A Matter of Honor

by Abigail Reynolds

  “But a Highlander!” Shock and disgust warred in his expression. “My situation is complicated, but I cannot let you be trapped in the middle of nowhere because of it. It would be better... but let that be. Who is threatening you?”

  She chewed her lip. “First, will you promise not to tell anyone what I am about to tell you, most especially not your friend Darcy?”

  Jasper’s eyebrows shot up. “How does Darcy come into this? He would never use threats like that. I am as certain of that as the day I was born.”

  “No, he has nothing to do with that. But do you promise?”

  “Of course. I will say nothing to Darcy. You have my word.”

  She wrung her hands. “The problems started with Darcy’s family. They were afraid he would marry me.”

  He gave a sharp laugh. “Darcy marry you? Why would they think that? He will marry some perfect, well-dowered diamond of society. He would never consider marrying so far beneath him. Not that you wouldn’t be better for him than any of them, but it would never happen!”

  She glared at him. “Well, for whatever reason, his family was afraid it would. They had someone threaten me into disappearing, so I moved to Edinburgh and changed my name. But their main condition was... Is something wrong?”

  He leaned forward with a stunned expression. “No. Go on.” His voice was heavy.

  “They said I had to stay away from Darcy. But then he appeared in Edinburgh, and he would not stay away from me, so I came here. But he followed me again, and he was injured, so I could not turn him away.”

  “Darcy is injured?” cried Jasper. “What happened?”

  “A broken leg, mostly. He will recover.” Darcy’s injuries were the least of her worries now. “No one but my aunt knew I was here, so I thought it was safe enough to let him stay. But one of the people making the threats found him, and he was furious to discover I was here. I have managed to intercept his post so he could not send out word, but that will not last long. And the only way I can prove I will not marry Darcy is by marrying someone else.”

  Jasper rubbed his forehead. “This is a nightmare,” he said softly.

  “It is.” Elizabeth choked back the urge to cry. “So much is at stake. I do not want to get married just to prove Darcy is safe from me.”

  He looked grim. “What does Darcy say?”

  “I have not told him. He would try to fix it, no matter how much I begged him not to. He would tell his family, and my family would end up paying the price.” Her voice shook.

  “Damn. I cannot argue that. Darcy always thinks he can fix everything.” Jasper picked up a paperweight from the desk and turned it over, passing it from one hand to the other distractedly. “Who in his family made these threats?”

  Elizabeth hesitated, but he had promised not to repeat it. “Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Lord Matlock.”

  His hands froze, and the paperweight tumbled into his lap. “I was afraid of that,” he said flatly. He did not look at her, and his face had turned a sickly ashen.

  Shocked out of her own worries, she asked, “Are you ill? Should I bring you a glass of wine?”

  “I am not ill,” he bit out. He replaced the paperweight with a sigh and wandered to the bookcase. “If Lord Matlock is involved, you must take it seriously. He does not make idle threats.”

  Her heart sank. “So you think I must marry?” Somehow she had hoped he would have another answer.

  He hesitated. “Is what he threatened to do so bad?”

  She nodded. “My father would be arrested. Sedition. A long prison sentence, if not transportation or hanging. And Darcy could not fix that.”

  He considered this, his expression grim, and then nodded. “Dammit, you should not be in this position!” His fingers tightened on the bookshelf until his knuckles showed white. “Sometimes I hate —” He turned his face away and bit back his words.

  She frowned. Naturally this was a shock to him, but why did he have to act as if it were his personal tragedy? She was the one suffering. But she should have known better than to turn to an actor for help. They always had to be at the center of the drama. “I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you.” She kept her voice flat to disguise her bitterness, but she turned away from him.

  “Do not worry about me! It is your life that is being torn apart.” Jasper’s voice trembled.

  It would do no good to dwell on Jasper’s histrionics. At least his answer should give her a measure of peace. If she had to marry MacLaren, so be it. She said briskly, “It is good you are here for Darcy’s sake. He needs a friend. He has taken the news of my engagement badly, and there is nothing I can say to him.”

  “He really does want to marry you, then?”

  She shrugged, trying to appear unmoved. “That is what he has given me to understand, but I had already told him it could never be.” It did not matter how either of them felt.

  Jasper raised his head with a gloomy expression. “And you? Do you care for him?”

  “It does not matter whether I care for him or not,” she snapped.

  “God, I am sorry. That makes it even worse.” He slumped back into the chair, the image of dejection.

  The door opened to reveal a frowning Aunt Emmeline. “Lizzy, the servants are saying you are engaged to Duncan MacLaren,” she said with pointed disapproval.

  Elizabeth’s shoulders sagged. She should have realized that might happen. “Come in and close the door,” she said wearily. “We were just discussing why that had to happen.”

  Half an hour later, Aunt Emmeline’s arm was around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “Well, I suppose you could do worse than young Duncan, especially if he is agreeable to living in Edinburgh, but let me give the matter a little thought. Perhaps I can think of someone more to your taste.” She turned a calculating eye on Jasper. “What about you?”

  Jasper grimaced. “I have been asking myself that very question. I would do it for Lizzy’s sake, but that solution would present some major difficulties of its own. There are things you do not know about me.”

  “Aunt, I beg you, do not try to convince him,” Elizabeth pleaded. “He told me months ago that he could not marry.”

  Jasper waved his hand in agitation. “Let me think. If nothing else, there are Darcy’s feelings to consider.”

  Darcy, who would not know why she had suddenly rushed out of the drawing room. He must be wondering what happened to her. “I should rejoin Darcy. Mr. MacLaren said he would call later on his way back from town, and I would prefer for them not to be alone together.”

  Aunt Emmeline sighed. “I suppose I must reacquaint myself with Duncan. I have not seen him since Imogen’s funeral.”

  Elizabeth squeezed her aunt’s hand. “And you will not say a word of this to Darcy?”

  “Of course not. Your father may be a coward and foolishly resentful, but he is still my little brother. I would never put him at risk.” The older woman straightened her shoulders. “I just wish I could unleash Lady Macbeth on Mr. Darcy’s family.”

  Jasper winced.

  ELIZABETH FOLLOWED her aunt into the drawing room, leaving Jasper to trail after her.

  Making her usual theatrical entrance, Aunt Emmeline announced, “It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Darcy. I see you found your way to Kinloch, although I am sorry you had a mishap en route.”

  “The pleasure is mine. Pray forgive me for failing to stand.” Darcy gestured at his leg. “I am under strict highwayman’s orders not to use it under any circumstances.”

  “Highwayman’s orders?” asked Jasper from the doorway. “When did you start taking orders from a highwayman?”

  Before Darcy could answer, Georgiana ran to throw her arms around Mr. Fitzpatrick. “Jasper!” she shrieked.

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. Of course, it was not strange that Georgiana would know Jasper since he was acquainted with her brother, but to be in terms of such intimacy with him?

  “Georgie!” Jasper whirled her around. When he set her down, he put his hands on the gi
rl’s shoulders and whispered something urgently to her. Georgiana’s forehead puckered, but she nodded slowly.

  Jasper turned to the older woman. “Mrs. MacLean, may I present Mr. Darcy’s sister, Miss Darcy, to your acquaintance? Georgie, this is Mrs. MacLean, a friend of mine from Edinburgh.”

  Georgiana bobbed a curtsy. “I am honored.”

  “Another friend of Jasper’s? Delightful.” Aunt Emmeline smiled, but Elizabeth could see the lines of fatigue in her face.

  “Jasper, I had not realized you were here as well.” A worried-looking Darcy beckoned to Jasper. “A private word, if you please.”

  “If you wish.” Jasper walked towards Darcy, gloom descending once more onto his face.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam strode in, looking slightly disheveled and definitely displeased. “What is all this racket?”

  Just what she needed. Elizabeth said flatly, “Aunt, may I present Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Darcy’s cousin? Colonel, this is my aunt, Mrs. MacLean, and Mr. Fitzpatrick.”

  Jasper paled and took a step backwards.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam stared at him, his face growing flushed. “You! So this is where you have been hiding,” he growled. “You rattle-pated lobcock, do you feel no compunction at all about terrifying our mother with your disappearances?”

  Their mother?

  The implications struck Elizabeth like a brick. If they were brothers, then Lord Matlock must be Jasper’s father, too. No wonder he had been so upset by her revelations! This was a disaster beyond belief. All these months of hiding from Darcy’s family, and she had been living under the same roof as Lord Matlock’s son. And she had told him her secrets.

  Darcy said quickly, “Richard, I sent word to your mother a month ago, telling her that Jasper was well and happy.”

  The colonel ignored him, instead advancing on Jasper and grabbing him by the cravat. “God knows you are too lazy and stupid to amount to anything, but you could at least manage to treat our parents with respect.”

  “Mr. Fitzwilliam,” said Aunt Emmeline sharply. “Mr. Fitzpatrick is a respected and hard-working member of our troupe, and I will thank you to unhand him.”

  Scowling, the colonel released Jasper’s cravat, pushing him away at the same time. “Fitzpatrick? I always said it was a miracle you could remember your own name since you forget everything else inside a minute, but this beggars belief!”

  Jasper staggered, but then stood in place, showing almost no reaction.

  He might be Lord Matlock’s son, but Jasper was also her friend, and Elizabeth would not let the colonel insult him this way, not when she knew what a sensitive point his poor memory was for him. Elizabeth hurried to stand beside him and crossed her arms. “Mr. Fitzpatrick, let us have the monologue from Bluebeard,” she said crisply.

  “What?” Jasper seemed surprised to see her there.

  “The monologue from Bluebeard, Mr. Fitzpatrick. Now, if you please.”

  Jasper lifted his foot and set it back in place, then did the same with the other foot. In a quiet voice that gradually became stronger, he began to recite, addressing his lines directly to her. Elizabeth filled in the responses to allow him to finish the scene.

  As he concluded, Elizabeth turned to the colonel and said sharply, “Would you not call that a remarkable feat of memory from someone who cannot remember his own name?”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam’s eyes bulged. “You are on the stage? Do you care nothing for the family’s reputation?”

  Jasper raised his chin. “No one knows what family Jasper Fitzpatrick comes from, or at least no one did until you began this tirade. And I have a new family now.” He swept his hand to encompass Aunt Emmeline and Elizabeth. “They gave me a chance and let me prove myself, which is more than you ever did. All you ever saw in me was the family embarrassment, the one to be shunted out of sight wherever possible. Well, now I am out of sight, and what is more, I am not going back to that. This is my life now.”

  “Why, you ungrateful –” The colonel advanced on Jasper.

  Her aunt spoke in a commanding voice that would have carried across a crowded theatre. “Colonel Fitzwilliam, if you cannot act the part of a gentleman with Mr. Fitzpatrick, I must ask you to leave my house. Now.”

  The colonel ignored her, his hands curling into fists as he approached Jasper.

  From the doorway, the calm voice of MacLaren the Younger cut across the room. “Is this gentleman causing you difficulties, madam?”

  “Yes,” she said regally. “He is.”

  At a gesture from MacLaren, two burly footmen came in. Each took one of the colonel’s arms. “Come with us, sir,” said one of them.

  “Damn your eyes!” Colonel Fitzwilliam roared as he tried to pull away from them.

  The footmen looked to MacLaren who gave a slight nod. They dragged him backwards, ignoring his swearing and struggles.

  After the front door closed behind them, MacLaren said mildly, “A closer acquaintance with the snow should sober him up.”

  “A well-timed entrance!” Aunt Emmeline stepped forward, holding out both hands to MacLaren. “Duncan, my boy, is it yourself all grown up? You were still a stripling when I saw you last.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

  He looked surprised at the warmth of her greeting. “It is good to see you again. Welcome back to the glen. It has been too long.”

  She gazed around the room. “I had not realized how much I had missed it here. Come sit with me and tell me about yourself.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You are not angry at me?”

  “Over Lizzy? Of course not. There are worse reasons to marry than out of a desire to save other people, and I was rather fond of the outcome the last time a Miss Merton married a Mr. MacLaren. You have a look of my Charlie about you now that you are grown.”

  He laughed. “Better Uncle Charlie than Uncle Jack!” He drew an imaginary beaked nose over his own straight one.

  “I would say so! Now, come sit with me and tell me everything. Is your father any better?” She led him to the couch, chatting warmly all the while.

  DARCY WATCHED WITH dismay Mrs. MacLean’s animated discussion with MacLaren. She had been his one remaining hope. She had supported Darcy’s pursuit of Elizabeth, and if she had expressed disapproval of this engagement, Elizabeth might have been convinced to break it off. But it appeared Mrs. MacLean was delighted by MacLaren. Bile burned his throat.

  It was a relief when his sister and Jasper converged upon him. Georgiana had her hand on Jasper’s sleeve as if to comfort him. “He did not mean it. He was already upset, and today he was drinking even while we were out riding,” she said.

  Jasper shook his head. “He meant it. The drink might have loosened his tongue, but nothing more. It doesn’t matter. I am accustomed to it.”

  “I am sorry I could not warn you he was here more quickly,” Darcy said. “In any case, bravo. You handled it very well.”

  Jasper’s expression brightened a bit. “Thank you. I am glad Lizzy made me recite. It helped me remember who I am now.”

  “I am so proud of you,” said Georgiana fervently. “Is it as good as you hoped, being an actor?”

  “Even better. I have no words for it.”

  “Will we still be able to be part of your family?” she asked softly.

  “Of course! At least you and Darcy will,” Jasper said. “Darcy has even seen me act. But what happened to you, Darcy? Lizzy said you were hurt.”

  As if he needed a reminder that Jasper would remain Elizabeth’s close friend once Darcy was forced out of her life.

  OVER AN HOUR LATER, Colonel Fitzwilliam entered, now dressed in dark, subdued colors rather than his usual more fashionable attire. He bowed to Aunt Emmeline. “I apologize for my earlier outburst, madam,” he said stiffly. “There can be no excuse for behavior such as mine when ladies are present. I will take my leave of you now.”

  The actress raised an eyebrow. “Where are you going, Mr. Fitzwilliam?”

  He bowed again. “An inn
in Aberfoyle for tonight, and thence back to England tomorrow. I am due in London soon.” He had not so much as looked in Jasper’s direction.

  Jasper drawled, “Good journey to you. Pray give my regards to our parents, and ask them to announce that I am dead.”

  “Do not be ridiculous,” his brother said coldly. “All you need to do is to stop acting.”

  “Even if I were willing to do so, there are other reasons I cannot return.” He glanced at Elizabeth and his lips tightened. “Jasper Fitzwilliam is no more. Jasper Fitzpatrick is now a Scotsman and will never return to England.”

  “But you must go to London,” protested Aunt Emmeline. “You could perform at Drury Lane or Covent Garden.”

  Jasper stiffened. “The London theatres have many fine actors. I am well satisfied with my present position.”

  Elizabeth said coolly, “Colonel Fitzwilliam, I must insist you remain here tonight. It is already dark, and the roads are too icy for night travel.” She could not let him leave until she was safely married, but she would come up with a different reason tomorrow to keep him here.

  “My niece is correct,” Aunt Emmeline pronounced. “You must stay, Colonel.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam bowed. “If that is your wish, madam, I will be honored to do so.”

  ELIZABETH ASKED DUNCAN MacLaren to stay for dinner. He was good at defusing unpleasant scenes, and she was not at all certain there would not be another one when Colonel Fitzwilliam and Jasper ate at the same table. It was impossible to think of them as brothers. There was a physical resemblance, to be sure, but temperamentally they could not be more different. She had not forgiven the colonel for his harsh words to Jasper earlier. She had only seen that flint-like look on the colonel once before, when he had thought her to be Darcy’s mistress, and she wished she had never learned that the otherwise amiable colonel had another side.

  It was a relief to withdraw with the other ladies after dinner. She patted Jasper’s arm for reassurance as she went past him.