“This noon, if agreeable to you.”
“It is agreeable,” Sean replied. “Pippa will occupy herself in Meryton while we are away.” Darcy had a better idea. “If your sister would prefer, Mrs. Darcy told me she would welcome her at Pemberley in our absence. I can have a carriage sent for her journey there.”
Sean said he was certain Pippa would welcome a return visit to Pemberley. Darcy said, “I shall not take one of my carriages to London, but a post carriage. I have no idea if we shall be gone a day or a week. I shan’t search for Lydia longer than that. I have affairs to attend to at Pemberley and in Meryton. I have, you may be pleased to know, begun spending more hours reading at the library there. To gain a general knowledge, inspired by yours.”
“I am pleased that I have been of some service to you.”
“More than I expected or that you may guess. The new librarian assistant in Meryton is most… agreeable.”
“I find her so as well.” Later Monday, a post coach arrived and took Mr. Darcy and Mr. O’Reilly to London. Sean was immediately taken by its size, its activity, its wealth, and its poverty.
“Where shall we begin looking for Lydia?” he asked.
“Mrs. Darcy said she has two main passions. Bonnets and soldiers. So we shall begin by visiting the most fashionable millinery shops. Then on to look for soldiers whom Lydia might admire. If we are at Windsor Palace at noon, we can see what soldiers are stationed outside, for the changing of the guard.”
“I’ve longed to see that.”
Darcy hailed a cabbie and he and Sean spent the morning being driven to millinery shops frequented by the wealthiest ladies. When the Irish lad inquired about the price of even the most modest of new ladies’ bonnets, he was aghast.
“Even the least expensive of the bonnets would cost a working man like myself a month’s wages, if not more.” Not finding Lydia at the shops, as noon approached they hastened by cab to Windsor Palace. Along the way, taking to the streets at times, they passed beggars, whores plying their trade, street peddlers including a knife sharpener, a locksmith, shoe blacks, and would-be doctors selling patent medicine cure-alls. They had to almost fight off begging dirty-faced waifs in tatters, both boys and girls, asking for pennies. Darcy emptied his pockets of change for them, but Sean had none to give.
When they arrived near the gates of Windsor Palace, they saw the King’s men already engaged in the changing of the guard. Sean admired their handsome uniforms.
Said Darcy, “The high-black-helmeted soldiers in red tunics are members of the Windsor Castle regiment of Foot Guards, from the Household Division, led in marching by the Guards Band.”
“They put on quite a show.” “I do not see Lydia among the spectators, but I recognized one of the soldiers I thought of looking up. He is a friend of Mr. Wickham’s, a Lieutenant Perry. But he has already returned to the castle or I would have asked if he perchance has seen Lydia.”
While they remained at the gates, as did a small crowd of visitors, Sean asked about the King. “I’ve heard about the supposed madness of King George. Is it true that he is not playing with a full deck of cards?”
“It is common knowledge that George the Third is at least one sandwich short of a picnic. He is actually, quite mad, sad to say,” Darcy assured him. “He is in the castle, but living in seclusion in a room where he is safe and secure.”
“I had heard that his mental malady came on from being blamed for England losing the war for independence with the colonists in America.” “That may well be so, but in perhaps generosity to him, he was also gravely distressed by suffering the death of his youngest and favorite daughter, Princess Amelia. He has been said to cry every day, lamenting her loss and descending into melancholy beyond description.”
“Does he still rule, in his condition?” “No. His son and heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales, acts as Regent until the King recovers, which is doubtful. Upon his eventual death, the prince will succeed him.”
“Ireland has had no king of its own for some years. We now are also governed by George the Third and will be, upon his death, by his succeeding son. I hope the Prince of Wales is of better mental and physical health than his father.”
“Let us hope so,” said Darcy, starting to walk away from the gates, with Sean following.
They took lunch at a nearby pub and went to the bar where Darcy ordered a roast beef sandwich and ale for them both.
Seeing some soldiers drinking ale at a nearby table, Darcy discoursed about war in general. “I am against war, with a passion. It is perhaps the most tragic and unnecessary pursuit of humankind. Even animals fight for better reasons, to protect their lives or those they love from predators, or for food to survive. Most wars by humans are over unneeded territory or for plunder. Many are fought merely to add coins to the purses of those who profit from them.”
“It is sadly the case,” replied Sean. Mr. Darcy then said, “A friend I was in college with was killed a few months ago, a lieutenant with his British infantry regiment in Belgium. He had studied to be a surgeon. What a loss to humanity he is.”
“I am truly sorry,” said Sean. “Let us drink to his memory.” “Everyone lost in war, whether poet or chimney sweep, is a loss to humanity. And for whom the bell tolls… It tolls for thee.”
“Let us hope that these two wars we are currently engaged in soon end, and that there be no more after them.” Darcy said on: “I had a strong aversion to war long before that, in my reading. Even today, Alexander the Great is revered as being a great general. He was that, but at what cost of life and property did he gain his fame? He and his army left a lot of dead and ruin in their wake.”
“I never thought of it that way. But then, I seldom think of war.” “You are like many. Forgive me for saying, but many if not most people become ignorant of a war, even shortly after it is fought. They no longer remember who fought whom or even what country or side won or lost. Nor do they even know who the allies or enemies were.”
Darcy would not test his drinking companion’s knowledge of past wars. He wondered if even he himself would score very high on such a test from memory, without consulting books.
Sean asked, “Would you serve, if you were conscripted in either the war with Napoleon or the colonies?” Darcy did not need to reflect before replying. “I would serve, out of duty or patriotism. The two are really hard to distinguish. I might think myself duped into fighting for any cause I am told. But I would serve, nonetheless. I should probably regret it, either way.”
Back in a cab as evening drew on, still not seeing Lydia or learning her whereabouts, however discreetly Darcy inquired, he saw some soldiers standing outside another pub. He and Sean left their cab and approached them. A new approach to finding Lydia came to Darcy. The person he had in mind might have seen her and know of her whereabouts.
“I am in search of a friend,” Darcy said. “An officer in the King’s service. Perhaps you know of a Lieutenant Perry.”
Darcy did not know Perry’s given name, but hoped his rank and surname would suffice.
One of the soldiers, a sergeant, responded. “If he is the officer in my company, he is Charles Perry, and I know where is his domicile.”
“Has he, do you know, served in Meryton?”
“We both served there,” the sergeant replied. “Some charming but rather silly girls often took special interest in us.”
The three youngest Bennet sisters, Darcy said to himself while smiling.
“Do you mind telling me where is his domicile? I owe him money and would like to repay his kind loan.” Sean admired Darcy’s nimble mind, arriving at a reason for wanting to locate Lt. Perry that would be acceptable to the soldiers. But he doubted that the officer had ever loaned Darcy any money.
“He resides nearby,” said the sergeant. “But he is on guard duty at the palace until ten o’clock.”
“Then I will visit him with the loan repayment, if you would be kind enough to give me directions to his abode.”
The sergeant obliged and Darcy thanked him.
Returning to their cab, Darcy and Sean continued their search for Miss Bennet, but as it began to grow dark were still unable to locate her. Sean had a suggestion and said to Darcy, “If we have time before ten o’clock, or maybe even better afterwards, I wonder if we should visit one of the establishments where I have heard gentlemen go to be in the company of women. I believe, from what I have heard, such establishments are in the vicinity of Covent Garden.”
Darcy was surprised but, after only after a moment’s thought, deciding he did not feel he was fettered to a ball and chain, he would resist the temptation to take Sean to what he had heard called a “red light” district. It was so-called because lighted red lanterns were hung in the windows of women of the evening seeking the company of men who would pay them for their delights.
Was he wrong in tempting Mr. Darcy?, Mr. O’Reilly wondered. “I have been to such establishments,” Darcy allowed. “But not since my marriage and, in fact, not since having met my future wife. I have not felt the need. I hope you will not think me too personal if I ask… Have you felt the need, since meeting Pippa and your marriage?”
“Not since our marriage,” Sean replied, crossing his fingers.
Darcy mused, Your passions may be stronger than mine. Maybe Irish men are more prone to dally than English men. He rather doubted it. Sean was glad that in good conscience he could report to Mr. Collins, if asked, that Darcy had passed his test of temptation and temperance, at least while they were in London.
Just for a lark, Darcy had a cabbie take him and his companion to the red-light district. While in the dark interior of the cab they watched as man after man entered the houses with red lanterns in the windows. None, they noted, ever came out. The men were mostly gentlemen, both Darcy and Sean noted.
“A prodigious number of gentlemen seem to be in need tonight,” Darcy.
“I doubt this night is different than most others.” “I do not recognize any of the gentlemen, but from their attire I presume them to be of wealth and those who are not of the leisure class are, unless I am mistaken, of various high occupations. It would not surprise me that those come from banking, the judicial system, even the clergy. It is often gossiped that dukes and earls, even members of the royal family are frequent visitors in the upper rooms of the houses of red lanterns.”
“It would not surprise me. There are many such houses in Dublin and I’ve heard they are visited frequently by wealthy gentlemen of leisure and those of many different occupations, both married and single. Shall we visit one of the houses?”
While their men were in London, Elizabeth and Pippa spent the evening at Pemberley. Elizabeth thought, she had never spent an evening alone with another of her sex, except with her sisters. Even she and Charlotte had not done so. She felt strangely exhilarated, anticipating Pippa’s arrival by coach she had sent for her that morning in Meryton.
She spent the hours wondering how they would occupy themselves. Certainly not in needlework, cards, reading, or exchanging turns at the piano-forte. She realized she knew so little about Pippa, her likes and dislikes. Did she even play the piano-forte? She was eager to know her better and decided she might never have a better opportunity, with their husbands in London.
Said Elizabeth, “I wonder if Mr. Darcy has located my sister.”
Replied Pippa, “I wonder what the boys are up to tonight. Mr. Darcy may be a few years older, but I suspect a hotter variety of blood runs through Sean’s veins.”
“I am sure they are behaving themselves.”
“Sean is not an Irish saint. I know he has had experience with women. I’ve more than merely accepted that. It has made him a very satisfying lover.” Elizabeth said, while studying Pippa’s hair, “Men seem to think we are more a mystery than they are, but they do not truly understand us. We only want to be loved. Deeply, sincerely, and permanently. We most assuredly want to be the only apple of their eye.”
“Or I should gouge it out. I heard that Mr. Collins recommended that recourse in his last sermon…. If a man’s right eye leads him to sin…”
Elizabeth wondered if the same would apply to a woman, if she strayed. She then decided something about Pippa’s long hair. She thought the lass would look even more beautiful if it were cut short, like hers. If Pippa were single, men should be very attracted to her, but even more alluring if her hair was more of the local fashion.
Would a new hair style tempt her to dally? She knew men dallied with other women, and now wondered if women dallied too, with men. She did not think women dallied with other women, and had never heard nor read of such adventures, or misadventures.
“You hair is lovely long and straight but not quite in fashion for attending a dance in Meryton. Might I suggest I cut it short and assemble it with curls, as I and other ladies of fashion and society wear our hair?”
“I actually had been giving that some thought. I have had some bad hair days. Yes, I am decided. Do cut my hair shorter and fashion it more like yours.”
Elizabeth went for a pair of scissors and returned to begin cutting Pippa’s hair. First in bold large cuts, then trimming and shaping. They discoursed further during the hair styling. Said Pippa: “The male animal is a puzzle. I am still learning where the pieces go.”
“Do you think women are less a puzzle? The entire world of dalliance is foreign to me. Adventures or misadventures from, by, or with either gender.”
Pippa said, “I have thought of the female gender dallying with a member of the same gender. Is it naughty of me?”
“More natural than naughty, I should think. Perhaps natural for some women. I would not judge them. Love is, after all, the ruler of a woman’s heart.”
Pippa said, “Sometimes love, or just desire, may lead us into deep waters.”
“But deep waters can be refreshing,” said Elizabeth, recalling her honeymoon on Hydra. Elizabeth was enjoying cutting Pippa’s hair. She wondered, was there something sexual about having one’s hair cut, or cutting someone’s hair? It reminded her of an article she had read in The Times. An uncommonly handsome football star with beautiful blond hair had it all cut off, his head shaved bald. No more bad hair days for him. It saddened her because he no longer looked gorgeous to her. Had he done it just for attention, or to please his wife?
She could not imagine being pleased if Mr. Darcy had all his hair shaved off and became bald. Was bald attractive to some women? Certainly not to her. She loved running her fingers through Darcy’s thick head of black hair.
Elizabeth also abhorred tattoos, and the same footballer had almost his entire body covered with them. A few more generous cuts and some snips later, then arranging Pippa’s hair on top her head in stylish fashion, Elizabeth stood back and assessed the result of her hairdressing skills.
“It will do. It most assuredly will do.”
She took up a hand mirror and showed Pippa the results.
Pippa was delighted. “I look like… you now!” Elizabeth thought, No man can be a good judge of the comfort a woman feels in the society of her own sex.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy decided not to be tempted, in London.
“No,” he said to Mr. O'Reilly about straying into a house with a red lantern in its window. “Let us go on with our search for Lydia, by going to the domicile of Lieutenant Perry.”
Sean sighed. Was he disappointed? He wondered. Although Mr. Darcy might think he had the face of a choir boy, the rest of him was more a man of passion. Were not most Irish men? He thought he must live up to his heritage.
Perhaps when they were asleep at an inn that night, he would leave his bed and venture into the red light district. Would he, himself, be tempted so that he was unable to conquer his own temptation with temperance? The dilemma was resolved when he remembered he could not give in to temptation that night because his pockets were empty.
Darcy and Sean went on to the building where Lt. Perry had a flat and walked up some stairs to it. From outside in the hall
way they heard a woman’s sighs and groans. They were not of a woman in anguish or pain, both men thought.
Darcy thought at first of rapping on the door, to announce themselves, then took the leap and tried the door handle. It turned and he opened the door. Entering the flat, he and Sean saw into a bed chamber where Lydia lay in a tryst with Lt. Perry, both au natural.
“Cease and desist!” Darcy demanded of them both.
Lydia, startled, said defensively, “We were merely snuggling on a cold night.”
“As she says,” agreed Perry.
“Then you will be warmer clothed,” suggested Darcy.
“You have no right to intrude on us!” Lydia declared.
“Your mother and sister asked me to find you and return you home forthwith.”
Lydia roared, “Bugger them!”
Darcy was tempted to say more, but exercised restraint. “Get up and dress and I shall take you home tomorrow. Tonight I will find us all lodging at an inn.”
Lydia reluctantly obeyed as she and Perry dressed and then she departed with Darcy and Sean.
Darcy found them accommodations for the night at a nearby inn. Lydia had a separate bed chamber into which Darcy locked her, and he and Sean shared another room. It only had one bed, so they would have to share it.
“She is quite the handful,” said Sean as he and Darcy disrobed and climbed into the bed in just their flags.
“She keeps me busy, and my purse often lighter.”
They turned their backs to each other and began to try to sleep. After a while, Sean said,
“Since my marriage, I have grown unaccustomed to sleeping alone. May I turn and sleep close to you?”
Oh, God!, thought Darcy. The lad may have a thing for me. But he is a handsome and jolly fellow. Temptation!
Sean waited for a reply, then after a while heard Darcy say, kindly, “I think not, sir.”
Chapter Sixteen Several days after Lydia was returned to her home with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and Darcy had given Lt. Perry a sum of money to compensate for his loss of the lass, Sean and Pippa were having breakfast at The Royal Arms café. A tall, stronglybuilt man of middle age looking dashing in a splendid white uniform entered the room. He particularly drew their attention because he had no left hand. In its place was a curved iron hook.
Clouds Over Pemberley Page 12
