by Zoë Burton
“Lady Catherine De Bourgh.”
The infuriated lady stormed into the bookroom, and Hill quietly shut the door behind her, breathing a huge sigh of relief before heading off to the kitchen to check on the cook. If she were blessed, she would not have to deal with the lady when she left.
Inside the bookroom, Mr Bennet had risen to his feet when his guest entered. He was not terribly surprised to see her here; after all, Darcy had warned him she might try something. He knew before she spoke what she was about and what his response would be. He hoped, though, to find some amusement in the lady’s visit. It was not often he tangled with a peer of the realm.
“Lady Catherine, it is an honor,” he stated as he bowed in greeting. “Please, do be seated.” He gestured to the chairs situated in front of his desk.
“I will stand. My business with you will not take so long that I need to sit. You must know why I am here, Mr Bennet.”
As his visitor stood rigidly just inside his bookroom, Mr Bennet smiled a little as he replied to her first sally, “You do not mind if I do, I am certain.”
He took his time lowering himself into his chair, then clasped his hands together on top of the desk. “Can I get you some tea before we start?” Not giving her time to answer, he continued, “No? Well, then, yes, Lady Catherine, I am very aware of your reasons for gracing my home with your presence. My future son-in-law warned me when he asked permission to court my daughter that you would likely make such a visit.”
“I am prepared to offer you ten thousand pounds to break off the understanding between your daughter and my nephew.”
“Ten thousand pounds?” He drew the words out as though he were actually considering them. Finally, he shook his head, “No, I will not destroy my own daughter’s happiness for any amount of money.”
His adversary was enraged by this response. “His mother and I formed an engagement for our children when they were infants. I will not have that engagement thrown away as though it were meaningless. I will give you fifteen thousand pounds. That is my last offer. I know that this insignificant estate of yours is entailed upon my rector. With this money, you could buy a house for your widow to live in upon your death.”
“Madam, I repeat, I will not break Elizabeth’s engagement to Mr Darcy, nor will I insist she do so. I will not revoke my consent in any manner. My widow, should she actually outlive me, will be well-enough taken care of, not that it is any concern of yours.”
“You defy me then? You refuse to listen to reason? I see now where your trollop of a daughter learned her arts. You will regret this, Mr Bennet! I will see to it! And so will all your family!”
Lady Catherine was angrier than she had ever been. Mr Bennet had begun to fear she might suffer an attack of apoplexy, or something similar. However, when she began insulting his Lizzy, he reacted swiftly and strongly. His amusement was at an end.
“Lady Catherine. I have heard enough. You will not insult my daughter further. If you were a man, I would call you out! I say for the final time I will not, under any circumstances or for any reason destroy my daughter’s happiness by forcing her to break her engagement. You may be assured, madam, that before this day is over, Mr Darcy will have been made aware of your presence in this house, your offer, and your slander of his betrothed. You will now leave my home with all due haste. You are no longer welcome at Longbourn; do not darken my doorstep again.”
Mr Bennet pointed to the door, face red and scowling, body held stiffly. In truth, he was fighting the urge to physically throw her out himself. It was only his lifetime of behaving as a gentleman that prevented him.
As if sensing he was needed, Mr Hill, the housekeeper’s husband and Longbourn’s butler, opened the door and stepped in.
“Mr Hill, good, good! Escort this…person…out of the house immediately. She is never to be granted entrance again, am I clear?”
“Yes, sir.” He nodded, then turned to Lady Catherine, who had begun sputtering, and held his arm out towards the hallway. “After you, madam.”
“You have not heard the last of me!” She angrily strode through the door, exclaiming loudly all the way to her coach. Mr Bennet caught part of it, “I have never been thus treated in all my life!” He chuckled. Perhaps not, but once her nephew read his report of this incident, he was sure she would be treated far worse.
The first thing he wanted to do now was write an express to Darcy, describing his aunt’s visit. The man needed to know what his aunt had done, and since he was not expected in Hertfordshire for at least another fortnight, Bennet thought it had best be done right away. Not normally one to be prompt in doing anything, Lizzy’s protection was worth the extra effort. He wrote quickly, giving basic details and promising a more detailed letter to follow. Ringing for Hill, he gave her the letter and instructed her to immediately find an express rider to take it to Darcy House in London. He hoped it would reach its destination before Lady Catherine did.
Finishing that, he walked out in the garden, hoping the exercise would help to dissipate some of the residual anger he was feeling. He needed to think clearly in order to decide what, if anything to tell his family about the visit. Thankfully, Mrs Bennet had taken Mary, Kitty, and Lydia to visit her sister. She would only know what he told her. If he were able to stress to the servants to keep quiet about it, he’d not share any of it with her.
As he paced, hands clasped behind his back, up and down the paths, past beds of lavender, roses, and all manner of other flowers, he began to calm. He knew that he could not count on the servants to remain quiet. He could, however, stress to them the importance of not upsetting the mistress. Everyone in the household knew how upset Mrs Bennet could get, and the uproar such a thing caused. He was fairly certain he could convince them to at least evade her questions should one of them slip up and tell her. He nodded at this decision, heading back into the house to ask Hill to gather the servants into the kitchen.
By the time Lady Catherine arrived from Longbourn to her brother’s home in London, she had worked herself up into an impressive state of agitation. An average person would have been left exhausted after experiencing such an excess of emotion over such a long period of time as fifteen hours. Lady Catherine, however, was not an average person, not in her own mind and in truth, not in the mind of anyone who knew her. When she arrived at Lord Matlock’s door, such was her anger that she ignored all proper behaviour, opening his door without knocking, showing herself to his study, and knocking out of the way any servant trying to do his job.
Throwing the door open so hard it banged against the wall and flew back at her, she strode into the room, only to be brought up short before she could utter a single word to her brother. He was not there.
“What is the meaning of this? Where is Lord Matlock? Why did you not tell me he was not in his study?” She berated the hapless butler, Winslow, completely ignoring the fact that she had not given him a chance to inform her of her brother’s whereabouts.
“I apologize madam,” he bowed before continuing. “The family is at dinner. This way, please.”
Winslow turned away and began walking towards the dining room. Outwardly he was stoic, as was expected of a man in his position. Inwardly, he was seething. Pretentious, arrogant, stupid woman, he thought. Such were his ponderings that he arrived at his destination without having heard Lady Catherine and her continuous comments and complaints behind him.
Having walked quickly in his anger and therefore arriving at the room before the lady, he opened the doors, stepped just inside, and announced her in his most somber tone before bowing and exiting. The earl and the countess looked up in surprise. They could tell from Winslow’s voice that he was unhappy. That it was Lord Matlock’s sister caused no amazement; she frequently caused distress in those lower in consequence than she. Quickly, he rose from his seat as she entered the room.
“Henry, you must do something about Darcy! This cannot be allowed to go on! I demand you go to his house right now and put a stop to this ridicul
ous engagement! What are you doing?” she asked as she watched him sit back down. “Go now! This must be dealt with immediately!”
“Catherine. I am eating dinner—a very late dinner. I am hungry. Nothing going on with Darcy or Anne or any of my children is dire enough that I need to interrupt a meal to deal with it. Sit and eat, and afterwards we can discuss your concerns.” Lord Matlock was not at all happy to have such a pleasant meal interrupted by his harridan of a sister, and his tone of voice gave her notice that her concerns would wait until he was at leisure to consider them.
As independent and vociferous as she was, Lady Catherine was a product of her society. Ladies were subject to their male relations, in general, and her brother had been earl long enough to have gotten used to being master of his domain. She knew him well enough to know that he would refuse to hear her concerns until he was ready to do so and all the pushing, prodding, and loudly demanding she could do would be for naught. So, the great lady sat down and ate.
After the meal, the group retired to the drawing room to discuss Lady Catherine’s concerns. After her enforced period of relative silence during the meal, much of her violent anger had dissipated, but she was still determined to have her way. Lord Matlock, knowing that his sister required a firm hand, decided to make her wait a few minutes longer before taking on the issue of Darcy and his engagement. The express he had received from his second son the day before was somewhat reassuring. The young lady to whom Darcy was attached was at least a gentlewoman, and while it would have been preferable for him to marry someone with an excellent dowry, he certainly did not require one. Darcy had more money than he himself did, and a talent for earning more. A wife with no dowry would not be a hardship. However, Matlock knew that his sister’s concern was less with this Miss Bennet’s dowry and more with her own daughter, Anne. As he listened to his wife play the pianoforte, he contemplated his course of action. He believed it was wiser to let Catherine vent her spleen first. Once she had exhausted her arguments, they could be addressed one by one. He would not, however, dismiss Miss Bennet on the basis of his sister’s opinion alone, which is what she was going to demand of him. As Lady Matlock finished her song and moved to re-join them, he sighed to himself and turned to his sibling.
“Well then, Catherine, tell me what it is that has you so upset today.”
“Darcy, of course! Were you not listening, earlier?” Lady Catherine may be required to be respectful of her brother and his station, but that did not mean she must do it meekly.
“Indeed, Sister. I do recall you interrupting a relaxing meal with my lovely spouse with some nonsense about our nephew.” His tone turned hard. “Do not play games. Explain yourself and your behaviour. I do not appreciate my butler being treated in so infamous a manner as you did today. Servant he may be, but he has been well-trained and does his job in an exceptional manner. Now, tell me about Darcy and what he has done that has upset you so.”
Lady Catherine swallowed. She had obviously pushed too hard, too soon. However, this was important—too important to be dealt with lightly. In a calmer tone, she began again.
“Darcy informed me yesterday morning that he has engaged himself to a woman of inferior birth with no dowry and poor connections. She is a fortune hunter! My rector is cousin of some sort or other to her, and the rest of her relatives are in trade. Trade!” Lady Catherine was beginning to get worked up all over again. “She has seduced him with her arts and allurements, and made him forget what he owes to his family, what he owes to my daughter! He has been engaged to Anne since she was in her cradle, and he knows this! I remind him of it every year when he visits, and in every letter. What is he thinking?”
Lord Matlock allowed his sister to go on in this vein for a few more minutes before an expressive look from his wife gave him to understand that her patience was at an end and he should do something about his sibling.
“Enough!” he spoke sharply. “Stop at once this insistence that Darcy and Anne were meant for each other. You know very well that our sister never said any such thing. That is a fabrication that you came up with after her death, for reasons unknown to any but yourself.” He raised his hand to stop Lady Catherine when she tried to interrupt. “Catherine, you have always been known in the family for creating stories and swearing they were true so you could have your way. It did not work with Father and Mother, it did not work with Sir Lewis. Why you would think it would work with me is beyond my comprehension.
“I have heard from Richard; he sent me an express yesterday describing Miss Bennet to me and exclaiming over the love he sees in his cousin for this young lady. You know as well as I that Darcy does nothing, makes no decision, without careful consideration. His attachment to this Bennet girl is not the result of an impulse. I might believe that of Richard, but not Darcy. I intend to ask for an introduction for Audra,” he nodded to his wife, “and I to the lady. We will speak with her as well as our nephew and make our decision from there as to our support or lack thereof. Though,” he added, looking to his boots, “really, if he is firm in his decision there is little we can do but support them. It would not do for Society to discern a rift in the family.
“That being said,” he stated, looking his sister directly in the eyes, “you will not cause either of them trouble. You will be polite in public to both of them. Welcoming, even. You will not speak of this fantasy of an engagement with Anne to anyone. Not to your closest friends, not to family, and definitely not to Darcy or Miss Bennet. Am I clear?”
Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. “And you are not, under any circumstances to visit the young lady’s family home and cause trouble there.” When his sister startled and began to turn red, he knew it was too late for that warning. “What have you done?” he roared.
“I did what any concerned mother of a jilted daughter would do. I went to that insignificant estate she grew up on, and asked her father to force her to give Darcy up.”
“And?” Lord Matlock prompted, knowing there was going to be more to the story, and that he was not going to be made happy by the revelation.
“And the man refused to listen to reason. He refused fifteen thousand pounds, saying that his widow would be well cared for should he pass before her. Fifteen thousand pounds! I know from Mr Collins that the estate brings in very little. What man in his right mind would turn that amount of money down if he were not every bit as much a fortune hunter as his daughter!”
“Oh, I do not know, Sister. Perhaps a man who cared about his daughter’s happiness? Who do you think you are to do such a thing? How would you feel if Anne had engaged herself to a member of the royal family, and one of his aunts came to you and offered money to break the betrothal?”
He paused when he saw her start, but continued before she could speak. “Don’t tell me that would never happen. Anything is possible. I am ashamed of you, Catherine. You have sullied the names of Fitzwilliam, Matlock, and De Bourgh with your thoughtless words and actions. At your age, one would have thought you would have learned to consider the feelings of others. It disgusts me that you are still as selfish now as you were when we were children.
“Go home to Rosings. I do not want to see or hear from you until you are ready to give up this fantasy of Darcy and Anne marrying and extend an apology to Miss Bennet’s family. Honestly, at this point I am half-inclined to approve the match just to spite you.” He rose, ringing the bell for a servant. When the housekeeper appeared, he asked that Lady Catherine be shown to the room kept ready for her.
“It is in your favour that you did not drag your daughter all over England with you on this misguided venture. Go upstairs and rest tonight. You will leave first thing in the morning. You will go directly home and you will stay there. Think about what you have done, Catherine, and how it reflects on yourself and your family. Think about the limitations you have placed on your daughter against all advice to the contrary. When you have come to your senses, write to me and I will visit. We will then discuss how this can be made right. Good
night, Sister.” With that, he rose and, extending his arm to his lady, who had risen with him, left the room to retire to their chambers.
Lady Catherine, having no choice but to obey, rose also and found her way to her suite of rooms.
The next morning after breaking his fast, Lord Matlock handed his sister into her carriage for the trip back to Rosings, warning her about her behaviour, and reminding her of his expectations and the consequences she would face if she failed to live up to them. He knew she was unhappy, but she would have to remain so. It is a shame, he thought, shaking his head, that Sir Lewis had to die before Catherine. She is unsuited to be left alone to run things.
Once back in the house, he went to his study and drafted a note to his nephew, asking for an audience and an introduction to Darcy’s betrothed. He rang for the butler, asking that it be delivered immediately and only into his nephew’s hand.
An hour later, the butler returned with a message from Darcy in his hand. The delivery boy had found him just as he had been about to leave Darcy House. Darcy would be available this evening for dinner, if it was acceptable. He believed he could bring Miss Bennet and her relatives, as well, as long as she had no previous engagements. Knowing his spouse had nothing planned for the evening, Matlock dashed off a message extending an invitation to dinner for his nephew and the young lady. The relations business was a bit sticky. As a Peer, it was not done to accept a tradesman into his home. The tradesman’s wife, well…he had best check with the countess before he sent the message.
After asking his wife and discussing it with her, he decided to include Miss Bennet’s aunt in the invitation. True, her husband was in trade, but the earl knew the pair would soon be family; after the wedding it would be acceptable to invite them both. Within just a few minutes more, his reply was off to be delivered.
