Elizabeth grinned of the likeness, then asked Kitty who else she was sketching.
"I sketch all of you. Sometimes you’re crying, sometimes you're brave. But I find that the days of all of us being together are likely very short. I should always like to be able to sketch my sisters, even when you are away." Kitty's voice cracked with emotion.
Elizabeth used Higgins’ hand to cross the carriage to sit next to her younger sister and embrace her as she too felt the enormous weight of all that had transpired.
She could not offer words of consolation to Kitty as her sister was correct. The days were numbered for how long the Bennet family would remain under one roof. Eventually Lydia and Mary would find men to marry and they would leave, as would Kitty. And Jane, already married, would be searching for a home as soon as they arrived with Mr. Bingley.
The carriage fell into a pattern of rocking that lulled Elizabeth Darcy into a light nap. As she felt herself drifting off into sleep, she resolved that she would grant all of her family members more grace than they deserved. After all, such a concept was never something given when it was earned, but when it was needed.
And if Elizabeth Darcy did not want to live a lifetime of regret, she would do better to remember she had so much and her younger sisters had so little. Their swipes and insults were a buzzing little bee when she stood in a field full of gorgeous flowers.
21
“This is not to be borne! She is your sister!”
Darcy made a mock bow to his aunt, rather enjoying her frustrations. “And you took her in, Madam. I shall authorize funds from her dowry, but no more than half the interest per annum,” he explained, firmly.
“Why not all?” Lady Catherine de Bourgh slapped the fan in her hand impatiently. Her nephew remained silent. “Why not all? I demand an explanation!”
Mr. Darcy shrugged his shoulders as Richard stood next to him, also unwilling to further discuss the matter. The two men had conducted business in Lady Catherine’s “court” enough times to know the woman argued in her drawing room, but held no power over them. Neither guardian of Georgiana would admit her dowry one of the few ways to both control the wayward young woman and provide a buffer should the mining scheme go against the family.
“You should be grateful to Darcy, I suggested only a quarter,” Richard Fitzwilliam said to their aunt, earning a scowl in return. When it appeared there was nothing more to discuss on the matter, both men excused themselves to the hall.
Glancing around for footmen, and spying none, they took a moment to coordinate their efforts.
“Do you think it wise to leave tomorrow? I worry we are leaving too soon,” Richard speculated.
“I am going above stairs now to discuss the options with Georgiana. I am sensitive to her condition, but time is of the essence. Parliament is already being called to session. We have perhaps one or two months to learn all that we can.” Darcy sighed, thinking of the danger he had narrowly escaped in London. “And it is best for her and the child if they remain out of Town,” Darcy reasoned and his cousin, Richard, nodded.
“It just feels as though we are abandoning her, once again.”
Darcy realized he and Richard held reversed positions from eight months’ prior. When Georgiana was first found with George Wickham, it was Richard who wanted the harshest existence for the two, and Darcy had relented. Now, Richard pleaded for mercy on Georgiana’s account, but her brother recalled her viciousness toward his wife and others, plus the distressing reports from Mrs. Potter in London concerning a young footman named Jack.
Darcy hadn’t dismissed the lad, as he had been quite clever and helpful in defending the Darcy home in London when it was attacked. But young Jack was in a very tenuous position. Darcy’s last instructions to Mrs. Potter had been to give the man a reference, but suggest to him it would be best if he sought a position elsewhere as soon as it could be arranged.
“We are protecting her, and perhaps that is one area we misstepped before. We gave freedoms she should not have had, and the result is apparent. She should be safe here and out of trouble. Until we know. . . ” Darcy trailed off and Richard had to admit he was correct. There was too much uncertainty in every corner; the last thing they needed was a young mother running around London boasting of her son’s birth when sharks circled to feed.
“I shall go see that Anne is packed.” Richard grasped Darcy’s forearm in solidarity and wished him luck above stairs.
* * *
With a heavy heart, Fitzwilliam Darcy climbed the worn carpeted stairs up to the second floor of Rosings. Visions of his beloved Elizabeth when she'd been so grievously injured just a few months prior in the spring flashed through his mind. Thankfully, Georgiana would not be in the same suite, as no one had moved her from the golden lodgings.
Taking a moment to inventory his dress, tugging his coat sleeves down, smoothing the back of his hair, Darcy reached for the door handle and then thought better of it. Gently, he knocked on the door and heard a small voice bid him to enter.
A beautiful tableau of his sister sitting in bed greeted him. Her hair fell in loose locks down to her shoulders, which were bare as her child was at her breast. Mr. Darcy looked away, while Georgiana reassured her brother.
"Just a moment, he's almost finished," she said. His tight little left fist held his mother's first finger, and Darcy watched as mother and child continued to gaze at one another. His heart broke for in that moment he saw that the girl his sister had been was long gone. In her place was a young, courageous woman who had become someone's mother.
"I should be happy to return, truthfully, I came to offer you my farewell and congratulations, he looks to be very bonnie young man." Darcy complimented both his sister and his nephew. Nervously, he ran a finger between his neck and collar, and thought to tell Simmons to loosen his cravat tomorrow before travelling.
"Farewell? I thought we would stay at least for the baptism. I had hoped to ask you to be his godfather," Georgiana remarked, but Mr. Darcy knew such an event was impossible.
"I should be happy to be godfather to the boy, you can have me named in absentia," Darcy said, and he watched his sister flinch. She took care of the necessities of ending little Thomas’s feeding, while Darcy turned to look around the room and find something of usefulness that he could do.
Spying the child's cloths folded neatly on a table across the room, he brought a fresh one to assist her and then retreated. Darcy could help, but he would not take the soiled laundry to the pile.
"Whatever made you decide on the name Thomas?" Mr. Darcy asked and his sister shrugged.
“I just liked it," she explained and Darcy nodded.
"Elizabeth's father's name is Thomas. It is a good name," he said. Georgiana broke her gaze from her son to look directly at her brother.
"When can we come home to Pemberley?" Georgiana asked, but Mr. Darcy shook his head.
"At the moment, it is not possible…. Perhaps if you apologize–"
“Apologize? She wished me dead!"
Mr. Darcy held up his hands hoping to keep Georgiana calm. "I am not certain why you say that, unless you are speaking of the ill-fated letter that she sent from Scotland."
Georgiana nodded. "Yes! She said she hoped I joined my husband soon. What other meaning could she possibly have intended?"
Mr. Darcy closed his eyes and covered half of his face with the palm of his left hand. He wondered how much he should tell his sister of the private communication between himself and his wife. On one hand, the truth was always preferable, however his sister may not be so fully reformed that she could not use the information against him and his wife at a later date. Still, Mr. Darcy opted to be a man of integrity over a man of intrigue.
"It is my fault. While we were on our wedding trip, I did not wish to distress Mrs. Darcy. So I spoke vaguely in giving her the news about your husband and she assumed he merely ran off. When she was hoping for you to join him, she was praying fervently for reconciliation of the marriage she th
ought had splintered. I can assure you, your sister-in-law has your best intentions in mind. Actually she convinced me to allow you some of your funds," Mr. Darcy explained, but any hope he had of such an explanation making Georgiana happy, he was sorely mistaken.
"I am a widowed mother. I should have access to all of my funds, for both my sake and my son’s." Georgiana said with her head held high, sitting straight up in the bed. For a moment, carrying herself with a regal air like the strong aristocratic women in her ancestry, Georgiana startled her brother. But he could not fall for such false vignettes. There were far too many livelihoods at stake.
"I am afraid that it is for you and your son’s protection that I restrict your access at this time. You shall have £50 per month, with Aunt Catherine requiring £10 pounds for your room and board."
"She's charging for room and board? Like I am some common woman upon the street taking her charity?" Georgiana asked to Mr. Darcy’s chagrin. Even he thought that their aunt was being rather obtuse and rude. Then again, he had lived with Georgiana in recent memory; she was not the most pleasant houseguest.
Georgiana continued her touch of sweetness. She carefully rose and carried Thomas to the small bassinet, that look positively ancient, but served well in the circumstances.
"Why is everyone being so unfair to me?" Georgiana asked with a strain into her voice.
"I believe you possess a skewed view of how well your family has taken care of you," Mr. Darcy explained, coming to stand next to his sister so that he could take a better look at his nephew. The boy had a round cherub face and looked very much like his mother had when she was a babe. Inwardly, Darcy felt relieved. It would be far easier to love a relation that looked like his sister rather than Mr. Wickham. Darcy continued in helping his sister see reason.
"We've given you so many chances, from helping you patch up your reputation with a marriage to even granting you use of the London town home. And you sold the contents," he kept his voice low so as not to wake the child, but his displeasure was apparent.
Georgiana turned around to stare at her brother. "You have no idea how evil Wickham was…" she hissed and Mr. Darcy took a few paces backward, away from his sister.
He held up his hands in a signal of surrender and grimaced. "There, see? You still refuse to take any responsibility for your actions. Who chose him? You.”
"Because you for had forsaken me!" Georgiana's voice raised and she took an advancing step toward her brother.
"I was working!" Darcy said, immediately regretting taking his sister's bait as Thomas let out a cry. Both Darcy siblings hushed their argument as they waited to see if the child would go back to sleep. Thankfully, he did and Mr. Darcy realized it was time to end his interview that had ended in a stalemate.
"I am annoyed that Aunt Catherine has brokered such a deal, but take some time to rest and raise your son. The money should be plenty to provide you with a personal maid for your needs and a nurse for the boy."
"What will I do here?" Georgiana asked, contemplating the enormous weight that motherhood would place upon her without the support of a husband.
Carefully, Darcy approached his sister, and held out his arms to embrace her. He did not force such affection on Georgiana though, and when she took a half step in his direction, he crushed her with all of the relief he felt that both she and the child had been delivered safely. Such an outcome was an answer to his prayers.
"Raise your son, your beautiful son, Georgiana. Remember that this is his grandfather's land. Let him come to know his legacy, whether it be for a few years of his early childhood, or Fate should decide that it is he who is to inherit all," Darcy's voice cracked on the last part of his speech, because to utter such words was to acknowledge that if Anne Fitzwilliam and her child perished, Georgiana’s son would become the rightful heir of Rosings. No one wished such misfortune on another, but truthfully, Rosings was a more appropriate home than Pemberley for Georgiana Wickham and her son, Thomas.
After helping Georgiana back to bed so that she might rest, and then bending low to place a kiss upon his nephew’s forehead, Fitzwilliam Darcy left Rosings for the Dowager cottage with a reluctant feeling of relief.
Georgiana would be provided enough funds to live comfortably at Rosings, and he would also make sure to send some gifts for both her and the child. But until his sister embraced some humility of her position, bringing her to Pemberley was ill advised. There were plenty of puffed up hens in the Bennet family likely already in residence. The last thing Mr. Darcy wished for was to add a greater burden on his wife’s shoulders.
22
The weather delayed the party of cousins departing Rosings by an additional day, and when at last they arrived at Matlock house, to Richard’s surprise, his father awaited with a welcome worthy of a prodigal son.
"My boy, my boy!" The Earl of Matlock burst from the front door as Richard and Anne departed the Darcy carriage first, followed by Fitzwilliam behind them.
Uncle Henry had been a long favorite of Anne’s, always kind to her when he had visited Rosings. She accepted his effusions and congratulations, then beamed at her husband. Aside from the diversions the city was sure to offer, this was precisely the environment the newlyweds needed to lift their spirits.
After being ushered inside, and offered refreshments, Anne politely declined the generous invitation to join the men in the study.
"You gentlemen have your work, and I have mine," she said mysteriously as her hand rested on her abdomen. "Uncle Henry, is there any chance I could have a warm bath brought up?" Anne Fitzwilliam asked as her father-in-law heartily agreed.
To the slight embarrassment of his father and cousin, Richard enjoyed a small tête-à-tête with his wife. He urgently whispered asking if she would like for him to go up upstairs and help her settle in, but she playfully slapped his hand away.
"I am quite capable, husband. Besides, we did not come all this way just so that we could admire your parents’ fine home. Go! Show them what a masterful strategist looks like," she complimented.
With a sheepish grin, Richard bid his wife adieu and followed his father and cousin into the study, where the eldest in the room wasted no time pouring himself a drink. There would be no servants inside as the three men convened. Mr. Darcy felt slightly apprehensive that his uncle’s demeanor had suddenly changed from affable to nervous.
As the earl gulped his brandy, Darcy and Richard opted for the decanter tucked back in the cupboard. Richard poured them both a whiskey and they all sat in the worn leather chairs around the fire.
"Grim news, I’m afraid," the earl opened, garnering the attention of both his son and nephew. "Your brother is not here. I dined at Syon House, as you instructed. And I believe I was convincing, but that old duke is no simpleton."
Richard asked his father to go on, and the earl explained.
"I should've expected your brother to come to London at his first chance, but Northumberland claimed that he elected to stay at Alnwick Castle with his wife. Had the audacity to say that we could not risk Viscount Brahmington finding his old haunts and habits."
Mr. Darcy couched his words carefully. "Do you believe James to be kept there against his will?" he asked.
The earl looked uncomfortable, but Richard was having none of it.
"My brother is as good of an escape artist as any of us. If he didn't wish to be in Northumberland, he'd find a way to London. My guess is he is being kept happy and distracted," Richard said while both his father and cousin looked at him for further explanation. Richard cleared his throat.
"Yes, we have exchanged letters. James wrote to me to offer his congratulations, and gloat, I'm afraid, about the pleasing figures of the housemaids and exquisite dinners put on each night. And he was no fool, father. His wife leaves him to his own devices and he leaves her to hers. If there was no need for an heir, I would say the match was splendid." Richard explained and the other two nodded reluctantly. As they all took a drink, the earl found the courage to continue ab
out his night at Syon.
"He also spoke of you, Darcy," The earl opened and allowed his nephew to inquire for more information. "Yes, he believes you owe him lands in India?"
"I most certainly do not!" Mr. Darcy exclaimed.
"He claims you made a deal with him concerning Wickham–"
Darcy interrupted his uncle.
"I asked for Wickham to be transported, not murdered! The man is the duke's nephew or was, so I thought that perhaps we would share a common goal of avoiding scandal. But I was mistaken in my calculations," Darcy said wistfully, but Richard interjected.
"So the duke openly took credit for Wickham's demise? Were there any witnesses?" Richard asked and his father shook his head.
"No, I'm afraid the dinner was very much a message being sent. I cannot say he went so far as to threaten me, but I did feel threatened that he holds my eldest son in custody, and hinted that if you do not sign over the lands in India, when the investigation begins in Parliament, he will offer it as evidence of you arranging for the murder of George Wickham," the earl finished.
The air grew heavy with silence as all three men contemplated the high-stakes of their circumstances.
"I should see Baron Percy," Darcy finally said after a few moments. But his cousin disagreed with him.
"No, you must leave," Richard said with finality. But, Darcy argued with him.
"I could not possibly! All I have learned is that when I leave my affairs here, things go disastrously," Darcy began to explain but Richard waved his hand to make his cousin cease.
"Do not equate this mess with your runaway sister. A young woman is impulsive and easily persuaded. We did nothing wrong except perhaps grant her privileges that she abused. But these men are cold and calculating. Your best defense, should it come to that, is that you not be seen in London running around scheming in arranging things yourself." Richard explained and look to his father for approval. The earl nodded.
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