Chapter 48 #2
She laughed. “Give it to you,” she replied simply.
“Rosings does not need it while Matlock does. As I understand it, you have two homes in dire need of furnishing, and that amount, when combined with the sale of your commission, will be quite enough to set you up comfortably and give you enough to get started restoring the estates. This way, you will not need to borrow funds from anyone although I know Darcy would have willingly given it.”
“I… I cannot, Anne,” Fitzwilliam stammered. “That money rightly belongs to you and to Rosings. I cannot… I will not accept a handout.”
“It is not a handout,” Anne declared coolly, her tone clipped and unyielding.
“Call it a payoff, if you must. I have decided you are no longer to be my heir since it is evident you no longer need an estate. Besides,” she continued with startling bluntness, “my husband and I have determined that we ought to attempt to make one of our own.”
Her words landed like a stone dropped into a still pond, sending ripples of discomfort through the room. Nearly everyone blushed at her tactlessness, and a tense silence followed.
Fitzwilliam and Darcy both shifted uncomfortably, their jaws tightening nearly in unison, while Elizabeth could not quite suppress a small giggle at the boldness of the statement.
“Anne,” Hargrove said, his voice low and laced with both warning and exasperation.
Anne turned to her husband and scowled, utterly unfazed by his gentle reprimand, her expression unapologetic. “They knew we did not intend to consummate our marriage—at least not at first—so I thought it better to avoid shocking them later if I announced I was with child.”
Her matter-of-fact tone sent a ripple of astonishment through the room.
Elizabeth bit her lip, trying—and failing—not to laugh.
Her eyes sparkled with amusement even as she fought to maintain her composure.
Anne’s unvarnished honesty was both mortifying and unexpectedly entertaining.
In contrast, her husband seemed paralysed, his ears burning red as he stared resolutely at the floor, avoiding everyone’s gaze.
“Are you with child, Anne?” Elizabeth ventured, her tone laced with curiosity and a touch of caution.
“No, not yet,” Anne replied, her candour unwavering.
“In fact, we have merely decided that someday we wish to have a child or two. I am not yet well enough, but I have been consulting with a physician who believes that, with proper treatment, I will eventually be capable of carrying a child safely. For now, he has recommended more exercise and a diet rich in red meat and green vegetables. He also advises frequent doses of mineral water from Tunbridge Wells. I must say, these changes have left me feeling revitalised. I am stronger than I have been in years. There are other signs of improvement,” she added, hesitating briefly, “but they are even less suitable to discuss in mixed company. Elizabeth, perhaps we might speak privately another time?”
Elizabeth smiled warmly at Anne’s earnestness.
Though Anne was a married woman and older than Elizabeth, there were moments like this when she seemed so much younger.
Elizabeth suspected her sheltered upbringing and her mother’s brusque nature had left her ill-prepared to navigate the subtleties of social interaction.
“Of course, Anne,” Elizabeth said gently, reaching over to pat her cousin’s hand. “We will talk whenever you like. Perhaps we might encourage the gentlemen to play billiards or otherwise occupy themselves after dinner.”
The conversation shifted to other topics after that, easing some of the tension Anne’s bluntness had created.
Talk of lighter matters filled the room—Elizabeth’s opinions and renovations at Pemberley, her sisters, including Georgiana’s latest musical accomplishments, and the work needing to be done at Matlock.
The mood lightened, and laughter began to flow more easily.
The conversation continued, gradually returning to the pressing matters at hand. With gentle but persistent encouragement from his family, Fitzwilliam began to reconsider his initial resistance to accepting the funds Anne was offering.
Darcy provided a thoughtful explanation, detailing how the money could be used to stabilise Matlock’s finances and secure its future.
His clear and pragmatic reasoning helped to ease some of Richard’s lingering doubts.
Anne, uncharacteristically subdued, added her own assurances.
She emphasised that the offer was not charity but a gesture of familial duty and support, especially since her mother’s mismanagement had played a significant role in creating the current difficulties.
Her quiet sincerity, paired with Darcy’s logic, wore down Richard’s objections, leaving him better able to see the wisdom in accepting the assistance.
Before he left, Richard was persuaded to accept the money.
Though his pride made the decision difficult, the heartfelt appeals from his cousins—and his growing sense of responsibility for the estate—had swayed him into swallowing that pride and accepting the offer in the spirit it was intended.