Page 13

Fortunately, Lady Catherine did not notice the Earl’s eyebrows rise to his hairline. Recovering quickly, he could not resist baiting his sister. “Well that’s a relief. Insensible guests are certainly a trial.”

Catherine sipped her wine and nodded in agreement, not catching her brother’s irony.

“Indeed. The girl had a quick wit about her and was reasonably well-bred though she never had a governess. Can you imagine? Five daughters in the family and no governess! She claimed her father taught her but I have my doubts.”

As might be imagined, Darcy was paying close attention to his aunt’s conversation.

He was only stopped from defending Elizabeth when Richard kicked his ankle.

This turned out to be fortunate as the Earl was enjoying himself immensely.

To have Catherine praising Darcy’s fiancée with what were, for her, effusive compliments, was simply too amusing.

“No governess! Heavens above—had she any accomplishments at all?”

“Miss Bennet played and sang with a great deal of raw, native talent; her voice is very expressive although, as I told her myself, she needs to practice more if she ever desires to attain some level of technical competence.” Lady Catherine was silent for a moment and the Earl caught a look in her eye that was almost approving.

When she spoke again, it was in a surprisingly gentle tone and to her brother alone.

“She reminded me of when our sister would play. Do you remember? Mama would tell her that she must practice more but Anne always preferred to go dabble with her watercolors. But when she did play, it was as if she opened her heart.”

Henry reached over to touch his only remaining sibling’s hand. “I miss her, too, Cathy. Even after all these years.”

Uncomfortable with such a display, Lady Catherine removed her hand, cleared her throat, and began speaking on the first topic that occurred to her.

“I told Miss Bennet that she could practice on Mrs. Jenkinson’s instrument—she would not bother anyone in that part of the house—but I don’t believe she took my advice.

Unfortunate. I might have been able to find her a respectable position as a governess although she would have had to learn a proper respect for her betters, of course. ”

Matlock only managed to mumble a brief response as any more would have betrayed his amusement.

Oblivious to her brother’s emotions, Lady Catherine continued, “In some ways, it would be unfortunate to see her broken down into an obsequious little governess. She did have a bit of wit about her.”

Henry could not resist. “Why, Catherine! You sound as if you positively admired the young lady!”

His sister straightened her shoulders and waved off a footman offering potatoes.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Henry. She’s nobody—no wealth or connections whatsoever.

Now, what are the Clintons doing? Lady Ferris wrote to me that her daughter is betrothed to Lord Gregory.

Does he gamble as dreadfully as his father? ”

The dinner conversation shifted to other families in Derbyshire. Anne remembered little else about the evening as exhaustion soon overwhelmed her and she thankfully allowed her aunt to send her off to bed, overruling even Lady Catherine’s protestations.

The next morning, Miss de Bourgh lingered in her rooms; the long rest had lessened her fatigue after so much travel but the thought of facing such a large group of strangers made her weary again.

When Mrs. Jenkinson offered to fetch her a tray, Anne accepted gratefully and hoped that her mother would be too occupied to miss her.

Indeed, Lady Catherine did not notice her daughter’s absence though her thoughts were quite focused on matters related to her offspring.

She had allowed her brother to put off their discussion of Darcy and Anne’s marriage on the previous evening, but she was determined to establish his support for her plans that very morning.

When he finally finished his coffee, the Earl warily led his sister away to his study, giving his nephew a pointed look that told the younger man to remain nearby in case his uncle sent for him.

Matlock had barely settled into his chair when his sister began her speech.

“Henry; as I wrote to you, it is high time that we announce Anne’s engagement to Darcy.

Fitzwilliam is twenty-eight and there is no reason to put it off any longer.

Certainly he no longer has the excuse that he is mourning his father .

” Catherine barely refrained from commenting on how little she thought George Darcy had deserved mourning, recalling just in time that it would not further her cause with her brother.

She was, however, fully prepared to speak at length on the benefits of the match to the Fitzwilliam family and proceeded to do so for some time.

“In addition, Georgiana needs a female relative to prepare her for her debut and to direct her ascension in the first circles. I have already made inquiries regarding potential matches for her but we may discuss that at another time.”

The Earl had remained relatively quiet, believing it was better to hear his sister out and see what she was about before addressing Darcy’s plans.

This last statement was simply too much, however.

“Georgiana? The girl is not even out and you’re already considering husbands for her?

” He conveniently forgot that he himself had suggested a match between his niece and son as recently as the previous evening.

Lady Catherine gave him a withering look. “Really, Henry. One can never begin too soon with these things. Obviously, I shall take charge.”

The gentleman considered it extraordinary that his sister had just brushed aside himself and his own wife (a couple well-known in London Society who had successfully launched four daughters, all of whom had married very well), in favor of herself, who was rarely seen in town and whose own daughter was nearing thirty and had never even set foot in the Queen’s drawing room.

A flame of indignation began to burn at his usual equability.

Oblivious to her brother’s thoughts, Lady Catherine continued, “But that is neither here nor there. For now, we must focus on my nephew. I fear the boy has had too much freedom of late. When I attempted to discuss his betrothal at Easter he claimed that he had no such obligation! Can you imagine? As if he and Anne were not designed for each other from their cradles! We must sit him down and make certain he understands his duty to the family. I’ve had my solicitor draw up a marriage contract and Perkins assures me that once Darcy signs it, he shall be legally bound to Anne.

He may resist at first but between the two of us we shall know how to work on him. ”

Had the Earl of Matlock been a lesser man, his mouth would have been hanging open. He had known of his sister’s wish for Darcy to marry her daughter for years but he had never thought that her plotting had gone so far as to believe she had the power to force the issue.

“Catherine,” he began carefully. “You forget that our nephew is a man full-grown and dependent on no one. As you yourself said, he is eight-and-twenty and has been running Pemberley by himself since his father’s death.

” Seeing that his sister was about to argue, he added quickly, “Although I care for him as a son, we cannot order him to marry where he does not wish.”

Lady Catherine could no longer restrain herself. “Oh pish tosh! He is a Fitzwilliam and will do his duty to the family! With the two of us united, the boy will do as he is told.”

“Cathy, he is not a Fitzwilliam, even if his parents decided to honor our family when choosing his Christian name. He is a Darcy —a family with a far more ancient history and impressive array of connections than our own, might I remind you—and he has been head of the Darcy family for nigh on seven years now.”

Sir Lewis de Bourgh’s widow stared at her brother as if he had begun speaking in tongues.

Unable to contend with his facts, however, she dismissed them with a wave of her hand and returned to the point that was most important to her.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Henry. Our nephew—Darcy, if you insist—is promised to my daughter and has been for all of his life. ”

Henry raised his eyebrows, wondering at his sister’s single-mindedness. “How odd then that I never heard George Darcy speak of it, or our sister, for that matter.”

“Anne and I decided it on her deathbed. It was her dearest wish! ”

“I find that difficult to believe. The sister I knew might have asked you to watch over her children and do all in your power to see to their happiness but I cannot believe that our Anne would have arranged Fitzwilliam’s marriage when he was but a lad of ten.

She hoped he would find a marriage with affection, not just duty; you know that, Catherine. ”

The eldest of the Fitzwilliam siblings flushed and there was something very like guilt in her eyes.

“You dare suggest that I would lie about our sister’s final hours!

?! How dare you! Anne knew that a match connecting Pemberley to the heiress of Rosings Park would be to the benefit of all! She asked me to look after him!”

Something itched at the edge of Henry’s mind.

It had never occurred to him to inquire if his youngest sister had left any final messages in her last hours but Catherine’s manner was making him suspicious.

Before he could question her, however, there was a knock at the door followed by the entrance of the butler.

“Sir, Lady Ellen wishes you to know that the others are gathering for tea in the Turkish drawing room.”

The Earl nodded and quickly made a decision. After dismissing the servant to tell his eldest daughter that they would be there in a few minutes, he came around his desk and leaned back against it, crossing his arms.