Page 42 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)
Study
Matlock House
London
The Next Day
The door to the study swung open, and the Earl of Matlock, who was seated behind his great mahogany desk, looked up and sighed in relief.
“Richard!” he said. “Thank you for coming in such haste. Come in, my boy, come in.”
Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam obediently entered, shut the door behind him, and then wandered over to a silver tray on a small table which held a bottle of Madeira and several clean glasses.
“Would you like some wine, Father?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” the earl replied and waited as his son poured them both drinks.
The older man took the glass and drained the wine down his throat without pause, which provoked an alarmed look from the colonel.
“Whatever is wrong, Father?”
“Read this,” the earl grunted, handing over a paper and then drifting over to drop into a chair near the fire.
Richard opened the paper and walked over to the window to allow the light to shine on the page.
Matlock,
Darcy has gone altogether mad! He has asked a veritable nobody to marry him, entirely setting aside his commitment to Anne. You simply must do something! From their infancies, my daughter and Darcy have been destined to join the estates of Pemberley and Rosings, and to have this girl, Miss Bennet, prevent such a glorious union? It is not to be endured! Indeed, one can hardly fathom that the upstart pretensions of a young woman without family, connections, or fortune could come to fruition in such a dreadful way. Surely she has drawn our mutual nephew in using her arts and allurements.
I drove to Pemberley to remonstrate with him and prevent this dreadful engagement, but I found them already engaged, and Darcy would not listen to my superior wisdom on the matter. Indeed, he threatened to throw me out of Pemberley if I continued to voice my opposition to the match. Me! His own aunt.
You simply must intervene, Brother. Will the shades of Pemberley be polluted in such a way?
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
Richard Fitzwilliam read the letter over again, grimacing as he did so, and then walked over and deliberately threw the paper into the fire, which happily devoured it. He then sat down and faced his father, who lifted one eyebrow and said, “Why did you do that?”
Richard shrugged and said, “Such vituperative ramblings from Lady Catherine will do us no good if the letter escaped out of this office. She is being utterly ridiculous, of course. My cousin is a determined and steadfast man, and if he has chosen Miss Bennet as his bride, none of us will be able to dissuade him from such a marriage.”
The earl nodded and said, “Do you know anything about this young lady?”
“A little. She must be the daughter of a country gentleman named Bennet, who lives in Hertfordshire near the little town of Meryton. Darcy’s friend Bingley is currently leasing an estate there, and Darcy joined him at Netherfield Hall for two months last autumn. Bingley has since married the eldest of the Bennet daughters, and Alexander Wickham, son of the former steward of Pemberley, has recently married the youngest daughter. This lady must be one of the other three daughters.”
“So, she is the daughter of a gentleman?”
“Yes, and a gentleman who owns a modest estate,” Richard said. He cogitated for a minute and then sat up and said, “I will ride north to discuss the matter with Darcy if you like, Father.”
The earl’s expression brightened, and he said, “Would you, Richard? I truly have no desire to leave London at the moment given the political situation, and as you said, Darcy is his own man and not likely to listen to me, anyway.”
“I would be delighted to see Darcy and Georgiana, and I am certain I can obtain leave. I promise I will send you a letter about the situation, but I think it best to assume that there will be soon be a wedding and a new mistress of Pemberley.”
“Thank you, Son.”
***
Lambton
Derbyshire
Two Days Later
The sunlight had the milky gray quality of an overcast day, with only occasional sunbeams spearing through the clouds. The air was cool and tasted damp, and Elizabeth was grateful for her wool pelisse that protected her from a playful breeze when out of doors.
The Darcy carriage, of course, kept her and her companions pleasantly warm. Elizabeth leaned forward slightly the better to see the charming town outside of the windows, delighted by neat cottages and an inn with flower boxes in the windows and shops with their picturesque facades. Despite Lambton being but ten miles from Kympton, Elizabeth had not, between visiting measles-afflicted tenants and helping her sister, found time for mere sight-seeing.
But now those laid low by illness were recovering their strength, and Lydia was regaining her accustomed vigor by the day. Her newfound sense and steadiness remained, and she was eager to learn. Already, the young Mrs. Wickham had started taking an interest in running her own household, speaking with her kindly housekeeper in the mornings about meals and maids and daily tasks, lifting that burden from Elizabeth's shoulders.
It had been less than a sennight since her dear Fitzwilliam had proposed and she had accepted. Since then, letters addressed to or arriving from Hertfordshire had graced the silver platters in the halls of Pemberley and the Parsonage nearly every day. Jane and Charles Bingley would come to Pemberley soon to attend the wedding, but Elizabeth had been disappointed to learn that the rest of the family would not be traveling there for their wedding. It would, she thought wistfully, have been wonderful to have all of her sisters present and to have her father walk her down the aisle. She was forced to admit that she would not much enjoy having her mother around for the wedding. Elizabeth wanted to spend her wedding day focusing on the man she loved, not soothing her mother's ridiculous fears over losing Longbourn.
“There is La Patisserie, the best pastry shop in all of Derbyshire,” her Georgiana said, and Elizabeth turned toward the younger lady, who pointed to the left. “Do you see it, Elizabeth?”
Trays and platters of pastries sat in rows on maplewood shelves, cleaned and polished to gleaming. Marzipan castles jostled licorice drops, ratafia cakes ascended in neat pyramids, and scones reposed beside tiny cheesecakes. Dried flowers decorated plates of sugared fruit, and a long pink ribbon was curled artfully and pleasingly among it all.
“It looks delectable!” she exclaimed, and Mrs. Annesley, seated across from the two girls, said, “It is truly excellent, Miss Bennet, especially since the proprietor sometimes sells ices as well.”
“Oh, the ices are wonderful,” Georgiana gushed, and Elizabeth chuckled and said, “I hope we can go there soon.”
“Perhaps we can stop there after we visit the dressmaker and milliner,” Mrs. Annesley suggested, and Georgiana bobbed her head with enthusiasm.
The carriage came to a halt and jostled slightly as two footmen jumped off the back. A moment later, the door was pulled open, and the three ladies stepped down with the assistance of one of the liveried footmen.
Elizabeth nodded her thanks to the man and looked curiously at the building in front of her, which had a small sign, “Madame Fleur”, attached to a bracket.
“Shall we?” Georgiana suggested, and the threesome made their way up four steps and into the door of the shop, which boasted a moderately sized room with a wooden floor, part of which was covered in a charming blue rug. There were two mirrors standing against one wall and an open door into an adjacent room. There was a bell on the front door, and the tinkle brought an older woman into the room, dressed charmingly in dark green, who smiled and curtsied to the group.
“Miss Darcy,” Madame Fleur said with a slight French accent, “good morning. It is such an honor to see you here today.”
“Thank you, Madame,” Georgiana said. “May I please introduce you to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who is engaged to my brother?”
Madame Fleur’s eyes widened in astonishment, and then she curtsied low. “Miss Bennet, what an honor to meet you! How may I serve you today?”
This was said in such an obsequious way that Elizabeth felt a trifle uncomfortable, but she gathered herself and said, “Thank you, Madame. Mr. Darcy and I will be marrying next week, and I would like to purchase a dress for the ceremony. I realize that does not give you much time.”
“Oh, I assure you, that will be no problem at all,” Madame Fleur replied. “It is a quiet time for my shop, and my two daughters can assist in making up your dress. They are remarkable seamstresses.”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth responded. “I was thinking of a gown with green or yellow silk with a gauze overlay?”
Madame Fleur retreated a step, tilted her head, considered, and then nodded. “I think sea green would be best, as it would match the green in your eyes and would go well with your hair. With a gauze overlay – yes, it would be quite delightful. What do you want in the way of lace, or knots, or braids?”
“I do not like overly elaborate gowns, but lace at the neck and arms, certainly.”
“Very good, Miss Bennet. Perhaps you could join me in the back room so that I may take your measurements?”
Elizabeth obediently did so, and within half an hour, arrangements had been made for the gown to be finished three days hence.
After that, the ladies, accompanied by Darcy’s footmen, made their way to a milliner, and while Elizabeth did not find exactly what she wanted, the proprietress of the establishment assured her that she would personally make up a hat exactly in the style she wished, promising that it would also be available in three days’ time.
From there, the ladies walked the short distance to La Patisserie, where they settled at a small table and ordered hot chocolate and cheesecakes. The owner of the establishment, a Mr. Wallace, waited upon the small party himself, and every time Elizabeth glanced his way, he was lingering just out of earshot.
Such attention was odd and slightly unnerving. Back in Meryton, the Misses Bennet were always treated with great courtesy, but this was another level of awed respect. It was, she realized, because Georgiana was the daughter of Pemberley. Moreover, it was possible that news had already spread through segments of Lambton that she herself would soon be Mrs. Darcy.
It was peculiar to be treated in such a way and a trifle uncomfortable. And yet, she appreciated the insight into her beloved Fitzwilliam’s life experience. He was one of the wealthier men in the kingdom, and his connections were excellent as well. He must be used to being flattered and revered wherever he went. After her marriage, she would doubtless encounter the same thing, which would take some getting used to.