A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (16 page)

“Uncle,
she is worth everything to me. I would slay dragons for her.”

“Then
we will fight these battles together. The Darcys and Fitzwilliams united, how
is that?”

“Thank
you, Uncle. I appreciate it more than you can know.”

“No,
Darce, I believe I know.” He grasped the arms of his chair and stood. “I had
best check on the ladies while you meditate on the delight you would have
gazing on a pair of fine eyes for the rest of your years.” He chuckled as he
left the library, confident that Darcy would do just that.

Upstairs,
Miss Caroline Bingley paced from one end of her sitting room to the other,
occasionally picking up small items and throwing them with all her strength
into the fire burning in the room. Frustrated with Mr. Darcy for not offering
for her, angry with Lady Catherine for presuming to try to attach Darcy with
her insipid daughter, and furious with Elizabeth Bennet for daring to come between
her and her intended. For Mr. Darcy was intended for HER! She could speak with
her brother, Charles, but he would never stand up to Mr. Darcy and demand that
he marry her. She would have to take matters into her own hands and soon. She
continued to pace and plan.

Down
the hall Georgiana knocked on the door to Elizabeth’s room. At Elizabeth’s, ‘Enter’,
she opened the door and went in to see her friend.  “Elizabeth, may I speak
with you for a moment?”

“Certainly,
Georgiana, please come and sit beside me.” Elizabeth patted the settee next to
her. Elizabeth’s thoughts of the future had been unpleasant, so she appreciated
the distraction. “I am delighted you are here, Georgiana.”

“Elizabeth,
I am concerned about my brother.”

“Is
he not well? I am set to remove the stitching this afternoon.” Elizabeth was
immediately concerned.

“No,
no, Elizabeth, it is not that.” She worried the handkerchief in her hands,
wringing it repeatedly. “It is distressing to see so many try to push him and
pull him into agreement with their desires and demands.”

“Georgiana,
do you worry that he will not stand firm for what he knows is best?”

“No,
not really, I guess.”

“Georgiana,”
Elizabeth took the girl’s hand in her own. “Now, stop this worry. Your brother
appears to be a stone wall when he is firm in his beliefs, is he not? If he
does not feel that Lady Catherine’s desires would be to your benefit or to his,
do you really think that he could be swayed?”

“No,
you are right, Elizabeth. It just seems like things are so uncertain.”

“Oh,
dear girl, you have had so much happen to you this past week. Yet, think of how
well you have adjusted to these changes. You truly are a marvelous young lady,
that I am pleased to have as my acquaintance. Georgiana, you have the power to
decide how these changes will affect your future. In helping me with your
brother, you accepted and acted on that responsibility as a woman, not as a
young girl. Please, be proud of your accomplishments. Do not worry about your
brother. You both are intelligent and wise. I cannot begin to imagine either of
you allowing yourself to be placed in a position where you would compromise
your own high standards of right and wrong.” Elizabeth patted the hand she
held. “Talk to your brother about your concerns. I am certain that he will
reassure you that you have no reason to worry.”

“Thank
you, Elizabeth, you are correct. I will talk to my brother.”

After
Georgiana left, Elizabeth thought about the man. She knew there could be no
future with Mr. Darcy; they were as east is to west in their spheres. Yet, deep
in her heart, she hoped that her tender feelings would not be in vain.

When
the gentlemen returned from Lucas Lodge, Mr. Bingley carried a message for
Elizabeth from Charlotte Lucas. It was with great anticipation that she
accepted the note. She asked that she might be excused to read the short
missive.

November 20, 1811

Lucas Lodge

Dear Lizzy,

I am hopeful that all is well at Netherfield Park and that you are
finding joy in your companions. I have no news of your family. Mr. Collins has
turned his attentions in my direction and this, along with my closest friend
not being in residence, has precluded me from calling at Longbourn.

This morning, Mr. Collins made me an offer of marriage and I accepted.
Lizzy, I know what you are thinking, but I am not you. It is not I who is a
romantic. Please be happy for me. This proposal provides all that I have longed
for; not to be a burden on my family and a home of my own.

A date for the nuptials has yet to be discussed, but with your eventual
return to London I am not sure if you will be able to attend. I would love to
have you visit me at my new home in Kent; perhaps in the spring?

As always, your loving friend,

Charlotte Lucas, soon to be Mrs. Charlotte Collins

‘
It
is done
,’ Elizabeth thought. Charlotte will be the newest Mistress of
Longbourn at the passing of her father. She understood why Charlotte did not
call on her mother and sister. Her mother would be furious and, likely, so
would her father. Though only three miles apart, she could almost sense how
angry he would be.

The
men had cleaned up from the hunt and returned to gather with the rest of the
party in the front drawing room. Only Lady Catherine and her daughter were not
present. Mr. Hurst, who normally was in the background, was pleased at his
success with the hunt.

Georgiana
sat by Elizabeth and whispered that she had talked to her brother about her
concerns and that all was well. Elizabeth quickly smiled at her, deeply pleased
that there seemed to have been a turn in events and that they could now relax
and enjoy some peace, unaware that she was being observed. Mr. Darcy looked at
her with love and affection. Colonel Fitzwilliam and his brother Henry looked
at her with admiration. Lord and Lady Matlock looked at her with appreciation
for all she had done for the Darcys, and Miss Bingley looked upon her with
hatred. Mr. Bingley and the Hursts were discussing the hunting party and missed
this display.

Having
given her full attention to Georgiana, she was unaware of the emotions swirling
around the room. When the butler, Mr. Burton, stepped into the doorway to
announce a visitor, Elizabeth’s smile remained on her face. That is, until she
saw the two men standing to the side and behind the butler; her father and her uncle
Philips. In her father’s hand was an opened letter and in his eye was a glint
of malice directed straight at Elizabeth.

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire

“Father!”
Elizabeth stood and faced the man that had caused her such pain. In spite of
her lack of respect for the choices he had made that had impacted her life so
dramatically, he was the man responsible for her birth. She was not one to
focus on the bad, but rather to look at the past in a way that gave her
pleasure. The simple truth was that she had years of fond memories of curling
up with her father in his library, discussing literature, progress in the
sciences, hearing tales, and sharing ideas. Yes, he had hurt her terribly, but
it was her choice to decide whether she would continue to allow the pain to
engulf her heart, and she chose not to.

Mr.
Bingley, who had already been standing, strode to the visitors and warily
welcomed them to Netherfield Park. He had become acquainted with Mr. Philips at
a card party hosted by the man and his wife. Mr. Philips had seemed a pleasant
man, though quiet in company. His wife’s constant chatter made up for the
silence.

Being
aware of his poor showing at his last visit to Netherfield Park, Mr. Bennet
endeavored to observe the manners typical in a gentleman’s household. He gave a
short bow to his host. “Thank you, Mr. Bingley, for your kind welcome.” Then,
all pretense of civility having been dispensed with, he turned to his second
daughter. “Elizabeth, might I have a moment of your time?” The manner of his
question should have reassured her that this would be a friendly exchange, but
the tone in which it was issued indicated that another painful confrontation
was in the offing.

“Certainly,
sir.” Elizabeth determined that she would not allow her father’s anger to
overcome her own manners, so struggled to keep her breathing and her voice
calm. “Mr. Bingley, might we make use of your library for our discussion,
please?”

“Of
course, Miss Elizabeth, you may.” Turning to his butler, he asked that they be
directed to the room down the hall.

“It
is a wonder that this is called a library; sparse lot of books here.” Mr.
Bennet mumbled as he looked at the vacant shelves as they entered. Beckoning
for Elizabeth to be seated, he held the letter out, though it was just beyond
her reach. “This morning in the post was a letter addressed to you from a Mr.
Haggerston of Haggerston and Smyth of London. Do you know this man, Elizabeth?”

“No,
Father, I am not acquainted with anyone by that name.” Elizabeth cocked her
head, narrowed her eyes and thought deeper. “Wait, Father, I do not know the
man, however, I believe that he is a business associate of Uncle Gardiner’s.”

“You
lie!” Thomas Bennet’s composure visibly fell. Any efforts at gentility,
manners, or civility were gone. Shaking the letter at her, he shouted, “This
letter says that you are the recipient of a large dividend from the Honorable
East India Company.  How did you come by these shares, Lizzy? What did you have
to do to get them? Does Gardiner control them? How many are there? What is
their value? Tell me! Tell me, now!”He was so agitated that his whole body
almost convulsed. By the time he finished with his interrogative questions, he
had walked close enough to Elizabeth that he was almost touching her.

Elizabeth
was curious as to the reason someone would write to her in this matter about
something so unknown to her. She knew, though, that she needed to keep calm as
she, for the first time in her life, feared what her father would do. She
breathed deeply before she spoke. “Father, I know of no shares in the Honorable
East India Company. True, I was in India with Uncle and Aunt Gardiner, but I
know of no reason that there would be shares in my name. Nor, am I aware of why
this person would write to me at Longbourn, nor even write to me at all. There
must be some mistake.”

“Oh,
there is a mistake all right. The mistake is that any shares would be in your
possession. You are not yet of age; so cannot own such property. They are mine!
Mine, do you hear!” His voice, by this time, was the loudest Elizabeth had ever
heard it. She looked to her uncle Philips for help to calm him down. Uncle Philips
just stood by the fireplace with his head hung down in silence.

The
door to the library suddenly burst open and in walked Mr. Darcy along with the
other gentlemen from the drawing room, including Mr. Hurst. Darcy strode
rapidly to Elizabeth’s side. “Miss Elizabeth, are you well?” At her nod, he
turned to her father. “What is the meaning of this? We could hear your voice
clear in the drawing room! How dare you come here and berate your daughter!
You, sir, are no gentleman!”

Mr.
Bennet turned on Darcy as if he were personally responsible for all the ills in
the Bennet household. “And, who are you to tell me what I can or cannot say to
my daughter, or how I should say it? My daughter, who you seem to esteem so
highly, is nothing but a liar and a thief. She has deliberately withheld
valuable assets from her own parents and sister that would see to our care for
the rest of our lives. What think you of her now, sir?”

“Miss
Elizabeth, are you, indeed, well?” asked Lord Matlock. He stepped in front of
Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet as if they were not in the room.

“Thank
you for inquiring, Lord Matlock. I am well,” she reassured him.  He stood to
her other side and turned on Mr. Bennet.

“Gentlemen,
let us be seated, so that we may discuss this calmly.” He waited until
Elizabeth’s father and uncle were seated before continuing to speak. “Mr.
Bennet, I recognize that you are father to Miss Elizabeth, but nothing will be
settled unless we can all
calm down.”
Turning back to Elizabeth, he
asked, “Is there anything about this matter that you would like to share that
might help us understand the situation clearer?”

Looking
at Lord Matlock’s kindly face, she explained, “When I was asked to leave
Longbourn, our butler, Mr. Hill, placed a letter in my hands. He also gave me
enough coin to get me to London to the home of my Uncle and Aunt Gardiner. Had
he not done so, I would have been penniless, out in the street.” When she saw
the general reaction of the men, she hurried to add, “Please, do not be
disturbed. Because of Mr. Hill’s kindness and generosity, I was unharmed. When
I arrived at my uncle’s home, I gave him the letter. I did not read its
contents.”

“So,
Miss Elizabeth, you were unaware of what was written in the letter?” Lord
Matlock asked. He noticed that Darcy had moved closer to Elizabeth, as if to offer
his physical protection and support.

“No,
Lord Matlock. The day that I arrived here, I had received two letters by
express. One was from Miss Darcy requesting my help in caring for my sister,
Jane. The other was from my father, demanding that I return to Longbourn to
marry his heir, your sister’s vicar, Mr. Collins. Before I left the Gardiner
home, my uncle took me to his library where he showed me the letter. I read
it.” At this, Elizabeth looked utterly defeated. She could not make herself
even look at her father. “I knew that my father’s heart was broken at the loss
of his only son and heir and I was aware that he felt I was responsible. I had
assumed that his response that day of casting me out was just temporary, that
he would return to his sense of reason and logic, as I believed it usually, at
least until that time, dominated his decisions and actions. For the past five
years, I lived with the hope that he still held tender feelings for me deep in
his heart; until I read his letter.”

“I
know this must be difficult, but do you remember the letter’s contents?” Lord
Matlock asked. He took her left hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm,
pressing her arm to his side in an effort to comfort her.

“No!”
Mr. Bennet yelled. He turned to his brother-in-law for support. “We do not need
to revisit this. The salient fact is that my daughter is in possession of
wealth that she clearly owes to me.”

Mr.
Philips then cleared his throat, “Upon Mr. Bennet dismissing Elizabeth from his
home five years ago, he did write a letter asking Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner,
Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle, to care for her. This letter was not witnessed by
anyone, nor did it state that there was a transfer of guardianship. It was
merely a polite letter signed by Mr. Bennet, asking his relatives to look after
her care. Therefore, it is not to be tendered as a legal transfer of
guardianship and should be considered null and void. Since my niece has not yet
reached her majority, and will not until the 20
^th
day of June of the
year 1812, she cannot legally possess assets such as shares in a publicly owned
company. The letter that Mr. Bennet is holding indicates that Elizabeth is the
recipient of a dividend from shares in the Honorable East India Company. The
amount of the dividend gives us to understand that the number of shares is
sizeable. Since Mr. Bennet retains guardianship of my niece, the shares, in
actual fact, belong to him.”

Silence
filled the room. Mr. Bennet appeared to be gloating with this affirmation.

“Father,
since this is new information for me, may I please read the letter? I am
certain that there is a mistake and that this missive was posted to me in
error. Mr. Haggerston is my Uncle Gardiner’s solicitor, but I truly know
nothing of this. I do know that Uncle Gardiner had an appointment with Mr.
Haggerston to determine if the letter that was given me when I left Longbourn,
from your own hand, released you from any authority over me. I have heard
nothing from Uncle, as of yet.” Elizabeth reached out her hand in silent
request. After a long pause, Mr. Bennet handed over the letter. Elizabeth read
it aloud.

November 18, 1811

Haggerston & Smyth, Solicitors

Broad Street

London

Miss Elizabeth Bennet,

We hope this letter finds you in good health.

This correspondence is notification that the quarterly dividend for
your shares in the Honorable East India Company amount to __________£. If we do
not hear from you within the fortnight, we shall deposit the above stated
dividend amount in the account held in your name by the Bank of England. The
account currently carries a balance of __________£.

Sincerest wishes for your best regards,

Mr. Samuel P. Haggerston, Attorney at Law

“Father,
again, I must insist that this is a mistake. I know nothing of this.”

“Mr.
Bennet, Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy interjected, “It just so happens that Mr.
Haggerston is the solicitor for my family and has been for many years. He has a
reputation of being meticulous with his letters and the documents that he
prepares in service to others. I cannot say that I recognize his signature, as
it has been some time since I received correspondence from him.” However,”
turning the letter over to the direction noted on the front, “there is a
disparity of the script contained in the information to Miss Elizabeth with the
script of the directions. I do wonder if it was inappropriately addressed.”
Darcy longed to take her father and shake him by his lapels until his
figurative vision cleared enough to see his daughter accurately. It was obvious
to Darcy that she was agitated and it was heartbreaking to see the final ray of
hope that they might mend the relationship fade away. He continued with his
line of reasoning, “Might it be that a letter explaining the issue of Miss
Elizabeth’s guardianship as requested by Mr. Gardiner had been started and
placed aside for later completion, only to be taken up again by mistake to have
the issue about shares to the East India Company completed on the wrong piece
of paper? It causes me to wonder if there is not a shareholder who, as equally
confused as we are, is in receipt of a letter addressed to him with an
explanation of guardianship instead of dividends.”

“Be
that as it may, Mr. Darcy, you have no business interfering in a matter so
wholly unrelated to you.” Mr. Bennet lost whatever control he had left. “When
you arrived in Meryton, you chose to distance yourself from myself and my
neighbors and were generally viewed to be arrogant and proud. Why, for the love
of God, are you putting yourself forward in this manner for someone who is of
no concern to you. No concern whatsoever!”

Before
Mr. Darcy could respond, Lord Matlock stepped between the two men. “Enough!” He
reached back for the letter that Elizabeth was still holding. “Let us set aside
the issue of who has the right to protect and
control
Miss Elizabeth’s
interests.” He realized that neither Mr. Bennet nor Darcy were listening to
him. “Richard! Hand me the sword from over the fireplace. I believe we need to
get their attention.” Richard obeyed immediately.