Designed for Each Other

by P. O. Dixon

  Pemberley.

  All she knew about the place that she would one day call home was what she had heard from others—most notably Miss Caroline Bingley. By Miss Bingley’s account, Elizabeth surmised her future home was magnificent: one of the finest estates in all of Derbyshire. Closing her eyes, she could only imagine its splendors. The picture in her mind complete, she opened her eyes and smiled. To think, I shall soon be mistress of it all.

  The sound of a fast approaching carriage drew Elizabeth’s attention, prompting her to move over to the side of the lane while awaiting its passage. Only the carriage did not continue on its journey. It halted. What was more, it was one of Lady Catherine’s.

  The driver descended and opened the door. Nestled among an abundance of opulence sat Lady Catherine herself and looking none the worse for wear after her purported illness.

  Elizabeth might have been inclined to be happy that the elderly woman had emerged from her sick bed. The past days in Kent had been wonderful. Why do I fear things are going to change and not in a good way?

  “I demand the honor of your presence, Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” her ladyship decreed.

  Something about her tone did not sit well with Elizabeth, but as this was now the woman whom she must one day call her aunt, she consented with no protest and allowed the driver to assist her as she joined her ladyship.

  Shortly after that, the well-appointed carriage was on its way, to where, Elizabeth had no clue. She hoped they were headed to Rosings.

  Without ceremony, Lady Catherine said, “I suspect no one was more stunned than you were by the unfolding of events in my home after I so generously invited you there for tea.”

  “I beg your pardon, your ladyship?”

  “Miss Bennet,” replied her ladyship in an angry tone, “you ought to know that I am not to be trifled with. Do you deny that my nephew’s ill-conceived proposal of marriage took you completely by surprise? I wager had my nephew Fitzwilliam held his loose tongue and attended his own affairs, my nephew Darcy would never have been forced into entering such a foolish arrangement.”

  “Mr. Darcy is his own master. He follows his own counsel. He has decided that I am the woman with whom he wishes to spend his life. Why are you so determined not to accept it?”

  “Why? I will tell you why. Because honor, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it.”

  “Interest?”

  “Yes, Miss Bennet, interest. Do not expect to be noticed by his family or friends if you willfully act against the inclinations of us all. You will be censured, slighted, and despised by everyone connected with him. Your alliance will be a disgrace; your name will never even be mentioned by any of us.”

  “Yes—yes, I have heard you say this all before, and yet, I was not deterred. I believe the consensus is that as Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy, I shall have no cause to repine.”

  “Obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you! I am almost ashamed of myself for welcoming the likes of you into my bosom—for trusting you to be in the same company with my nephews, with my daughter Anne. Is this your gratitude for my attention? Is this your gratitude to my Anne for all the kindness she showed you as well? You, who have little if anything to recommend yourself except a quick wit and a pretty smile? Is nothing due to either of us on that score?”

  “I believe I have afforded you all due deference, your ladyship. Beyond that, I am free of any other debt to you.”

  “You ought to know, young lady, that I requested your audience with the determined resolution of carrying my purpose. Your impertinence will not dissuade me. I have not been used to submit to any person’s whims. I have not been in the habit of brooking disappointment.”

  “Such a staunch resolve as you espouse will make your ladyship’s situation at present more pitiable, but it will have no effect on me.”

  “How dare you speak to me in this way!”

  “How dare you revert to insults and none too subtle threats in order to bend me to your will? You will find, your ladyship, that such stratagems, both in the present and in the future, are entirely wasted on me. For the sake of family felicity, you had much better learn to accept that which is beyond your power to change.”

  The two ladies went on in this way for a time, one just as headstrong as the other and matching each other’s determined resolve, tit for tat, until her ladyship, no doubt meaning to put an end to the debate, said, “Then you are determined to marry my nephew.”

  “I am indeed—as soon as I receive my father’s blessing, which I have no doubt he shall bestow.”

  “And this is your real opinion! This is your final resolve! Very well. I hoped to find you reasonable. Instead, you have only confirmed my low opinion of your true nature,” her ladyship declared in an agitated voice while she banged the roof of her carriage with her bejeweled walking stick. Soon the driver drew to an abrupt halt which caused the carriage’s occupants to lurch forward.

  “Get out!”

  Elizabeth threw a quick glance out the window and saw nothing about that might inform her of her whereabouts. “Do you mean to leave me stranded on the side of the road?”

  Lady Catherine scoffed. “You have proven yourself to be quite resourceful, young lady. It is not every day that a little country upstart with no money and no connections entraps one of the most eligible gentlemen in all of England. No doubt being the excellent walker you proclaim yourself to be, you will surely find yourself back at the parsonage house by nightfall.”

  Elizabeth’s courage always rose with any attempt to intimidate her and never before had anyone treated her so callously as this. By now, Lady Catherine’s driver was standing outside the carriage’s opened door.

  Accepting his aid, Elizabeth offered her future relation a rather scathing adieu. “I take no leave of you for it is my greatest pleasure to rid myself of your presence,” she declared, wishing the evil woman was back at Rosings confined to her sick bed.

  Elizabeth was seething mad to have been so poorly treated by her intended’s relation. Is this the manner of civility that I am to expect from his family in general? Abduction. Abandonment. What manner of person would do such a thing?

  Had Elizabeth suspected she would end up spending the better part of her day rambling about the countryside, she might have dressed more judiciously. She hated the idea of being a burden to Charlotte’s poor servant, but Elizabeth’s only consolation was the warm bath she planned to have prepared on her behalf once she arrived at her destination.

  Good fortune soon smiled on Elizabeth, for she had walked just under an hour before espying a gentleman on horseback hurrying her way. She knew in an instant his identity. Mr. Darcy.

  He barely allowed his horse to come to a halt before jumping to his feet and rushing to her side.

  “Elizabeth, my love. When I learned what my aunt had done, I was beside myself with disgust toward her and worry about you. Are you all right?”

  Elizabeth was too relieved to be rescued from her predicament to be enraged over Lady Catherine anymore. “Yes, I am now, thanks entirely to you.”

  “Pray, how can I make amends? Whatever you wish to be done will be done. I will never allow you to be treated so callously ever again so long as it is in my power to prevent it.”

  “I think I should like to leave this place.”

  “Of course. I shall carry you to the parsonage straight away. I will remain by your side so long as it takes until you have regained your composure.”

  “No,” Elizabeth cried, “What I mean to say is I want to leave Kent. I wish to leave as soon as it can be arranged. The sooner I am away from your aunt and the farther I am away from her, the better.”

  * * *

  A surge of lightning streaked across the darkened sky accompanied by a deafening roar of thunder. Elizabeth snuggled closer to Mr. Darcy. “It turns out you are indeed my knight in shining armor, sir. Thank heavens you arrived when you did else I might have found myself wandering about all alone for who knows how long only to be discovered c
onfused and soaking wet and forced to surrender to my sick bed owing to a cold or worse.”

  She now found herself in what she likened to one of the most beautiful places in the world all because she was alone with Mr. Darcy. What seemed like moments earlier, a steady sprinkling of raindrops combined with distant rumbling in the sky urged Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to seek shelter at a marvelous stone temple situated atop a small incline and surrounded by an abundance of spring blossoms of red, white, pink, and various shades in between. Certainly she had seen enough of Lady Catherine’s gardens to appreciate the beauty of Kent in the spring. However, the natural, unadorned beauty that now surrounded her even amid the storm was really something special.

  “We cannot have you suffering in such a dreadful manner as that, my love,” said Darcy. He kissed Elizabeth lightly atop her head. “Although, it would certainly require a longer stay at the parsonage house than we decided on so little as a quarter hour ago.”

  “After our earlier encounter in which Lady Catherine failed miserably in her attempt to bend me to her will before discarding me on the side of the road, no doubt she will not have a moment’s rest until I am gone far, far away. And even though I would relish the prospect of making her ladyship miserable after what she did, I do not want to subject my friend Charlotte to any more of Lady Catherine’s disapprobation than I have already.”

  “Pray allow me to apologize once again for my aunt’s behavior.”

  “Your generous offer to escort my sister and me to my uncle and aunt’s home in Cheapside more than makes up for Lady Catherine’s behavior. Pray tell me your own uncle, Lord Matlock, is nothing at all like his sister.”

  He shrugged a little. “Lady Catherine is in a class all her own.”

  “Your answer hardly puts my mind at ease, sir. What are your uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Matlock, like?”

  Their fingers now intertwined, he said, “I would like nothing more than to introduce you to them when we are in town, and then you might decide for yourself.”

  Her spirits rising to playfulness, Elizabeth said, “Introduce me as what, sir? The poor soul whom you rescued from the wrath of Lady Catherine de Bourgh?”

  He laughed a little, no doubt at the image she had painted of herself. “As the lovely woman with whom I intend to spend the rest of my life.”

  “But—” she protested, silenced only by the touch of his finger upon her parted lips.

  “—I know. You wish to wait before announcing our engagement. The sooner we return to Hertfordshire so that I can seek your father’s blessing, the better.”

  “Why do I have this feeling that you are just as anxious to leave Kent as I am?”

  “Pray do not mistake me, my love. I have enjoyed our time together immensely—the days as well as the nights. Assuming this downpour ceases soon, we will soon be away. We may very well have no such nights like the one we enjoyed last night for quite a while.”

  Elizabeth felt a surge of passion merely with his mentioning of the evening before when the two of them had stolen away from the rest of the Hunsford party for time alone. All that she and he had not done while in each other’s arms, she surely enjoyed in the solace of her dreams—dreams so vivid she often found herself imagining they were real.

  Emboldened, she surrendered her warm spot nestled in Mr. Darcy’s arms and straddled his lap—his great coat affording the only semblance of discretion their situation required.

  On the other hand, the two of them were very much alone at the temple amid the pouring rain. What with Mr. Darcy being the generous lover that he was, with the raging storm intensifying all around, Elizabeth found herself wishing the onslaught would never cease.

  Chapter 17

  Intimate Intercourse

  Working with sharp metal objects was not the most suitable employment on a stormy afternoon. Jane had the tiny wounds to prove it. Every clash of thunder, every flash of lightning caused her to forget what she was about. Frequently darting her eyes toward the parlor window, marveling at the storm raging outside, her sister’s safety was uppermost in her mind.

  “Where can Lizzy be?” Jane asked Charlotte for the third time in under ten minutes. Each bolt of lightning elevated her fears.

  Her voice meant to be reassuring, Charlotte replied, “Eliza has been caught unaware by a fast approaching storm before. We must take comfort in knowing she will know what to do to protect herself. I am inclined to believe she will walk through the door soon after the storm has passed.”

  Hardly comforted, Jane said, “She should have returned hours ago—long before the storm began.”

  “Eliza and Mr. Darcy have been spending copious amounts of time in each other’s company since they became engaged. Perhaps they are together as we speak.”

  “I pray you are correct. That we have not seen him all day must surely be a good thing. Indeed, I shall take comfort in the notion that the two of them are together.” Jane sighed. “Mr. Darcy always takes such prodigious care of my sister. Lizzy is lucky indeed to have reached an understanding with such a decent and honorable man. Speaking on my own behalf, I have always liked him.”

  “As have I,” Charlotte said. “It was very kind of Mr. Bingley to call today. Do you not agree?”

  Jane nodded. “Mr. Bingley has always been very agreeable,” she replied.

  “Of course, he would never have come if not for the hope of spending time alone with you—outside of the colonel’s presence.”

  “Pray you are not picking up my sister’s matchmaking mantle, past actions notwithstanding.”

  “I must confess to being guilty as charged, but you will believe me when I say that I have thought only of you, and so did your sister. Surely you do not hate me as a consequence.”

  “I could never hate you for doing that which you believe is right.”

  “Excellent, for I must confess to what a pleasure it is to have both you and Eliza stay with me. I shall miss you two terribly when you are gone.”

  Jane said, “A part of me wishes our visit might never end. I do not relish the prospect of facing my mother while remaining hopelessly single.”

  “You speak as though you have lost all affection for Mr. Bingley. Surely there is still hope.”

  “I would never say I have lost all affection for Mr. Bingley, but—” Jane tossed her sewing aside. “Oh, Charlotte, when it comes to Mr. Bingley and me, I hardly know what to think, and thus, I would rather not think or speak of him at all. At least not regarding a possible future as his wife. Pray you will understand and respect my wishes in that regard.”

  “Certainly I will, Jane,” Charlotte said, taking her friend’s hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Certainly I will.”

  In the midst of their continued intimate intercourse, neither of the ladies had noticed that the storm had ceased. The expression on their faces spoke volumes when Elizabeth entered the room, followed by Mr. Darcy.

  Jane rushed to her sister and hugged her. “Dearest Lizzy, I was so worried about you.” Surrendering their embrace, Jane stepped back a little and pored her eyes over her sister from head to toe.

  “I am quite all right,” Elizabeth said. “I have Mr. Darcy to thank for that.”

  “Did something happen?” Charlotte asked, coming to Elizabeth’s side.

  “Indeed. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is what happened. She practically abducted me only to abandon me by the side of the road when she failed to bend me to her will.”

  “I am so sorry,” Charlotte cried.

  “I appreciate that more than you know, and I hope you do not mind what I have decided to do next, my dearest Charlotte.”

  “Pray, what have you decided?”

  “Given the circumstances, I believe it is time for me to take my leave of Kent.” Here, she looked at her sister. “I believe it is time we go home.”

  * * *

  Having apprised his friend Bingley and the colonel of his plans to return to town so soon as everything might be arranged, Darcy chose to avoid di
ning in his aunt’s presence that evening. His temper, he dared not vouch for, and thus he needed time to compose himself. However, he would see her, and he arranged to do so in privacy that same night.

  After five to ten minutes of listening to Lady Catherine going on and on justifying her behavior that day as being solely in the interest of protecting her family and the inherent advantages of combining the two great estates for the sake of the family’s sustaining prosperity, Darcy had heard enough. He had not insisted upon speaking with her only to be subjected to yet another repetition of her ridiculous claim. He meant to seek an apology for what she had done to Elizabeth.

  Abruptly standing, he ran his fingers through his hair. After drawing a deep breath, he said, “Is securing Pemberley for your own future heirs all you care about?”

  Lady Catherine reared her head. “What do I care about Pemberley when I shall have the privilege of spending the rest of my days right here in Rosings Park? Pemberley is nothing in comparison with its rudimentary landscapes and unadorned streams flowing haphazardly through the woods.

  “Although I will submit that it might very well have been exemplary had you done more to make something of the place as you ought to. No—instead you prefer to spend your time traipsing about England, pursuing young ladies whose families have no fortune and no connections, and making your whole family ridiculous in the process.”

  “Might I remind you that Miss Elizabeth is a gentleman’s daughter. I am a gentleman which makes the two of us equals and our alliance perfectly natural.”

  Her ladyship scoffed. “A gentleman’s daughter you say. Far better that you had spoken the whole truth and referred to her father as what he truly is, that being a penniless country gentleman, which makes him no better than a man who has acquired his wealth through trade. Is there any wonder he married a tradesman’s daughter?