“Haven’t so far. Now, it is time for you to say goodbye.”
“Give me a moment with him.”
“Of course, take as long as you want."
Fitzwilliam sat on the bed, faced his old friend, and smiled sadly. “Well, I suppose this is it then, brat. For a while. I’m going to worry for you, no matter what Amanda says. You work much too hard for an old man – Lizzy is right about that. You’ll need to learn to hand over more and more to George and not be such a stickler. He’s a brilliant lad. You know he’s wanted to introduce new methods at Pemberley, new ways; however, he would never force your hand. He loves you too much. We all do.
“And, you must admit you can be a right pain in the arse at times, lording over everything, expecting – no, demanding – that others perform up to your meticulous expectations. Georgie will. He’s got the goods, he’ll deliver.” Fitzwilliam sighed, there was so much still to say, a lifetime of unspoken emotions. Perhaps women had the right of it, bring everything out in the open, have it done with.
“I never told you this, but it was I who crashed your father’s library window when I was ten and you were eight. You received quite a tanning for that. I should have spoken up, but truthfully wild horses couldn’t have gotten me back into that house, Uncle George was so livid.
“Well, the truth of it is you drove me mad some days, with your perfect wardrobe, your perfect family, your perfect life, your good looks. I admit it was a relief to see you in trouble for once. I mean, look at you! You’ve never even had the decency to age properly, or gain weight; badly done, especially around me. I always come off a bit wanting in comparison.” Fitz looked over at Amanda and saw her roll her eyes, shake her head. Tell him, she mouthed.
“All right, all right. Now, here is the tricky bit to say. I have never really got around to telling you… how dearly I love you. There. I do, you know. You have been my brother, not my cousin, for my entire life, my best friend, my boon companion, my brilliant business partner, my confessor, my nightmare. My conscience.”
Fitzwilliam attempted one last time to place a hand on his cousin’s back and Darcy must have sensed something happening because he suddenly tensed, looked up and over his shoulder. And, even though there were tears in his eyes, he smiled.
He knew.
“Finally! Damnation, took you long enough, brat. That’s it then, I suppose. Good bye, Will. Take care of yourself; and, watch over my children as long as you can, please.”
Slowly Fitz stood, backing away until he reached Amanda’s side. She tucked her hand under his arm. “Well done.”
“May we go now? Don’t believe I can take much more of this.” Amanda nodded, and they turned into the bright light that was opening before them. Suddenly, Fitzwilliam began to laugh, he stopped and turned around.
“One more thing, Darcy. I hear that we’ll be together again soon! God in heaven, what fun we’ll have. In the meantime. though, fair warning, keep your guard up, brat, because… I’ll be back.”
Book List
Pride and Prejudice
By Jane Austen
Darcy and Fitzwilliam, Book One
The Pride and Prejudice Family Saga
* * *
Sons and Daughters, Book Two
The Pride and Prejudice Family Saga
* * *
Wives and Lovers, Book Three
The Pride and Prejudice Family Saga
* * *
Saints and Sinners, Book Four
The Pride and Prejudice Family Saga
* * *
All books can be read stand-alone or as a series
Available in both ebook and print form on…
Amazon, Nook, And other sites
Saints and Sinners Page 31
