Chapter 14 An Ever-Fixed Mark #3
Elizabeth’s stomach tied itself into a thousand knots.
Mr Knightley’s solemn disapproval of what was about to be presented to her did nothing to alleviate her misgivings.
She drew a fortifying breath and glared at the dreaded object before she tore off the seal.
She unfolded the sheets and began reading:
Old Bailey Courthouse
7th August 1815, (Admittance by Samuel Birch, Lord Mayor of London)
Fitzwilliam Thorne Alexander Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire transfers half of his estate, Pemberley in Derbyshire, to his beloved wife, Elizabeth Vivienne Darcy.
The estate includes Bluff Castle in Stonehaven, Scotland, Glen Holme in Ireland, a Cottage in the Lakes, and Vue de la Mer Castle in France.
Including carriages, boats, stables, outbuildings, tenant farms, and mines. Also orchards, gardens, closes or parcels of land, meadow, pastures, and woodland.
Clause: The estate can only be left to offspring of the union between Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Darcy.
The deed was signed by her husband and the Lord Mayor of London.
Mr Knightley removed the top sheet to reveal the will underneath.
7th August 1815
Office copy of the will of ys.d Fitzwilliam Thorne Alexander Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire.
I will that all my just debts Elysande Bennet Darcy and any other offspring the union with my wife, Elizabeth Vivienne Darcy, should produce.
Clause: Should there be no heirs and Elizabeth’s demise precede me, I give I owed him my love and respect.
Whether he deserved it is an entirely different matter.
I only mention this fact to make you understand why I believed the depraved colonel.
We grew up together, more like brothers than cousins.
He was my staunchest protector against my father, and later, Wickham.
On occasions when Wickham framed me for something he had done, Richard took the blame upon himself.
He proved invaluable when we rescued Georgiana from Wickham’s clutches.
Wickham never mentioned Georgiana’s indiscretion to anyone, which was to Richard’s credit alone.
I do not know what he said or did, but Wickham’s lips were sealed.
I have never had any reason to doubt my cousin in the one-and-thirty years I have lived, but it has come to my attention that I should have formed suspicions at an earlier date.
Richard unravelled when I confronted him at Matlock.
After his web of lies had been revealed, he launched at me in a moment of lunacy that has not yet culminated.
He admitted during one of his ravings that he had been the instigator of my involuntary sojourn beneath the floorboards at Eton.
I wish I had known or even suspected him of any dishonest behaviour at the time.
Matters could have been resolved differently had I possessed a more discerning mind.
The colonel has been committed to St Mary of Bethlem Hospital, St George’s Fields, by a field doctor in the army. He will never be released, but my uncle has secured him decent accommodations. He will be cared for and treated at the asylum.
God bless you,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
Elizabeth stared unseeingly out over the garden; her vision was blurred and her mind reeled. She no longer doubted that beneath Mr Darcy’s austere exterior lay the man she had once chosen to marry.
There were no winners in this disaster. The colonel would never inherit Pemberley, even if Georgiana should produce his heir, which was doubtful.
She had admitted to Jane that her courses had come on the day of their disappearance.
There was a slight possibility she could still be increasing, but it would be months before that could be established with any certainty.
Elizabeth’s heart bled for Georgiana. So young and inexperienced, with a husband committed to the lunatic asylum, her reputation in ruins no matter the outcome.
Her own life had reverted to a contented existence, but happiness had been within her grasp, only to be ripped from her hands by a madman. It was not fair—not to herself, not to Georgiana, and not to Mr Darcy.
A disturbing thought appeared unbidden in her mind.
Whom would she have believed had it been Jane in Mr Darcy’s arms instead of Caroline Elliot née Bingley.
She had no doubt that she would have trusted Jane, or even Charlotte for that matter.
Only, Charlotte had acted slyly to secure Mr Collins…
Elizabeth did not begrudge her the clergyman, but Mr Darcy would have been another matter, simply because she loved him.
Yet, she did not know him well. Their courtship had been fraught with misunderstandings, their engagement period had not afforded them much privacy with her mother hauling them about the neighbourhood, and their marriage had lasted less than two months before they were ripped apart.
She did not know much about his childhood, friends, family, and education, nor any of the significant events that had formed his character.
He had held himself under good regulation—guarding his authentic self.
#
Hannah Linney, Jonathan’s sister, came to her mistress. Dinner was about to be served, and she enquired whether Mrs Darcy would like to change before the meal. Elizabeth let her maid indulge her fancies and entered the dining parlour with more adornments than was her wont.
Mr Knightley stayed for dinner but announced that he would leave for London before breakfast the following day if Mrs Darcy did not mind. Elizabeth did not.
Jane and Charles waited patiently until the attorney had retired before they bombarded Elizabeth with questions about the deed and the will, much relieved there was no separation or a court trial in the offing.
The reality quieted even the loquacious Mr Bingley, rendering him at an uncommon loss for words.
Elizabeth was quietly reflective herself and chose to retire when the necessary particulars had been conveyed.
Elizabeth’s last thought for the night was that the deed and will had been signed on Elysande’s second birthday.