Chapter 20

The following day, Dorian moved into the dower house. Breathing a sigh of relief that he would have to bear far less of his aunt's company, he began to learn the business of the estate from the steward with the assistance of Pembroke and Darcy, at least until Pembroke and Ella returned to Maiden Oaks in Kent. The Brandons and the Fitzwilliams departed for the north shortly after the departure of the Pembrokes, the Brandons to Delaford, and the Fitzwilliams to Edgecombe Mount, the large estate of eight thousand a year that had been purchased when Anne sold Rosings. Since he had announced that he was in mourning for six weeks, Dorian accepted no invitations from the neighbourhood, though he did call upon Lydia several times a week, and when the weather was not too wet, the two went for a long ride nearly every other day.

The rides did not continue for as long as Dorian and Lydia hoped. The weather grew wetter and wetter each day, until not only was riding nearly impossible, but travel also became nearly impossible. As December advanced, it was clear that the southeast region of England was in receipt of an unprecedented amount of rain. Water stood in every section of land, flooding drainage ditches, rivers, creeks, and fields. The gentlemen of Hertfordshire began meeting in one another's studies, and the tenants and farmers met at the pub, as they discussed what they would do if the interminable rain did not stop. Winter oats, barley, beets, leeks, and lettuce were drowning in the fields, and if the rains did not abate, the winter crops would fail, and it would be too late to start new ones. The entire region relied on the winter crops for survival, and there was concern for how the farmers and local families would manage such food shortages.

Then came early winter storms. Temperatures fluctuated wildly between freezing and warmer conditions, there was rain, there was hail, there was thunder and lightning. Several local homes and large trees that had stood for centuries that were badly damaged by lightning, wind, and the resulting fires that accompanied it. Families stayed indoors, livestock and other animals were penned into barns, entertainments were cancelled. Still, the rains held out, water continued to collect in the fields, and the winter crops failed.

The northern part of the kingdom was spared such unseasonable rain, and so Darcy and Elizabeth were relieved that there was no need to attempt to rush north to assist Pemberley. Thankfully, Pemberley and the other family estates in the north were in a position to send assistance in the way of winter crops, oats, wheat, and beans to Hertfordshire.

A Mr Adamson was sent by the government, and was hosted at Netherfield while he investigated the unmitigated disaster. When he returned to London with his report, he estimated that three hundred thousand tons of crops had been lost just in Hertfordshire.

It was difficult to imagine that things could get much worse; then a massive storm struck. The rains were heavier and more unrelenting than had ever been seen before in any part of the country. The whole southeast region of England was struck, and there was flooding in all of those counties. There was large hail which created significant damage to homes and other property, the banks of the river in Meryton finally burst, and several large pig farms and barns filled with livestock were lost in Meryton. Seven tenant families at Netherfield and Haye Park combined lost their homes, and the final stab of defeat for the village came when the tythe barns were struck by lightning and burned.

Sadly, this prevented Dorian from accompanying Lydia by train to London for their Greek lessons, but Mr Carter was understanding considering that London was also experiencing unprecedented weather, and they sent their translations to him by post. None of this prevented Dorian from calling at Netherfield every day. A seasoned naval man like Dorian could never be prevented from seeing the object of his desire by a little water. Sir Horatio, named after Sir Horatio Nelson, the famed naval hero, and a fierce horse indeed, was similarly unaffected by the weather, and Dorian was seen travelling to Netherfield on horseback daily, to visit Lydia, and discuss the weather with Darcy and Radcliffe.

Though she and the ladies were mostly confined to the house, Lydia was not at leisure. At such a time, the ladies were busier than ever, assembling baskets, helping in the kitchens to prepare loaves of bread and meals for the affected families on the estate. Georgiana spent most of her days nursing her daughter, and keeping the younger children entertained while Diane assisted at her mother's side, learning what must be done on an estate during such a crisis. She and Elizabeth kept in close contact with the family leasing Windmere and the steward there, ensuring that everything that could be done to assist the tenants in Kent was being done.

Thankfully, Elizabeth and Darcy were in the position of being able to ensure that none of their tenants suffered excessively from the flooding. Houses were rebuilt, new barns were raised, or existing ones repaired, livestock and tools replaced, and food supplies were ordered for every family. Elizabeth would see no Meryton family in need, so when other local farmers and families began to struggle, Elizabeth provided assistance to all. When the food shortages began to cause raised prices, Elizabeth found ways to distribute supplies to all the families of the village.

Eventually the terribly unseasonable weather ceased, and the festive season arrived, but celebrations were muted, considering the losses faced by the county. Not only had crops and property been lost, but a number of tenant and cottager families had lost loved ones during the flooding. Out of respect for the losses sustained by everyone, the family celebrated Christmastide quietly. The Pembrokes had wished to come for Christmas, but Kent had been struck just as hard as Hertfordshire, and they could not, in all good conscience, leave their estate.

Though the weather had turned bitterly cold, Dorian and Lydia resumed their rides in January, and by the time Dorian's six weeks of mourning had passed, it was clear to the unmarried ladies of Meryton that Sir Dorian Goulding had already chosen a lady to court. This caused a great deal of disappointment, but the ladies of the village agreed that Lady Darcy had done more than her bit to help the matchmakers of the county over the years, and her last sister was entitled to a suitor by her age.

*****

Lydia began taking the train to London once a week, accompanied by Dorian and Mrs Annesley. The two of them began sharing their lessons with Mr Carter, then Lydia would stay with her Aunt Gardiner, and they would dine at the Gardiner's stately house in Mayfair. Occasionally they would accompany Mrs and Mrs Gardiner to the theatre or opera, where they would occupy the Darcy box. Dorian would stay in his rooms in Piccadilly, and the pair would return to Hertfordshire the following day.

As they got to know one another better, they found much to admire in each other. Lydia was impressed with Dorian's determination to learn estate management, his generosity with his tenants during the flooding, his commitment to furthering his studies. His intelligence and disposition were in perfect accord with hers. He often knew her thoughts before she did, and the two exchanged conspiratorial looks often when in company. His humour and good-natured wit were perfect for her lively nature, and she found more to admire in him every day.

Dorian was impressed by everything Lydia did. She would make a perfect naval wife, if he had not retired his commission immediately after inheriting Haye Park. She could cook, she regularly spent time assisting in the kitchens and other domestic work at Netherfield. She was well versed in visiting and managing tenants, she was artistic, and good at all manner of little touches that would make her a wonderful wife and mistress of a home. She was wonderful with children, she was his equal in intelligence, and matched his thirst for education. She had the voice of an angel, and the temper of a devil. The longer he spent in her company, the more he was certain that she would make the perfect wife for him.

One afternoon in late January, Mr Phillips was announced to Netherfield Park while Dorian was calling upon Lydia. "Sir Dorian," he said after he had greeted everyone. "I knew you would be here, your habits of calling upon Netherfield are quite predictable, but I knew you would wish to hear this straightaway. It took some time, one of the possibilities for heir presumptive has been missing in the West Indies for some years. It took our investigators some weeks to find evidence of his death, but he is in fact deceased. This returned the search to our shores, and the man who is next in line is a Mr William Elliot. The man is a widower, and you may be in luck, because it seems he is greatly in debt. He has spent his first wife's vast fortune, and now has a number of pressing loans due in the amount of five thousand pounds."

"Elliot. Will, how do we know that name?" Elizabeth asked.

"I am certain there is a common acquaintance, darling. I feel like I have heard that name before, and recently," Darcy agreed.

"What is interesting is that this is not the only estate that is entailed upon the man," continued Mr Phillips. "The man is also the heir presumptive to a baronetcy and an attached estate, Kellynch Hall, in Somersetshire."

"He is a distant cousin of Mrs Wentworth," said Dorian. "I have heard much of the man. He is a bounder, and a profligate spender. He was estranged from her family for many years, then after his wife died, and he ran out of funds, he reconciled with them, and made an effort to court Mrs Wentworth, thinking if he were present, he might prevent her father from an attachment with their parson's daughter, Mrs Clay. When he was refused by Mrs Wentworth, he ran away with Mrs Clay, then refused to marry her. She is, by all accounts, set up very poorly as his mistress. He provides for her very ill. I believe Mrs Wentworth supplements her income when she is desperate, everyone else has abandoned the woman to him, or so I understand, but Mrs Wentworth is a kind soul."

"In that case, he ought to be easily bought off," Mr Phillips said. "He already has a baronetcy, and a rather handsome estate entailed upon him. The word I have is that Sir Walter Elliot shows no sign of intent to remarry, and is in excellent health. He does not need the slim possibility of non-existent children one day inheriting a modest estate, he needs funds now, and desperately. The intelligence I have is that if he does not produce the funds soon, he will end up in Marshalsea. The bailiffs are already searching for him."

"Let us send an invitation to Mr William Elliot," said Dorian. "I suppose he shall have to be invited to the dower house with me. I cannot expect Aunt Ada to host him. I do not look forward to his company, Wentworth described him as a pretentious little turd."

"Invite him to stay at Netherfield's dower house, Lilac Cottage, Sir Dorian," offered Elizabeth. "Then you will not have to reside with the man while he is here."

Dorian accepted Elizabeth's offer, and said that he would have his aunt host the man for dinner while he was in Meryton. He would have to be invited to Haye Park for a family dinner while he was in the neighbourhood, but at least this way, his aunt would not have the man staying in her house.

Dorian avoided the house like the plague, most of the time. Sadly, William's widow made it too uncomfortable. While the woman had been mostly quiet for the short time he had remained in the manor, she seemed to have taken an interest in him a few weeks after he moved to the dower house. She had since made a nuisance of herself, attaching herself to his arm whenever they were in company, speaking to him as if he were a suitor, and she had become downright malicious towards Lydia.

Dorian could not account for the woman's behaviour. Perhaps she had very much counted upon being the mistress of Haye Park one day, for now she seemed determined to wed the new master. He had eventually moved the majority of the papers for the estate to the study at the dower house. He had originally been visiting the manor each day to use the study there as he worked upon estate matters, but given Lavinia's penchant for invading the study and demanding his attention each time he entered the house, he had given up and ordered for the documents and ledgers he needed to be removed.

His aunt had not softened, and the diaries that had been left to him had disappeared from the cabinet in his uncle's rooms. Aunt Ada insisted that she had no knowledge of the volumes, and also insisted that his uncle had been wrong to leave them to Dorian anyway. No one believed her, and Ella had insisted in her last letter that she would find them when she next visited home.

*****

Mr Elliot arrived in Meryton on the first of February at Mr Phillips' invitation. His first night in Meryton, he dined at Haye Park. Aunt Ada and Mrs Lavinia were still in full mourning, and so their only company since November had been the local ladies who kindly called upon them. Mr Elliot had arrived earlier that afternoon. The man had seen some of the house and a bit of the estate. Haye Park earned between two thousand and twenty-five hundred a year, though Dorian had many plans to improve it. There were lands for sale at their north border for a bargain price that would add another fifteen hundred a year once they were working, and he was anticipating a great improvement in profits after some new agricultural measures he intended to implement in the upcoming spring.

Mr Elliot, a terrible snob after spending his first wife's vast fortune, and being used to the very best of everything, whether he could afford it or not, saw a small, unimpressive estate, and a manor that did not compare to the one he anticipated inheriting in Somersetshire, and wondered why Dorian had invited him to this dismal place.

As Dorian sat at the head of what he still considered his uncle's table, and attempted to avoid the angry glare of his aunt from the other end, he did his best to create small talk with their guest. The foppish man chattered on about clothes, fashion, and his exploits in London until Dorian thought he might scream. Aunt Ada only opened her mouth to make rude comments, though Lavinia was open to the man's conversation.

Apparently, Lavinia was not particular to Haye Park, and must only wish to be married, because that lady took to Mr Elliot's blandishments like a duck to water, and was soon behaving like a very merry widow. Dorian pinched the bridge of his nose as his aunt continued to glare at him until the meal ended.

When the ladies withdrew, Mr Elliot accepted a glass of port, and said, "So, Sir Dorian, why do you not tell me why you have invited me to Hertfordshire?'

"As Mr Phillips informed you in his letter, I have just inherited Haye Park, and since I am yet unmarried and have no sons, so far you are the current heir presumptive," Dorian began. "I have invited you here because I have no desire to devote myself to an estate that I may not leave to my daughters or wife, should I have any. After learning that you are already the heir presumptive to a baronetcy and another estate, my object was to learn if you would be more interested in accepting a payment to end this entail, giving you more funds to use until your other inheritance materialises."

"It is true that I should not like to inherit such a shabby little place," said Mr Elliot pretentiously. "What are you supposing to pay me? Twenty-five? Thirty thousand?"

Dorian laughed out loud, "Hardly. The estate is only worth sixty thousand as it stands. It is hardly worth it to me to pay you half, or even a third of what it is worth. I was planning to offer you ten thousand." Dorian had decided upon this number after debating the matter with Darcy and Mr Phillips, with the intention of going as high as fifteen.

"That is hardly worth my signature on any document," Elliot objected. "It must be worth at least twenty-five to me."

You forget how unlikely you are to inherit," Dorian pointed out. "You are some few years older than I. It is likely that I will have a son as not, and even if I do not, it is unlikely that I will die for many years."

"Accidents do happen," replied Elliot insensitively. "As your family should know. Why should I not hold out, and allow the inheritance to pass to my son, should I have one?"

"You have yet to sire your first son, and you are no more likely to do so than I," pointed out Dorian. "You do not strike me as a man who would leave money on the table for a son that does not exist, when you could be spending it today."

"Ten thousand is hardly likely to keep me until Sir Walter dies," argued Elliot. "The man is the picture of health."

"I am the picture of health, and I have many more years left than Sir Walter Elliot, who, I am told, is also the picture of health. Keeping you until his demise is not my responsibility. I offer you some relief from your present troubles, nothing more. Fifteen then, and not a penny more," answered Dorian. "And do not think I will move again. I am aware of your debts. You have one foot in the door of Marshalsea, and the reason you were so keen to visit Hertfordshire was to avoid the bailiffs that are searching for you. If you push me, I could arrange that they find you. If you end up in prison, you will be glad to sign whatever I put in front of you to secure your release, in which case, I could manage to sort this out while only paying five, if I decided to hold out until you are taken in. If you accept my offer, you will have ten thousand with which to fund your expenses until you attain your other inheritance. Perhaps the interest on ten thousand might be less than you would wish. But it is certainly better than nothing at all."

Dorian invited Mr Elliot to call upon him at the dower house the next morning to give him his answer, then rose to join the ladies in the drawing room. Lavinia opened the instrument for the first time since the house had entered mourning, and Mr Elliot hastened to turn the pages for her. The rest of the evening passed in this manner, Mr Elliot and Lavinia giggling in the corner, while Dorian attempted to make small talk with his aunt for appearances sake. Eventually, the night drew to an end. Mr Elliot called for his carriage, and returned to Lilac Cottage.

The following day, Mr Elliot called upon Netherfield to express his gratitude to Lady Darcy for her hospitality of offering him the use of her dower cottage. He was an early riser; Dorian would give him that. Dorian had seen the man out on his horse in the early hours while Dorian was exercising Sir Horatio at dawn. Then the man called upon Haye Park and Netherfield after breakfast.

Mr Elliot was sipping tea in Netherfield's drawing room and flirting with Lydia outrageously when Dorian was announced. Elizabeth and Darcy were looking amused as the man prattled on, and Lydia looked as if she wished to run screaming from the room.

Dorian accepted a cup of tea from Elizabeth and sat near Georgiana and Vivian, as close as he could manage to Lydia, which was not very close, as Elizabeth asked, "Will you be returning to London very soon, Mr Elliot?"

"Not very soon, I hope," the man answered easily. "There is a matter of business between myself and Sir Dorian that must be settled before I leave, and I must consider the matter very carefully before I make my decision, Lady Darcy. I also find the small number of people I have met since arriving to be delightful company. I think it is important for me to get to know the area and its inhabitants before I make my decision."

"Certainly, you would not wish to decide rashly," replied Elizabeth, wondering how long the man planned to occupy her dower house.

"You would not wish to tarry too long, either, or see any opportunity to improve your lot pass you by, I am sure," pointed out Darcy.

"It is certainly a delicate matter. One which I will have to consider carefully before making any hasty commitment," said Elliot decidedly. He then turned his attention to Lydia as Charlotte Lucas, Fanny Price, and Sir William were announced. Dorian asked Lydia to accompany him for a walk, and even with the consideration of the bitter cold outdoors, Lydia accepted with alacrity.

"Will he accept your offer?" Lydia asked as she took his arm, and they made their way down a path they walked together often.

"It is still uncertain, but I cannot imagine why he would not. According to your uncle, the bailiffs have been notified to take him in. He gave up his rooms in Piccadilly when he left London, and spread the story that he was visiting his family in Somersetshire, as if they would receive him. I am unsure what causes his hesitation to act, but I am certain we will learn it in due course."

"Will you inform them that he is here, if he does not accept your offer?" asked Lydia curiously.

"As much as I wish him to be done with the business and leave the vicinity quickly, I would not stoop so low. They will find him in their own time, and as I informed him, it will be his own fault if he does not take my offer now," he said in reply.

At length the pair, followed by Jemima, returned to the house to learn that the irritating fop had taken his leave, though he had accepted an invitation to the party at Lucas Lodge that evening.

*****

Mr Elliot took the opportunity at Lucas Lodge to become acquainted with the entire village. Dorian marvelled at how easily the arrogant man who seemed to disdain everything while in private, could make himself agreeable in company. Mr Elliot began making himself very agreeable indeed to Charlotte, once he had circulated a bit, and learned about the small fortune that Elizabeth had invested for her and her son. Charlotte had met many such men in the years since she had begun living with the Darcys, and so she paid him as little notice as possible.

He also made himself very agreeable to two young ladies that were visiting the King family. Miss Mary King's cousins had fifteen thousand each, and it was no secret that they had been sent to visit Meryton in the hopes that either Elizabeth would take a liking to them and invite them to visit her in London or at Pemberley, or that one of the ladies would benefit from an introduction to one of Netherfield's guests. Violet and Louise King were amiable girls, though they instantly turned on one another when Mr Elliot began giving his attentions to them both.

Each week, Dorian sent for Mr Elliot to visit him in his study to discuss the matter, and each week, Mr Elliot insisted that he was still considering the matter carefully, and refused to give a direct answer.

Elizabeth was very near to withdrawing her invitation to stay in the dower house. She was not mean in any way, but the man's habits were expensive, and she did not appreciate him taking advantage of her offer by staying so long.

Mr Elliot had made himself agreeable to everyone in town and was welcome everywhere. He dined with all of the four and twenty families regularly, and though Darcy and Mr Phillips had made his debts and profligacy known, most families still desired a connection to a future baronet. Those houses that had no desire for a connection through marriage, felt obligated to invite the man, considering that he was technically a guest of Netherfield, and also considering that he was a favourite among many hostesses and young ladies. Mr Elliot flirted shamelessly with married and unmarried women, young and old alike, and with his brightly coloured coats and sophisticated manners, was very much in demand.

Mr Elliot called upon Mrs Collins and the Misses King frequently, but it was Lydia who was obviously his main target. She ignored him as much as possible, frequently finding excuses to be out of the drawing room when he called, but then had to begin taking Mrs Carmichael everywhere with her, because he frequently found her out on the estate when she was visiting tenants, which she and Elizabeth did both together and apart often.