"You must believe her. Lizzy's first concern was to be sure you were always welcome with us, Anne. I assured her you are." William said.
"I would be happy for you both anyway. In fact, I have hoped for this. But I am even more glad you still want me in your home,” Anne said with a broad smile.
"We do, Anne. For as long as you wish." Lizzy confirmed.
"I should speak to your Uncle Gardiner about the settlement and to get his consent for the license. We can send him a note this afternoon to let him know you just learned he had been inquiring about you and that you are safe. I can ask for an appointment to speak with him early next week."
"I like that idea. I would prefer he hear from me before he hears from Jane."
"Will you marry by special license, William?" Georgiana asked.
"I can apply for one if Lizzy wishes, but there is really no need when we can marry by common license at our church here in town."
"The common license is perfectly acceptable to me," Lizzy said. "I suppose Uncle Gardiner will give me away." Lizzy had the uncharitable thought that he would have little problem with the role since he had already discarded her once, but she did not express the thought aloud.
"We can discuss that with him," William said with a look that told her he might have guessed her thoughts.
"William, I am curious why you cut Mr. Bingley as you did. I did not want to ask while he was there, but I was surprised because I thought the two of you were friends." Georgiana asked.
"We were friends until just before I went to Rosings Park. He tried to set up a situation to blackmail me into marrying his sister. He was bluffing, and I refused to cooperate. Perhaps he thought to pass it off as a joke, but I do not forget that easily. I always thought he was the one friend who did not want anything but friendship from me. That proved not to be the case."
"Ugh! I am glad he did not succeed. I would not want Miss Bingley for a sister," Georgiana shuddered at the thought.
Lizzy laughed, "If you stretch a point, when I marry your brother, she will be your sister, Georgiana."
"What do you mean?'
"Well, if I become your sister, then Jane is your sister by marriage as well. That makes Mr. Bingley our brother meaning his sister is our sister."
"That does not mean we have to acknowledge her," William said a bit frostily.
"We do not have to acknowledge any of them," Lizzy confirmed. "You heard Jane. She has no real interest in me. Although that may change when Mr. Bingley tells her who you are, and she learns of our marriage."
"Lizzy!" William said in mock surprise, "are you marrying me for my worldly goods?"
Lizzy laughed again, "Oh, no, William. I promised myself I would only marry for love. It is Jane and my other Bennet family members who may want what you have, for all the good it will do them."
William smiled in delight at Lizzy's roundabout declaration of love, while she blushed at realizing what she had implied. Lizzy meant the sentiment but was nervous about having made the remark.
"When will you marry?" Anne asked, changing the subject for Lizzy's sake.
"Would you mind marrying as soon as your uncle signs the settlement, Lizzy?" William asked her. "I do not want to take the chance of anything coming between us."
"Whenever you wish, William. I see no reason to delay or to make the wedding some large event. As long as we four are there it is enough," Lizzy replied happily.
"I will ask about the license after the church service tomorrow," William said.
Anne and Georgiana joined in to make plans for a simple wedding that could be held one day the following week. The discussion lasted until they arrived at Darcy House.
As they entered the house Mr. Carroll approached the party saying, "Pardon me, Mr. Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived while you were out. He is waiting for you in your study." Lowering his voice slightly he added, "He does not look well, Sir."
Lizzy saw Anne pale slightly at Mr. Carroll's final words. She would need distracting. Lizzy took charge. "We will be in the music room, William. After the two of you have talked over the situation perhaps you could join us there. I will also have a note ready to send to Uncle Gardiner by then."
William nodded. Lizzy could see he was worried. Hoping he would not mind her being so forward, especially in company, she stepped closer to him. Standing on tiptoe she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Before he could respond she stepped back, took Anne and Georgiana by the arms and practically dragged them away to the music room. She was hoping against hope that neither would comment on the redness of her cheeks.
Chapter 19: Richard
William spent the ride home from Gunter's feeling happier than he could ever remember. Lizzy had agreed to marry him! Even better, although she had not said the words directly, her statement that she would only marry for love assured him of her feelings.
As the ladies made plans for a simple wedding, he thought about the settlement he needed to prepare. William knew she would protest at the amounts he planned to allocate to her, but he was determined to use his mother's very generous settlement as a template, nonetheless. He wished to honor Lizzy and prevent her from living their marriage in fear of what might happen after his death. He felt her father had been cruel to leave her mother in so much uncertainty. He would never do that to his own family.
William's happiness increased on hearing his cousin had arrived at last and was waiting in the study. Then Mr. Carroll had quietly added, "He does not look well, Sir."
Dread cast clouds over his joy. He almost did not hear Lizzy say she and the others would await him in the music room. However, he could not miss noticing when she quickly kissed him on the cheek before dragging his cousin and sister away.
Smiling, William lifted his hand to touch the spot she had kissed. Then he noticed Mr. Carroll looking at him questioningly, although the man would never lower himself to ask.
"Did I mention Miss Bennet has agreed to be my wife?" he asked by way of explanation.
"You did not, Sir. I congratulate you," his butler said with a faint hint of a smile.
William nodded to him and headed to the study. He found Richard dozing in one of the two armchairs by the fireplace, both feet propped up on a footstool. His cousin's face was paler than usual and bore a pained look even in sleep. His left arm was held in place with a sling. William suspected from the way he sat that there were other injuries as well.
Taking the brandy decanter from the cupboard, William refreshed the half-filled glass on the table at Richard's side. After pouring a glass for himself William sat in the second chair. He slowly sipped his drink while he waited for Richard to wake. William's drink was a third gone when Richard woke with a sudden cough followed by a gasp of pain.
"How badly injured are you?" William asked with concern.
"Badly enough. I took a bullet in the shoulder and a bayonet in my forearm. Fortunately the infection did not do me in or make me lose the arm. It will heal in time, although I do not think I will be able to fight again. What happened to you? Mrs. Reynolds thought you were dead based on the batch of letters I received while I was recovering."
"Aunt Catherine," William said simply.
"What did the old bat do? Lock you in a cell until you promised to marry Anne?" Richard asked sourly.
"That is the gist of it," William answered with a grim smile.
Richard sat up straight, then winced. "I see," he said with a somewhat more pained look. "Am I to wish you joy?"
"You are indeed," William said, hiding his smile. He watched his cousin sigh and lower his head and decided to relieve his anxiety. "I will not be marrying Anne, however."
Richard looked up, then winced again at the movement. "How is that?"
"My bride to be is the lovely Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Anne's dearest friend," William answered, letting the smile break forth.
"Not Anne?"
"Not Anne," William confirmed.
"I know I am a bit muzzy from pain and lack of sleep, but I am
not quite sure I follow you. If you did not agree to marry Anne how did you get free of Aunt Catherine?"
William sobered. "I am not surprised at your confusion. There is more to the tale than just a dungeon and our dragon of an aunt. Have you ever noticed the strange shadows at Rosings Park?"
"Aye. I have seen the ghosts as well, though I never mentioned it after hearing your father and mine laughing together over your attempts to convince them of the existence of the ghosts. I get the feeling not everyone can see them."
"I am glad you can. My story will be strange enough as it is. It would take all night and you would probably still think me mad if I had to convince you to believe in the shadows and the ghosts."
"You do not look insane. In fact, even though you are not smiling at the moment you look happy and relaxed in a way I have not seen since before your father's death."
William smiled brightly in response. "I am happy, Richard. She said yes! And she loves me. We will marry as soon as I can prepare the settlement and have her uncle sign it."
"Then I do wish you joy. Now tell me your tale."
"Actually, before I do, I have another question for you. I had never really wondered about this before, but when I found out today it made sense. Do you know why Anne did not want to marry me?"
Richard looked a little flustered. "I always thought, perhaps...well, it never mattered. Lady Catherine would not approve. Anne deserves better, anyway."
"Anne is of age and what she deserves is different from what she wants. What she wants will make her happy and more than anything that is what she deserves."
Richard looked intently at William. "But are you sure, I mean about what she wants."
"I have it on good authority," William smiled again at his slightly stunned cousin. "Now, let me tell you the tale of this year's trip to Rosings..."
With many interruptions and questions from Richard, William told how he had been drugged and locked in the dungeon neither of them had known existed in the house. He described the visits from their aunt and the voice in the dark that gave him hope. Richard had to hold in his laughter when he heard how William and Lizzy each took the other for a ghost. William's description of the escape impressed him, but the final confrontation with Lady Catherine left him momentarily speechless.
When he gathered his thoughts Richard asked, "You say you found a book with information about these shadows? What kind of book is it?"
"It is probably several hundred years old and is handwritten in Latin. What we have read so far does not mention Rosings in particular, but it does provide a disturbing explanation of what might be happening there."
"I did not think Aunt Catherine could read or speak Latin," Richard observed.
"She would have been a great proficient if she had learned," William said with a chuckle. "That may be part of the problem. The book, at least what we have read so far, does not tell how to control the shadows, just that some people do. It talks about them and warns that those who use their power will be drained of all kindness and love until they eventually become those ghosts we have seen. If Aunt Catherine has been struggling to translate it, she may have skipped ahead or misunderstood the warnings."
"How far have you gotten into it? Is there any way to save or stop her?"
"Lizzy and I have translated about half the volume. She is a proficient. The handwriting is difficult, so one of us reads aloud while the other translates. It is not good nighttime reading, especially since our experiences at Rosings have left us subject to nightmares anyway. I think Aunt Catherine may be too far gone to help unless there is some miracle cure in the latter half of the book. I have no idea how to stop her either. At the very least, we should find a way to remove as many people as possible from her control. She has created her own little realm where she rules supreme, but she should not be allowed to harm others as she has done."
"Why would she stay put and allow that?"
"She is tied to Rosings now by her connection to the shadows. She cannot leave the vicinity. I think even going in to Hunsford was a strain, but she did it to keep control of the villagers."
"So the next step is to finish the book, so we know what options are left."
"Yes, but not today. We are celebrating Lizzy's birthday, our engagement and now your return today. I do not want to darken it by delving further into that book."
"Perhaps tomorrow after services would be a better time. You would be fortified by the sermon and the time of worship."
"You have a point. I also need to prepare my draft of Lizzy's settlement today and tomorrow so I can have my solicitor prepare a final copy on Monday. I hope to meet with her uncle on Tuesday to have it signed and we can marry on Wednesday."
"Why the rush?"
"In part because we both want to be married as soon as possible. There is no need to wait and I do not want anything to prevent us from marrying. Plus it will annoy Aunt Catherine if I am no longer available. She would be even more annoyed if Anne were not either." William looked at his cousin significantly.
"Hmm. I can see that. Shall we join the ladies? I want to meet your singing ghost who is proficient in Latin. She sounds like a most interesting lady."
"That she is. Let me just write my note to her uncle before I take you in to make introductions.
~o~
As they neared the music room William and Richard heard a lovely voice singing along with a piano accompaniment. "Is that your ghost?" Richard asked. William nodded and smiled.
They waited until the song was done before entering the room. Their appearance caused a stir. Georgiana jumped up from the piano and happily ran to greet Richard, clearly intending to give him a big hug. William took hold of her and stopped her before she could. "No hugs, Georgie. You don't want to kill the man." It was then the ladies all noticed the sling and Richard's weary look.
Anne stood quietly by, just staring at Richard while William performed the introduction with Lizzy. After the standard greetings were complete and Richard had offered congratulations on the engagement he turned to Anne.
"You look very well, Anne. I have never seen you so full of life." Richard told her.
Anne smiled at him. "I feel much better than I can ever remember, and it is all due to Lizzy. She saved me from Rosings and taught me many things. I think the time for discretion is done and I am going to show I have learned from her how to be brave." She took a deep breath and spoke again before Richard could find anything to say.
"You have done enough for your country Richard, both on the continent and at home. It is time you retire and settle down. I know you do not have the kind of funds you would like to support a wife on, but I have enough to support us both in comfort and more than that I love you. Please say you will marry me."
Richard bore the look of a man who had just been hit with a hammer. No matter what William had said, Richard had not been expecting this. William, Lizzy and Georgiana all held their breath and waited. Shaking his head slightly as if to clear his mind, then wincing from the movement, Richard stepped forward and took Anne's hand in his good one.
"I have always loved you, Anne. I knew it was futile to do so when you were in your mother's house, so I never said anything. It is true I do not have much, or at least not everything I would like to give you, but I would be honored to marry you and live out my days by your side."
The three watching could breathe again and smiled joyfully at the couple. Anne looked at Lizzy.
"Would you have any objection to a double wedding? Assuming we can get a common license in this parish?"
"I would like nothing better than to share the day with you," Lizzy told her. "That is how it should be."
"In that case," Richard said, "I will need your help to draft a settlement, William."
"We can work on it together," William agreed.
Moving to the drawing room they sat and chatted among themselves. Lizzy handed William the note she had written, and he sent one of his servants to deliver both notes to Mr. Gardiner, car
rying back whatever response the man made. Before dinner was served William received agreement to an appointment early Tuesday afternoon. There was no response to Lizzy's note. William could see that grieved her although she pretended not to notice. He planned to have words with Mr. Gardiner – after the settlement was signed.
~o~
After services William and Richard were able to purchase common licenses to marry, although the vicar insisted William bring a copy of the signed settlement as proof that Lizzy's guardian, or at least a male member of her family, approved of the marriage since she was not yet of age. He agreed that in the absence of directions from her father, an uncle was better suited to give consent than a distant cousin even if the cousin was her father's heir. William promised to bring the settlement and they arranged for the double wedding at ten Wednesday morning.
All five of them gathered in the library to continue with the ancient book. The next section described the stages the person controlling the shadows went through before their final absorption into the shadow cloud. Although there were ways and opportunities for one to turn away from the path in the early stages it was clear from the description that Lady Catherine was too far gone. The extreme pallor Lizzy had noticed and originally attributed to arsenic use was a sign the final stages were upon her. How long she had left depended on the way she chose to use the power.
"Her attack on us probably hastened the process," William observed.
"It is strange," Anne said, "the shadows take away the capacity for love and kindness. I do not remember my mother ever being loving or kind. And that seems to be the type of person who is drawn to use the power and feed the shadows. There must be more in it for the shadows than just that or they are getting a very poor deal."
"It seems to me it is a poor deal on both sides," William answered. "What does she really gain? All she can do is hurt people and she could do that just as easily without the shadows to feed."
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