Netherfield Park Quarantined (15 page)

He could not wait to meet his future wife, all Mrs Bennet said impressed
the clergyman and made him feel he would be quite fortunate having such a
fetching wife at his command.

But then Mr Collins learned of the marriage between Darcy and
Elizabeth. This infuriated Mr Collins, and nothing he said or did made any
difference to the father of his future wife.

Once Mr Collins had recovered, he went directly to his patroness. He
knew of Mr Darcy being the nephew of Lady Catherine, and she had spoken
often of the engagement between her daughter and Mr Darcy. If anyone knew
of his anguish over the Darcy marriage, it would be Lady Catherine.

Arriving at Rosings Park, Mr Collins went straight to the grand lady,
telling her his sad tale of stolen dreams and how it was her own nephew who
had destroyed Mr Collin’s happiness. Lady Catherine was furious. She ranted
for hours of how Elizabeth Bennet must have used her arts and allurements to
make Mr Darcy forget what he owed his family and his own betrothal to Anne
de Bourgh. Inwardly, Mr Collins smiled. It was exactly the reaction he had
hoped for. If all went as planned, the Darcy marriage would be annulled, and,
in her disgraceful fall from being a proper lady, Mr Collins would offer to
marry her to restore her reputation and protect her family. He knew she
would be grateful to him, and her gratitude would make their married life
quite fulfilling.

From the moment he first saw Elizabeth, Mr Collins dreamed of having
her as his wife. His carnal hunger grew, as she was quite pretty and had a
perfectly formed figure. While he lay ill with scarlet fever, he wished to feel
the comfort of her firm breasts, or to be able to caress the tender flesh of her
thighs. It frustrated him when she rarely tended him, for in Mr Collins’
opinion, a betrothed should attend her future husband before all of the other
patients.

Now, as he neared the lands Lady Catherine had gifted him as a wedding
gift, he could not wait to see his intended once more. They would be married
soon, Lady Catherine was in the process of having her current marriage
dissolved. Once she was free of Darcy, she would be his. Though he knew it
was improper, especially as he was a clergyman, Mr Collins could not help but
entertain thoughts of anticipating his vows with the country beauty.

A wicked grin grew upon his lips as he thought of taking Elizabeth for
the first time. It had been some time since he had been with a lady, though, in
hindsight, she was no lady. He remembered afterwards how he had scrubbed
himself raw after he had been with her, realizing she was a whore who was
only with him for monetary needs. Before he had bedded her, she had been
complimentary towards him, speaking sweet words of love she had learned in
the years of her employment. Having never had a lady ever speak in such a
manner to him, it was no wonder he was taken in by her.

But now he would have his wife, and would be able to take his pleasure
whenever he wished. To be able to see her as God made her, touch her and
taste her, Mr Collins found his breeches growing quite uncomfortably tight.
Oh, I cannot wait. I must make her mine immediately upon my arrival at the
estate. I need her. And once I have had her, she will be mine forever. She will
never wish to leave me.

The carriage came to a quick stop. Opening the door, Mr Collins stepped
out to learn what was wrong.

“Forgive me, Sir, but one of the horses has come up lame. We will have
to stop at the next village to find another. With luck, the delay will not be too
long.”

Climbing back inside the carriage, Mr Collins returned to his thoughts of
his soon to be wife.

 

~~ ** ~~

“Mother, why do I need a new gown made?” Anne de Bourgh asked. Her
mother had sent for a modiste to come to Rosings Park, with the intention of
having her daughter’s wedding clothes made.

“Anne, you cannot marry in an old gown, you must have a new gown,
one which shows your figure for your future husband.” Lady Catherine stated.

Anne was confused. “And just whom am I to marry? You have told me
for years of my betrothal to Darcy, though he married another. Who do you
have to fill the position of groom?”

“I have not changed my mind as to your husband. Darcy’s marriage will
be annulled soon enough. Then I will make him an offer he cannot refuse.”
“What could you possibly offer him to make him give in to your
demands?”

Lady Catherine smiled. “If he wishes to maintain control of Pemberley,
and his fortune, and avoid being locked away in a sanitarium, he will do as I
say. I have witnesses who will verify his instability if he refuses to cooperate.
And if he wishes to see his little sister again, he will obey me, or she will be
kept from him for the remainder of his life. Have no fear, he will come around
to our way of thinking.”

“Mamma, please, this is not the way I wish to catch a husband. My
cousin has made his choice and I am sure he is pleased with his wife. Richard
wrote to me, he told me Darcy and his wife are a love match. How can you
break apart their marriage? There is nothing wrong with Darcy’s mind, he is
as he always was. It would be wrong to destroy his happiness to allow you to
have what you wish.”

“He was meant to marry you, and he will honor your betrothal or spend
the rest of his life locked away.” Lady Catherine spoke with such force as to
frighten her daughter. “You will see, Anne, your cousin will be a good husband
to you. Now, let us order the rest of your wedding clothes.”

~~ ** ~~

Curled up on the far end of the bed in her room, Georgiana Darcy was
praying for her brother to find her. She had been in fear for her safety for
days, as she came to understand the truth of Wickham’s feelings towards the
Darcy family. What was most painful was the betrayal of her companion. Mrs
Younge had been kind to her, complimentary, and given her advice on many
issues. Now, the young girl questioned everything in her life except one thing.
She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, her beloved brother would come for
her.

When Wickham had forced her into the trunk, Georgiana feared he
would leave it somewhere and she would die inside the trunk. For days, the
journey continued. Each evening, the trunk was opened and Mrs Younge
would give her some broth and tea. Then her gag was returned and she was
lowered back into the trunk. Finally, after the trunk was brought into a room,
Mrs Younge opened it and left it open. The former companion left the room
for a little while, only to return with Wickham. The man lifted Georgiana from
the trunk, placing her carefully on the bed.

That night, Mrs Younge brought some stew, bread, and drink. “Why are
you doing this?” She asked the woman.

“Your brother will pay for your return. Now that we have brought our
other guest to her new home, we will soon be contacting your brother again to
arrange your ransom.”

“Who is your other guest?” Georgiana asked.

 

“Never you mind. You have never met the lady, and now, you never will.
Your brother will never be plagued by the likes of her again.”

For a moment, Georgiana thought of who Mrs Younge was speaking.
Then a thought came to her mind. Could it be the other guest was Georgiana’s
new sister? Could they have abducted Elizabeth as well? The young girl’s
heart began to break for her beloved brother. But why would Mrs Younge
state that Elizabeth would never be in her brother’s life again? Did they not
intend to ransom Elizabeth as well?

“I do not understand.” Georgiana stated.

“You naïve girl. There are those who are against your brother’s foolish
marriage. Those people are powerful. The marriage is being annulled, and
your brother will be rid of his mistake, for she has been given to another man
to be his wife. We wait here for that man to arrive, for he will remain here at
this house, with her. Then we will leave to exchange you for the gold from
your brother.”

“But William loves Elizabeth. How can anyone do such a thing to them?”

“As I said, there are powerful people who do not wish for the marriage
to be. It is best that you forget she existed, for, after her new husband arrives,
no one will ever see her again in England.”

With that, Mrs Younge left the room, leaving the young Miss Darcy alone
to grieve for the pain her brother must feel. And while she thought, Georgiana
considered ways in which she could assist her new sister escape from this
horrid place.

~~ ** ~~

Rosemoore Park was a quiet little estate, nearly the size of Longbourn.
Sir Lewis had purchased it as a place to take his daughter and get away from
his wife from time to time, though they were only able to enjoy the estate once
before his death. Other than the annual income of two thousand pounds, Lady
Catherine had nothing to do with the estate and had never visited it. Though
she would miss the income, she decided it was well worth the loss to be rid of
Elizabeth Bennet.

So Lady Catherine devised a plan. As a reward for his loyalty, Lady
Catherine decided to gift the estate to Mr Collins. The only stipulation was that
no one in England ever hear from Elizabeth again. Her family would be told
that she died, and, after the marriage was annulled, Fitzwilliam Darcy would
be given the choice of either spending the rest of his life in an sanitarium or
marry Anne de Bourgh.

Mr Collins had been thrilled and grateful for Lady Catherine’s
generosity. Not only would he be able to leave the life of a clergyman, and
have an estate of his own, but he would have the lady he had wished for to be
his wife. He had no difficulty with the stipulation, for he did not wish any
interference while he trained his wife to be obedient and subservient to his
wishes.

As the carriage came to a halt in front of his new home, Mr Collins
looked out and smiled. He was thrilled with what he had seen of his new
estate, and the house appeared clean and comfortable. And most of all, his
future bride was inside, waiting for his arrival.

Wickham was at the door to greet Mr Collins as he stepped from the
carriage. “Good day, Mr Collins. Welcome to Rosemoore.”

 

“Thank you, Wickham. I pray all is in order.” Mr Collins said as he
entered the house, handing his outer wear to the housekeeper.

“There is a slight problem, but I am sure it will be rectified soon enough.
This is Mrs O’Rourke. She is the housekeeper, and her husband is the butler.
There are two footmen, three maids, and we have a young man who was hired
to be your valet. There is also a cook. We can discuss the rest of the estate
tomorrow. In two days’ time, my party will be departing.”

“Very well, please take me to see my betrothed. I wish to see her first.”

Wickham guided the new Master of Rosemoore up the stairs and to a
room near the far end of the house. As Wickham unlocked the door and
opened it, he stepped aside and allowed Mr Collins to enter first.

Seeing Elizabeth lying on the bed, so still and fragile, perspiration
beaded upon her forehead, Mr Collins was appalled. “What is the meaning of
this? What is wrong with my intended?”

“She was injured when she was escorted from London, as there were
some tools on the wagon which conveyed her and she received a cut. We
cleaned it and bandaged it, but it has taken an infection and she developed a
fever just after we arrived here. She was weak, and could not eat much, which
led to her deterioration. As it is imperative we keep her presence here
private, I thought it wise to await your arrival to determine whether or not to
send for an apothecary.”

Mr Collins walked close to the bed, disgusted by the sight of the sickly
young lady lying there. He had never been able to be comfortable in the
presence of anyone sick or injured, the very sight of Elizabeth in such a
manner repulsed him.

“Has her condition improved any since your arrival?” He asked
Wickham.

Wickham shook his head. “Not at all. Mrs Younge has been tending to
her needs, but it will need to be turned over to one of the maids soon. Mrs
Younge has also had to take care of our companion, who is not ill, but has been
kept from all others in the house.”

Knowing Wickham had abducted Georgiana Darcy, on the orders of
Lady Catherine, and would ransom the girl to her brother once they returned
to England, Mr Collins smiled. Lady Catherine had proposed the plan to use
Wickham to kidnap Georgiana as a way to bring Darcy back to London and
have the great man off balance in his thinking. Little did he know his sister’s
abduction was a diversion, so Wickham could capture the true prize from
under Darcy’s nose.

“Well, we will keep a close watch over my betrothed for the next day or
two, and if there is no progress, we will send for an apothecary. I do not wish
to pay for care if it is unnecessary.”

Wickham nodded his head. “Very good, Mr Collins. If you would excuse
me now, I need to make arrangements for our departure. Dinner will be
served in two hours.” He explained as he showed Mr Collins to his new suite of
rooms.

“Thank you, Wickham. That will be all for now.”
~~ ** ~~

When Darcy and Richard arrived in Ireland, they began to inquire about
the location of their late uncle’s estate. On the ship from England, Richard
remembered the name of the estate, Rosemoore, and that it was not far from
Dublin. There was no time to send to Lord Matlock to learn of the location, the
cousins were sure that time was of the essence. Something in Darcy’s heart
told him that it was vital they reach Georgiana and Elizabeth as soon as
possible.

At night, during their journey, Darcy felt as if he could hear Elizabeth’s
thoughts. She was frightened, caged and bound. And he could feel her pain.
Something had happened, she had been injured. Darcy was not sure how he
knew this, he just did.

Years ago, when Darcy and Richard were at school, Darcy had had a
similar feeling with regards to his father. He felt as if there had been an
accident, with a horse involved, and his father was critical. Later that day, an
express arrived telling of a riding accident, and that Gerald Darcy’s horse had
stumbled, and as they fell, the horse landed on top of the Master of Pemberley.
With broken bones, internal injuries, and severe blood loss, Gerald was not
long for the world.