Chapter 17
The wedding of Thomas Bennet and Charlotte Lucas took place in a church filled to capacity Saturday morning, the third day of November.
Mr. Dudley conducted this particular wedding ceremony with particular pleasure; both he and his daughter added their voices to those praying the new Mrs. Bennet would present her husband with an heir.
Charlotte had wanted Eliza to stand up with her but decided as she was about to become the Bennet daughters’ stepmother, it might be strange if one of them stood up or signed as a witness. After they signed the register, with Gardiner and Mariah as witnesses, Bennet kissed his new bride tenderly.
The two walked to the house and were met with a rousing cheer when Hill announced Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bennet.
The neighbourhood understood the wedding breakfast would be an intimate affair, so there were no hurt feelings among those not invited.
To allow the newly married couple some privacy, the Bennet sisters’ trunks had been moved to Netherfield, where they would reside for a fortnight before returning home again.
The Gardiners would also be hosted at Netherfield for two nights before returning to London on Monday morning.
Lady Lucas had given Charlotte the talk the night before, which had been short and to the point. As with most things she considered as part of the natural order of life, Charlotte was not worried about the marriage bed. What would be, would be.
After an hour or so, the guests started to depart. The Bennet sisters hugged their father and new stepmother and wished them well, then were assisted into one of the two coaches departing for Netherfield Park.
“I assume Lady Catherine is under watch and will not try any of her nonsense with our daughters before she departs Monday morning?” Bennet asked.
“Thomas, you know your daughters will be as well protected there as they would be here. Now I think it is time to go see our chambers,” Charlotte stated forwardly, with a becoming blush.
Bennet had no objection to her suggestion. They decided they would share a bed as they hoped to share all of their lives with one another. As Bennet watched his wife undress, he wondered who the fool was who had ever called his Charlotte plain. She was anything but.
Thomas Bennet found immense pleasure in making his very sensible bride lose her sensibilities when in their bed, and Charlotte found she liked marital congress very well and when their eyes met as they were fully joined, one would be unable to profess this was never to be a love match.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As Mr. Collins sat in a squalid gaol cell, he could not imagine how he had ended up in these straits, especially as he had obeyed his patroness’s edict.
How could he, a venerated man of the cloth, be treated like a common criminal?
Try as he might, he could not reconcile this reality to his certainty of his own consequence.
What confused him most of all was why his patroness had not come to rescue him so they could return Kent.
Had she not told him things always occurred as she wished?
The only explanation he could think of was that she had been incapacitated somehow, as he could not envision a scenario where she would leave him, her faithful servant, to rot in a cell for a month complete.
Would she? For the first time since he had been granted the Hunsford living by Lady Catherine, Collins began to experience doubt regarding the limit of his patroness’s power and influence.
If what those Lucas brutes, who abused him so abominably, said was correct and Lady Matlock was a cousin to the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, and if she had been turned against him by those artful Bennets, Dudleys, and Lucases, would Lady Catherine be able to save him, or would he be defrocked as they predicted?
This introspection was the first time Collins acknowledged the fact he might, in fact, soon be defrocked.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
The subject of her loyal sycophant’s musing was herself trying to divine how her well-thought-out plans had failed her. Not only was she unable to access Pemberley’s coffers, but she had lost Rosings Park and the de Bourgh fortune.
She was to live in a cottage, like one of her tenants.
No, not her tenants anymore but her ungrateful nephew’s tenants.
She attributed this to her error in bringing Anne with her.
If she had left her at home with Mrs. Jenkinson, Anne would not have seen the family nor given Rosings Park away to her undeserving nephew.
And Fitzwilliam! She was sure the more she repeated the story the more sway she would have over him as he revered his parents and would never do anything to dishonour their wishes.
How was she to know her late brother-in-law had put his wishes in writing.
It had long vexed Lady Catherine that her sister would not agree to a betrothal between their children, regardless of how much she attempted to browbeat her.
Anne had always been biddable, yet all her efforts resulted only in being sent away from Pemberley and told never to return unless specifically invited—an invitation which had never been forthcoming.
Yes, she compromised her husband and forced him into marriage.
How could he have held that against her for so many years, even after his death?
He had left her residence at Rosings Park dependent on the master or mistress, and with a pittance of three hundred pounds per annum.
She had spent more than that amount in a month all these years as mistress of Rosings!
Lady Catherine was sure Richard would not know how to run the estate and soon enough would beg her to return as mistress; then she would make him pay!
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Monday morning, two carriages departed Netherfield Park for London. One contained Miss de Bourgh, three Fitzwilliam men, and one Darcy. The second carried Lady Catherine and Mrs. Jenkinson. The latter would be Lady Catherine’s companion, her salary to be paid from Lady Catherine’s allowance.
They were farewelled by the ladies who remained behind under the watchful eyes of Lady Elaine.
That lady had taken notice of the connection between her nephew and the second Bennet daughter since they arrived, and was confident Darcy would ask for a courtship, perhaps even a betrothal, soon.
She expected it would not be long after the men, minus Richard, returned on Wednesday or Thursday.
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was on his way to meet with his general to finalise his resignation from the army and to sell his commission. Then he would travel to inspect Rosings Park, intending to remain there until a fortnight before Christmastide.
“Lizzy, may I ask you something personal?” Georgiana asked as the two were sitting in the music room listening to Mary’s playing.
“You may ask, but I may choose not to answer,” Elizabeth averred.
“Do you like William?” Georgiana asked shyly.
“We are friends; why do you ask?”
“I hoped you would be more than friends.”
“Gigi, it would be impolitic of me to discuss my feelings for your brother with his younger sister if, in fact, I have them,” Elizabeth explained gently so her friend knew she was not upset at the question.
“I understand, Lizzy,” Georgiana returned quietly, “I have never seen William so relaxed around any woman who is not a member of the family before.”
What Gigi said made Elizabeth experience butterflies in her belly.
She had long suspected Mr. Darcy thought of her as more than a friend, as she did him, but hearing it framed by his sister made her realise that she was falling in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy.
She had a dreamy look in her eyes and seemed to be far away, as she wondered if others saw the truth of her feelings.
Elizabeth asked herself if her heart was trying to trick her, but she realised it was not; her feelings were true.
Elizabeth was so lost in her own thoughts Gigi had to nudge her; even then Elizabeth did not respond until the third time she tried to get her attention.
“I’m sorry, Gigi, I am not sure where I went just then,” Elizabeth claimed.
“It is fine, Lizzy; we all get lost in our thoughts at times,” Georgiana gave Elizabeth a knowing look that produced a corresponding blush.
Mary completed the piece she had been playing, and Elizabeth suggested Georgiana play a duet with Mary while she went to seek out Jane.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On Tuesday morning, a solicitor from Norman and James presented himself at Matlock House with the deeds and other paperwork necessary to transfer all de Bourgh assets to Richard.
A much-fatigued Anne signed a few documents, after which she was free to rest. An hour later, all paperwork was completed, and Richard was officially the new owner of all de Bourgh assets, including the estate and townhouse.
All that was left to do was to file the papers with the Court of Chancery, a mere formality.
When it was revealed to Richard there were liquid assets in excess of two hundred thousand pounds, he was flabbergasted.
In addition to that, he was informed that Anne had transferred her dowry of forty thousand pounds to him.
When Richard asked how it was Lady Catherine had never been able to access the funds, he was shown a copy of Sir Lewis’s will, which had made most of the Rosings Park and de Bourgh funds inaccessible to his wife.
The open question became how Lady Catherine had paid for her lavish spending, which included the needlessly gaudy furnishings and baubles found at Rosings Park and de Bourgh House.