Yuletide

by Joana Starnes

  “I know that, Lizzy, I do, but sometimes, when I see how alike you and Fitz are, I feel….”

  He searched for words and she provided an answer. “Insufficient?”

  “Yes. Forgive me, my love. I do not doubt you, not at all.”

  “You should not. But I do know how you feel.” He looked at her quizzically. “When we were in London, and we met all those lovely ladies with accomplishments and titles and dowries, I feared for a moment that you would regret me, that you would wake up five or ten years from now and wish you had married one of them.”

  “No!”

  She placed a finger over his lips.

  “But then I realized something. You are Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley. A fine figure of a man with an equally fine estate.” She smiled and traced her finger over his nose and cheekbones. “And you are no young pup. If you had wanted one of those ladies, you would have chosen one by now. Nothing stood in your way. They might be more similar to you in breeding and situation, and even in temperament, but it is precisely our differences that make us so perfect for one another. Once I realized that, well, all my fears melted away.”

  He kissed her softly and rested his forehead against hers. “Perfect for each other, are we?”

  “Absolutely.” She kissed him quickly. “And it is because of my very great happiness with you that I wish all my family to have the same. I wish it for my sisters Kitty and Mary, and for Georgiana, and for the colonel. Such happiness should be known by more than the two of us.”

  The room was dim, lit only by the fire, but she could see his eyes glowing as he looked at her. She was coming to understand that look. He was proud of her and proud to have her.

  “And you call this being practical?” he teased.

  “It is practical in this instance. The Wheelers are one of our closest neighbors and Miss Wheeler is their only child. Whomever she marries will be our neighbor for many years to come. You will have to conduct business and discuss estate matters with him. A bad choice would be irritating at best and disastrous at worst.

  “Besides all that, I rather like her. I would like to make a friend of her, and it would be nice to have a female friend nearby. After all, one day Georgiana will leave Pemberley. I must diversify my circle.”

  He laughed quietly. “You are quite the clever little minx, do you know that?”

  “Thank you,” she said proudly.

  “So you will help Fitz secure Miss Wheeler?”

  “If that is what they both want, then yes. At the moment, I am simply trying to help him speak to her.” She propped herself up on her elbow. “You could help.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you! Another person to assist would be marvelous.”

  “I do not know. I feel odd interfering in Fitz’s affairs.”

  She gave him an incredulous look.

  “He is a grown man! He has been to war. He does not need our help.”

  Elizabeth huffed. “If he does not need our help, then why did he not speak more than five words to Miss Wheeler tonight?”

  “Fitz is very resourceful. I am certain he will think of something.”

  Unwilling to leave matters to chance, Elizabeth rose early and sent off a note to her cousin and another to Miss Wheeler. She was in the entryway long before breakfast, dressed in the riding habit her husband had insisted she order but that she had never actually worn, as riding was rather far down her list of enjoyable activities.

  Soon enough, the colonel joined her. “I’m surprised you wished to ride out with me. I thought you disliked it.”

  “Oh, it has its uses.”

  “Why do I have a feeling you are up to something?”

  “Fear not, Cousin. Everything I do is to your benefit.”

  She looked towards the stairs and smiled. “Ah, Miss Wheeler! What a fetching habit! I do love that color.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Darcy. Yours is very nice as well.”

  Elizabeth brushed a hand down her navy riding clothes. “Thank you. I rather like the color. If only I could wear something so dark outside of riding!”

  They exchanged pleasantries, and finally Elizabeth said, “Miss Wheeler, the colonel and I have a dispute of sorts. Perhaps you could settle it for us.”

  “I would be happy to assist.”

  “Colonel Fitzwilliam was telling me that there is a grove of willow trees on the far side of the estate near the border to Walnut Grove, but I have never seen it. Tell me, do you know if such a grove exists?”

  Miss Wheeler looked thoughtful for a moment. Before she could answer, Elizabeth spoke again. “I know! Let us ride in that direction and we will see for ourselves.”

  “That is a splendid idea,” agreed Miss Wheeler. “From the fence between the pastures, you may see the folly I was telling you of yesterday.”

  “Perfect!”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam was beginning to see the merit in his cousin’s plan and stood by smiling, waiting for an opportunity to offer himself as escort.

  “Are you going to join us, Colonel?” asked Miss Wheeler.

  Both Elizabeth and Richard were pleasantly surprised by her boldness.

  “I believe I shall, thank you.”

  They were gathering their gloves and hats when Mrs. Reynolds entered and asked to see Mrs. Darcy. Elizabeth conferred with her near the door for a moment, then returned to her guests.

  “I am sorry, but I won’t be able to join you this morning. Something has come up which requires my attention. But please, do go and enjoy your ride. Richard, I depend on you to tell me if this folly of Miss Wheeler’s is worth my riding all the way out there,” she said with a smile.

  Neither of her companions seemed too disappointed by her defection and, just as they were walking out the door, Richard turned and mouthed “thank you” to Elizabeth. She winked in return and went off to change. Not require any assistance, indeed.

  At tea that afternoon, Richard and Miss Wheeler sat near each other and spoke at length, largely because Elizabeth had encouraged Miss Darcy to play a duet with Miss Julia and had requested that Miss Beecham turn their pages. Elizabeth sat with Lady Lisle, who said nothing at all, and Lady Aldrington, who had a great deal to say on topics of meagre interest.

  Mr. Darcy, the lucky man, was playing billiards with the viscount and earl. Thus they were happily situated when Captain Watson was announced. Georgiana hit a wrong note and then quit playing altogether, while Lady Lisle flushed quite prettily.

  Elizabeth raised a brow and rose to greet their visitor.

  “My husband and the earl are at billiards, if you would prefer to be taken to them,” she offered.

  “That is not necessary. I am happy to visit with the ladies,” he said with a charming smile, which he turned on the entire room.

  Elizabeth was immediately uneasy. She no longer trusted men who charmed one and all indiscriminately. She had once thought the colonel such a man but, upon closer acquaintance, he was more amiable than charming with strangers and only truly charming with those he knew. This captain reminded her entirely too much of Mr. Wickham, and Georgiana’s apparent susceptibility to such men worried her more than she liked.

  She led the newcomer to a seat near hers and offered him tea. Before she could hand him his cup, Lady Lisle had prepared a plate of sweetmeats and little cakes and presented it with a smile that could only be called catlike.

  Elizabeth wondered at it and whether the looks between the two of them meant what she thought they meant. If they did, was Lady Lisle really brazen enough to behave so in front of her mother-in-law? In her cousin’s home?

  Unfortunately, Elizabeth did not know the lady well enough to say one way or the other. She only knew it was becoming decidedly uncomfortable sitting between the two of them.

  Georgiana and Miss Julia finished their duet and joined the others. With a burst of confidence, Georgiana took the nearest seat to the captain and smiled, which he returned cordially, though with no interest.

  To Elizabeth’s relief,
her sister’s courage did not extend to talking to him. Miss Julia sat near her friend and seemed disinterested in any of the goings on around her. Miss Beecham sat next to Miss Wheeler, dividing her time between Colonel Fitzwilliam, who was too much the gentleman to allow his irritation at her interference to show, and Mrs. Darcy, who was rapidly trying to discern the meaning of the looks passed between all the different parties in her drawing room. Lady Aldrington seemed oblivious to it all, and Elizabeth could not help but wonder if she was being purposely obtuse, or if she genuinely did not realize what was happening.

  The dinner hour was fast approaching, and Elizabeth felt she had no choice but to invite the captain to stay for dinner. He accepted readily; Lady Lisle gave him a bright smile. Georgiana blushed and looked at the carpet.

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes when no one was watching.

  Her maid was putting the finishing touches on her hair when her husband appeared in the dressing room door, looking impeccable as always, leaning easily against the doorframe.

  Elizabeth dismissed her maid and turned to face her husband.

  “You look lovely,” he said.

  “You look very handsome.”

  “Well, aren’t we a well-matched pair?”

  She smiled, then remembered what she had to tell him. “I think Lady Lisle is interested in Captain Watson.”

  “Interested?”

  “Yes. She flirted with him quite openly at tea, and he was more than happy to see her.”

  “That does not surprise me. She has always preferred men in uniforms.”

  “Fitzwilliam!”

  “’Tis true. She flirted with Fitz years ago, but he would not cuckold his own brother.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes grew round. “Truly? Do you think she would go so far in someone else’s house?”

  “’Tis easier than in her own house,” he mumbled. “I must tell you something. Lisle informed me only an hour ago that he ran into Sir Ludlow on his ride this afternoon and invited him to dinner.”

  “Your cousin invited Sir Ludlow to dinner at our house?” Darcy nodded.

  “Without mentioning it to you until an hour ago?” He nodded again.

  “Is he always so presumptuous?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, dear. Have you told Mrs. Reynolds? Cook will not be happy.”

  “I informed Turner. He will ensure all is ready. There is something else I must tell you.”

  “What is it?”

  Darcy rubbed his hand across the back of his neck and paced a few steps away, then returned.

  “Come,” said Elizabeth. She led him out of the dressing room and into the bedchamber, where he had more room to pace. She sat on the chair by the fireplace, watching her husband walk to the window and back twice before he began.

  “It is not something I enjoy speaking of, and certainly not anything a man wishes to discuss with his wife of only a month.”

  “A month and five days,” she corrected.

  He could not help but smile at that and, for a moment, he stopped his pacing and merely looked at her, an odd light in his eyes.

  “Very well, my wife of five weeks, I will come out with it. Before his marriage, Lord Lisle had an ongoing affair with Mrs. Baker, a young widow. It went on for some time until they both married others, and I am not entirely certain it stopped even then.”

  At Elizabeth’s look of confusion, he clarified, “Mrs. Baker is now Lady Ludlow.”

  Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open, and she could not speak for a full minute.

  “Do you suppose they are trying to carry on an, an…assignation here? Or that they already are?”

  “I would not put it past my cousin to try, though I cannot say for certain of the lady. He was gone riding for some hours this afternoon, and I do not believe for a moment that he ran into Sir Ludlow in Lambton. What would either of them have been doing there?”

  “You think he met Lady Ludlow—by design?”

  Darcy nodded.

  “And then, unable to part with her, he invited her and her husband for dinner and told you he had stumbled upon the husband?”

  “That sums it up neatly.”

  Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I confess I do not know what to do with this information. I had thought hosting your family would bring challenges, but this…”

  “I know,” Darcy said somberly.

  “Well, dinner must be shortened. I will speak with Mrs. Reynolds about eliminating one of the courses. Dessert will be served in the drawing room, and I will lead the ladies out early. Can you ensure the men return quickly? That will hopefully stave off anyone hoping for an invitation to stay the night.”

  “Yes, of course. Well thought, my dear,” he said with a sad smile.

  Before they left the room, she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I am sorry, Fitzwilliam.”

  “Whatever for?”

  “That you are facing this situation at all. I know how you despise deceit.”

  He kissed her forehead and took a deep breath, then squared his shoulders. “You are correct, but it must be dealt with. Pemberley is my home, not Lisle’s. I will not see it turned into a den of iniquity.”

  Elizabeth stifled a smile. Her husband could be rather dramatic when the mood struck him.

  “Once more unto the breach.”

  Dinner was a cross between a disaster and a comedy of errors.

  Miss Wheeler was placed next to Colonel Fitzwilliam, which seemed to please them both. They were the few happy diners.

  The rest of the guests filed into the dining room and proceeded to sit wherever they liked. Lady Lisle blatantly ignored the seating cards, sitting next to Captain Watson. Lord Lisle escorted Lady Ludlow to her chair and took the one beside her that was meant for his father. Georgiana, finally sensing that something was very off, sat between the colonel and Miss Julia.

  Elizabeth smiled and signaled for the first course to be served, planning to rush through the meal as fast as possible without being conspicuous.

  The first course was uneventful, though Georgiana and Miss Julia continually darted furtive looks around the table, then back to each other. Colonel Fitzwilliam eventually looked away from Miss Wheeler long enough to notice Darcy’s stern demeanor, Elizabeth’s discomfort, and his brother’s Cheshire grin. He met Darcy’s eye, but his cousin only shook his head. When he looked to Elizabeth, she sent him a quick look of exasperation, followed quickly by a false smile for the earl at her side.

  Across the table, it was clear Lady Lisle was engaging in some form of flirtation under the tablecloth. Her hands were busy cutting her food, but her countenance was entirely too pleased and her posture strained in the manner of someone whose legs are outstretched. Captain Watson, on her left, was flushed and beginning to sweat near his temples, though the room was barely warm.

  Finally, after three courses (the last pitifully thin at Elizabeth’s direction), Mrs. Darcy rose and asked the ladies to follow her. As soon as they entered the drawing room, she had the footman open the doors to the music room and asked Julia and Georgiana to play for them. Miss Beecham agreed to sing, thankfully, and Elizabeth felt she had at least protected the youngest members of their party from the goings on.

  She instructed a servant to have their guests’ carriages ready to depart within the hour, no later, and made a study of the sky, happy to see there were no rain clouds in sight.

  Quite to her surprise, Lady Aldrington claimed a headache and retired early. Perhaps she saw more than Elizabeth gave her credit for and simply did not wish to witness her son’s mischief.

  Elizabeth looked around at the holly-draped mantle, the garlands over the doors, and the similarly adorned banisters in the hall. She had spent such time decorating, wanting to make everything magical and as perfect as possible. But her husband’s family seemed impervious to her holiday efforts.

  And to think she had been ashamed of her family’s behavior!

  When the gentlemen rejoined the ladies, the earl immediately went upstairs
to see to his wife. Unsurprisingly, Lord Lisle went straight to Lady Ludlow. Darcy met Elizabeth’s eye and followed his cousin, intent on interrupting whatever they were planning. Lady Lisle was hovering near the kissing bough hung in the doorway, clearly awaiting someone.

  The next hour was a busy haze. Captain Watson tried to kiss Lady Lisle under the mistletoe but, just as he was leaning in, Colonel Fitzwilliam elbowed him out of the way and kissed his sister on the temple. She looked quite put out, but the colonel was unrepentant.

  Miss Wheeler was not happy to see the man who had been pursuing her relentlessly kissing another woman, but she quickly realized something was afoot and acted as a sort of second to keep Captain Watson and Lady Lisle apart.

  In all the confusion, Miss Beecham had positioned herself in just the right place to be kissed by both the colonel and the captain, which made Georgiana flush horribly and Miss Wheeler look at her old neighbor with daggers in her eyes.

  Within a half hour, Colonel Fitzwilliam had kissed every woman in the room, including Elizabeth…though that was by accident, as she had been stopped near the kissing bough by a distraught Georgiana (upset because the dashing captain had kissed three ladies and not one of them had been herself), and Colonel Fitzwilliam had wanted to comfort his ward. Miss Julia called out that they were under the kissing bough, and he had looked up to see several berries on the mistletoe. He carefully plucked one, handed it to Elizabeth, and kissed her on the forehead. Miss Julia clapped, and Georgiana laughed, finding it hilariously funny for some reason.

  The awkward kiss did serve the purpose of drawing Darcy away from Lord Lisle and his paramour. But all he got for his trouble was a kiss from Miss Beecham and another from a reluctant Miss Wheeler, which caused Fitz to glare at him for a change. Darcy could not help but smirk in response and bowed rather prettily to Miss Wheeler, while his wife shook with laughter.

  By the time Miss Wheeler said she was tired and would retire, dragging the Miss Beechams and Georgiana with her, Lord Lisle was glaring at Darcy for interfering in his fun, and Lady Lisle attempted to escape the room unnoticed no fewer than three times before being thwarted by Elizabeth, who would call her back and ask her opinion on something.