Chapter 59
Chapter Fifty-Nine
“That is my son, Oliver, and his family.”
Darcy was startled, not having heard the duke and Richard come to join him before the painting.
“Oliver married Susannah without my permission, so we did not speak for some time. My wife had this painting done only a month or so before they died. As soon as I saw it, I wrote to Oliver, begging him to forgive my stubbornness, but they had already left England.” The duke laughed without humor.
“This painting is my most prized possession. Along with this one of Eva, my wife.” He indicated a small painting of a middle-aged woman.
Susannah had been Elizabeth’s mother’s name. She had spoken to him of Susannah and Papa Oliver. Oliver was a common enough name, but he had never realized Lady Rowe’s name was Susannah. She must have been Susannah Bennet.
“Your Grace.” Darcy cleared his throat. “Your Grace, what was your granddaughter’s name?”
“Elizabeth.” He beamed like the proud grandfather he would have been.
“And…er. Your son’s wife. Do you know…do you know anything of her family? Her name before marriage?”
“Oh. It has been such a long time. I do not recall. She was from somewhere in the south. Hampshire or Hertfordshire or some such place. Her father was a gentleman but only a minor country squire. I thought her far beneath my heir. My wife told me she was compassionate and intelligent, though. Eva assured me Susannah did not marry Oliver for his money and title. I did not believe it at first, but I do now. Eva told me stories of their love and their happy little family. You can see in this painting how happy they were, do you not agree?”
Darcy turned pleading eyes on Richard, not knowing what he wanted from him but knowing his mind was too jumbled to work properly.
“Indeed, Your Grace.” Richard looked at Darcy, and at the painting, and then back to the duke. “Do you know what happened to your granddaughter, Your Grace?”
He looked confused. “She died in Antwerp with her parents. Did you not find evidence of her death, as well?”
“We did not actually look into the baby, Your Grace. We did hear bits and pieces indicating your son had a baby, but we found no concrete evidence that she went with them to Antwerp.”
“She did not go? But then, where was she?”
“She may have gone. We will have to look into the matter further. This Miss Baudains we told you of spoke of your son and daughter-in-law—”
“But she said she only heard stories of the baby,” Darcy interrupted, eyes frantically searching between the other two men.
“Do you remember, Richard? She said Lady Rowe comforted her with stories of her baby, but she never said she saw the baby or heard her cries. If the baby had been in Antwerp, where was she when her parents went to the opera or the auction? They must have left her behind, perhaps with her mother’s relations. ”
“Are you saying…” The duke’s face went slack, and Richard guided him back to his chair.
“Miss Baudains did say she had paid some men to kill Lord and Lady Rowe and their baby.” Richard glared at Darcy.
“Yes, but Richard. Remember, she had no proof aside from a baby blanket, which we did not see. How is a blanket proof of a death?”
“Darcy, you should sit, as well.”
“But do you not see?”
“I do see, Darcy. And we have no proof. You must calm yourself.” Richard spoke with authority, so Darcy ceased speaking but was anything but calm.
Elizabeth was that missing baby. He was almost sure of it. He understood Richard did not wish to give the duke false hope, but the pieces all fit together. Elizabeth’s parents had died not long before her first birthday, nineteen years ago. Elizabeth would be twenty next month.
“When was your granddaughter’s birthday?”
“Darcy, no—”
“February 27, 1792. I did not celebrate it that first year, but I have every year since. I do not like to think too much of the day my family died, but I always remember them on Elizabeth’s birthday.
Next month would have been her twentieth birthday.
I imagine she would have grown into a fine young woman, like her mother. ”
Darcy nodded, smiling.
Richard shook his head, exasperated.
Then Darcy remembered he had one more item of significance in his pocket and pulled out the miniature.
He held it tightly in his hand. Richard was trying to protect the elderly man from additional heartache, so Darcy took a quick glance at it to confirm it matched the painting on the wall and then put it back in his pocket. He would ask one more question first.
“Your Grace, do you have any records or letters here that could confirm Lady Rowe’s family name and her father’s estate?”
“Let me think…perhaps. Oh, in my wife’s correspondence there should be something. And I have some documents from my son’s solicitor. Aside from a quick perusal when I received them, they have been put away these many years.”
The duke crossed the room and took a book from a shelf.
He brought it back to the table and opened it to reveal a cutaway space holding documents.
Pushing it toward the younger men, he allowed them to seek what they wished to find.
Having others show so much interest in his son cheered him, but it was clear he had not caught on to Darcy’s supposition about Elizabeth.
Richard removed the documents from the book and handed half to Darcy. The duke happily spoke about his wife and son while they searched the papers.
Darcy was not listening, instead thinking about Mr. Bennet’s peculiar insistence that Elizabeth not marry before her twenty-first birthday, despite allowing his daughters to wed earlier.
Mr. Bennet likely knew who his sister had married.
Why would he keep this from Elizabeth? Why make her think she was nothing in society?
Did he not understand the torment Elizabeth had experienced?
Darcy had told Mr. Bennet she thought herself illegitimate, and he had not corrected him or revealed the truth to Elizabeth.
Her uncle had been more cruel than he could have imagined.
Darcy barely restrained a gasp when he found a marriage settlement between Oliver Rowe of Morton Hall in Lancashire and Susannah Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire.
He silently passed the page to Richard, who looked at it and then nodded to him. That felt like permission to tell the duke all, but he was not ready.
“Your Grace, I wonder if I might have a private word with my cousin for a moment. May we speak in the passageway?”
“No need, young men. You may speak here. I must inform my housekeeper we will have two guests tonight. I hope you will stay to dine and remain in my home for at least a night or two?” He stood to go, and Darcy and Richard stood and bowed.
“We would be honored. Thank you, Your Grace.” With Richard’s words, the duke left them alone in his study, closing the door.
“Why did you not tell him, Darcy?”
“Why do you suppose Elizabeth knows nothing of her grandfather?”
Richard considered his question. “Perhaps Mr. Bennet is unaware.”
“I think not. I have a feeling he knows exactly who he has raised all these years. He has protected her better than his own daughters. It would explain why she has her own footman and maid when his four daughters share a maid between them and have no footman to walk with them.”
He was pacing now, more energetic than he had been in days.
“They live in the country, Darcy. It is different in London.”
“She lives with a tradesman in London, though, and her cousins have been raised as the daughters of a gentleman.”
“A wealthy tradesman.”
“Yes, but when Miss Bennet came to London so many times, she did not have a footman or her own maid. Matthew joined us only when Elizabeth was in the party.”
“That may be something.”
“Yes, and what of her education? I have always thought it strange she was given every opportunity to gain accomplishments, more than her cousins and far more than a typical governess receives.”
“Her uncles still could have been preparing her for service, however. This proves nothing.”
Both men were silent for a moment. Darcy stood again in front of the painting of Elizabeth’s family. Elizabeth’s family. How would she react?
“What if…oh, Darcy. I think you may be correct. Mr. Bennet may have known all along.”
Darcy turned to his cousin. “What makes you think so, and why hide it?”
“To protect her.”
“From fortune hunters. That makes sense, but why not tell Elizabeth? Surely, she could be trusted to keep it to herself if it was explained to her. Especially in recent years. She is quite mature for her age. It would have made it easier for her to understand the restriction he placed on her to not marry until she is twenty-one.”
Richard shook his head. “Not only from fortune hunters. Recall what His Grace said about his relationship with his son in the years before he died. They were not on speaking terms. The duke had never even met Lord Rowe’s wife or his daughter, though she was almost a year old.”
“Of course. Mr. Bennet must have known of his sister’s rejection by the duke and wished to protect his niece from a man he thought to be cruel.”
“More than that, Elizabeth’s parents must have arranged for Mr. Bennet to be her legal guardian.
She was left with him when they went to Antwerp.
It makes perfect sense. He not only knew his niece to be the granddaughter of a duke who had rejected Mr. Bennet’s sister, but he could have known her parents were spies. ”
“He did! That is what he meant by the stream. When I showed him the bridge and told him I thought it was intentional, he was distraught, but he thought not of Elizabeth but of his sister. I think he thought his niece in great danger not only from the duke but because her parents were spies.”
“Oh, Darcy. I see why you did not tell him about Elizabeth.”
“It seems we will be here all day tomorrow. Why do we not think more about the situation before we tell him? I would like nothing more than to take him back to London with us and introduce Elizabeth to him, but we must be sure she will be safe.”
Richard nodded firmly just as the duke opened the door with a smile. A footman followed him.
“Would you like to see your rooms and freshen up? You have had a long journey, and I have kept you for some time. You must wish to rest before dinner. Your trunks are being brought in from your carriage now, and your servants are getting settled.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” They followed the footman to their rooms, welcoming the opportunity to think through all they had learned.
“You love Mr. Darcy? And are you sure he loves you, Lizzy? You are certain he has made an honorable offer?”
“Jane!”
“Forgive me. I do not mean to speak ill of Mr. Darcy. I have always respected him. But you must understand how this looks.”
Elizabeth leaned her head against the wall behind her bed.
“I know, Jane. But I believe he really does love me. We have been friends since we met, though I was young, and he was distraught when he learned of Papa Oliver’s standing because he had come to feel more than friendship for me even then.”
“That is why you did not speak for two years? He was fighting his feelings for you?”
“Essentially.” Elizabeth grimaced.
“It is terrible, but Lizzy, do you not also think it romantic?”
“Having my friend go from being kindness itself for more than a year to insulting me and disappearing for a year and then barely acknowledging me for another year? No, I do not find that romantic.”
Jane smiled, and Elizabeth laughed.
“But my uncle will not allow us to marry. I am not even supposed to say we are engaged. I will tell you, though, we definitely are getting married. Only your father does not acknowledge it.”
“I am sorry, Lizzy.”
“Yes, well. Do not tell Miss Bingley or the Hursts. I am sure you will tell Charles, but please impress upon him the need for secrecy. My uncle has threatened to remove me to Longbourn until I am of age if word gets out. Your mother would be difficult to convince, but I think he is serious enough to do it.”
Jane’s brows furrowed, but she did not speak for several minutes.
“What is it, Jane?”
“I cannot understand why my father has refused Mr. Darcy’s suit. He is older and more established than Charles or even Henry Lucas. You are older than Mary. It is looking as though Kitty will soon be engaged, and she is far younger than you. It makes no sense.”
“No, Jane. It does not. All he has said is my mother wished for me to wait until I am of age to marry.” And that she would learn something else about her past next year. Elizabeth shivered. She had dwelt on her past long enough. She was ready to begin her future.