Chapter 19

O nce Aunt Maddie explained what had just occurred, Jane and Elizabeth agreed Charlotte would be welcome to visit.

The door opened and a footman showed Charlotte into the sickroom , which was larger than the ground floor of her former husband’s parsonage. At the opposite side of the room she saw Eliza in the bed, and Jane seated next to her. She advanced tentatively. When she neared the bed, she dropped into a curtsy. “Your Grace.”

“Charlotte Elinor Col…Lucas, that is the first and last time you will address me by my title in private,” Elizabeth asserted. “The Regent will do anything I ask of him, so it would behove you not to anger me,” Elizabeth teased with a familiar cheeky twinkle in her eyes.

“You had the right of it, Eliza. I should have never married that man; it was for purely mercenary reasons,” Charlotte owned.

“Yes, but it was your decision, and it was not my place to judge you,” Elizabeth averred. “One of my many faults is that I make too many quick judgments and am not flexible in looking at evidence which would prove I am wrong. None of us is perfect, we all err. It would have been hard for me to come to visit you in Mr Collins’s house, or spend time with the now Mrs de Bourgh, but I should never have taken my feelings regarding them out on you, causing you to believe I no longer esteemed you.”

“It was not a good reason to marry Mr Collins, but we are fully aware of how our mother enjoyed lording her ‘ good fortune ’ over those in the area, which I am sure drove your mother to want to put our mother’s nose out of joint,” Jane expressed.

Who was this strong Jane? The last time Charlotte had seen her, she was still the ‘ I see no faults in anyone ’ Jane. Something had happened, and the strength Charlotte always suspected lay below the surface had come to the fore. “Now please, tell me all. Not just about Eliza’s heroism, but all the changes I see and have heard about from Lady Gardiner with regards to Kit…Kate and Lydia,” Charlotte requested.

Between the two eldest Bennet sisters, they told Charlotte everything, starting with how Jane had awoken to the truth of the world, and up to, and including, based on the letter they had received from Papa, their mother being banished to a cottage.

“I never understood why Mrs Bennet felt so much antipathy towards you, Eliza,” Charlotte mused. “Do you know why she has always treated you the way she did?”

“It started with my crime of being born a girl and not the son she had demanded,” Elizabeth revealed. She saw the incredulous look on her friend’s countenance. “We all know it is God and not the babe who determines the sex, but if you know anything about Mrs Bennet, you will know she is even more stubborn than I used to be. She decided it was my fault; hence it was. Nothing anyone ever told her, including Aunt Hattie, ever made her stop accusing me of being wilful for being born a girl. Then, almost as much of a crime in her opinion, was the fact I look very much like my late Grandmother Bennet, for whom I am named, and not like herself and most of my sisters who, except for Mary, have blonde hair and blue eyes. If all of that was not enough, my father chose me as his favourite and educated me like a male. In other words, in Mrs Bennet’s eyes, my crimes were too numerous to count, so I did not deserve her love. ”

“Before I woke up to reality, I used to make excuses for our mother, by telling Lizzy it was not so very bad, and Mother did not mean all the hurtful things she said,” Jane added. “It was only after the way Mr Bingley and his pernicious sisters treated me that I saw how wrong I had been to try to excuse hurtful and abhorrent behaviour.”

“Jane has a suitor,” Elizabeth smiled shyly.

“He has not declared himself, Lizzy! I will not make the same error I made with Mr Bingley, making assumptions before a suitor has spoken,” Jane declared firmly. “However, I have been taking advice a certain friend imparted, to allow the man to see I have esteem for him, all within the bounds of propriety, of course.”

Seeing Charlotte’s quizzical look after she smiled at Jane’s words regarding her advice, Elizabeth elucidated. “Lord Andrew Fitzwilliam, Viscount Hilldale,” she revealed. “He is another of Mr Darcy’s cousins. I believe you met Colonel Fitzwilliam over Easter.”

“I did; Mr Darcy was there as well. He quizzed me about your reasons for rejecting Mr Collins, and how it was you were not forced to follow your mother’s orders regarding marriage,” Charlotte revealed. “He seemed both confused and pleased by the answers I gave him. Could it be those of us who told you he did not look at you to find fault as you insisted he did, had the right of it?”

Elizabeth looked away and would not answer her friend directly. She missed the smug ‘ I told you so ’ smiles both Jane and Charlotte sported. It was they who had told her she had been wrong about Mr Darcy when he had been in Meryton.

“Charlotte, what will you do now?” Elizabeth enquired.

“I suppose I will have to return to Lucas Lodge, I am Miss Lucas again after all,” Charlotte stated. “It will be hard after I was mistress of my own home, but it is what it is.”

“You may not know this, but I apparently own eight estates now, so I will need to travel to each one and introduce myself to the stewards and make sure all is well, especially with the tenants,” Elizabeth related. “It would be better if I had a companion with me who is intelligent and prudent.” She looked at Charlotte pointedly.

“Eliza, I thank you, but I do have a little money from my annulled marriage, and I have not thought of taking a paid position yet,” Charlotte demurred.

“I should have made myself clear,” Elizabeth replied. “I am not seeking a paid companion. I need a friend I can trust.” She turned to Jane and smiled at her. “Obviously, it cannot be Jane as I am sure she will be in a courtship, or more, by the time I am allowed out of this dratted bed. As far as I can see, Mary is interested in someone as well, and Kate and Lydia are back in.” Elizabeth paused. “Of course, I would cover all of your expenses, including wardrobe, and I will dower you.”

“I would join you as a friend without any money being expended on me,” Charlotte insisted. “I would not want to take away anything from your funds.” She could not understand why both Bennet sisters laughed. Charlotte watched as Elizabeth nodded to Jane who retrieved a sheet of paper from a little table close to the bed.

Jane unfolded the sheet and pointed to a number. “That is what all Bennet sisters, save Lizzy, have as a dowry. Lizzy intends to more than triple that number because,” Jane pointed to a huge number which defied imagination, “this is what the dukedom has in liquid funds, not counting investments, and the massive annual income from the eight estates.”

Charlotte’s mouth flapped open and closed like a carp out of water when the shock of the enormous numbers hit her. Not even in her imagination had she ever thought wealth like this existed outside of the royal family.

“As I am sure you will appreciate, what you have seen is not to be shared with anyone unless we desire to do so,” Elizabeth instructed. Even without Charlotte’s assurances, Elizabeth had never doubted her friend’s ability to guard a confidence. “Now you can see the trifle I will spend on you, including a dowry of twenty thousand pounds, will have little or no impact on my finances.”

“But that is so very much! It is the same amount about which Miss Bingley boasts,” Charlotte objected weakly.

“Exactly,” Elizabeth returned smugly.

“As good as it is to spend time with you as friends once more, I must write to my father. I have much to tell him. And, Eliza, I am so pleased to see you are recovering from your injuries,” Charlotte stated as she stood. “I am not sure where to go.”

“The maid will show you to one of the housekeepers who will escort you to your suite,” Jane reported. She stood and spoke to the maid, who also stood and bobbed a curtsy. Charlotte followed her from the room.

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

“Lizzy is a what?” Phillips exclaimed after Bennet had told him everything.

“You did not mishear or misunderstand me. She is the suo jure Duchess of Hertfordshire, and yes, she is as wealthy as ten lords and owns seven estates in addition to her primary one,” Bennet repeated.

“Rather than bask in the glory, all Fanny could do was attack Lizzy?” Phillips shook his head, “I must own I have never understood my sister-in-law. My wife is not the most intelligent being, and loves her gossip, but she is never malicious, which sad to say, cannot be said of your wife.” Phillips cogitated for a few moments. “Given what occurred today, why do you not accept the Regent’s offer for help to dissolve your marriage?”

“I will reconsider that option once I return to Brighton,” Bennet responded. “Now my main reason for calling on you. I want a new entail written. An entail that does not allow all or part of Longbourn to be sold off and that only one of my direct descendants, regardless of sex, may inherit. Then I need a new will.”

“Who will be your heir, Bennet? Obviously, Lizzy has no need. If your observations are correct, then Jane will marry a man who has his own estate. That leaves Mary. I understand the man who is interested in her does not own his own land.”

“Then that is how you will write my will. In the absence of a son, the estate will go to my first daughter, in descending age, whose husband does not have his own, or is not the heir to an estate. If all marry men with estates, then in the same age order, it will be the property of the first grandson who does not own his own land, and if no grandsons are eligible, then it would start with the eldest granddaughter.”

Phillips made notes as Bennet spoke. “Nothing too complicated here. I will have my clerk draft this. Will you still be in Brighton in about a sennight?” Bennet nodded. “In that case, I will post it to you there.” Phillips paused as he considered something. “Would Hattie and I be welcome to visit Lizzy and the girls? You know how my wife dotes on your daughters. When she hears what has befallen Lizzy, she will not rest easy until she can see for herself that Lizzy is well.”

Bennet was well aware of how much his wife’s sister esteemed her nieces, and his Highness had welcomed any family members who wanted to visit Lizzy. “You would be more than welcome…” Bennet told his brother-in-law of the Regent’s invitation. “When you know you will come, write to me so I may inform Mrs Fitzherbert, and through her, the household staff.”

The men stood and shook hands. Bennet made for the stables and his gelding while Phillips went to break all the news to his wife. Bennet was pleased he would not be present to hear Hattie’s effusions.

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

By the time Bennet arrived back at Longbourn, his orders had been executed and his wife was no longer in the house. For the first time since he married Fanny Gardiner, he was able to work in his study with the door open.

His plan was to depart for Brighton at first light. Once his work had been completed, Bennet decided to call on Lucas Lodge. The announcement regarding Lizzy would more than likely be in the London papers on the morrow, and given their expectations Charlotte would be the mistress of Longbourn one day, Bennet felt he owed it to his friend to inform him before he read the papers. It would also allow Lucas to prepare his wife for when Charlotte would surely write to inform them of the end of the entail.

Bennet walked the less than one mile to Lucas Lodge. The housekeeper—the Lucases could not afford a butler—showed him into Sir William’s study.

“I thought I heard you were away. Have you come back to stay?” Sir William asked jovially after the two had shaken hands and taken their seats. “Where was it you went in such a hurry?”

“I was in Brighton, and I will be returning thither in the morning,” Bennet answered. “There will be a royal announcement in the papers on the morrow or at the very latest the following day, and I felt it would be better for you to hear it from me before you read it.”

The normally ebullient Sir William’s face took on a more serious mien. “What is it, Bennet? Is someone ill?”

“No, not anything like that. However, what I am about to relate to you changes your son-in-law’s prospects considerably.” Bennet saw Sir William’s countenance change from serious to worried. “As you know, Lizzy left for Brighton with the Gardiners close to the end of June…” The more he related, the more Sir William’s emotions played over his face. Be nnet did not mention the expansion of his estate or the fact his daughters had all been dowered with rather significant amounts. At the end of it, the normally verbose man sat without saying a word for a full five minutes. Bennet waited, knowing his friend would speak when he was ready.

“Eliza, a duchess! Gardiner, a baronet! No more entail on Longbourn!” Sir William managed. “Has Collins been informed?” He knew his wife had pushed Charlotte to accept Collins just so she could boast that her daughter would replace Fanny Bennet as mistress one day. He also knew it had not been a good reason for his eldest to marry. He had kept his opinions to himself given Charlotte’s age, and his suspicion it would be the one and only offer of marriage she would receive. Now his daughter was stuck with such a man, and the primary reason for accepting him was moot. As if that were not enough, Gardiner was higher than him now, and Eliza was a duchess!

“Collins should have received the notice from the Court of Chancery by now. I knew this would all come as rather a big shock; hence my call to apprise you in person,” Bennet clarified.

“I remember hearing of the last Duke of Hertfordshire, Lord Harold Winston, dying when I was a lad, and the dukedom ending with him. All of the property and wealth devolved to the crown,” Sir William mused.

“That dukedom and its associated wealth was what the kidnapper would have demanded as a ransom. Because Lizzy thwarted the criminal’s plans, the Regent thought it only fitting he bestow on her that which would have been extracted from him for Miss Seymour’s safe return,” Bennet explained.

“Was not the Hertfordshire dukedom one of the wealthiest in the realm…” Sir William stopped and waited for Bennet to refute his assertion, he did not. “My goodness, Eliza, Her Grace, is as rich as Croesus. No! Richer!”

“She is rather wealthy, but she is still the same Lizzy we all know and love,” Bennet interjected.

“Thank you for telling me in person, Bennet,” Sir William stated. “I need to go speak to my wife and children. When you see Her Grace again, please convey my family’s wishes for a speedy recuperation and congratulations on her elevation.”

“It will be done my friend.” Both men stood and shook as they had when Bennet arrived. Sir William walked Bennet out and then made for the drawing room.

He related what he had been told to his wife, Franklin, and Maria. Johnny was away visiting a friend he had made at Oxford. His son and daughter sat with mouths hanging open while his wife stifled a cry.

“I have regretted pushing Charlotte to marry that man for some time now,” Lady Lucas moaned. “I could tell from her letters how unhappy she is. No amount of money, or my being able to outdo Fanny Bennet is worth Charlotte’s suffering. What have I done?”

“Charlotte is strong and sensible,” Franklin, the second eldest Lucas offspring opined.

“Can you imagine how Fanny Bennet will be now? We will never hear the end of her crowing about Her Grace this and Her Grace that,” Lady Lucas predicted.

“That will not happen. Mrs Bennet…” Sir William repeated what his friend had told him about Fanny Bennet and her banishment. “Without any form of transport, other than her legs, I do not think you will be seeing her for a long, long time.”

“How can she be so cruel to Lizzy…Her Grace?” Maria wondered.

“It is something your mother and I have asked one another many times over the years, and unless we ask Bennet, which it is not our place to do, we will never know,” Sir William replied .

“Do you think Lady Catherine has found Her Grace in Brighton?” Lady Lucas smiled. “From what Charlotte said that virago planned to issue a set-down. Now, however, she will be facing a duchess being hosted by the Regent in the Royal Pavilion. I would wager that the way she carried on here will not be acceptable behaviour in the house of a royal. We did try to inform her she was wrong about the then Eliza.”

“Indeed we did,” Sir William agreed, “but that woman accepts no counsel unless it is her own. She will be surprised when she finds Her Grace will not be intimidated by her.”

“That I would like to see,” Franklin grinned. When he was younger, the heir to Lucas Lodge had had his eye on little Lizzy Bennet. Since his return from Oxford a few years ago, Franklin had realised she would never accept him, and now she was even further out of reach than she had been then. He was sure ‘ Little Lizzy ’ as he used to call her, would make an excellent duchess.