Chapter 11
A heavy silence fell over them, with not even a breath disturbing it. The parties looked at each other, puzzled, doubtful and dumbfounded. Then the voices burst out again.
“She is the mistress of all? This country nobody? This cannot be! You are either ignorant fools or you are hostile and have concocted some scheme to rob me of what is rightfully mine!”
“Lady Augusta, we understand the grief and shock has affected you, so we will not take offence from your words,” Mr. Reeves said with cold politeness. “I assure you there is no mistake. Your son’s wife is the mistress.”
As all eyes turned to her, Elizabeth sat down on a chair, dizzy and doubtful regarding the disclosure. Just like Lady Augusta, she believed it must be an error that would be soon remedied.
“But this cannot be! It is not possible! This is a mistake! A deception!” Lady Augusta shouted.
“I kindly ask your ladyship not to accuse any of us of fraud and deception!” Mr. Finch said. “If needed, we may take this matter to the court at any time.”
“Let us calm ourselves,” St. Claire quickly interjected.
“We wish to keep these things private. Exposing the details of the affair to public censure and rumours would certainly be of no use to anyone. Are you absolutely certain of your conclusion, gentlemen? Lady Augusta must inherit something and so must the rest of us who are related to Barrington. Perhaps a more careful examination of the documents would be advised?”
“We assure you we have studied the documents thoroughly over the last two days and nights. Of course, everything that you owned before your son’s marriage remains your property. We are only talking about the settlements regarding Lord and Lady Sedgewick.”
Lady Augusta was far from calm.
“Nevertheless, this cannot be! Surely we must inherit something! All those who are related to the Sedgewicks?!”
Mr. Reeves answered.
“There are specific mentions for each distant relative. But most of Lord Barrington’s assets will be under Lady Barrington’s supervision.
Everything that came from the Sedgewick fortune still falls under the same requirements.
Nothing has changed, except that now Lady Barrington is in charge of everything. ”
“Indeed, there is nothing left unclear,” Mr. Thorn added. “Lord Barrington required that he and Lady Barrington signed documents that covered the situation of each unexpected death. Everything was done at his request, Lady Barrington signed the documents just as the earl requested!”
“But why would he have done that? Why?” Lady Augusta screamed, with equal pain and anger.
“Because he expected to be a widower soon, madam! All the documents were made for the duration of my life, as you may see. His plan was that I would survive until the birth of a child, no longer. He told me directly that I was more useful to him dead than alive!” Eizabeth declared coldly, with a calmness that dismayed the others.
Gasps of disbelief and horror answered her statement.
“What do you imply? Are you accusing my son?”
“I am telling you what I was told by Lord Barrington himself. And I suspect Mr. Lambert and Mr. St. Claire were aware of such plans too.”
“What? Excuse me? I have never...” Mr. St. Claire intervened.
Elizabeth answered him with a sharp glare.
“Sir, do not ignore the fact that Lord Barrington was often in a state of mind—induced by drink and opium—that led him to speak with no restraint. You certainly know what I refer to, as you and he often shared the same pleasures. Do not take me for a fool!”
“Lady Barrington, this is outrageous! To come here and make such accusations...” Mr. Lambert said.
“I believe such arguments are unnecessary,” Darcy interjected with concealed anger. “The state in which we found Lady Barrington and her maid were enough proof of what this house had been hiding. If you know yourself to be guilty, you had better remain silent, Lambert.”
“And what about you, Darcy? Why are you here? As far as I know you are not related to the family! You came here with no right and caused the tragedy that took Lord Barrington’s life! And here you are again, speaking of matters that are not your concern!”
Darcy’s eyes narrowed in fury.
“Lambert, your impertinence shall not excuse your actions.
I shall repeat one more time what I said two days ago, when we came to rescue Lady Barrington and likely saved her life.
My assistance was requested by both the Bennet and the Gardiner families.
My friend, Mr. Bingley, is married to Lady Barrington's sister and begged for my help. You should be relieved that I am only a friend, no more. Had Lady Barrington been part of my family, neither of you would have escaped punishment! I would have had my revenge over everyone who was part of this conspiracy of evilness, woman or man, young or old.”
“It would have been impossible to be more closely related to you, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth replied sternly.
“I have eventually discovered why Lord Barrington wished to marry me—a woman he barely knew, from a family with no connections and of no consequence. Precisely because of this! He chose someone that could not oppose his plans. Or so he believed. He expected that I was worth too little for someone to be concerned about my fate, and my family was too weak to confront him. It is well known that an earl would never be prosecuted, as terrible as the charges might be. And he likely expected me to be weak, too, either to surrender to his will or to become part of his schemes. His only purpose was to gain control of Lady Sedgewick’s fortune and to waste it on his own pleasures. ”
“How dare you? My son gave you everything! He saved your family from misery! He gave them more than they ever had!”
“Only because it served his purpose, Lady Augusta! He gave away very little compared with what he gained, or hoped to! Do not expect me to be grateful for a plan of which I knew nothing and hardly accepted! You, on the other hand, all of you, were part of it!”
“How dare you?” Lady Barrington cried again. “You have no right.”
“I have every right, madam! If the trustees and solicitors are certain of their conclusion, we must search for everything that rightfully belongs to me and take it now! I have no intention of ever returning to this nightmare house!”
“We are certain, Lady Barrington,” Mr. Reeves declared. “Every arrangement was made in three papers—one for each party involved. The only document we do not possess is the settlement offered to you by Lord Barrington, as that was not our concern.”
“I have that one,” Mr. Gardiner said.
“Very well, then,” Elizabeth added, her strength and her spirit rising with every moment. “In the presence of these gentlemen, I wish to take back all the jewels given to me by Lady Sedgewick.”
“Indeed, this must be done now. They were offered under strict requirements that have not yet been fulfilled,” Mr. Thorn approved.
“You may also take the jewels offered to you by Lord Barrington,” Mr. Gardiner added. “Those are mentioned in your settlement.”
“No, uncle! From the settlement, I only wish to be certain that the part involving my family will be rightfully executed. Including my pin money, which might be put to good use. Lady Augusta may keep the jewels that belonged to her family, even if they were offered to me. I shall take no object that Lord Barrington gave me—most unwillingly, I am sure. But I must find the ring that Lady Sedgewick gave me on the day she passed away. That ring is more valuable than anything.”
As Elizabeth spoke, her family and friends stared at her in disbelief.
To Jane and Mr. Gardiner, this young lady, whose power and determination had overcome the most dreadful suffering, was completely different from the witty and lively Lizzy they had known and adored.
Bingley only kept hold of his wife’s hand, in an attempt to comfort her.
“That is very reasonable of you, Lady Barrington,” Mr. Finch, the executor, said.
“No, it is not! She cannot take anything from here!” Lady Augusta cried.
“In fact, she can take anything she pleases, madam,” Mr. Reeves countered.
“According to the papers signed by your son, aside from inheriting everything that was passed down from Lady Sedgewick, Lady Barrington also inherits the Barrington private fortune and properties and has jurisdiction over this estate, the London townhouse and any other assets attached to the earldom until it is clear whether a child has resulted from this marriage. She cannot sell any of the properties without our consent but she may decide upon the use of all of them.”
“So what are you saying? I have nothing left? She is the mistress of all?” Lady Augusta whined.
“Indeed she is, madam,” Mr. Thorn confirmed.
The lady stared at them, dumbfounded, her face completely white. Mr. Lambert and Mr. St. Claire helped her sit on a chair.
“Are you absolutely certain?” St. Claire enquired.
“There is no doubt left. Of course, you may seek advice from your own solicitors—Lady Augusta must have the same papers we possess. You may also take this matter to court, as I mentioned. It is understandable that you wish to take every precaution. At least with regard to Lady Sedgewick’s will, Mr. Reeves and I, as well as Mr. Finch and Mr. Hoskins have no doubts and are responsible for executing it properly. ”
“We will seek legal advice, of course, Mr. Thorn,” St. Claire said. “But how will you proceed until then?”
“If Lady Barrington agrees, we will search for the objects belonging to Lady Sedgewick. We have a full list in our possession. These must be taken and placed in Lady Barrington’s care. She will be responsible for each of them.”
“Very well. I will join you, gentlemen,” Elizabeth said. “I will not touch anything without your presence, as I wish to avoid any further accusation of taking what is not mine.”
“Very well, your ladyship,” Mr. Thorn said.
Darcy stepped forward and addressed the trustees, the executor and the solicitor.
“I would suggest some of you gentlemen accompany Lady Barrington and the rest of us remain here. I believe that would be a fair approach.”
The others needed a few moments to understand his meaning.
“What are you implying? That we should be supervised? And how dare you give orders in this house?” St. Claire responded angrily.
“I am not giving orders. It was a mere suggestion, which Lady Barrington and the legal representatives may accept or reject. And, considering my past knowledge of you and recent events, forgive me for distrusting you, St. Claire,” Darcy said mockingly.
“You should step aside, Darcy! You have no business here and your suggestions are doing no good. I demand you remain silent!” St. Claire replied angrily.
“And why would you dare demand anything from me, St. Claire? If you wish to settle the matter between gentlemen, I will gladly oblige.”
“Gentlemen, please!” Mr. Reeves intervened, stepping between the two. “Let us avoid any more drama. Mr. Darcy has an excellent point. It would be useless for us to all walk together. Mr. Finch and I will go with Lady Barrington. One of you should join us, of course.”
“My solicitor, Mr. Wood, will go with you,” Lady Augusta said, indicating the gentleman next to her, who had been silent so far.
“Lizzy, do you want me to come with you?” Mr. Gardiner asked.
‘Yes, Uncle, thank you.”
“Mr. Darcy, perhaps you should join us too? We should avoid any further conflict,” Mr. Reeves suggested. The tension between Darcy and the Barrington party was palpable and a fight was expected to burst out at any moment.
Darcy glanced at Elizabeth and she nodded barely noticeably.
“You may go, Darcy. I will stay with the ladies,” Bingley said.
“Come, let us finish this task. I would also like to speak to the staff,” Elizabeth said.
Her new request stunned Lady Augusta.
“To the staff? Why on earth would you do that? Have you completely lost your mind?”
“Lady Augusta, despite having the right to preside over the Barrington properties for the time being, I am ready to allow you the free use of this house, as well as the one in London. But only after I speak to the staff.”
Without any further discussion, she rang. The housekeeper came, looking around at the strange crowd.
“Mrs. Lewis, please gather the staff. I wish to talk to them. I understand you are confused and reluctant and I have noticed your glances towards Lady Augusta. I assure you I have the right to do so—these gentlemen of the law can reassure you. I shall meet them all in here soon.”
She then walked out of the room and up the stairs, with the men following her. She could hear the rumours, cries and more arguments from downstairs, but she ignored them. With every passing moment, her duty and her purpose became more clear.
However, the moment she approached the master suite, her steps became slower and weaker. In front of the door, she remained still. Confused by her pause, Mr. Gardiner pushed the door open and the men entered, waiting. Elizabeth remained unmoved, her knees unable to support her.
There, in that apartment, just a few weeks ago, she had finally understood the full horror of her situation.