Netherfield Park Quarantined (23 page)

Elizabeth, on the other hand, demanded her chance to confront the
woman who had brought so much pain and agony into her family, especially
as Lady Catherine was responsible for hiring the men who murdered her
beloved uncle and had herself and her young sister kidnapped. In her mind,
Elizabeth felt she had more right to confront Lady Catherine than any of the
others in the carriages.

When they neared the estate, Elizabeth began to fidget. She wished to
be done with this situation, and never have to think about Lady Catherine de
Bourgh again.

As they pulled up to the front of the house, there was no concern with
the grand dame greeting them outside. Lady Catherine had always refused to
greet a visitor anywhere but in her most intimidating drawing room. It was
decided for Lord and Lady Matlock to enter the drawing room alone, and
attempt to convince Lady Catherine to give up her obsession with Darcy
marrying her daughter. If Lady Catherine did not give up her plans, which
Darcy was certain would be the situation, Richard, Mr Williamson, Darcy and
Elizabeth would enter the room and the confrontation would begin.

Lady Matlock held on to her husband’s arm as they entered the drawing
room. Lady Catherine had had the room decorated extremely ornate, giving
the impression of being in the presence of royalty. The furniture was
uncomfortable, the use of the color gold made the room overwhelming to
most people.

“Henry, I had no messages stating you were coming. What brings you
here?” Lady Catherine asked her brother.

 

“Catherine, we must speak with you on the situation of Darcy’s
marriage.”

“There is no need. From what I have heard, his wife is not long for this
world. When she is gone, then Darcy will marry Anne and there will be no
need for an annulment. I estimate it will only be a month before Anne is Mrs
Darcy and they are off to Pemberley, as they should have been years ago.”

“Sister, this is foolishness. Mrs Elizabeth Darcy is alive and well, and
there will be no dissolving their marriage. William will not be marrying Anne,
you have to accept that fact.” Lady Matlock declared.

“Your comments were not asked for, Rebecca. I do not wish you to be
here. You should go upstairs while Henry and I speak. It is a family matter,
and does not concern you.” Lady Catherine attempted to dismiss her sister in
law.

“It does not concern me? Oh, Catherine, you are a fool if you think I have
no concerns in my family.” Lady Matlock was furious. “William is more my
concern than yours, as Henry and I were his godparents since his birth. That
has always been a thorn in your side, as you felt Lady Anne should have
declared you William’s godmother. And his dear bride is a sweet young lady,
whom I am pleased to have as a part of my life. Have you ever asked your
daughter what she wished? In the last letter I received from Anne, she stated
clearly she had no desire at all to marry William.”

“Anne does not know what she wants and what is best for her. With her
health, she needs a husband to protect her.” Lady Catherine declared.
“William will be the perfect husband for Anne. I will not tolerate your
interference, Rebecca. It is none of your concern.”

“William is my beloved nephew, the son of my dearest friend in the
world. Anne is my niece, whom I also love dearly. How dare you state I have
no concern in this matter?”

“They are not your blood, they are your family by marriage. Therefore
your opinion is far beneath my own. I am the nearest relation Darcy has,
therefore it is my right to counsel him on such matters.” Lady Catherine held a
sense of superiority.

“And what of my opinion, Lady Catherine.” Darcy stated as he entered
the room. “I am an adult, the master of my estate, guardian of my sister, and I
am the very proud husband of Elizabeth Darcy, nee Bennet. I refuse to be the
husband of anyone else. I care for Anne, but as a cousin, not as a spouse.”

“You are taken in by a young lady’s arts and allurements. Miss Bennet
has cast a spell over you or the bout of scarlet fever caused your mind to be
addled. It is ridiculous for you, the grandson of an earl, nephew of the current
earl of Matlock, one of the wealthiest and most eligible young men in England,
to be married to a country nobody, a common harlot.”

“Watch your tongue, Madame. I will not tolerate any disrespect towards
my wife.” Darcy stated clearly.

“You are a man, and like all men, you are turned by a young lady who is
willing to behave improperly. That is the only reason you decided to wed such
an unfit young lady, she will never be proper enough to be seen in society.”

Elizabeth entered the room, followed by Richard and Mr Williamson. “Is
it proper to hire someone to kidnap your young niece? Is it proper to hire
someone to kidnap your nephew’s wife? Or is it proper to hire someone to
murder a man because of his profession as a solicitor? By your behavior and
actions, I would be pleased to be thought improper if you are considered to be
proper.”

“How dare you step into my house? I will not have a common whore in
my home, especially speaking to me. I insist you leave immediately.” Lady
Catherine stated as she stood.

“I will not leave. I will stay here, at my husband’s side.”

“Take your hand from my nephew. How dare you show yourself in my
house? I will not have this.” Lady Catherine was stomping her foot. Calling for
a footman to drag Elizabeth from the house, she then turned her attention to
her other nephew. “Richard, do your duty to me as your family, and toss this
harlot out of the house.”

“No, Lady Catherine, I will not. Of all of us, Elizabeth has the most right
to confront you for all you have done.” Richard was pleased to watch his new
cousin standing up to his formidable aunt.

Turning her attention back towards Elizabeth, Lady Catherine’s fury
grew. “Have you favored Richard with your allurements as well? You turn my
entire family against me, you little tramp. You are supposed to be married to
you cousin, your own mother wished such. How dare you turn my family
against me to have your way with my nephew?”

Elizabeth was tired of listening to the pompous hag. “I have never
behaved in such an improper manner as you have. You hired George
Wickham to kidnap Georgiana, an innocent young girl, who was scared to
death the entire time she was forced to remain with him, locked in a small
room, all alone. You hired Wickham to kidnap me, and I was injured in the
process. Then you hired men to go to my uncle, attempting to find the
documents proving William and I are married. Your men murdered my uncle.
They murdered him, in cold blood, because he would not give them the
papers. He did not have them. My father does not have them. William was
sure you would try to find the papers, and he insisted the copies be sent away
from Meryton. So you had a wonderful, loving, caring man murdered for no
good reason. He died for your selfish disregards for others.”

“I demand to know where those papers are. I insist to have them, as I
must protect my nephew.” Lady Catherine demanded.

“You do not have a right to have them. Especially after the letter you
sent to Mr Collins. You insisted he murder me, and that you wished to be
there to witness my demise. How dare you behave in such a manner? You
gave me to my cousin, to do whatever he wished to me. Fortunately I was too
ill and Mr Collins was unable to do anything to me. And he never will again.”

Lady Catherine’s attention was peaked. “What do you mean? Where is
Mr Collins? What have you done to the poor man?”

“Mr Collins died, as he was attempting to keep my away from my
husband. Both Mr Collins and Mr Wickham are dead. The men you sent to
Meryton, who killed my uncle and set fires in the area, all so they could access
my father’s study, are in custody. They will most likely hang for their crimes.”

“You see, Henry, do you see just why I have been adamant to annul our
nephew’s marriage? She is responsible for killing Mr Collins and Mr Wickham.
She is a murderer. How can you approve of her being married to Darcy?”

Elizabeth was not finished. “It is you who is responsible for the deaths
of those men, as well as my uncle’s. It is you who is responsible for the two
men who will most likely lose their lives for following your orders.”

“Where are the papers? We must have the marriage annulled, Darcy
must marry Anne immediately to protect our family’s honor.” Turning her full
attention towards Elizabeth, she continued. “You will tell me where the
papers are, or I will beat it out of you.”

The men were furious with Lady Catherine’s words, but it was Lady
Matlock who spoke up first. “Catherine, I have one of the copies of the
documents pertaining to William and Elizabeth’s marriage. They sent them to
me, to protect them. I had them the entire time you were at Matlock House, in
my study, locked in my desk. You were just down the hall from them, and yet
you went out of your way to harm others to find the papers. You fool, you
incredibly stupid fool.”

Lady Catherine suddenly lunged forward, though who she was aiming
for was uncertain. A moment later, she was collapsed on the floor, unable to
speak and she appeared unable to move on her own. Mr Williamson moved
forward quickly, and insisted Lady Catherine be moved to her bedchambers.

After a thorough examination, Mr Williamson declared Lady Catherine
had suffered an attack of apoplexy. The attack was severe, and it was not
certain if the lady would survive an hour. Lord Matlock entered the room and
sat in the chair beside Lady Catherine’s bed, taking his sister’s hand in his
own.

“Catherine, dear sister, I do not wish for you to be so sick, but, perhaps
this is for the best. If you do not survive, then we will not be forced to place
you in a sanitarium. We will be able to keep your actions secret from the
world, protecting Anne from the shame which would be attached to her for
being your daughter. I do love you, my dear Catherine, but I pray you do not
survive. Please, Catherine, do one final good deed and go to meet your
judgment from God.”

Lord Matlock sat beside the bed for nearly a quarter of an hour, when
suddenly he would have sworn his sister squeezed his hand. “Catherine, can
you hear me?” There was no response. Only moments later, he felt an extreme
sense of calm come over him. Looking down at his sister, he instantly knew
the truth, Lady Catherine de Bourgh was no longer alive.

He stepped out to the hallway, motioning for Mr Williamson to return to
the bedchamber, before wrapping his arms around his beloved wife. “It is
over, nothing more will need to be done against Catherine.”

Richard and Darcy exchanged glances, though could not find their
tongues. It was Elizabeth who spoke up. “Lady Catherine is dead?”
“She is. I believe it was for the best, and it will protect the family,
especially Anne.”

“Forgive me, Uncle Henry, I did not mean to cause her death.” Elizabeth
felt terrible, believing her words were the cause of Lady Catherine’s death.
Tears began to sting in her eyes, as she turned to leave the hallway.

Darcy placed his arms about her as he blocked her escape. “Lizzy, my
dearest, you were not responsible for Lady Catherine’s death. There is
nothing you did to cause her harm.”

Mr Williamson had just returned from the bedchamber. “Mrs Darcy, I
must agree with your husband. As a matter of fact, I believe Lady Catherine’s
mind deterioration may have come over time due to minor attacks of apoplexy
over the years. It could have caused the damage which led to Lady Catherine
being so deranged. The lady I knew twenty years ago was not pleasant, but
she was far more reasonable than the lady we dealt with today. If the attacks
were extremely minor, they might not have been noticeable when they
occurred, but the damage would continue to accumulate.”

Anne had joined the group before her mother’s death had been
announced. She was secure in Richard’s embrace, sobbing at the loss. “That
would explain a great many changes which have come in the last few years.
She was not the same mother I knew in my childhood.”

“Miss de Bourgh, I feel terrible for the way I spoke to your mother.”
Elizabeth said, as she was wrapped in her husband’s arms.

“Please, we are cousins now, my name is Anne. And there is no need to
feel terrible. From what I have been told, by Richard, you were quite refrained
in your behavior. What my mother did was unforgiveable, and I am deeply
grieved for your family. But let us speak no more of my mother’s behavior.
She was ill in her mind, and I wish we had been able to aid her years ago, to
prevent this tragedy. Now we must move forward.”

“Anne, you have my deepest condolences. And please, call me Elizabeth
or Lizzy. I am pleased to finally be able to meet you.”

The family moved down the hall to the music room. The room was
rarely used, as Lady Catherine had never learned to play or sing, and she
refused to allow Anne to learn, as she said it would endanger Anne’s health.
Everyone took a seat, with Darcy and Elizabeth seated on the sofa next to
Richard and Anne. Lord Matlock and his wife took their seat on a settee near
the sofa.

“We will need to have a funeral soon. It would be best to have it
tomorrow. Darcy and Elizabeth will be returning to Longbourn today.” Lord
Matlock stated. “Rebecca and I will remain here to assist you, Anne, in making
all the changes you will need to deal with.”

“I am still on leave.” Richard stated. “I will remain here, to be of aid to
you as well, Anne.”

Darcy looked at his wife, wondering if she was wishing to change her
mind with regards to returning to Longbourn immediately. Before he said a
word, Lady Matlock spoke up. “William, I know you and Elizabeth are likely
thinking you should remain here to assist, or at least attend the funeral. I
believe you should hold to the original plan and return to Longbourn now.
Your lives have been put on hold for so long, it is time for you to be together
and away from all the troubles of the world.”