Forced to Marry

by Bella Breen

  She was amazed to find that many of the servants came from families that had served the Darcys for several generations. Her lady’s maid was correct that it was seen as a great honor to serve at Pemberley. And it seemed that the Darcys were kind to their staff, especially this latest Mr. Darcy, her Fitzwilliam.

  After the introductions Elizabeth finally got the hot bath she had been longing for. She was not sure she would ever get used to how enormous her bedchamber was. Behind a screen, she luxuriated in the hot water with rose oil.

  Elizabeth still could not believe the change in her relationship with Mr. Darcy. She vowed to not be cowed by him anymore. She would clear it up immediately. No more guessing and taking offense at what the other said. She was sure that they would have arguments in the future, as what couple did not? But she felt much better about her marriage now, and much happier.

  Elizabeth was tired from the traveling and finally coming to terms with how bad the carriage accident had been. They did not suffer any broken bones, but that did not mean that they were not bruised and sore. Elizabeth did not want to lie in her bedchamber on her first day at Pemberley, especially since the building was so grand. She longed to explore every room no matter how bad she felt.

  After her bath she knocked on the adjoining door and entered. Mr. Darcy had taken a bath as well and was putting on his jacket over his waistcoat. He looked quite smart. Elizabeth blushed, remembering exactly how handsome and muscular he looked.

  Mr. Darcy saw and smiled. “I am planning to go to my office and take care of paperwork that has piled up and meet with my steward about the planting. I hate to leave you alone so soon after we have arrived.”

  “That is what I wanted to talk to you about. I would like Mrs. Reynolds to give me a tour of Pemberley.”

  “That is a splendid idea, but are you not sore from the accident?”

  “I am still sore but the hot bath did wonders. Pemberley looks so amazing that I cannot keep my curiosity at bay any longer. I want to explore and see everything immediately.”

  Mr. Darcy’s face lit up at her excitement. “Mrs. Reynolds will love to show it off. She loves giving tours to visitors when we are not residing here. Georgiana could accompany you and Mrs. Reynolds on the tour. She could point out her favorite places at Pemberley. I would love to show you my favorite places if you would not mind, later on today?”

  Elizabeth walked to Mr. Darcy and put her hands on his chest. “That is a wonderful idea. I will find Georgiana immediately and ask her if she would accompany me and Mrs. Reynolds.”

  Mr. Darcy smiled. Truly he had the handsomest face of any man she knew when he smiled. He then wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her.

  Chapter 27

  The tour of Pemberley was not quite what Elizabeth had expected. Mrs. Reynolds had been civil and yet reserved. Elizabeth was sure it was the sudden marriage that was the cause of Mrs. Reynolds’ reticence. She did not know what Mr. Darcy had told his housekeeper, but she was sure something about being compromised and forced to wed had been in his letter somewhere.

  Elizabeth also needed to bring up the subject with Georgiana when she turned down Elizabeth’s request for her to accompany them on the tour of Pemberley. She left Georgiana in the music room and Mrs. Reynolds started the tour from that point.

  Elizabeth had not considered the fact that the servants and sister of Mr. Darcy would be cool towards her. No, she had only thought of Mr. Darcy and their marriage until now. She would just have to do her best to let Georgiana and Mrs. Reynolds, who would then tell the rest of the servants, that she had not trapped Mr. Darcy into marriage. Elizabeth wondered if she should even mention that Mr. Darcy had actually proposed to her before she was compromised.

  Elizabeth listened to Mrs. Reynolds during the tour but her mind was still on the subject of how to bring up the compromise and what to say. She decided that she would think as a couple and ask Mr. Darcy what he thought of her idea to tell Mrs. Reynolds and his sister about their rushed wedding. She was not sure Mr. Darcy wanted it known that she had turned down his first proposal. Elizabeth truly regretted what she had said to him with her rejection, especially after she knew about George Wickham’s past and after she knew Mr. Darcy better.

  Mr. Darcy stood and stretched. It had been a long time since he had worked for hours in his study. He put his jacket on and swallowed the last of his brandy. Nothing helped to do paperwork like brandy. He then walked out to the drawing room where he knew Elizabeth and Georgiana were probably waiting for supper.

  He saw Elizabeth and Georgiana sitting near each other but not conversing. He frowned. “Elizabeth, do you have a headache from the accident?”

  Elizabeth smiled at him. “No. I am just sore.”

  He was glad she did not have a headache, but he did not know why his sister and Elizabeth were not talking. It was not like Elizabeth to not converse with people, as she was quite outgoing.

  He glanced at his sister and found her looking down at her dress and picking off lint. Mr. Darcy flattened his lips as it was obvious Georgiana was not happy. He would have to talk to her sooner rather than later about how he came to be suddenly married. It was not going to be a comfortable conversation especially since he had stopped her elopement with George Wickham, yet he had married quite suddenly after being compromised. Not a good example for an older brother to set.

  Thankfully at that moment he was saved from any conversation by a footman calling them to supper. Mr. Darcy escorted Elizabeth and Georgiana on each of his arms into the dining room. He was glad to see that Mrs. Reynolds had the seating arrangements as he had requested. The dining table could seat at least twelve but he did not want Elizabeth at the other end of the table, like at the townhouse in London. He was not going to have that happen again, especially now that he and Elizabeth were getting along so well.

  The conversation flowed fine between Elizabeth and him and Georgiana and him but not so well between Elizabeth and Georgiana. He would have to have that conversation with Georgiana after supper. He would like to have Elizabeth be part of the conversation but he hoped it would not cause Georgiana become silent and even more angry. “Georgiana, I would like you to join Elizabeth and me in the drawing room after supper.”

  Georgiana gave him a limp smile and then looked back down at her plate. Mr. Darcy frowned. What else could Georgiana be upset with him about? He had thought Georgiana had gotten over the attempted elopement with George Wickham. He had been sure his sister had fancied herself in love, but he had thought it had been an infatuation or puppy love inflamed by that odious George Wickham.

  Georgiana still looked down at her hands in her lap. Had he misjudged that situation? Had his sister really cared for George Wickham? Could she be angry that she had been prevented from marrying her love and yet her own brother abruptly married Elizabeth in a scandalous fashion? Mr. Darcy sighed and took a long pull of his wine. That upcoming conversation would be quite uncomfortable.

  After dinner all three walked into the drawing room. Mr. Darcy left instructions with a footman that they were not to be disturbed. He closed the doors to the room and then turned towards Georgiana. “Georgiana, you know I have raised you as best that I could without our parents. I have made mistakes, but I had hoped they were not many.” Mr. Darcy took a deep breath and sat down next to Elizabeth on a sofa across from Georgiana.

  “You have done a wonderful job raising me, Brother.”

  “Thank you. I have always imparted the necessity of behaving without scandal and with decorum. You must be wondering how my sudden marriage came about.” He felt Elizabeth stiffen next to him. He looked at her, grabbed one of her hands and held it. Then he turned back to face Georgiana, who had not said anything. That confirmed that he was correct as to the cause of her unhappiness.

  “When I left for Rosings Park, I did not tell you that I had been fascinated for some time with a woman of my acquaintance, Elizabeth Bennet.” Mr. Darcy glanced at Elizabeth and squeezed her hand.

&n
bsp; He then turned back to his sister. “A brother does not share all his confidences with his younger sister. Especially when the sister is so much younger. At Rosings Park, I found that Elizabeth Bennet was visiting her dear friend who happened to be married to the parson of Hunsford. Our aunt is his patroness. I asked Elizabeth to marry me in what I have realized since was an absolutely awful marriage proposal.”

  Georgiana raised her head to stare at Mr. Darcy with an open mouth. Mr. Darcy however looked at Elizabeth with a smile. Elizabeth in turn blushed and squeezed Mr. Darcy’s hand. “My rejection of that proposal was absolutely horrid. I regret it dearly and I hope that you will wipe it from your memory as soon as possible.”

  “You rejected my brother’s proposal?” Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy turned towards Georgiana, who glared at Elizabeth.

  “She did. It was a horrible proposal. I do not want to get into how bad it was as I do not want to make Elizabeth regret having married me. I left the parsonage and walked the grounds of Rosings Park thinking about what she said to me in her rejection. I did not know that Elizabeth herself had left the parsonage to walk the grounds. Not until she tripped and fell right in front of me.”

  Mr. Darcy squeezed his wife’s hand. “I helped her arrange her clothing when we were come upon by Mr. Collins the Hunsford parson, two society mavens of Hunsford, and our cousin Col. Fitzwilliam. In order to preserve Elizabeth’s virtue, I offered my hand in marriage.”

  “What your brother has not told you is that I did not just fall in front of him. I tripped, tumbled, and landed with my dress up around my shoulders with nothing but my chemise on underneath.”

  Georgiana gasped and covered her mouth.

  Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, it was that bad. Mr. Collins, the village women, and Col. Fitzwilliam came upon us when your brother was tugging my dress out and pulling it down from where it had been caught around my shoulders. We were most definitely compromised.”

  Georgiana looked at her brother with her hands covering her mouth. He nodded. “Col. Fitzwilliam and I helped Elizabeth back to the parsonage as her hands and knee were injured when she fell. I offered for her and she accepted. At that point in time I was quite angry with her for what she said to me during her rejection of my first proposal.”

  Elizabeth squeezed Mr. Darcy’s hand. “And I hope that you will forget what I had said. It was horrible.” Elizabeth then turned towards Georgiana. “And I was quite angry at your brother for what he had said to me during his first proposal and some lies which I had sadly believed about him. So our forced marriage got off to a very bad start.”

  “Oh. I had assumed... I mean...”

  Elizabeth smiled at Georgiana. But it was Mr. Darcy that spoke. “You had thought that I had behaved in a manner contrary to how I had raised you. Am I right?”

  Georgiana nodded. “Yes. I am sorry, Fitzwilliam, but when I heard that you had married someone I had not heard of and so quickly, I could only think...”

  “Did you receive the letter I sent from London?”

  “I did, Brother. But you said that you had been compromised and had to marry. You did not say what had happened. I thought that you had been discovered anticipating the wedding date.”

  Mr. Darcy’s eyebrows rose. “Where have you heard of that term?”

  Georgiana narrowed her eyes at her brother. “I am ten and six, Fitzwilliam. I am old enough to get married myself. I am not a little girl anymore.”

  Mr. Darcy sat and stared at his younger sister.

  Elizabeth patted their joined hands. “It is hard for an older brother to realize their younger sister has grown up. Thankfully, I am here now and I can help you with the all the grown-up lady’s things.”

  Mr. Darcy turned to Elizabeth still with that poleaxed look on his countenance. Elizabeth smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. Poor Mr. Darcy, his younger sister was not a little girl anymore.

  Chapter 28

  The next day Elizabeth noticed the attitude of Mrs. Reynolds and the servants were much warmer. Had Mr. Darcy talked to Mrs. Reynolds or had Georgiana mentioned something? Whatever had happened, Elizabeth was glad. It made for a much more welcoming and inviting atmosphere at Pemberley.

  Now that Georgiana felt quite different about Elizabeth than she had the day before, Georgiana accepted Elizabeth’s offer of showing her favorite parts of Pemberley. Mr. Darcy smiled at Elizabeth when she made the offer over breakfast. He squeezed her hand and kissed her before he left to meet with his steward. He would be gone all day visiting all his land to discuss the new planting methods. She probably would not see him again until supper.

  Mr. Darcy had not lied about how busy this time was for him. Elizabeth even questioned Georgiana about it. “Is your brother always so busy around planting time?”

  They were in the music room. Georgiana had played the pianoforte and asked Elizabeth to play for her. Georgiana looked through the music sheets her brother had bought her. “There are two times of the year in which my brother is so busy that I barely see him for breakfast and supper. That is planting and harvest. He is out with the tenants. I do not know if every landowner is like that. I do not think they are from what I have overheard at church and in town. But my brother is very concerned for the lives of his tenants. He said that he has a duty to them and he will not let them starve or be without means due to his mismanagement.”

  That was very different from how Papa had managed their lands at Longbourn. He might discuss things with this steward but certainly had never gone to the fields. “Does your brother get in the fields and help?”

  “I do not know. I doubt that he helps plant because he is not dirty when he rushes in for supper. But I do know he is out there all day. He says that he helps resolve problems and makes sure everyone is doing the new planting methods correctly if they are trying new methods.”

  Mr. Darcy sounded like a very progressive man. “How often does he try new things?”

  Georgiana shrugged. “Usually only after he has read a research paper and then studied it carefully. He never does anything without making sure it will not make things worse. And when he does try things, it is only on one field or a small section. So if things do not turn out well it will not damage everyone’s income.”

  Elizabeth felt lucky, and it was strange feeling to have, that she had taken a tumble right in front of Mr. Darcy. He turned out to have depths that she had not known and personality traits that she much admired.

  Elizabeth wanted to go into the nearest village, Lambton, to order clothes. Her dresses were outdated and might be fine for Meryton but definitely not for the mistress of such a grand estate as Pemberley. And of course when she thought that, she thought immediately of Miss Bingley and her very fine clothing. She did not want to be vain like Miss Bingley but she definitely needed better clothing.

  Mr. Darcy did not come back for dinner and she did not feel comfortable ordering clothes in Lambton without discussing it with him first. She was determined to communicate everything with Mr. Darcy. They had a tough beginning and she vowed it would never be like that again.

  Elizabeth passed the time with a book and listened to Georgiana play the pianoforte and pick at the harp.

  After some time, a footman delivered a letter on a silver tray to Elizabeth. She put down her book, excited to receive a letter from anyone. Elizabeth saw it came from Meryton. She felt a strong pain of homesickness then, sad that she had not gone back to Longbourn to see her family, especially Papa. But now she had an understanding of why Mr. Darcy acted the way he did.

  The letter was from her dear sister, Jane.

  * * *

  Dearest Lizzy,

  I hope you are having a wonderful time as Mrs. Darcy at Pemberley. Aunt Gardiner assures me it is the grandest estate in all of England. I daresay I hope you are at least as happy as I have been these last several days. Mr. Bingley called on me the very next day after you were married. He has called on me every day since.

  The Gardiners have mentioned taking a va
cation to Derbyshire in a few weeks and have intimated that I could come along. I would love to see you, Lizzy, and the grand estate of Pemberley; however, I do not want to leave while Mr. Bingley is courting me. I hope you do not mind if I stay here.

  We shall leave for Longbourn on the morrow. Mr. Bingley has assured me that he will open up Netherfield Hall this week. I hope I am not being too presumptuous to think that he is doing this specifically because I am going back to Longbourn. But I do not think it is a coincidence. I cannot tell you how happy I am, Lizzy. I had wished for this but did not think it would actually happen.

  I hope you and Mr. Darcy have come to terms with your marriage. It would not do good to continue to be angry. And I know you are not one to hold on to anger and grudges.

  The militia in Meryton will be leaving and going to Brighton soon. Lydia and Kitty were very upset. Col. Forster’s wife has asked for Lydia to accompany her though, and Papa has said yes. I wonder if that is the right decision. I am worried about how Lydia will behave without any of us nearby.

  Please let me know how you are doing, Lizzy. I hope you have found happiness like I have with Mr. Bingley.

  Love,

  Jane

  * * *

  Elizabeth smiled so much her cheeks hurt. She was so happy for Jane. Finally, Mr. Bingley and Jane were back together, and she was sure that Mr. Bingley’s decision to move back to Netherfield was definitely due to Jane going back to Longbourn. How could Jane even think otherwise?

  As to Lydia going to Brighton, Elizabeth had a very bad feeling. Lydia was barely controlled even amongst her family. How would she act without any authoritative presence around all the men of the militia? Elizabeth raised her eyes heavenward. If only Papa had listened to Elizabeth and Jane when they begged for him to put his foot down where Lydia’s behavior was concerned.