Chapter 13
On Monday, the day after Easter Sunday, two coaches departed London within a few hours of each other. At first light, Darcy and his valet left Darcy House and headed towards the Great North Road.
Darcy had enjoyed spending part of Saturday and all of Easter Sunday with Anna.
Part of the Holy day was at services and the rest at Matlock House.
She had been well pleased to see him, and although not back to her normal self, she was better than she had been when he had unwillingly left her to go into Hertfordshire.
Although anger and sadness were still the emotions warring within his body, Darcy made sure to keep his features schooled so Anna saw none of his anguish.
Bingley left Grillion’s Hotel midday on Monday after first visiting all the shops where his younger sister had accounts.
He personally delivered the letter his man of business had written to each establishment.
He reinforced the words in his letter, telling the proprietor that if he or she allowed his younger sister to purchase wares from them on account, he would not pay for them.
Anything she spent had to be collected from her.
With that done, Bingley decided to tell his coachman to take the longer but, to him, the more peaceful way north, remaining closer to the coast. Ever since he had been a lad, Bingley had never felt more relaxed than when near the sea.
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Jane, who had not seen Jamey on Easter Sunday because she had remained with the Gardiners and he with his family, was keen to depart for Holder House at eleven on Monday morning.
Jane, with Maddie and much to their delight, Lilly and May, were in the party who would enjoy the midday meal at the Carringtons’ house.
The twins were very keen to meet Lady Priscilla because she was less than three years their senior.
They wanted to meet Lady Emily too, but she was already sixteen, so they doubted she would want to be a friend to girls not yet eleven.
Eddy was spending the day with his father in his offices while Peter was busy with the governess. Hence, as soon as Maddie was sure everything was organised for her boys, she led Jane and her daughters out to the carriage.
Even though it was not a long ride, it was not fast enough for Jane.
As much as she promised herself to guard her heart and take things slowly, she was slowly but surely losing her heart to Jamey.
That he was titled and very wealthy meant nothing to Jane without respect and then love built on that foundation.
Too often, her parents being prime examples, she saw those in the throes of passionate love but with no respect soon come to resent one another.
Like Lizzy, Jane would rather remain single than enter into such a marriage.
Soon enough they arrived at the mansion, which was Holder House, situated on the corner of Park Lane and Grosvenor Street. Hyde Park and the Grosvenor Gate was just across Park Lane from the house. The liveried footmen placed the step and opened the door as soon as the carriage came to a stop.
As much as they wanted to bound out of the conveyance, Lilly and May waited first for Mamma and then for Jane to be handed out.
They had not noticed Jane’s suitor arrive next to the carriage because he had been the one to hand their cousin out.
Both girls blushed prettily when Lord Hadlock aided them out as well.
The butler, Mr Fenster, and several of his footmen stood ready in the entrance hall to relieve the guests of their light spring outerwear. Rather than show them to the drawing room where Lady Holder and her daughters waited, Fenster stood back and deferred to Lord Hadlock.
With Mrs Gardiner on one arm, Jane on the other, and with the girls following, Hadlock led them up to the first floor and the principal drawing room.
Although she had been here once before, Jane had never paid close attention to the décor and furnishings.
To her delight, it was very much understated elegance.
Nothing was in the style Lizzy described seeing at Rosings Park, where everything was done to show Lady Catherine’s wealth and perceived standing.
Lady Edith and her daughters welcomed their guests warmly.
The former and Maddie Gardiner were soon deep in conversation.
Lady Priscilla made herself friendly to the Gardiner twins, while Lady Emily kept a little apart but was slowly drawn into the conversation between the other three girls.
That left Jane and her suitor. They found a place on a couch where they soon forgot there were others in the room.
During their conversation, Lady Edith informed Maddie that Lord Holder was in meetings most of the morning and early afternoon and would not be home until after one or two that afternoon.
A little before midday, the butler informed them that the meal was ready in the summer dining parlour.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
After having her assumptions about Mr. Darcy disproved and Jane’s remonstrating with her in the letter, Elizabeth became somewhat withdrawn. She had certainly not offered her opinions freely on anything.
The morning after Easter, she had risen and taken a post-dawn ramble at a blistering pace in the groves.
By the time she returned to the parsonage two hours later, she felt a lot more like herself.
Now that it was a few days distant, she was able to see the humour in the Fitzwilliams’ reactions to her refusing Mr Darcy.
Along with the incredulous questions, she had seen a certain level of respect for her not being swayed by mercenary concerns or the chance to gain rather good connections.
During her walk she admitted to herself that there were certain deficiencies in her character which she needed to repair.
For one who had always prided herself on her perspicacity and judgement, it had been a bitter pill to swallow.
However, Elizabeth knew it had to be done, and that, just like one of her favourite sayings, one should learn from the past but then only remember the past when said remembrances are pleasant, she needed to follow her own advice.
She owned that she had made many errors in the past, which she needed to learn from, so she did not repeat them.
During her introspection, she acknowledged that, although for different reasons, she had as much pride and as many prejudices as Mr Darcy.
Realising that had been a rather humbling experience.
Elizabeth used to always think of herself as superior in mind and understanding than most others, but that had been hubris.
She owned that admitting to her problems was halfway on the road to correcting them; now she had to work hard to do so.
Reaching the decision to apply herself to self-correction, she felt lighter in spirit.
Hence, when she joined the Collinses and Maria to break her fast, Elizabeth was in a reasonably good mood.
Since Elizabeth’s father’s distant cousin had ceased attempting to point out the error of her ways for refusing him, her enjoyment of her time at the Parsonage in particular and Kent in general had increased exponentially.
After the meal, Mr Collins went out to work in his garden while Charlotte led her sister and friend to her back parlour.
Elizabeth’s mood was good as she sat down to read when she heard the bell from the front door. Knowing that Mr Darcy had departed shortly after handing her the letter, she had no perturbation of spirit worrying she would be in his company again.
The maid-of-all-work entered, followed by a sombre-looking Colonel Fitzwilliam.
“Colonel, is all well?” Charlotte asked concernedly.
“Has Miss Bennet shared anything about my Cousin Anne’s infirmity and how bad it is?” Fitzwilliam enquired.
“It was shared with me in confidence, and no one gave me leave to talk of it with anyone else,” Elizabeth replied.
Fitzwilliam explained that his de Bourgh cousin was on her deathbed, and she was not expected to see many more days. Fitzwilliam swung around as he heard a wailing from behind him; the parson stood at the door as he spoke.
“It cannot be that the Rose of Kent is to be taken from us,” Collins bemoaned.
“Mr Collins, when God takes Anne home, it will be a kindness to her, given her suffering in the mortal world. I must prepare you for a change which is coming. This estate…” Fitzwilliam explained the entail and the clause which would be triggered on Miss de Bourgh’s passing.
“So, if no heir is found within a year of Miss de Bourgh’s passing, the estate reverts to the Crown?” Charlotte verified.
“How can that be? Lady Catherine herself told me the estate belongs to her! How can it be right that someone could take it from the rightful owner…” Collins closed his mouth quickly when he heard his name called.
“Mr Collins!” Fitzwilliam bellowed. “My aunt does not now, nor has she ever, owned Rosings Park. Had Anne been healthy enough to marry—no, Mr Darcy would not have married her—then the estate would have been her property while her husband would have been the manager, but not owner as he would not have de Bourgh blood. Only a child of her body, or one from the lost branch of the family would inherit. As your wife understands, if one of de Bourgh blood cannot be found, then the estate will revert to the Crown.”
“What do you mean, Mr Darcy would not have married Miss de Bourgh? Lady Catherine said it was so…” Collins began to say.
“You seem to worship my aunt more than God, Mr Collins. You do know that is considered heresy, do you not?” Fitzwilliam said with steel in his voice.
“If your bishop discovers that you serve Lady Catherine and not the members of this parish, you will have the living removed from you. Further, with the way you hold my aunt above all, you could be defrocked. Did my aunt tell you she is a peer of the realm?”
As he was so scared and not trusting himself to speak, Collins only nodded.