“Not enough to respect her, apparently.”
“Look at it as you will, then, sir,” Darcy said with finality as he exited.
Mr. Bennet dropped his head into his hands. Looking on with concern, Mr. Gardiner said, “While you are considering what he has done, do not neglect to think of what he has not done—he did not make an attempt to hide what happened from either you or me, he did not simply hope that there would be no consequences of the event and proceed with the plans, and he did not attempt to justify himself.”
“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Bennet with a bitter humor. “Compared to the other young man who seduced one of my daughters, his behavior is admirable, but you will have to forgive me if I bear a grudge that it happened at all.”
“I understand completely. However, I do think that he is doing the best he can with a difficult situation, and that he has made every attempt to take responsibility for what he has done. And although I cannot excuse it, the fact of the matter is that the attachment between them is as passionate a one as I have ever seen, and being in such close proximity did put them in a certain amount of peril.”
Another thought occurred to Mr. Bennet, and he looked at Mr. Gardiner with displeasure. “And where were you when this was happening?” he asked sharply.
Mr. Gardiner looked at him with some sympathy. “I was asleep, as is my habit during the night.”
Mr. Bennet closed his eyes, and said tiredly, “My apologies, Edward. I should not have implied that this was your fault in any way. I just cannot believe that Lizzy would behave in this way. Lydia, certainly, or Kitty, but Lizzy? And what can she possibly see in him?”
“He can be very pleasant and charming,” said Mr. Gardiner earnestly, “and he does appear to love Lizzy beyond all measure. Surely you can find something in common with him there.”
Eleven
After the gentlemen disappeared into the study, Elizabeth and Georgiana retreated to the sitting room, which was somewhat chilly as a fire had not been lit yet. Her agitation could not be masked; she knew that her father was going to be made unhappy, and that it should be through her means, that she, his favorite child, should be distressing him through her behavior, should be filling him with fears and regrets, was a wretched reflection. Georgiana, unaware of Mr. Bennet’s ignorance of recent events, assumed that her sister’s disquiet sprang from concern over Lydia, and attempted to cheer her with conversation, but Elizabeth sat in quiet misery until Darcy appeared again.
His slight smile reassured her to some extent. “Come, my dear, your father wishes to speak with you before we depart,” he said. He followed her into the hall, where he caressed her cheek lightly. “He did not take it quite so badly as he might have; I think that we, or at least you, shall be forgiven, though perhaps not immediately.”
“Perhaps you should wait with Georgiana while I speak to him,” she said worriedly.
His eyes flashed for a moment. “Elizabeth, I am your husband, and if you think for a moment that I would allow you to go in there without me, you are quite mistaken.”
She smiled anxiously but with good humor. “You are right, of course; I fear that I am not yet accustomed to being wed. Perhaps I shall be used to it in a fortnight or two.”
“You shall have many years to become accustomed to it, my love.” He took her hand and squeezed it, and did not release it immediately when they went into the study; she found she was in fact quite grateful for his presence at her side. She saw that Mr. Gardiner had been engaging Mr. Bennet in earnest conversation that broke off at their arrival, and she looked at her father with that expression of mingled guilt and mischief that had attended her every transgression since she had been a small child, though unfortunately there could be little comparison made between a marriage just this side of elopement and hiding Kitty’s favorite doll in a tree.
She was relieved when he stood and approached her, taking her hands in his. “Well, Lizzy, I see that it still remains beyond you to manage your romantic life in a traditional manner,” he said.
“I must find some way in which to distinguish myself from Jane,” she said gravely.
“Yes, well, I am beginning to appreciate Jane far more than I have in the past!” said Mr. Bennet. “There is something to be said for tradition, after all. But you have my very best wishes, Lizzy, and I hope you will be very happy.”
She smiled up at Darcy with an unmistakable look of affection. “Of that I have no doubt, sir, and I hope that some day you will be equally happy about it.”
“Well, perhaps, but you will excuse me at the moment if I spend my time appreciating the predictable Mr. Bingley,” he said dryly. “But we can discuss this further at a later date; I know you must be tired after your long journey. Tomorrow I will be meeting again with… your husband to discuss further steps we might undertake to discover Lydia; perhaps I shall see you at some point as well?”
She glanced at Darcy before nodding her assent.
* * *
Elizabeth’s feelings on the journey to the Darcy townhouse were far more complex than she would have anticipated; it was not until the moment when she left her father and uncle behind to go to her husband’s home that she felt the true extent of how her marriage had changed her life—that she had left her old life and her family behind, and that Darcy’s views now must take precedence over her father’s. It would not, under normal circumstances, have been an unusual discovery, but since at Pemberley her marriage had entailed only a change of bedroom, it had not felt true to her until now.
They arrived at Brook Street just as darkness was falling. Though curious to behold the place where she could expect to spend a great deal of time in the future, Elizabeth nonetheless held back slightly as the butler met them at the door.
“Mr. Darcy!” Philips said in surprise. “We had not been expecting you, sir.”
“I apologize for failing to send notice, Philips; we left Pemberley rather unexpectedly,” said Darcy, handing over his hat and coat.
“I will have your rooms prepared immediately, sir. Would you like some refreshment?” Philips glanced toward Elizabeth, wondering about arrangements for this unknown guest.
“Yes, if Cook could put something together, I am sure we would all appreciate it.”
“Right away, sir. And, Mr. Darcy, I should mention that Colonel Fitzwilliam has been staying here; I hope that is not a problem, sir.”
“Not in the least,” said Darcy, wondering what would have brought his cousin to town again so shortly after his last visit, as the gentleman himself appeared in the hallway to check on the commotion.
“Darcy!” Colonel Fitzwilliam exclaimed. “What brings you here?” He kissed Georgiana’s cheek warmly, and then, noticing Elizabeth, started in surprise. “Miss Bennet, this is an unexpected pleasure,” he said, bowing over her hand.
“I fear that I shall have to introduce you again; you do not have her name correctly, Fitzwilliam,” Darcy said significantly.
A puzzled look crossed the colonel’s face as he looked back and forth between Darcy and Elizabeth, then, as light dawned, he glanced down at her hand. “Not Mrs. Darcy,” he drawled, shooting a pointed look at Darcy.
Elizabeth smiled and curtsied. “It is indeed a pleasure, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“Well!” he exclaimed with a broad smile. Turning his attention to his cousin, he said, “Darcy, you dog! And without even inviting me to the wedding! Does this mean that the pistols at dawn are off?”
Darcy looked pleased. “Yes; I have decided to wait until you challenge me instead—then I can choose rapiers and spoil your pretty looks for you, cousin. Now, may I sit down in my own house, or are you planning an inquisition before you let us past the door?”
Shaking his head in disbelief, Colonel Fitzwilliam allowed them pass. Darcy, spotting a stunned-looking Philips still hovering, took a moment to introduce him to Elizabeth properly before leading her to the large sitting room.
Once they were all settled, Darcy asked, “So, what are you doing
here, Fitzwilliam?”
“Apart from drinking your port? Well, you know that I went back up to Newcastle, and no sooner had I arrived than his lordship sent me straight back here to indulge the Major General again, and then we repeated the whole cycle one more time, after which I told his Lordship that I thought it would be far more efficient for me to remain in London while he sent me instructions by post, rather than keeping the instructions in Newcastle and sending me back and forth by post. So, since you were away, and planning to shoot me at dawn as well, I imposed upon Edward—my elder brother, Mrs. Darcy—and stayed with him for two days, after which I thought it unlikely that I would survive long enough for you to shoot me, so I decamped and threw myself on the mercy of Philips, who took pity upon me and took me in. He has not allowed me to drink too much of your port, though, more’s the pity.”
“Fitzwilliam, you are welcome to every last drop of my port, and the rest of the wine cellar as well,” Darcy said meaningfully, with a glance at Elizabeth.
The colonel inclined his head. “Always happy to be of service. But I suspect that you have a more interesting saga to tell, Darcy. Have you come from Hertfordshire?
Darcy laughed. “I fear it is far more complex than that. We spent some weeks in Hertfordshire, where, after a certain amount of persuasion, I managed to convince this lovely lady to accept the offer of my hand,” he said, pausing to take Elizabeth’s hand and kiss it lightly. She looked at him with the tender smile that always made his heart beat faster, and their eyes locked for a moment.
“You will have to become accustomed to this, Richard,” interposed Georgiana. “I am afraid that they do it quite constantly.”
Elizabeth colored lightly. Darcy kissed her hand again, then held it in his own, staring at Colonel Fitzwilliam as if daring him to object. The latter merely raised an amused eyebrow. “That must have been a very short engagement, then, cousin.”
“Well, I confess that we had originally intended it to be somewhat longer, but, as it happened, Elizabeth was by great coincidence about to travel with some of her family to Derbyshire, and we convinced them to stay at Pemberley. And, of course, once I had Elizabeth at Pemberley, I was not about to let her leave again, so we imposed upon your old friend the bishop to remove the remaining obstacles to immediate matrimony. Your parents attended the wedding.”
Elizabeth was relieved that Colonel Fitzwilliam did not seem to find this tale in any way remarkable, and noted for future consideration what it might mean that, while the entire world saw Darcy as always behaving in a studied and careful manner, his relations all seemed to think it perfectly natural for him to be madly impulsive.
“And no one saw fit to so much as mention it to me?” Colonel Fitzwilliam said in mock indignation. “I will have to challenge you, Darcy. Not to mention coming up with some suitable punishment for my parents.”
“It was only two days ago, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth said amusedly.
“Two days? What in heaven’s name are you doing here, then?” He sounded mildly scandalized.
“Excuse me, please,” Georgiana said abruptly, and exited the room.
Colonel Fitzwilliam looked after her in concern. “Did I say something I should not have?”
Darcy looked at Elizabeth as if for permission. In response to her nod, he said, “I believe that she wished to avoid hearing the answer to your question, which touches on the unpleasant subject of George Wickham.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam’s face looked grim. “What has that blackguard done now? If he has so much as spoken a word to Georgiana, I swear that I will… pardon me, Mrs. Darcy, I am afraid that my temper has been known to get the best of me on this subject.”
“I understand completely,” said Elizabeth dryly.
“He has not attempted anything with Georgiana; I fear he is trying his hand at a new route to tormenting me,” Darcy said, tightening his hand around Elizabeth’s. “He somehow managed to convince Elizabeth’s youngest sister to elope with him—he does seem to repeat the same patterns again and again—and they have been traced as far as London, but apparently have gone no further, hence our arrival today.”
“I am very sorry to hear it, Mrs. Darcy,” he said, his voice concerned. “Do I take it, then, that he knows of your marriage?”
“Not that we are married, but we believe that Lydia was aware of our engagement, so we must assume he knew as well,” Elizabeth replied. “I cannot imagine otherwise why he would choose her; she has no dowry to speak of, and my family can offer him little.”
“I have a few ideas of how to discover him,” Darcy said. “Tomorrow I will meet with Mr. Bennet, who is also in London, to discuss how to resolve the situation.”
“Indeed. Perhaps I should join you, Darcy. I might have a bit to add myself,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam.
Darcy frowned. “Although I appreciate your willingness to help, I fail to see what you might know that I do not.”
“Wickham is very skilled at playing on your emotions, Darcy. He knows that I would just as soon run him through as not,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “That puts me at a certain advantage in dealing with him.”
“It is my responsibility. Had I not felt it to be beneath my dignity to expose his behavior to the world, this could never have happened.” Darcy’s voice expressed his anger at himself.
Elizabeth said gently, “I could say the same—that it is my fault for failing to reveal what I knew about him. The truth, though, is that it is the fault of only one person, and that is Mr. Wickham. I would not refuse anyone’s help in this situation.”
“Wise as well as beautiful; you have done well for yourself, Darcy. Listen to your wife.”
“There speaks the perpetual bachelor!”
Colonel Fitzwilliam decided against pointing out that he had assisted his cousin in courting the most promising marital prospect he himself had seen in some time. “Had I your opportunities, old man, you would sing a different tune.”
Darcy eyed him suspiciously, but was interrupted in whatever he might have chosen to say by the appearance of Philips, who requested a brief conference with the master. On his return a few moments later, he found Elizabeth conversing happily with Colonel Fitzwilliam. Discovering to his chagrin that he did not at all care for seeing Elizabeth smile at any other man, even his own cousin, he approached her and spoke quietly in her ear. “It seems we have a household crisis of unprecedented magnitude, my love. Apparently even my admirable staff cannot ready within a matter of an hour rooms that have been out of use for many years, and thus the rooms due to you as the lady of the house will not be ready until tomorrow. They offer you instead the finest guest room.”
Her eyes sparkled up at him with amusement. “I assume that you accepted on my behalf, sir,” she said mockingly, unaware of how her playfulness was affecting him.
“Indeed not, madam. I proposed an entirely different solution,” he said suggestively.
Elizabeth glanced at Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was watching this interplay with interest, although he could not hear Darcy’s words. “Perhaps we could discuss this later, sir,” she said composedly.
“I think not, my lovely wife,” he replied, helping her to her feet before scooping her up in his arms. “Good night, Fitzwilliam,” he said, satisfaction evident in his voice.
“Good night, Darcy, Mrs. Darcy. I hope you sleep well.” Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled broadly, raising his glass to them.
Elizabeth, in deepest embarrassment, buried her face in Darcy’s shoulder. Once they were out of the room, she gazed up at him reproachfully. “And to think that I once believed that you valued propriety!”
He paused to kiss her, disregarding the servant in the hallway. “It is all a matter of priorities, my love.” He pushed open the door to an upstairs room. “Right now my priority is to acquaint you with my bed.” He placed her on that piece of furniture, exploring her mouth with an unhurried attentiveness to detail that roused Elizabeth into a state where she no longer felt the least interest in o
pposing his intentions. He stroked the soft skin of her neck, leaving trails of sensation wherever he touched, and then, sliding her gown off her shoulder, he slipped his hand under the neckline to caress her breast. She arched her back to encourage the pleasure he was giving her, and the intense shock of desire that rushed through her when he began to explore her nipple made her gasp under his lips. As he pulled away just far enough to look at her, she could see the flush of passion on his unsmiling face. “Do you still want to return downstairs, Elizabeth?” he asked, continuing to stimulate her with his skillful fingers.
Struck even through the waves of delightful sensation running through her by the oddness of his demeanor, she twined her arms around his neck. Just before she drew his face back to hers, she whispered, “I never did. I want to be with you, William.”
He nibbled at her lip, then released her just long enough to throw off his cravat and coats. He lowered himself onto her as if to claim her body with his and kissed her demandingly before moving to explore her face and neck with his lips. When he reached her ear, he murmured, “Elizabeth, if you do not find a way to remove your clothing very quickly indeed, I will take matters into my own hands, and I do not guarantee that they will be wearable when I am through.”
Her face lit with amusement. “It is quite unclear to me, sir, how you expect me to do anything of the sort when you persist in lying on top of me.”
He rolled off her obligingly, but did not free her until his impatient hands had the opportunity to reacquaint themselves thoroughly with the curves of her body. Seeing his eagerness, she turned to allow him to unfasten her dress. He struggled with the tiny buttons manfully for several long moments until he gave in to his threatened impulse and pulled the sides apart by force.
“William!” she exclaimed, startled by his action. “I do not have that many dresses with me on this trip!”
To Conquer Mr. Darcy (pemberley variations) Page 26
