Page 33 of Darcy in Distress (Pride and Prejudice Variation #17)
De Bourgh House
London
“Good morning, George.”
George Wickham looked up and smiled at his wife. “Good morning, Anne. I hope you had a good visit to the dressmaker?”
“I did,” Anne answered happily, wandering over to where her husband was sitting behind his desk, a pile of documents lying in front of him.
She took her habitual chair beside him and continued, “Lady Anne and Georgiana are such wonderful companions that I actually enjoyed myself. I never imagined such a thing was possible!”
George tilted an eyebrow at his wife and said, “Truly? You never enjoyed purchasing new clothes?”
“Oh, George,” Anne returned, a cloud settling on her brow, “I always dreaded having my garments fitted. I have never actually been to a modiste’s showroom before, you know.
Lady Catherine summoned her dressmaker to Rosings, and I would have to stand still for hours and hours for fittings, and Mama would criticize and never had any interest in what I wanted. I despised the entire experience.”
Not for the first time, Wickham felt a deep swell of pity for his bride. Lady Catherine was a truly dreadful parent to her only child. “But today was considerably better?”
“Oh, it was marvelous,” Anne said, suddenly cheerful again. “We three ladies took turns being fitted so I did not need to stand too long, and we talked, and Madame Cartier brought us tea, and Lady Anne gave me such excellent advice on what colors suit me best. I had a wonderful time.”
She laughed and said, “Madame Cartier was a little perplexed that we had armed manservants waiting outside at both the front and back doors of the shop, but she was too courteous to ask why.”
“You did not see any signs of Matlock or his minions?” George asked anxiously. He trusted the men that Darcy had chosen to guard the ladies, but it still took considerable self-control to be at peace when his wife was out and about in London.
“None at all,” Anne said confidently. “I know we must not let down our guard, but given my uncle’s current legal and financial problems, it seems unlikely that he will attempt violence again. ”
“Promise me that you will be careful,” George requested.
“I will, I assure you. But what are all these papers, George?”
“They are additional documents concerning the estate, and I just received them by messenger this morning from Mr. Billings,” Wickham said with a grimace.
“The legal disposition of Rosings and the details pertaining to the tenant farms and the like are incredibly complex. I never knew your father, of course, but I do not think much of his solicitor. They made the process of transferring Rosings from Lady Catherine to us far more complicated than necessary.”
“I am certain my mother was heavily involved in the decisions pertaining to Sir Lewis’s will.
My father was a gentle soul, and my mother ruled him from the day he joined his life with hers.
I have only met Billings a few times, but he is overawed by my mother.
I can hardly blame him for that since I find my mother an overwhelming individual, and even frightening sometimes. ”
“I much prefer your character to hers, Anne,” Wickham said, putting his pen down and turning to look into his wife’s face.
What he saw there pleased him very much.
In the last weeks, Anne’s health had improved significantly, thanks to the attentions of a truly skilled doctor and careful removal of laudanum from her daily life.
Anne, like her namesake aunt, had spent years taking the drug every day, and both women felt stronger, and thought more clearly, without the effects of the medicine.
“Thank you, George,” Anne replied, her flushing cheeks rendering her quite pretty. “I feel guilty for forcing you to deal with my mother and her solicitors. I know it is both tiring and tedious.”
“Tiring, perhaps, but definitely not tedious, my dear. If I were hired as a solicitor to do this job, I would complete my tasks with vigor and diligence. Given that I am your husband and you are the heiress of Rosings, I find that I am enjoying myself immensely. Lady Catherine is a formidable opponent, but the law is on our side. I think all will be settled by spring.”
“I am glad,” Anne said simply, though her heart sang.
Her marriage with George Wickham had been an unremitting blessing thus far.
He was kind, courteous, good looking, and always gentle with her.
He was also, and now she blushed brighter, exceptionally good looking with a truly remarkable figure. She was glad to be his wife.
/
Mr. Bennet’s Librar y
Longbourn
“You are the crown princess of Mirandia, Lilia,” the king said gravely.
“I understand that you were not raised in the palace, and are not accustomed to the responsibilities of your station, but you cannot marry a mere shepherd, however heroic he may be. It is your duty to wed a suitable man, and your mother and I will do our best to find a man whom you can …”
“The queen is not my mother!” Lilia proclaimed, her green eyes flashing fire.
“My mother is Chloe, wife of the goat herder Rumer. She fed me, she bathed me, she held me when I cried and danced with me on the grassy plains below The Razor. You sent me away, your Highness! I may be your daughter by blood, but I was raised a peasant, and I will marry Samuel whether you wish me to or not!”
The king’s eyes were wide with shock, and the queen, still pale after the ordeal of the last weeks, rose from her throne and took a few steps toward her eldest daughter.
“My dear Lilia,” she said softly, “do you not think it broke our hearts to send you away? There was great danger fomenting within the kingdom, and while it took a full eighteen years for Prince André to rebel, we knew that the time was coming when one of our daughters, at least, must be safe.”
“You kept me safe,” Lilia returned, her back straight, her face set, “and I am grateful. But you cannot expect me to throw away my entire life back home and bow to your orders in the matter of marriage! By all means, parade your princelings and dukes before me; I promise you that I will reject them all! If you wish for me to wed, it must be Samuel. If you refuse us, Princess Zestra can marry a suitable man and bear the heir to the throne of Mirandia!”
Elizabeth put the manuscript down and regarded Mr. Bennet in astonishment. “My dear father, I fear your publisher will be uneasy about Princess Lilia’s radical views on marriage!”
Bennet shrugged and said, “Yes, I daresay he will, but I am determined to stand my ground. I do not wish for Lilia to marry a prince. Samuel deserves to win the woman he loves.”
“You have made Samuel a very heroic man,” Elizabeth agreed, then added with amusement, “All the same, I know that you are less concerned about the romance and more interested in poking fun at the Prince Regent and his many brothers. ”
Bennet’s lips curved upwards. “You know me too well, Lizzy, but I hope Mr. Ludlow will not be quite so discerning. I am correct, of course; do you realize that if something dreadful were to happen to Princess Charlotte, our king has no other legitimate grandchildren! It is an absurd situation given how many illegitimate offspring have resulted from the princes’ numerous affairs!
The Royal Marriages Act was excessively foolish, and look what has happened!
Our king has thirteen living children and only one legitimate grandchild. ”
“I do not disagree, Papa,” Elizabeth said, “though Princess Charlotte is, at least, a reputedly healthy woman.”
“Yes, by the grace of God, she is. In any case, what is your opinion of the book?”
“I think it is wonderful and fascinating, Father, though I must wait until later to read the end. Fitzwilliam should be finished writing his business letters by now, and I want to show him Daisy’s foal in the stables.”
Mr. Bennet leaned forward impulsively. “You are happy with Darcy, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth found her hands on her stomach, where she was now quite certain that the heir to Pemberley was growing. “Yes, Papa, we are very, very happy.”
“And what of the Earl of Matlock? Has he caused you any more trouble? ”
“Darcy has been cautious since the confrontation at Netherfield; he has hired additional manservants to guard Darcy House along with numerous outriders for our journeys on the road. However, I truly believe Lord Matlock knows he is beaten now. Darcy purchased many of his debts and has begun foreclosure on three subsidiary estates. Before Colonel Fitzwilliam returned to the Continent, he and Cecil Fitzwilliam met with their mother, Lady Matlock, their sisters, and eldest brother, Viscount Lancaster. They were all distressed at the news of Matlock’s crimes towards the Darcys in general, and Lady Anne in particular.
Matlock is a pariah now, amongst the Fitzwilliam family at least.”
“Good,” Bennet said with satisfaction.
/
“Oh Jane, you will be such a beautiful bride,” Mrs. Bennet declared, tears filling her eyes. “Mr. Bingley will not be able to take his eyes off of you tomorrow!”
“Thank you, Mama,” Jane said, gazing into the large mirror in her mother’s boudoir.
Her dress, which she would wear at her wedding in two days, was indeed beautiful, made up in butter yellow silk with a delicate lace overdress.
She was quite certain, however, that Charles did not care if she wore a mob cap and apron to the wedding. They were both very eager to marry.
“I am thankful you are well enough to come to the wedding and to preside over the breakfast,” Jane said, and turned toward the maid, who began helping her take off her fancy gown.