Chapter 6 #2
“Major, have your men apprehend these criminals,” Leeds ordered. “You will need to gag the termagant.”
In a trice, Mr and Mrs de Bourgh were clapped in irons. The major had one of his men gag the screaming criminal virago. As the soldiers began to lead the two prisoners out of the drawing room, de Bourgh stopped before his brothers-in-law.
“How can you stand by and watch family members be executed?” de Bourgh pleaded. “Surely you can have the sentences commuted?”
“Even had I not given my word, I would not have done so. I might also ask you, how could you stand by and condone having a young babe murdered?” Matlock shot back.
“You two made your own bad decisions, and because of your avarice and delusions, you have brought great sadness to a family who deserved none.”
“I agree with my only brother-in-law,” Holderness spat out at the cowering man. “You and your criminal wife deserve whatever the law allows as punishment for your heinous crimes.”
Leeds nodded to the two soldiers with de Bourgh, and they marched him out of the room. “Matlock, you need to go claim your niece,” he suggested. Leeds would accompany the major and his men back to London.
Matlock and Holderness made their way up to the nursery, where they found their niece, who was soon to be Matlock’s daughter, seated very still on a chair. “You there, why is my niece seated like a China doll without moving?” Matlock demanded.
“The mistress demands Miss de Bourgh cannot get any dirt on her dress, so she commands that the little miss sit very still and do nothing to soil her clothing,” the nursemaid explained, her head down.
“I tried to disobey Lady Catherine, but she struck me and threatened to sack me without a character if I ever attempted to gainsay her again.”
“Firstly, she is no longer ‘lady’ anything. Secondly, she is not your mistress as of right now. Finally, Anne will never see her again,” Matlock stated.
He knelt before his timid daughter, as she was as of that instant.
“From now on you will come live with my wife and me, and we will be your Mamma and Papa.”
As Anne had spent almost no time in her birth mother’s company, and that was only when the woman wanted to scold her about some perceived error, and had never met her birth father, she was not at all troubled by what the kind man who knelt before her told her.
She looked at the other man questioningly. He looked like a nice man to Anne.
“That is your Uncle Robert. His wife is my sister, your Aunt Anne, who you are named for,” Matlock stated gently. “You have two brothers, Andrew and Richard, and one cousin, William.”
“Will we live in this dark house?” Anne asked nervously.
“No, you will come with me to meet your mamma and brothers. We will live at Snowhaven, our estate in Derbyshire, or Matlock House when we are in London,” Matlock explained. “Do you want to live here?”
“Oh no, this is not a friendly house!” Anne exclaimed. “Except for Nurse, she is always very nice to me.”
“If Nurse is able to leave Kent, then she will come with us so she can continue to look after you.” Matlock looked at the nursemaid, who he guessed was in her late teen years or very early twenties. He acknowledged her emphatic nod. “It seems that Nurse will come with you.”
“Thank you, Papa,” Anne responded with a smile.
“Miss…?” Matlock enquired.
“Jenkinson, my Lord. Lettie Jenkinson,” the nurse revealed.
“Miss Jenkinson, will you see to the packing for both Anne and you? We will depart for London in a few hours,” Matlock related.
Nurse bobbed a curtsy and led Miss Fitzwilliam to the corner of the nursery where her charge’s overly ornate clothing was kept. She began to fill a trunk with Miss Anne’s belongings.
“Elaine will need to have appropriate clothing for a young girl made,” Holderness opined.
“Did you see how that woman dressed her? They looked like miniature ball gowns that were worn twenty years past. I am positive my Anne will love helping Elaine outfit a young girl.” He paused as he thought of something.
“This is one case when Mrs de Bourgh’s wrongheaded ideas about raising a child have been advantageous. ”
“You have the right of it. In a few more years, my former sister would have begun inculcating Anne with all the nonsense that woman holds as fact. Thank goodness, she had not begun yet. That will help making Anne part of our family so very much easier,” Matlock agreed.
“What now?” Holderness queried.
“We need to assemble the staff and servants and inform them of the change in ownership. As you know, Rosings Park will remain in trust for Richard until he reaches his majority,” Matlock responded.
“I want to make sure that those employed here are of good sense and not pusillanimous bootlickers, the type with which Mrs de Bourgh liked to surround herself. Once that is done, I want to make for the parsonage to thank Mr Collins for his letter and inform him who his new patron is. I will make sure that he knows we hold him in esteem.”
“At least, we will not have to see Mr and Mrs de Bourgh,” Holderness estimated. “I am assuming Leeds, Major Ashton, and his men, are already on their way to the Tower with the newest residents of the gaol there.”
“I believe so,” Matlock stated. “Major Ashton told me it was his intention to get them to their new home as soon as may be. We will see Leeds in London later.”
Both earls understood why Leeds was determined to see the de Bourghs to their new home.