Chapter 18

A rriving at Longbourn mid-morning of the second day of travel, Bennet felt a level of trepidation at his wife’s reaction to Elizabeth’s elevation, not to mention that Maddie who Fanny always felt was below her as the wife of a tradesman now had a title.

Hill took his master’s cane, hat, and gloves and waited for his orders. “Mrs Bennet?” was all Bennet asked.

“The mistress has taken to remaining in her chambers,” Hill informed the master. “She has instructed us to tell callers she is not at home to them and has taken all of her meals there as well.”

“In that case, please collect your wife, and then I would like to see both of you in my study,” Bennet instructed.

The butler bowed and headed to his wife’s office to summon her. Bennet unlocked his study and had just sat when the Hills entered. Early in his marriage, he had learnt to lock it when he was away from the house for any length of time, thanks to his wife’s propensity to rifle through his papers and desk drawers.

The room was cool, but pleasant thanks to it being summer. If this had been winter, or even autumn, Bennet would have had a fire laid in the grate before entering the room.

He indicated the two chairs before his desk for the Hills to sit. “Let me begin by saying this is nothing bad, beyond imagination yes, but not bad. Lizzy had not been in Brighton long…” Bennet told his faithful senior staff a condensed ve rsion of the events, the injuries, assuring them his daughter was well on the road to recovery, the Gardiners’ elevation, the ending of the entail, and then Lizzy’s elevation. At the end of the retelling he remained silent as the Hills absorbed his words.

“My, oh, my!” Mrs Hill exclaimed. “Miss Lizzy will be well?” Bennet nodded. “Our girl is a duchess! It is hard to believe.”

“As it was for my daughter. Who else do you know who would argue with the Regent and insist he was doing too much?” Bennet did not mention a word about the additional land or the fact the other girls had large dowries. It was not that he did not trust the Hills. He trusted them implicitly, but he did not want to take a chance that something would slip out inadvertently and be spread publicly.

“I can well imagine Miss Lizzy not backing down from a royal,” Hill stated as his lips quirked, which for the normally stoic man was a huge display of emotion. “Or should we call her by her title now?”

“Lizzy will not be well pleased if you address her in a different manner to the way you have always done.” Bennet knew he could not procrastinate any longer. He reminded himself he needed to call on Phillips to draw up a new will, and speak of a different kind of entail after he saw Fanny. After dismissing the Hills and giving his permission to share the news with the rest of the staff after his departure, Bennet made his way up to his wife’s chambers where he knocked on the door.

“Come,” was the forlorn answer from within. As soon as she saw her husband, Fanny perked up. “Have you come to apologise to me?” she demanded.

“For what exactly? For wanting you to better your own life and that of our daughters? For no longer allowing you to put our youngest girls on the road to ruin? For reining in your spending us into oblivion? Or for no longer accepting your denigration of Lizzy or any of our other daughters?” Bennet barked back.

Fanny was taken aback. She could not understand what had occurred to turn her compliant husband into this man who stood next to her bed. “If not to beg my pardon, why are you here?” She enquired.

“The reason we rushed away is that Lizzy was quite seriously injured,” Bennet revealed.

“What? Has that hoydenish bluestocking fallen from a tree?” Fanny wondered derisively. She added smugly, “I always told you her tendency to behave as a male would haunt you one day.”

“Mrs Bennet, I will tell you what occurred, but you will not say a word until I am done or to a cottage you will go!” Bennet growled. Not liking the look which told her this was no idle threat; Fanny nodded and closed her mouth.

He told her what had indeed happened and only left out the parts of the dowries and the additional land Longbourn had been awarded. Unsurprisingly her concern was not for her hurt daughter, but about the way the entail no longer impacted herself. “I am ashamed to be your husband, I tell you our second daughter could have died, and all you care about is the ending of the entail and the release from your fear of being ejected from Longbourn?”

“I am sure Miss Lizzy just tripped over her feet and did not mean to save the girl,” Fanny sniffed. “Having the entail ended was the least she could do after refusing to marry Mr Collins.” Fanny paused. “I must go tell Lady Lucas. How green she will be that her Charlotte will never replace me as mistress of this estate!”

“Did I not demand silence until I had told you all?” Bennet reminded his wife who he knew had the memory of a gadfly. Fanny closed her mouth with a clack. “What Lizzy did was witnessed, and there is no doubt she put herself at risk to save the girl. It is the reason she is now a duchess!” Bennet watched his wife’s face as she tried to absorb his words. It did not take as long as he expected before the explosion.

“Miss Lizzy, a duchess! You are just trying to vex me. No one would make that hoyden a duchess when my beautiful Jane and formerly lively Lydia are present. It must be given to Jane; she is not so beautiful for no reason. I will not allow your favourite to be more highly ranked than my Jane!” Fanny blustered.

“Thank you for making a decision easy to make. It is one over which I have been agonising, but your own words show me there is no choice. You, Mrs Bennet, will be moving to a cottage. It is farther from the manor house than Meryton is, and more than two miles to the town,” Bennet stated sadly.

“You cannot do that!” Fanny screeched. “I am the mistress here!”

“No, Mrs Bennet, you were the mistress. For so long I tried everything I could think of other than banishing you to a cottage,” Bennet shook his head. “I finally see now you care not for our children for themselves, only how you think they reflect on you. Do you know the Regent volunteered to dissolve our marriage, and like a fool I refused him! Yes, Mrs Bennet, you will be vacating my house, and I mean now!”

The fact that she had crossed a line there was no coming back from finally hit Fanny Bennet like an avalanche of boulders. “ NOOOOO !” she screamed.

“I gave you chance upon chance upon chance to change and make amendments to your behaviour, but you stubbornly refused. I come home to tell you that our daughter, who is seen as a heroine by the Crown, has been elevated to the rank of duchess, and even then you denigrate her. No, Mrs Bennet, you have fired your last ball.” Leaving his shocked wife on the bed in a stupor, Bennet stepped into the hall and called for the Hills. It was the work of minutes to convey his instructions. His wife’s belongings were to be packed and moved with her to the cottage he designated.

She would have a maid who would clean three times a week. Longbourn’s undercook would prepare her meals for each day in the morning and leave them for the former mistress.

Bennet had his horse saddled so he could ride to see Phillips. He left explicit instructions that when he returned, his wife was not to be in the house.

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

Lady Catherine’s coach was drawn to a halt underneath the oversized portico at the Pavilion. Ignoring the members of the Royal Guard, the lady marched up to the front door and banged on it with the head of her stick.

As much as he believed in the infallibility of his patroness, even Collins realised this was not a place she should be rapping on the door as she was. He had always thought Rosings Park’s mansion to be the best and biggest, but he was not so myopic as not to notice this dwelling dwarfed his patroness’s by many times.

The door was opened by Jenkins, the head butler. He and some of his footmen barred the way. “Madam, what do you mean by interrupting his Highness’s household in this manner? I know who has been invited to this house, and you are not one who has,” the butler intoned.

“Get out of my way! Do you know who I am?” Lady Catherine screeched. “That silly prince has been duped by a harlot, and I mean to be satisfied!”

Jenkins was about to have the termagant thrown off the Pavilions property when he saw Mrs Fitzherbert and Lady Matlock off to one side. One of his footmen went to the ladies and returned with a message to allow the virago entrance once the mistress and the countess were out of sight. The butler watched as the two slipped through a door which when closed looked just like part of the wall.

He signalled to the footmen to stand back and then he opened the door. “That is better, but I will have you sacked for keeping me waiting for so long.” She turned to the Collinses who were overawed by their surroundings. “You see, breeding always comes to the fore and is gratified at all times.”

She marched into the entrance hall like it was her house, but then she faltered, if only briefly, when the obvious opulence intruded on her notice. Lady Catherine had to own, if only to herself, this house made Rosings Park’s manor house look like a pauper’s hovel in comparison. She felt a moment of self-doubt, and then remembered her righteous purpose.

Without knowing where she was going Lady Catherine marched up one hallway, with Mr and Mrs Collins following meekly behind her.

Knowing his sister would not recognise the Regent or his consort, Lord Matlock recommended they show themselves while he, his wife, sons, and nephew remain in a nearby parlour.

Lady Catherine saw a man and woman she did not recognise. Charlotte did from renderings in the papers she had seen. She was behind her husband and his patroness so when she sunk into a low curtsy, they did not see what she had done. The Regent shook his head and placed his finger over his lips to tell her to remain quiet.

“Are you mute that you cover your lips? Do you know who I am?” Lady Catherine blustered. “I have come to set that fool of a prince to rights. He has elevated a harlot who is trying to distract my nephew from his duty, and I will not have it. I will see to it that the wastrel rescinds his notice and throws that jezebel out of his house.”

The Regent cleared his throat which signalled the Earl to join him. “Matlock, will you introduce this…well I do not know ho w to describe her. Termagant, virago, uneducated fool?”

“Reginald, how dare you allow this man to speak to me in this way It is not to be borne; does he not know who I am?” Lady Catherine screeched as soon as the shock of seeing her brother appear from a door on the side, wore off.

“In fact, I do know who you are. Well at least I have heard of you, and I am shocked the way you were described to me does not do justice to the reality, the question is, do you know who I am? You have seriously displeased me,” the Regent drawled with a smile. This woman was vastly diverting.

Collins had had enough. How could he stand by and watch his patroness be insulted in this way. He stepped forward and pulled his hand back to slap the rude man in his face. He ignored his wife’s gasp, but before he could bring his arm forward, he felt it being gripped in a way which would not allow him to move it, and it was rather painful. He looked to the side and saw one of the largest men he had ever seen. “Unhand me, you brute,” he squeaked, his legs quaking.

“Matlock, do the honours,” the Regent instructed.

The earl bowed and turned to face his sister. “Catherine, you have done it this time.” He shook his head. “Catherine and whoever that smelly man with you is, this is Prince George, the Regent of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and Prince of Wales, heir to our King, George III.” The earl turned to the man still being gripped by Sergeant-Major Johns. “You foolish man. You attempted to assault the Regent. That is treason!”

By now the rest of the Fitzwilliams and the two Darcys had joined those in the hallway. For the first time ever, they saw Lady Catherine look scared.

“Before his Highness deals with you, did I or did I not tell you in no uncertain terms I would never marry Anne?” Darcy growled at his aunt. “How on earth to you know about Her Grace? You have never met her?”

“You will marry Anne, your mother and I…” Lady Ca therine attempted to reassert herself, ignoring the fact she had just insulted the next king to his face.

“Enough with that lie, Catherine!” the Earl barked. “Anne told me she never even hinted at such at any time. You and I both know Robert refused your entreaties after Anne died, and he left letters refuting your nonsense about a phantom engagement. Do you not think we all know this is a futile effort for you to hold onto Rosings Park, which has never been yours? You are the worst kind of fortune hunter there is.”

“The estate is mine…” she closed her mouth with a clack when the Regent interjected.

“ Enough . We will enter this parlour. Johns, bring that with you,” the Regent ordered.

If Charlotte had been able to shrink herself and climb under a piece of furniture, she would have. Her husband was likely for the Tower of London, and she would be ruined along with him. Why had she allowed her mother’s desire to best Fanny Bennet convince her to accept such a man. Not even Longbourn was worth that.

As soon as the door was closed, the Regent turned to Lady Catherine. “As of this moment, I strip you of your honorary title. You may not even use Lady de Bourgh as by rights you were, thanks to your late husband being a knight. It has been reported to me you like to call yourself a peer of the realm. You madam, are a commoner and have always been one. I know very well how you advise one and all, which is ripe considering you are less educated than most peasants. Matlock, do you object if I send your sister to a cottage on the Isle of Wight?”

“I do not, your Highness, my sister has made her own bed, now she must lie in it,” Lord Matlock responded.

“You are lucky you will not join this snivelling man in the garb of a parson, who will be defrocked and then sent to the Tower. The words you spoke about a duchess, and one who is held in the highest of esteem by my family, could easily be construed as treason against the Crown, so Mrs de Bourgh, be thankful you will retain your head,” the Regent pronounced.

Mrs de Bourgh was in shock and could not speak. How had everything gone so bad? On hearing his fate, Collins had fainted dead away. Once his Highness had finished pronouncing the charge of treason, Johns handed the parson to two of his men who dragged the unconscious man to the dungeons.

“I assume you are Mrs Collins?” the Regent turned to Charlotte. She allowed it was so as she curtsied again. “So your name will not be tied to that man’s, I will have the Archbishop grant a dissolution of your marriage, you may use your maiden name from now on. There is no need for you to suffer any more than you already have from being tied to such a man.”

Charlotte felt waves of relief flood over her. She had seen her life in ruins flash in front of her, the wife of a man convicted of treason and executed for the crime. She was very thankful her husband had believed all of her excuses which had stopped them from consummating the marriage, so there would be no child born of her brief union.

“The marriage can be annulled, your Highness,” Charlotte admitted quietly. “I was never made his wife in all ways.”

“In that case, I will have the Bishop of Brighton issue an annulment on the morrow,” the Regent decided. “You are welcome to remain here as a guest for as long as you desire.” Charlotte curtsied in thanks.

“It does not change anything,” Gardiner told the relieved woman after the Regent and Mrs Fitzherbert departed the parlour, “but the entail has been broken so had he not made a critical error like he did, your husband still would not have inherited Longbourn on Bennet’s demise.”

“Would you like to go see Lizzy?” Madeline asked .

“If she will see me,” Charlotte replied. “She was understandably upset when I married Mr Collins, and I am afraid our friendship was damaged.”

“Especially once she hears all that transpired today, I am sure she will welcome seeing you,” Madeline opined. “Do you have any clothing with you? If not, I am sure we can remedy the situation.”

“My valise is at the house Lady…Mrs de Bourgh rented. It is 34 Privet Street.” Charlotte could not understand why Lady Gardiner was suppressing a laugh.

“That is the house Edward rented for us,” Madeline related. “We gave it up when we were invited to be here with Lizzy. I do not believe you are aware, but Jane, Mary, Kate, and Lydia are here as well.” Madeline did not miss the way Charlotte’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the two youngest Bennets, especially at Kitty being called Kate. “Lizzy being a duchess is not the only surprise. You will not recognise Kate—for some while she has thrown off the name Kitty—or Lydia as the boisterous, overly flirtatious, and sometimes crass girls they were before. And no, Mrs Bennet is not here.”

“If Eliza, Her Grace, will see me, I would like to see her,” Charlotte decided.

The two ladies walked towards the sickroom. While Madeline entered the room to speak to her nieces, Charlotte waited in the hall.