Chapter 34
The lady entered with her head held high, her posture rigidly straight.
Elizabeth found herself suppressing a smile at their unwelcome guest’s hat, which was an elaborate turban decorated with tall peacock feathers.
It was absurd headwear for a long trip in a carriage, but Georgiana would probably find the feathers interesting.
The woman looked around at the two couples standing in wait, and she scowled at the sight of Darcy, who was standing close to Elizabeth.
“Darcy, what is the meaning of this? I expressly ordered you not to bring Miss Bennet along with you to Ramsgate, and I told you to halt at Rosings for a few days on your way here.”
Darcy clenched his teeth, but a quick glance at Elizabeth’s dancing eyes quenched his temper. “Lady Catherine,” he said, “I am not one of your lackeys to jump to your orders. I am my own man.”
His aunt turned her attention on her daughter. “Anne, what did you mean by sneaking out of Rosings like a thief in the night while I was in London? I am most seriously displeased.”
Anne, to her surprise, felt herself undismayed by her parent’s obvious anger. She had always been intimidated by her mother, but in the wake of Wickham’s attack, Lady Catherine seemed more a grotesque, even pathetic, figure.
“I was invited by Richard and the Darcys, Mother,” Anne said simply, “and I am extremely thankful that I accepted their suggestion that I come here. We have wonderful news!”
Lady Catherine’s irritable expression faded away and was replaced by obvious satisfaction. “You are finally engaged!”
“I am,” Anne began.
“It is about time!” Lady Catherine cried out.
“To Richard!” her daughter finished loudly.
The older woman stared at her daughter, then at Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was grinning openly, and then back at Anne. “No! No! I forbid it! A mere second son? It is absurd.”
“I am sorry that you are unhappy, Lady Catherine,” Richard said, his eyes twinkling, “but I asked Anne for her hand in marriage, and she has accepted me. There is nothing you can do about it.”
“Nonsense! Anne has the right to break an engagement, and she will do so. She will marry Darcy…”
“I fear Mr. Darcy does not have that option,” Elizabeth interrupted in a clear voice. “A few hours ago, Mr. Darcy asked for my hand in marriage, and I accepted. We are engaged.”
Lady Catherine’s pupils dilated in shock, horror, and then fury. “You … you cannot be … Darcy would not…”
“Indeed, I have,” Darcy declared, reaching out and entwining his arm with Elizabeth’s. “Miss Bennet has done me the honor of accepting my offer of marriage, and I could not be happier.”
“No! You cannot be serious! Darcy, you are engaged to Anne! You cannot marry this … this…”
“Take care how you speak about my intended bride,” Darcy snarled, releasing Elizabeth and stalking forward to loom over his aunt. “I assure you that I will have no hesitation in throwing you out of the house if you insult Elizabeth.”
Lady Catherine had indeed been preparing further invective, but the look on her nephew’s face suggested that she had best try a different argument.
“Darcy!” she croaked. “Surely you must see … your dear mother wished for you to marry Anne. You would not disregard her last desire…”
“My mother is dead,” Darcy said coldly. “Even if she did wish me to marry Anne, there were never any formal papers signed regarding the match. I am in love with Elizabeth, and Anne is…”
“Love?” his aunt shrieked, her outrage sweeping away any semblance of restraint.
“Love?? You are nephew of an earl and a lady, and master of a great house. You are not a peasant to think of the carnal desires of the flesh. Miss Bennet is not worthy of you! She is but the second daughter of a country gentleman, and her elder sister is married to a man whose fortune comes from trade! Are the shades of Pemberley to be so polluted?”
“Richard, will you assist me in escorting Lady Catherine to her carriage?” Darcy asked, his jaw tightening ominously.
“With pleasure,” the colonel said, stepping forward.
The two gentlemen lifted their aunt up by her arms and began carrying her toward the front door of the house.
Lady Catherine was so shocked by this unexpected action that she grew rigid and silent for a minute.
It was not until her nephews had carried her bodily out of the house that she began to wriggle and protest. “Unhand me, both of you. How dare you?”
Lady Catherine’s carriage was drawn up in front of the house, and Darcy wrenched open the door with his left hand, whereupon he and Richard shoved their aunt into the enclosure.
“Lady Catherine,” Darcy said, ignoring the shrinking maid who was inhabiting the rear facing seat of the carriage, “I warned you not to insult Elizabeth. You are not welcome here. Go home.”
“Go home?” the lady repeated in a stupefied tone. “I certainly will not! You cannot throw me out! I am your near relation!”
“I do not care,” Darcy said bluntly. “There should be substantial moonlight tonight; I recommend that you order your coachman to drive back to Rosings.”
“If that is unpalatable,” Richard said, “you can stay in the boarding house around the corner. I stayed there myself before embarking for the Continent two years ago. It is quite clean…”
“A boarding house? Me? Lady Catherine de Bourgh, mistress of Rosings? Are you mad?”
“You will not be mistress of Rosings much longer,” Richard said with a sweet smile and slammed the carriage door closed.
/
“Is she gone?” Anne asked eagerly as the gentlemen reentered the drawing room.
“I believe she is cogitating in her coach as to what to do next,” Richard said with an amused smile. “Darcy threw her out and informed her that she is not welcome, and we have ordered the servants to keep her from entering. You need not worry about her.”
“I am not worried,” his fiancée said gravely. “After today’s frightening events, I find my mother less intimidating than usual.”
“She is all sound and fury but with little bite,” Elizabeth said, “for us at any rate. She does have substantial power over her tenants.”
“Yes, and Richard and I will make certain that she is stripped of that power quickly,” Anne said with determination. “Darcy, I know you are of the view that my mother has not been a good mistress of Rosings.”
“I fear she has not. She, like many of her fellow landowners, has wrested money from the estate without plowing necessary money back in. For example, I have often tried to convince my aunt to pay for better cottages for the tenants but she always refuses.”
“We will look into that as quickly as possible,” Richard promised with a fond look at his intended bride.
“When should we leave Ramsgate?” Elizabeth asked. “I know that Georgiana will be disappointed, but given the situation perhaps we had best cut this trip short?”
“I think we should,” Darcy agreed. “Lady Catherine may lower herself to stay in town so that she can continue to harass us, and the sooner I meet with Mr. Bennet, the sooner we can marry.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Elizabeth said. “Perhaps you and I should talk to Georgiana now and explain the situation?”
/
“I am not disappointed in the least,” Georgiana said. “Yes, I love Ramsgate and the birds, but we can come back another time. I want you to marry Elizabeth as soon as possible, Brother.”
Darcy reached out, pulled Georgiana into his arms, and kissed her blonde head. “My dear sister, I know Elizabeth will agree with me that you are partially responsible for our engagement. It was your friendship with Elizabeth that first drew my heart and mind toward her.”
Georgiana returned the embrace with fervor and smiled at her brother’s betrothed. “Elizabeth is the best friend I have ever had. I am so happy.”
/
“Yes, Lady Catherine,” the landlady said nervously. “I have several rooms on the second floor, including a corner room looking over the adjacent courtyard as you requested. It is quite fortunate as the couple staying in that room departed in a hurry this morning and…
She trailed off under her new guest’s basilisk glare, and Lady Catherine said, “I care not about any previous tenants. I assume the chamber has been well cleaned?”
“Oh yes, my lady, yes, with fresh, ironed sheets. I am certain you will be very comfortable.”
Lady Catherine was positive that she would be absolutely miserable, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Darcy, Anne, and Richard had lost their collective minds, but she would make them see reason.
In order to do so, it was necessary for her to stay in this hellhole of a boarding house.
“Take my trunks upstairs,” she ordered her footmen and then turned to the landlady. “I will take dinner in my room in half an hour.”
The woman opened her mouth in protest, and then shut it. Her noble guest was paying very well, and naturally had no desire to mingle with the mere commoners who would soon gather in the dining room.
“Of course, my lady, it will be as you wish.”
/
Colonel Mueller of the 20th Foot Regiment stepped into his secretary’s little room which led into his own, larger, workplace.
“Good morning, Lieutenant,” he said to the young man.
Lieutenant Simpson stood up and saluted. “Good morning, sir. Colonel Fitzwilliam is waiting for you within.”
Mueller nodded and strode into his own office, whereupon he exchanged salutes with Colonel Fitzwilliam.
“Good morning, Colonel,” Richard said courteously. “I apologize for visiting so early, but I plan to depart Ramsgate today with Miss de Bourgh and wished to discuss Lieutenant Wickham’s fate.”
Mueller gestured toward a chair and took his own seat behind his desk. He pulled a notebook out of his coat, glanced at it, and said, “What is your wish regarding Wickham, Colonel Fitzwilliam?”
“I spoke with my cousins, Mr. Darcy and Miss de Bourgh, at length yesterday regarding this deplorable situation. We believe that his attempt to abduct Miss de Bourgh is a capital offense and that he deserves the death penalty.”