Page 88 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)
Warosa’s City Office
“Mr. Warosa,” Lady Catherine said imperatively.
“Yes, Lady Catherine?”
“Now that we have discussed my legal situation, I wish to speak to you of investments. I spoke only yesterday with Lady Baxter, who claims that you are a gifted investor who can promise excellent returns for my money. Is she correct?”
Mr. Warosa assumed a grave expression and said, “That depends, Lady Catherine, on what you consider to be excellent profit. I have been buying and selling stocks at the Exchange for many years now and consistently maintain a ten percent return per annum, but if you are wishing for more radical revenue, I cannot help you. I am determined not to risk my clients’ money by foolishly investing in stocks, which I feel are doubtful in terms of yield.”
Lady Catherine leaned back in her chair to cogitate, and then demanded, “But you can promise me ten percent?”
“Yes, Lady Catherine, most certainly. At the risk of sounding proud, I am very skilled at trading at the Exchange.”
“Very well,” Catherine de Bourgh said graciously, “I wish to place my money in your hands. My daughter’s fiancé intends to invest her fortune in Consols. He is so short sighted! I intend to show him that an intelligent individual will take some risks with his or her capital so that it will grow!”
“You are, of course, entirely correct, Lady Catherine,” Mr. Warosa said, dipping his head to show his approval. “May I inquire what sum you wish to invest?”
“I will start with ten thousand pounds,” the lady responded loftily. “If you do indeed provide ten percent returns after a year, I will increase the amount.”
“Very well,” Mr. Warosa replied sedately, struggling to remain calm. Thanks to several large withdrawals in the last months, he was short on ready cash; a ten thousand pound infusion into his scheme would keep him afloat for some time.
“It will take me two weeks to arrange for the funds; in the meantime, make certain that you have cleared time to journey to Hertfordshire.”
Warosa blinked in confusion. “Hertfordshire, madam?”
“Yes, Mr. Warosa, Hertfordshire! Mrs. Darcy’s parents and sisters live there!”
“My apologies, Lady Catherine, but I do not remember Mrs. Darcy speaking of her family.”
“Oh! Well, you should have told me that earlier, Mr. Warosa. It is quite a peculiar situation; my nephew Darcy, while a sensible man in most ways, foolishly fell in love with, and married, the second daughter of a country gentleman, a Mr. Bennet, whose estate is entailed away to a distant relation. Mrs. Darcy is a dear girl and most devoted to my comfort, which is, of course, as it should be, but my nephew could have reached far higher. At least the girl is as fecund as her mother; their first child is due in a few months. In any case, Darcy and a Mr. Bingley, who married Elizabeth’s elder sister, are determined to set aside money for the dowries of the other three, yet unmarried Bennet daughters. I will advise them to meet to discuss investing with you, Mr. Warosa. Unlike my foolish daughter and her fiancé, the Darcys and Bingleys respect my business acumen!”
“I would be honored,” the man said, his courteous bow hiding the avaricious gleam in his eyes. If he could attract Darcy and their relations, with all their money, he would be able to maintain his current lifestyle for many years!
“Excellent,” Lady Catherine said complacently.
***
Astley’s Amphitheatre
“This way, sir,” the young lad said, and Darcy, with Elizabeth’s hand tucked securely in his arm, followed the boy through a door into the backstage area of the amphitheater.
Elizabeth looked around with fascination. She had enjoyed the theater performance enormously, but in its own way, the sights and sounds behind the scenes were even more incredible. Clowns, jugglers, and acrobats wandered to and fro, some still dressed in elaborate regalia, others in normal clothing, all laughing and talking, no doubt relieved to have finished another show. Several grooms walked by, leading horses still in their beautiful saddles. Young boys ran here and there, carrying messages. It was loud and frenetic and entirely wondrous.
“This way, my dear,” Darcy said into her ear, and she turned with an apologetic grimace, aware that she had stopped moving in her enthusiasm for the sounds and sights around her.
“I am sorry! It is amazing!” she exclaimed as she began walking again.
“It is indeed,” Darcy concurred, and together the couple followed the boy into a wooden passageway. Once the door shut behind them, the din dropped considerably. The couple made their way down the dusty corridor, along which were multiple closed doors. Near the end of the hall, the boy opened a door on the right and gestured. The Darcys stepped into a small room, simply furnished with wooden chairs and a dressing table, which had a large mirror behind it. Standing on either side of the mirror were two young women of some twenty years, nearly identical in appearance, dressed in simple, light blue muslin dresses, their dark eyes solemn, their brown hair piled high on their heads.
“Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, welcome,” the one on the right of them said. “I am Laurel and this is my twin sister, Lily. I hope you enjoyed the show today?”
“We did!” Elizabeth assured them. “You were marvelous, both of you. I cannot imagine how you manage such acrobatic feats! You must have trained very hard for many years!”
Darcy stared at the twins in surprise. He did not recognize the young ladies from the performance, but then he had never been adept at remembering the appearance of those he saw. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had a marvelous memory for faces.
“Thank you, Mrs. Darcy,” Lily said with a bashful smile. “We have indeed worked for many years to perfect our skills.”
“We began learning while we were small children,” Laurel chimed in. “Our parents were acrobats, you see.”
“It is truly incredible,” Elizabeth returned, her face pink with enthusiasm. “But come, I know you have worked hard this afternoon and must be ready for relaxation, so we will not stay long.”
“Indeed we will not,” Darcy agreed. “Lady Catherine asked us to meet you; on occasion, she must be out of Town, and during those times, we hope you are willing to make Darcy House the center of any operations of the League of the Golden Daffodil.”
“We will do anything for Lady Catherine,” Lily said passionately.
“And the League,” Laurel finished with equal enthusiasm.
“There is a chance that in the near future, the League will require someone with your talents to infiltrate an office building or residence,” Darcy continued. “There is the possibility of arrest and prison if you are discovered, and we would completely understand if you do not wish to risk such an operation.”
The twins exchanged quick glances, and Laurel said, “We are eager and willing to serve the League in any way, sir. Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh – well, our older sister Cecilia was in great trouble once, and the League … we will do anything for such noble work, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. Anything.”
***
Netherfield
Four days later
“Mr. Warosa, welcome,” Mr. Bingley said affably. “Thank you for taking the time to drive over to Netherfield today. Mrs. Bingley is, I fear, unable to travel long distances at the moment.”
“It was my pleasure,” Warosa said with a slight bow. He had made time to learn more about Charles Bingley and discovered that the man was the son of a successful merchant and thus did not deserve the respect of Mr. Darcy, whose family had owned Pemberley for generations.
He turned to greet Mrs. Bingley and drew in a quick breath of admiration. He had thought Mrs. Darcy a very pretty woman, but her older sister was an exquisite, astonishing angel, with blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes, with a delicately molded nose and becomingly flushed cheeks, with gently curved lips that caused his heart to beat faster. She was also great with child, which, far from diminishing her beauty, only made her seem more attractive.
“Mr. Warosa,” the lady said in a gentle contralto voice, “welcome to Netherfield.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Bingley,” he replied, bowing over her hand and kissing it. “It is truly a pleasure and honor to be here.”
When he straightened his back and released the lady’s hand, he discovered that Bingley had moved closer and was glaring at him. He managed a courteous smile to the gentleman even as he berated himself; he knew better than to pay too much attention to a married man’s wife!
To his relief, the sound of feet to his right provided a welcome interruption. He turned to discover Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy walking toward him with a tall, dark gentleman at her side.
“Mr. Warosa,” the lady exclaimed, “how good to see you again! May I please introduce you to my husband? Mr. Darcy, Mr. Warosa. Mr. Warosa, my husband, Mr. Darcy.”
The two men bowed, Mr. Warosa more deeply than Darcy. Warosa plastered on a delighted expression and said, “I did not know you and Mrs. Darcy would be here at Netherfield, but it is a great honor.”
Darcy forced his lips to twitch upwards in what could be loosely interpreted as a smile. He knew that his usual expression was forbidding, and given that he was certain that Warosa was a scoundrel and a swindler, he found it a genuine struggle to look moderately welcoming. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. Lady Catherine speaks very highly of you.”
“Shall we go into the drawing room?” Mrs. Bingley suggested. “Mr. Warosa, my youngest sister, Miss Lydia Bennet, planned to be here by now. We received a message from her that she will be late, but we can start now.”