Pemberley
Page 68
But I'm warning you, Manners, if she wants him prosecuted I will do it, with or without your approbation.'
'You have my full cooperation, Bingley. He will grow up and learn to restrain himself or suffer the consequences. I should have minded you, Darcy and Elizabeth, and prosecuted him straight away, now Bingley's sister is in a predicament because of me.'
And he meant that, they had warned him repeatedly but Frederick just didn't want to see.
'Did Mrs Grenfell seem very unhappy, Mr Hurst?' Elizabeth asked calmly.
'Now you mention it, no. Maybe Bingley is right, maybe she does know but is afraid to do something to improve her situation.'
'I have never seen Caroline afraid of anything, Hurst, well, maybe of losing Darcy. But my sister should have known he was not for her in the first place, he never encouraged her in any way.'
'What if I put it to you that Grenfell is in fact respecting your agreement?'
Darcy offered dryly. 'Your whole clique is involved, do you really think they would risk his freedom? They need his fortune and his leadership since they have lost you, Manners, and Lascelles. I agree with Bingley, Caroline is too smart to let herself be fooled in this way. Remember, this is a marriage of convenience, not of love. What if she condones Grenfell's behaviour?
Turning a blind eye as long as he leaves her household in peace? Caroline Grenfell knew exactly what she was getting into, and she certainly is getting what she wanted out of the arrangement. Maybe she trusts Grenfell and his friends to eventually get fed up with their debaucheries. It certainly worked on Mr Hurst.'
Darcy was enjoying this, Frederick had expected him to be disgusted, he was too righteous to show or even feel triumph at the cost of someone who used to be as good a friend of his as Miss Bingley had been, but there wasn't even disgust. He had used all the information to come to a sensible conclusion. For Frederick couldn't imagine Caroline Grenfell falling for her husband's stupid ruses either, she was smart, and she had known the habits of the man she married. What if she really didn't care?
'We need to talk to Caroline first, but I'm not going to rush. I have been
looking forward to being with you and I'm going to enjoy myself. And Jane and I are going to view an estate right across the county border next week, our agent found something that sounds very promising. If we buy it we'll be like neighbours, Darcy, visiting all the time!'
'I'd like that very much, Bingley. I'd love to accompany you, but only if you and Jane don't mind the company.'
Somehow, the idea of Bingley and Darcy settled close together gave Frederick a sense of calm, if Prince George's discovery did become public and his public persona was denounced in London, there would be a place for the four of them to go where there would be some company. Still, Simon might not be wrong to want to leave the country for a year or so, not only to be together all the time but also to give the prince the chance to forget all about them.
Jane and Bingley describing the estate they were going to view and making plans to include those who wanted to come in their plans concluded the shocking part of their meeting, now they were just friends catching up after a long separation. At least Mr Hurst would not be a problem the coming weeks, he had enough problems of his own not to get inquisitive about others. All in all it had been very surprising to find Darcy and Elizabeth the ones trying to moderate their reactions instead of rubbing in their former objections to Grenfell. For there was no doubt in Frederick's mind that they had been right, Grenfell was not suitable as a husband, he would never be the kind of man Bingley or Darcy were, not even the husband Frederick himself would be in public. But then he realised that Caroline Bingley had never been especially suited for marriage either, and he decided to let Bingley take the lead and help him where needed. As Caroline's brother he had the most rights and if he was not going to worry unduly, neither would Frederick.
When they settled in their comfortable bed that night, Darcy knew he would not be able to sleep right away, too much had happened that day, and the week before. He had to share his thoughts with his beloved or let them run circles around his mind all night.
A small hand stroked his bare skin, lovingly but not too gently, she loved touching him but knew he was very ticklish, a feathery touch would be a punishment rather than a pleasure for him. The hand expertly avoided his particularly ticklish places altogether, Elizabeth knew him so well, and not just his body.
'Do you mind very much having Mr Hurst here?,' she asked quietly. 'I can imagine you might want to spend some time alone with Bingley, and now there is going to be a constant third party.'
Of course that was not his main objection against Hurst, but he knew she knew that and was offering him a chance to express his discontent without actually admitting to those feelings he loathed in himself. But he needed to face those and he would.
'If I want to be with Bingley I'll propose a long, fast ride, my dearest. Hurst may plan to pick up exercising, in the state he is in even Georgie will easily outdo him on the back of a horse, and she obviously doesn't care for the sport.
My objection to his presence is much more personal, I really dislike the way he looks at you in admiration. It makes me feel jealous, and I do not like being jealous, it is demeaning to myself and respectless to you. But my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, every man worth knowing seems to admire you.'
And several not worth knowing that they couldn't seem to get rid of, like Wickham and Prince George.
'Fitzwilliam, do you really mean to say my cousin Will is not worth knowing? I thought it must be a great comfort to you that he certainly doesn't admire me.'
'I love you so much, you know I cannot resist you when you say things like that. You know I do trust your love for me, and I don't feel as jealous as I used to, I suppose I have gained confidence that I'm good enough for you.
And if I managed not to be jealous of Prince George, who is admirable in his own way, why would I be jealous of Mr Hurst, who really doesn't have anything to recommend himself? Really, I'm not that put out with Hurst for coming, he certainly brought some information Bingley needed about his sisters.'
'I was shocked to hear his confessions, but even more so that you didn't blame Frederick.'
'I really do believe Caroline Bingley chose to marry Grenfell with her eyes open, he is a handsome man and certainly very rich. Considering that she doesn't actually love him he cannot break her heart, the largest risk she runs is contracting the French gout.'
'Fitzwilliam, are you serious! The French gout, who told you about that?'
'Either Simon or Nick, or both. We play a lot of billiards together, you know, and when men are amongst themselves they talk of different things. Widely different things. So who told you?'
'Simon again. It was a long time ago, when I'd just arrived in London as newly-wed country girl. We rambled the streets of London and he told me all kinds of things. Who else would entrust a young lady's feeble mind with such debauchery?'
'True. Nobody ever told me either, though my father must have known about it. It does make one look at people in a different way.'
'A lot of the things Simon told me did that, and not always in a good way, but nonetheless I feel a lot less naive because of him. Do you think our friends are in danger, with Prince George having found out about Simon and Frederick?'
'I can imagine it robbing them of a few nights' sleep, but personally I don't think it is in the prince's interest to let that knowledge slip. I really think he is a decent man at heart.'
'As long as it doesn't cost him any pleasure, yes. Remember, he is cuckolding as much as three husbands at any given time, and with poor Mrs Fitzherbert waiting for him at Carlton House. But I suppose there is nothing he might want from either Simon or Frederick, and Anne is not available for different reasons. There was nothing more we could have done, was there?'
'No, Elizabeth, there wasn't. You have spent plenty of time on him, and so did Anne. We can only hope he is as careful of Manners' privacy as he is of h
is own. He must want Georgie and Fielding to indulge him in his love for music, and they are not going to entertain him if he has discredited their friends.'
'True. Do you mind very much that Georgiana wants to go back to London?'
'Certainly not. She never used to enjoy the countryside, I'm glad she learned to ride because it may be of use to her if they go to the continent, but the piano and Fielding are her life, and I want her to have the best of both. And both her husband and her skills will thrive best in London, with Mr Clementi and an important patron. In a way I hope that Prince George will keep them in England, I don't want them to brave the Channel and the French. Fame in Austria doesn't sound nearly as impressive as fame in London. In the last case we can even attend the concerts if we want to.'
Imagine, Fielding playing with an orchestra, Elizabeth would be delighted to be able to witness that.
'I may want to have the baby in London, my love. Jane mentioned a midwife, and I think we may be able to find a better one in town than here. I'll ask Sarah, of course, and Fanny.'
'So you talked to Jane already, I'm so glad you will be able to share this.'
'She saw immediately, my love, can you believe it?'
'I can, you have always been the most beautiful woman alive, but these days it's more than that, it may be that you're still so young and developing from a girl to a woman but I think not. Your hair is even glossier, your face is even sweeter, your figure was already perfect but somehow it looks and feels even nicer now. I love you more than ever, Elizabeth.'
'And I you, my love. Having friends about is a pleasure, but I would be more than happy to just be with you. Though I would love to have Jane living closer.'
'I have a feeling you will, my dearest, I think this is the moment, Bingley will finally buy the estate his father already wanted to acquire. Thirty miles, that is less than half a day's travel, we can visit on a whim. But first we'll have the best summer of our lives, hunting and fishing, rambling and riding. And when you get too large to ride we'll find other things to do, either here or in London. But I promise you, we will do those things together.'
And he knew she believed that now, for words were not always needed between two people who loved each other as they did. Instead Elizabeth lay on top of him, kissing and nuzzling him with obvious heat, his body reacting with instant arousal. Apparently they had talked enough, the time had come to express their intense love wordlessly but no less intensely. Life had been good since he had managed to win the woman of his life, and it would keep getting better.
The end
Document Outline
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35