“Just milk, thank you.”
Once everyone was served, Lady Anne and Elizabeth both spoke at once, and both immediately fell silent, each waiting for the other to speak.
Elizabeth said, “Please, what were you about to say?”
“Only that I cannot at all account for your presence here, Mrs. Darcy.” Her tone was not unkind, simply confused.
“Lady Anne, first I must tell you that William sent a message asking you to wait before departing Pemberley. We hoped that you and I would have a final chance to speak together. Evidently the message arrived after you had already departed.”
Lady Anne raised her eyes in surprise.
Elizabeth continued, “But I was glad to see that you had left Pemberley; I will not pretend otherwise. Though it was terrible for me to see Georgiana in such pain! She has difficulties enough, given how shy she is, and the absence of her one remaining parent is not good for her peace of mind.”
Lady Anne’s eyes filled with tears. “It was not easy for me to leave my daughter behind, Mrs. Darcy.”
“I am certain it was not.”
“Are you simply here to tell me that my daughter is sad? I wonder that you came so far to do so.”
“No; I am here so that you and I might speak with one another candidly. You took an immediate dislike to me, so we have never spoken, woman to woman, in an attempt to resolve our differences.” She stopped, waiting to gauge her opponent’s reaction.
Lady Anne admitted, “It is true; Ididtake an immediate dislike to you, yes, beginning at Rosings. It was so clear, even then, that my son was taken with you, and I –“ And here she stopped and shook her head, unable or unwilling to continue.
Elizabeth, seeing that Lady Anne had nothing more to say at the moment, went on. “My sister here has impressed upon me that no woman would want to lose the one thing that gives her purpose and status. What was it you said, Mary? You were eloquent on the subject, I think.”
Mary was more than a little nervous, but she rose to the occasion. “Lady Anne, it seems to me that men are able to find purpose through their careers or their estates, but we women have nothing but what is granted to us by our husbands.”
Lady Anne looked astonished. “That is exactly what I said!”
“Go on, Mary,” Elizabeth prompted.
“Very well; Lady Anne, is there not a good deal you could teach my sister? Oh, she is more than capable of keeping accounts, paying the servants, managing the menus, and so on, but she has never had to plan a ball. She has never hosted a large dinner party. There are any number of things that you could teach her, if you had a mind to.”
Elizabeth now intervened, “And I am willing – more than willing! – to learn these things from you, Lady Anne, but I cannot and will not cede my own responsibilities. I am the mistress of Pemberley. But you are the Dowager Mistress of Pemberley – a title we should invent here and now – if you are willing to fill that place while allowing me my own.”
Lady Anne raised her eyes to Elizabeth’s. “And you would allow me to return home?” Her tone was uncertain.
“Under the conditions I have outlined, yes.”
“Then you are a better woman than I, Mrs. Darcy, for I would not be so generous, had I been treated as you were,” Lady Anne declared.
“You admit that your behaviour has been less than ideal?”
“I look back upon it with the deepest shame and regret, Mrs. Darcy. My only excuse – and truly, it is no good excuse at all – is that I was terrified at the thought of becoming unimportant.”
Mary said, “I can understand that, Lady Anne. You are the niece of an earl; you were courted and praised as a young lady, and as the mistress of Pemberley, you were the second most important person on the estate. Once my sister arrived, you felt relegated to a back corner.”
Elizabeth said, “I can understand it as well, but – heavens! Did you not think that we might work together? My father’s estate is not a tenth the size of Pemberley; every day, I wondered what I might be doing wrong!”
Lady Anne stared at Elizabeth in astonishment. “I would never have guessed it, Mrs. Darcy. You seemed to take to the role with ease and confidence!”
“I had been advised to take the reins as soon as possible, but do you understand how difficult you made that for me? The servants did not know who I was or what they should do! Thank heavens for Mrs. Reynolds; I do not know what I would have done if she had followed your example, Lady Anne.” Elizabeth’s tone was censorious.
Mary broke in, “Tell me, what happened whenyoufirst moved to Pemberley, Lady Anne?”
Lady Anne groaned. “Heavens! My mother-in-law was a tyrant and she made my life an utter misery! Her husband had already died when Mr. Darcy and I married, but she refused to relinquish even an inch of her position to me. Mr. Darcy and I were not even able to move to the master’s and mistress’ suite until after she died because she would not –“ And here Lady Anne put a hand to her mouth. Then she continued in a whisper, “And that is exactly how I treated you. Oh, Mrs. Darcy, I am so very, very sorry!” Tears were now coursing down her cheeks. “I beg you to excuse me!” She rose and hastened out the door.
Elizabeth turned to Mary. “What do you think?”
