Chapter 38
Thirty-Eight
THE BEST OF US
Mr Hill departed to fetch Mr Jones, and Bingley to bring the Darcy carriage to transport Georgiana back to Netherfield.
Darcy was unwilling to leave until Philips was well and truly gone.
It was surprisingly difficult, even for Sir William, to convince the man that his complaints must wait for another day.
By the time the older man departed with Philips in tow, it was clear to Darcy that waiting weeks for banns to be called and a more traditional wedding to be arranged was impractical.
Georgiana was installed upon the settee, obviously in pain but pretending she was not. Edward wakened and was a little grumpy, but after he was fed, returned to his usual cheer.
“I do not have much in the way of variety,” Elizabeth said, blushing a little as she offered them bread, butter, and cheese.
He accepted the bread with thanks, as did Georgiana. It was not an extravagant meal, but the bread was fresh and delicious, especially after their recent efforts.
Miss Bennet, he noticed, was very quiet.
She had not said much at all today, for that matter, but there was something about her now, as though she was gathering her courage, that seemed a little out of the ordinary.
“Lizzy,” she said with a tentative air, “I-I want you to know that I will remain at Fox Hollow with Neddy after your marriage. I will not return to Longbourn once you are gone. Mr Darcy, I feel certain that any court in the land would listen to your opinion on the matter of Neddy’s guardianship.
If I have your support to keep him with me, I will be able to prevent Uncle Philips from taking our brother.
I promise to be as valiant in that effort as my sister has been. ”
He saw Elizabeth open her mouth to reply, but he spoke first. “Except that living at Fox Hollow is not my opinion of what is best done to remedy Edward’s situation.”
Elizabeth smiled, but Miss Bennet looked at him in some surprise. “Oh, but…”
“I feel the best conceivable outcome for Edward is only possible if he remains with Elizabeth; after all, she has been both mother and sister to him almost his entire life. I mean to gain guardianship, and put more protections in place for his future. I will ensure Philips has no part of whatever future that is for Edward’s estate.
I presume your mother and sister would prefer to remain at Longbourn, but I rather supposed, Miss Bennet, that you might like to live with us and your brother. ”
Georgiana, grinned. “Two sisters! Why, what a wonderful idea! Can I have them both, Fitzwilliam?”
To his dismay, Miss Bennet covered her face with her hands, plainly distraught.
His Elizabeth went to her at once. “Oh, my sister, I meant to speak with Darcy about this very idea. There has not been time. Of course you will go with us when we go…that is, unless you have a different, better offer.”
Jane shook her head. “Thank you. You both are so kind.”
“I shall soon be sorely outnumbered by females, I fear,” Darcy replied mournfully. “It is as well that I have Edward to balance the scales.”
Elizabeth delighted in this evidence that he would tease her. “Neddy would miss you dreadfully, were you to stay behind, Jane.”
“I have not been nearly as good to him as you have,” she whispered. “Thank you, Lizzy, for keeping him so safe and so happy, all this time. Papa would be so proud of you, as he always was in life.”
“He was proud of you, too.”
“Yes. But there was a reason you were his favourite. You are the best of us.”
“Jane, none of us is perfect. We are all trying, are we not? Papa loved every one of his girls.”
Darcy listened as his betrothed comforted her elder sister, but he knew in his heart that Miss Bennet was correct.
She had shown courage in offering to meet the challenge of caring for her young brother, and would probably make Bingley a very good wife.
But Elizabeth was the best of them all—himself included.
“If your sister was not such a feather-head, we would not be in this bind,” Henry Philips muttered, pacing back and forth across Longbourn’s empty dining parlour.
Begonia looked askance at her husband. “You were the one who lost your temper. I told you not to criticise the girls outright. You know Fanny cannot stand to hear a word against any of them, except maybe Lizzy—but even so, you have to tread carefully. Did you? No, you did not.”
“And I told you that we should never have allowed Lizzy to take the boy from Longbourn.”
“Hah! Goulding was so angry with you for hitting the child that he nearly had us removed from Longbourn.”
“I did not hurt him much,” Henry said sullenly.
“I do not blame you for your frustration, dearest,” Begonia said, changing tack.
“But the pickle is, Mr Darcy has seen that the idiot is ripe for the plucking. Mark my words, he cares nothing about Lizzy—he has seen that the one who influences Neddy, keeps Longbourn. I do not know how Mr Darcy got to her, but he did, and if he marries her, he will control the child’s property.
We ought to have gone to Chancery sooner, as soon as Goulding fell ill. ”
“Had you not spent so much on new wardrobes for yourself and Fanny and her thankless daughter, perhaps we could have,” Henry spat resentfully.
“So says the man wearing a coat by Weston,” Begonia retorted. “Let us not waste time casting blame.”
“What can we do?” Henry whined. “Darcy has the money to hire solicitors for his solicitors! Fighting him in Chancery will bankrupt us!”
“Ah, but we have what he does not—the boy’s mother. It ought not to be too difficult for the Court to see as we do—that Mr Darcy is ripping a boy from his mother’s arms in order to take an idiot’s property. We still have the support of the Lucases, to witness for us.”
“Goulding and his ilk will side with Darcy.”
“A bunch of wealthy, spoiled, power-hungry louts. I have faith in my sister. We shall write to the papers, and talk to anyone who will listen. Take my word for it—we shall win the court of public opinion, and make such a stink that no judge in the land will dare seize her poor, helpless child, for fear of revolt of the populace.”
For the first time in hours, Henry Philips smiled.
Mrs Hill, sitting unnoticed in the pantry polishing the silver, did not.