Chapter 3 Plots
The following months passed quickly for Lady Catherine.
She had not realized how much work it would be ensuring the estate was run the way she wanted.
It seemed that every time she turned around, someone was questioning the procedures Lewis had put into place or the new orders she chose to give.
She had to speak with the steward most severely before he understood that her word was now to be taken as law on all matters of importance.
On the flip side, she also discovered the greatly enhanced influence she now had over the lives of not just the staff and tenants of Rosings Park, but also the local merchants and other occupants of Hunsford village, which supported the estate.
So many people now looked to her for guidance - or would, when she had them properly trained.
It was not all power and influence, however.
Sources of vexation still appeared, to her annoyance.
The most frustrating was the announcement of the birth of an unexpected heir four months after Lewis' death.
While Sir Lewis de Bourgh had carefully planned his will and estate matters to give the greatest possible advantage to his widow, he could not leave the baronetcy to his wife or daughter.
He had been able to assure his wife a life-interest in Rosings Park, but the title and a portion of the estate profits fell to a distant cousin in the de Bourgh line.
Lady Catherine had thought the matter was resolved when they received notice that the cousin in question, Clarence de Bourgh, had perished in a riding accident a month before Lewis succumbed to his final illness.
As the last remaining male relative on that side of the family, his death left the way clear for Lady Catherine and her daughter Anne after her to inherit the entire estate.
Just when she thought she had legal matters in hand, though, she received word from her solicitor that Clarence de Bourgh's widow was with child.
That still would not have mattered if the child had been a daughter, but such was not to be.
The male infant, christened Phillip de Bourgh, took on the title and now had the right to a large quarterly allowance from the estate for the remainder of Lady Catherine's lifetime.
Upon her death he would inherit her interest in it and possession of Rosings Park as well.
Anne de Bourgh still had a large dowry that had been set aside by her father when she was born, but she could not inherit the estate unless something happened to Sir Phillip before he produced a legitimate heir of his own.
Instead of being sole mistress of her new domain, Lady Catherine was now merely a wealthy tenant in charge of matters.
"It is not to be borne," echoed frequently in the sitting room in the weeks after the child's birth.
Lady Catherine's upset over not being invited to the Bennet girl's christening was nothing to her outrage at losing absolute control over Rosings Park.
She fumed and fretted over the lack of consideration the child had shown in being born male and the upstart pretensions of the child's mother, who dared produce offspring after her husband's death to claim what was rightfully Lady Catherine's property.
Murder was not an option, of course, although privately Lady Catherine could hope for one of the many illnesses prone to affect young children to remove the problem for her.
Not that she would ever express such a thought out loud.
Certainly not! However, as she considered the matter more calmly, it did not seem all that unlikely an outcome.
She could watch and wait. Patience was one of her many virtues.
The widow Marcella de Bourgh's suggestion that she and her son be allowed to live at Rosings Park was out of the question.
Once that woman got a foothold at the estate, Lady Catherine would never be rid of her.
Worse yet, she and the child would be a constant reminder of the vexing way matters stood.
And should anything happen to the child under her roof, there might be questions asked that Lady Catherine preferred not to answer.
Still, it would not do to let them stray too far from her control either.
After some thought, Lady Catherine allowed them to move into the dower house, which sat in a far corner of the estate.
While nothing to the main house, it was an adequate home in which to place a distant relative of her husband.
She would provide them with their household staff, although the pay would be deducted from Sir Phillip's allowance.
With a staff of Lady Catherine's choosing, anything Marcella de Bourgh did or said would be reported on and kept as ammunition to threaten her with later.
To maintain her own reputation and sink that of the other woman, Lady Catherine spread the word among her contacts in the Ton of her magnanimous offer of a good home.
Sprinkled in the messages and occasional conversations she had with visitors were vague comments implying her doubt that Sir Phillip was actually Clarence de Bourgh's son.
Just the odd word here and there would do the trick.
Even if she could not have him declared illegitimate, making people think he might be could serve Lady Catherine well if she was sneaky enough that the initial rumors could not be traced back to her.
Despite the various issues and frustrations with the estate, Lady Catherine still found time to send an investigator to investigate the situation of Bennet's heir presumptive. She found Mr. Hayward's resulting report on the subject most satisfactory.
"As you said, Lady Catherine, the heir presumptive to Longbourn is a relative named Collins.
Mr. Josiah Collins is a second cousin to Mr. Thomas Bennet.
His paternal grandfather and that of Mr. Bennet were brothers.
The younger brother changed his name from Bennet to Collins as part of a marriage settlement.
It allowed him to inherit his wife's family property, although the amount he inherited was rather smaller in the end than truly justified such a step. "
"How is the current Mr. Collins situated financially?" Lady Catherine asked.
"Not well. His father was a poor manager, it seems, and he is an even poorer one.
He married a woman with enough of a dowry that a smarter man could have rebuilt the family fortunes.
Instead, he has frittered the funds away with one losing investment after another, all the while blaming everyone but himself for his failures. "
"Is he destitute?"
The sandy haired man adjusted his spectacles and looked at her carefully before answering.
"He likes to think he is. Again, however, a smarter man would not consider himself that way.
A portion of his wife's dowry is set aside in trust, but he receives regular interest payments from it.
He inherited the house in which they live.
While not a palace, it is a solid house in a decent village and is in reasonably good repair.
The house is entailed to his son, so he has not been able to mortgage or sell it.
This is a source of frustration for him, but it has, in actuality, prevented his family from becoming homeless. "
"So, whatever he has, he always wants more?" Lady Catherine clarified.
"Indeed, your Ladyship," Mr. Hayward answered, shifting slightly on the edge of the spindle-legged chair he always had to occupy on such visits. "That is part of what prompts him to continually waste his funds on projects that promise great returns but have little chance of success."
Lady Catherine smiled. She could work with that character flaw. "What other traits does he possess? You have said he is not smart. Does he know that about himself and compensate in other areas of his life?"
"In my opinion, your Ladyship, he is a very unpleasant sort of man.
Mr. Collins considers himself quite clever and derides the foolishness of anyone who thinks otherwise.
He is also a bully, far quicker to use his fists than to use what wit he possesses.
His neighbors avoid him and I suspect his wife and son would prefer to do so as well. "
"He beats them?" Lady Catherine did not express surprise, merely curiosity.
"That is what the neighbors think. The house is attached and the neighbors on either side have heard him in terrible rages, and have also heard his wife cry out in pain.
After such incidents, she will often wear a veil if she must go out.
The boy is only five years of age, yet he is, already, a cringing, whining creature.
I saw him when the mother took him out for a walk.
I must say, I have seen children in London's slums with a more pleasant aspect than young William Collins. "
Lady Catherine did not respond right away.
She sat, lost in thought, her expression impassive, tapping one carefully manicured nail against the gilded arm of her favorite chair.
In his own, less comfortable seat, Mr. Hayward did his best to avoid fidgeting.
He knew from experience that his employer would want no interruptions until she was ready to speak.
For a time, the only sounds in the room were the ticking of an ormolu clock on a stand and the regular click of the tapping fingernail.
Mr. Hayward began to get a cramp in one leg from the strain of trying not to move or disturb her.
Just as he thought that he simply must ease the muscle, her eyes focused on him again and she spoke.
"You did not mention my name as you performed your investigation, did you?" she asked.
Surreptitiously stretching his leg, Mr. Hayward replied, "Of course, not, your Ladyship. You did ask me to be discreet."