Mr. Darcy's Refuge (45 page)

Richard and Jane were directly in front of them, alongside Lady Matlock and Mr. Bennet, who were engaged in a lively conversation as if they were old friends. Darcy could not make out Mr. Bennet’s share of the discussion, but Lady Matlock trilled with laughter as she gave his wrist a sharp tap with her folded fan. “You
would
like it! Me, I am not so fond of the Hamlet. Why should it have so many deaths at the end? It would be much better if Mr. Shakespeare had allowed everyone to shake hands – except the evil king. He deserves his end, n’est-ce pas?

Richard had been whispering in Jane’s ear when he suddenly sat up. “Oh, charming,” he said with heavy irony.

“What is the matter?” Jane asked.

He handed Jane the opera glasses. “The third box from the stage. My father.”

Jane peered through the glasses. “Who is that lady with him?”

Lady Matlock had by now taken note of their conversation. “No one of importance. The latest whore, no doubt.” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand.

“Mother!” Richard said disapprovingly.

“What is the matter? I am sure Miss Bennet knows what a whore is, n’est-ce pas? If not, I will be happy to explain it to her later.” Turning her attention back to Mr. Bennet, Lady Matlock raised her fan to whisper something to him behind it. Mr. Bennet’s response was a deep chuckle.

Richard winced and turned a pained look on Jane. “My apologies. The French can be very frank about certain subjects.”

Elizabeth touched Darcy’s sleeve. “I do not know if this is a good idea,” she said softly, indicating her father with a movement of her head. “He is supposed to stay calm, but seeing your uncle even across the theatre could upset him.”

Darcy thought it more likely that Mr. Bennet would be all too well amused by flirting with Lady Matlock under the eye of her estranged husband. “He seems unperturbed, but if that changes, we can leave at any point.”

Just then the lights were extinguished, leaving only the halo from the footlights lighting the heavy curtain, which slowly rose to reveal the parapets of old King Hamlet’s castle.

When the interval began, Elizabeth tried to convince her father to remain in the box. “Mr. Darcy will be happy to bring you a glass of wine,” she said.

“Thank you, but I have been sitting long enough.” Mr. Bennet offered his arm to Lady Matlock.

Darcy tried to stay close to Mr. Bennet in case Lord Matlock should put in an appearance, but the crush of people made it difficult. There were several strangers between them when he heard the familiar sneer. “Birdwit
again
? I thought we were rid of you.”

Richard interposed himself between the adversaries. “This is a fortuitous meeting. Father, may I present to you Miss Bennet, who has lately done me the great honor of agreeing to be my wife? The announcement will be in the papers within the week.”

“Another of Birdwit’s daughters? Just because Darcy is making a fool of himself doesn’t mean you have to. No doubt this one is penniless as well. Don’t think that you’ll be getting a farthing from me, boy.”

Richard stiffened, then drawled, “I wouldn’t dream of it, since the last I heard, you barely have a farthing to your name.”

Darcy tried to elbow his way through to them. People were already beginning to stare and whisper.

Mr. Bennet said, “Fortunately, I do still have a few farthings to
my
name, most likely because
I
do not have to pay anyone to tolerate my company at the theatre. After all, why should I, when I can enjoy the company of
your
wife,
your
son, and
your
nephew? It’s enough to make one wonder which of us is the birdwit. Now, if you will excuse us, we must be going.”

Elizabeth tugged at his arm. “What did he say? I could not make it out.”

Darcy smiled down at her fondly. “I will tell you later – but I think you need not worry about your father any longer.”

***

With Mr. Bennet’s health so much improved, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy decided it was safe to return to Pemberley where Georgiana still awaited them. It was hard to believe it had only been a few weeks since they had departed Derbyshire, each of them going their separate way and expecting not to see each other for months. Their stay there was brief, though, owing to the need to return to Hertfordshire for Jane and Richard’s wedding, where they were privileged to hear on several occasions Mrs. Bennet’s icy comments about how pleasant it was that she would finally be able to attend the wedding of
one
of her daughters. Fortunately, Jane’s wedding was one she could boast of for many years, as it was attended by various titled relatives of the groom. That list did not, however, include the Earl of Matlock, who felt it pointless to travel so far from town simply to watch his younger son marry a girl of no distinction whatsoever. His absence caused no grief among those gathered to celebrate.

After receiving the intelligence of Jane Bennet’s engagement from Darcy, Charles Bingley had a great many things to say to the man he had trusted above all others, some of them true, some false, but all of them angry. Given the choice of blaming his sister, Darcy, or himself, he elected Darcy as the least painful choice to carry the onus of his culpability in losing Jane Bennet. His intention was to put an end to their friendship, but he gave way under pressure from his sisters and maintained a civil relationship with the Darcys, although without the closeness of previous years. He never returned to Netherfield and soon after gave up the lease. A year to the day after Jane’s wedding, Bingley announced his engagement to a delicately bred girl from York with golden hair and pretty manners.

Jenny flatly refused to return to Hunsford where, as she pointed out forthrightly, everyone she cared about was dead. Instead, she was taken into the family of the Pemberley steward as a ward, where her foster father could meet any misbehavior with the ultimate threat of reporting it to Mr. Darcy. She remained a thorn in the side of the steward’s young assistant who often threw up his hands in despair at how to handle a spirited child who pestered him at every opportunity, until some dozen years later when he finally noticed that she was no longer a child. At that point she became a completely different sort of thorn in his side until he convinced her that she could do a much more effective job of pestering him as his wife.

Jane and Colonel Fitzwilliam lived in Lady Matlock’s town house for several years while he continued his work at the War Office. When peace was declared, he sold his commission and took a position in the embassy in Paris at the personal request of the Prime Minister. To provide some companionship to Jane in France, they invited Mary Bennet to live with them. Mary’s public presentation benefited substantially from the efforts of a French maid, and in that environment she was able to gain some of the confidence she had lacked in Meryton. She also provided more practice in English for a new generation of Fitzwilliams whose first words were in the French of their nursemaid. The family regularly spent summers at Pemberley, much to Elizabeth’s delight.

With the Gardiners, they were always on the most intimate terms. Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them.

About the Author

Abigail Reynolds is a lifelong Jane Austen enthusiast and a physician. Originally from upstate New York, she studied Russian, theater, and marine biology before deciding to attend medical school. She began writing variations on
Pride and Prejudice
in 2001 to spend more time with her favorite Jane Austen characters. Encouragement from fellow Austen fans persuaded her to continue asking “What if...?”, which led to seven novels in The Pemberley Variations series. She has also written two contemporary novels set on Cape Cod,
The Man Who Loved Pride and Prejudice
and
Morning Light
. In 2012 she retired from medical practice to focus exclusively on writing. She is currently at work on a new Pemberley Variation as well as the next novel in her Cape Cod series. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, two teenage children, and a menagerie of pets. Her hobby is trying to find time to sleep.

www.pemberleyvariations.com

www.austenauthors.net

Acknowledgements

Many people assisted in the creation of this book. I’d like to thank Sharon Lathan, Rena Margulis, Susan Mason-Milks, and Deirdre Sumpter for their comments on the final version. Lee Smith Parsons suggested the title, along with the very tempting alternative “Pride & Precipitation.” The talented Frank Underwood brought to my attention the painting by Merry-Joseph Blondel used in the cover image. My fellow Austen Authors (www.austenauthors.net) provided support, knowledge, and general encouragement. As always, conversation with my readers helped shape the work in progress. I’m grateful to live in an age where I can connect so easily to readers and other writers.

THE PEMBERLEY VARIATIONS

by Abigail Reynolds

What Would Mr. Darcy Do?

To Conquer Mr. Darcy

By Force of Instinct

Mr. Darcy’s Undoing

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World

Mr. Darcy’s Obsession

A Pemberley Medley

Mr. Darcy’s Letter

Mr. Darcy’s Refuge

Also by Abigail Reynolds:

The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice

Morning Light