When the interval began, Elizabeth tried to convince her father to remain in the box. “Mr. Darcy will be happy to bring you a glass of wine,” she said.
“Thank you, but I have been sitting long enough.” Mr. Bennet offered his arm to Lady Matlock.
Darcy tried to stay close to Mr. Bennet in case Lord Matlock should put in an appearance, but the crush of people made it difficult. There were several strangers between them when he heard the familiar sneer. “Birdwit again? I thought we were rid of you.”
Richard interposed himself between the adversaries. “This is a fortuitous meeting. Father, may I present to you Miss Bennet, who has lately done me the great honor of agreeing to be my wife? The announcement will be in the papers within the week.”
“Another of Birdwit’s daughters? Just because Darcy is making a fool of himself doesn’t mean you have to. No doubt this one is penniless as well. Don’t think that you’ll be getting a farthing from me, boy.”
Richard stiffened, then drawled, “I wouldn’t dream of it, since the last I heard, you barely have a farthing to your name.”
Darcy tried to elbow his way through to them. People were already beginning to stare and whisper.
Mr. Bennet said, “Fortunately, I do still have a few farthings to my name, most likely because I do not have to pay anyone to tolerate my company at the theatre. After all, why should I, when I can enjoy the company of your wife, your son, and your nephew? It’s enough to make one wonder which of us is the birdwit. Now, if you will excuse us, we must be going.”
Elizabeth tugged at his arm. “What did he say? I could not make it out.”
Darcy smiled down at her fondly. “I will tell you later – but I think you need not worry about your father any longer.”
***
With Mr. Bennet’s health so much improved, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy decided it was safe to return to Pemberley where Georgiana still awaited them. It was hard to believe it had only been a few weeks since they had departed Derbyshire, each of them going their separate way and expecting not to see each other for months. Their stay there was brief, though, owing to the need to return to Hertfordshire for Jane and Richard’s wedding, where they were privileged to hear on several occasions Mrs. Bennet’s icy comments about how pleasant it was that she would finally be able to attend the wedding of one of her daughters. Fortunately, Jane’s wedding was one she could boast of for many years, as it was attended by various titled relatives of the groom. That list did not, however, include the Earl of Matlock, who felt it pointless to travel so far from town simply to watch his younger son marry a girl of no distinction whatsoever. His absence caused no grief among those gathered to celebrate.
After receiving the intelligence of Jane Bennet’s engagement from Darcy, Charles Bingley had a great many things to say to the man he had trusted above all others, some of them true, some false, but all of them angry. Given the choice of blaming his sister, Darcy, or himself, he elected Darcy as the least painful choice to carry the onus of his culpability in losing Jane Bennet. His intention was to put an end to their friendship, but he gave way under pressure from his sisters and maintained a civil relationship with the Darcys, although without the closeness of previous years. He never returned to Netherfield and soon after gave up the lease. A year to the day after Jane’s wedding, Bingley announced his engagement to a delicately bred girl from York with golden hair and pretty manners.
Jenny flatly refused to return to Hunsford where, as she pointed out forthrightly, everyone she cared about was dead. Instead, she was taken into the family of the Pemberley steward as a ward, where her foster father could meet any misbehavior with the ultimate threat of reporting it to Mr. Darcy. She remained a thorn in the side of the steward’s young assistant who often threw up his hands in despair at how to handle a spirited child who pestered him at every opportunity, until some dozen years later when he finally noticed that she was no longer a child. At that point she became a completely different sort of thorn in his side until he convinced her that she could do a much more effective job of pestering him as his wife.
Jane and Colonel Fitzwilliam lived in Lady Matlock’s town house for several years while he continued his work at the War Office. When peace was declared, he sold his commission and took a position in the embassy in Paris at the personal request of the Prime Minister. To provide some companionship to Jane in France, they invited Mary Bennet to live with them. Mary’s public presentation benefited substantially from the efforts of a French maid, and in that environment she was able to gain some of the confidence she had lacked in Meryton. She also provided more practice in English for a new generation of Fitzwilliams whose first words were in the French of their nursemaid. The family regularly spent summers at Pemberley, much to Elizabeth’s delight.
With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.
About the Author
Abigail Reynolds is a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast and a physician. Originally from upstate New York, she studied Russian, theater, and marine biology before deciding to attend medical school. She began writing variations on Pride and Prejudice in 2001 to spend more time with her favorite Jane Austen characters. Encouragement from fellow Austen fans persuaded her to continue asking “What if...?”, which led to seven novels in The Pemberley Variations series. She has also written two contemporary novels set on Cape Cod, The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice and Morning Light. In 2012 she retired from medical practice to focus exclusively on writing. She is currently at work on a new Pemberley Variation as well as the next novel in her Cape Cod series. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two teenage children, and a menagerie of pets. Her hobby is trying to find time to sleep.
www.pemberleyvariations.com
www.austenauthors.net
Acknowledgements
Many people assisted in the creation of this book. I’d like to thank Sharon Lathan, Rena Margulis, Susan Mason-Milks, and Deirdre Sumpter for their comments on the final version. Lee Smith Parsons suggested the title, along with the very tempting alternative “Pride & Precipitation.” The talented Frank Underwood brought to my attention the painting by Merry-Joseph Blondel used in the cover image. My fellow Austen Authors (www.austenauthors.net) provided support, knowledge, and general encouragement. As always, conversation with my readers helped shape the work in progress. I’m grateful to live in an age where I can connect so easily to readers and other writers.
THE PEMBERLEY VARIATIONS
by Abigail Reynolds
What Would Mr. Darcy Do?
To Conquer Mr. Darcy
By Force of Instinct
Mr. Darcy’s Undoing
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World
Mr. Darcy’s Obsession
A Pemberley Medley
Mr. Darcy’s Letter
Mr. Darcy’s Refuge
Also by Abigail Reynolds:
The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice
Morning Light
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Mr. Darcy's Refuge Page 30
