Free The Ladies of Longbourn by Rebecca Ann Collins Page B

Charles Bingley. She had never seen such anger. Having let him give vent to his feelings, she had urged him to abandon attempts to confront the Harwoods. "Surely, Charles, you must know that such action would achieve little or nothing for Anne-Marie? Instead, will you not help us to cherish and sustain your sister as she tries to recover her spirits? I believe she has already taken the first steps, and your love and support will be crucial."
    "Anna, I will do anything, anything at all to help her. Give me any instruction and it shall be done," he promised. "Poor Anne-Marie, she devotes years of her life to heal others, and this is her reward? A contemptible arrangement by which she is persuaded to marry a man wholly beneath her in every way, a man for whom she says she had no love. Just think, Anna, what it must have been like for a young woman to endure. After all, she had no idea he was going to die fifteen months later; he could quite well have lived to be seventy!" After a while, he had become calmer, promising to talk to his sister and offer his help with her campaign for the children's hospital.
    "It is very dear to her heart; I know she will welcome your support," Anna had said, quietly.
Interrupted by her son, demanding his mother's attention, Anna put aside her letter and went downstairs with Nicholas, who was eager to be out in the garden.
Following him down the steps, she saw Anne-Marie and her brother in earnest and seemingly amiable conversation at the far end of the lawn. Seeing Anna, they came towards her. Smiling and walking arm in arm with Charles, Anne-Marie revealed that her brother had promised her his complete support for her campaign to get a children's hospital for the area.
"You see, Anna, Charles has a wonderful opportunity to help us. Once he is in London, he will put together the kind of evidence that only a practising physician can provide," she said. "What is even better, when we have gathered all the material we need, he is going to help me prepare a proper case and present it to our new Member of Parliament, Mr Colin Elliott."
There was no mistaking her delight, and even he seemed calmer and more content. Having declared her unreserved approval and added her own offer of help, Anna took them to see the new Conservatory. As they talked of Winter roses and exotic orchids, she was relieved to note there was no longer any tension between them. Helped by the untiring efforts of young Nicholas, both Anne-Marie and Charles were soon smiling.
On her return to the house, Anna completed her letter to Emma Wilson and despatched it to the post, happy to reassure her sister-in-law.
    I am indeed happy to conclude with some good news. I know you will be relieved to hear that Charles is calmer now, having decided to take a more rewarding path, helping his sister with her beloved children's hospital scheme.
It has made us very happy.
Your loving sister, Anna.
    When her husband returned to Netherfield, Anna gave him the news and, while he shared her sense of relief, he did warn her against building up Anne-Marie's expectations. "Do remember, dearest, that whatever their hopes, they must obtain the support of the council and our new MP, Mr Colin Elliott, which may prove more difficult than we imagine. He is, after all, a Tory from a notably Conservative background. His father and grandfather have fierce reputations for their harsh treatment of tenants and farm labourers during the enclosures of small holdings and commons in the district. Of course, as a result, Sir Paul Elliott and his family prospered mightily, but many poor families turned out of their farms and cottages were deprived of everything--their livelihood, their homes, and the sources of food for their families. The gamekeepers brutally enforced the game laws and magistrates, usually friends or relations of the Elliotts and other similar landowners, hanged, jailed, and transported men and women for poaching fish or rabbit to feed their children."
    His