Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Elizabeth stood by the window at Nethercourt House, reading aloud and with great enthusiasm when the butler entered.
“Sir Rupert, madam.”
“No.” Lady Barry scowled. “I do not know why you plague me with his coming, Chambers. I have no intention of receiving him.”
“He has other gentlemen with him,” the butler informed her. “A Dr Klein and a Dr Sturt.”
“I knew that this was coming eventually. I am truly amazed that he did not try it years ago.” Lady Barry shook her head. “Send them away.”
“What is happening, Lady Barry?” Elizabeth asked anxiously.
“They are here to declare me insane so that my nephew can dispute my most recent will and have it declared invalid.” Lady Barry explained. “That is because he assumes there has been a recent change to my will. There has not been. He believes idle gossip.”
“They also have Reverend Stanley with them, madam. Sir Rupert informs you that this is official business, and if you turn him away, he will call the magistrate to gain entrance to the house.” Chambers looked worried.
“Let them send for the magistrate.” Lady Barry instructed. “I would prefer to have Nibsby here. Do not admit them to the house unless Nibsby orders it, Chambers.”
“Very good, madam.” Chambers bowed.
“That is not nearly good enough!” Elizabeth cried. “They cannot have you declared insane just to take control of your fortune! That is unconscionable! Chambers, please send Peter in immediately, before you go back to the door.”
Elizabeth paced the room until Peter came in.
“Peter, you must run and fetch my father. Take Lady Barry’s carriage that brought us here.
It is already prepared. He is at Darcy Cottage visiting Mr Darcy.
They must come at once, it is extremely urgent!
Mr Darcy and his son must come with him!
And Viscount Fitzwilliam and his brother, if they are there! ”
“Calm down, Lizzy-girl. All will be well.” Lady Barry did not stir from her chair.
“No!” Elizabeth said vehemently. “I will not permit them to make an invalid of you. I will call every important man I know. Perhaps I do not know many important men, but I will call them all anyway.”
“I have faith that Nibsby will not fail me. He will argue in my case,” Lady Barry assured her.
“What if it is not enough?” Elizabeth worried. “Why is Reverend Stanley here? Would he not argue in your favour?”
“Quite the opposite,” answered Lady Barry.
“He has long held a grudge against me. His living is in my gift, and was given to him by my late husband. I have another living as well. You are aware that the living at Meryton’s church is in my gift as well.
He wished for me to award it to his son some years ago, but I would not do it, for the young man was caught attempting to force himself upon a tenant farmer’s daughter, though nothing was done about it.
You know how the girls are always blamed in these cases.
The girl’s family was driven out of Ramsgate entirely. They had to give up their tenancy.”
“That is outrageous!” Elizabeth exclaimed in indignation.
“Indeed.” Lady Barry was grim. “The young man had to be sent to read the law, for I sent a letter to the bishop, warning him not to ordain him. Then I began attending services at St George’s.
Reverend Stanley has declared that I am mad ever since.
He would love nothing better than to see me punished for declaring him unfit to hold his office after his aggressive defence of his son.
The bishop did not defrock him, but he refused to ordain the young man, and Stanley has never forgiven it. ”
“Should we send for the rector of St George’s as well?” Elizabeth asked in worry.
“I do not think it will be necessary.” Lady Barry sighed. “You ought to go home when the carriage returns with your father, Lizzy-girl. This will not be a pleasant conversation.”
“If you want me to leave you when the wolves are at the door, Lady Barry, you must have me dragged from the house.” Elizabeth would not be moved.
“Very well, very well.” Lady Barry hid a small smile. “You remind me of my Isobel, have I ever told you that?”
“I take that as the highest compliment,” Elizabeth said primly as she sat beside her old friend and folded her hands in her lap.
“Ahem,” Chambers entered the room prepared to announce a large number of gentlemen. “Lord Matlock, Viscount Fitzwilliam, Sir Dudley Nibsby, Sir Rupert Barry, The Honourable Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr Darcy, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Bennet, Reverend Stanley, Dr Klein, and Dr Sturt, madam.”
“Do not make yourselves too comfortable.” Lady Barry’s countenance was severe as the men all entered and bowed. “Except you, Reggie. And you, Darcy.”
“Dr Sturt, you will see that everything she says and everything she does is evidence of madness. She does everything her own way,” Sir Rupert said to one of the doctors.
“She cares nothing for the strictures of society. Notice, sir, that she had more than an hour to prepare for visitors before we were admitted, yet she has provided no refreshments. She did not greet us as a lady ought. She has invited an entire audience for an examination that ought to mortify her and be kept private. And she keeps this interloper of a girl, no relation at all, this chit, at her side as if she belongs there more than her own family.”
“I have nothing to say to you, Rupert, and I will not entertain, nor explain myself to men I did not invite into my home.” Lady Barry thumped her cane.
“Dr Sturt, all of Ramsgate is concerned that Lady Barry intends to throw off her only living family and embrace this undeserving and unrelated female as her heiress. The young woman obviously has an unnatural control over my aunt, whose age and gender make her vulnerable.”
“I beg your pardon, there is nothing vulnerable about Lady Barry at any age, and I have known her since I was a small boy,” Lord Matlock interrupted. “You could more easily manipulate me or my sons, and I hope everyone knows how unlikely that is.”
“And I must add that Ramsgate, as a town, is not concerned specifically about Lady Barry’s will,” added Sir Dudley Nibsby, the magistrate.
“There has certainly been gossip, but that is not at all the same thing. No one in Ramsgate gives a fig who she leaves her fortune to. There has only been idle speculation, which reached London, as gossip does. How Sir Rupert heard of it, I have no idea, but he came running to do something about it quickly enough. That is what is at the root of the matter here. Money. Lady Barry has never displayed the least sign of madness or vulnerability.”
“I cannot agree.” Reverend Stanley rose from his chair. “Lady Barry has been showing signs of insanity for years.”
“No amount of insanity on my part could be the cause of your son attempting to force himself upon a farmer’s young daughter, Stanley,” Lady Barry shot back.
“I would have to be insane to give that man a living, no matter what you believe he had a right to do to the thirteen-year-old girls in your parish.”
“And Lady Barry did not invite us all here,” Mr Bennet observed.
“My daughter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, was here reading to Lady Barry as she does twice every week since we arrived in Ramsgate. My daughter, in fear for our friend, sent a footman for every man she could think of, for Lady Barry’s protection. Well done, Lizzy.”
“Dear me, there are quite a lot of opinions in the room.” Dr Klein coughed. “It is obvious that money is at the bottom of all of this.”
“Money is usually at the root of any accusation of insanity,” Dr Sturt replied, unconcerned.
“No family wants to see their fortune lost when their relations become old and vulnerable to those who would manipulate their affection. We will examine this case thoroughly. But first, we must perform a physical examination of the patient. Lady Barry, I am certain that you would prefer to remove to a private room?”
“You will not touch Lady Barry upon pain of death.” Colonel Fitzwilliam boomed as he put a hand upon his sword menacingly, and moved before her with his brother and his cousin Darcy. “She will not be taken from our sight in your company, not for an instant.”
“It is customary for the patient to undergo a physical examination. We must listen to her heart, evaluate her humours, even bleed her a little,” objected Dr Sturt.
“You will make your determination upon the statements of those present, and your opinion of any answers that Lady Barry condescends to give to your questions,” Darcy spoke with as much authority as his uncle and as much intimidation as his cousin.
“Or we shall bleed you, and thoroughly.” Viscount Fitzwilliam examined his fingernails idly. “I assure you that none of us present will allow a physical examination of the lady in question.”
“It is not surprising that Sir Rupert is concerned about his aunt’s will, with such intimidation as this all about her.” Dr Sturt seemed disgusted and completely prepared to declare Lady Barry insane on the slightest provocation. “No wonder her family is concerned.”
“Rupert has never been my family, and my fortune has never been his right to expect.” Lady Barry thumped her cane.
“It was held in trust for me throughout my marriage. Even my husband was not the master of my fortune, only the income that came from it. Upon his death, that income has reverted to me, but the right to leave it to whom I choose after his death, if we had no living children, has always been mine. It was in my marriage articles.”
“First, allow us to hear the case of Sir Rupert,” said Dr Sturt. “Then, I would like to hear what Reverend Stanley has to say.”
Sir Rupert stood. “My aunt has always been half mad. She loathes people and has never shown a shred of affection for any person except for the strange young woman beside her, who I must assume to be some sort of witch, considering the hold she keeps on my aunt.”