Chapter 36

With Wickham arrested and off to London to face trial, Pemberley became active in preparation for the departures of all but Elizabeth and Darcy. It was decided that Mary would accompany Anne and Georgiana to Matlock with Lady Matlock. Despite their various ages, the three bonded over their love of music, and Georgiana was helping Mary play better, while Mary was teaching Anne the basics. Elizabeth was pleased that the three of them were beginning to form a strong friendship.

Kitty and Lydia would return to London with the Gardiners and Jane. A companion would be hired for the youngest girls to prepare them to attend school around Michaelmas. Elizabeth had noticed a positive change in Lydia after the experience with Wickham and constant exposure to Georgiana Darcy and Lady Matlock. After nearly a month in the same house with those two, and with the influence of both Mrs. Gardiner and Mrs. Annesley, she began moderating her behaviour for the good.

It was a humbled Lydia who had gone to Elizabeth and apologised for her previous actions and her many complaints. But mainly, she was perplexed at how her behaviour, which her mother had encouraged, was so opposite of what it ought to be.

"As much as I apologise for how I have acted when you and the others only wanted to help me, I cannot understand how Mama encouraged me to act in this way. I thought that you and Jane were just trying to keep me from having any fun," Lydia admitted in the privacy of her sister's sitting room.

Elizabeth nodded sympathetically at the young girl. "Does this mean you are more amenable to the idea of school now?" she asked.

Lydia nodded.

"I am glad. Mama did not prepare you well for society, particularly not the society you will experience now as the sister to Mr. Darcy. When you return to London, you will receive new clothing, in a more appropriate style for a girl your age who is not yet out. Despite what Mama may have claimed, you are in no way prepared for marriage and do not need to be out until you are at least eighteen," Elizabeth stated.

"I was surprised when Mr. Wickham said what he did about me. In between begging me to marry him, he spoke of how easy it would have been to seduce me. Perhaps attending school and being around other girls will help," Lydia suggested.

While these words coming from her youngest sister surprised Elizabeth, she was pleased that she appeared to want to change now. It would take a good deal of work to make Lydia ready for society, but she was just fifteen and had more than two years to get there.

Several weeks after his departure,the Darcys finally received a letter from Bingley. Bingley again apologised for his sister's part in plotting against the new Mrs. Darcy and hoped that nothing had come of those plans. After meeting with his aunt and uncles who still lived in Scarborough, it was decided that Caroline Bingley was unwell, and she would be placed in a hospital in Scotland where they would care for her for the rest of her life.

Given his sister's troubles, Bingley said, he no longer felt it wise to court anyone, as he decided his course forward. One of his uncles had taken him aside and spoken to him about the need to do something substantial with his life. It did not take Bingley long to determine that he did not know what he wanted, and while he liked Jane, he was not certain he was ready to marry.

On the day before the Gardiners departed, Elizabeth found time to speak with Jane about the Bingleys. With all that had been going on, the two sisters had not had much time to talk about Jane's suitor or much of anything. Elizabeth's free time had been consumed by either learning her role as mistress of such a grand estate or occupied with her husband.

"Jane, I am sorry to tell you that I do not know when or if Mr. Bingley will return," Elizabeth began as she told Jane about the letter they had received.

Jane looked at her sister, her expression sad but not heartbroken. "I suppose we will have to wait and see what he does. One of my concerns, especially after he left Netherfield in November, was how much he allowed his sister to control him. You and Mr. Darcy were engaged very quickly after that gentleman's return, though Mr. Bingley continued to hesitate. After my uncles spoke to him, I hoped he would come to a decision, but he did not. I had already begun to withdraw my affections from him, uncertain if he would be able to be the husband I desire. I did like him, even believed I loved him, but watching Mr. Darcy with you, well, I wonder if what I felt was true love or just a pleasant feeling because he paid attention to me. You know that Mama has always pushed us at any available men, and there have been so few in Meryton. Either we will find each other again when we are both ready, or we will each meet and marry someone else."

Elizabeth just looked at her sister for a moment before finally speaking. "You should examine these feelings before making any decisions regarding your future. Perhaps with the broader exposure to gentlemen in town, you might meet someone else to love, or at least to explore the feelings you had for Mr. Bingley."

"I intend to use my time with Aunt Gardiner to do just as you suggest. We have already discussed these things once or twice, even without knowing what Mr. Bingley would do. I no longer expect him to return. But, oh Lizzy, how I will miss you. I know that you and Mr. Darcy need this time together after your marriage, and while I know we have been separated in the past, there was always the knowledge that we would return to each other. Things have happened so quickly over the last weeks, and I have only just realised that this is no longer the case." Jane's eyes filled with tears.

Elizabeth was startled. Suddenly, she wrapped her sister in an embrace, her own tears threatening. "Oh Jane, in my pleasure over my marriage to William, I had not considered this. I will miss you dreadfully, and while things may not be the same, we will still see each other often in town, and you will stay at Pemberley whenever you wish."

The two sisters spent another hour discussing their thoughts. Jane expressed her happiness for her sister, although Elizabeth could not help feeling a pang of sadness at the imminent parting from Jane. In the last month, the trajectory of their lives had changed so rapidly and significantly that it was sometimes difficult to fathom how much had changed.

Elizabeth and Darcywoke early the next morning to see the Gardiners and Bennets off. It was a teary goodbye for all the sisters, particularly Elizabeth and Jane. After many long hugs, the two carriages headed toward London finally departed.

As soon as the Gardiners left, the remaining party went to the breakfast room, where pastries, tea, and coffee were laid out. The Matlocks and Richard had returned the previous evening, and so they asked the Darcys and Anne to join them in the study to speak of Lady Catherine.

They chatted as they walked to the study. "Do you remember summers spent at Pemberley and Matlock when you were children?" the countess asked, addressing Anne and Darcy in particular..

"I remember," Anne replied. "I vaguely remember at least summer spent at Matlock with my grandparents. Grandpapa was stern but always kind, and Grandmama was so lovely. As a child, I remember being surprised at how Mother and Grandmama could have been so different."

Lady Matlock looked at her niece in surprise. "I had never considered that. The countess was all that was lovely and kind—and Catherine was not. James, what happened there?"

He shook his head. "I do not know. Though we were close in age, we were not together all that much. I was often busy with Father, learning about the estate and with tutors. Catherine and Anne were of a similar age, and while they spent time together, I am not certain they were very friendly. My father was very busy and did not spend much time with either of his daughters, though I believe Mother did. It always seemed that Catherine was competing with Anne, wanting to be better than her, though I am not certain Anne felt the same way."

"Why did Mother never learn any of the typical accomplishments? She is fond of saying, ‘If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient' in referencing things a gentlewoman ought to have learned." Anne paused momentarily, continuing more quietly. "She says the same of me, always insisting I was too ill to learn these things. My father tried to work around Mother to hire masters or tutors to teach me, but Mother always found out and gave them the sack. I received disjointed instruction while Mama insisted I did not need formal education."

Lord Matlock huffed a laugh. "I do remember when she and Anne began piano lessons as children. Anne took to it immediately, while Catherine decidedly did not. She was terrible. She was certainly not proficient and refused to continue after a month or so of lessons. My parents did not protest, so only Anne continued. I do not think this was the only event like that—learning most things came more easily to Anne than Catherine. It is possible she resented her sister for it. Catherine also looked far more like Father, while Anne looked like Mother. Anne was frequently praised for her beauty. I have never considered it, though it seems likely Catherine was jealous of Anne. As I recall, she wanted to marry George Darcy when I first brought him home."

Darcy frowned. "Did she? I did not think she particularly cared for Father?"

"When Catherine first met your father, she found him attractive, and he was wealthy, of course. But he fell for Anne nearly the moment he saw her. Father made the two wait, insisting they were too young to consider marriage at the time. George was only twenty and had not finished at Cambridge yet, while Anne was barely sixteen. They were still a bit young when they married, and I believe they experienced several losses before you came along. Catherine did too. It irked her that Anne gave George his son and heir while she only had a daughter. Of course, she refused to even consider another child after giving birth once and locked the door between their rooms," Lady Matlock explained as she settled into a chair in the study.

"Did you know Mother before she married my father?" Anne asked.

"I lived near Matlock and visited often. Anne and I were friends, though Catherine did not want to have much to do with us. A few days after George came home with James, I was at Matlock for a visit. Both Anne and Catherine had been attracted to George, but he only saw Anne. Catherine was furious, even more so when George asked to court Anne."

Darcy looked up in surprise. "I do not think I ever realised you and Mother were friends before you each married."

Lady Matlock smiled. "I knew the Matlock family for years. James and I were always around each other. I had been interested in him for years, and it was Anne who helped open his eyes to me. She wanted me as her sister."

Once everyone had found a seat in the study, Richard cleared his throat. "If it would not cause a scandal, I would suggest that we send Aunt Catherine directly to Bedlam. She ranted the whole way to Wales about Darcy's so-called ‘foolishness' and ‘insolence,' and nothing he or I attempted silenced her. At one point, I seriously considered employing a gag. It took some time, but we settled her into the cottage she owns in Wales. Unfortunately, it did become necessary for the housekeeper and a maid to administer laudanum to end her caterwauling."

"I refuse to send my sister to Bedlam, regardless of how ill she might be. At the moment, all we have are suspicions that she is responsible for the deaths of Sir Lewis and George, and I doubt we would ever be able to prove it. We do know she has been dosing Anne with something to keep her ill, and that is enough to keep her isolated."

"You took her to the property near Wrexham?" Darcy asked. "I have never visited, but understood the manor house there was in good repair, and it is not so distant from Matlock that it would be impossible to visit, should it be necessary. As I recall, it is fairly isolated, a good ten miles from the nearest village," Darcy asked.

"That is correct. There was a skeleton staff already in place, so we hired a few servants to keep Catherine contained. I also employed two nurses to remain with her, with the intention that at least one is always with her. If she has indeed lost her senses as it seems, she will require constant supervision to prevent any harm to herself or others," Lord Matlock replied.

Anne chuckled, surprising them all. "It is nothing," she said when they asked. "It merely struck me as ironic that after dosing me for all those years to keep me weak, it is now Mother who seems to need a regular dose of something to keep her calm. However, I would prefer someone with medical expertise to oversee this, as it is evident that an uninformed individual could potentially cause significant harm."

The others agreed with Anne's conclusion. After the group spent another hour discussing how to handle matters with her, they decided that Anne would spend the summer at Matlock, learning how to manage the estate that belonged to her.

As planned, Georgiana and Mary would travel to Matlock with the Fitzwilliams and Anne. Since Mrs. Jenkinson had expressed her desire to retire, they would search for a new companion for Anne, and Mrs. Annesley would begin incorporating Mary into some of her lessons with Georgiana. With help from Lady Matlock, Anne would acquire a new wardrobe, and once Lord Matlock returned to town, they would begin transferring Rosings into Anne's control.

The newly married couple were relieved to be given several months alone at Pemberley, though they were expected to arrive in London after the harvest, no later than Michaelmas. Lady Matlock was very stern when she gave Darcy his orders about when to arrive in London.

"William, you are expected to appear on my doorstep no later than the first of October. Do not test my patience in this matter, or I will take you over my knee as I did when you were a child."

Darcy glared at Elizabeth who failed in stifling her snort. She had mentioned before how funny she found it when matriarch threatened her nephew, who stood nearly a head taller than his petite aunt and likely weighed nearly twice as much. "Oh, Lady Matlock, forgive me, but the thought of you disciplining William in such a way is quite amusing. You must admit that to do as you suggest would be difficult," she admitted

Even Lady Matlock conceded that it was amusing, but she did inform Elizabeth that she was earnest about the date the couple should arrive in London. "I intend to do all I can to assist your entry to the ton, Elizabeth, but to do that, you must be in town for at least part of the season. I would prefer you to arrive in a month, but knowing how much my nephew despises social events, it is probably best to limit how long he will have to endure the ton."

"Thank you, Aunt. I hope you know we do appreciate your support," Elizabeth replied.

Darcy concurred and expressed his gratitude to his aunt. With matters settled for now, the group sought out Georgiana and Mary in the music room. They listened to the girls playing for some time and then engaged in various activities for the rest of the day. As the evening approached, those leaving the next day took time to pack and prepare for their departure. Dinner that night transpired quietly, and soon after, everyone retired.