Netherfield Park Quarantined (21 page)
Read Netherfield Park Quarantined Online
Authors: Melanie Schertz
Anne had gathered enough courage to confront her mother two years
previously, suggesting her mother step down as Mistress and allow Anne to
take her rightful place, as her father’s will had decreed. Lady Catherine railed
at her daughter, calling her an ungrateful, spoiled chit who only wished to be
Mistress so she could wield power over her mother. By the time Lady
Catherine was finished belittling her daughter, Anne took to her sick bed for
nearly a fortnight. The physician who attended the young lady informed Lady
Catherine that if she were to ever treat her daughter so shamelessly again, it
would kill the poor girl, in her condition. That was when Lady Catherine
began her crusade to marry off her daughter as quickly as she could to Darcy.
As her mind was rummaging through all the possibilities of what she
could do, she heard someone call out to her. Turning around, she saw Anne
standing near the door.
“Mother, I was wondering if you were well. I have not seen you in two
days and was told you were keeping yourself mostly in here. Is there anything
I can do to be of assistance?”
“No, Anne, you should go to your rooms and rest. It will not be long
before Darcy arrives and the two of you shall be married. You will require all
your strength for the journey to your new home.”
to Rosings anytime soon, especially to marry me.” Anne said.
“How dare you speak to me in such a manner? Darcy will soon be free
of his foolishness and will be able to come here to take his proper wife. Have
no doubts to that fact. And I will not be questioned by you on this matter, nor
will I allow you to speak of that chit in my presence. Once you are married, it
will be as it should and no one needs to remember this episode.”
Anne was concerned for her mother’s wellbeing. “Mother, please, do not
cause William any harm. From what Richard wrote to me, William is in love
with his wife. Do not destroy his happiness by demanding this path.”
“You, you ungrateful child. You should be thanking me for all I do for
you. All I do is for you, for your future. It is your right to be the next Mrs
Darcy of Pemberley. You were born for such a life. And yet, all you do is tell
me to forget this dream. I went through misery to bring you into this world. I
had to endure your father’s attentions, and then, when I was confined, I was ill
most of the time. My labors went on for two days before you were finally
brought into this world. After all of that, I demand the right to see your future
be as I have dreamed. Do you understand me?” Lady Catherine was nearly
screeching when she finished speaking.
“Yes, Mother, I understand. Please calm yourself. The physician has
told you such bouts will cause your health harm.” Anne attempted to soothe
her mother’s nerves.
Lady Catherine took a deep breath to calm herself. “Now, has the
modiste returned with the gowns for your wedding trousseau? She promised
to have them finished within a fortnight, and the time is nearly at an end.”
alterations, the clothing should all be ready for me.”
“And the wedding gown I suggested, is it ready as well? It must be
ready for your wedding, I will not have my daughter getting married in a
simple old morning gown. You will be the most beautiful bride there has ever
been.”
“Yes, Mother, the wedding gown is finished and will be here later today,
as well. It was to be made according to your suggestions. They had to send
away for some of the lace you suggested, the beautiful lace from Belgium. It
arrived only two days ago.”
Lady Catherine smiled. She had seen some of the lace when she was in
London. It was delicate and precious, just like her daughter. “I know you will
be pleased with it. As soon as I saw a gown with the lace on it, I was sure it
would be perfect for you. Now, did you do as I instructed and order one of the
silk nightgowns with the matching robe? You must be beautiful and alluring
on your wedding night. Hopefully, you will become with child the first time,
and then you will not have to endure his attentions again. He can have his
whores to service his needs. And, until you become with child, you only need
to allow him into your bed once a month. There is no need to submit often,
you are fragile and should not be made to suffer so much.”
“MOTHER, I will not speak of such matters with you. The physicians you
have taken me to have all agreed that I should never carry a child. You know
it is too dangerous for me to go through a confinement.”
“Darcy requires an heir. You must give him an heir. That is your duty.
If you do not submit to him and allow him to have his rights as your husband,
he will be within his rights to divorce you. You must submit and carry a child
for your husband. Fortunately, there is no entailment on Pemberley, so it
would not matter whether it is a son or daughter, so long as there is an heir.”
any further. As I do not wish to die to satisfy your demands.”
“You are truly an ungrateful child. You will do as I direct you, or you will
be in misery. Your husband will treat you with loathing. I will not be
disrespected in such a manner. Darcy will expect you to submit, and you will
do your duty.”
“You would prefer to see me die rather than anyone know I cannot carry
a child. And you call me ungrateful? Mother, do you not see how disrespectful
you are being to me? All you can think of is your opinion, and no one else
matters. It is time you accepted the truth. I will not be subjected to something
which will take my life, whether you approve or not. Do you understand?”
Anne then turned and marched from the room. Fury grew in Lady
Catherine until she had a severe headache. In her mind, it had to be the
influence of Elizabeth Bennet upon her family. She decided, then and there,
the only way to eliminate the influence the country nobody had over her
family was to eliminate the chit herself.
Sitting down at her desk, Lady Catherine pulled out some parchment
from her drawer. She began a letter to Mr Collins, a letter which would
change the course of her life.
Nearly three weeks had passed since the demise of Wickham and Mr
Collins. In that time, Elizabeth had regained her strength and health. She and
Georgiana had become close, their relationship had become one which would
make the rest of the group believe they had known each other all of their lives.
This brought joy to Darcy, knowing his beloved wife and his dear little sister
were extremely fond of each other.
Preparations were being made for the journey back to England, and, in
particular, Hertfordshire. A letter had arrived just two days before, forwarded
from Pemberley, from Mr Bennet. The letter informed Darcy, and, Mr Bennet
had hoped, Elizabeth of what had happened in Meryton and the neighborhood
since they left.
Learning of the death of her uncle, Elizabeth broke down in tears. Mr
and Mrs Phillips had been unable to have children of their own, and they loved
their nieces dearly. Jane and Elizabeth had been closest to both sets of their
aunts and uncles. Mr and Mrs Gardiner adored the eldest Bennet sisters as
much as Mr and Mrs Phillips.
Knowing the reason Mr Phillips was murdered was even more
devastating to Elizabeth. She felt guilty for her family’s loss, as well as the
destruction which had occurred in the neighborhood when the men were
attempting to find the papers at Longbourn. Darcy was grateful for Bingley’s
being at Longbourn. Even more, Darcy was pleased with Denny’s work in
protecting the Bennet family. He would see to a reward for all Denny’s work.
Lord Matlock was furious when he learned the news. He knew his sister
was involved, and for her to go so far as to lead to the murder of a good and
decent man for her own selfish goal was far beyond what he would have ever
though his sister could do. A letter was quickly written to Mr Bennet,
informing him of the rescue of both of the Darcy ladies, and the travel plans
for the Darcy and Matlock families. They gave instructions for the letter to be
posted express upon its arrival in England.
There was no longer any desire on Lord Matlock’s part to protect his
sister from whatever justice had to serve her. The lady he had loved, the
sister she had been to him all of his young life, was no longer living in the body
of the lady known as Lady Catherine de Bourgh. The lady had turned into a
bitter, self-serving woman who was ruthless and heartless.
The morning the group was preparing to leave Rosemoore, a letter
arrived for Mr Collins. Upon examining it, Lord Matlock recognized the
handwriting of his sister. He opened the letter and read what his sister had to
say.
I hope you have arrived at your new home and have found it to be to your satisfaction.
Remember, you are the Master of Rosemoore now. You dictate to the staff how you wish things to
be done.
I have a situation which I require your assistance in solving. I know this will not sit well
with you, as I promised your being able to keep that country chit as your own in payment for your
assistance. But it is time her influence must come to an end. Without even meeting her, my own
daughter has taken an attitude in supporting my nephew’s choice in his marriage. With the fortune
hunter permanently gone from existence, I will not require an annulment for my nephew to be able to
fulfill his family obligations in marrying my daughter.
I will require proof that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is dead, even if it means I will need to
travel to Ireland to witness her demise myself. The only thing I ask is that the method is painful and
agonizing, as she has caused the lives of my family to suffer so terribly since she ensnared poor Darcy.
To compensate you for the loss of your chosen wife, I would be pleased to find a more
appropriate wife. There are plenty of young ladies in the area here in Kent, I am certain I will be
able to find a pleasant young lady who would meet your needs.
Please send word of what solution you have for the situation as soon as possible. As I said,
I would be willing to travel to Ireland to witness the event.
Your former patroness,
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Lord Matlock was completely overwhelmed with this turn of events.
How could his sister plan such horror? This was the girl he could remember
reading to him when he was little, the girl who protected him when their
father had been angered with his breaking the window of his father’s study,
the girl who had snuck pastries to him late at night when Henry did not like
the dinner served. How could she have become as heartless as to ask
someone to murder an innocent young lady, and for nothing more than the
fact that their nephew had fallen in love with the young lady.
Elizabeth went through a range of emotions in fast order. After all she
had endured, after all her family had suffered and was still suffering, now this
evil harpy was ordering her death. Finally, Elizabeth stood firm on her
decision. “William, I wish to make the journey with you to Rosings. I believe I
have earned the right to confront the great Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She
deserves to suffer some of my wrath for all she has done to harm me and my
family.”
“My love, I do not want you anywhere near that self-centered hag.”
Darcy stated in a protective manner. “I do not wish to have you even close
enough for her to lay eyes on you.”
“I understand, my love, truly I do. The last thing I wish to do is be near
her. But she has attempted to destroy me and my family. She had my new
sister kidnapped as a distraction to lure us to Town. She had me kidnapped to
be removed from your life. And that was not enough, so she had my uncle
murdered due to his not relinquishing the marriage contract and our marriage
license. That is not mentioning the fires which were set in the neighborhood,
the damage which was caused from them, and the attack against Jane, Lydia,
Mr Bingley, and Mr Denny. And yet, this is still not enough for her. She orders
my execution, even demands being present to see my demise. Well, I believe it
is my right to watch her expression when she learns she has failed miserably.”
Darcy shook his head. “I understand your feelings, my dearest. The
mere thought of your being in the same house as she, though you will be safe
in my arms, is like a rod of ice piercing my heart. While dealing with her, I
cannot be fearful for what could happen to you.”
Lady Matlock stepped closer. “William, I will stand beside Elizabeth,
keeping her safe, while the confrontation with Lady Catherine occurs. It is my
belief you wife should be allowed to be there, and allowed to speak her mind
to my harpy sister in law.”
“You have nothing to fear, Cousin. I will be there, as will Father. With
the three of us men and the two ladies, I believe we can handle the bitter old
woman.”
with you?”
“No, Georgiana, you will stay at Longbourn with the Bennets and Mr
Bingley. You will enjoy spending time with Miss Jane Bennet, who is
betrothed to Mr Bingley. And Mrs Phillips is at Longbourn, I am sure she
would enjoy spending time with you, especially hearing you play the
pianoforte.” Darcy said.
“Oh, yes, Georgiana, my aunt would dearly love to hear you play on the
pianoforte. Ever since my sister, Mary, died, Aunt has commented as to the
loss of my sister’s music. Mary was gifted on the pianoforte.” Elizabeth smiled
at her newest sister.
A look of displeasure was obvious upon Georgiana’s expression. “Very
well, I will go to Longbourn. But you must promise not to be gone long to
Rosings.”
time at Rosings than necessary.
