Page 54 of Her Whole Heart
A stunned silence greeted this revelation. Even Fitz appeared taken aback.
Lady Henrietta recovered first, confusion and incredulity mingling in her countenance. “Then why did you send me away again?”
“Because you required another year to finish your education before you began to work with masters.” The earl’s voice broke. “But I placed you in a school here in London and then resided in town for the remainder of your time there. I was never more than a twenty-minute ride away. I wanted to do what was best for you, but I could not bear to be far away.”
“And the funds you allocated to the Bennets?” she asked heatedly.
This was also news to Darcy. Milton and Fitz appeared surprised as well. Was he the source of their fortunes? Had the earl really given forty thousand pounds to the Bennets?
“I made certain provisions for Miss Elizabeth out of respect for her bravery. Despite being younger than Georgiana is now, she raced back into the heart of an inferno to drag you to safety. There are many men full grown who would have left you to die, especially after you ignored her first warning and returned to bed.”
Darcy’s mind reeled. Miss Elizabeth had escaped and then returned to the fire?
“And before any of you ask, I contributed to a fund set up by several other families whose daughters she also saved. I did not empty the earldom’s coffers. The fund was specifically for Miss Elizabeth, but she insisted on sharing it with her sister, and they seem to have invested well.”
“Did you remove those monies from my fortune, Father?” Lady Henrietta inquired primly.
“No.” His uncle’s voice rang with finality. “And you will kindly recall that until the funds are signed over to you at the age of twenty-five or marriage, it is not your money, but mine. The account is more than ample, but nothing has been irrevocably settled upon you yet.” After a moment, his expression gentled. “You were never less beloved or valued than your brothers, my girl. You were simply given guidance as best I knew how—which is to say, poorly but with every good intention. There was no malice or even indifference intended.”
Lady Henrietta’s lower lip trembled as her head dropped. A pensive silence fell over the room, and no one dared to end it until she rose to make a stiff curtsey. “You have given me much to ponder, it seems,” she said, her voice still strong but no longer angry. “I shall take my leave, if you please.”
The men did not seek to impede her retreat as she fled the room with as much decorum as she could muster.
A collective sigh greeted the soft click of the door as it closed behind her.
“Well,” Milton said, casting his eyes heavenward. “That could scarcely have gone more appallingly.”
“Enough.” The earl sounded weary as he sank into the chair behind his desk. “This matter shall require delicate handling in future. But it clarifies Henrietta’s attitude, which had always puzzled me. I fear I am much to blame for her jealous state of mind.”
Milton and Fitz exchanged a glance with Darcy and then each other, but they all remained respectfully quiet as Lord Matlock continued.
“In my ineptitude, I raised her much as I did the two of you—sent her off to school at too tender an age, expected it to toughen her spirit as it would a son.” He ran a hand absently through his greying hair. “I did not fully appreciate that for a young lady, such treatment might breed resentment rather than resilience.”
“Father,” Milton replied, “she was free at any time to discuss her unhappiness with you.”
“Was she? I have always given much of my time to politics, and when your mother died, instead of spending more time with you all, I threw myself into more work, more alliances, more time away from home. You were finishing university, and Richard was about to begin, but Henrietta was only ten.”
“The past cannot be undone,” Darcy said. “Dwelling on regrets serves little purpose.”
Fitz snorted. “She is assuredly not a young girl now, Father, and has not been for some time.”
“Our focus must be on mitigating the damage her venom has caused, not only for Miss Elizabeth, but for Georgiana as well. It is too soon for my sister to be out, but she will have to be seen at appropriate times and places, often but not solely in Miss Elizabeth’s company.” Darcy was not unhappy about this solution, but he could only pray that it worked.
“And Miss Elizabeth will need to be seen in your company as well,” Fitz added.
“And mine,” Darcy agreed. “With the rest of you.”
“That is no hardship,” Milton quipped. “My friendship with Simon and his family is well-known.”
“You all already know that Lord Carlisle assigned me to be Miss Elizabeth’s friend. I am sure none of you will be surprised that I made several highly stupid remarks to her in the course of fulfilling that demand.”
“More than just the insult at the ball?” Fitz asked, one side of his mouth curling down. “Darcy, that was an egregious statement. Please tell me it was no worse—please tell me you have at least apologized for calling her family connections into question.”
It ought to have happened a good deal sooner than it had, but Darcy did not tell Fitz that. “I have apologised, and she has accepted.”
“That easy?” Milton inquired. “If so, she may be the most forgiving woman I have ever met.”
Darcy smiled to himself. “She forgave me, but she made certain to tell me that it was only because I meant so little to her that she did not dwell on my idiocy overmuch.”
