Page 11 of Darcy in Distress (Pride and Prejudice Variation #17)
Zestra, Crown Princess of Mirandia, glared into the face of her uncle, Prince André, and declared, “I will not marry my cousin Hubert, I will not!”
She did not know her uncle well, as he primarily lived in the coastal city of Borista, and thus they had previously met only at formal state functions.
Certainly she had never feared him; indeed, his round face and rotund form, inevitably clad in bright colors, had provoked amusement instead of fear.
But now, with his dark eyes narrowed menacingly, with his jaw clenched in anger, she struggled to hide her terror.
Prince André took a dangerous step forward and smiled unpleasantly down at his niece. “I think you will wed my dear son, Princess, else your father and mother will perish by my very own hand, and you will watch.”
Zestra paled and trembled at these words and cried out, “You cannot, Uncle, you cannot! My father is your own brother! Surely you would not subvert the laws of Heaven and Earth by shedding the blood of your kin!”
“You mistake my character if you think that is true, Zestra,” Prince André warned, and such was his fury that froth bubbled at the corners of his narrow mouth.
“I was born to rule this kingdom – not my brother, who is far too gentle and weak with the subjects of Mirandia. You will marry my son, and he will become king, and I will assist Hubert in making this fair land all that she was meant to be!”
“No, no!” Zestra cried out, tears streaming down her damask cheeks. “Uncle, have mercy! Have mercy!”
-
Where is Zestra being held? A remote farmhouse? A tower? (Petrosinella legend.) Perhaps a house in the midst of a maze, which would make it difficult for Zestra to escape? But then how can she be rescued? Perhaps a servant in the house can be suborned?
A sudden crash from outside the library door caused Mr. Bennet to jump in surprise.
He muttered unhappily, partly because he had lost the flow of words, partly because he had splattered ink on the paper.
The latter did not matter much; he would make edits and changes and copy the whole thing out before sending it to his publisher.
The cacophony outside his library grew even more strident. Bennet rose, stalked over to the door, and flung it open to regard his youngest two daughters, who were screaming at one another as a sobbing maid attempted to clean up a pile of broken crockery off the floor of the hallway .
“It is not my fault!” Kitty squealed. “You pushed past me and...”
“You were in the way!” Lydia howled. “I...”
“Silence!” Bennet snapped angrily. “What is happening here?”
“Kitty tripped me...!”
“Lydia shoved me...!”
“Be quiet, both of you!” Elizabeth exclaimed, carefully descending the last steps of the staircase to avoid the spilled tea and broken bits of cups.
“I saw it all from the landing. Lydia insisted on rushing past Kitty in the hall, and she bumped into Emily, who was carrying a tea tray. Emily, are you all right?”
“Oh yes, Miss Elizabeth,” the girl responded, using her apron to wipe her face. “I am so sorry, Mr. Bennet!”
“It was not your fault, Emily,” Mr. Bennet said firmly. “Get up before you cut yourself. Lydia, run and find Hill; he knows how to clean this up safely.”
“Why must I do so?” Lydia whined. “It was Kitty’s fault...”
“It was not! ”
“Lydia, if you complain any more, I will deduct the price of that crockery from your quarterly allowance!” Bennet declared.
Lydia shut her mouth with a snap, and while her eyes flashed indignantly, she obediently walked toward the pantry, where the butler could usually be found this time of day.
“Kitty, take Emily to Mrs. Hall so that she can help her change into new clothes. Elizabeth, come in here.”
Elizabeth obediently stepped into the library, her lips compressed in exasperation.
“Lydia should be ashamed of herself,” she said vehemently. “She could have hurt Emily when she pushed her.”
“Lydia is rarely ashamed of anything, my dear,” Bennet commented with a smirk.
He saw the irritation on his favorite daughter’s face and raised a restraining hand.
“I do not wish to speak of Lydia, Elizabeth. I intend to visit Mr. Bingley today, and I think you and Jane ought to come along. I would rather your mother and younger sisters stay home, so I suggest that we announce that we are visiting the Lyntons. We will do so, but then go on to Netherfield.”
Elizabeth considered and then nodded. “Mother is not feeling well today, so she would not wish to accompany us, and I agree that I do not want Lydia and Kitty along. I do wish to check on Mrs. Lynton, as I understand her last birth was a difficult one; we will bring a basket of food for her.”
“Yes, and I understand a section of their south field needs draining?”
“That is correct,” Elizabeth acknowledged. “I know the crop yields have been depressed these last years because the soil is too wet. Of course, it will take some financial outlay to solve the problem.”
Her father frowned and nodded slowly, “We should determine how much it will cost, and I will ensure that we have sufficient funds. Now go on, Lizzy. I hope to write a little more in the next hour, and we will leave after noon.”
“Yes, Father.”
/
The library at Netherfield was warm and cozy, even if it was sadly short of reading material.
George Wickham did not mind that; he had correspondence to read and answer, and wished for some privacy.
Given that the ladies were playing instruments, and Darcy and Bingley were discussing estate business in Bingley’s study, this was the perfect place for him to work.
He picked up a letter from his most reliable agent in London and carefully broke the wax, read it, read it again, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.
“Is there a problem?” a male voice said from behind him.
Wickham squeaked in surprise and turned around, then grinned reluctantly at the sly expression on Colonel Fitzwilliam’s face.
“One of these years,” Wickham warned.
“You keep saying that,” Richard responded with a chuckle, “and yet, I keep creeping up on you.”
“It is that military training, and no doubt I have underestimated your sneakiness. Darcy never manages to creep up on me.”
“It did seem you were deep in thought, which is a partial excuse for being so unaware of your surroundings,” his friend said handsomely. “But come, you looked unhappy. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Wickham pinched his chin with his fingers thoughtfully and then handed the letter over. “Please read this letter.”
Fitzwilliam took the paper with some hesitation and then sat down near the crackling fire. He began reading with growing incredulity, mixed with disgust, and when he was finished, he lifted his eyes and demanded, “Is this information correct?”
Wickham inclined his head and said, “Yes, Mr. Bryant is my most reliable informant in Town regarding the indebtedness of the nobility and gentry.”
The colonel clenched his teeth and read the letter again, then snarled, “My father is a fool, and my brothers with him! They will bring the house of Matlock down if they keep up this reckless spending!”
“They are hardly the first noble family to indulge in gambling and overindulgence in purchasing the finer things of life,” Wickham pointed out. “Our own Regent...”
“Prinny has the entire British treasury at his back,” the colonel interrupted angrily.
“My father has only his estates, and while Matlock is an extensive property, it cannot carry this kind of financial burden. I declare, Wickham, I have a strong desire to leap on my horse and ride back to London and confront the Earl! It is bad enough that he is gambling heavily, but to encourage my brothers to spend excessively is beyond belief!”
“Viscount Greyston is probably following in the Earl’s steps, as for your younger brother – I believe he has been much indulged all his life?”
Richard compressed his lips and nodded reluctantly.
“You are correct. My mother has always been his champion, and he has been spoiled since infancy, as he was a delicate child. But he is a youngest son! How could he be such a fool as to go to the moneylenders when he has no expectation of ever inheriting the estate? How does he imagine he will pay off these debts, especially at such high interest rates, especially since he was never forced to study for any kind of profession?”
“I suspect he is not thinking at all,” Wickham said wryly.
“Fitzwilliam, you have a sober disposition and a natural turn for economy. There are many men and women who cannot restrain themselves when faced with the temptation to spend money. I suspect I would have been one of those individuals if my father had not lost his position as steward. I was well on my way to becoming one of those indebted men you despise so much.”
“I do not despise them, exactly,” the colonel replied, slumping back in his seat and running his left hand down his face.
“I play cards for money on occasion, though never for high stakes. I am merely worried about my family; with my father spending every penny of his income, and my elder brother in debt, and my younger brother as well – dear God, can the estate provide dowries when Rebecca and Emma are married?”
“Probably not,” Wickham conceded. “Now Colonel, I know this is most distressing, but my primary loyalty is to the Darcys, and I am most concerned about the fates of Lady Anne and Georgiana. ”
Richard sat up straighter with an arrested expression on his face. “Of course! This explains why my father is so eager to gain control of Lady Anne. If he has legal custody of my aunt, he can use her money as he sees fit, and he is in dire need of immediate funds!”
“Precisely.”
“I am confused as to why my father wishes to take Georgiana?” Richard mused. “She will not have control of her own money until she achieves her majority, nor will she enter society for at least a year or two, especially given her shyness. She would merely be an expense to feed and clothe.”
“It may be that Matlock intends to sell her to the highest bidder as a wealthy bride; that, or marry her to your younger brother.”
Richard swallowed convulsively and sat back, his face twisted in horror. “She is but sixteen!”
“There have been other brides of such tender age,” Wickham said mildly.
“I am not certain of your father’s mind, but I know it has nothing to do with Miss Darcy’s best interests.
There is another possibility; if Matlock gains control of Miss Darcy, her brother would be willing to pay a great deal to regain at least unofficial guardianship. ”
“So my father either wishes to make her a child bride, or use her as a hostage,” the colonel said, his voice dripping with disgust.
“It is a dreadful thing to say about your father, I know.”
“No, Wickham, you are entirely right. I promise you that I will fight with all that I have to keep Georgiana safely in her brother’s tender care.”
Wickham blew out a breath and felt his entire body relax. “I am glad. I have no doubt that with your help, Miss Darcy will be safe from her uncle’s selfish schemes.”
The door to the library opened, and both gentlemen looked up to observe a young maid, who said meekly, “Sirs, Mr. Bingley wishes to inform you that the Bennets are visiting and are in the drawing room.”
“Thank you,” Wickham said, rising to his feet. “Shall we, Colonel?”