Chapter 22

E ven in disguise, Wickham knew he could not show his face in Brighton again. As far as he could see, his only hope was that Karen Younge would take him in and allow him to lie low until he could formulate a plan to take his revenge on the new Duchess of Hertfordshire.

During his flight from the area of Mintin Glen in Monmouthshire, necessitated by his likeness having been displayed in the newspapers, he had travelled north in Wales for two days; moving mostly at night once he had put distance between himself and the Wild Stallion Inn. On the third day, he left Blaze at an inn in the early morning. By then he had stolen labourer’s clothing and had fashioned a disguise for himself.

It had taken more than a week, but he had slowly made his way across the country, never using post coaches. Thus he had eventually arrived in London and made his way to Edward Street. Just in case the house was being watched, Wickham took a room at a nearby inn and paid some waifs a few pennies to keep an eye on the house and report to him if there was anyone paying attention to it. After four days, the boys had not noticed anyone particularly interested in the boarding house or anyone out of place or unknown to them.

Hence, Wickham decided it was safe for him to approach. He knocked on the door, and thankfully the maid who answered was not one he had seen before. “I ‘ere to see yir missus,” he told the girl in his put on accent. Before the young maid could react, he stepped inside the house and pushed the door closed, making sure to lock it.

Karen Younge had heard her maid’s gasp so she came to see what was occurring. “You! Get out of my house before I have my brother teach you some manners,” she blustered.

“We both know he is no longer alive,” Wickham stated in his own voice. “Do not say anything; we should go to your office and speak.” Wickham indicated the maid with his eyes. Miss Younge dismissed the girl to return to her work and led Wickham to her office from the entry hall.

As soon as the door was closed, she turned her ire on Wickham. “How is it you are free, yet Clay, Johnson, and that officer friend of yours have all lost their heads?” Miss Younge demanded.

“The only reason I escaped was thanks to my being ahead of the others. That damned ex-baron gave them a mission from which there was no escape. They had to distract the guards who happened to be from the Royal Guard and were all good shots. I was riding ahead to grab the girl, but some interfering woman pushed her out of the way. I thought I had killed her with my horse, but she survived and Prinny’s gone and made her a duchess. From what I can tell that bastard Weasley intended to have his own men murder anyone who was captured, but they too were killed by the guards,” Wickham reported.

“What are you doing here? According to the papers there is a bounty on your head. Why should I not turn you in and claim the ten thousand pounds they are offering? Without the money Clay brought in, I am not doing well financially,” Miss Younge revealed.

“I have about fifty pounds left I will give you, so I can remain here and stay out of sight for a while. If you help me, what we will get will make ten thousand look like a pittance,” Wickham claimed.

“You mean like all of that money we were supposed to have when you charmed Miss Darcy into marrying you?” Miss Younge returned sceptically .

“That would have succeeded had that damned Darcy not arrived early.” Wickham did not mention that even had he married her, he would have not received a penny of her dowry. Without the prior approval of both guardians, there was no dowry. “Why do you think the late Weasley wanted the dukedom? It is second in wealth only to the Bedford one. We will arrange to kidnap one of the Duchess’s sisters and ransom her. She will pay far more than a mere ten thousand pounds.”

“And how will you get a sister of this duchess to trust you?” Miss Younge enquired.

“That is the easy part. The youngest one is a light skirted flirt who imagined herself half in love with me. If we allow the furore to die down for a few months, then I will approach Miss Lydia Bennet and tell her I am madly in love with her and propose we elope. Once we have her, we will get a message to the Duchess and demand one hundred thousand pounds! That is fifty thousand each. Is that not better than ten thousand?” Wickham prayed Karen would not opt for the easy money. He watched as she mulled his plan over. He knew he had her when he saw the avaricious gleam in her eyes.

“Doublecross me and I will make sure the Regent gets his hands on you.” Miss Younge thought of something. “What if my servants hear your name and repeat it?”

“My name is Grayson Williamson. Also, when I am out of my chamber, I will always wear the blond wig, and my cap over my eyes. As long as you do not use my real name, all will be well. Once we have the money, we will leave the country and start a life in the style we deserve,” Wickham grinned. “And this time there is no Darcy to step in and spoil things. The duchess hates him so he and his family members will be the last people with whom we have to be concerned.”

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

As much as Fanny Bennet disliked walking, she had walked the more than one mile to the manor house on three separate occasions to try and reclaim her position as mistress of the estate. Each time Hill had refused her entry, and a footman had escorted her back to her cottage.

Seeing that it was two miles each way, she had walked into Meryton only once. That was what she told herself, but the truth was, her reception had been somewhat frosty.

It annoyed her no end how everyone was lauding that wilful Miss Lizzy. Could no one understand the hoyden had stolen the title from Jane? She had tried to point that out to Mesdames Goulding and Long, however, they had been rude in their rebuke of her. Why was it no one could understand things the way she did? Additionally, Fanny had blamed her banishment on her second daughter and the two, who she had thought friends in the past, had told her it was all her own fault! As if she had done something wrong!

Fanny had gone to see Hattie to seek solace as she was sure her sister would give her succour. Her sister had received her, but when she had been shown into the sitting room, her sister was entertaining Lady Lucas and Mrs Purvis. Rather than support her, her own flesh and blood, her older sister, who would never gainsay her in the past, along with Lady Lucas and Mrs Purvis, laid all the blame at Fanny’s door!

Without taking her leave, Fanny had stormed out of her sister’s house and not stopped until she reached the hovel where her disobliging husband had forced her to live. She could not wait until she saw Miss Lizzy to pay her back for all of the ills which had been visited on herself.

A few days after her aborted foray into Meryton, Fanny was sitting and fretting in the room which was a dining parlour and sitting room in one, when there was a knock on the door. She suddenly realised she had no one to open the door, so Fanny stood with a huff and walked the few feet to the front door. After the way her sister had treated her, she was greatly surprised to see none other than her brother-in-law standing without .

“Are you here to apologise for the infamous manner in which Hattie treated me,” Fanny crowed.

“Perhaps I may come in, and we can sit before you begin to interrogate me,” Phillips suggested. Knowing how Fanny would react, he was sure unless she was seated when she understood what had occurred, she would faint dead away, or at least pretend to, and hurt herself falling.

Even if it were only that traitorous Hattie’s husband, Fanny was excited she had a caller. It was her first one. She led him to where the two threadbare armchairs were positioned. “It is about time Hattie begged my pardon,” Fanny sneered once she had seated herself. “To take that Lizzy’s side over me! It is unconscionable. I will know how to act when I see that trouble-making hoyden.”

“Do you not mean Her Grace? And what did Hattie or any of the other ladies say which was not true?” Phillips pointed out before she could release the vitriolic response which was building. “Your perceived ill-usage is not why I am here. Read this notice from the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and then I will explain all to you afterwards.” Phillips extracted the document from his folio and handed it to Fanny.

She was keen to see what it said. Could it possibly be that the hoyden’s title was being transferred to Jane as it should have been bestowed on her in the first place? She held the page up and read it.

Notice of Dissolution of Marriage

The office of Charles Manners-Sutton, The Most Reverend Willowmere, by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury

On this the 8th day of August in the year of our Lord 1811, in my duties as Archbishop and with the recommendation and agreement of Prince George, Regent of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Prince of Wales, who is the head of the Church of England in his father’s name, it is hereby resolved.

The marriage between Thomas Henry Bennet of Longbourn and Frances Lydia Gardiner is dissolved from the above date forward.

This order is incontestable and irrevocable.

By order of Charles Manners-Sutton, The Most Reverend Willowmere, by Divine Providence Lord Archbishop of Canterbury

Fanny sat staring at the document, the Archbishop’s signature, and his seal for some moments after reading the words on the paper. Still she could not fathom what it was telling her.

Phillips removed the document from his sister-in-law’s limp hands as she stared without comprehension.

“Is this one of my husband’s jests?” Fanny finally managed.

“No, it is not a joke, and as soon as the Archbishop affixed his signature and added his seal, you no longer had a husband,” Phillips explained as gently as he was able.

“But this cannot be. They cannot annul the marriage, it was consummated, we have five daughters. No, I will not allow this,” Fanny blustered.

“That is why it is a dissolution and not an annulment. It has the same effect as a divorce, without the scandal of the reporting in the newspapers and the house of Lords having to weigh in on the subject. They are very rare, and only with the King recommending it, which in this case is the Regent,” Phillips revealed. “What choice did you leave Bennet when you reacted as you did to Lizzy’s elevation? That was the final issue which pushed him to act. How many times did he not beg you to learn and change your ways? You refused every entreaty, and now you are once again Fanny Gardiner. With a dissolution, you do not get to keep your former husband’s name.”

“ HOW AM I TO LIVE !” Fanny screamed. “I will be cast into the hedgerows.”

“No, you will not. Bennet has released the whole of your dowry back to you. It is invested with your brother, so you will have around five hundred pounds a year to support you. If someone offers for you, you may remarry. After a divorce, the former wife is run out of society by the scandal; it is not the case here. With such an amount you are able to rent a home in Meryton, and you will be able to afford two or three maids and a cook, possibly even a manservant. With all of that, after you pay for your clothing and eating needs, you should still have more than one hundred pounds left over each year,” Phillips clarified.

When her brother-in-law explained how much money she would have to live on, and what she could do with it, Fanny began to see some light. “I want Jane and Lydia to live with me,” she demanded.

“Even when you were married, you had not the power to make that edict. Now you have nothing to do with Bennet’s daughters ,” Phillips revealed.

“Does that useless man who was my husband intend to throw me from his land today?” Fanny asked derisively. Her anger was bubbling just below the surface. She knew who caused all of her ills, Miss Lizzy!

“You have three months to find a permanent home. No, there is no rent to be paid to Bennet. I must warn you Fanny, attempt to force your way into the manor house again, do or say anything which would dishonour any Bennet, and you will be thrown off Longbourn’s land with no further warning.” Phillips paused to allow time for her to absorb his words. “As long as you behave, I will come collect you in my gig so you may begin to see what abodes are available in the town. If you are worried about people speaking about the fact you are no longer a Bennet, there is always Hatfield, St Albans, or some other town where you are unknown. Say one untoward word, and you will have to start spending your own money to hire transport, and look for a place to live on your own.”

She gritted her teeth and did not say what she truly wanted to say. “I will behave. As I am not wanted in Meryton, I will look in Hatfield,” Fanny decided.

Once her brother-in-law departed, Fanny had an urge to throw anything she could against the walls. Only the fact she would be turned off Longbourn’s land like a piece of unwanted rubbish stayed her hand.

One thing she swore to herself was that hoyden would pay for all which she had caused. Fanny would have her revenge.

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

As soon as the Pavilion came into her field of vision, Anne de Bourgh’s mouth hung open. She thought she had been prepared for the splendour of the Regent’s palace in Brighton from all which her family members had related to her, but it was far beyond anything she had imagined.

Anne was in the lead coach with her aunt, uncle, Andrew, and Mrs Jenkinson. Richard, William, and the valets were in the following conveyance. For the first time in many years, she felt alive. Her mother had perpetuated the myth she was sickly so no one would question why Anne was never seen in society. Thanks to her dictatorial mother never allowing her to exercise and making sure her food was not too nourishing; she had become weaker over time.

Since her mother’s flight on her odyssey, Anne had begun to eat normally and take short walks. It had only been a few weeks, but she could already feel the difference.

She could not but smile as she thought about her besotted cousins. Andrew and Richard had been happy to share the perfections of their chosen Bennet sister. They had related they intended to request courtships as soon as they were able to have a few minutes with their respective ladies after their return. William, never as ebullient as his two older cousins, was as besotted with the new Duchess. Unlike his cousins, he was not sure if she would accept his suit. He also felt he needed to wait until her leg was fully healed.

She was not sure if she would ever meet a man who would value her for anything but her estate and her fortune, but Anne’s hope was she would one day find a man who loved her as much as her cousins loved the ladies of their choice.

The coach began to slow, and Anne was in great anticipation of meeting the lady William loved, the brave Duchess of Hertfordshire.