Page 131 of Shields and Roses

Like him, his sister was hardly certain how she felt about their aunt's death. After all, their contact had been minimal over the years, even before her father's death, and Lady Catherine had frightened Georgiana the few times they had been in company. As they discussed the matter, she thanked her brother for not insisting she travel to Kent for the funeral.

"There would be little purpose in you making the trip," he said, "since women are not expected to attend the actual funeral. We will not be having any kind of gathering afterward. Anne is only going to support our uncle and because, as Lady Catherine's only child, she feels she must."

Lizzy said, "Sir Phillip told me the servants at Rosings Park were reluctant to let him and your uncle into the house yesterday and only allowed them to stay the night after your uncle reminded the servants that Sir Phillip would one day be their master. I expect they will be glad they let themselves be persuaded now that the day has come so soon."

"I am certain they will. From what I have seen of the household, that one instance may not be enough to prevent many of them from having to find new places. Sir Phillip and his mother will want to make major changes to transform Rosings Park into a home." Darcy replied.

"I wonder if Lady Catherine had already irrevocably granted the living at Hunsford to Mr. Collins?" Lizzy asked.

"Oh, that is well thought of. I will mention it to Sir Phillip and my uncle so we can check while we are there. We do know he has never taken possession. If there is no signed document making over the living to him, we can make certain he never does, even if he makes it back from Scotland."

More guests came to offer congratulations before leaving the party, so the subject dropped. The evening ended soon after, with all those making the journey to Kent agreeing on an early start.

Chapter 60: Settlements

Lady Catherine's funeral was accomplished with little fuss, bother or fanfare. In every way, it was the opposite of what Darcy was certain his aunt would have wished.

Before retiring after the party, Mrs. Hill and one of the maids took the time to wash the body and arrange it decently. They dressed the deceased woman in a fine gown Anne picked from her mother's luggage, although when asked, she admitted the gown was her mother's least favorite of all those that had been packed. After the body was dressed, Mrs. Bennet provided lengths of plain muslin to use as a shroud and complete the preparations, although, of course, Lady Catherine would have preferred something more extravagant, like silk.

While this was happening, Bennet had a few of the stable hands put together an appropriately sized box to serve as temporary housing for the return to Kent. Darcy knew his aunt would have turned her nose up in disgust at the thought of even touching such a rough construction, let alone being laid out in it. She would have been slightly mollified by the finer, ready-made casket her brother purchased for the shop of a casket maker they passed on the way to Rosings, but only slightly. It should have been custom made, with a high-quality lining and plenty of gilding on it to have fitted with her ideas.

On arriving at Rosings Park, Peter immediately sent for the curate who had been tending to the parish as they waited for Mr. Collins to arrive. Peter and Sir Phillip had a brief conference with the man and arranged things to their satisfaction. A few hours later, Lady Catherine was quietly interred in the de Bourgh family plot as the small group of her male relatives looked on.

The following morning, the villagers in the Hunsford church seemed unsurprised when the curate announced the news of Lady Catherine's death. There was a bit more of a stir and some mutters and grumbling when, at Peter's special request, the clergyman asked them to offer up prayers for her eternal soul. On the way out of the church, Darcy listened with interest as the villagers and tenants talked among themselves.

"Well, he had to ask. The new Earl of Matlock is her brother, after all."

"Do you think Sir Phillip will make many changes at the house?"

"He will be the best change of them all, but no doubt many of her favorites will soon be looking for other homes."

"Sir Phillip is a good young man and a true de Bourgh. It will be a little like having Sir Lewis back again."

"The new master's mother is a proper lady. She will see to the poor as should be done. Better times are coming for all of us, I say."

"When will we see that new rector her Ladyship put in? No one has heard a word of him or his wife since the house was put to rights for them. The poor curate has been stretched thin tending to everything in his absence."

"I just hope the new rector is a far better man than her usual choices."

Darcy took careful note of the last comments. He and the other men had searched Lady Catherine's study that morning but could find no evidence of any document granting the living to William Collins. Despite her other faults, Lady Catherine was a meticulous record-keeper, so it was unlikely the document existed. All the same, it was no guarantee the man did not have his own copy of an appointment.

Being guided by Peter and as the new owner of both the estate and the advowson for the living, Sir Phillip drafted a letter to the local bishop asking if the now-vacant living had formally been bestowed. Even if it had, Darcy thought, the evidence they had of Collins' intended wrongdoing in Meryton would probably be enough to convince the bishop to revoke the living. It would just be easier if the problem never came up so Sir Phillip could appoint a man who would properly tend the people under his care without delay.

They left Rosings Park on Monday pleased with how easily matters had been handled. As they all rode back together in Peter's carriage, having left the carriage Lady Catherine had been using at the estate, Richard spoke what all of them had been feeling.

"After all these years of fighting against Aunt Catherine, I kept expecting her to rise up from her casket and start complaining about our arrangements or to have something happen like the box she was in fall off of the top of the carriage. Yesterday I fully expected her to summon me to her favorite sitting room for a dressing down or to have her ghost wake us by wailing in the halls. It all seems too easy."

"I think we have so many old habits built around circumventing her that it will take a long while for all of us to discover what it is like to live our lives without reference to what she may do," Peter agreed.

"It may be some time before I can step out of her shadow," said Sir Phillip.

Richard suggested, "You will probably want to stop all payments to her spies in short order. At the same time, it would be a good idea to find out who and where they are. I would like to know if she had any agents other than Wickham in Meryton. I would not be surprised to discover Colonel Forster was on her payroll."

"Her banker could best point us to the agent she used to make payments," Peter said.

"A man named Hayward has been a regular visitor over the years, but was not a social acquaintance," Anne said.

"I remember the man I placed in the Rosings Park stables mentioning the name," Peter confirmed. "Mr. Hayward will certainly bear investigation."