Chapter 7
“Tell me again what you heard, word for word, John.” William requested.
John Knightley took a deep breath, “Andover heard from Cavanaugh, who read a letter for Bertram, that Wickham promised to repay his debts in three weeks when he married some little thing for her large dowry and gain a large estate and become master. It was written that he travelled south to Kent to find employment but met a desperate, rich lady who wanted to marry off her daughter and offered the position to Wickham.”
“You are certain it was Kent? And the name of the estate that was mentioned in the letter? Do you remember what the estate was called?” William asked in high alert.
Knightley replied, “Yes, Kent. I am certain of that. I cannot recall the name exactly but it was something flower-like. Iris Hall? Jasmine Manor? Magnolia Park? I honestly cannot remember.”
“ROSINGS PARK?!” William exclaimed. “Do you think it was Rosings Park?”
“Perhaps.” Knightley replied. “That sounds familiar but I cannot be certain.”
William quickly called his valet to prepare his horse and wrote a note. “I have no time to lose. My father is in London right now, I believe, and I must get to him now. Please give this letter to the headmaster and I will return in a week. I must leave immediately.” He handed Knightley the note. He turned to his faithful friend, “Do not speak of this to anyone, John. You have been a great help and I believe my cousin is in danger.” He embraced his friend and tapped his shoulders. “Thank you. I am glad you came to me with any information regarding Wickham.”
Knightley nodded and tapped his friend’s shoulder in return. “Get to it, sir. Save your cousin and tell me all about it later.”
William rushed out of his rooms and mounted his horse. It would be a full day’s journey and he could only hope it was not too late.
~*~
“What in the world happened, George?” Lady Anne fussed. “I am saddened to hear that Lewis has passed but I do not understand what my sister has done. Why in the world would she leave Rosings with her daughter? There is a funeral to be organised and household businesses to oversee. Why would she leave Kent?”
Mr. Darcy sighed, “Anne, I have written to Lady Matlock and I hope that she will be amenable to travelling to Rosings to assist your brother straightaway. Margaret will take care of the details with her husband but it would be helpful for you to work with Mrs. Jenkinson to think of any place that Catherine might take Anne. I have sent for my usual investigator but I have no idea where to begin and how we would be able to track them. If she is using an alias, it will be an impossibility.”
“Oh, George, Anne will never be able to marry and lead a normal life due to her illness.” Lady Anne wiped her tears. “I had hoped that with her residing with Robert and Sarah in Matlock, she will be able to experience some of the joys of being a young woman and be loved by her cousins. I wished to give her as much happy experiences until her time comes to an end and Catherine is ruining it. How do we find them, George? We must find them.”
Mr. Darcy rubbed his wife’s back and handed her a handkerchief. “We will find them, my love. We will find something to locate them. Eventually, Catherine will need to bring Anne back, even if she is married to an unworthy cad, and we will ensure Anne will be comfortable for the rest of her life. Henry and I never thought this would happen and if we had guessed Catherine would be so reckless, we would have reminded her of Lewis’ will and the details surrounding her future. Lewis told us that he explained this to her already but she must be truly idiotic. If it is accurate that Catherine abducted Anne to marry her off to keep the estate, she could not be more wrong.”
“Tell me all, my dear. I only know that Richard is to inherit and William and Robert will receive some funds but nothing else. I thought Catherine knew that Anne would not receive the estate after her attempt to compromise our son,” Lady Anne stated.
“Yes, that was when Lewis made the changes to his will and named Richard Fitzwilliam full heir and he had told Catherine of it, I am certain,” Mr. Darcy explained, “but knowing your sister, she likely did not listen to him. Our nephew is to inherit Rosings Park and £1,000 per annum is to go to Catherine from the estate’s income. Anne is to be kept comfortable with her £30,000 and Robert and our son will receive £15,000 each. If Anne passes without marriage, her dowry is to be split between our nephews and our children in equal shares. He was very generous with his nephews and niece.” He sighed, “Lewis also added contingencies that if Anne should marry, if it is forced or a compromise, she forfeits the dowry immediately and either the husband can stay with her under his own income or she may live separately at a location of mine or Henry’s choosing. If Anne marries for love and she agrees to the marriage, the dowry is to go to her husband and they would be allowed to live at Rosings for as long as they wished, as long as Richard has not taken ownership by that time. He knew Anne would not be able to bear children and live a long life, so once she passes, the estate would revert back to Richard.”
“He was a very intelligent man, that Lewis.” Lady Anne softly smiled, “and I will miss him dearly. We will certainly need to speak with Mrs. Jenkinson and I will call for her now, George. She has been so kind to my niece and it is unfortunate that she
