Chapter Six
ELIZABETH WENT WALKING the next morning on the path that she had walked before.
She did not truly expect to run into Neithern, so she brought along a book.
She liked to walk and read at the same time, though she was often teased about it by her sisters, who would say that she was missing looking at the scenery around her, and why walk at all if she had a book, why not just stay home and stay seated?
But there were other charms to the out of doors besides the sights.
There was the breeze and the way that wood smelled, especially after it had been rained on.
There was the feeling of movement, as well.
It was good to move one’s body, and that felt agreeable to Elizabeth.
It was only that her mind was always moving, always working, and a book gave her mind something to do.
It calmed whatever chatter was there and gave it focus.
This morning, she had brought along Ethelinde. She had read it before, but it was quite engrossing, and she was completely transported away in the pages of it all when she was interrupted by Neithern’s voice.
She started, snapping the book shut, quite losing her place (she noted with chagrin), and she looked up to find him approaching her on the path.
“You did walk, Miss Bennet,” he said. He came closer, smiling at her. “Or ought I say, Mrs. Fitzwilliam?”
She raised her eyebrows. “I shall answer to both, considering the situation is as it stands.”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but your secret is not likely to be a secret for long. I was informed of it by two people yesterday in and around the afternoon bowls game.”
Well, that had gone quickly, she had to admit. Of course, Caroline had been quite drunk yesterday, and this would have made her even more likely to share the secret far and wide. Elizabeth had wanted it yesterday, and she hoped the reasoning was sound.
“So,” he said, eyeing her. “I think you were about to tell me something else yesterday, not that you were secretly married.”
“Do you think that?” she said, looking him over. “You think I have a number of secrets, Your Grace?”
“I am quite certain of it, in fact.”
She only shook her head, looking through the book for her place, so that she could mark it with the mark she had tucked between the front cover and the first page.
“Shall I swear never to repeat it?”
“I am only a bit worried about relaying all of it, I must say. It could be very damaging to me if it came out, and also, I’m worried that you will think I have an ulterior motive in telling you about it.”
“An ulterior motive,” he said, tapping his chin. “What could that even be?” He raised a finger. “I know. You must be the illegitimate daughter of my father or something and your ulterior motive would be to fix your financial situation, which you claim is precarious.”
She went entirely still, fingers in the midst of turning the pages of the book, and she simply gaped at him.
He was laughing, but then he noticed her expression. “Oh, dear,” he said. “I have guessed it on the first try?”
She cleared her throat, ducking her head down to page through the book.
“I am not entirely sure if it is true, I must say. It is possibly true. My mother claimed that the duke was my father, but I have no real proof, and I must say, everything about it proves entirely confusing. No matter what information I discover, it only creates more questions.”
“Well, my father spent my entire lifetime locked away, so it would have been difficult for him to be fathering bastards,” said the duke.
“Yes, well, it seems we are the same age, or thereabouts,” said Elizabeth. “So, it would have been before that.”
“You don’t think we’re—” The duke gestured back and forth. “Twins?”
“I don’t know,” she said, laughing. “That doesn’t make sense, does it. We clearly have different mothers. What do you know of yours?”
“Very little,” said the duke. “She died bringing me into the world. I understand that she had run away from him, from my father, due to his madness, and she wished to hide my existence from him because she was worried that he might do something to harm me.”
“That is the same as my mother, I admit,” said Elizabeth. “Only she didn’t die.”
“Well, we have the same mother, but she faked her death,” said Neithern, chuckling. “Except, then, why did she keep you away from the family and give me over to them?”
“Yes, quite,” said Elizabeth. “That is why we are not twins. Anyway, we don’t look alike, I don’t think.”
He scrutinized her features. “No, not at all.”
“What was your mother’s name?” said Elizabeth.
“Ah,” said the duke, and he looked off into the distance. He began to walk. “Would you believe that I don’t know?”
“You don’t know.” Elizabeth walked with him. “Truly?”
“I am not pleased about it,” said Neithern, scuffing his foot against the path.
“My grandmother, she didn’t see fit to find this out when she was taking me from my dead mother, apparently.
Well, she didn’t do it herself, of course.
She got word and sent someone to collect me, left money for them to bury her, and then took me away. ”
“But certainly, your parents were married and your grandmother would have known it.”
“Married in secret,” said the duke.
“W-well,” said Elizabeth, coughing. “The truth is, my mother claimed that she had eloped with the duke.”
“Did she.” He turned to her sharply.
She drew back from his gaze.
“Well, what if we are twins, Mrs. Fitzwilliam?” he said. “And if we were, I would absolutely find some way to help you with your financial precariousness. You knew our mother?”
Elizabeth shook her head, holding up both of her hands.
“Not well. I-I thought she was my aunt. She sent me to live with her brother and his wife, and they raised me as their own. I thought that I was a Bennet my entire life, until my aunt—my mother—died and left me a small inheritance and a house. And, truly, sir, I am not so financially precarious as all that, it is only that my husband is the penniless son of an earl, and I think he shall struggle more than me living off what I have, which is not what he is used to, and—never mind that!” She shook her head again.
“Her name was Matilda Bennet, though. She was kind, and she seemed to be… I don’t know.
I still cannot figure out why it is she gave me up, not truly.
And if she had two babes and she sent one to live with her brother and one to be brought up as a duke, well… ”
“Yes,” said Neithern. “Odd.” He glanced at her. “Let us ascertain a few other things, then. Your mother, where did she and the duke marry?”
“I don’t honestly know if they did, but my understanding is Scotland, likely Gretna Green. At least, that is what has been reported by someone who knew my mother,” said Elizabeth, because she had been told of Larilane speaking of it to Mr. Darcy yesterday.
“My parents were also married in Scotland,” said Neithern. “So, that lines up, however, it makes it materially difficult to find any proof. Had they been married somewhere in England, there would be a record in the parish registry that could be looked up.”
“Well, there is usually some kind of documentation provided in Scotland,” said Elizabeth.
“Yes, and I asked my grandmother about that, and she said that—of course—there was a marriage license, but she could not provide it for me to see. She also seemed miffed that I would even care, that it should concern me to know my mother’s name or to know basic things about her.
I tried to explain it to her, but it fell on deaf ears. ”
“Yes,” said Elizabeth, turning to him. “My family has been much the same. They can’t seem to understand why I won’t simply forget about it, who my father is, and why I won’t accept that they are my family.
To them, even though we know the truth, it doesn’t mean anything.
They are still my sister and my father and they are hurt that I seem not to find them enough anymore.
But it is who I am. It is where I came from. It matters.”
“Indeed it does,” said Neithern, eyes flashing. “You are the first person I have told this to who actually understands.”
She gave him a firm nod.
He nodded back. “But with all of the things here that are the same, perhaps we can assume that we must be, in fact, twins. Well.” He laughed. “When is your birthday?”
She bit down on her bottom lip, heart rising in her chest. She told him the date.
His eyes widened. “That is not my birthday, but my birthday is the day after that.”
She tilted her head to look at him. “Well…”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s too close not to count, in my opinion. We must assume that you are, in fact, my twin.”
“I…” She licked her lips. “I feel I must tell you that we have another theory about all of this, and if it is true, we are not twins.”
“What other theory?”
“Well, we thought—”
“Who is ‘we’?” He raised his eyebrows.
“Oh,” she said, looking down at her feet, wondering if Mr. Darcy would appreciate being drawn into this. “It is Mr. Darcy. He has been assisting me. He is my husband’s cousin.” She felt obliged to give some reason for his involvement.
“Oh, is he.” The duke nodded. “Well, I have been introduced to him, but never had a real conversation with him. His sister, Miss Darcy, however, I spent hours in the company of yesterday, and she is…” A smile stole over his features, a secret smile. “She is quite lovely.”
Elizabeth thought the duke might be in love with Miss Darcy! Well, this was a development. She wondered if she should say anything to Mr. Darcy about it.
The duke let out an embarrassed laugh. “Oh, enough of that. What is your theory?”
“Well, it involves the fact that Mr. Houseman looks like you?”
The duke nodded. “All right. Do you think that Mr. Houseman is… are we triplets?”
“No, he’s too old, I think. I can’t be sure, but I think he is at least five and twenty.
” She thought he could be even a bit older, though she was certain he was not yet thirty.
There was much speculation about Houseman, after all, what with his large fortune from trade and the way he had invited ever so many people to stay in his country house.
“Right, then, so what are you saying?”
“Well, I wonder if we all have different mothers, and if the duke, our father, simply had a habit of going to Scotland and marrying different women.”
“That would be bigamy.”
“True, but he might have gotten away with it, what with his money and his status and his—by all accounts—forceful and threatening behavior.”
Neithern stroked his chin. “Well, then if that’s true, why am I the one who has been recognized?”
“Likely your mother was the first marriage,” said Elizabeth.
“No,” said Neithern. “Not if Houseman is older than both of us.”
“Oh, true,” said Elizabeth, furrowing her brow. “But no, he could have married your mother first and then not gotten her with child for years.”
Neithern considered this. “Yes, perhaps, I suppose. I am going to my grandmother. She is here, at Neith Abbey, because we are in preparations for our midsummer fete, though she would otherwise stay at the dower house. I shall charge her that she must produce some form of proof for the marriage of my father and my mother.”
“All right,” said Elizabeth. “But if she has been unable to do so in the past—”
“Well, yes,” he said. “But I shall tell her that I may need to prove my status, and if this does not motivate her, the threat of scandal and ruin will. She is quite concerned with appearances and reputation, you know. Cut my grandmother and she bleeds nothing but duchessdom.”
“I see,” said Elizabeth, nodding. “You will tell me what you discover?”
“Of course,” said the duke.