Page 13 of Darcy in Distress (Pride and Prejudice Variation #17)

Mr. Bennet was deep in thought as he exited his library.

The problem was that with the king, queen, and princess imprisoned by the evil Prince André, there was no one to vouch for the truth that Lilia was Zestra’s twin sister.

Furthermore – Lilia actually should be the elder of the two daughters, not the younger, which would make her the crown princess of Mirandia.

Perhaps some faithful statesman was present at the birth of the twins?

Perhaps a noblewoman, or wise woman, whom everyone admires and trusts, knows of the king’s decision to send one of his daughters away to safety?

The king could have written some kind of document with the Royal Seal, and entrusted it to the wise woman, or. ..

“Captain Denny is the most handsome officer of all,” Lydia gushed, “though Lieutenant Pratt is quite good looking as well.”

Mr. Bennet blinked and looked around him in surprise. Not for the first time, his legs had carried him to the appropriate place in Longbourn; in this instance, the drawing room, where his three younger daughters had gathered before dinner.

“Oh, I think Mr. Pratt is the best looking!” Kitty argued. “That wonderful blond hair... ”

“I prefer dark hair in a gentleman,” Lydia said loftily.

Bennet blinked a few more times and frowned. “What are you speaking of?”

“They are speaking of militia officers, Father,” Mary said with a hint of scorn in her voice. “A regiment is stationed in Meryton for the winter, and Kitty and Lydia are all agog.”

“You would be as well if you had any hope of attracting them,” Lydia commented insolently. “Of course, none of the officers would be interested in a woman who always has her nose in a book...”

“Enough of that, Lydia,” Mr. Bennet ordered. “You would be far more sensible a girl if you read books.”

“I do not need to read books,” the youngest Miss Bennet declared with a toss of her dark curls. “Mama says that gentlemen wish for handsome, lively girls, not bluestockings!”

Mr. Bennet compressed his lips. This was exactly the sort of advice he could expect from his wife, and the sad truth was that Mrs. Bennet was, at least in the case of her own husband, correct.

He had been enamored by Miss Frances Gardiner’s beauty and vivaciousness and proposed marriage without considering how very incompatible they were in both interests and intelligence.

Mrs. Bennet, as the daughter of a solicitor, had leapt up the societal ladder when she married a gentleman.

If she had birthed a son, she would probably be quite content with her lot.

The door opened, breaking into his ruminations, and he looked over as Jane and Elizabeth entered, both looking mildly perturbed. A moment later, the butler entered to announce dinner. The ladies began filing out but Mr. Bennet, catching Elizabeth’s eye, gestured for her to remain behind.

“Is something the matter?” he asked once the room was empty.

“Yes, though I daresay it is nothing serious. It is merely that Jane and I checked on Mother a few minutes ago, and she is quite ill.”

“Is she?” Bennet returned in some surprise. He was quite used to his wife’s periodic withdrawals into her room when her ‘nerves’ overcame her. It had not occurred to him that she might truly be unwell.

“She looked pale and complains of a headache and fatigue. However, she would not allow us to stay for more than a minute; it would be a crisis of Biblical proportions if Jane were to be infected and take to her bed at this critical juncture, with several eligible and single men dwelling at Netherfield.”

Bennet suppressed a chuckle and said, “I am certain your mother will be well shortly. Shall we go to dinner?”

/

Netherfield

The next day

Once again, Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Wickham had gathered in Bingley’s study.

Richard strode up and down the parqueted floor twice before sitting down, taking a deep breath and stating, “If I tell my father, to his very face, that I will not support him, then surely he will cease his absurd attempts to take Lady Anne and Georgiana from you, Darcy.”

“I believe you underrate Lord Matlock’s desperation,” Wickham said. “You have seen how much he needs additional income. I doubt he will give up easily.”

Richard found he could not remain seated and leaped to his feet, the better to pace up and down the floor of Bingley’s study.

“Without my support, Matlock will see that there is no hope at all. Mr. Darcy’s last will and testament makes Darcy and me joint guardians of Georgiana until her majority.

Lady Anne is being well cared for by her son. Legally, there is nothing he can do. ”

“If the courts always passed sound judgement, then you would be correct,” Darcy said heavily. “Regrettably, men like Lord Matlock often have connections and political sway which result in unrighteous judgements.”

“I must do something!” Richard exclaimed. “I must! I cannot merely sit here in comfort while my father plots against you and your family, Darcy.”

“Richard,” Darcy said affectionately, “I have no doubt that as a military man, your instinct is to rush to London and do battle with your father. George says, and I agree, that it would serve us better for you to write a letter to my London solicitor, describing, in detail, your full support of my guardianship of my sister and mother. Mr. Welles is most adept at writing letters and arguing points of law. The longer we can delay, the greater hope that this will not result in a court case.”

“Why?” the colonel demanded. “Wickham said, only a minute ago, that my father is desperate.”

“Yes, but my mother is still recovering from her years of laudanum addiction. There are times, rare ones, when she is still excessively fatigued.”

“Is she still taking laudanum?” Richard asked in surprise.

“I believe she is now completely free of the drug,” Darcy said, “though it is possible that Mrs. Lockwood still administers a little of it on occasion. You must understand, Cousin, that when my father died so suddenly after our towering argument, I was quite overcome. On the one hand, my mother had suffered under the cruel thumb of my father for many years, and I had done nothing to rescue her. I felt terribly guilty! And yet I had looked up to my father for many years, and those feelings of admiration and respect could not be swept away in an instant. Moreover, it is possible that my decision to take my mother away from Pemberley was the catalyst for my father’s apoplexy… ”

“You cannot blame yourself for that, Darcy!” Richard interrupted urgently. “Your father made his decision to mistreat his wife. Indeed, I would say he came by his just deserts!”

“I do agree with you, of course,” his cousin said, rubbing his temples with restless fingers.

“Indeed, as George has pointed out more than once, it is fortunate that my father expired when he did, because he would have altered his will and removed me as Georgiana’s guardian if he had lived long enough to consult with his solicitor.

In any case, I was overwhelmed with legal matters and the estate, and while I found new, reliable servants to look after Lady Anne, I did not understand that she would need specific care in decreasing her laudanum intake.

It was not until I hired Mrs. Lockwood, her current companion and nurse, that we began safely decreasing the amount of laudanum she was taking.

My mother is much stronger than she was even a year ago, but she still has hours and days when she is excessively weary and sometimes even confused.

I believe every week will help her. If Matlock succeeds in having her seen by a doctor to evaluate her sanity, it would be best if she was as strong and coherent as possible. ”

Silence fell for a minute until Richard said, “Very well, I will bow to your expert evaluation of the matter. I suggest that when I write the letter, I do not reveal my location here at Netherfield Hall. My father has sent the Runners out, you know, trying to find you.”

Darcy huffed in exasperation and said, “He truly has gone mad!”

“He is frantic for additional income,” Wickham reminded him. “Now Richard, if you would care to sit down immediately and write that letter, I can have it sent out this afternoon. Lady Anne has requested that we visit the Bennets in a few hours, which will, I hope, be a pleasant time for us all.”

/

Matlock House

Londo n

“Cecil!” Lord Matlock exclaimed. “It is about time that you got here!”

Cecil Fitzwilliam, youngest son of the Earl of Matlock, scowled at his father and arched a delicate eyebrow. “It has only been a little more than two days since your summons, Father.”

The earl scowled back and snapped, “And yet, when you need money from me, you are on my doorstep within hours!”

The young man sighed, sat down across from his father, and carefully flicked a piece of lint off of his costly yellow pantaloons. “I am here now, sir. What do you want?”

Matlock clenched his teeth, rose to his feet, and began striding up and down the parqueted floor of his office.

Finally, he halted and turned to his youngest son and said, “I daresay this is not entirely what you wish, but I think you must be prepared to marry your cousin Georgiana in the near future.”

Cecil, who had been regarding his father with a bored expression, surged to his feet as if stung by a hornet. “Marry Georgiana? What are you talking about? I do not want to marry, least of all my young cousin!”

His father took a step forward and glowered down into his son’s face. “I do not particularly care what you want, Son! If you wish to continue to live in the style in which you are accustomed, we need an influx of money, and soon, and Georgiana has a very substantial dowry!”

“But she is only eighteen, is she not?” his son protested.

Matlock sighed and admitted, “In truth, she is but sixteen, but...”

“Sixteen? I do not wish to wed now, and certainly not a mere child! Anyway, she is under age and cannot marry without the permission of her guardian!”

“And Richard is one of her guardians, so...”

“Is he?” Cecil interrupted. “I did not know that, or had forgotten. But nevertheless, there is your answer, Father; Richard can marry her. I daresay he is quite ready to give up soldiering and marry a rich wife. He should marry Georgiana.”

Matlock turned to stare outside at the formal rose garden behind the house; the roses of summer, with their elegant mixture of reds and pinks and whites, had given way to the dreary gray of late autumn.

It reflected his mood entirely; even a few months ago, he had been hopeful that he could turn around his financial situation with a few good nights at the gaming tables, but alas, his luck had been quite out.

And now his sons were causing trouble as well !

“I fear that Richard is not ready to give up his uniform,” he finally said. “At any rate, you are closer in age to Georgiana.”

“I am six and twenty!” Cecil said in exasperation. “I am a full decade older than my cousin! Just the same, I am not ready to marry yet.”

The earl turned back from the window, scowling, and said, “Cecil, we are on the verge of ruin. Do you understand me? Utter ruin. If we do not pay off at least some of the interest on the mortgages soon, we face foreclosure on the estate. I do not care if you have a mistress or three or twenty once you are wed; Georgiana is a shy thing and will not cause you any trouble. But we must have money!”

Cecil already pale face grew even whiter and for the first time, he actually looked frightened.

“Ruin?” he whispered.