The Colonel's Spinster: A Regency Romance (Tragic Characters in Classic Literature)

by Audrey Harrison

  The three cousins were dutifully seated in the dining room at Rosings Park by ten minutes to the hour. None of them wished to incur Lady Catherine’s wrath by being late.

  The said lady walked grandly into the room, her large embroidered day coat billowing out in its usual intimidating way. Her entrance made the three of them sit up straighter in anticipation of what was about to unfold.

  They didn’t have to wait long. In Lady Catherine’s wake followed Mr. Darcy, tall and resplendent in his dark coat and buff coloured breeches.

  “Darcy? What the devil are you doing here?” Fitzwilliam asked, standing to greet his cousin. “Is Elizabeth well?”

  “Perfectly well, I thank you,” Darcy responded shaking Fitzwilliam’s hand.

  “But I thought you did not wish to travel?”

  “No. I didn’t, but I received an express from Aunt Catherine,” Darcy explained. “We’ll speak later.”

  Fitzwilliam returned to the dining table, a frown on his usually smooth features. Darcy walked over to Prudence, and offered a bow.

  “Miss Bamber, I am glad to finally make your acquaintance.”

  “And I you.” Prudence responded, but her tone was cooler than normal.

  Darcy greeted Anne before taking his seat at the dining table. There was no opportunity for the cousins to find out more about the visit as Lady Catherine dominated the conversation as she was wont to do.

  After they’d finished their repast, Darcey asked Fitzwilliam to join him in the study. Lady Catherine looked on in approval as the two men made their bows to the ladies and left the room.

  “Darcy is such a sensible man, his only fault was to marry that woman,” Lady Catherine said of her favourite nephew.

  “They both seem very happy,” Anne responded in defence of her cousin-in-law.

  “And how, pray, do you know this?” Lady Catherine demanded of her daughter.

  “Mrs. Collins sometimes mentions Mrs. Darcy when she’s received a letter from her,” Anne said, blushing deep red at her mother’s sharp question.

  “I shall be telling Mrs. Collins what I think of her spreading the news from her private correspondence. She should have distanced herself from Miss Bennet by now,” Lady Catherine said, unable to give Mrs. Darcy her married name.

  “I presume Mrs. Collins feels herself to be fortunate that Mrs. Darcy still writes to her. A woman of such high status does not always remain in touch with those who are very much lower in the social scale,” Prudence said, her anger prickling in defence of a cousin she’d never met.

  Lady Catherine narrowed her eyes at her niece. “One has to know who it is acceptable to associate oneself with. There is nothing worse than a person thinking they are high in the instep when they should know their place.”

  Perceiving that the comment was aimed at herself more than the absent Mrs. Darcy, Prudence stood. “Please excuse me, Aunt. I have the urge to take a walk in the gardens.”

  “I’ll join you,” Anne said.

  “It is too inclement for you, Anne,” Lady Catherine interjected.

  “I’ll wrap up warm. I am accompanying Prudence,” Anne said, defying her mother for the first time in her life.

  Both ladies walked out of the dining room, leaving behind a fulminating Lady Catherine.

  *

  Darcy had used the study regularly over the years when undertaking duties to help his aunt. Although she was more than capable of dealing with her own business, occasionally she had requested the help of her nephew.

  He walked into the room and poured two glasses of brandy from the decanter.

  “What is the meaning of your visit, Darcy?” Fitzwilliam asked. “I had thought you to be reluctant to leave your wife at this delicate time.”

  “I am, but as I said, I received an express from Lady Catherine. I thought it pertinent to travel here, but I am keen to return to Pemberley. I hope to leave here tomorrow.”

  “What could she want that I could not have sorted out for her? It does not do my pride an ounce of good to know that I am on hand yet she didn’t confide her troubles to me.”

  “I think you’ll understand why when I explain the situation to you.”

  “In that case, explain away,” Fitzwilliam said, but he was on the alert. His instincts were warning him that he was not going to be happy with what Darcy was going to say.

  Darcy decided to come straight to the point. The cousins had shared many problems over the years and had always been honest and upfront with each other.

  “Aunt Catherine is concerned that you are about to make a mésalliance,” he admitted.

  “What?” Fitzwilliam responded heatedly.

  “That you have become besotted with Miss Bamber and are about to act rashly.”

  Fitzwilliam slammed down the glass onto the desk and jumped to his feet. “And she dragged you all the way from Pemberley for this reason? Tell me you didn’t know before you set-out. Please.”

  “I knew enough to guess the rest,” Darcy admitted.

  “And you left Elizabeth, knowing that I am fully able to make my own decisions? That I am a man of the world who has led men into battle under my assessment of the risks we were to face and the chances of success?” Fitzwilliam asked incredulously.

  “Your head has obviously been turned by a charming woman. You do not want the locality making assumptions that will force you into an imprudent marriage.”

  “The locality? I take it from that you mean that buffoon, Collins?”

  “Mrs. Collins has mentioned in a letter to Elizabeth that you seem to be getting along famously with Miss Bamber.”

  “Oh, well, in that case there must be a marriage instantly!” Fitzwilliam said sarcastically. “We cannot have the sanctimonious fool spreading rumours, can we?”

  “It wouldn’t do Miss Bamber’s reputation any good.”

  “Let me worry about Prudence’s good name. You go back and take care of your wife.”

  “Prudence? You are on terms of using given names?”

  “We use Anne’s given names, so why not Prudence’s?” Fitzwilliam demanded.

  “We have known Anne our whole lives.”

  “We would have known Prudence a lot longer if not for Aunt Catherine’s selfishness. Her father wrote when her mother died, asking for the grieving girl to have a visit, but Aunt Catherine refused. She only wants her near now because of the lack of companion for Anne.”

  “Aunt Catherine has admitted that she is looking for a position for the girl.”

  “And yet she’s been told by Prudence that she is not looking to be situated as a companion.”

  “It’s the best she could hope for in the circumstances,” Darcy pointed out. “She cannot expect to make a good match with her background. You must see that Fitzwilliam.”

  “I see nothing of the sort,” Fitzwilliam snarled at his cousin. It was the first time Darcy had seen real anger in his cousin’s face, and it made him pause.

  “You cannot make a match of it, Fitzwilliam. You need to marry a woman with funds. You know that,” Darcy said gently.

  “Don’t you think I’m fully aware of that? It is the thing that keeps me lying awake at night!”

  “I sympathise with your feelings. I truly do, but you cannot afford to marry her.”

  “I can if I’m prepared to get off my high horse and retrench,” Fitzwilliam retorted.

  “You would be happy for the first year, but what happens when the children start to arrive? What then, Cousin? Would your infatuation, love even, survive struggling to feed the many mouths you’ll create together?”

  “That is our decision to make. It’s of no one else’s concern.”

  “Have you spoken to her about it?”

  “No.”

  “Does she know of your feelings?”

  “Possibly not to their full extent,” Fitzwilliam admitted.

  “Then I beseech you to think carefully. You come from the top of society. Don’t let us witness your fall because of a beguiling woma
n.”

  “It is more than that.”

  “At least think more about it.”

  “As I think of little else, that is an easy promise to make.”

  “In that case, I can ask no more,” Darcy said. “I just hope you will come to realise what those of us who care for you have realised. You’ll be happier in the long run.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  “Of course. I am not here because of malice or the wish to cause you angst. I do have your best interests at heart.”

  “I seem to recall your dislike at Aunt Catherine’s interference in your life, yet it seems you consider it is acceptable in my case,” Fitzwilliam said, reminding his cousin of the time Lady Catherine took it upon herself to visit Elizabeth at her home. It was with the intention of warning off Elizabeth from accepting any proposal. Instead of the outcome Lady Catherine desired, it actually gave Darcy hope and was the catalyst for Darcy returning to Elizabeth’s neighbourhood.

  “True. But I hadn’t the same considerations as you have. I have persuaded Aunt Catherine not to write to your parents to advise them of your situation.”

  “Good God! Can the woman not leave anyone alone? Must she always interfere?”

  “She has little else to do,” Darcy admitted.

  Fitzwilliam walked to the door of the study. He needed to get away from his cousin, the first time he had ever felt like that with Darcy.

  “I’d just like to make one thing clear,” he said, his hand on the door handle.

  “What?”

  “It is not an infatuation. I am actually deeply in love with her, and I have never felt like this about anyone else I have ever met. I doubt I shall ever feel this way again.”

  “Then I am truly sorry,” Darcy admitted before his cousin left him alone.

  Chapter 10

  Prudence knew the reason Darcy had been brought in was something to do with herself. Fitzwilliam hadn’t sought her out all day, even though he knew she wished to speak to him. Now at the evening meal they were seated at opposite ends of the table, and by the looks of him, he was deeply upset.

  It put her in no mood to be congenial towards Darcy. A pity he was seated next to her.

  Darcy could feel the animosity radiating from Prudence and aimed in his direction. He couldn’t blame her in some respects, but he still congratulated himself on achieving his aim with Fitzwilliam. He could envisage the lifestyle Fitzwilliam would be forced to endure if he made an imprudent marriage that a man blinded with love could not see.

  He decided to try to mend the shaky start they’d shared. “Your features remind me of my mother. Your resemblance to her is quite marked.”

  “Yes. Fitzwilliam has mentioned it,” Prudence said, remembering with fondness that morning in the study.

  “My own sister looks less like my mother than you do. Strange how we resemble different members of the family. It seems we are all to take after our father’s side, apart from yourself.”

  “Ironic, is it not?” Prudence asked.

  “A little. Does your father have family in Manchester?”

  “Yes. He was born there and has three brothers,” Prudence said coolly.

  “Are they all in the industry?”

  “Of course. Most people in Manchester have some connection to the cotton industry. It isn’t the cotton capital of the world in name alone.”

  “Quite. He must have seen many changes.”

  “There has been a lot of growth. Not all of it good,” Prudence admitted.

  “Our aunt says you don’t live in the centre of town.”

  “No. It’s not too wearisome of a journey, but we have the benefit of being surrounded by greenery. Aunt Catherine says that your estate is the finest in Derbyshire.”

  “I am sure the Duke of Devonshire would have something to say on that score,” Darcy said with a smile. “His estate at Chatsworth is far grander than Pemberley, but I prefer the location of my home.”

  “Yes. I can understand that. It’s been a pleasure to visit Rosings, but I would not like to live here. It is too quiet for my tastes. I’m not used to being idle.”

  “Tell me. How do you fill your days?”

  Lady Catherine stood to indicate her withdrawal, and Prudence looked at Darcy with a thin smile. “You shall have to wait until another day before I have the opportunity to shock you as to my daily routine,” she said. “Please excuse me.”

  Darcy waited until he was left alone with his cousin. “I hear Mr. and Mrs. Collins are to join us.”

  “The evening has got even brighter,” Fitzwilliam responded.

  “Too harsh, Fitzwilliam. Come. You will rally,” Darcy coaxed.

  Fitzwilliam stood. “Do you know something, Cousin. I don’t think I shall. Please send my apologies to Aunt Catherine. I have the urge to find a quiet corner and empty the contents of a decanter of brandy.”

  Darcy watched as his cousin left the room. It was worse than he thought. Fitzwilliam was acting in some respects as he had done when Elizabeth had turned down his first proposal. He’d not known what to do with himself. Sighing, he stood. He would have to join the ladies without the expectation of Fitzwilliam’s easy banter and laughter. That he had partly caused his cousin’s withdrawal made him feel remorse at being the one to give pain to another. Yes, it had been Aunt Catherine who had issued the express, but he hadn’t needed to respond to it. For one who had suffered as a result of an uneasy route to happiness, he could only be saddened at his involvement in inflicting upset on one who meant so much to him.

  That he thought it was right to point out the error of Fitzwilliam’s judgement did not completely assuage the guilt.

  Fitzwilliam would come to see they had been right.

  *

  Prudence was raging. She hardly ever lost her temper, but it was bubbling under the surface now as she marched across the small area of her bedchamber.

  Only her inbred constraints prevented her from banging on Fitzwilliam’s door and demanding he be honest with her.

  She sighed. She didn’t need him to say anything. They’d been irresponsible in betraying their affection for each other, and Aunt Catherine had reacted to it. Prudence was not a fool; she didn’t need an explanation of the situation to work out what had gone on. Darcy had been brought in to warn Fitzwilliam away from her.

  He might be willing to allow family members to interfere with his life, but she had no such considerations when making life choices.

  All of a sudden, the familiarity of her home and friends seemed too far away, and she longed for a return to all that was precious to her. Only there could she start to feel something other than let down and disappointed at the way Fitzwilliam, the man she loved, had capitulated.

  The following morning saw Prudence looking tired from a restless night. An air of discomfort and unhappiness settled on the group as a whole.

  She’d taken Anne out, and although the quiet cousin had done all she could to rally Prudence, there had been no changing the sombre mood. Gathering together in the drawing room, it was left to Lady Catherine to lead the conversation.

  Turning to Prudence, she smiled at her niece. “I have received some news in this morning’s post that I know you will appreciate.”

  “Has Papa written to you?” Prudence asked hopefully.

  “No. Better than that, although I’m sure you will wish to write to him with your news,” Lady Catherine said.

  “Oh?”

  “An old friend, Mrs. Beattie has been looking for a companion for her mother. The lady is of a peculiar nature, so needs someone with a strong character who can be caregiver and offer guidance when necessary. I have been in communication with Mrs. Beattie, and she agrees that you sound like the perfect person for the role,” Lady Catherine said very pleased with herself.

  “Me? I thank you, but as I have mentioned in previous conversations, I am not looking for a role of any kind,” Prudence said, her tone stiff.

  “Nonsense, child,” Lady Catherine waved
her hand in dismissal. “It is the perfect position with a good family.”

  “Can I ask, apart from giving me the chamber of the previous companion you employed, what has given you the impression that I seek such a role?” Prudence asked.

  “You’ve been placed in a servant’s chamber?” Fitzwilliam asked in astonishment.

  “It was the most suitable room for her,” Lady Catherine said to her nephew, but even Darcy had looked astounded at Prudence’s words.

  “As the poor relation,” Prudence offered, fire in her eyes, her mouth in a grim line.

  “I have taken you in out of the goodness of my heart.”

  “To replace a servant. You’ve managed to presume I am a poor relation yet not paid me when I have stepped into a servant’s role,” Prudence pointed out, but then she turned to Anne. “But do not think I begrudge a moment spent in your company, Cousin. I have loved spending time with you. You are a darling and already very dear to me.”

  “As you are to me,” Anne confessed.

  “Thank you.”

  “This is stupidity. You have been welcomed into my home as my nephews have been.”

  “Have you ever interfered in their lives without them seeking your help?”

  “Yes,” Fitzwilliam responded, unable to stop the glare aimed in his aunt’s direction. “Well, you did with Darcy.”

  Prudence turned to him. “Our cousin apparently stood up for his own wishes in that instance, did he not? And yet you haven’t expressed your wishes to our aunt, have you Fitzwilliam? You faced the French numerous times, but when it came down to it, you did not fight for what you wanted, did you? Or was it a dalliance to entertain you while you rusticated?”

  “An alliance with you? Of course he wasn’t serious about a liaison with you, child! Be serious! As if there could be a match between you,” Lady Catherine interjected before Fitzwilliam had time to respond.

  Prudence stood. “Thank you for your hospitality. I shall be leaving within the hour. Please allow me to take your carriage to Westerham and from there I shall make my own way home.”

  “Prudence, no!” Fitzwilliam said headedly. “You cannot travel to Manchester alone.”