Chapter 20
As much as he wanted to attend the ride the next morning, when Darcy arrived back at Netherfield Park, he was handed a missive from his uncle, calling him to London, which had arrived with a Matlock courier while he had been enjoying his time at Longbourn.
Hence, in the morning, he looked on longingly at the two Bingleys riding towards Longbourn while he departed on Zeus for London.
Uncle Reggie had said it was urgent, and he was not one prone to exaggeration.
There had been no mention of the reason for the summons, so all Darcy could do was speculate as he allowed Zeus to gallop.
When he was not trying to fathom what his uncle required of him, his mind was on the group of riders of which he was not part. Was Miss Elizabeth disappointed by his absence?
The subject of his thoughts was, in fact, missing his presence on the ride towards Oakham Mount. Based on the discussion of horses the previous night, Elizabeth was aware the horse and rider she had seen previously from Oakham Mount had been Mr Darcy on his stallion, Zeus.
She wondered what it was about Mr Darcy that caused her to miss his presence on this ride.
It was more than his handsomeness, and he was very good looking.
Had Elizabeth been one of those mercenary and shallow women like many in society, those would be the elements which formed the basis for her attraction to Mr Darcy—and she was attracted to him—but she was not like that.
To her, his heartfelt apology, his treating her like an equal, never expecting her to defer to his opinions because of his sex, and his intelligence, were the primary factors which made Mr Darcy interesting to her.
Because she was not some silly girl who would marry the first man to whom she was attracted, Elizabeth was fully cognisant of the fact that if anything was to develop between them, it would be over time—if and when they found they suited one another.
Like Papa, Elizabeth would not consider binding her life to a man’s unless there was respect and deep love between them.
Her reverie was broken when Mary’s mare whinnied next to her.
Elizabeth was leading the riders, with Mary close to her, Kate and Lydia followed. Behind them rode Jane and Mr Bingley, and the last pair were her father and Lulu.
Both John and Brian, along with two of their men, were the escorts for the group riding to the mount.
Jane had related how she had shared that they all rode astride, which Elizabeth was sure had led to the lack of surprise when the Bingley siblings saw them mounted on their horses.
She wondered if Mr Darcy would have been so accepting of their choices.
Lulu told them that Mr Darcy had wanted to join them but had been called to London by his uncle, the Earl of Matlock. It was another point in his favour that Mr Darcy was a very dutiful man.
She looked back and saw Jane in close conversation with Mr Bingley, as close as could be held when two people were atop horses.
Behind them, Elizabeth could tell that Papa was enjoying his time with Lulu.
When she asked herself how she would feel if it ever reached the point that Papa and Lulu married, with the latter being a friend, Elizabeth found that she would not object.
It was not the same relationship she had with Charlotte.
She had to admit, if only to herself, that she was grateful Papa had never looked at her best friend as a possible wife.
She did not know how, or if, her friendship would have survived had Charlotte been her stepmother.
Elizabeth guessed that with them only knowing Lulu for a matter of days, it made a huge difference.
Further cogitation was banished as they arrived at Oakham Mount.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
A little less than three hours after he departed, Darcy approached his London house.
Zeus was the only horse he owned who had the stamina and conditioning to ride the twenty miles without taking a break.
Of course, he never galloped for more than ten minutes at a time, slowing to as little as a walk for some of the way.
The bulk of the ride alternated between short trots and longer canters.
A groom—alerted by the footman on duty in the front of the house—was ready and waiting to take the stallion’s reins as soon as the master dismounted.
“Bert, make sure Zeus is well cooled down before you allow him to drink much water. Once he is cool, make sure he is cared for as I like,” Darcy commanded as he handed over the reins to the waiting groom.
“After bringing me here without any breaks to rest, he deserves to be pampered, and no one is to exercise him until the morrow.”
“Aye, Master,” Bert responded as he led the horse away towards the mews.
Seeing that Carstens remained at Netherfield Park—the decision reflected Darcy’s hope his stay in Town would not be of long duration—Mr Killion, his butler, directed some footmen to fill the bath in the master’s suite. Once Darcy had bathed, the butler assisted him to dress.
With Matlock House on Grosvenor Square, just across the green from his own house, Darcy did not need any form of transport, save his legs, to reach his aunt and uncle’s home.
The butler showed him right into the study, where he found both of his Fitzwilliam cousins with his uncle.
“Thank you for coming so expeditiously,” Matlock boomed.
“You know I will always answer any call to assist, Uncle,” Darcy responded. He turned to his eldest cousin. “I did not realise you and my new cousin had completed your honeymoon already.”
“We put the knocker up at Hilldale House a day ago. As Father knew we had returned, he requested my assistance as well,” Hilldale related.
“So sad you are tired of my new sister already,” Fitzwilliam ribbed.
“Richard!” Hilldale growled.
“That, Richard, may not be the best subject to jest about with a newly married man, one who is besotted with his wife,” Matlock warned with a grin.
“Peace, Brother. You know it was said in the spirit of fun, do you not?” Fitzwilliam verified.
“I will let it go this time…only this time,” Hilldale quipped.
Darcy was not surprised; his cousins had made sport of one another for as long as he could remember. “How may we assist you?” he enquired of his uncle.
“It is my sister. I cannot wait to remove her as mistress of Rosings Park and strip all of her perceived power. Anne reaches the age of five and twenty in a little more than a month, but it is time now. First, she purloined her parson’s savings, and rather than paying him what she is supposed to, she makes him pay her half of his monthly income—which the fool does.
In her quest to hoard more and more symbols of her perceived status, she has been attempting to force the tenants to pay her their quarterly rents and not make the payments to the steward,” Matlock revealed.
“I am afraid Catherine has lost contact with reality.
As much as I would hate to see my sister in an asylum for the mentally unstable, there may not be an alternative.
“There is yet time to reach Rosings Park today, so I would like to depart within the hour. Andrew, I will understand if you do not desire to leave your wife yet, even for a few hours. With the aid of Richard and William, I will be well.”
“As you will more than likely be in Kent overnight, I will remain with my wife. It is just over a month, so I would prefer not to be away from her for a night so soon after our wedding. However, if I am needed, I will join you,” Hilldale stated.
“No, Andrew, we will manage without you. It would not only be Marie upset with me if I take you away now, but your mother as well,” Matlock replied.
Darcy did not mention he too would like to return to Hertfordshire as soon as possible. Even though he was not yet ready to speak of his burgeoning feelings for Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Per Lord Matlock’s desire, the Matlock travelling coach and six were on the road for Kent in less than an hour.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
William Collins was visiting his parishioners trying to gain intelligence for his patroness, so he was not at home to see the large coach pulled by a team of six horses pass the parsonage.
He could not understand why it was that, no matter how many times he told them that Lady Catherine ordered his flock to tell him all of their nearest concerns, none of them did.
Of late, to avoid his patroness’s displeasure, Collins had begun fabricating items to tell the great lady.
What did he care if she scolded some of the peasants for things they had not done?
He was making his way to the mansion at Rosings Park to make his report when he saw the impressive conveyance being driven away from in front of the manor house. It had a coat of arms on the door that he did not recognise.
Like he normally did, he knocked on one of the great, thick front doors and waited for the butler to admit him.
“I am sorry, Mr Collins, but no callers are being accepted,” the butler stated and closed the doors. The click of the lock being engaged was heard and then nothing more.
“Well I never. Lady Catherine will hear of this,” Collins told the closed doors. With no other option, he made his way back to his parsonage, a half mile distant.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Reggie, what are you and two of my nephews doing at my estate? Have you convinced my recalcitrant nephew to honour his mother’s wishes and marry Anne?” Lady Catherine questioned when the three men entered the drawing room.
Anne de Bourgh, who had been sitting meekly as her mother expected, stood as soon as she saw her uncle and two of her cousins.
“Mother, I will never marry Cousin William, and everyone in the family knows that what you are saying is not true. We are all well aware it is the way you intended to keep my inheritance for yourself,” she said forcefully.
“Of what do you speak? This estate is mine until I leave the mortal world,” Lady Catherine insisted.