvious they were unexpected. Servants scurried to unpack the trunks and maids were dispatched to precede the master and mistress and ready their chambers. Mrs. Stuart came out to greet them, along with Gibbons, the new butler. Darcy greeted the two chief servants with a large package in his hands.
"Mr. Darcy, shall I have a footman take that from you?" Gibbons asked.
"No, no. I would prefer to see to this personally." Mr. Gibbons displayed none of the disbelief he felt. "Is Lady Catherine engaged at present?"
"Yes sir, Mr. Collins has called. I do not expect him to be much longer."
Anne rolled her eyes in annoyance. She tried hard to forget the new rector of Hunsford. After the death of the previous holder of the living in January, it was Anne who convinced Darcy to allow Lady Catherine to select the new clergyman for the parish. She reasoned that as Lady Catherine was, for the most part, the sole resident of Rosings, her mother might as well pick a man whose sermon-making she preferred. After so many years of the kind service of Mr. Lawton, Anne thought Lady Catherine would find someone of his ilk to replace him. Instead she had chosen a young man, newly ordained, with little experience in the care of a congregation, and worse, no aptitude for preaching. His main qualifications were his malleability and devotion to his noble patroness.
When they had been at Rosings the previous spring, Anne and Darcy had been appalled by Lady Catherine's choice, but now that Mr. Collins was installed, there was little they could do but to try not to grin in church and to bear his effusions with poise and graciousness, all the while trying desperately not to encourage such fawning behavior.
"We will wait in the music room, then. As soon as the minister is gone, we will see her ladyship."
"Very good, sir."
Anne then spoke. "Mrs. Stuart, the Bennets are to stay in the family wing. Place the Misses Bennet together in the Rose Room and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet in the Venice Suite. Please see the Misses Bennet to their chamber, and make sure a footman is nearby. They have expressed an inclination to explore the gardens after they have refreshed themselves from the journey."
Maggie took a quick look at the Darcys' guests. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she schooled her features. "Yes ma'am."
"And Stuart, we will speak to you after we have spoken to Lady Catherine. In the library, if you please," Darcy instructed.
She nodded her understanding, whispered an instruction to a nearby footman and asked the two girls to follow her upstairs.
Darcy, package still in hand, led the remainder of the party to Music Room. Giving instructions not to be disturbed until Lady Catherine was at liberty to see them, he closed the door.
The music room opened to a large parlor that was the preferred room to entertain guests. Anne recalled many evenings where she would be obliged to play for those assembled in the parlor. In that room also hung one of Darcy's favorite pictures of his wife. It was painted shortly after Anne turned twelve. The background of the painting was the very room in which it was exhibited. Anne wore a lovely pale blue dress and stood next to the piano. The artist had even put in miniatures of the pictures on the wall, including the one he was painting, in anticipation of it being displayed there when it was completed. Anne's left hand was resting on the keys of the opening notes of the score of music in Anne's right hand, Scarlatti's Sonata K404 in A Major.
Darcy pointed out the painting and both Mr. and Mrs. Bennet gasped. But for the shade of hair and eyes, the portrait looked like it could have just been taken, and that the subject who sat for it was Anne Bennet.
"Anne was twelve when this was done," he explained, somewhat needlessly.
"The resemblance is remarkable, even more than between the portrait you hold and Mrs. Darcy. I think she has my eyes and not her mother's, just like my Anne."
Anne Darcy, being the object of the newest discovery linking her to an insignificant family in Hertfordshire, had not recognized how much Anne Bennet looked like her. Of course, she could not remember much of what she looked like as a girl unless she was looking at one of the several portraits she was forced to endure sitting for as a child. Darcy, on the other hand, could easily discern how much Anne Bennet looked like his wife before she had matured into a woman. Anne stared at the familiar picture. Darcy came to stand at her side and slid his arm around her waist.
"Courage, beloved," he whispered in encouragement.
"What can she possible say to explain this?"
"We shall find out shortly."
Anne did not reply.
"Did your butler say the local clergyman's name is Collins?" Mr. Bennet asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes. A Mr. William Collins. He was installed at Hunsford, the village attached to Rosings, this past Easter."
"I wonder if the man is my cousin. If we had not had any sons, Longbourn would be entailed on a relation named William Collins. He was studying theology last I heard; I believe is now old enough to have a living. That would be another extraordinary coincidence if it were the same man."
"Yes, it would be. However, I should wait to make any inquires on the matter until later. We have other business that is more pressing."
"Oh, most certainly."
"Perhaps you might recognize him if you saw him leaving?"
"I highly doubt it. I have never seen the man in my life. His father and I had a dispute of longstanding duration. I had not seen his late father since before his son was born. I only know what I do by a few letters we exchanged for the sake of the conveyance of Longbourn after my death. It is wise to keep informed on the mortality of your heirs."
Before they could further explore the uncomfortable subject of heirs, Gibbons informed them that Mr. Collins had just left and that Lady Catherine was at leisure to meet with them.
"Darcy, Anne! What a surprise. Where is Elizabeth?" Anne resisted the urge to answer "Here."
"She is in her nursery," Anne said instead.
"You should have brought her to see me first."
"She was tired and hungry, Mother."
"Then I will see her later. Who are your guests?"
Darcy did the honors. "May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. George Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire. This is Anne's mother, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Anne and I met Mr. and Mrs. Bennet at a ball in the town of Meryton, which is near the estate where my good friend Charles Bingley is now ensconced as tenant."
"You are very welcome to Rosings."
"Two of their daughters are also here, but they wished to rest after the journey and then see the gardens."
Lady Catherine nodded. "What have you there, Darcy?" she asked, referring to the package he still stubbornly clung to.
Darcy set his jaw. It was time.
"This is the reason we have come and why I have asked the Bennets here as well." Lady Catherine looked over at the couple, and then looked back at Darcy. Anne had been watching her mother intently for any signs that she knew or recognized either Mr. or Mrs. Bennet. So far, there had been none.
"Let us see what has brought you to Rosings."
Darcy set down his burden and began to unwrap the painting. He was careful to situate it so that the back was to his mother-in-law. He talked while he worked.
"How amazed we were to meet the Bennets. We had gone to Hertfordshire to fulfill a pledge to Bingley to visit him at his new estate. Imagine my surprise then at the reaction of Mrs. Bennet when we were introduced."
"Yes?"
"She fainted, madam."
Lady Catherine looked confused. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet had not said a word.
"Fainted?"
"Yes, she took a long look at Anne and fainted. You may sympathise with our confusion when Mrs. Bennet called Anne ‘Elizabeth' and then lost consciousness."
Lady Catherine grew angry. "I do not understand. What game are you playing?"
"I assure you, this is no game," Darcy said tersely, then continued. "The next morning we called on the Bennets at Longbourn, and there we were told a most heartrending story and then shown the painting I hold in my hands."
"Enough, Darcy! I demand you show me what has caused you to come in such haste and speak so discourteously to me. I am not accustomed to such behavior from you or from anyone."
Darcy turned the painting around and after a moment, Lady Catherine gasped. Darcy went on determinedly.
"Can you please explain to me, madam, why this portrait taken of Mrs. Bennet nearly four and twenty years ago looks like my wife? Is it only coincidence that twenty years ago Mrs. Bennet gave birth to a daughter who was stolen from them only a few days later -- a few days before you gave birth to Anne? And then there is the picture of Anne in the music room, the one where she is standing by the piano. The youngest Bennet daughter, who is somewhere in this house at this very moment, and named Anne, believe it or not, looks like a twin sister of the Anne in that painting. For the love of God, at least reassure my wife that she cannot be the missing daughter of the Bennets?
Lady Catherine looked to the other older woman sitting in the parlor, and then her daughter, and then to the painting and finally back to her daughter Anne. Lady Catherine stared directly into Anne's eyes as she spoke.
"I wish to God I could tell you that you are not their daughter, but I cannot give you that comfort. I swear to you that I did not know where you came from, but know that I have loved you as my own flesh and blood ever since you were brought to me."
"Then Anne is adopted?" Darcy finally asked.
Lady Catherine still held her only daughter's gaze. "Yes."
The room was still; no one said a word. Anne stood, her face ashen. She started to take a step toward the only mother she had ever known, but faltered. She then looked at the woman who had by all appearances given birth to her, and faltered again. Finally she sat back down next to her husband, covered her face with her hands and began to sob.
Lady Catherine looked at Anne, unable to move or comfort her daughter, the horror of the situation written across her face. Mrs. Bennet sat transfixed, an equal measure of sadness and joy on her visage. Mr. Bennet stoically held his wife's hand. Darcy embraced Anne, but his eyes burned with condemnation towards Lady Catherine.
Anne took several minutes to begin to control herself. Darcy's quiet words of encouragement soothed her anxiety. When she was able to speak, she addressed the woman she had always called mother.
"Why Mama, tell me why? Please tell me how you could do such a thing!" she said, stuttering the words through her still flowing tears.
Lady Catherine closed her eyes and sighed. She suddenly looked much older. When she was ready, she looked at Darcy and nodded and fixed her gaze on Anne.
"No words can ever be said to justify what has happened to the Bennets, but please, let me explain what part I played. I swear to all of you that until today, I believed Anne came to us under very different circumstances.
"After I married your father, we tried and tried for an heir, yet I still could not conceive. Sir Lewis knew how disappointed I was to not have become with child. He did his best to comfort me, but nothing could take away the shame and embarrassment I felt from my inability to provide him with at least the hope of an heir.
"And then one day he told me he had come to a decision. It seems that he had become aware of a girl who was in trouble -- unmarried and with child. I questioned him, trying to discover who the girl was, but he would never reveal her identity. Now I know why. He would only tell me that she had been brought to his attention by an old friend. I assumed it must have been this friend's daughter or niece. Sir Lewis proposed that we take this child as our own and I then wondered if the girl could be a relation.
"At first I was adamant; I would not allow it. I did not want the child to usurp the inheritance of any son I might still be able to bear, as much as I despaired that ever happening. Sir Lewis understood my concerns, for he held them too. He suggested that if the child were a boy, then he would become our ward. However, if it were a girl, he was prepared to claim her as our own. Sir Lewis was also planning to visit his properties in the West Indies and would be gone for many months. His plan was that we would still continue to try for a child, but if I had not conceived, I was to act as if I had. This would ensure that there would not be an untimely birth to foil his plans.
"I did not fall with child and so I obeyed my husband's wishes. My maid was brought into the conspiracy, for I needed her help. A few others knew, but Sir Lewis arranged for most of those details. All I knew was that I was to feign a normal pregnancy and when the time came, I would be told when I was to go into childbirth and that everything would be taken care of from there. If it were a boy, my ‘child' would not survive. If it were a girl, then she would become my daughter."
Lady Catherine wove the tale she and Maggie Stuart had spent the past twenty years perfecting. So well did she know her lines that she wanted to believe she spoke nothing but the truth. Fortunately for her, the conviction in her voice lent credence to her story; her audience was absorbed in her narrative...
"Unfortunately, Sir Lewis did not return until after you came to Rosing, Anne. His trip was extended and by the time he came back to England, it was time to christen you. I was worried that he would not accept you as he had sworn. I should not have doubted him. I have never seen a man so enthralled with a child. He loved you as his own the moment he laid eyes on you. When you reached out and grabbed hold of his finger, you gained his eternal devotion. I even envied you for it."
"My father orchestrated everything?"
"Of course, how could I, a woman, have done what he did?"
"But I do not understand the need for such an elaborate scheme."
"Your father wanted no questions asked. The whole world would think you our daughter. Surely you know that the adoption of an illegitimate child by another family member is a not an unheard-of occurrence. Sir Lewis wanted no stigma attached to you. And for all that he went through to find you, he was right. Had you not looked so much like your real mother, no one would ever have been the wiser." Lady Catherine decided to press the point.
"No one need know, still. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, while I am mortified that you lost your daughter for so long, can you not see how much she has been given? She has always been treated as a de Bourgh. She was granted Rosings. Had she not become our daughter, Rosing would have been mine. Yet I never begrudged her that. She has been and will always be my daughter, at least to me. Let the world remain ignorant of her real birth. If this gets out, you will always hear whispers, Anne. Darcy you know I am right."
"At this time, I am at loss to know anything, Lady Catherine," he retorted.
"You do believe me?" she petitioned the Bennets. "I knew nothing of Anne's true parents until today."
"Please excuse my lack of pardon. My wife and I have had twenty years with our Elizabeth stolen from us," Mr. Bennet answered icily. Lady Catherine turned her attention to the one person she was afraid to address.
"Anne?"
Wracked by confusion and doubt, Anne stood and fled the room. Lady Catherine meant to follow, but her progress was arrested when Darcy put his hand on her arm.
"I do not think she wants to talk to you now. I will go after her."
After Darcy left, Lady Catherine felt all the awkwardness of being left alone with Anne's true parents. Her conscience assaulted her: she could not remain in their presence one moment longer, and Lady Catherine retreated to her chambers without a word.