Chapter 17

“Y ou cannot be serious!” Elizabeth exclaimed when the Regent told her what rewards he planned to bestow on her. Her father, Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, Jane, Mrs Fitzherbert, and Lord and Lady Matlock were all present in the sickroom along with the Regent.

“Do you really think I would jest about something like this?” The Regent asked with a rather rakish grin. “I have cultivated the reputation of being rather feckless and not caring about anything but my own pleasure, but I assure you that is not who I am. Due to the Act of Settlement, I cannot acknowledge Mary Anne and Emma as my own, and even though we married before God, Maria is not my legal wife, but in every way which counts, they are my dearest family. When you threw yourself in front of the horse being ridden by that criminal, you did Maria and me a service, which could never be repaid even had we the ability to give you all of the riches in the known world.”

“But, your Highness, how can I, the daughter of a country squire, be a duchess? I thought the title had to be awarded to and held by a man. And then there are all the estates and wealth which go with the title. I…I am overwhelmed,” Elizabeth responded.

“The murderous and treasonous man, Weasley, had one aim in trying to kidnap one of my daughters. If he had succeeded, he would have demanded the title and wealth which is now yours. Not only that, he confessed to Sergeant-Majors Biggs and Johns that had Mary Anne been the one snatched up, he would have forced her to wed him to make sure I kept doing his bidding forever. I do not think you are aware of just how much your actions thwarted that day,” the Regent explained. “As to how the title can rest with you, it is simple, it all depends on how the patents are written. “In this case, you will be a duchess suo jure . Do you know what that means?”

“I do not, your Highness,” Elizabeth owned. She appreciated that the Regent was speaking to her before any public announcement was to be made. Nevertheless, it was far too much.

“That means the title flows through the female line if there is no male heir. This dukedom was a traditional one which led to its falling defunct when the last duke, over fifty years past, died with no issue and no males in his line,” the Regent revealed. “When you marry, your first son will be a marquess, and when he reaches his majority, he will be the duke. At that point, you would become the dowager duchess.”

“ If I agree to accept this overly generous gift, will I be free to marry any man I choose, even if he is not a noble?” Elizabeth enquired.

“You will, although he will not remain a commoner for long after you marry,” the Regent quipped. “You will be the wealthiest non-royal female in the realm. Only Bedford is wealthier with his shipyards and shipping line, so you will be well protected. To that end, I am assigning the two sergeant-majors to head up your protection, and they will have as many men under them as they see fit. When I conveyed their new assignment to them, both were keen to serve the bravest lady they had ever beheld.” The Regent looked at Bennet and Sir Edward. “I suggest that Elizabeth’s vast wealth be secured with articles which take away the incentive of any man to try and compromise her into marriage. Before you ask,” he looked back at Elizabeth, “you need the guards in case anyone gets it in their mind to attempt with you what the late treasonous Weasley attempted with Emma.”

Elizabeth looked at her father, aunt, and uncle. All three shrugged indicating the decision was hers alone. She knew the Regent had dowered her sisters with an amount which would have been unimaginable before all of this. With the vastness of the wealth and properties which were attached to the title to be bestowed on her, she intended to add to her sisters’ dowries making them even more significant. When she thought about her sisters, Elizabeth considered the security she would be able to offer them in addition to their new dowries. She was aware that Longbourn was no longer entailed and had been restored to its original size. Also, Aunt Maddie and Uncle Edward owned Netherfield Park. She would of course dower her cousins, Lilly and May, and set aside legacies for Eddy and Peter.

Then Elizabeth thought of all of the good she would be able to do with the unimaginable depths of wealth she would gain if she accepted. She could direct tens of thousands of pounds to charities each year, and it would hardly lower the funds she would have, but all the good it could do was more important.

Before she made a final decision, she looked at Jane. Her older sister smiled at her and nodded her head just enough for Elizabeth to see it. “I accept your overly generous offer, your Royal Highness,” Elizabeth agreed.

“Although the investiture will not take place until after your leg is healed, from this moment on, you will be known as Her Grace, Lady Elizabeth Bennet, Duchess of Hertfordshire,” the Regent proclaimed.

As he did so, all of those who had been with him stood and made their bows and curtsies. “Your Grace,” Jane teased.

“Janey, if you ever call me that again I will send you to the tower,” Elizabeth teased right back. “That goes for all family and friends, I am still the same Lizzy I was before all of this and would appreciate not being ‘ your graced ’ to death. ”

“However those of us who are not on familiar terms with you will address you as is required by protocol, Your Grace,” Lord Matlock stated.

“Then until we reach that level of familiarity, please address me as Lady Elizabeth,” she requested.

“As long as you call me Lady Elaine and my husband Lord Reggie,” Lady Matlock agreed.

The Regent handed Elizabeth some pages. “This is the announcement that will appear in the local paper on the morrow and the London papers the day after. Soon enough the news will reach even the remotest corners of the realm,” he drawled.

“I do not feel comfortable with everyone knowing all of this,” Elizabeth stated after she read what was written.

“Elizabeth, regardless of our fighting to keep word from spreading, it has begun to happen,” Maria reported. “It is far better for us to have everyone read the truth rather than the gossips substituting fiction for facts.”

Elizabeth had to own that Mrs Fitzherbert made a great deal of sense. As much as she hated the fact her name would be known the length and breadth of the realm, there was nothing for it. “I see why there is no choice,” she acknowledged and then handed the sheets to her aunt as the news of their elevation was also contained within.

“Lizzy, I must depart for a few days…” Bennet explained his reasoning for telling his wife in person before she heard it from others in the neighbourhood.

“I think I will have some company for the days you are away, Papa.” Elizabeth paused. “You will be returning to Brighton, will you not?” Her father nodded and that assurance allowed the new duchess to relax. After all of the disclosures of the morning, Elizabeth was feeling fatigued so everyone save for Jane and Aunt Maddie made their farewells and exited the room.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~ ~

The viscount, Colonel, Darcy, and Anna all sat in silence when the Earl and Countess related what had occurred in the meeting with the new Duchess, and her reluctant acceptance of the titles, estates, and riches which had been bestowed on her.

His aunt’s words that it was entirely possible Elizabeth would be far above him came flooding back to Darcy. He had thought himself above the company in Hertfordshire, and now she was at the heights a non-royal could attain while he was a mere gentleman farmer. The thought that Elizabeth, no, it was Her Grace now, could marry anyone she wanted, perhaps even a royal prince, felt crushing to Darcy. He did not begrudge her the honours, for what she had done she deserved all of this and more. He could not help but question if she would now think him high enough for her.

Darcy’s family members did not miss the way his face fell at the news. “William, are you not pleased for Lizzy?” Georgiana enquired.

“What? Of course I am,” Darcy assured everyone. “I was hoping to present my suit to her, but now…now she is a duchess while I am a mere gentleman farmer. My shortsightedness in Hertfordshire has come back to haunt me.”

“William, Lizzy, Jane, and Mary have all told me they will only marry for the deepest love and respect. Had things been as they were, if you had offered for her before she knew she could love you and you respected her, Lizzy would have rejected your offer,” Georgiana scolded, her arms akimbo. “None of this would have changed her, and I am sure she will still only marry for love, and not titles or wealth.”

“Based on a question she asked his Highness, I agree with Anna,” Lady Matlock interjected before Darcy was able to respond .

“What question?” Darcy queried.

By the time Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie had related the gist of Elizabeth’s conversation with the Regent, Darcy’s face showed happiness and a renewed sense of hope. He also reminded himself of what he had told himself on Aunt Elaine first mentioning the possibility of the then Miss Elizabeth being elevated. Yes, her rank would not be a factor for her.

Colonel Fitzwilliam had always said he needed to marry with an eye to fortune, and now the lady he was intrigued by was an heiress. He looked at his older brother who was grinning stupidly. He was aware Andrew was further along with the lady in whom he was interested, and also, as the Matlock heir, her added dowry would not be a deciding factor. All he could hope for was that the Bennet sister he was interested in returned his interest and was willing to explore what, if anything, there could be between them.

Anna wanted to rush to Lizzy’s side to offer her hearty congratulations, but she would have to wait since her aunt and uncle related that Lady Elizabeth needed to rest. Lady Elizabeth, how well that sounded.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

The next morning when readers of the Brighton Herald opened their papers, what had occurred near the Pavilion was no longer an unknown fact about which the public whispered and conjectured. The front page bore a big headline.

brAVERY and TREACHERY

On the 10th day of July in the year of our Lord, 1811, an attempt was made to kidnap an innocent child, one close to the Crown, as part of a scheme to extort the Regent of certain boons and concessions.

Said attempted treachery was thwarted when a young lady, with no connection to the one who was to be kidnapped, threw herself into the path of the galloping horse and pushed the intended victim from danger.

The criminal turned and hit the heroine with his horse causing her various injuries, including a broken leg. She is now recovering at the Royal Pavilion.

The victim of the dastardly crime was unharmed except for the fear she felt at almost being taken away from her mother and sister.

This was a conspiracy commissioned by a murderer and a man convicted of treason, the late Emery Weasley, who, it is now known, murdered his cousin and his cousin’s sons to gain a title. The now executed man sent eight of his men to commit the crime. Four are no longer alive, three are on their way to stand trial for their crimes. One escaped.

The name of the man who escaped is George Wickham . His likeness is seen below. A reward of ?10,000 is offered for information leading to his arrest.

For service to the crown and the realm, the heroine, Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn, Hertfordshire, is elevated to the new title of sou jure Duchess of Hertfordshire, while her uncle was awarded a baronetcy and is henceforth known as Sir Edward Gardiner.

This reporter wishes Her Grace, Lady Elizabeth Bennet a speedy and complete recovery.

Charlotte Collins read the paper three times before she accepted what she was reading was accurate. She looked around to verify her husband’s patroness was not up yet.

Given it was summer, the hotels and inns were completely full which was something Charlotte tried to tell Lady Catherine they would be. Therefore, in the end her husband’s patroness had rented the only house which was available. It was located at 34 Privet Street. It was more than the lady had wanted to pay, but as there was not another option for rent, and she was determined to discover both Eliza and her nephew, she was resolved to remain in Brighton until she was gratified.

Charlotte could not but shake her head at how Lady Catherine could ignore the facts. The day after her nephews had departed, she had been whinging about how Mr Darcy refused to do his duty and marry her daughter. As soon as the letter which had set them off on this odyssey arrived, she had discarded what her nephew had told her and returned to the delusion that he would marry Miss de Bourgh.

Thankfully for that lady, she had claimed infirmity and had been left at Rosings Park. If only Charlotte had thought to claim an indisposition. There was nothing for it now she was here.

Her thoughts returned to the copy of the Brighton Herald now folded on the table. Her Ladyship demanded the paper be left for her to read first, although regardless of her claims she could tell, never once had Lady Catherine noticed the paper had been read before her. With all of her diatribes about the preservation of the distinctions of rank, Charlotte could only imagine the reaction when the lady read that Eliza was a duchess. Her thoughts shifted to what was written about her friend’s injuries—at least Charlotte hoped they were still friends. Other than a broken leg the article had not been specific about what had occurred to Eliza. All Charlotte could pray was what was written was accurate and Eliza was recovering.

She smiled as she thought about how Eliza, Her Grace now, would be chafing against the restrictions of being confined to bed and not being allowed to ramble freely as she loved to do. She wondered how many of Eliza’s family were present, and what the Gardiners had done to be bestowed a baronetcy.

Her poor Papa. Charlotte thought about how being the only man with a title in the neighbourhood was a big part of her father’s sense of worth. Now, not only would he not be the only one, but his knighthood would be nothing next to a dukedom, or even a baronet when Sir Edward and Lady Gardiner came to visit. Her musings were cut short when Lady Catherine, with Mr Collins dancing attendance to his patroness, entered the breakfast parlour.

Lady Catherine would not serve herself from the sideboard. She claimed it was what only the lower classes did, ignoring that aside from herself, everyone in her family from the earl and countess on down served themselves when there was food on the sideboard in the mornings.

Once she was happy, after sending the footman back three times to change things she had previously told him to place on her plate, Lady Catherine had her cup of tea and then, as was her wont, she lifted the newspaper before her to read.

Charlotte was surreptitiously watching Lady Catherine out of the corner of her eye while sipping on her own cup of tea. At first it seemed the lady had the same reaction Charlotte had, and had to read the headline and article again. There was no missing the change in Lady Catherine’s colour when she understood that what she read the first time was in fact read correctly.

“This is not to be borne!” Lady Catherine screeched as she threw the newspaper across the table where it conveniently landed in front of Charlotte, who lifted it to ostensibly read it for the first time.

“Y-your L-Ladyship, a-are y-you w-w-well?” Collins stammered.

“Mr Collins, your cousin has been made a duchess,” Charlotte said. Making like she did not see Lady Catherine’s fury; she elucidated for her buffoon of a husband. “ Her Grace saved someone close to the Regent and has been elevated, and her uncle has been awarded a baronetcy. He is no longer Mr Gardiner but Sir Edward now.”

“This jezebel has bewitched that simple minded man, and he has made a grievous error,” Lady Catherine spat out. “We will set out for the Pavilion as soon as possible, and I will set all of this to rights.”

Collins was still staring at the page of the newspaper his wife had handed him. How could this be? The woman who had refused him, who would have no other offer ever made for her was now a duchess? Impossible! His patroness would put the pretender in her place, and then he would remind her of all she lost when she rejected him.

In less than a half hour, Collins, Charlotte, and Lady Catherine were boarding her coach for the one mile ride to the Pavilion.