by Wells, Linda
Elizabeth closed his journal and returned it to its place next to hers on their shared writing desk, and contemplated his words. “You overwhelm me, Fitzwilliam. One moment you are so strong, defending your family and friends from any who would hurt them; and the next you are so gentle and vulnerable.” She passed her hand over the cover, then pulling several ribbons from her hair, created an intricate and colourful lover’s knot. She reopened his book and placed the token on the last page, so he would know that she had been there to visit. Smiling at the gift that peeked from the pages she stood and looked into their bedchamber, where he lay in his immovable slumber. “I think that when we are home at Pemberley, I will have to experiment with ways to awaken you, my love.” She happily considered his uncovered form, remembering which touches aroused his ardour and stealing over to his side for a moment, kissed his bottom. A little sigh escaped from his chest. She giggled and stole away. “I think that I know where to begin!”
“YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS about Miss Gannon, can you?” Laura asked her brother after he told her about their dancing at another ball the night before. “Surely you will not call on her?”
“Why not?” He smiled at her rolling eyes. “Oh come on, you are the one who told me to start looking around at others!”
“Yes, but a twin of Elizabeth Darcy is not what I had in mind. She is a weak imitation of the woman! If she was so wonderful, do you really think that Mr. Darcy would have abandoned her so quickly at the vaguest suggestion that Elizabeth was in town and thinking of him?” She laughed. “Please Daniel. Victoria Gannon is just as conniving as her mother and as the niece of Lord Creary; I have no doubt that she is not going to entertain any thoughts of marrying a second son, no matter how successful you are. Her nose is so far in the air I wonder that she does not trip when she walks!”
“I think that you are exaggerating a bit. Although after Lord Creary’s humiliation spread around town, I imagine that none of their noses are too far off of the ground. Father has certainly been enjoying bringing the subject up to all the other Lords.” He chuckled and laughed to see her shaking head. “What do you want of me? Perhaps I am simply meant to be a bachelor; it is certainly fashionable for men not to marry these days. Wives and families are expensive.”
“They are, but you are doing well, and I am certain that one day you will be a judge. And besides, you need to be loved.”
“That is a sweet sentiment, but very rare. You know that from your experiences. What about you, by the way, you seem to have withdrawn from society.”
“I have decided to take care of you. You deserve a good woman who truly cares for you, only you, and I am going to find her for you.” She said determinedly.
“You did not answer my question, dear.”
“I … I am going to wait for Mr. Harwick.” She said softly. “I think that he just needs a little more time, but that his experience this Season taught him to hope that … That he might marry for affection again.” She looked up at Stewart. “Perhaps I am foolish to do so, but I care for him.”
“I admire your sentiments, Laura. I hope that you are not disappointed if his decision goes elsewhere.” He squeezed her hand and saw her smile softly. “What do you know that I do not?”
“It is just a feeling.” She shrugged. “I think that he is waiting, too.”
“I do not understand.”
“That is because you truly have not been in love before.” Laura smiled. “No, not with Elizabeth, and not with Audrey Singleton.” She raised her brows at him. “Ah, so I was right about that?”
“I do hope that my rivals in court cannot read me so well.” He sighed. “So, I really never loved before?”
“I think that Audrey was a childhood friend to you, and a crush for her, maybe someone to think fondly about when things were so difficult with her husband. Elizabeth would have been a delightful partner for you under different circumstances, and you could have had a wonderful marriage. However, her heart was taken before you met, and you were not really prepared to accept her under any circumstances … That is over; it is time to move on. Agreed?”
“No Miss Gannon, then?”
“Absolutely not!” She declared.
“Very well then Sister, guide your hopeless brother.” He stood and gave her a hug before leaving the room. “I am counting on you.”
Chapter 31
Darcy was seated at his desk sorting through papers to take to Pemberley when Foster appeared at the door. “Sir, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Hurst have arrived, shall I tell them you are on your way out?” He closed his eyes; the visit was not entirely unexpected. “No, no, please show them in.” Rising to his feet, he waited for them to enter, glancing down at the papers in the process, and trying to remember his intentions before his friend drove them from his mind.
“Darcy, good morning.” Bingley said quietly.
“Thank you for this, Mr. Darcy.” Hurst added.
“You are welcome.” Looking over the unusually subdued and sober miens of the gentlemen he indicated the chairs before his desk. “Should I assume that this will be a lengthy interview?”
“We need advice regarding Caroline; she is determined to ruin herself with vindictiveness towards Wickham.”
Darcy sighed. “Very well, we were about to visit the Gardiners. I will send Elizabeth ahead and join her there later.”
“I am sorry Darcy. We are interrupting your plans.” Bingley began to rise and Darcy stopped him.
“No, I understand very well the need to act swiftly and of course, we are leaving for Pemberley in two days. If you want my advice it must be now. Excuse me.” He left the room and walked upstairs to where Elizabeth was talking to Mrs. Mercer and attempting to stop her itching fingers from helping Millie to pack. “Mrs. Darcy.” He said quietly. The women looked up and instantly Mrs. Mercer gave Millie a glance and they disappeared. Elizabeth laughed when the door closed.
“What on earth have you said to them?” She put her hands on her hips. “Do you notice that the servants seem to evaporate whenever you and I are alone?”
Darcy smiled and walking forward, claimed her hands. “I asked Mrs. Mercer to inform them that we value our privacy, to always knock, and when the winter comes, to be mindful of our activity before entering to tend the fires.” He kissed her rising brow and chuckled. “I believe that Mrs. Mercer has determined that we do not want any servants separating us at any time.”
“I believe that Mrs. Mercer is delighted to see you smile.” She rose up on her toes and kissed his nose. “Now what brings you here? We are not to leave for a half hour.”
He smiled at her for a few moments before he continued. “Bingley and Hurst have arrived and need advice. It will probably take some time, and rather than delay our visit to the Gardiners, I suggest that you go on ahead, and I will join you as soon as I can. Just send the carriage back when you arrive.”
“Oh but Fitzwilliam, it takes so long to get there and back, you would not arrive for three hours that way!”
“I doubt that it will take quite that long.” He laughed to see her doubtful expression. “Well, maybe. We were just going to spend the afternoon with them. You will have time to talk with your aunt and sister without worrying over neglecting me.” His eyes twinkled and she pursed her lips. “Admit it, love. You would. Go on and enjoy your time, I will be along as soon as I can. I will send a maid and footman with you and …”
“I think that I can ride in a carriage alone, Fitzwilliam.” She smiled and laughed at his slowly shaking head. “No?”
“No.” He leaned forward and kissed her lips. “No.” Caressing a tendril of hair from her cheek he smiled and kissed her again. “I will see you later.”
“Very well.” She watched him depart and sighed. “Good luck.” He smiled back at her and disappeared. Almost immediately Mrs. Mercer and Millie reentered the room and resumed their work; leaving Elizabeth to marvel in wonder at the household she had been given.
Darcy returned to the study and closed the do
or. “Thank you for your patience; now then, what can I do for you?”
“Caroline is, what is that term they use in America? The one for the tribes? Oh, the warpath!” Bingley exclaimed. “She is furious with Wickham’s deceit!”
“I should think that she would be grateful to find it out in time.”
“Oh she is, believe me, the praise she heaps on you is frightening in its volume.” Hurst said wearily. “And I do not mean in pitch. She was interested in you before Darcy, but I would say she is quite fixated now. You should have heard her after everyone left. Mr. Darcy was so kind, so admirable, so intelligent, so … well, it was nauseating.”
“I presume that you have reminded her of my marriage?” He said coldly and began to twist the ring on his finger.
“Of course.” Hurst smiled. “I believe that Bingley made that point very clear to her; did you not?”
Bingley shrugged. “I told her that if she causes you any trouble, including implying some nonexistent fond connection with you or your family, I would send her back north to live with our maiden aunt so she would have a good taste of her future.”
“Well done.” Darcy said with admiration. “What moved you to be so clear with her?”
“I remembered your tale of telling your aunt to leave you alone regarding your cousin.”
“A lot of good that did.” Darcy rubbed his hand over his face.
“Louisa gave her a tongue-lashing that I think frightened Hurst, here.” Bingley smiled when his brother rolled his eyes. “You did not know she had it in her, did you?”
“What was said?”
“Caroline was praising you and Louisa told her to stop it immediately. She told her that there were countless men who would accept her if she would accept that she was not a peeress. Wickham exposed her motivation as much as she did. My sister is not delusional, she knows that you would never marry her, but that surely did not stop her wishing for the association.”
“Has she failed to realize that with you being part of my world she could simply graft onto your success in a few years?”
“I suppose that was not fast enough for her satisfaction.” Bingley said softly. “I know I am barely accepted now.”
Darcy studied him for a moment. “But the point is, Bingley, that you are being accepted.” Bingley smiled gratefully and Darcy nodded. “Well, in any case, you seem to have her handled as far as her …whatever her thoughts are towards me. What is your trouble now? I saw the notice in the paper; it seemed unnecessary but relatively harmless. I suppose it confused more people than anything since the engagement had not been announced. I can only presume that she has done more. She is the one who placed it?”
“She did. But now she is determined to go around town describing what a scoundrel Wickham is.” Bingley sat forward and glanced at Hurst then at Darcy. “Although he undoubtedly is, I think, well Louisa warned me, that it would not do our family any favours to hear how we were hoodwinked, new money and naiveté, and all that. We would be seen as, what word did she use?”
Hurst snorted. “Simpletons, country bumpkins, fools with money and no sense, taken in by …”
Darcy held up his hand. “I understand the gist of her feelings. You are just making headway in the ton and this could set you back some, at least you Bingley, not so much Hurst, your place is assured.”
“Well, I suppose, but then I never aimed to be more than I already am. I have no grand illusions.” He smiled. “Besides, I think that my friends have heard my desires to have a Caroline-free home enough to understand my desire to accept any likely suitor.”
Darcy said nothing and looked down to his hands, feeling the intense gaze of the two men upon him as he thought. “Are there, were there, any men interested in her before Wickham appeared?”
“Yes, one.”
“Is he still available?”
“I believe so.” Bingley saw Hurst nodding.
“Honestly Bingley, as long as you still have my support, you will be fine. I have it on good authority that the rumours and innuendo that followed me have been very well quashed by our marriage, our friends and relatives, the news of the fire, and by the exceptional performance of my wife in every public situation this week. Your association with me is your safety. I will gladly ask my family to inform any who care to hear of our friendship, as well as telling of your invitation to Pemberley. Your sister, however, needs to control herself; I have never known Wickham to purposely hurt someone. His method has always been to charm and cheat his way to profit, and he has always chosen his marks carefully, but ruining his name in your circle may make him vengeful. It would be wise to calm Miss Bingley from her humiliation and redirect her attention to another, more permanent solution.”
“Marry this former suitor?”
“If he can be persuaded. He might want you to sweeten the dowry a bit. Her unseemly behaviour would be seen as a liability.”
“More than the twenty thousand?” Bingley gaped. “How much?”
“No more than three, I would say.” Darcy said softly. “I talked Wickham down to three.”
“IT IS VERY GOOD OF MR. DARCY to stay behind with Mr. Bingley.” Jane said quietly. “I can only imagine the horror they feel with being so taken in by Mr. Wickham. Do you truly believe that he meant to do wrong by Miss Bingley?”
“Jane, I assure you, Fitzwilliam has told me enough of his dealings with Mr. Wickham that I cannot see this man ever doing anything that would not derive a benefit solely to himself. No, he was not deeply in love with Miss Bingley, and her love, if it existed, was not going to turn his life around.” Elizabeth patted Jane’s hand. “We have been introduced to some very good men, but I am afraid that Mr. Wickham is not amongst them.”
“And he is not alone.” Mrs. Gardiner added. “One must be very careful who you accept as your friend.”
“A wolf in sheep’s clothes.” Jane murmured. “How do you know who is good, and how do you know when to let a man know what you are feeling?” Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner exchanged glances. Jane did not notice but spoke on. “Charlotte always said to help him along, but then she has never been attached to a man. How would she know? Perhaps her philosophy has scared them away?”
“I let Fitzwilliam know, the best way I could whenever we met, even if it was just a look.” Elizabeth smiled. “Is there someone you like?”
Jane startled and looked up to her sister. “Oh, oh no, I was just … thinking. I remember that Mr. Darcy did say something about a gentleman wishing to know the lady’s feelings.” She rose to her feet. “I am sure that you would like to say goodbye to Aunt privately, so I will just go upstairs for a while.”
They watched her go and Elizabeth moved to sit next to Mrs. Gardiner. “Is she well? Is she regretting Mr. Harwick?”
“She is regretting her behaviour and wondering over her tendency to be complacent at all times.”
“I am surprised that she wants to return to Longbourn with us. She knows what I experienced after Mr. Stewart’s rejection, of course I am married, and Mama likes her.” Elizabeth looked at her ring and turned it on her finger. “Perhaps she will like me now.”
“Whatever the reasons behind her approval, will it not be better than never having received it at all?” Mrs. Gardiner took her hand and looked at the ring. “It is beautiful.”
“It is.” Elizabeth blinked back her emotion then threw her arms around her aunt. “How can I ever thank you for all you have done for me? How can I ever repay you? You taught me how to be a lady; and what marriage should and could be. You rescued me. Without you and Uncle, I never would have met Fitzwilliam; I would probably not even have been attractive to Mr. Stewart. Thank you so much! I love you.”
The two women hugged tightly. “Your uncle and I love you and did nothing that you did not want. You always had the ability to become such a lovely woman. Bringing you to town would have made no difference if you were not determined to make something of yourself.” She drew away and smiled. “And look at what all of your hard w
ork has given you! Fitzwilliam is a wonderful man. I wish I could be with you when you at last see Pemberley. It is the perfect place for you. I look forward to the news of your first pregnancy, and can already imagine the joy Fitzwilliam will feel to fill that empty house with children.”
“Thank you Aunt.” Elizabeth hugged her again. “For everything.”
“WELL THEN, I HAVE RECEIVED a message from de Bourgh.” Lord Matlock picked up the letter from his desk as the men gathered in his study after dinner the following day. “He asks for remedies for a tired posterior.”
All four of the men laughed. “That is the navy for you, all walking and rope climbing, no practical experience on the land.” Fitzwilliam raised his glass. “To the cavalry!” They drank and he grinned. “Any other news?”
“He reports that Collins appeared at the house to visit Anne and lick his boots.” A collective groan filled the room. “Of course de Bourgh has no power to send him off now, but when he is master and Mousely is retired, Collins will go with him. Until then he will continue to shake him off his leg. He described the encounter as uncomfortably similar to being humped by a mongrel.”
