Chapter 21

It took some moments for Jamey, who had been shaken to his very core, to recover from being struck dumb over that which was becoming eminently clear to him. There had been a mix up at the inn the day the three had been born in March 1790, and based on the fact it seemed Saul and Philip were brothers, whatever had occurred had not been accidental.

“Philip, those marks are not common!” Jamey exclaimed. “There is none other besides the two of you and the Bennets who we know who bear those birthmarks. I remember one day some months after your births Mother and Aunt Rose were speaking about this very subject.

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

Woburn Abbey July 1790

“Rose, have you ever seen a birthmark like the ones your Saul and my Philip have, on anyone else in our extended families?” Cilla asked while the mothers watched their new sons sleeping peacefully in the nursery.

The Carringtons had been in residence at the Abbey since the families arrived from Meryton following the two sons coming into the world. The Fitzwilliams had remained for a month before continuing on to Snowhaven. Cilla, Paul, and their three children would journey to Holder Heights at the end of the current month.

“No Cilla, I have not. I am positive neither our late Mama or Papa had such a mark. It could be an anomaly, however…”

“If it were, cousins would not have the same mark in the same position,” Cilla completed her sister’s thought. “Yes, I thought about that as well. Have you noticed their hair is not the same colour as any of our other children. What can it mean, Rosie?”

“It is somewhat similar to Papa’s though,” Rose opined.

“Are we purchasing trouble to question the gifts He gave us?” Cilla wondered.

The sisters agreed they would not trouble their husbands based on birthmarks they had not seen before. They resolved that it was not their place to question God’s design.

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

By the time Jamey had related what he had heard that day, no one in the music room spoke as each one absorbed the enormity of what was occurring. Mary was the first to speak. “My brother, your sister? No my brothers! I can understand one babe being swapped in error, but not two who were evidently given to two different mothers,” Mary vocalised what the others were all thinking.

“Not my sister, my cousin, evidently,” Jamey corrected. “If what we are all thinking is correct then Miss Elizabeth…Lady Elizabeth is more than likely sister to Sed who will arrive here on Friday upcoming with Emily and their daughter, Julia. She could be my sister, but my mother is much taller than her.”

“I have an important suggestion,” Louisa Hurst interjected. “This revelation should be kept from my sister and brother until things are verified and your families have all come to agreement.” No one disagreed with Mrs. Hurst.

“We need to speak to the midwife and the doctor who were present at the birth that day in the inn,” Richard stated.

“Mrs. Brown moved away from the area some years ago. She went to live in Broughten-in-Furnace in Lancashire,” Jane related. She and Mary had taken up positions on either side of Elizabeth; each held a hand of their silent sister—well the person they had believed was their sister until some minutes past. Lizzy who was always one of the most voluble Bennets, had been rendered mute. Jane could understand Lizzy’s reaction. She could only imagine how she would have responded if everything she believed of herself was suddenly overthrown.

Unbidden tears began to roll down Elizabeth’s cheek as she found her voice. “Mama and Papa are not my parents? I am not related to my four dearest sisters and Grandmama Beth? Who am I?” Elizabeth felt her knees begin to buckle.

Before she could fall, she was lifted in Mr. Darcy’s strong arms. “I think we should retire to a private sitting room upstairs,” William stated firmly. “Hadlock, have that big footman of yours stand in the hall in case Miss Bingley comes seeking us and tries to enter the suite.” Jamey nodded it would be so.

“Mary, have John take up station in the hall as well,” Jane requested. “With two such men I am sure no one who we do not desire to, will approach.”

Just before they followed the rest upstairs, Philip looked at Saul. “I think we are brothers.”

“Not just brothers, twins,” Saul averred.

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

By the time they started up the stairs, Elizabeth had regained her strength and indicated so to Mr. Darcy who gently placed her on her own two feet before they all continued up to the guest floor.

Richard waited until the door was closed and the two huge men were posted in the hall. “As soon as possible, we need to meet with the Bennets at Longbourn.” He turned to the lady he was courting. “Jane you mentioned there is a portrait of your father which looks like both Saul and Philip?”

“Yes, it is in the hallway with other family portraits,” Jane responded. Mary nodded her agreement. She turned to the two who it seemed were her younger brothers. “As far as we know, the birthmark we all share is unique to those of Bennet blood only.”

“And after we have consulted the Bennets?” Saul asked.

“First we need to send expresses to all of our parents. Thankfully they are all at Hilldale since Rosie’s birth. We need to have a courier take a missive to them as soon as may be. Even though the storm seems to have blown over, it is already too late in the day now, so he will be sent at first light,” Jamey decided.

“Then some of us will have to travel to Broughten-in-Furnace in Lancashire to interview Mrs. Brown,” Richard pointed out. Then he remembered something. “She had two assistants; we will need to interrogate them as well.”

“Her daughters were the ones who always worked with her,” Jane stated. “They also moved; I assume to the same town as their mother.”

“And the doctor or apothecary?” Jamey queried.

“If you want to interview Mr. Jones, he is still local,” Mary averred.

Elizabeth looked at the two younger men whose lives were about to be upended as much as her own. “What do we do now?” she asked, more rhetorically than expecting an answer.

“For now, nothing,” William responded. “I agree with Richard and Hadlock, until we know far more, any public acknowledgement of what we believe would be premature.”

Jamey did not miss how lost Philip looked. He leaned over to the young man he had always believed was his brother. “Regardless of whose blood flows in your veins, you will always be a brother to me.”

Philip felt much better at Jamey’s unequivocal avowal. As much as all of this would throw his life on its head, he wanted to know the truth.

Mary put her mouth near Jane’s ear. “The heir presumptive will not be happy when it becomes known Papa has not only an heir apparent, but a spare as well.” Jane nodded her agreement.

“We need to ride to Longbourn,” Elizabeth stated as she looked out of the window. “The rain has all but ceased; we must go speak to Mama and Papa…” Elizabeth closed her mouth. Was she allowed to address them as such? She who normally saw things with great clarity, was very discombobulated.

“Lizzy has the right of it,” Jane agreed. “We should not delay speaking to our parents and Grandmama Beth.”

Except for Giana, her companion, and the Hursts, the rest agreed they would make the ride. The ladies went to change into riding habits while the men made their way to their chambers to change as needs be.

Thankfully Miss Bingley was still stewing in her chambers and the Hursts distracted Bingley before he could ask why so many were going for a ride with the ground in such a soggy condition. Within a half hour of deciding to ride, the horses and riders were on their way to Longbourn.

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

It was not germane to their purpose at Longbourn, but Jamey and William took note of the same thing Richard had when he had called on Miss Bennet. The Bennets’ estate obviously earned far more than the reputed two thousand pounds per annum. They were met by grooms and a footman who took the horses. They and Biggs, who had ridden back with his charges, led the horses to the stables.

Bennet, Fanny, and Beth were seated in the drawing room when surprisingly, the daughters who had been trapped at Netherfield Park entered the room. Even more shocking was they had been accompanied by five unknown men.

Both Bennet and his mother had heard about the two young men who looked much like him, but that had not prepared them for the reality of seeing them. Beth swore she was looking at her Thomas in his late teens and early twenties, while Bennet could only stare at two young men who looked very much like his likeness in the painting in the hallway.

As much as she was entranced by the two who looked so much like her Thomas, Fanny moved to invite everyone to sit. She was about to ring for tea when Jane spoke.

“Mama, Papa, Grandmama Beth, we have made a momentous discovery. May we have Cathy and Lyddie fetched from their lessons? I think we should all be together for this disclosure,” Jane requested. Fanny nodded silently and Jane asked John Biggs to invite the two youngest Bennets to join them in the drawing room.

As well behaved as she was, Lydia was the most outspoken of the Bennet sisters, even at the tender age of twelve. “La, telling us these two gentlemen look like Papa was an understatement,” Lydia trilled once she saw who was in the room. As soon as she realised she had spoken out of turn, Lydia’s ears pinked and she took a seat next to Cathy and Grandmama.

“If I may Lord Hadlock, I would like to introduce my father, grandmother, and youngest sisters to you and your party. Most of you met my mother at the assembly,” Jane proposed. Jamey nodded his head. Jane introduced the five men.

Those who had not met Richard before were happy to meet the man who had captured Jane’s attention.

“For those who are not aware,” Jamey stated, “Saul and Philip,” he inclined his head towards each as he named them, “are the two others who were born at the Red Lion Inn on the fifth day of March in 1790. As they grew and did not look like any of their parents or siblings, my mother and her sisters…” Jamey explained the relationship between the three and how they had opined the two looked somewhat like their late father. “However, there was one thing both of them have which no others in any of our families have.” Jamey paused and took a deep breath knowing what the disclosure he was about to make would mean to the Bennets who were not aware of it yet. “They have distinct birth marks on their right, upper arms.”

As soon as Fanny absorbed what was being said she began to cry great big wracking sobs. Bennet moved over to sit next to his wife and pulled her to himself as he offered her his handkerchief. “Is it off red in colour and triangular in shape?” Bennet asked tentatively.

Jamey looked at the two he was now sure were brothers. They removed their jackets and rolled up their right sleeves. Once that was done they lifted their arms displaying the birthmarks for all in the room to see.

“If that is not enough, Miss Elizabeth is the image of two of the three sisters who look very much like one another. My Aunts Rose and Elaine are twins and Miss Elizabeth could be a younger version of them. My mother has many of the same features and colouring, except she is taller than both of her older sisters. If things are as we believe, I think Miss Elizabeth is the daughter by blood of my Aunt Rose.”

“I have sons!” Fanny managed after she dried her eyes. “But how did this happen. One babe being inadvertently switched I could understand, but this I do not.” She looked at the girl she had believed to be her second daughter until that moment, with sadness in her eyes at the thought Lizzy was not the child of her body.

“It was done on purpose,” Bennet stated evenly.

“That is what we believe as well,” Richard agreed. “Our parents are all at Hilldale where my sister-in-law recently birthed a child. An express will be on the way to them in the morning. Jamey’s sister, her husband, who is Aunt Rose’s eldest, and their young daughter will arrive on Friday. Your daughters informed us that the midwife moved to Lancashire. Some of us will need to travel thither to interrogate her. I think we need to speak to Mr. Jones as well.” Richard looked to Jane to make sure he remembered the name correctly. She nodded. “He was present the night of the births too.”

“From my conversation with your fathers the next day, Jones remained with them throughout as the midwife and her daughters never needed his services,” Bennet remembered.

“He may have noticed something which seemed inconsequential at the time, so it would be worthwhile speaking to him,” William opined.

“What is to be done now?” Beth asked as she still stared at the grandsons she never knew she had.

“Nothing for now,” Jamey stated simply. “I am sure the three sets of parents will join us as soon as may be. There is no doubt that Saul and Philip are related to you and Miss Elizabeth to us, but we think nothing should be said publicly until we know all.”

Fanny stood and approached the two she was sure were her sons. “May I hug you?” she requested. Both nodded. The instant she hugged them any doubts they were her sons evaporated.

Bennet called Lydia, who along with Cathy had remained silent during the momentous disclosure, to himself and said something softly in her ear. She nodded and skipped out of the room. While Fanny was hugging Philip after relinquishing her hold on Saul, Hill followed Lydia back into the drawing room. In his arms was a painting. At a nod from the master, he turned it around so all in the room could see it.

Saul and Philip approached the portrait. They stood in front of it scrutinising the features they saw. Each owned to himself it could have been him who had sat for the artist.

When it was revealed the lady who it was suspected was Elizabeth’s birthmother was a duchess, it caused Lydia to exclaim, “You will be Lady Lizzy, the daughter of a duchess!”

“Actually Miss Lydia, Miss Elizabeth is either the daughter of a duchess or a countess, so either way the correct address will be Lady Elizabeth,” William pointed out.

Cathy and Lydia rose as one and gave Elizabeth deep curtsies. “Lady Elizabeth,” they chorused in their best haughty voices. Their playful actions had the effect of breaking the tension in the room and led to a round of giggles and snickering. Except for Elizabeth, everyone else found it rather amusing.

“Well girls it seems you will not escape the arrival of Mr. Collins on the morrow,” Beth Bennet pointed out.

“Collins, is that William Collins, a clergyman?” Richard enquired.

“The one and only, and to my chagrin a distant cousin who until the events of today was the heir presumptive of Longbourn thanks to an entail to heirs male,” Bennet explained. “How is it you know of him? I would not think he moves in the same circles as you.”

“I had the misfortune of meeting him,” Richard related, “and a bigger toad eater I have never had the displeasure of meeting…” He explained about his interactions with the man.

“So you are the one he referenced in his ridiculous letter…” Bennet explained what the man had written.

“As my late aunt had no authority to appoint anyone, even had I not stepped in, his preferment would have been invalidated,” Richard revealed. “I would guess he will not be overly pleased at being displaced in the line of succession for this estate.”

“Speaking of estates, are we sure which of my sons were born first? The older will inherit this estate while the younger will have Netherfield Park,” Bennet reported.

“You own that estate?” a greatly surprised Jamey interjected.

All of the Bennets, including the one who had been thought a Bennet until that day, nodded.

“That is rich. Caroline Bingley’s head will explode when she discovers that,” Jamey clarified.

“Wait until she discovers one she thinks so far below her is the daughter of either a duke or an earl,” Saul added sardonically. Bennet recognised the same type of humour in his son which he used.

Elizabeth turned to Jamey. “I could be your sister?” she realised.

“You could be, but I think it is much more likely you are my cousin and not my sister,” Jamey averred.

Suddenly Fanny who had been lost in her joy sat up as the fact hit her that another mother would be facing much sorrow. As both young men were her sons and three live babes had left the inn, that meant one of the mother’s babes had not survived. As a mother herself, Fanny could feel the unknown woman’s pain.

It was agreed nothing would be said or done until the Rhys-Davies, Carringtons, and Fitzwilliams arrived. William suggested his parents should be notified as well. There was agreement on that point so an express would be on its way to Pemberley in the morning.

Not wanting to part from the sons she had just met right away, Fanny invited the men from Netherfield Park to remain for dinner. The invitation was accepted.

William wrote a note to Giana to tell her to take a tray in their private sitting room, and to assure her, he would tell her all when he and the other men returned. Biggs and a groom were sent to Netherfield Park to collect the trunk with the Bennets’ belongings and a note to inform Bingley his five guests would be having dinner at Longbourn.

Jamey wrote a note to Brian Johns and told him to return to Longbourn with Biggs and the groom. With the sycophant arriving on the morrow, he wanted his cousin or possible sister and her adoptive family to have as much protection as possible.