Rose Cottage

by A K Madison

  Still, Elizabeth held her peace, though she favored her enemy with a look composed equally of sorrow and incredulity.

  “Clearly you need lessons in manners, particularly as they pertain to your behavior towards your betters. Very well, then, I can see that you are inclined to drive a hard bargain. This is my final offer. I am prepared to offer you a decent house in Town. All of your living expenses will be paid including clothing, servants, food, and the like. Any gifts of jewelry, furs, clothing, carriages, and so on will be yours to keep. In addition, you will be paid one thousand pounds per annum. The contract will be renewed on an annual basis with Darcy having the option not to renew it. The usual terms and conditions will apply. The matter of how any offspring will be supported will have to be negotiated separately.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “I have not the pleasure of understanding you, Lady Catherine. Offspring? I do not understand what this has to do with me.”

  “Do not play the country miss with me, my girl. I know what you are about. I know it all. The terms of this contract stipulate that you will serve as Darcy’s mistress for as long as he pleases to renew it. It provides you with the opportunity to earn a thousand pounds a year, free and clear, for the foreseeable future, plus all the gifts you can cajole him to part with.” She folded her hands in her lap. “It will carry the additional advantage of freeing Anne from Darcy’s unwanted attentions once a legitimate heir has been conceived.”

  Elizabeth stood. Her complexion was pale, and her eyes were enormous. Yet she fought for, and maintained, an ironclad control over her emotions. “Lady Catherine, you have widely mistaken my character, if you think I can be worked on by such vile persuasions as these. How far your nephew might approve of your interference in his affairs, I cannot tell. You can now have nothing farther to say. You have insulted me in every possible method. I shall return to the house.”

  With that she turned on her heel and walked across the garden and into the house without any farewell or any further speech at all with Lady Catherine.

  Mary was passing through the front hall on her way to the piano, and she took Elizabeth’s hand in both of hers, alarmed at her appearance. “Lizzy, what has happened? Whatever is the matter? Let me help you to your chamber.”

  “Where is Mama?”

  “She is with Lydia and Kitty in her dressing-room.” Mary put her arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder and supported her as they climbed the stairs to her bedchamber.

  Once inside, Elizabeth spoke. “I have a sudden headache, and it is quite severe. I believe I just need to lie down until it passes, Mary.”

  “Was it something that lady said? Mama was impressed by her, but I was not.”

  “She may have a title, but she is not a lady. She is as common as dirt.”

  “What in Heaven’s name did she say to you, Lizzy?”

  “I do not wish to repeat it, Mary. It is not a fit discussion for two unmarried women, even sisters.”

  Mary had been helping Elizabeth remove her bonnet and cloak. “Sit in your favorite spot, Lizzy, and try to relax. I shall bring you some tea.”

  Mary was as good as her word, quietly bringing tea and a small measure of brandy to pour into it. After she had poured for her sister, she said, “I am going to leave you and go to my chamber. Please come and get me if you need anything at all, if you wish to talk, or if you begin to feel unwell. Otherwise, I will simply tell Mama that you have the headache and will look in on you when it is time for supper.” Mary was not demonstrative. She simply laid her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder and left, saying, “Rest now if you can, Lizzy.”

  Elizabeth lay on her bed with thoughts in a turmoil. The brandy caused her to doze, and sleep took her to a place where she alternately called Darcy’s name and then fled from him. The woman had been unspeakably cruel to a gently bred young woman. She was vile and crude, and what she had said was calculated to shock and wound. Elizabeth was rational enough to realize that this was in no way Darcy’s fault. She also realized that she was in no danger of falling into the manner of life Lady Catherine had described. But would this be forever what Darcy’s friends and associates would think of her? Would they turn aside, laughing at the upstart bumpkin where she could hear but not see? Would she have the strength to endure that throughout the years of her life? Would Darcy have the strength? Would their children?

  She fell into a deeper, more dreamless slumber, and did not rouse when Mary came in to see about her supper. Mary covered her gently with a blanket and left her to sleep.

  While this disaster was unfolding at Longbourn, Darcy was attending to pleasanter tasks. He and Mr. Gardiner had agreed on every detail of the contract, and Darcy had sent it to his solicitors so that a fair copy could be written out. He looked forward to returning to Elizabeth in a day or two. Meanwhile, he was standing with his housekeeper, Mrs. Ryland, in the mistress’s bedchamber making final selections for the new coverlet, bed hangings, curtains, and carpets. His thoughts were occupied by the happy prospect of being alone with Elizabeth in this chamber, and he had to exercise considerable self-discipline to remain focused on the work at hand. He was complimenting Mrs. Ryland on the quality of the work done so far when they were interrupted by the butler.

  “Beg pardon, sir. Lady Catherine de Bourgh awaits you in the Blue Parlor.” Darcy nodded and left the room. As he emerged into the hallway, he could hear his aunt’s voice echoing up the stairs. “Where is my nephew? Darcy, I demand you come immediately!”

  He walked down the stairs with as much composure as he could muster and found that his aunt had left the Blue Parlor and was standing at the foot of the stairway calling up to him.

  “Darcy, you have kept me waiting long enough. I must speak to you.”

  Recalling the adage that calm begets calm, he masked his annoyance, keeping his voice low. “What may I do for you, Aunt Catherine?”

  “Not here in the middle of the hall. Let us be seated in your study. This is a matter of business.”

  He stood aside and held the door open, seating her in one of the chairs in front of his desk. For himself, he took his normal desk chair rather than sitting companionably in the seat beside hers. “Now, what may I do for you, Aunt Catherine?”

  She brandished a sheaf of folded papers. “Only this. You must make that obstinate, headstrong girl see reason. I have provided her with two alternatives to marriage, both potentially lucrative. She had the temerity to turn her back on me and walk away.”

  “Are you referring to my betrothed, Miss Elizabeth Bennet?”

  “Of course, I am. But she need not be your betrothed for long. Not if you follow my instructions carefully. Now do be silent and read these. I intend to take whichever one you select and have my solicitor put in the details. It will be done in a trice.”

  Darcy read the documents carefully. His face turned from its normal color to an angry red before taking on a deathly pallor. When he had finished, he said nothing. He wrote out a note, folded it and wrote the direction, sanded and sealed it, and rang for his butler. “Todd, please see that this is delivered as addressed immediately. It is a matter of utmost urgency.”

  Todd discreetly pocketed the note before she could snatch it away from him and bowed himself out of the room.

  “Well, are you going to tell me what you think? I am assured that both of these agreements are ironclad.”

  Darcy folded the documents and locked them in his desk drawer before saying, “Is your carriage waiting for you in front, or did they take it around?”

  “What are you doing with those papers? Those must go to my solicitor.”

  “Please answer my question.”

  “My carriage is out front.”

  Darcy rang again, and this time two footmen arrived. He stood. “Please escort this lady to her carriage, which is waiting at the front of the house. I shall warn you, she may not wish to go.” He then stood and folded his arms, watching as the footmen assisted Lady Catherine to stand, each taking a polite yet firm grasp of one of he
r elbows.

  “Darcy, what is the meaning of this? Give me those papers!”

  “Lady Catherine, from henceforth you will be forbidden to enter any of my houses or trespass on any of my properties, including this house in London and my estate at Pemberley. You are not to set foot on my land or to approach my doors. And if you approach, threaten, or even speak to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, or to any member of her family, or to my ward and sister Georgiana Darcy, I shall have the law on you. I have written to my uncle, your brother, to inform him of this fact and to acquaint him with the reprehensible nature of the documents you placed before me. You are not fit for the society of decent people. Now, my servants will escort you to your carriage. I will see you out.”

  She left with dignity. He stood on his front steps, arms folded, and said not another word. Neither did she as the carriage drove away.

  Darcy wasted no time watching her departure. He was within doors and calling for his valet before the sound of the wheels died away. As Duncan packed for an immediate departure, Darcy returned to his study and called Mr. Todd, who was nearby. Unlocking his desk drawer, Darcy removed his aunt’s documents, rolled and tied them neatly, and handed them to Todd. “Lock these in the safe in your office, please. They are to be handed personally to the Earl of Matlock and to no one else. Consequences could be—”

  “What is to be handed to me personally?” The voice from the doorway was welcome indeed. “I received your note, Darcy. I happened to be at home.”

  “Uncle, I am happy to see you. I am preparing to leave for Hertfordshire as soon as Duncan finishes packing.” He handed over the documents. “Brought by Lady Catherine this afternoon for my approval. She had already shown them to my future wife.”

  Lord Matlock scanned the documents quickly. “Even I am shocked, and it takes a great deal to shock me. The first one is merely insulting. The second is the so-called ‘contract’ commonly offered by a rake to an innocent young girl he wishes to seduce, a carte blanche if you will. It incorporates every protection for the man, nothing for the hapless female. I am astonished that she would even glance at something of this nature, much less copy it out. It is hardly decent.”

  “I have forbidden her the house, Pemberley as well as this house. And I have warned her that if she approaches Elizabeth or Georgiana, I will have the law on her. She left quietly. One wonders what she will do next.”

  Lord Matlock had left his chair, helped himself to a brandy, and now stood gazing out of the window into the side garden. “This sort of behavior is common in several afflictions that I know of,” he said thoughtfully.

  “Several? Besides out-and-out lunacy or extreme old age?”

  “You know, persons who have been infected with the French pox sometimes appear to recover completely. Years later, if they survive, they can be afflicted with all sorts of physical ailments, and in addition, a sort of lunacy can come over them in which they completely lose their ability to reason. My parents were desperate to marry her off. Most parents would not have wished their daughters to marry Lewis de Bourgh. He was a rakehell of the first order.”

  “So, what is to be done about her? I assume there is no help for her.”

  “Leave it in my hands. I shall set some wheels in motion this very afternoon,” said his uncle. He finished his drink and turned away from the window with a decisive air. “You go to that lass of yours. She’s a gentlewoman, and she’ll need some reassurance.” The Earl shook his head. “I cannot imagine what the poor child must be thinking.” He paused for a moment, reflecting. “I shall wait upon Edward Gardiner and tell him what has happened and reassure him that your family is handling the matter. I have never met Gardiner, but I knew Mrs. Gardiner’s father very well. He was vicar of the church in Lambton. See to that girl, Darcy. Write to me when you can, and I shall keep you informed of the situation here.”

  After the Earl’s departure, Darcy finished notes to Mr. Gardiner and to his solicitors. When word came that the carriage was ready, he took up his coat and hat and was off for Longbourn. It was late afternoon, and they would arrive after dark, but there was a full moon.

  He stopped at Netherfield long enough to set down his valet with the baggage, but he did not enter the house. Instead, he went directly to the stables and had Sirdar prepared for riding. He finally drew up at Longbourn at about eight o’clock in the evening. The windows were lighted, and it was obvious that the family were still awake. Mrs. Bennet and the girls met him in the hall, and all but one seemed astonished to see him. Mary took his hat and coat, handed them to Mrs. Hill, and said “I’ll bring Elizabeth.”

  She came downstairs supported by Mary, heavy-eyed, rosy from sleep but with the traces of her tears still plain on her face. Mrs. Bennet quietly shooed the other girls back into the parlor, and Darcy took Elizabeth in his arms.

  Mary, despite her ignorance of the actual events, managed to convince Mrs. Bennet that Lady Catherine’s visit had been dreadful, and that the betrothed couple needed time together in private to discuss it. Mrs. Bennet overcame her scruples and allowed the pair an hour to walk about the grounds. Elizabeth, still silent, refused to sit in the wilderness, and Darcy led her through the moonlit garden to the hermitage. He knew that he must exercise the utmost care to woo and win her again, for his aunt must have frightened and affronted her unbearably. He neither kissed nor embraced her, but rather drew her arm through his in the protective gesture that had become his habit. They sat thus without speaking for many minutes.

  At long last, she spoke. “Fitzwilliam. I cannot believe you are really here. I am so very glad to see you.” She put her arms around his neck and pulled him as close to herself as she could. “How I have missed you. I thought I might not see you again.”

  “Never doubt I love you, Elizabeth.” Darcy said little else but contented himself with planting kisses on every tiny area of exposed skin he could reach. Her high-necked mourning gown left him little scope for his efforts, but he contented himself with her face and hands, discovering for the first time that her wrists, just above the pulse points, were sensitive to his gentle caress.

  Elizabeth was perfectly happy to kiss him back, leaving her own kisses wherever she could find his skin. Long moments passed before either of them was able to say anything to the other. Darcy shook his head, pulled her comfortably into his side, and finally managed, “Tell me you and your sisters are well, Lizzy. Please tell me that my accursed aunt has done you no harm.”

  “We are perfectly well, my darling. Her offer was so astonishing that it gave me quite a setback. I was able to maintain my dignity until she left, but I fell prey to a headache and all manner of sick fancies.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Well, that she might have been truthful when she said your family would ignore me. That everyone connected to you would ostracize me. That I would be the laughingstock of society. That for your own good, I could never see you again.”

  More tears followed these pronouncements, and when she regained her composure, Darcy said, “I could kill her for that alone. You should know that I have forbidden her to enter either of my houses—our houses. She will be turned away.” He drew her arm back through his own and dried her tears with his handkerchief, holding it so that she could blow her nose like a little child. “My family are united in their support for our marriage and united in their support for you. As for society, my uncle will do his best to see to it that she never has the opportunity to spread her poison. And if she manages to inflict any damage, it will be slight. Lady Matlock herself is quite capable of stopping the nonsense.”

  “And what about you, Fitzwilliam? Is this not too much for you? I seem to be taking up all of your time.”

  “Lizzy, you must trust me. You are the only woman on earth I could ever marry. I intend to spend every day of our life together trying to convince you of that one simple fact.”

  Darcy was prevented from saying any more by the sound of Mary’s quiet voice on the other side of the wall. “Lizzy, Mama says that
it is time to come inside.”

  “We shall be right there. Thank you, Mary.” With a final brush of his lips, Elizabeth stood and placed her hand in his.

  Chapter 17

  Elizabeth slept soundly that night and did not awaken until almost breakfast-time. She hurried to dress, because Darcy was expected so that they could discuss plans for the move, the wedding, and the myriad other things that needed to be settled. Hill handed her a note as she was leaving the breakfast table.

  My dearest,

  An urgent communication has come by express from Pemberley. It concerns the parish church in Kympton, which as you know is a living within my gift. I must attend to some correspondence related to this matter, and I shall not be able to call after breakfast as we had planned. I will be with you no later than midday.

  Until then, FD

  She was unpleasantly surprised after breakfast by a visit from the officers of the __ Militia, including Colonel and Mrs. Forster. Although she was hard-pressed to put Wickham in his place, the call was brief and intended to offer condolences upon the death of her father. She was relieved when it was over. Later, she sought refuge in the garden. She must have dozed off and slept soundly in her spot beneath the willow, for her next awareness was of her lover’s arms surrounding her.

  “I am so glad you are here.” Elizabeth returned his embrace, kissing him soundly. “You will scarce believe it, but Wickham was here with the others this very morning. They called directly after breakfast to pay their respects.” She fought briefly to calm the passion she still felt so that she could go on. “Wickham spent a great deal of time seated next to me. He told me among other things that Mary King is with her uncle in Liverpool and is betrothed to a wealthy merchant in that city. He never sees her.”

  “She is an amiable young woman. I am glad to hear she is safe.”

  “Of course, he spent some time maligning you and seemed disappointed that I would not join in his sport. Then he told me that the living at Kympton has fallen vacant again and asked for me to put in a good word with you.”