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“Oh no, sir—it is precisely the same! And by your own reckoning, you should have married your cousin— that would have done very nicely to consolidate all those precious connections and money and land! Perhaps your dear uncle can write to his pet bishop—surely they would grant you an annulment—I brought no dowry or connections, after all! And then you will be free to repair your coffers by making a far more productive marriage!”

“Elizabeth…” Will was finally conscious of just how furious he had made his wife. Unfortunately, her onslaught left him no room to retreat.

“For shame, sir—I cannot comprehend the neglect of family fortune in times such as these! I’m certain that you shall be quite content, sitting in your vault at Pemberley and counting your gold pieces like the dragons of yore!”

Somehow it seemed entirely appropriate to Elizabeth that they had just come in sight of the parsonage, a place that instantly prompted memories of the terrible words they had exchanged over Mr. Darcy’s first proposal the previous spring.

For a moment, she considered removing herself from his presence under the pretext of calling upon Mrs. Collins.

However, just she was about to excuse herself, she caught sight of a profile through the window that she recognized.

If the situation was as she suspected, then she had no desire to disturb the conversation that was taking place within, even if it meant continuing to keep company with her blockheaded dolt of a husband.

Sniffing in irritation, Elizabeth turned onto a path that led away from the parsonage and back toward Rosings.

She walked swiftly, concentrating on holding her tongue so that she would not say anything more rash than what had escaped already.

She had hoped never to feel such exasperation with the man beside her, but currently she could not vouch for her temper.

As a result of her preoccupation, it was some minutes before Lizzy realized that the gentleman who so consumed her thoughts was no longer at her side. Her vexation was such that she refused to look around for him, but instead kept up her pace, though the surroundings was entirely lost upon her.

Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy remained standing precisely where he had stopped during her final salvo.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a tired, distressed man under great pressure will often revert to those opinions with which he is most familiar, however successful he may have been in reforming his personal attitudes.

Fortunately, Darcy was a clever man when he put his mind to it, and he quickly grasped how his words had reminded his wife of his former arrogance. “Fitzwilliam Darcy, you are such a git ,” he muttered to himself before starting off at a ground-eating pace to catch up to his wife.

Luncheon at Rosings was rather quiet that day.

Darcy was subdued and largely content to observe rather than enter into any debate with his wife or relations. She had forgiven him, but there remained a glint in her eye that suggested he would do well to retain a contrite attitude for the near future .

Richard smiled and joked, but there was a hint of rebellion in his expression whenever he turned toward his father. Meanwhile, the Earl sat down to the meal with the grim manner of a powerful man accustomed to having his own way and who cannot comprehend why his orders were not being followed.

Lord Henry’s manner gradually lightened, however, primarily due to Elizabeth’s efforts to draw him and his niece into conversation. She was able to coax Matlock into telling stories of his childhood with Lady Catherine and Lady Anne and the soup course even ended with a little laughter.

When Elizabeth inquired as to their efforts with regard to Dr. Humphrey, she was amused to see identical grins appear on both Fitzwilliams’ faces.

“ Mister Humphrey shall not be practicing medicine again, at least not in Britain,” proclaimed Matlock with obvious satisfaction.

Richard elaborated, “Drs. Burrel and Ruckers shall be presenting a joint paper to the Royal Society next month on the ill effects of closing a wound without properly cleansing it, as well as the necessity of direct observation of such wounds during the healing process; Humphrey’s treatment of Lady Catherine shall form the case study they describe. ”

“And,” chortled Lord Henry, “just in case he tries to change his name, the Times and several other newspapers have been provided with all the relevant information as well as an excellent likeness that will be published within the week. With any luck at all, he shall soon be one of the most reviled men in England.”

“Good heavens! Shall he remain in Hunsford, do you think?” inquired Elizabeth. However inept, she hoped that the man would not be made desperate.

“I have given him until the end of the month to vacate his cottage,” declared the Earl with a shrug.

Seeing Mrs. Darcy’s look of surprise, he explained, “The property is part of the estate, and I, as my sister’s executor, am perfectly within my legal rights to demand that a non-paying tenant evacuate the premises.

And he has certainly leeched enough from the estate to fund a very comfortable retirement for himself. ”

“He has an exceptional opportunity for the future, if he only has the sense to take it,” added Richard unrepentantly. “My father has offered him a first class berth on the next ship bound for Australia!”

While the gentlemen chuckled gleefully, Lizzy only smiled, not entirely certain that their form of “punishment” would not merely transfer the problem elsewhere. Will saw her hesitation and offered quietly, “He shall never practice medicine again—we shall make sure of it.”

She nodded gratefully and he felt the iron bands that had locked around his chest since their quarrel loosen another notch .

Darcy was just considering how he might excuse himself and his wife so that they might retire to their chambers (where he might continue apologizing in a more intimate manner) when a commotion in the yard signaled the arrival of a visitor.

From the window, Darcy observed a tall, well-dressed gentleman climb down from a bright yellow curricle with the ridiculously large wheels currently in vogue among the fastest of the fast sets in London.

When the driver turned his dark features toward the house, Will felt his hopes for a quiet afternoon with his wife evaporate.

Moments later, the butler opened the door to the dining room and intoned, “Lord Edward Fitzwilliam, Viscount Ashbourne.”

It was unclear if Ashbourne was ignoring his relations’ surprise or genuinely did not notice. Regardless, he greeted his father in a cheerful manner that was thoroughly inappropriate for a family in mourning.

“Papa! How are you? I came as soon as I received your note!” The viscount did not bother waiting for an answer but continued on, complaining about the roads in Kent and the fact that he had just left a particularly fine house party in Sussex that had promised some excellent shooting.

Eventually, Ashbourne’s monologue ran down and he looked around at his audience expectantly.

“Well, then, shall we retire to the study and get down to business?” Without waiting for an answer, the viscount turned on his heel, clearly anticipating that the other gentlemen would follow.

Unfortunately, his grand exit was somewhat diminished when he was forced to ask a footman for directions to the study.

Matlock shut his eyes tightly for a moment and drew a breath before excusing himself and following his eldest son. Darcy and Richard exchanged a glance, both wondering what new bit of chicanery the viscount was up to (and whether the Earl would allow his heir to get away with it).

Before following the other gentlemen, however, Darcy quietly drew his wife aside to make a request. “Would you talk to Anne and try to discover her wishes for the future? I believe she is more likely to speak openly with you than any of us, and knowing will help me ensure that we do not make any decisions that go against her wishes.”

Elizabeth smiled and touched his cheek, trying to reassure him that she was no longer angry.

“Of course. But you might remind your uncle that she has only just begun mourning her mother and cannot be seen to be courted, much less engaged or married, for at least a year, unless he desires her to scandalize all of Society.”

Darcy’s eyes brightened and he kissed her hand in gratitude.

After watching his handsome form as he left the room, Lizzy turned to discover that Miss de Bourgh was observing her curiously from across the room. “Well Anne, it appears that we have been left to our own devices. Shall we go see what progress has been made on your dresses? ”

While the ladies spent a companionable afternoon discussing the relative merits of long versus short sleeves and the Christmas celebration that Mrs. Darcy was planning for Pemberley, the gentlemen held a far more contentious conference.

It began when Matlock asked his younger son if he was ready to “see sense.” At Ashbourne’s inquiry, his father explained, “We have been discussing the advantages of an alliance between Richard and Anne.”

Darcy was surprised when his favorite cousin merely rolled his eyes and replied firmly, “I appreciate your concern for my future, Father, but I will not now, nor will I ever, marry Anne de Bourgh.” His anger and agitation from the morning appeared to be gone, replaced with a calm certainty.

Hoping to prevent another confrontation, Darcy was about to bring up Elizabeth’s point about Anne’s mourning when support arose from a most unexpected source.

“Papa,” remarked the viscount. “I, of anyone, know that my little brother has the stubbornness of a mule, so perhaps it would be better to explore another avenue, for the present at least.”