Page 114 of New World Tea Company
Lady Catherine discounted her nephew’s statement and explained how she came to London, ordered the lawyers to sell the two properties quickly, and handed over fifteen thousand pounds to George Wickham.
Darcy sat back down in one of the chairs and explained, “Lady Catherine, in my years of overseeing my estate, Anne’s estate, and the associated businesses, I have worked with merchants and men of business. In my opinion, these stock certificates represent worthless papers.”
The woman frowned but remained silent when Darcy concluded, “You have thrown away a fortune for a sheaf of paper printed with images of the native peoples of the Americas.”
~~~
Chapter 54.Darcy’s Conclusions
Leaving the parlour, Darcy paused in the hallway and remembered,‘I am at fault here. I met with the lawyers and ended my hold on the Rosings assets.Of course, the lawyers followed her direction to provide her with money. If they were smart, they bought the properties for themselves – both stay rented, and the tenant businesses pay their debts regularly.’
‘The properties were worth at least another ten thousand pounds but the lawyers followed Lady Catherine’s instructions to sell quickly. None of the banks would mortgage the properties because of my aunt’s personal history of not paying her debts. And now the whole value is gone from Anne’s estate,’Darcy ruminated.‘I am fault for this catastrophe. If I had discouraged Mr Collins last year…it was not my place. But I should have said something…anything.’
The man sighed as he thought,‘Elizabeth will be disappointed in me.’
~~~
After refusing to call for a maid to order tea for Lady Catherine, Darcy realized he was obligated to return with his aunt to London and seek his uncle’s counsel about the loss of a sizeable fortune from Anne’s estate. The Earl of Matlock would be angry with his sister, his nephew and the lawyers. But with the power of the nobleman’s position, they might recover some or all of the lost funds when Wickham was located.
Suggesting to his aunt that she remain in the parlour, Darcy left the room and went through the kitchens to seek his uncle’s coachman. The Matlock man took excellent care of the team of horses and would have moved them to the stables behind the manor where water would be available for the animals. Outsidethe large stables, the coachman tipped his hat to greet the gentleman.
The dependable coachman explained, “Mr Darcy, I have a horse that’s gone lame. It’ll be three days at best before I dare put this team back in harness. Will you deal with Lady Catherine? Her Ladyship never cares about the horses.”
Darcy told the man to treat the horse here at Netherfield and sent the lady’s maid who had been left in the carriage into the kitchens for tea and food. Then the gentleman asked, “Does my uncle know you came to Hertfordshire today?”
“No sir,” the coachman replied. “The countess urged his lordship to curtail Lady Catherine’s excursions around the city, but the earl ignored his wife. When Lady Catherine arrived from Rosings, her horses were in bad shape. That team is in the earl’s stables and can’t be used for service for at least another week. This morning when she stepped from Matlock House, she ordered me to turn the carriage toward Meryton.”
After learning that his aunt’s forays around London had included a short visit to his own house in Mayfair, Darcy determined to bring the problem to the attention of his uncle – and leave the problem in that man’s hands. He told the coachman, “Stay here with the horses. Charles Bingley and his wife are friends of mine and they will allow you room and board as well as fodder and stables for the team until they are fit to return to the city. Keep a record of everything you use, and I shall require my uncle to reimburse Mr Bingley for the items.”
“What about her ladyship?” inquired the coachman. “Earl Matlock is unlikely to be forgiving if his sister is trapped in the countryside.”
Nodding in agreement, the gentleman replied, “I shall take Lady Catherine back to London in my carriage. I must go to thecity to determine the damage Her Ladyship has inflicted on her daughter’s estate.”
Approaching his coachman, Darcy instructed, “Jasper, harness the team to my carriage and be prepared to depart Netherfield in just one hour’s time. Leave my other mounts here for I shall return after we deliver Lady Catherine to my uncle’s house.”
Returning to the kitchens of Netherfield, Darcy sent his valet to pack a trunk. He would be needed in London no more than two nights and his household in Mayfair would be in disarray with his unannounced arrival tonight. It was easier to carry everything to London for a short stay.
The team of horses and carriage that delivered Lady Catherine to Netherfield would remain in the care of the coachman in the Netherfield stables. Darcy would make certain his uncle learned of their location and the fact that one of the horses had gone lame. The stable at Netherfield offered suitable stalls, hay and oats for the horses to recover.
The footman from his uncle’s carriage would return to London to inform the head of the Earl’s stable about the team and their location.
Returning to the kitchens, Darcy relented and asked Mrs Hobbes to provide Lady Catherine with tea and a chance to refresh herself before his carriage left Netherfield.
~~~
With Lady Catherine confined to the parlour until Darcy came for her, the man ventured above stairs. His valet was packing the two trunks with his belongings – clothes and coats in one trunk, and boots and books in the second. A small trunk that the valet would carry on his person in the coach was already packed. It contained Mr Darcy’s correspondence while at Netherfield, and the writing materials Darcy carried everywhere.
Knocking on the door to Georgiana’s bedchamber, Mr Darcy was pleased to find his sister in the room with Mrs Annesley, Mrs Bingley, and Miss Elizabeth.
Smiling at his sister and the other ladies, Darcy asked, “How did you get inside the house? I did not hear you come through the front door or climb the stairs.”
Smiling impishly, Georgiana explained, “Elizabeth and I entered the house with young Mr Hill through the kitchens and came up the back staircase with the chambermaid who cares for my room.”
Surprised, Darcy asked for clarification, “Did you use the servant’s staircase?”
Jane Bingley smiled as she explained, “At Longbourn, my sister and I learned to slip down the back stairs to the kitchen once we were too old to climb out of the window and down the trellis to the ground. Our housekeeper monitored our excursions as best as she could.”
Elizabeth added, “I believe Papa knew what we were doing but Mamma never discovered how we exited the house when we were supposed to be napping or considering proper lady-like behaviours.”
