Chapter 25
On the third day of travel, the convoy of coaches arrived at the entrance to Kiveton Park. The plan was to remain at the former ducal seat through the Sabbath and depart for Hornby Castle on Monday morning.
At the final rest stop before reaching the estate, Jane, Charlotte, and Lilly had moved to one of the other conveyances to allow Ladies Amelia and Bethany to be alone when they reached the estate.
They had volunteered to move on their own accord assuming that the return to this estate would stir up feelings for Lady Amelia she would prefer to share with only her daughter.
Bethany did not miss the emotions on her mother’s face when their carriage passed the gate posts and entered the estate’s expansive park.
As Mother had told her, the previous time she had slept a night in this house was when her Francis had been with her.
Bethany was able to understand why mother reacted as she did when reaching Kiveton Park due to the fact that it was this place that she had been kidnapped from as a babe and it was where Mother used to live with her beloved Francis.
As they neared the manor house, Amelia pointed to a stand of trees to the left of the coach.
“That is where it happened,” Lady Amelia said quietly.
“My heart almost broke when we found your empty perambulator. There was nothing we could do for the nursemaid who had conspired with the criminal, but Tom was beginning to regain his senses when we reached him. Based on the portion of the note Fanny discovered when she found you, I believe that had Tom not mortally wounded the criminal, he would have…” She could not say the words.
“Mamma has said the same, that the miscreant’s death spared my life,” Bethany responded.
“Mother, that is not what happened, and although we were parted for many years, and I was robbed of the ability to know Father, we cannot live in the past. It is time to make new and good memories here. I like to say that we should always learn from the past, but only remember the past as those remembrances give us pleasure.”
“You are wise for one so young,” Lady Amelia declared as she wiped the forming tears from her eyes with her silk square.
“Mother, I know that my late father planned to demolish the house here. Would you be angry with me if I do not do that?”[14] Bethany asked.
“Of course, I would not, Bethie. Firstly, the decision is yours in concert with your trustees; and secondly, the reason that Francis wanted the house torn down was because this is where we lost you. He wanted to make sure we never resided here again. He was going to have the work done in 1800, but when he passed away, the plans were deferred indefinitely. As you have been found, his reasoning is no longer valid. I am sure the staff and servants who remain here will be beyond joyful to see you alive, hale, and healthy.”
“I see many places to ramble and ride around the park,” Bethany noted. “I assume there is much more to see of the whole of the estate when we ride?”
“Indeed, there is. Do not forget, Bethie, that for this visit, we will only remain here on the morrow and the Sabbath. We will remove to Hornby Castle early on Monday morning.”
“No, Mother, I did not forget that. I am sure that when we come back to this estate there will be ample opportunities to explore.”
They both felt the coach slow to a crawl indicating they had arrived at the house.
Bethany could see the large structure on her side of the coach.
Lined up were staff and servants. There were many more than Bethany expected to see for a manor house which had not been used by the family for many years.
Amelia saw the direction of Bethie’s eyes.
“Most of those who used to be employed here took positions at Hornby Castle, leaving, as I assume you expected to see, a small group to look after the house. However, as soon as I knew we were to come here first, I sent a courier to the castle and gave permission for any who were employed here when you were stolen to return here to welcome you back.”
Although Bethany did not enjoy being made a fuss of, she said nothing because she understood the worry everyone present at the time of her abduction had suffered.
A little discomfort because of the attention was a small price to pay for the joy to be felt by those who had believed they would never see her again.
As soon as they were no longer moving, Johns extracted the step and opened the door and stood back. Tom stepped forward and assisted the dowager duchess to alight. By that time, James had reached the coach and handed out his sister.
“Your Grace,” James said cheekily while assisting Bethie. He still called her Lizzy when they were alone but knew which name to use when in a public setting such as now.
Bethany arched her eyebrow at her brother and froze when a cheer went up from the assembled staff and servants.
As soon as those in the three lines of servants saw the younger copy of Lady Amelia, they could sense that their prayers had been answered, and Lady Bethany was before them.
Being told of her discovery was one thing.
Seeing her for themselves was something else altogether.
The proof of her living and standing before them had led to the break with protocol and the spontaneous cheering.
“I told you they would be pleased to see you,” Lady Amelia said in sotto voce next to her daughter’s ear. “Your return has lifted the veil of sadness which descended on this house the day you were stolen.”
As soon as Bethany lifted a hand, silence descended over the servants.
“You have my heartfelt thanks for the extremely warm and sincere welcome,” she addressed the now quiet group.
“I pray from now on there will be only happy events to remember connected to this estate. We will only be here for two days this time, but I hope to meet as many of you as possible before we depart.” She nodded to the senior staff who released the servants.
As a group, the servants were gratified that the young duchess had not censured them for cheering and seemed to be a very pleasant young woman.
The butler and housekeeper, Mr and Mrs Buxton, formerly served at Kiveton Park but they had moved to Hornby Castle when the late duke had moved his seat to that estate. Lady Amelia introduced them to her daughter. Lady Bethany proceeded to make her Bennet family known to the senior staff.
“Your Grace, we have chambers prepared for everyone. Your mother informed us by epistle how many guests would be with you,” Mrs Buxton reported. “It is our honour to serve those who saved Her Grace.”
Bethany inclined her head as the housekeeper bobbed a curtsy; then, she and the rest began to follow Mrs Buxton to their chambers.
Per Mother’s instructions, except for the Darcys and Fitzwilliams, everyone else was assigned suites on the family floor.
The exceptions were Giana, who was to share a suite with Kitty, and Anne Fitzwilliam would be in a suite with Charlotte.
However, due to the budding romances between Andrew and Jane, and Richard and Charlotte, there would be no question of propriety being observed.
Per prior agreement, Bethany met Mother in the entrance hall an hour later after washing and changing. One of the footmen had retrieved the perambulator from the attics, and the small carriage stood near the front doors.
“Is that the one I was being pushed in before I was taken from you?” Bethany enquired.
“It is. Until I saw you when I arrived at Longbourn that day, the last time my eyes beheld you was right here. You were sitting up in the perambulator waving your arms about frantically thanks to your excitement to be going outside,” Lady Amelia replied.
Bethany stood next to the perambulator and felt the padded softness of the interior.
She turned to Mother, and they linked arms and exited the front doors.
John, Brian, and Tom were waiting for them in the drive.
She nodded to Tom. The footman turned and began to walk across the park towards the stand of oaks.
As soon as mother and daughter followed the footman, Biggs and Johns fell in behind the two duchesses.
There was no conversation until they reached the line of oaks. They followed Tom around the side of the stand until they were behind the trees making them almost invisible to those in the manor house.
Tom stood a little past the first tree in the stand.
“This be where ‘e ‘id. Soon as ‘e seen me, ‘e coshed me. When I gained some sense, I seed ‘im takin’ you, Yir Grace. When ‘e was not near you, I shot.” He did not mention the body of the criminal’s co-conspirator lying on the grass between him and the man he had shot.
“As my mother has told you, that shot helped make sure I would be safe,” Bethany stated firmly.
“Had you not hit the abductor with the ball from your pistol, I doubt I would have still been in the mortal world for my Bennet mamma to find me. If she had not heard my crying, she would not have discovered me.” Bethany walked to the spot where she was told the empty perambulator was discovered.
Her life had irrevocably changed in this place, but unlike it had for her late father, to her the estate and house did not remind her of anything negative.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the final Friday in July, the purchaser of 100 Edward Street had deposited the sum agreed upon for the sale into the Younges’ bank account, and the new owner was in possession of his deed.
As had been decided, the three—the Younge twins and Wickham—caught a post carriage headed north soon after the last of what needed to be done had been finalized.
Two days previously, a rented cart had departed with trunks and some items of furniture the Younges had not included in the sale of their house.
The post coach they departed on had only a single seat available inside. As much as he wanted it for himself, Wickham had to act the gallant and allow Karen to have it.