A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation

by J Dawn King

  Mr. Bingley, usually not one to speak out against someone so elevated in position, actually, against anyone at all, cleared his throat and spoke. “I am sorry that you feel that way Lady Catherine. They are my staff to do with as I wish and it pleases me greatly to know that Netherfield Park was able to provide what was needed to assure a good outcome for my friend, Darcy. It was the least I could do.”

  Darcy was stunned, as was Mr. Bingley’s family. Even Mr. Hurst showed a reaction, waking from his usual catnap. Never had they heard Charles Bingley stand up in opposition to any person. Always a peacemaker, his typical behavior was either to remain quiet, change the subject, or walk away. It was impressive that he felt so strongly about this issue. It showed his level of concern for his friend.

  However, Mr. Bingley was not through. “Furthermore, any animosity toward Miss Elizabeth Bennet is over.” Although he looked to his sisters as he spoke, he turned his gaze also to Lady Catherine. “This is my home, and peace and good fellowship will rule the day.”

  Lady Catherine gave a very unladylike snort and walked out of the room, demanding that Anne and Mrs. Jenkinson accompany her. They were quickly followed by Mr. Bingley’s sisters. Who was this man? Darcy could not have been more pleased. Tension had been rife; however, it felt like the air was clearing.

  Mr. Hurst stood, clapped his brother-in-law on the back, and bowed to him. He came up from his bow with a huge smile on his face. “I think this calls for a drink, gentlemen. Ladies, would you care to indulge in a glass of sherry?”

  Lady Matlock, Georgiana, and Elizabeth declined the beverage. Lady Matlock invited her niece and her friend to her sitting room for some conversation. She already had noted many impressions of Miss Elizabeth, but she wanted to learn more. It had become apparent over the last week that she was intelligent, efficient, and kind. Lady Matlock had also become aware of some of Elizabeth’s background. Lady Matlock, herself the daughter of a Duke, understood how powerless women who were not born to wealth and a title could be. The plight of someone with a small dowry and a demanding parent rarely turned out well for the young woman.

  Downstairs, the gentlemen, after sharing Mr. Bingley’s finest brandy, with the exception of Darcy, went to the billiard room for some entertainment. Darcy headed upstairs, under the supervision of Gideon and Parker. Colonel Fitzwilliam had been acquainted with the Bingley siblings, often meeting them in company with his cousin Darcy. He was proud of Bingley for standing up for his own authority in his household and told him so.

  “I would never mention the name of the lady, however, I recently became aware of how damaging it could be to not express my opinion, if I indeed had an opinion, when injustice is being done,” Bingley admitted to his brother-in-law and the Fitzwilliams. “A particularly lovely woman of my recent acquaintance is torn between pleasing her parents in a situation where her parents are blatantly wrong and doing the right thing by her sister. I have been spending much time thinking of this unwillingness to take a stand and it saddens me greatly. The lady could have a wonderful future if she would just recognize how her passivity is damaging to everyone, including her parents. I had hoped…..well, I had hoped to pursue her for a courtship. But, I need to know that my future wife would be willing to stand by my side and support me if it came to a decision between me and her father. At this point, I do not trust that she would put my interests above her parents.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam could not help but respond. “Bingley, the very nature of my occupation means that I am continually faced with the decision of whether or not to stand firm, especially if I am given a ridiculous command by an incompetent superior officer that I am confident will lead to harm. My rank in the military demands instant obedience with no questions asked. No thinking is allowed!” He chuckled, but it was a bitter sound. “What ends up happening is that I am held accountable for someone else’s decisions. There comes a time, though, when I can no longer keep silent. When the day is over, I have to live with myself. Like a landowner, I am responsible for those below me and, unlike others, I choose to do what I genuinely feel is best. Has it caused me problems? Certainly, it has. But, it increases the respect my men have for me and it allows me to go to sleep at night with my conscience clear. Certainly, I have enough in my line of occupation to keep me from sleeping at all.” Colonel Fitzwilliam stuck his right hand toward Bingley. “Congratulations for accepting a tough lesson, learning from someone else’s mistakes, and putting it into action. Good for you!”

  Lord Matlock became distracted from Bingley’s situation at hearing his youngest son’s words. He knew that Richard carried his responsibility well; he was a natural commander and strategist and of great value to the war effort. His son may be in his twenty-eighth year and may have been on his own since finishing university, but he was still his youngest. Typically, Richard rarely discussed his actions in the military and he never spoke with him about the battles he had faced. Richard had earned his current rank of Colonel, not allowing his father to buy a commission of a higher rank. He knew that Richard confided his experiences to Darcy and he was glad that they had that relationship. Lord Matlock could only wish that Napoleon would no longer be a threat and that the war with the French would end before Richard was called to the continent again. Neither of these youngest sons had it easy. So much responsibility on such young shoulders, yet both Richard and Darcy handled the burdens with admirable success. It might be time to encourage Richard to resign his commission. He had a small amount of his wife’s dowry set aside for an emergency and this appeared to be just the time to use it. Lord Matlock only wished he had more to give. It was expensive to be a gentleman, even with a title, where the income came from the land. He would need to discuss with Elaine and Henry the need to tighten their belts until they could keep Richard home.

  The conversation upstairs between the ladies was about Elizabeth’s travels and the magnificent sights that carried such weight in history – the Parthenon, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the ruins, the seas and oceans, and the masterpieces of artists like Michelangelo, El Greco, da Vinci, Bernini, and Canaletto.

  “When I was but four and ten years of age, I was able to purchase a set of journals by the explorer George Vancouver. It is a fact that it was your brother, Georgiana, who helped me locate those books in Hatchards. I devoured those books and my excitement to visit faraway places was born. At the time, I knew that opportunities to travel for young ladies in my situation were very limited. However, I began to dream. When I actually had the opportunity to set sail, I determined to take every advantage of learning all I could about the people and places that I would visit. My father had encouraged me from a very young age to read many different types of books and there were old maps to study and journals of travels to read. My uncle and aunt, with whom I traveled, felt the same sense of wonder and awe at what we were able to see. They have one son and one daughter who were of an age to understand and appreciate what they were seeing as we visited the many countries.”

  “It all sounds so very exciting.” Georgiana had a dreamy faraway look in her eyes. Her Aunt Elaine felt the same way.

  “You know, it is quite odd,” Elizabeth pondered. “I have seen so much of the world and so little of England. I have only ever visited London and places close to here in Hertfordshire. If I could list the places that I would love to see, it would have to include your home county of Derbyshire. I long to see the Lakes, the Peaks, the cliffs of Dover, taste the waters of Bath, and see the moors. I still have much to look forward to, do I not?”

  Those places were as familiar to Lady Matlock and Georgiana as the backs of their own hands. They shared their impressions with Elizabeth of the places they loved and longed to see again. Their appreciation for each other was growing by the hour.

  It was not long before they were called to dinner. The evening ended early for Elizabeth to catch up on some much needed sleep. As Elizabeth prepared for bed, she thought of the changes that Mr. Darcy’s improved healt
h made in her stay at Netherfield Park. Propriety dictated that she not spend time in the privacy of his bed chamber, since he no longer needed constant care; care that could now be done by Parker. Speaking of her past was difficult because it brought up worries about what her future might contain. But, there was nothing that could be done now. Sleep beckoned.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire

  The next morning, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Hurst, Viscount Stanley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam rode to Lucas Lodge to hunt with Sir William Lucas. The invitation had come the day before and Darcy had longed to go. His nurse and his own common sense delayed his participation to another time. He was able to dress and break his fast with the ladies in the breakfast room. It delighted Darcy to see how comfortable his sister was in her conversation with their Aunt Elaine and Elizabeth. They were discussing the day’s events, when Lady Catherine walked into the room.

  “Darcy, I need to speak with you this moment,” she demanded. Realizing that they would have no peace until he acquiesced, he pushed himself back from the table and asked her to precede him into Bingley’s library. On his way down the hallway, he requested that the butler direct Lord Matlock to the library as well.

  The attack began the moment they entered the room. “Fitzwilliam Darcy, enough time has passed for you to have sown whatever wild oats you young men are inclined to sow and marry Anne. You need an heir and my daughter is prepared to provide you one. Your father and your mother wanted this attachment and it is time for you to see to your duty. My parson is at Longbourn and can be called today to perform the ceremony. A special license can be purchased and the deed will be done, joining Rosings and Pemberley into the largest estate in all of England.”

  “No, Aunt Catherine, Anne and I will not marry.” Darcy heard the door to the library open and close as his uncle walked into the room. “My dear mother never wanted me to marry Anne. She longed for both her children to marry for love and that is my intention. I care for Anne as a cousin but it will never be more than that. Anne has told me that she does not love me and that she has no desire to marry at all.”

  “You foolish, foolish boy!” Lady Catherine paced back and forth in front of the two men, unable to stand still at being so agitated. She was determined to have her way. The red of her face deepened and Darcy was concerned his aunt would have a fit of apoplexy and require assistance from Elizabeth for medical treatment. He knew that his aunt would find that most displeasing. She continued in her rant, “You will not find a woman more suitable to be Mistress of Pemberley if you sift meticulously through all of society. She was born for that role and has been trained to be such from her infancy.”

  At this outlandish statement, Darcy could no longer remain quiet. “Aunt Catherine! How could you think such utter nonsense and speak it out loud. Anne, herself, admits that she has been cosseted and pampered her entire life. She has never been presented in London society, has never attended a ball, a dinner party, or any of the entertainments typical of a woman of her station. I do love my cousin, but you have to admit that she has no accomplishments, no talents, no experience of interchange with others of our sphere. Nor, has she had to make decisions for the running of a household. She would be overwhelmed and under-qualified to be Mistress of any estate, not just Pemberley. How could you, her mother, think otherwise?”

  “What do you know, Darcy?” His aunt replied, furious at his comments. “You spend little time with your cousin. You do not know what she is capable of.” She shook her finger at him. “I can see what is happening here. You have been entrapped by that country chit. She has displayed her arts and allurements and you, like your two foolish cousins, are ensnared. Well, she is low-born and bred and would pollute the halls of Pemberley or Matlock if she were ever to travel there. She has taken you in, Darcy.”

  “Aunt, this has nothing to do with Miss Elizabeth. Neither Henry, Richard, nor I have been taken in. Miss Elizabeth has always acted with the propriety consistent with any gently-bred lady, even under trying circumstances. She is the daughter of a gentleman, as I am the son of a gentleman. In that, we are equals.” As Darcy spoke, his anger grew. How dare she criticize Elizabeth? Her promoting Anne was ridiculous. Anne recognized that she was weak in health and not capable of fulfilling the demands of a husband or a large estate. How her own mother could be so blind to Anne’s state of health was impossible to imagine. “Aunt Catherine! For the final time, I will not marry Anne.” Turning, he walked away from her. “I am finished with this discussion. If you have nothing else, I would ask that you remove yourself.”

  Lady Catherine de Bourgh, too, had reached her limit. Pulling the letter from George Darcy from her pocket she thrust it at Darcy’s back. “What say you to this, nephew? Your own father made this legal arrangement just the year before his death. Are you unwilling to obey the words of your beloved father? Are you choosing to disregard your responsibility? Shame on you Darcy! Shame on you!”

  Darcy turned and looked at the letter as if it were a viper waiting to strike, not moving his arms from his side. He knew from speaking with his sister what the letter contained.

  “You dare accuse me of not accepting responsibility?” Darcy glared at her. “I have been burdened with responsibility since I was in leading strings. My father and my mother both trained me to accept accountability for all those under my authority with kindness and diligence since I was but a lad. It has been my sole focus since the death of my father to care for Georgiana and Pemberley in a manner that is true and honorable. How dare you accuse me?” Suddenly weary, Darcy dropped into a chair, continuing to ignore the letter in his aunt’s hand. “Aunt Catherine, I honor you as the elder sister of my beloved mother. However, in this matter I will not bend. I will not marry anyone not of my choosing. This conversation is at an end.”

  Lady Catherine decided that retreat was the best defense at this time. “You may be through with this conversation, nephew, but be aware that I am not done with this. Tomorrow morning, whether Anne is well enough to travel or not, I shall take this letter to our family solicitor so he can inform you that you are under obligation as heir to Pemberley to obey.” With her parting words, she swept out of the room.

  Lord Matlock had remained silent throughout the whole confrontation. He went to the sideboard and poured two glasses of Bingley’s brandy. After handing one to his nephew, he sat in the chair next to him and waited for Darcy to speak.

  “Has she always been like this, Uncle?”

  “In some ways, Son, yes she has.” Lord Matlock sipped his drink. “You may not know, Darcy, but there is a large gap in age between her and I; she was already ten years of age when I was born. As you are aware, the need for a son and heir is critical to a titled family. There was no entail on Matlock, but the title could only go to a son. For all those years, until I was born, Cathy was a disappointment to your grandfather, the Earl; and I fear that he let her know it. After I was born, I was told that she doted on me as if I were her own. It was not until I was much older that I realized it was not love that motivated her, but power. She thought to control me. By the time I came out of Cambridge, she was well and truly on the shelf. Father had taken her to London for her presentation and for several seasons, but despite her dowry and the fact that she was the daughter of an Earl, there was no interest in her as a wife. This had to be a difficult blow to her. She was just over thirty years old when an arrangement was made with Lewis de Bourgh. He was a spineless, dissolute man who had inherited Rosings Park, a baronetcy, and a tidy sum from one of his elderly uncles. Cathy jumped at the chance to marry when she realized that as Mistress of Rosings and as the Lady de Bourgh, she would finally have control. Lewis drank himself to death just before Cathy could inform him that she was with child. After Anne was born, her new focus was on controlling every aspect of her daughter’s life.”

  “But, I don’t understand, Uncle, why does Aunt Catherine feel so entitled to interfere in my life?”

  “Darcy, your mother may
not have told you, but I had a younger brother, Henry. He was but two years younger than me. Since my father had his heir and a spare, when your mother was born he no longer had reason to be anxious about having a son to inherit so he spoiled your mother terribly. She was such a lovely little girl and grew into a lovely woman. Cathy, even though she was an adult, was bitterly jealous of the treatment your mother received. Henry died just before your parents married. By that time, jealousy was deeply embedded in my eldest sister. It seemed to her that your mother had it all; the attention of her parents, the love of a handsome, hardworking man, one of the largest estates in England, and a son.” Lord Matlock shook his head sadly. “The only thing Anne Darcy did not have that your Aunt Catherine has was a title, which was never a concern for your mother. Darcy, with the combining of Rosings and Pemberley, Cathy would have what is most important to her – power and control. Your cousin Anne would be with you in Derbyshire and Cathy would finally reign supreme in Kent.”

  “But, Uncle, why would my father promote such an arrangement with Aunt Catherine?”

  “There is no doubt that your father had much good about him, son. He was insightful in business and honorable to those below him. When it came to George Wickham, though, he was blind. Since you were being trained to run Pemberley, he wanted Rosings for Wickham.”