November Twenty-Seventh

by Kate Speck

  Richard bowed deeply as if he would the queen. “Yes, milady. It will never happen again.” He stood tall and they both laughed loudly.

  Darcy chuckled, understanding the secret conversation, while Miss Grey stood in confusion.

  “My apologies, Miss Grey.” Elizabeth grinned, “My rascal of a cousin is one of the most congenial and humorous gentleman I have met. He has all the silliness while my husband has all the handsomeness.”

  Richard and Darcy laughed loudly while Miss Grey giggled softly and many eyes were suddenly drawn to their box to see and hear the newlywed there. There were loud whispers of some gossips who criticised the new Mrs. Darcy from head to toe while others envied the incredible jewels around her neck and wrist. Darcy had given her the set of the famous Darcy rubies and his wife looked magnificent in her burgundy gown.

  Not caring one bit for the opinions of society, Darcy leaned and kissed his wife’s lips and took their seats holding hands.

  Seeing the public display of affection along with the rumours that had already spread, all of the witnesses now firmly believed that this was a love match and the Darcys left no doubt of it throughout the evening’s performance.

  There was one in the audience who silently fumed in the dark shadows and began to plan her next move to end this horrid marriage. She would demand an annulment and become Mrs. Darcy herself as soon as possible.

  Chapter 9

  Elizabeth bid farewell to Jane in front of Darcy House as her sister rode off to return home in the Darcy carriage. With plans to see each other in a week, Elizabeth held Darcy’s arm and began to walk indoors when a woman’s voice called out.

  “Mr. Darcy! What fortuitous timing, sir. I was just on my way to call on you and your sister.” The lady screeched loudly.

  Darcy gruffly responded, “Miss Bingley. You recall my wife, do you not? I remember how fond you were to take a turn about the room at Netherfield with her.”

  Miss Bingley coloured, “But of course.” She dipped her head down slightly, “Miss Eliza.”

  Darcy gnarled sharply, immediately noticing the disrespect, “She is Mrs. Darcy, madam. If I were not becoming your brother’s brother in two weeks, I would give you the cut direct right now. Enter the house so I can speak freely.”

  Miss Bingley cheerfully walked up the steps and proudly entered Darcy House with a broad smile.

  Elizabeth gently pulled her husband's arm and whispered, “She is up to something, William. She acts as if she has something over me and believes she will be successful. I hope she does not ruin anything for Jane.”

  Darcy smiled, “Of course you think of your sister first. We can manage anything together, my love. You are my wife and I will protect you.”

  After sitting down in the drawing room, Miss Bingley demurely flattered her lashes at Mr. Darcy as he scrutinized her appearances. “Cut the bollocks, woman. Why are you here?” He spoke evenly and sternly.

  Miss Bingley did not expect such harsh words from the gentleman who had been the most proper and civil man of her acquaintance. She paled and could not speak for several moments.

  “But… but… I… How could you speak to me…” She spluttered.

  Darcy leaned forward and glared at her. “You disrespected my wife in front of me and you are surprised by my ire? You are in her home, she will be related to you in less than two weeks, yet you act as if you own this place and look down on the most worthy woman I know. What do you want?”

  Caroline Bingley huffed, “I wished to be of service to you and inform you of the awful family you married into. I am not going to allow Charles to connect himself to the lowly Bennets and you will wish for an annulment after I tell you the truth, I am sure. Your wife,” she spat, “is a whore and her sister is a whore. You cannot blacken the Darcy name with such a connection! I have heard from a reliable source that your precious Eliza lost her virtue to Lieutenant Wickham and that her tart of a sister Lydia was taken most thoroughly by the same man.” She stood and walked up to Elizabeth and pointed her finger at her. “I also heard from town gossip that this harlot was a kept woman before marrying you.”

  Elizabeth tensed and turned ash white as she sat next to Darcy. It seemed that Miss Bingley had found out several pieces of truth, and although she did not know about Lydia’s virtue, she could readily believe that Mr. Wickham was perfectly capable of seducing her fifteen-year-old sister, who was the silliest and most flirtatious girl in truth.

  Darcy remained unmoved with his face as stoic as ever and the only reaction Elizabeth could note was his clenched fist.

  “Explain yourself, Miss Bingley. You have spouted several charges but I see no proof. I need names and dates and locations, madam. You can tell me that my wife is the butcher’s daughter and try to deceive me but they are only words without evidence. Reveal all, if you wish for me to believe you. Be assured, I will take every measure for the truth to be exposed.” Darcy calmly stated.

  Believing that she had the upper hand, Miss Bingley began to divulge all she knew. “Lieutenant Wickham was overheard bragging to several officers last week that he had been very popular amongst the female populous of Hertfordshire, and after Mr. Bennet reported him to his commander for his heavy debts with the merchants, he confessed to his friends that he had sampled both Miss Elizabeth and Miss Lydia and that Mr. Bennet exaggerated the debts to hush up his family’s disgrace.” She scoffed and looked down her nose. “I arrived in town three days ago and found out that this tart managed to entrap you in a rushed wedding already and could not call on you until today.”

  “And of my wife being someone’s mistress?” Darcy asked without emotion.

  Miss Bingley jeered at the woman next to the man of her dreams. “I heard from Miss Grantley who heard from Miss Jones who saw a woman matching Eliza’s description and heard the woman’s name as ‘Elizabeth’ walking into a townhouse with Lord George Beresford several times in Cheapside last month. I remembered Eliza’s insignificant relatives in trade who reside there and I knew it must be a certainty and I set off to inform you of it, Mr. Darcy. I know it will cause embarrassment to your family and poor Georgiana will suffer for it but I am here to present myself to salvage your standing, and as soon as you annul this sham of a marriage, I can take my place as your worthy wife and mistress of your homes.” She beamed brightly with her words. “You and I have been seen together often in society and everyone will understand your new choice of wife as the sister of your closest friend, and with my £20,000 dowry, any blemish on your name will be quickly forgotten and I can invite the best of society to restore your reputation.”

  Darcy stood. “Thank you for the information, Miss Bingley. I will take what you have shared into consideration and have a serious talk with Mrs. Darcy. My response will be swift and you can be certain that my decision will be just. I will not risk my family’s name to be connected with any scandal and you will see me again shortly. Good day, madam.”

  Caroline Bingley haughtily stuck her nose up in the air with a sneer. “I am at your service, Mr. Darcy. Please let me know as soon as I can be of use to you, sir.”

  She curtseyed prettily and departed the townhouse.

  Elizabeth stood and fumed, “I do not know how in the world you were so civil with her, William! I was ready to throttle her. She called me such names and I do not know if what she said about Lydia is true but you must help me! My family will be in ruins and yours, by connection! What are we going to do?!” She flailed her arms in irritation.

  Darcy chuckled to see her in distress. “I am not mocking your anxiety, my love, but you know there is little truth in that shrew’s stories. I know exactly who Lord George’s mistress is and I plan on inviting them to a very public outing in Miss Bingley’s presence. I am going to destroy her and we will go to Hertfordshire and clear up your family’s name as well. I will either challenge Wickham to a duel,” he laughed seeing his wife shake her head rapidly, “or take all of the debts that I hold against him and have him dishonourably discharged
and thrown into prison. I am thinking of shipping him off to the colonies, though. I wish him dead, especially after what he did to you, my love.”

  Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his waist. “I do not know how you can remain so calm. You showed no emotions while all I could do was sit still so I do not wring her neck.”

  “I love you, Ellie. Whether everyone knows that you were my mistress before we married or that Wickham took advantage of your innocence, I will stand by you and no one will doubt how much we love each other.” He leaned down and kissed her deeply. “Nothing, nothing will take me away from you.”

  Elizabeth finally relaxed, “Even if Miss Bingley offers you her services? She certainly made a very generous proposal to you and I am certain she will be more than happy to give you anything you want. This is your perfect chance to sample her, Mr. Darcy.”

  Darcy lifted her into his arms and carried her to his study. “Minx! There is only one woman I wish to sample. She never interested me, my love. She is mercenary and arrogant without having any true accomplishments. She looked down on your family for your lack of connections when her best connection is myself. She thought she was better than you because of her dowry but she is stupid and I now detest her. I am going to ruin her and she will wish to hide under a rock after I am done with her.” He laid her down onto the couch and lay over her. “After I make love to you, I will send Bingley an express. I will take care of you, my love. Your only duty is to take care of me.”

  He kissed her deeply and they made love until all thoughts of Miss Bingley completely left their minds.

  Chapter 10

  “I arrived as soon as I could, Darcy.” Bingley shook his hand after leaving Netherfield the very next morning. “I am so sorry for whatever my sister has done. Your letter was not explicit but when you wrote that she arrived here at your doorstep to accuse Mrs. Darcy of being a loose woman, I guessed it was the same nonsense she spouted at me before leaving Netherfield.” He turned to Elizabeth and smiled, “Congratulations, by the way, dear future sister. I am glad to be gaining you and hopefully losing my nasty one soon.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Bingley.” Elizabeth answered. “I hope all is well in Hertfordshire.”

  “Yes, I called on your sister for a moment before departing. She had returned only yesterday but I wanted to assure her that I will be returning and to not be distressed. I did show her Darcy’s letter although she did not require it and she was most concerned for you. She said, and her exact words were, ‘Do your worst, Lizzy!’”

  They all laughed, imagining the compliant Jane Bennet speaking so ill of someone.

  “I am going to destroy your sister, Bingley.” Darcy declared in all seriousness after the laughter settled down. “She called my wife a whore and it is unforgivable. If she is saying such a thing in front of her, I can only guess she is much worse in society and I will not tolerate it. She is not only besmirching the Darcy name but also your betrothed’s. She will ruin you by association and I will cut all ties with you if you do not rectify this. Either you are with me or against me, Bingley. I will always choose my wife. Even if I am completely cut off from society if they do not accept the truth, I will choose my wife above all else.”

  Elizabeth squeezed her husband’s hand. “Thank you, William.”

  Darcy kissed her hand affectionately, “I love you, Ellie.”

  Bingley sat amazed at the interaction. It was obvious that Darcy was deeply in love with Miss Elizabeth and although he had heard only two weeks ago that his friend was marrying her after three months of courtship, he had never suspected an attachment and had been shocked to hear it.

  “Jane told me that you two were in love but I did not realise how much. I had no idea that you were even courting but seeing you together, you are truly perfect for each other.” He smiled but turned stoic, “Darcy, although I do not wish for harm to come to Caroline, as long as she will not be physically wounded or shipped off to the colonies, I will do as you wish.” Bingley agreed. “I thought about sending her off to York to my aunt but she needs to marry. She needs a husband to control her and her dowry. I do not know who would take her, though. She declined several eligible gentlemen because she wanted you, Darcy.”

  “My uncle has a business partner who has been looking for a wife. He is four and forty and his wife died without issue two years ago. He is a tradesman of £2,000 a year and might be willing to marry Miss Bingley, as his only criteria is a pretty, young woman who can give him children, and her dowry will certainly be an incentive. I have known him for several years and my uncle tells me that he is not a cruel man and will not abuse his wife, but that he is sensible and logical.” Elizabeth smirked, “His name is Mr. Dalcy and might be the perfect resolution!”

  The gentlemen laughed and nodded.

  “I believe that will work, Ellie.” Darcy acceded. “She will lose her position in society but as a tradesman's wife, as long as she learns her lesson, she will succeed and be fashionable in that set. I know Mr. Dalcy. He is a rigid man but not unkind. I know he loved his wife and he does not wish to remarry for love but only to bear an heir or two. That will work.”

  “How do you know Mr. Dalcy? And you knew about Lord George and his mistress as well, William.” Elizabeth inquired. “You appear to know a lot of the businesses in Cheapside.”

  Darcy grinned, “I own, no, I mean, we own a large part of Cheapside and my solicitor keeps me updated. Mr. Dalcy and Mr. Gardiner’s warehouse that they lease is ours, as well as Lord George’s townhouse there and Mr. Dalcy’s townhouse also. I had a good conversation with your uncle and we spoke of plans to increase his profits. We are quite wealthy, Ellie.” He laughed to see his wife’s surprised face. “I warned you that you will have to become accustomed to marrying me, my love. I am still a proud man but am learning to be more humble with my good wife by my side.” He leaned and kissed her lips.

  Elizabeth caressed his cheek, “You are a good master, dear husband. Well, I will leave you gentlemen to speak. I will arrange for dinner at seven and make sure the guestroom is ready.” She nodded and departed the study.

  “You have a good woman there, Darcy.” Bingley sighed. “I cannot wait to marry Jane. Marital bliss seems to suit you well. If something like this happened before you married Miss Elizabeth, you would have seen to it that Caroline was tarred and feathered and hanged for all to see. She has made you… kinder, I think.”

  “She makes me better, Bingley. I am furious that your sister has accused and called my wife names that my dear Ellie did not deserve, but once her anger against your sister calmed, she asked me to consider yours and her sister’s reputation so that the Bingley name is not besmirched. I only do what I do for her, Bingley, and no one else.”

  “I did not know that you loved her for so long, Darcy. You both argued more than agreed and you had told me that the Bennet family was unrefined and that Jane did not care for me. I was surprised when you advised me to look into my own heart regarding my affections for Jane and I knew I could not let her go once I returned to Netherfield. Jane revealed to me her disappointment and what Caroline had written, especially regarding my attachment to your baby sister, and our courtship and engagement has been wonderful.” Bingley explained. “But you remained in town and only later I had heard Miss Elizabeth had also been visiting her relatives here. I did not make the connection that you were both here for the courtship.”

  “Yes, she arrived in London after that fool Collins proposed to her and she had wished to stay with her aunt and uncle for some time. She visited me to tell me about Jane and I asked her for courtship then. I fell in love with her in Hertfordshire and tried to escape her but when she stood in my home, I could not envision anyone else as my wife.” Darcy chuckled, “I proposed to her that very day but it took over three months for her to finally accept me. She has changed me in more ways than anyone will ever know.”

  “I can hardly believe it! And the rushed wedding? Why did you not marry in Meryton with the banns being read?” B
ingley was curious. “Jane told me they had always wished for a double wedding as young girls.”

  Darcy’s eyebrows went up. “I did not know about that, Bingley. She did not say anything about it and after she accepted me, I already had the special license and I wanted to marry her so she could not change her mind. After three months of begging for her hand, I wanted my wife in my home as quickly as possible and her only request was for Jane to attend her.” He embellished a bit.

  Bingley laughed, “I would wager that you never begged for anything in your life before! After seeing you married for nearly a week, I can understand your impatience. You are smitten and you actually kissed her in front of me as if it were common occurrence! With Mrs. Bennet’s massive wedding plans, I wish I could also have a simple ceremony with only a handful of guests. But, Darcy,” he turned serious, “there is no truth to Wickham’s claims, is there? We know Lydia flirted with Wickham but Jane told me that Lydia insisted that she was not sullied by Wickham and that her virtue remains intact. After your letter to Mr. Bennet, I understand he sought out Wickham's debts and perhaps that is why he is attacking the Bennet girls, but Miss Mary had been personally responsible for chaperoning the younger girls ever since Miss Elizabeth, now Mrs. Darcy, came to London, and Mary also swears there was no time for such privacy. Your wife… she was a… maiden?”

  “Yes, Bingley,” Darcy stood and snapped. “I will say this once and only once because of my years of friendship with you. If you dare question my wife’s integrity again, I will challenge you to a duel and shoot you in the heart.” Darcy took a deep breath. “My first time with her was as pure and virtuous as a man could join with his wife. I was her first and I will be her last.”

  Bingley paled at his friend’s furore and nodded quickly. “I believe you. I am sorry to offend. I did not mean any disrespect, my friend.”

  “Never bring it up again, Bingley. I know Wickham well and he left a string of ruined women in the past but they were never gentlewomen. He is a coward and would never risk an angry father shooting him. Now, let us move on to the topic of teaching your sister a lesson. I will send a note tonight to meet Mr. Dalcy tomorrow and to invite Lord George Beresford and his mistress to the music concert that we are attending tomorrow night. You will bring your sister, and the Hursts if you must, and we will put her in her place then. Miss Darling is Beresford’s mistress and she does have similar physical traits to my wife, although she is nowhere as beautiful as my Ellie.” He chuckled. “Why do you not go and speak with your sisters now? Tell them that you arrived on business for the settlement paper or for jewellery or whatever you wish, but do not reveal our plans and make sure she arrives at the concert tomorrow evening.” Darcy instructed. “And tell them you are staying in a hotel, as my knocker is still down. Do not tell her you are residing here.”