Page 47 of He Taught Me to Hope (Darcy and the Young Knight’s Quest #1)
D arcy had just returned from a visit with Anne. He was engaged in pleasant repartee with Richard and Georgiana when the butler entered the drawing room.
“Lord and Lady Matlock,” he announced before stepping aside in deference to the noble party.
“This is a surprise,” Darcy said, as the faces of all those in the room with him attested. “I had not expected to receive you until tomorrow.”
Lord Matlock responded, “Not an unpleasant surprise, I hope?” The elderly man scrutinised the room as if expecting to find something amiss. He returned his suspicious regard to his nephew and asked, “What difference does it make when we arrived, unless you are attempting to hide something?”
So, this is how it is, Darcy considered. Seeing no cause for subjecting the rest of the family to the imminent verbal sparring with his uncle, Darcy went to his aunt and welcomed her properly. He returned his attention to his uncle.
“My lord, please join me in my study.” Lord Matlock was not impressed, far from it. Had Darcy lingered long enough for a reply, he might have witnessed his aristocratic uncle’s dismay, having been ordered about by the younger man .
Moments later, Darcy and his uncle sat across from each other in Darcy’s study.
“I had hoped to receive you in my home with some expectation you would be more reasonable. If such is not the case, I suggest you depart my home post-haste.”
“Though, I am a guest in your home, young man,” his lordship began, “I am head of this family! I demand you treat me with the respect inherent in my standing! That being said, I came to look after my niece! I shall not take my leave of Pemberley until I am assured she is being cared for, and all her needs are met to my satisfaction.”
Darcy regarded the older gentleman with a knowing smile. “Then, you shall be pleasantly surprised to hear she is well on her way to recovery. She awakened this morning. She spoke with Richard and then asked to see my future bride.”
“Your future bride, indeed,” Lord Matlock spoke derisively. The good news about Anne was seemingly disregarded. “Do you mean to suggest you intend to go forward with your selfish plans? Do you intend to marry that woman after all that has occurred?”
“I fail to discern anything that has transpired that would have persuaded me to change my mind about marrying the woman I love. I only regret Anne’s accident was a cause to delay the wedding. Elizabeth and I shall be married tomorrow.”
“What of Anne’s sentiments? Do you not have the dignity to allow her time to recover before you bestow the title of mistress of Pemberley on another woman, when it has long been considered amongst the Fitzwilliam family as Anne’s birth right?”
Darcy cupped his forehead with his fingers and massaged his temples in annoyance. “Must I be subjected to this foolishness, yet again, and on the eve of my wedding, no less?”
“Foolishness? Why it was the fondest wish of both of my dear sisters!”
Darcy interrupted. “Yes, yes, at our cradles—I have heard it all before.” Darcy sat back in his chair as he mocked .
“That is enough of your disrespect towards your elders,” Lord Matlock warned. “What has Anne to say of your plans to allow another to usurp her rightful position?”
Darcy looked at his uncle in disbelief. “Although it is not as if either of us sought it, Anne offered her blessing. Furthermore, she has asked for and received my forgiveness.”
“I hope you do not expect me to stand by as a silent witness to this vulgar spectacle. I have not been in the habit of brokering disappointment, young man.”
Darcy had heard enough. He stood and faced his uncle. “No disrespect intended, my lord. However, I suggest you get used to it.”
Lord Matlock remained in Darcy’s study long enough to enjoy a stiff drink and settle on his next move. Soon enough, he found himself sitting in a chair in Anne’s room, next to her bed, uncharacteristically contrite.
With her hand in his, he affirmed, “This is not how I had intended things to turn out when I arranged for you to come here against my sister’s knowledge.
I believed Darcy would be persuaded to do right by you if you were here.
It pains me to see how much you have suffered.
I am sorry. Can you forgive me, my dear child? ”
Anne smiled at her dearest, in truth, her only uncle and gently squeezed his hand. “I can hardly blame you for my literally throwing myself at my cousin, now can I?”
“I blame myself. Darcy waited all these years to commit to marriage. When he did at last, it was to a widow with a child from a previous marriage. I never supposed his intentions towards the woman were honourable. I considered the entire affair as a mere dalliance. When he did not choose a young lady from our own circle, I surely thought he would honour our family’s wishes by marrying you.
” He glanced towards the window, as if in search of an answer.
“How could I have been so wrong about him?” Lord Matlock pondered aloud.
“As I said, I do not bear you any ill will, my lord. You were only looking out for my best interests. You thought you were doing what was best for our family.
“However, I must confess this is an agreeable alternative. At the end of the day, this is what I have wanted all along—to be part of a family. Cousin Fitzwilliam and his intended have forgiven me. I hope Georgiana will, as well, in time.
“So you see my lord, I can have a family with Fitzwilliam, Elizabeth, Georgiana, and little Ben. Even though I might continue down a path of vindictiveness, bitterness, and isolation, why would I, when I can be a part of something wonderful?”
Darcy went to Ben’s room bright and early the next day. Ben, who had not been impressed with the outfit he had been forced to don, smiled with glee when he noticed his finery was much the same as his friend’s handsome, rich attire.
“Good morning, Ben.”
“Good morning! We are dressed nearly the same,” the eager lad exclaimed excitedly.
“Indeed,” Darcy replied and then walked over to Ben and knelt to his eye level. He dismissed Ben’s attendant with a nod, signalling his intention to take over from there. Darcy began arranging Ben’s cravat. “I am informed you are not too keen on the idea of dressing this way, young man.”
“No, not at all, I do not know why I must wear such finery, and why on earth must someone help me to dress?”
“It is expected for young masters to be attended in this manner. One day, you shall have your own valet.”
“My own valet,” Ben uttered in wonderment. “What is a valet? ”
“A valet is a man who is hired to perform personal services for a gentleman, such as assisting with one’s morning and evening dressing and what not. You know my man, Waters. He is a good man, is he not? When you are older, you shall require your own man.”
“I can hardly imagine needing someone else to help me dress every morning, much less help me undress each night. That is what my mama does!”
Darcy could not help chuckling at Ben’s pronouncement. “Surely, you will reconsider that notion in time.” As Darcy continued to fuss with Ben’s cravat, he said, “In time, you shall appreciate having someone to tend to such matters as this.”
“Indeed,” Ben said teasingly in response to Darcy’s second attempt to get it just right. “Your hands are unsteady, my King. Why is that?”
Darcy thought about it. Had his man, Waters, not expressed words of a similar vein earlier as he attempted to complete his morning toilette?
Darcy considered it was not so much anxiety over the day’s impending events, as it was anticipation of how his night would unfold.
He had not bothered to mention it to his valet, who had been with him most of his life. He surely would not confess it now.
With the task at hand completed, at last, Darcy helped Ben don his jacket. “It is an important day for me, Ben. It is the most important day of my life, in fact. I am allowed to be just a bit anxious, am I not?”
Ben placed his hand reassuringly on Darcy’s broad shoulder and looked at him straight in the eye. “Then you should stay close to me, for I am not anxious at all.”
Darcy smiled. “I knew you would not be nervous, which is precisely why I am here. That and the fact that I wanted to spend time with you before the ceremony, solely the two of us.”
Darcy sat on the bed and entreated Ben to sit beside him. He continued, “Things will be quite overwhelming today, from the moment your mother and I take our wedding vows. I do not want you to feel left out or to consider you are less important to either of us.
“I realise how you felt neglected over the past weeks, what with my cousin Anne taking away so much of my time and attention. I never want you to feel that way again.”
“My mama always says family comes first,” Ben declared professorially.
“You are my family, you and your mother,” Darcy spoke proudly. “What say you we head on over to the chapel straightaway and make it official?”
The pristine chapel settled amongst its lush green surrounds and the clear blue of the sky above, decorated with fluffy white clouds, allied to supply the perfect setting for the long-awaited matrimony of the master of Pemberley.
On reflection, all those in attendance would admit to an impeccable execution of the ceremony with nary a tense moment save when the vicar spoke those fateful words of The Book of Common Prayer: “If any man can show just cause why they may not lawfully be joined together—”
Georgiana glanced about as if expecting the doors to fling open, in hobbling her cousin Anne, whilst both Richard and his mother cast a wary eye towards Lord Matlock.
The vicar continued in a measured yet reverent drawl, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”
Nary a sound was heard. The ceremony proceeded to its crowning moment, to young Ben’s way of thinking.
The vicar asked, “Who giveth this Woman to be married to this Man?”