Pride, Prejudice & Secrets (13 page)

Chapter 8

“Hope is the last thing that dies in man; and though it be exceedingly deceitful, yet it is of this good use to us, that while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey’s end.”

— François de La Rochefoucauld, French author

Wednesday, April 15, 1812: Darcy Townhouse, London

Elizabeth looked at the townhouse as she stepped from the carriage. It was handsome but not nearly as prepossessing as it might have been, given Darcy’s fortune.

Ten thousand a year is almost impossible to accept,
she thought.
That is what my father makes in five full years, and a more impressive structure would not have surprised me. Certainly, Mr Collins would not be stimulated to raptures by the expense of the glazing and the fineness of the ornaments of this house. But I am not disappointed; perhaps Darcy’s taste is more in keeping with my own. This first look is quite encouraging.

As Jane stepped down, the front door to the house opened, and Darcy came out, followed by his sister, who lost no time in rushing to greet her two new friends. After embraces were shared and bows exchanged, the party progressed inside, out of the chill April air.

“I have had a brisk fire laid in the music room where we can warm ourselves while we wait for Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Darcy said. “He should have been here by now.”

Darcy was a bit irritated with his cousin’s tardy arrival since he wanted everything to be perfect, and he was not aware of Elizabeth’s looking up at him with an unfathomable expression in her eyes.

In truth, she wished she could tell him not to be angered by such trivialities, but she knew she could not. It was too soon.
With his responsibilities, it is not likely he has been instructed many times,
she thought,
and I shall be careful about doing so. But perhaps I could ask a simple question…

So she quietly moved beside him and asked softly, “Is your cousin’s late arrival causing a problem, Mr. Darcy?”

Darcy was tempted to evade the question, but her dark eyes were compelling, and he was determined to be straightforward with her as they began their life together. After a few moments of inward struggle, he overcame his taciturn shell.

“You are too keen an observer, Elizabeth,” he said. “I want everything to go well tonight, and I expected Richard a half-hour ago.”

“But if it transpires that he was delayed for good and legitimate reasons, you would have upset yourself for nothing. Come; let us convince Georgiana to play while we wait. I am sure the amiable colonel will be here soon.”

“And now you know I have a temper,” he said with a sigh. “I hoped to keep that hidden until I had you safely married.”

Elizabeth snapped her fan open and hid her smile behind it before she said, still softly, “And, since I often hide my temper behind a jest, I believe I shall simply have to take my chances with yours. Now, shall we apply to your sister?”

In fact, Georgiana had not completed her first piece before Colonel Fitzwilliam made his belated appearance, and Darcy was surprised to see Richard had brought his brother along.

“Ah, Darcy.” Richard gestured at the tall, blue-uniformed man beside him. “I offer my apologies for my tardy arrival, but I brought George in compensation. He arrived home quite unexpectedly, and he immediately invited himself along when he learned of your engagement. But he was adamant about washing up and donning a clean uniform before we left, so he is to blame for our delay.”

Darcy glanced quickly at Elizabeth, but she gave no sign of triumph at the correctness of her advice and only looked attentively at the colonel.

“Now, really, Darcy, perhaps you could restrain that look of resigned impatience and handle the introductions?”

“Of course, Richard,” Darcy said with a smile, and Fitzwilliam looked surprised, for he had expected more of a reaction.

“First, George, allow me to present Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who has done me the honour of agreeing to become my wife. Elizabeth, this is another of my cousins, Captain the Honourable George Fitzwilliam of His Majesty’s navy, who, the last I heard, commands the frigate
HMS Medea.
”

“Your news is correct, Darcy; I still command
Medea
,” Captain Fitzwilliam said in a deep, rather gravelly voice, “though I am afraid the old girl is going to be spending some weeks in dry-dock. I am extremely glad to meet you, Miss Bennet.”

“And I to meet you, Captain,” Elizabeth replied, returning his bow with a graceful curtsey.

“Actually, George, Richard, the title ‘Miss Bennet’ is held by Elizabeth’s elder sister, Miss Jane Bennet. These are my two cousins, Miss Bennet — Captain Fitzwilliam and Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam of His Majesty’s Dragoons.”

Darcy turned to the Gardiners. “And these are their aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Gardner. Sir, ma’am, my two cousins.”

“George is my older brother, Miss Elizabeth,” Richard said, smiling broadly, “but he is, alas, still a younger son, as am I, and has to labour for a living. But I forget myself. Allow me to tender my heartiest congratulations, Miss Elizabeth — or perhaps it should be my condolences. The family has long wondered when Darcy would marry, but they never expected he might convince a young lady as beautiful and charming as yourself to accept him. I do wish you the best of luck with him.”

Elizabeth stared at him over the edge of her fan, her eyes dancing with merriment, then turned to Darcy. “Sir, your cousin is most polite in expressing himself, but I wonder at such an amiable man being without a wife. Have you ever given any thought to helping him in that endeavour? I know he has often commented that, because of his perilous financial situation, he must pay attention to money when he marries, but I am thinking of a certain fashionable and elegant young lady known to both of us who does possess a handsome fortune. Would this sister of your friend not make him an admirable wife?”

Darcy smiled slowly and considered Richard for a moment until his cousin began to look rather alarmed. “You have made a valid point, my dear, and I think it is worth some consideration. Yes, I will have to think on it at some length…”

“Now, Darce,” Richard said hastily, “I was only jesting…”

“Which I have often advised could lead you into trouble.” Captain Fitzwilliam appeared suddenly at Richard’s elbow and smiled thinly at Darcy. “Or, perhaps I should have said, into trouble
again
.”

“Why, whoever are you talking about, William?” said Georgiana, who had left her instrument and joined them.

Elizabeth leaned over and whispered into her ear, and Georgiana’s face lit as she smiled widely. “Oh, that is devilishly clever! Oh, quite excellent, Miss Elizabeth! A perfect match indeed.”

“Wait, wait!” Richard cried, fully alarmed, but Georgiana took hold of one arm and Elizabeth the other as they led him to a couch.

Darcy and Captain Fitzwilliam exchanged smiles before Darcy left to rearrange the seating due to his unexpected guest.

Not until just before supper was served was Colonel Fitzwilliam able to escape his two tormentors, who greatly enjoyed teasing him.

“I do not know just what is on your mind, Darce, but Georgiana and her new friend are having far too much amusement at my expense.”

“We are only thinking of your best interests, Richard,” Darcy said in his best expressionless voice.

“Somehow, I wonder,” Richard retorted doubtfully then changed the subject. “Did you receive Mother’s congratulatory note yet?”

“I did and immediately sent my thanks, though I did notice her congratulations were from her alone and did not include my uncle.”

Richard smiled. “Do not worry; she will soon have him well in hand. It is already evident his heart is not fully engaged in defending his sister. Whether he finally comprehends the extent of Anne’s illness or recognizes Aunt Catherine’s deception, he is already wavering.”

“I suppose so,” Darcy replied; then he nodded towards Richard’s brother, who was speaking with Elizabeth and her sister. “I was surprised to see George. I believed him still in the Caribbean.

“Oh, he was, but he has the most excellent good fortune. He and another frigate fell in with a French convoy out of the American port of New Orleans, and the two frigates outmanoeuvred and outfought the Frenchies over several days. The
Medea
was holed several tines below the waterline and crept into Plymouth with a sail stretched below the hull and half the crew manning the pumps. Like he said, it will be some while before she sails again.”

“Unfortunate,” Darcy said in commiseration.

“Did you not hear me mention his good fortune? The two frigates sank one of the Frog frigates and boarded and captured other one. They brought the frigate and five of the merchantmen into Plymouth. His share of the prize money may come to more than a hundred thousand pounds.”

Darcy gave a low whistle of amazement. “That is a very tidy sum, Richard.”

“Indeed, and it is not the only time he has been fortunate. I should have chosen the Navy rather than soldiering.”

“From what I heard, you were intended for the church.”

“As if that was going to happen, Darce!” Richard said with a laugh.

“But back to what I said — I am surprised to see George.”

“What you mean is, why would he come when my father has not yet decided whether he approves?”

“Exactly. While you know that I like George quite well, he is a dutiful son. Given his father’s displeasure…”

“Father has not yet openly expressed himself in that manner, Darce,” Richard said disapprovingly.

“Yes, yes, I know. I apologize, Richard; I know his ways, and I spoke hastily. Anyway, in addition to being a dutiful son, I know George is rather more used to the company of men than to that of ladies. He usually avoids all social events as if they were centres of plague. So, why would he invite himself along to meet my future wife? Not that I am displeased in the slightest to see him, you understand, but I am curious.”

“It was not so much defiance of Father as displeasure with Aunt Catherine. You know how he feels about her ladyship.”

“No,” Darcy said slowly. “I cannot say I know anything about that at all. Pray tell me more.”

“I thought I mentioned that episode, but it matters little; the story is well worth repeating. It goes back to the time Aunt Catherine took George to task for what she considered his lack of table manners.”

“His manners!” Darcy was incredulous. “I have dined with him often, and I never noticed anything lacking in his comportment.”

“His manner were not actually bad, Darce. They were not what her ladyship expected. After all, the Navy educates its officers quite early to dine with officers from lieutenants to admirals. In fact, after Aunt Catherine expressed herself, George said as much in his usual manner.”

“Oh, my.” Darcy smiled at the image that came to mind.

“Oh, yes, ‘oh, my’! As you well know, her ladyship admires forthrightness only in herself. She told him in rather vituperative terms that what might pass for adequate social graces at the table of that adulterer Nelson was not acceptable at hers. That was about seven or eight years ago, right after Nelson’s death at Trafalgar.”

“I can imagine few things that would more offend your brother.”

“Eminently true, and George was quite put off. You know what the Navy thinks of Nelson, especially at that time, not six months after his funeral down the Thames. And, while the Admiral’s affection for Lady Hamilton may be condemned officially, it could not lessen their respect for the man who won The Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar. George never returned to Rosings; in fact, I believe he has not mentioned Aunt Catherine’s name since.”

Darcy nodded understandingly as Richard continued his story. “You know how loyal George is. I believe he wanted to demonstrate that his allegiance would be given more to a cousin he likes and respects than to an aunt who considered his selection of forks a capital offence.”

When Darcy rearranged the seating, he had taken the simplest course and placed George at the end of the table with Jane Bennet on one side and the Gardiners on the other. He placed Elizabeth beside him at the head of the table, with Georgiana and Richard on his other side. He knew he would have to place her at the foot of the table on formal occasions once they were married, but at this informal meal, he had decided to do as he pleased in his own home so he could converse with her.

However, during the second course, his attention was drawn to the unusual attention George was paying Jane Bennet, considering his cousin’s aversion to social functions. After that first notice, he kept a circumspect watch on the foot of the table, which revealed that Miss Bennet was conversing more than he was used to seeing. By his previous observations, her countenance was oriented more to the serene than to the lively, yet he saw her leaning close to listen to George, with her cheeks showing a touch of a blush and her gaze focused and absorbed.

Intrigued, he watched surreptitiously for several more minutes and then leaned over to whisper to Elizabeth. “You might glance at the foot of the table and tell me what you think.”

Elizabeth looked at him curiously, then casually brought her napkin to her lips and looked toward her sister. She observed the conversation before finally turning back to Darcy. “I cannot tell about your cousin, for I do not know him, but Jane is talking more than usual. She is normally more disposed to listening than to speaking.”

“That was my thought as well, but I can definitely say that George is not gregarious. He is more inclined to reticence at social events than I. For him, this is unusual.”

Elizabeth’s brows creased in thought before she shrugged. “Interesting. Well, time will tell.”

“It would be even more interesting if this is more than idle table chatter. Perhaps our example is inspiring a certain amount of imitation.”

Elizabeth looked somewhat doubtful, but she looked back at her sister.
Jane is looking at that naval officer much differently than she did Bingley,
she thought.
Of course, Bingley possessed almost the same disposition as Jane while this man is very unlike her. In fact, he is almost too much a man — tall, broad-shouldered, with that rumbling deep voice. Almost a caricature of a Siegfried-like hero…

“If we are exemplifying anything, sir, it is that an attraction is possible between most unlikely persons,” she said, her eyes bright as she looked at Darcy. “Jane and your cousin are distinctly different, as we are equally unlike…”

“…but we do complement each other,” Darcy said quickly, and Elizabeth looked at him a moment before smiling gently.

“Yes, Mr. Darcy,” she said thoughtfully, her eyes hooded. “Now that you mention it, I believe you are correct. We do complement each other, but there is a thought which you might consider.”

“And that might be…?”

“You should remember, sir, that you are a sensible man, and I hope I am a sensible woman.” Her smile grew. “But I have three other sisters, all of whom are unmarried — and none of whom are sensible. Do you have relations or friends enough who are
not
sensible?”

“Unlikely, Elizabeth, very unlikely,” Darcy said with a quick laugh. “But perhaps their situation will improve after we are married.”

Especially,
he thought,
since my solicitor is drawing up marriage articles to settle a modest dowry on your sisters, so they hopefully will not require me to find them husbands either from my family or elsewhere. It would be churlish to leave them in their present precarious situation.

Elizabeth studied him closely. “There is something in your eyes, sir…but I cannot tell. It appears my talents are not sufficient to read your thoughts.”

“Yet.”

“Perhaps. In any event, I would wager that whatever is in your thoughts would not do you a disservice.”

“You are very confident in me, Elizabeth.”

“I believe,” she said, looking at him, “that… Yes, I am certain of it. You are being generous and do not want to be credited with it.”

“To that, I have nothing to say.”

“Now I am convinced of it,” she said firmly. “Come, sir, you must inform me; I shall know it in time.”

“Likely so, but I am one who desires that gifts be secret until they are opened…”

“…and I have never been afraid to use whatever tricks and stratagems are necessary to discover what is concealed.”

“Then I believe we are well matched…”

“…since we complement. Yes, I agree. We are well matched. And, whether you agree or not, you are a most unusual man, Mr. Darcy — most unusual indeed.”

“I suppose I can accept that description. And, if I am, then could I persuade you to call me ‘William’ instead of ‘Mr. Darcy’?”

“William,” Elizabeth said slowly, rolling the word on her tongue before giving him a saucy smile. “But sir, my mother calls my father ‘Mr. Bennet.’”

“And my mother called my father ‘Mr. Darcy,’ and he called her ‘Mrs. Darcy,’” he parried quickly. “But I am not my parents, nor are you yours.”