Denton’s lips twitched with a hidden smile, and he took hold of her hand, securing it safely between both of his. “I do not think you are the cause of the Darcys sending their sister away. It cannot be for these reasons.”
Kitty began to speak, but Denton shook his head and went on. “What I mean to say is, are not the abilities to love and speak truth admirable qualities?”
“Mr. Denton, you have just made all my youthful folly somehow seem virtuous!” Kitty laughed. “If you only knew, Mr. Denton, there is so much in life, and in my own mind, that I do not comprehend.”
He stood, offering his hand to her, and then tucked it into the crook of his elbow. “Which is precisely how it should be. What fun would there be to existing if we understood and knew all? Half the joy in life is figuring it out and making mistakes along the way.”
“And you are a clergyman…encouraging mistakes? Because, sir, you will find that I muddle many things in life.”
Denton winked at her. “I am pleased to hear it. That means you actually live life. Miss Bennet, too many people merely exist without taking any risks at all.”
Lord Chalmer leaned against the mantel in his assigned bedchamber and allowed the flames of the roaring fire to mesmerize him. Soon, he told himself, soon warm fires and richly appointed rooms would be his lot in life again. He licked his lips with the thought of expensive wines and roasted quail dinners instead of the tavern drinks and stews that had lately made up his meals.
He turned when the door opened.
“Ah, Mother, how nice of you to join me,” Chalmer purred.
Henrietta jabbed a finger at her son. “What is going on, Albert? Despite our circumstances, you are well bred. But the attentions you are paying that Kitty belie that.”
“Tsk. Tsk. Kitty? That is quite vulgar of you. Do sit. And I will tell you my plan.” Albert gestured to a high-backed chair, and his mother swept forward.
“Please do, because it is beyond me why we have stayed on at Pemberley after we learned of Miss Darcy’s absence.”
“Miss Darcy, yes. Fitz saw me coming, so to speak, and sent her away. The blackguard!” Albert scratched his chin in thought.
“Darcy must have heard that I had pockets to let and knew I’d try to wed Miss Darcy. Such a pity, too. Her dowry would have secured us, Mother, and I have heard she is not painful to look at either. I had thought I could talk sense to the man; what brother would deny his sister the opportunity to marry a lord? Wealthy women are legshackled to poor men of title all the time, and it’s considered a fair trade. But the man is too proud for it, and believes dear Georgiana deserves far better than the likes of me, which is rich, seeing as Darcy chose a common mousy wren without a ha’penny to her name for his own wife,” Chalmer said as he sneered.
“How bad is it, Albert? How far below the hatches are we truly?”
“The entail is killing me; the expense of maintaining it is simply too much to bear. Mama, we have rented out the London townhouse, and now the papers for Eddenwall are complete. Kicked out of our own home. Only Bates and McDonnagal have been kept on from our staff, and I do not know how long we can depend on their grace, with only the promise of back pay to entice them.”
“I would say your gaming habits have done little to help us as well,” the lady added.
Albert squared his shoulders and faced her. “Would you deny me the one thing that brings me any pleasure, any pleasure at all, in the world?”
Lady Chalmer sighed and patted her son’s hand. “Of course not. You are right. Men must have their escapes.”
“Of course, I am right on that account. The real matter at hand is, what is to be done? I received four letters from creditors the day before we left. It cannot be long until all of London knows of our situation—renting out both our properties without letting a new one. I need to make an advantageous match as quickly as possible. And that…that is where Miss Bennet fits in.”
“But she is a farmer’s daughter! A gentleman farmer—but a farmer!”
“Yes, but she is also sister to Mrs. Darcy, and therefore her future is tied closely to Mr. Darcy. Darcy would never let a relation of of his be in want; it is not in his character. If I marry the child and my debts are made known, I have no doubt that Darcy will pay them all. The rumor is, he has done so already for a brother-in-law. Just think! When we have not the bank notes sufficient to let a house, Darcy will give it to us—or we will live here at Pemberley.”
Albert began to pace as he walked, his hands clenched together. “But time is of the essence. The marriage must take place before Darcy hears the totality of our loss. It is our only hope, outside of traveling to America and trying to find a rich man’s daughter there.”
His mother shuddered. “America! I would be loath to be related to an American. Yes. I see. That would be much worse than a farmer’s daughter.”
Kitty gaped at the bundle on the bed she knew to be her sister. When had Lizzy taken so ill? She had never seen her sibling thus.
Kitty stole to the edge of the bed and grasped Elizabeth’s hand. She was shocked by how sweaty it was. She looked from Lizzy, covered in many blankets, to the blazing flames in the fireplace. No one would be comfortable in such a hot room. Surely, Elizabeth would feel better if the windows were cracked and the fire doused.
At the touch, her ailing sister’s eyes fluttered open.
“I did not know you were this bad,” Kitty whispered.
“How long have I been abed?” Elizabeth’s voice held nothing of her normal liveliness.
“Two days. Mr. Darcy is worried. He paces your hallway like a lion, and will not come down to eat with us, because he says he must stay near you. He is just outside the door now, giving Dr. Wendington a comb over about your care.”
Kitty was ashamed to admit that her sister’s illness had afforded her many happy hours in Lord Chalmer’s company. The man had such a way with words! He was always whispering “pretty Kitty” to her, and often sitting closer than proper. He was so attentive and everything she had dreamed of in a man.
They had been on three walks in the garden and played a round of cards both nights together. When no one was listening, he would lean over and say that he couldn’t leave Pemberley without an understanding.
An understanding!
This very morning after breakfast, he had asked how soon he could call her Lady Chalmer.
Ever since her eldest sisters’ weddings, Kitty had promised herself she would marry well, but she had never imagined she would marry a man of title. Her sisters would finally have cause to be jealous of her! She might have had to wait the longest for a match, but hers would be the best of all.
Her thoughts returned to Elizabeth, lying in the bed before her, a wisp of a breath passing through her mouth. “Mr. Darcy will not tell me what the matter is, Lizzy; will you?” Kitty knelt beside her sister, still holding her hand.
Lizzy licked her cracked lips. “The doctor says it is infection, but the fever is too much, Kitty. Please put a cold rag on my forehead. I cannot bear this.”
Kitty did as Mrs. Darcy asked, bathing her sister’s face and arms in cool water until she fell back to sleep.
Conrad Denton prided himself on the fact that he had done much in his life alone. His late father had often been violent and inebriated, and Conrad’s pretty young mother had died so young. His elder brother, Henry, cared not for the rest of the family. Conrad had spent much of his youth keeping his only sister, Phoebe, safe and comforted. Upon their father’s death, Henry had inherited the family fortune and forsaken his responsibility to care for his younger siblings. Conrad had taken Phoebe under his protection until her marriage three years ago. He dearly missed her companionship, but it gave him pleasure to see his sister finally cherished and cared for by a man other than himself—something his elder brother and father had never done.
All of that had been training for Conrad’s adult life as a clergyman, or so he figured. He could spend his years caring for the downtrodden in his
community, and all with the help of his benefactor, Mr. Darcy. He could come home to his residence and glebe, Graceacre, and recharge…alone. Denton was simply happy to have a roof over his head and food on the table, with no fear of a brother belittling him, a father hitting him, or a sister sobbing to haunt him.
Alone was the only safe way to exist.
But suddenly the thought of living life alone didn’t seem so appealing to him anymore.
He knew it was downright bacon-brained of him, but he couldn’t deny that he was in love with Kitty Bennet. But admitting that to himself would have to be enough.
What right did a clergyman have to cherish the relation of his employer? No, Miss Bennet was too far out of Conrad’s reach to even consider—but surely, he could enjoy her company.
As she walked beside him, her stride matching his, he watched—out of the corner of his eye—the woman who was consuming his thoughts. He memorized her face, from the slight upturn of her nose to the velvety flush of her plump cheeks to the bounce of her delicious chocolate curls. She was a diamond of the first water, of that there was no doubt, but more than that, the woman was a perfect mixture of fire, laughter, and frankness.
“Miss Bennet, I see you were unable to persuade Lord Chalmer to join us.” He spoke not because he cared a fig for Lord Chalmer’s company, but simply to talk.
“Yes. I tried, but he said that he could not stand to go anywhere near those people who live in rat’s nests. His words, not mine. I attempted to explain to him that helping them, doing something, is good for one’s soul, but he would not hear of it.”
“I am pained to hear it.” Really, Denton was not; he was glad to have Kitty’s company without prissy Chalmer along.
As the pair traveled round the trees, Conrad held his breath. He had offered to show Miss Bennet his home, Graceacre, and she had enthusiastically accepted the invitation. Denton found himself jittery about Kitty taking in her first view of it. What if she was disappointed and did not like it? He would feel less than a man.
When his two-story stone home became visible, Kitty gasped.
“This is your home? This is Graceacre, the parish of Pemberley?” Her eyes were like saucers, and they grew wider and wider as she gazed over the land that made up the glebe and the house.
Her overt pleasure elicited a comfortable laugh from his lips. “Well, most would call it the Lambton Parish, but you would be right in saying we have very close ties to Pemberley.”
“Mr. Denton, I have loved this home from the first moment I saw it, which was the day you rescued me!”
“Are you in earnest?” He beamed, delighted.
“Certainly! I saw this home and it stood out from the rest and looked so genteel, so like my papa’s Longbourn, although I believe you have taken better care of your land than Papa ever has.”
“Allow me to show you the inside and see if you are just as enchanted with it.” He offered her his arm.
Kitty bit her lip and seemed to hesitate.
“We will not be unchaperoned. I keep two servants, and my housekeeper, Mrs. Sawford, is at this hour within.”
“My lord,” Lark said and bowed to Albert. “There is a man waiting in the parlor. He will not give his reason for being here, and refuses to leave until he has spoken to you.”
Albert ran a finger around his collar, which suddenly felt constricting. His heart began to beat a death march within his chest and his hands felt clammy.
The creditors could not have found him so quickly, he assured himself. He had not sent any correspondence from Pemberley, on the off chance that his mail was being monitored by a postmaster, either in London or near Eddenwall. And besides his mother, only the two servants left at Eddenwall knew where he was. Albert gulped. What if he had been foolish to trust them?
Lark addressed him again: “I fear you will have to see the man, my lord.”
Chalmer straightened his cravat. “Of course. Lead me to him, Lark.”
But what would he do if it was a creditor—jump out a window and run away? Or, worse yet, what if it was a constable, there to take him to debtors prison?
Lark opened the door, and at the sight of Eddenwall’s long-time steward, Bates, Albert experienced a tide of relief so overwhelming that it almost brought him to his knees. The servant had served his father faithfully for almost his entire life; the man knew nothing but Eddenwall and Chalmer.
After Lark left the room, Albert smiled at the humble man before him. “It is good to see you, Bates. What news from Eddenwall?”
Bates, a small, balding man, bowed before his master. “Eddenwall is as beautiful as ever, but the joy is gone without you and the lady there. We are preparing it for the renters, who mean to move in at the start of next week.”
“Good, good. But why in the blazes did you come all this way, Bates? Do you know how dangerous it is? For all we know, you’ve been followed, and now my creditors know where to find me.”
“I had to take the risk, Lord Chalmer.” Bates twisted his dusty hat in his hands. “It is regarding the creditors.”
“Speak on,” Albert commanded.
“There are more than six of them camped out near your property. They come to the house every day, and more letters come daily, too. Sir, they are saying that if the debts aren’t paid in full, then the deed to Eddenwall will have to be forfeited—and you will be taken to debtors jail for the interest and for the funds that the sale of Eddenwall might not cover. Moreover, my lord, they are saying that payments need to be made, in full, within the fortnight, or else all of this will happen.”
Albert began to pace the room, his hand raking through his hair. “Are you certain, Bates? This is worse than I thought. The renters will be thrown out of Eddenwall, and my story will be made known to all. A fortnight to pay all—are you sure?”
“Quite sure, my lord. They brought signed documents and showed them to me.”
“This is a blasted business! They will take my very life away from me. I curse the day my father died and left me that infernal entail! Oh, don’t look so shocked, Bates. You’ve done well, man. Return to Eddenwall, and I will do what I can to make certain that none of these things come about.”
After Bates left, Albert spent an hour in a chair, with his head in his hands, thinking. Only one solution came to him. He had run out of eggs in his basket. Truly, his only hope now was marrying Kitty Bennet as quickly as possible. In fact, it would have to be by the end of the week if he was to have time to convince Darcy to pay off all his debts and save Eddenwall. There wasn’t time to start afresh with a new girl. It was Kitty Bennet or jail for him.
It shouldn’t be too difficult. The girl was in obvious awe of him and his title, and his mother had promised to make herself scarce to afford them hours alone together.
Albert rose from the chair and picked up the decanter that rested on the sideboard. He needed a distraction, something to bolster his mood. He shook the bottle, watching the amber liquid swirl. He uncorked the container, poured a glass, and swallowed the liquor in one gulp, his lips curling as it burned his throat. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he decided that one was enough.
A pity there weren’t any gaming tables or race tracks near Pemberley to take his mind off his troubles, if only for a few hours. But there were other ways for a man to divert himself. Surely, there was a pretty little maid within the estate who wouldn’t mind entertaining a lord’s fancies.
Yes, he had seen a petite, well-endowed blonde girl among the upper servants. She would do nicely. He’d entice her and then turn his attentions squarely to securing Kitty Bennet.
Kitty made her way up the stairs and headed directly to Elizabeth’s bedchamber. She wanted to see if Lizzy was any better, and if she was, Kitty sorely needed her advice.
The past few days had been so confusing. After seeing the parish house from top to bottom, Kitty couldn’t help but be, as Denton called it, enchanted. She suddenly felt that a house similar to Longbourn would suit her perfectly. An estate s
uch as Pemberley was nice to visit, but she had a feeling she would never truly feel comfortable in such a grand home.
Seeing how much pressure Darcy was constantly under also gave her pause. Did she truly wish to have a husband with so many demands on his time? She would not mind if she could be involved and work side-by-side with her husband one day, but Darcy’s duties were carried out solely by him. These thoughts, however, went against her longstanding dream to marry a rich man…a man like Lord Chalmer.
But she knew nothing significant about Chalmer, save for information about his ancestral home, Eddenwall, which he spoke of often. Eddenwall and fashionable dress seemed to fill the man’s head, so much so that Kitty suddenly realized he had never asked about her thoughts or her life. He knew naught of her, her background, or her family, yet professed to love her ardently.
Then there were these startling feelings in her stomach whenever she was near Mr. Denton. The man was so easy to speak to, and she knew his entire background and he knew hers. He was such a well-cut man in every way—other than his purse.
And that was that.
Kitty’s dream required a wealthy man, and so, she told herself, she would just have to get over all her worries about the size of the home and the duties of such a husband.
In her slippers, she padded down the hallway and found Elizabeth’s chamber door open, but what she saw stopped her in her tracks.
Mr. Darcy had his back to Kitty as he ran his hands over his wife’s face. A deep, low, heart-wrenching sob broke from his lips, and he dropped onto the bed. Gathering his unresponsive wife in his arms tightly, he rocked back and forth, with her against him.
“Fight, Elizabeth,” He left a trail of kisses down the right side of her face. “Fight this for me. I cannot…I will never…”
His voice broke and he seemed to pull his wife even tighter against him. Kitty knew she should turn and walk away, knew that it was improper to view her brother’s tortured moment of despair. But something held her there.
The Road to Pemberley Page 19
